Friday Things
1. We had an awesome little snowstorm last weekend that dumped a total of about 6 inches into our backyard. I got some stuff done around the house, and even baked up homemade pizzas. Einstein and Duke loved running around and playing in the snow. Duke will sit with his head tilted back, mouth open, trying to eat the snowflakes. I love these guys! :)
2. EXCEPT… Duke has developed the awful, awful habit of snacking on poop. Ugh! Bleh, bleh bleh. My mom’s dog does this and I’ve always thought it was disgusting. I’ve counted my blessings that Einstein never developed that habit, but it’s come around to bite me in the butt. This is a recent development, so I don’t know if it’s because they’re frozen and he sees them sort of like “sticks”, but oh my, it must stop! We’ve seen suggestions about mixing pumpkin into food (didn’t help), sprinkling hot sauce on the poop (only works if you can see it and it’s not buried in the snow!), and mixing steamed broccoli into food (haven’t tried that yet). Does anyone have any recommendations? We need HELP! Ew! Bleh! Gross!
3. Confession: Don’t hate me, but I fist pump when I get winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings on my phone. I just love a good snow storm! So cozy and pretty! My Chief Culinary Consultant and I were just reminiscing about the blizzard of 2010; he was living outside of D.C. at the time, and we were snowed in all weekend. LOVED IT! This is what one of the streets near his apartment looked like (we ventured out once it stopped snowing; it was SO quiet – there are some cars buried under that snow!):
4. While I love the snow, the insane cold weather this year has left my skin a total wreck. My face has been SO flakey. Literally, within 10 minutes of putting on moisturizer, my forehead is covered in dried skin. I’ve always used the same skin care products year round (a hydrating formula), but I finally broke down and bought some products that were winter-specific. After using them for the bulk of this week and not seeing a single speck of dry skin on my face, I wanted to share my recommendations with you!
I’m a very loyal Bobbi Brown customer (disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Bobbi Brown, just love the products!); her skincare totally works for me, and I love, love, LOVE her makeup, so I naturally turned there when I needed more oomph in the moisture department. Below are the items I added to my winter skin care arsenal:
- Extra Balm Rinse (top L): I’m now using this to wash my face in the morning (I’m still using the same cleansing oil in the evening). I had tried a sample of it a couple of years ago, so I already knew it was fantastic. It leaves my skin feeling super clean, but not parched at all.
- Extra Repair Serum (top R): This was admittedly a splurge, but I was desperate! I’ve been putting a thin layer on (a tiny bit goes a REALLY long way) underneath my moisturizer morning and night. It’s silky with a bit of a milky texture, and it almost acts as a sealant. It feels wonderful!
- Extra Repair Moisture Cream (bottom R): I’m now using this as my daytime moisturizer. What a HUGE difference from my regular hydrating moisturizer. I can layer makeup on top of this, and when I go to wash my face at night, there isn’t a single fleck of dried up skin on my face!
BobbiBrown.com was running a special when I ordered, so you could pick two skincare products to sample along with your order. I got the Extra Repair Moisturizing Balm (middle) to use as my nighttime moisturizer, and the Extra Eye Repair Cream (bottom) since I was getting some flaking around my eyes, as well. I am loving both of these products, and will plan on purchasing them when the samples run out, although a little goes a long way, so they might last me through the winter!
Here’s to softer, hydrated skin!
5. I just caught wind a few days ago that some companies were releasing their Super Bowl ads early. The Clydesdales have always been among my favorite ads, and I saw that Budweiser had a new ad out this year… one with a puppy! In case you like to be surprised, I won’t embed the video here, but you can watch it on Adweek. After watching that, I followed the link to the ad from last year, which I somehow had not seen… And then I cried.
(Also, I’m a sucker for Fleetwood Mac.)
6. Are you planning a Super Bowl party this year? If so, what’s on your menu? My father-in-law’s birthday is Monday, so we are taking him out to lunch on Sunday, and then having snacks and birthday cake for the Super Bowl!
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7. Rebecca tweeted this picture earlier this week:
I immediately forwarded it to my mom and sister. Back when I was in middle school, my family went on vacation to Virginia Beach. One day, we took a cruise around the Chesapeake Bay. I had my trusty camera with me, snapping photos like a good little tourist. My sister was next to me, and apparently she made some sort of movement, like getting up on her tippy toes, standing at the (ahem, very high) balcony. My mom naturally saw this movement as totally life-threatening and went into mom panic mode, ran over to my sister, arms flailing, to pull her away from the balcony. In the process, she managed to knock the camera out of my hands and… plop, right into the water below. I threw a fit, my sister threw a fit, and I’m pretty sure my dad walked away and pretended not to know us. My camera sits at the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay to this day (or it washed ashore and someone has pictures of an awkward 12-year-old’s family vacation).
We’ve laughed about that story so many times since then, but oh man, when I saw that diagram, it was the first thing I thought of!
8. Be forewarned, the following is a sad, sad story… Earlier this week, a Pittsburgh police K-9 dog, Rocco, was brutally stabbed by a suspect during an arrest. He was badly, badly injured, and in the day or so that followed, required two emergency surgeries. He lost nearly all of his blood, and the local news got word out that the vet hospital where he was being treated (PVSEC), was in need of canine blood donors. I called as soon as I heard, and was going to bring Einstein to donate, however they said their needs had already been met by an overwhelming response.
They did tell me, though, that they have a blood bank onsite and that you can bring a dog to donate at any time so they have supply in the event of an emergency. I wanted to share the story because I didn’t know that blood banks existed for dogs. Apparently, this is the only one of its kind in the Pittsburgh area. If you have a healthy dog and are interested in donating blood, call a veterinary emergency center near you to find out if they have such a program and how you can help.
I cried last night when I found out via Twitter that Rocco didn’t make it :( Einstein and Duke got a lot of extra hugs and kisses.
Rest well, Rocco, and thank you for your service. I hope you’re dashing through an obstacle course somewhere warm and sunny.
9. As you can tell, I’ve been rather weepy over dogs the last few days, between the Budweiser commercial and Rocco. Sheesh! I’m pretty sure my Chief Culinary Consultant is ready to ban me from Twitter and YouTube. It’s a good thing I’m planning a carbalicious dinner for tonight (cheesy meat lasagna!). That should help, and I’ll top it off with some chocolate :)
10. TGIF! Hug your friends (furry or otherwise) today!
We have a rescue dog that was already older when we got her. She has the same habit as Duke. While we find it rather unpleasant, the vet indicated that there really is little health risk to you or your dog that comes with this habit. That being said, it isn’t exactly desirable! Our vet indicated that you may never be able to train your pet out of that habit. We tried pills, cleaning up after EVERY potty (which is hard because we aren’t home during the day), pineapple, pumpkin, pepper, cheese, etc. . . none of it worked. Part of it is that there is a small difference between that and food in the eyes of dogs, but the other part of it is habit and urge so if you can work to pick up his droppings immediately (even in the snow) he should move away from the habit. No scolding, no emotion, just walk over, scoop, throw it away, reward. I’d get on this NOW as the longer he does it, the harder it will be to stop. Our next step will be trying to clicker train our dog away from the habit, but it will be a long road.
Heartbreaking story about Rocco so many give the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe…..dogs and humans.
Over the years we have a pup now and then eat their poop…..we always got something from the vet to sprinkle on their food that makes it taste horrid to them……it didn’t take too many times for them to get over it…..key here is not letting it go on as to make a bad habit out of it…….Our neighbors Rot
is six and still doing this they literally stand behind him with a shovel to get it before he does. Thanks for the skin care tips Bobbi Brown rocks…..
MY MOMS BLACK LAB ATE POOP, VET SAID ITS QUITE COMMON BE CAREFUL WITH PUMPKIN WAS TOLD TO GIVE TO DOGS AND CATS FOR CONSTIPATION BY MY VET
I’m sitting here at work during my break, with tears in my eyes. I should not have read this till I got home. Gave my German Shepherd, Rex extra hugs , kisses, and treats. Love your Friday doggie pictures best Michelle. Take care.
Hi
our dog used to eat poop too, they are coming too short on egg whites in their diet. Mix a raw egg into their food every day and you should see improvement.
hope this helps
I’ve seen that pineapple in the dogs food should make the poop not taste good after. I’ve never tried it…just seen it on It’s Me or the Dog! Haha
I’ve heard that dogs that like to snack on poop often need potassium, so bananas are a good substitute. Unless it’s an obsession thing, then training. Like being super aware and saying NO or DROP IT at the exact moment they start nibbling. There are a lot of horses around here and my dog has periods where she eats and plays with the horse droppings.. not cool. She rarely listens to NO in these situations but when I say: spit it out she does it immedietaly.. weird.
Hey there,
As a former trainer and behaviorist, I can tell you that 9 times out of 10, eating poop is a nutritional issue. Take a look at the ingredients he’s getting. Sometimes it’s behavioral, but to be honest, the only way to nip that in the bud is to make sure you pick up their poop. You have to be REALLY careful with them eating poop because they can get giardia and repeatedly infect themselves by doing this. Check out dogfoodadvisor (dotcom) and read up on the importance of a grain free diet for dogs (especially important for breeds like goldens!!!). Usually going grain free removes the desire to find nutrients elsewhere.
Good luck with the munchkins!!!!!!!!!
-Donelle
Hi Donelle, Thanks for the suggestion. I actually do feed them both grain-free (have been doing so for Einstein since he was about 6 months old), so I’m not sure. It only started recently, once everything was frozen, so I’m wondering if that has something to do with it. More of a “play” thing.
My pug, Lucy, used to do it too – very gross! I tried everything you mentioned, plus sprinkling Accent on her food – supposedly tastes bad when it comes out the other end. Nothing works and I finally gave up. I had to love with all her good and bad habits…
Oh boy, I am standing here at work crying over the bud ad. Hopefully nobody looks at me. I am the office crybaby when it comes to dogs and horses!
Oh gosh, my heart is just broken over Rocco! What a loyal companion. Dogs truly are mans best friend. On a much different note, our youngest dog is also a poop eater. More so in the winter. I think it has to do with the fact that it is frozen and more “fun” to gnaw on. Gross. I’ve been reading the other comments in hopes of finding a remedy!!
I heard that sprinkling Adolf’s meat tenderizer on their food helps with Duke’s new ‘bad habit’. But I also think that picking it right up will stop that also. Several dog books also mention that it is best if they do not see you picking it up. Good Luck with that.
Ps…broke my heart after reading about Rocco. :(
Rest in Peace Rocco! I’m crying into my bowl of oatmeal.
I look forward to seeing the pictures of Duke and Einstein every Friday. I have a 2.5 year Golden and its crazy how similar their characteristics are!
I just clicked on the link to the story about Rocco and I am now weeping. We had a beautiful long haired German Shepherd growing up and I have a special affection for the breed. Rocco was such a handsome boy.
I found the Budweiser puppy ad on line and have watched it way too many times. It is so adorable…makes me smile every time.
Our doggie is (was?) a poop eater, too. So nasty. The only thing we’ve found that actually works was to pick it up, immediately. Not so much fun when you have to take her outside in a polar vortex!! Ugh. I totally feel for you!
That’s what I say too. Picking it up is really the best thing to do. No worries over strange things to put into dogfood then. Bonus though-either way you don’t have to worry about stepping in it.
Unfortunately, eating poop is pretty common. Dogs evolved from wolves and the eat their poop all the time. It’s disgusting but it won’t hurt a healthy dog. The best thing to do is when you see Duke going in for the kill, redirect him with a toy or something. If you freak out, he my think you’re getting excited and think “hey, she thinks this is cool too!”
So sorry to hear of Rocco’s passing. What brave animals these K-9 dogs are. I also watched the commercial with the puppy and the horse. How special is that? OMG, love these commercials. I gave my Great Dane special treats yesterday and big hugs too. Thank goodness I do not have a poop eating dog. Good luck to you in finding a solution. BTW, love your blog.
I bought a product called Forbid. You sprinkle it on the dog’s food. It worked! Hopefully that will help with the poopsicles
Hi again!
Just saw the pills in the Drs. Foster and Smith online email catalog! They really work great!
Good luck!
My little pup did the same thing! I bought pills for this..at our pet co…work like a charm…no more poop eaters in our house! Or ever!
Check with your vet but years ago, we had a problem with a poop eater also and our vet told us to lightly sprinkle and mix in a tiny bit of meat tenderizer (we used Adolph’s) onto our dog’s food. It makes the stools taste bad.
That is the one that worked for our poop eater. It only took a couple of days of putting it on his food. Plus his breath smelled much better.
Ditto on the meat tenderizer. Worked like a charm. Only took a couple of days.
Don’t grieve for Rocco; he’s crossed over the Rainbow Bridge and is healthy and happy again. Hugs to Einstein & Duke!
Loved the commercial. Just sorry the dog who had been stabbed did not make it.
Yup–been crying all week since I saw the new (Best Buds) ad and re-watched the ad from last year. Clydesdales and puppies tug at my hearts strings. So sorry to hear about Rocco. Since we have 3 kitties, I will nuzzle them several additional times today,and please give E. & D. some extra hugs from us. Stay warm this weekend and good luck on the “poop patrol” ~_+
I dream of snow…..currently in the midst of our second heat wave in two weeks. At the moment it’s 115 !!!!!!!! A blood bank for puppies is a brilliant idea, truly brilliant. Loving your puppies …….makes me miss my own golden retriever Indy….4 years ago today I lost my 15 year old best friend. Hugs and scratches to your puppies xo
I’m not sure but I hear pineapple does the trick to dogs not to eat thire poop. But make sure with the vet 1st. But I think it was in animel planet that I saw it.. Show call its me or the dog.. The dog trainer suggested to mix it in the food.. But again I’d check with the vet 1st to be on the safe side of things..
When our dog wants to eat poop, we start giving her a spoonful of cottage cheese each day until she stops. We read someplace that the poop eating has to do with some deficiency, but I have no idea if that’s true.
We have a hoard of purse size pups and they eat poop so we feed the pineapple every other day and it actually works if Im at the grocery store I generally buy the jarred or precut fresh stuff but when I get busy pineapple fruit cups packed in juice with no added sugar will do for 10lbs and under dogs just a human bite or two works not sure about a bigger dog!
Hi,
we fed our dogs some extra stinky cheese about once a week. Maybe it helps with Duke, too.
I am devastated about Rocco as well. I also called to see if my Lacey could donate, but they were already ok. PVSEC is an awesome hospital that both of my dogs have frequented for emergencies. Mine got extra hugs and treats today too!