DOGGIE

Raising a dog in the city (like this one here, which is not one of my pups, but looks very much like my boy, Barkley) is a big commitment – often a much bigger one than raising a pooch in the suburbs.

You’ll have to deal with elevators, flights of stairs, loud noises, dirty streets – and that’s just when tackling potty training! Of course you’ll want your pup to be well-socialized, so you’ll need to get them out and about at an early age, you’ll need to teach them commands and know they’ll obey, and – quite likely – you’ll have to do all this while juggling many other responsibilities. so here are a few recommendations for every city dog – and their parents:

1.Puppy (or training) classes. I swear by socialization and training classes.  Of course, they’re more to train YOU, the parent, than your pooch, but you learn important commands and the right way to teach them to your puppy. A lot of the commands  taught in these classes I wouldn’t have thought of, or if I had, I wouldn’t have known the right way to go about getting that behavior. Your dog will also get to socialize with other pooches which – especially as a puppy – is priceless.
2.Exposure to transit. Most people in NYC don’t have a car, which is why it’s crucial to expose your dog to different modes on transportation. Try to get them used to the bus, trains, taxis, etc – but be sure to pay attention to the different rules of each transit agency. If all else fails there are several dog taxi services that serve the city and surrounding boroughs.

3.Exercise, exercise, exercise!! Different types of dogs require different levels of exercise but I can tell you one thing – you reap what you sow! Sometimes I just need a couple hours to myself at home, so I take the “kids” to the park for 30 minutes or so and when we get home they sack out long enough for me to get some stuff done. That 30 minute investment is priceless!

Of course there are many other things you can – and should – do with your pooch, especially when they’re a puppy! But getting these few important things on your list will definitely help your dog adjust to – or make the most of – life in the big city!

When living in the city, your only option when housebreaking a puppy may be to train them – at least at first – to use the “facilities” indoors. Some people who live in high rises or work long hours may choose to housebreak their puppy indoors as a permanent solution – or at least a long-term one until the dog is old enough to hold its bladder for long periods of time.

Others may find the risk of infection when taking a new, young puppy outside to pee on the city streets is just too great, and will therefore choose to teach their pup to eliminate inside while they’re younger.

Or if running outside and inside is just too much of a pain for you to do every five minutes, indoor housebreaking may also be a viable option. Hey – most of us don’t have our own yards where we can put the pup until they learn to go outside!

I recently got two puppies and fall into all of these categories! Puppy pads are a great solution to this problem and others swear by a doggie littler box, or – if you have a balcony – creating a grassy area where the pup can eliminate may be a great solution as well. When using a method of indoor elimination, keep a few things in mind:

1. Make sure the space is far away from where they sleep, play, eat and drink. Of course we’ve all heard that once a pup learns to sleep near their own pee or poop, it will be that much harder to housebreak them. Most dogs will naturally want to go to the bathroom in a separate area, so once you establish what that area is, they’ll want to go there.

2. Interrupt your dog if they go elsewhere. Just like you would stop a dog from peeing indoors and run them outside, interrupt them and run them over to the pee pad, litter box, etc. Don’t scare them, though, or they may learn to be afraid of peeing in front of you.

3. Use a command and give lots of praise! When you see your pup going in the designated area, say a command like, “go potty,” and lavish them with lots of love!

4. Don’t try to housebreak using indoor and outdoor training. Obviously if you’re going to be gone for a long period of time and you leave your pup in a confined area, they’ll probably need to go to the bathroom, so providing an area in that case is OK. But on a day-to-day basis, there needs to be consistency in what you’re doing and how you’re doing it.

If you’re pee-pad training, you have to interrupt them every time you see your pooch go to the bathroom off the bad, and reward (I mean, all out, crazy, throw a pee-party reward!) when they go on it. If you’re training them to go outside, you have to be consistent in the times you take your pup out and have a plan for how to handle accidents.

As someone going through this process right now, I’m not going to say it’s easy! But it’s a phase that will pass, and the fun of having a puppy sure makes it worth it!

*alexis

Who doesn’t love being a part of a fundraiser or benefit for something they truly believe in. On the flipside, of course, are the incessant solicitations for donations and the high price tags that come with so many great benefit dinners. So here’s a do-good option that won’t take a lot of your time or a lot of your money and you might even end up meeting some great people as well!
Head over to Otto’s Shrunken Head (538 East 14th Street, between Avenues A and B) this Thursday, September 18th from 8 p.m. to 11p.m.
You’ll have the option of giving $10 at the door, and a portion of the proceeds from the bar’s tiki drinks will go to the Mighty Mutts organization. They’re a group that runs a no kill shelter and is dedicated to getting “sweet sweet doggies off the mean cold dirty streets of NYC and into warm cozy homes!”

Performers include The Vondells, The Demands, Charm School, Rubber Room Rats, Goddamn Gallows, and DJ Pat Pervert.

We love that you have the option to donate, and that no matter what you do – as long as you sample a delicious tiki drink – you’ll be donating in some way!

~happy pampering!

*alexis

I’ve been writing on TheStylishCity.com for close to a year now, and during that time I’ve been working on a little side project that launched recently.

Until now, eco-friendly dog clothing was mostly relegated to organic cotton tees, and maybe the occasional organic jacket or locally-made garment. My new endeavor, Earth’s Best Friend is changing all that. We’re aiming to deliver eco-friendly dog clothes that are actually cute, creatively-designed, and stylish.

Right now, we’re offering two jackets that are made from organic, sustainable and biodegradable hemp and cotton: the Pete (named after our first dog model) and the Bailey (named after my first dog). Immediate plans are in the works for several more styles, including one that will be made with re-purposed kimono fabric. Long term, we want to focus our eco efforts not just on clothes but on anything pet-related.

Our components and fabrics are sourced in the US – including our buttons which are harvested and manufactured using sustainable means and made in New York City. Our pricing hang tags are plantable  and will grow wildflowers when placed in soil, so you don’t have to worry about throwing them away! You can read more about us here including where all our suppliers are and where our components come from. Stop on by, we’d love to hear what you have to say!

~happy pampering!

*alexis