Chris Christenson "Spa"

The ever doting daddy again sourced what he deem will make Slurpie look and feel better. After loads of research and reading, he went out to buy the Chris Christenson starter kitThe series of products was suppose to make Slurpie's coat Black, keep his coat dense and also healthier. Below is the summary of each item.

Black on Black Shampoo
Like most shampoos for blackies, the shamppo is black in color. However it claims that it is not a dye. It is supposed to remove the red in black coats, increase color intensity and add sheen. it can also be used on salt & pepper, blue, brown. We had to apply it straight to a wetted Slrpie, worked it thoroughly into his coat and let him stand for 5mins. We chose to do a full body massage while waiting, sigh, he really has better treatment than I do in this home!




Thick N Thicker
After rinsing out the shampoo, we applied Thick N Thicker. This was slightly foamy in texture. We were to concentrate on fur ends and again leave it on for 2-3mins. Supposed to strenghten hair shaft and repair split ends (gosh never knew dogs have split ends?) I guess its like a hair growth cum conditioner in human terms. By this time my wet dog looked a tad pathetic as he kept wondering when is the washing going to end!




After Bath Rinse
Again we had to rinse off and next up is the After Bath Rinse. Supposed to rinse away residues of the 2 items above and seal the cuticles of the fur so it is healtier, easier to comb and retain moisture. Luckily there was no waiting time, we could just wash Slurpie thoroughly after we worked the solution into his coat. By now Slurpie smelled so clean and good (not kidding really good scent compared to the other shampoos). But we are still one step away from the end of this Spa treatment.




Ice On Ice Spray
After we towelled dry Slurpie, it was the spraying time. This is like a leave in conditioner and detangler with SUN SCREEN! Not only will it provide a glisten to the coat, it will repel dirt, rain, dust and urine. So I guess when Slurpie misses cue the next time and accidentally pees on his front legs it will not stink as much??? hmmm......





By the end of the whole process which took us about 45mins excluding ear cleaning and brushing, I was seriously quite displeased with the man. Hey he has never paid that much attention to my hair! Ok granted that I am one of those lazy gals who do not really bother myself. Imagine Slurpie has 4 different products and so many processes to keep his coat looking good where as the man only uses shampoo and me shampoo + conditioner. I do not even have any hair treatment thingy or leave in conditioner. OMFG I was so amazed at the completeness of this kit and how much attention to details! Never would I guess my poochie would have a spa weekly from now on while we have quick showers ourselves. Imagine the shock the old school dog owners will have haha i can so imagine my parents tsk-tsking to the length we will go for Slurpie.

Verdict:
Smells great not overpowering scent but a mild clean soap scent.
Hair looks a tad shinnier maybe will improve with more applications.
Whole process takes much much longer then ordinary shampooing and my poor Slurpie did not seem to appreciate the Spa, he was trying to break lose in between.
Cost seems ok about $28 for the starter kit, worth considering if it works. May buy again pending results after repeated use.

Eco Biopet Review

What:

Eco-BioPet is a composition of micro-organisms from the soil of Gunma Region in Japan.

- Maintains a healthier digestive system
- Improves the absorption of nutrients in the small intestines
- Improves the quality of Poo
- Reduces/Eradicate the foul smell of Poo
- Strengthens the immune system
- Suppresses pathogenic bacteria in the intestines
- Reduces stress level in the Pet
- Increases reproductive activity

How:

Once taken by the animal, it will activate enterobacteria and intestinal activities to promote the animal’s growth and health. It suppresses coli bacillus, clostridium, salmonella, B-hemolyticbacteroides, and other pathogenic bacteria while increasing useful bacillus, such as lactic bacillus, in the intestines. It also produces digestive enzymes such as Amylase and Protease, as well as Vitamin B Group and Vitamin A. It stimulates intestinal immune cells to produce antibodies and activates macrophages.

All Natural - Not Chemically Enhanced…no fear of introducing chemically enhanced products to the Pets.

Ok honestly we bought it partly due to the attractive notion that Slurpie's poo will not stink as badly. The box stated detailed instructions not to keep in air tight containers or even plastic bags. No contact with water too or all the micro organism will die within 7 days.......creepy somehow to know the saw-dust like stuff is alive!

We faithfully gave the prescribed amt mixed into Slurpies breakfast and dinner. Supposed to see results in 10 days. Till now I think at least 3-4weeks have passed and well....his poo still stinks a lot! Ok so it did not work on the stench for Slurpie's case. However the consistency of the poo seems to have improved overall. It was more often solid although on some days maybe due to other factors such as us feeding him fruits or him being overly excited, the poo was still a little soft. I really cannot tell if this product works or is good? hmmm anyone care to share your experience?

When we finish this box, i intend to stop and observe the difference. If there are no key difference I will not buy again though. Too many supplements already! (blame the man)

Maintenance in progress

Hello all

been busy trying to personalise a new template for the blog. find this iphone template too narrow and cramp. the poochie is testing our patience now. at 6.5 mths he is probably going thru the similar period of terrible 2s for kids i think! he has been whining, talking back and demanding!

I think all dog owners can differentiate the different ways your poochie barks, whine, cry etc so trust me when i say he talks back to us! When we get home we always ignore him for at least 5 mins or until he stops trying to jump and sit to wait for us to greet him. If he jumps we give him the knee treatment. So he does try to keep his butt on the ground although we can see its quivering with excitment and if our greeting do not come quick enough by talking to him and giving him some hugs and pets, he will start chiding us with this particular bark that tells us how disappointed he is and that he wants attention now! The same happens when we leash him but do not leave the house immediately or when he sees his food being prepared but not served to him after it is ready. We just ignore him or say quiet sternly. Hopedfully he will pass this phrase soon!

Will update soon when i have more time. Work is too busy now! help.....

meanwhile check out poochie blings here

Slurpie Nursery Class

Slurpie missed out the socialisation aspect till he was about 4.5 months old due to some vaccination and health reasons. As such although we had been successful in training him in the basic commands covered earlier (Sit, Down, Stay) we were contemplating signing up some puppy classes just so he gets to socialise with other puppies/dogs.

tiny slurpie barking at the husky

We realised the very first time we brought him out that he gets intimidated by almost everything that moves and strange noises. We also recognised his fear barking with ears pulled back whenever he meets another dog. The barking no doubt stressed him out since he kept feeling fearful, it also made us stressed as we have to keep trying to calm him down, hold him back as he tries to lunge and apologise to everyone whom he barked at.

We tried to bring him out at every opportunity. Walks around the estate and the neighborhood park, East Coast Park (lots of obstacles: cyclists, runners, screaming children, roller bladers, bbq smells, shrieking teenagers, other dogs phew!), dog runs etc etc. We were trying to get him immuned to all the various strange sights and sounds that he does not experience at home. However we also wanted him to have actual socialisation with other dogs in terms of playing and not just the usual sniff and goodbye 5 mins greetings on such walks.

So we signed him up for a puppy orientation class. $180 for 4 x 1.5hrs lessons with 4 other puppies. The other puppies were younger than Slurpie, mostly about 2mths old and of cos as expected, ours was as usual the most vocal of the lot. He tends to bark as he approaches another pup/dog but once he gets a chance to go nearer and sniff he will stop.....until they run about or jump on him =P

Poor little Slurpie was made to face the wall on the first lesson for about 15mins as he kept barking when he saw 4 other pups and so many people confined in the room. Haha actually it really cracked me up when the Trainer's helper carried him and stood in the corner with him turned so he faces the wall. He seemed so pitiful hearing the other puppies playing but yet unable to see even though he tried to turned his head.

The lessons taught what Slurpie already knew: recall, sit, down and basic grooming. But the trainers told everyone to just let the puppies play even if they are rough or slightly agressive so each will teach the other what is wrong behavior. It was really good cos we saw a more agressive/untrusting pup slowly learning to join in the play, the merry little pup who learned to growl when required to defend herself and of cos our blackie who learned there are other puppies too in this world and how to play with them. None of us owners were overly protective like the people we meet on walks. We kept an eye in case of real danger but generally we realise our pups can all roll and tumble, growl and make up with no love lost. So what we really got for the $180 was a nursery play group for Slurpie and his first graduation photo:

P/S: the trainers were wonderful patient and nice people but the all love and treats method with ignoring bad behaviors approach really did nothing much for Slurpie who already had some bad habits. perhaps if he had gone earlier before 3 mths...but for us we needed another school of thought that would help Slurpie curb his fear barking problem. We are attending one now, 2nd lesson so far....will update progress!

Down Stay Command

After Slurpie was consistent with his Sit and Down commands we started on the stay command in his 2nd week with us. Stay command is very very useful when you need to clear his pee/poo, pick up food that has dropped etc basically when u need poochie to stay away to allow you some time to clear up or mop the floor.

I am so proud of my PP he learns so quickly although he was only about 3 mths old. This is what we did:

1. Give down command first but no reward

2. with one hand placed gently on his back, we put the treat about 1m away (stretch as far as I could with my hand still on his back)

3. when he attempted to get up to get to the treat, I placed light pressure on his back while my other hand made the "stop" sign (fingers all opened like signaling 5) in his face and say Stay.

4. Released after about 1-2 seconds as I say OK and let him run to the treat and relish it.

5. Repeat
Tip: gradually we did not have to hold him in place, so we adjusted the pressure on his back as he progressed.

We increased the waiting time to 30sec, 45sec and 1 min gradually. We also started to walk away with the treat in our hands while he stayed, increasing the distance as we increased the time. He will come running the moment he hears OK at reallt high speed haha.

Now we can do the stay while we walk into other rooms/out of sight! Try it! Stay is really good cos only with Stay can you take nice pics like this:


after our home trainings we did attend some formal classes and found the methods they used were different. I guess there are many ways to train poochie so as long as it works I think any method is fine =) The above method was from a book we bought. Will do books review soon.

Xiao Mi Feng

cannot resist posting my little bumble bee here

this is messy bee before his grooming. looks like a girl haha with the head gear.








checking out the tree for beehive












he sees the treat there (at the middle of the trunk) but he has not gotten clearance to eat it hehe














see super will power at work here as he goes nearer but waits for my Ok haha hilarious






disclaimer: i do not advocate clothes for dogs in singapore weather so any clothes we buy (too cute to resist!) we only let him wear for photo taking and maybe the first 5mins when we have visitors or when visiting others. this bumble bee only cost me S$9 from Shanghai how to resist! hehe.

MS Gathering at Sentosa

29th June 2008
Sentosa Tanjung Beach
Lots of fun, sand and food!

this has to be the most exciting day in Slurpie's 6 mths on earth! to be surrounded by loads of people (he loves people!) and poochie friends. It was really great as everyone there are dog/MS lovers so everyone was tolerant to any doggy mischief and understands if the poochies were playful.

checking out his new friends
cool mohawk MS

all lined up swimming classes =)apprehensive Slurpieyeah my brave boy can swim!where there is food, slurpie is always there

the organisers are awesome and the event was a success! the result? 2o over tired poochies who had the best time running, swimming, eating and playing. lets organise the next outing NOW!

by the way, pls forgive my greedy chor lor pup who ate the meatballs of your pups hehe. cocodada...paiseh la.