Showing posts with label off. Show all posts
Showing posts with label off. Show all posts

Monday, September 22, 2014

De-Fur Your Belongings

If you have a frequent shedder like I do, you probably have accepted the fact that in your home fur is an accessory just like the paint on your walls, or the picture frames full of candid photos. Fur is just part of your life, you have to accept it. I have even gone out of my way to purchase certain items because I know Luna's fur is more likely to blend in with it. Kind of like buying a tan car over a black car because the dirt and dust is less obvious on a tan colored car. 

I've accepted that I have a shedder, but I do try and clean up her fur every once in a while. Vacuuming becomes a challenge, where every 5 minutes I have to empty the contents because it is FILLED with fur. I swear I could make a whole pack of wolves with the amount of fur that comes off that dog. 


This weekend I decided to de-fur one of my blankets that Luna has now claimed as her own. It usually sits in my car to attempt to protect my back seat from dirt, mud, fur and whatever else Luna tracks in there. So you can imagine this blanket looking pretty gnarly. I shook it out first to try and get all loose fur and dirt off as much as I could.

After a quick Google search, I found a few alternatives to getting fur off of blankets or any other belonging that is furever furry. 

The first thing wiki how said to do was get your hands wet and rub your hands over the area. This weighs down the fur by getting it wet and makes it easier to grab the fur. Let me tell you, that is not happening. It is taking way too long with this blanket.



Another suggestion was to use latex gloves and use the "magnetic attraction" to get the fur off. I guess this would be like using a balloon (which Wiki actually suggested too), rubbing it on your head and attracting fur to it through static. This attempt was again taking way too long and the gloves I was using would just slip off my hands. (This was one of the better options Wiki How came up with though).


One of the last things I tried that Wiki said to use was fabric softener sheets. Dampening it then rubbing on the furry surface. Well that just made a soapy kind of mess and was really not working whatsoever (I think this was the worst option ever).



Finally, I stopped by Target to see if they had some kind of fur removal device I could use. And what do you know, in their cleaning supplies section they have a lint roller specifically for furry situations. It has a rubber little brush on one end and a huge roll of lint rolling sticky tape on the other side. What you were to do was "rake" the fur to one area and then pick it up by using the sticky tape. I found this alternative the best, easiest and fasted way to get the results I wanted. Buy this Evercare product at Walgreens for $6!



After defurring the blanket as much as I could, I threw it in the washer then dryer, and was pretty pleased with the results. (Not perfect, but as good as it's gonna get)

Sunday, July 6, 2014

American Weekend

This 3 day weekend was action packed and huge for Luna!

1. OFF LEASH!
Friday, Drew and I experimented with off-leash potties with Luna. Last time we did this it turned into us chasing after her for an hour, the whole time I was having a heart attack. The Husky in Luna makes her BOLT, and the Lab in her makes her have ADD which makes it hard to get her to "come" when she sees a squirrel. But we have been working on it...slowly. So we decided to take a "leap of faith" and we took off her leash, grabbed a couple motivational treats and opened the door (dun, dun, DUNNNNN)! 

At first she was a little hyper to be off leash but stayed within 15 feet of us and just ran circles and peed. Then we told her to "come" and she did (so we gave her a treat), then told her to "go home" and straight up the stairs she went! SUCCESS!!! Happy parents for sure.

This is a video of Luna when told to "Go Home" after doing her business. (She gets ahead of me but looks back a couple times to see if I'm following).




2. Playing with 5lb Teddy
We went over to Drew's parents' house for Independence Day and Luna got to play with Teddy. I swear, every time we go over there, Luna and Teddy get better and better about playing together. The two got a little crazy when Moxie came around (3 dogs at G-ma and G-pas house can get exciting at first), but then settled down. They went outside and played with bubbles. Teddy was all about them and definitely won first place at popping the most bubbles. Then after a long play day the 3 were exhausted, and fell asleep. 







3. FIREWORKS!
This was the first time Luna would be experiencing fireworks with us. We didn't know how she'd react but seeing that the garbage truck that sounds like a plane crashing into our apartment never phases her, we weren't too worried. And when we walked to Downtown Livermore where they were setting off the fireworks, Luna was intrigued by the lights in the sky. She was staring at them just like she stares at flies, questioning how they got there and how in the world is she gonna get them! All in all a very successful, non-freak-out experience, which is a HUGE relief.



4. OFF LEASH X2!
Saturday, I took Luna to Lake Borris (the off-leash dog lake/trail area in Livermore, behind Shadow Cliffs). It is by far my favorite place to bring her. She can swim, play with other dogs, and get in a nice little tiny hike at the same time. This place is COMPLETELY off leash, and quite frankly it's the best place to train your dog off leash. There's no place the dog can really go and get into any real danger (far from busy streets, and it's basically all in a large ditch). Luna is a HUGE fan of water, I mean she tries to swim in the fountains Downtown, and I don't stop her. 

I decided that this time at Lake Borris, I would try to see how she does off leash on the walk over to the beach (well more like on leash, and I just drop it on the ground and let it drag behind her). I kept treats in hand and when she would get too far I would tell her to come back, and if she listened she was rewarded. She was amazing! I told her to "stay" when I wanted her walking right next to me (which was whenever I saw a dog coming towards us). Then I would have her sit, when the dog and its owner were about 10-15 feet away, and when they passed we would keep walking. 

I'm telling you, it must be a maturity thing, that once your dog hits 1, they listen better and do what you say (for the most part). I don't think that a week ago she would have been able to do this! It's crazy!

So we get to the beach part of the lake and she's playing and swimming and having a great time. Then this 5 month old Black Lab comes around and starts playing with Luna. This was the first time this dog has gone swimming, and the best way to teach your dog something is to have another dog train it! DO NOT EVER THROW YOUR DOG INTO A POOL TO TRY TO HAVE THEM SWIM!!!! EVERRRR!!! (It's like throwing a kid who doesn't know how to swim in the pool, and then they are traumatized for the rest of their life and will refuse to go in the water.) 

When it's time to go (when mom is tired and hot and sunburnt), I decided to put her on the leash again but drop it on the ground for a little. Then a couple minutes later I thought I would try and do NO LEASH AT ALL! And usually (like I said before) she will BOLT like there's no tomorrow. This time? That was not the case. She acted the same as when the leash was on the ground! She was a little more testing her limits but it was okay, she would turn around and walk by my side when I told her to. 

I was such a proud Mama. When we were almost to our car I put her leash back on and a dog who had just arrived was pulling his (or her) owner like you see in those movies. That Lab was easily 90lbs. Big boy (or girl). Then he (or she) just starts barking and barking and BARKING! Meanwhile, I just tell Luna, sit and stay, and she's quiet, just watching this chocolate Lab go berserk. And the owner and family say "Wow! How old is your dog?" And I tell them she's one. And they are shocked since their dog is 5 and "not as well trained." (Clearly a socialization issue). Sorry, was that bitchy? 

Not going to lie, Drew and I have done a great job training Luna on how we want her to act. Of course she isn't perfect and she still makes mistakes, but she's a dog. I'm not a military sergeant training soldiers, I am just a crazy dog lady training her crazy dog.