Adventures with Astrid at the Bridge

Today, Astrid wanted to yet again share one of her favorite spots in our neighborhood.

That there bridge can be crossed to go on a quiet scroll through another part of our neighborhood. Or, Astrid's favorite, you can turn left and walk through the park near our house. Either way, Astrid always stops and gives the bridge and its surroundings a good sniff. More often than not, another dog will have left a fresh urine sample on the bridge for Astrid to get a good whiff of.

Happy Wednesday, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

I've been reading lots of horror novels lately, so here's a flashback doodle in honor of that.

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Tip of the Day

We claimed that yesterday's tip was the last one in our pet parenting hacks series. But guess what? This silly human here found a whole other set of pet parenting hacks, and so we have more. Many of these are all sorts of randomness, but sometimes randomness can come in handy. Well, at least we think so.

Today's tip is one a bit more for the dogs, but of course could be used for kitties if the situation applies. What we're talking about today is bell training. It can help to have a way for your dog to tell you they need to go to the bathroom. Since jumping and scratching at the door is not all that ideal, you can hang a bell, or a strand of bells, on the doorknob. Of course, make sure the design of the bell and any attachments are safe for your furbaby, especially if they're a chewer. Once you've selected and placed the bell to be used, training techniques such as positive reinforcement can be used to teach your dog to ring the bell prior to going outside to use to the restroom. This will allow your dog to make the connection that, if they ring the bell on the door, they will be let out to use the restroom. Just as with any training, this may take time, but with patience, practice, and positive reinforcement, everyone involved can get the hang of it.