Paws up if you know that June 22 is National Take Your Dog To Work Day. If your place of employment will open its doors to your dog and you want to take your dog to work. Will it be a success? Is your dog “office ready”?

We’re not talking about whether he can pull off wearing a suit and tie (lol), but instead:

1. Will he get along with your co-workers?
2. Will he play nicely with the other dogs in the workplace?
3. Will you be able to concentrate on your work or will you be trying to entertain Fido all day?
4. Will he “stress poo” in the elevator?
5. Is he a stress-barker who will give the other dogs anxiety?

If your dog is accustomed to spending his days on the couch with his other fur siblings watching the world from the comfort and safety of the house, he may not appreciate heading off to spend a day with you in the office. You need to know your dog’s temperament and his ability to adjust to change. Some dogs simply are better off at home in a familiar surrounding rather than being at the office place with other dogs who are stressed out.

A stressed dog, surrounded by other dogs who are nervous can lead to barking and fightings as well as “marking their territory.”

Here are some tips for Take Your Dog To Work Day success:

Ask if your workplace is participating. There could be office policy against dogs in the workplace -- even on Take Your Dog To Work Day. If you can bring your dog to work, ask your co-workers if they mind if you bring your dog. You may have co-workers who are allergic to dogs or who are afraid of dogs. Find that out first.

Don’t force your dog on your co-workers. Sure, you love your dog more than you can explain, but that doesn’t mean your co-workers will want your St. Bernard to slobber on their keyboard or their shoes. Let your co-workers know you will be bringing Fido with you and they can stop by your cubicle to meet him if they’re so inclined.

Know your dog’s personality. If your dog is not accustomed to other dogs, it could be problematic. A dog who is not socialized is one who may bark, mark his territory or lunge at another dog. If your dog is nervous when she’s not in her familiar location at home, she may be better served to stay there. Just plan to show off photos of her, but let her spend a quiet day at home. If you know your dog doesn’t play well with others, that will not change just because you’re in the office -- in fact, being in close quarters with other dogs can lead to fights and potential injuries. If you know your dog isn’t fond of other dogs, please for his sake, leave him home.

Know where you will take your dog so he can relieve himself. If your office space is on an upper level of an office building and you will need to ride an elevator to get outside, do you know where your dog can relieve himself once you get out there? Have a plan before you bring him to work.

Bring toys and a water dish. If your dog doesn’t typically eat during the day time, don’t bring him food; keep him on his regular schedule. Do bring a water dish and keep it by your desk. Bring a toy or blanket from home so your dog can play and so he can lay down on a familiar surface.

Have an exit strategy. If you have never taken your dog to work and aren’t at all certain how she will behave, you need to have an exit strategy if it’s not working out. In many instances, bosses maybe flexible and let you take your dog home if it’s not working out. If this isn’t the case or if it simply doesn’t make sense to leave work and make that trip, you need to have someone you can call to come and pick her up. Or, better yet, make certain you socialize her before Take Your Dog To Work Day rolls around; this way you can know whether she will enjoy her day at the office.

Know yourself. We know pet owner anxiety can be higher when your dog is stressed. If you are worried about how your dog will react at work, he will sense your stress and that will lead to his having anxiety. If you’re worried it will be a stressful situation for you, please leave your dog at home. Spend a little extra time when you get home giving him belly rubs and tell him about your day at the office. Sure, he may smell other dogs on you, but that’s okay -- it’s only one day!

Are you taking your dog to work? Share a photo of the two of you at the office on our Facebook page!

CLAWGUARD builds shields that protect homes from damage caused by dogs and cats. Products include door shields, couch guards, and universal protective tapes that protect commonly scratched areas like window sills, furniture, banisters, weatherstripping and more. Our products relieve pet owner anxiety! Look for us in the pet hardware section of your local retail store.

During May, National Chip Your Pet Month, awareness is raised of the importance of microchipping your pet. When you chip your pet you may have a better chance of having him returned if he escapes from your home or gets off leash during a walk.

We want to share some information about microchipping your pet as well as what you should do if you find a lost pet.

First, let’s explain what a microchip is. It is a tiny chip, about the size of a grain of rice, that is a permanent identification that is implanted in your dog during a routine veterinarian visit. It’s painless and once the simple procedure is complete, your dog won’t even notice it’s there. A microchip is not a GPS locator, but the chip will be associated with a website where you will enter your contact information; this is crucial to keep up-to-date in the event your dog gets lost.

1. A microchip is an identification for a lifetime. Unlike a collar with an identification tag, your dog can’t “slip out” of his microchip.
2. Shelters and veterinary clinics are accustomed to scanning a dog for a chip when one is brought in.
3. It’s believed a dog with a microchip is more likely to be reunited with its owner than a dog who isn’t microchipped.

Other ways to keep from your dog running away include:

1. Keep him away from open doors.  If your dog suffers from separation anxiety and is otherwise stressed out, he may bolt through an open door -- especially if he sees you’re getting ready to go to work and leave him home alone.
2. Keep him on a leash and harness when out of doors.
3. If he is in a fenced in yard, make certain the fence has no holes or areas from which your dog could escape.
4. Use positive reinforcement training to get your dog to “come” when called.
5. Ensure your dog is safe, happy and entertained at home. A dog who is exercised, entertained and otherwise enriched at home may be less likely to run away. Sadly, though there are some dogs who will see an open door as an invitation to run far away.

What should you do if you find a lost dog?

These are tips we’d like to think that anyone who finds a lost dog would follow as it will help reunite dogs with their pet parents.

1. Take the dog to a vet to have him scanned for a microchip.
2. Look online to see if anyone in your area has posted that they’ve lost a dog.
3. Look around your neighborhood for “lost dog” signs.
4. Check the dog for a collar and identification tag and call the contact information on it.
5. Go online yourself and post that you’ve found a lost dog, along with the dog’s photo.
6. If the dog tries to run away when you approach him, stop chasing him as you could drive him further away or out into traffic. Put down food for the dog and leave him be. Contact your local dog warden and let him know you’ve found a dog who appears to be lost and he or she will come out and try to corral him and find his owner.
7. Be aware that if you find a loose dog, chances are he has a loving home and a family who is worrying about him and is frantically searching for him. We urge people to do all they can to reunite a lost dog with his family.

Have you ever lost a dog? Were you reunited? What other tips can you offer pet parents to help keep their anxious dogs safe at home?

CLAWGUARD builds shields that help protect homes from damage caused by dogs and cats. Products include door shields, couch guards, and universal protective tapes that protect commonly scratched areas like window sills, furniture, banisters, weatherstripping and more.

Spring has finally sprung. It’s a time of renewal and to open the windows to air out your house and welcome in the warm weather. If you’re a pet owner you know you’ve been breathing in cat and dog fur and dander.

We know when you have dogs and cats you want to keep your house clean, even though it may be a losing battle as all pet lovers know!  

When you’re a pet parent, spring cleaning may seem even more daunting – dust bunnies the size of puppies under the fridge, anyone? Start now. Tackle one room at a time and you’ll be starting summer with a clean slate and a clean house!

Spring Cleaning Tasks For Pet Parents

1. Get pet hair off furniture. Even if you vacuum the furniture regularly, you should do a deep cleaning to get rid of all the pet hair – or as much as you can! Remove furniture slipcovers, brush or vacuum up as much pet hair as you can using a lint brush or a grooming glove.
2. Move furniture. Sweep and vacuum under couches, beds, the refrigerator and other dark corners of your house to remove as much hair as possible.
3. Deep clean carpets. If you live in an area of the country with snow and ice and winter that eventually turns into dirt and mud you will want to deep clean the carpets. Cleaning carpets removes ground in dirt and rock salt and unwanted pet smells. Choose carpet and other household cleaning items that won’t harm the environment and more importantly won’t harm your pets or other family members.
4. Deep clean litter boxes. Even better – replace the litter boxes. Make a note to replace the litter boxes several times a year. Even if you clean them regularly, when your cat scratches, she is digging into the plastic and that leads to bacteria and odors being trapped in those gouges she’s made.
5. Thoroughly clean pet bowls and toys. Many pet parents clean their dog and cat’s food and water bowls at least weekly, but if you don’t make sure to take the time during spring cleaning to thoroughly wash and dry all bowls. Clean the food mat or tray the bowls sit on. Check for washing instructions on toys and bowls and put them in the dishwasher or washing machine to deep clean them – use pet friendly soaps.

If your dog or cat has been scratching the doors or window sills or even scratching up the furniture, add “repair doors, window sills and furniture” to your spring cleaning list. Repair the scratched areas, paint or refinish them then protect it with a Door Shield or with our new Furniture Shields.

Once you’re done with your spring cleaning, you can kick back and enjoy the spring and summer weather ahead surrounded by your dogs and cats in a clean house!

CLAWGUARD builds shields that help protect homes from damage caused by dogs and cats. Products include door shields, couch guards, and universal protective tape that protects commonly scratched areas like window sills, furniture, banisters, weatherstripping and more.  

If you live with cats you know they have one thing in common. They love to scratch. Cats will scratch their pet parents, the couch, window sills, carpets, the walls, the doors and more. Why do cats scratch even when you try to train them not to? It’s instinctual behavior.

As a cat owner, you need to provide your cat with acceptable items upon which to give into their instinctual behaviors. If you don’t want your cat to scratch the arm of the couch, provide him another alternative -- put a scratching post by the couch. When he starts to scratch the couch, calmly get up and move his paws and claws to the scratching post. Many cats can be trained, through positive reinforcement, to scratch acceptable items and not destroy your home!

Why Do Cats Scratch? 

To get into the mind of your cat, you need to know, “why do cats scratch”?

• It feels good
• To rid themselves of dead layers on their claws
• To stretch
• To say they’re happy
• It helps fight off stress
• If they’re frustrated
• To mark their territory. When they scratch they are leaving their scent behind so other cats in the house know, “this is my scratching area”

From a scientific standpoint, cats scratch as a way to “mark their territory.” When they scratch, they are leaving both a visual marker as well as an olfactory marker. Cats have glands between the pads of their paws and when they scratch they leave an odor behind to let other cats in the house “know” that that piece of furniture or door or window sill has been claimed.

As you can see, there are many reasons cats scratch furniture and you can see it’s important for you to provide them an outlet for scratching that won’t destroy your furniture or your house.

Here are ways to keep your cat happy and your home protected:

1. Place a scratching post by the item the cat is scratching and encourage her to scratch the post not the furniture
2. Try various types of scratching posts until you find one your cat likes. Some enjoy scratching on sisal rope, others like carpet, still others enjoy scratching on cardboard scratch pads or a piece of natural wood or a log. If your cat doesn’t like the first option you offer, try another.
3. Praise him when he scratches the scratching post. Positive reinforcement is key.
4. Use CLAWGUARD Protection Tape to protect furniture, window sills, door frames, carpets and more. CLAWGUARD Protection Tape easily conforms to the legs of couches, your window sills, door frames and more.
5. Check out the newly released CLAWGUARD Furniture Shield, an item that proves, “you can have nice furniture and still have pets!” CLAWGUARD Furniture Shield is a nearly invisible protective Marine-grade piece of vinyl that affixes to any piece of furniture to protect it from the claws of your cat or dog. This product is easy to install, reposition or remove as needed and comes with clear head nickel-plated steel upholstery twist pins to hold the CLAWGUARD Furniture Shield in place.

Some cats simply won’t stop scratching specific items and if that is how your cat behaves, it’s best to protect the items he won’t stop damaging. Anywhere that your cat scratches you can place the furniture shield.

What have you done that has helped stop your cat from scratching the furniture? Please share with us your tricks and tips!

CLAWGUARD builds shields that help protect homes from damage caused by dogs and cats. Products include door shields, couch guards, and universal protective tape that protects commonly scratched areas like window sills, furniture, banisters, weatherstripping and more.  

Whether you share your life with a cat, a dog, multiple cats and dogs or a mixture of both do you know the traits of a good pet parent? This isn’t a trick question by any means.

Caring for dogs and/or cats is a big responsibility and if you’re a new pet parent you may wonder what the traits of a good pet parent are. We have rounded up a few for your consideration.

You are responsible. Caring for a pet means putting his or her needs before your own. No more weekends away at the spur of the moment, unless you have a responsible, reliable family member or pet sitter lined up. You look forward to getting home after work because you know your pet will be there to snuggle with you.

You become a saver. When you have a pet you know you have to save for veterinary visits and emergency health issues that may arise. You learn to set aside money regularly to assure your pet will receive the care he needs.

You learn to share your space. In other words, you’re no longer selfish when it comes to sleeping in the entire bed yourself. You are happy with a sliver of the bed as long as your cat or dog is comfortable you will sleep in an uncomfortable position so you don’t disturb them. Do they need to be constantly on your lap? You’re all right with that, too.

You find yourself talking about them all the time. If you’re an empty nester, you may find your phone is full of pet photos. Even if you have young children, you will likely be showing people pictures of your children and your pets together. They are a package deal, after all!

Your pet always has the best – the best food, clothing, bedding – you name it. You’re willing to eat ramen as long as Fluffy and Fido are well taken care of. Just as you’d make certain your human children had their needs met first, you’re also doing the same with your furry children.

You may learn to cook. If your pet has a health issue and requires a unique diet, you may find yourself in the kitchen trying out recipes for her meals. You may also enjoy being in the kitchen baking your pets healthy, organic ingredients rather than relying on store bought treats.

You learn patience. Sharing your life with a dog or cat means you need to be patient. You will have to have patience to housetrain your puppy. You will need patience when you’re trying to sleep and your cat is attacking your toes. You will have to understand, if you adopt a shelter dog or cat, they may need more love and attention because they are afraid -- this means more hugs, pats and accepting kisses from them.  

You will definitely want to avoid these pet parent mistakes:

1. Getting a dog or cat without truly putting thought into the responsibility and that it is a relationship for a life time.
2. Not training your puppy or kitten
3. Being inconsistent with training. If your dog isn’t allowed to chew shoes on Monday, he shouldn’t be allowed to do that on a Tuesday, either. If your cat shouldn’t scratch the couch on a Wednesday, you shouldn’t allow him to do it on a Thursday. You get where we are going here, right?
4. Giving too many treats. This can lead to obesity.
5. Not giving your dog or cat regular exercise
6. Not introducing your puppy or kitten to other humans and other dogs or cats. Socialization is necessary for your pet.
7. Not making your home pet-friendly. Just as you would “baby proof” for a toddler, so too do you need to puppy- or kitten-proof the house. This could mean putting up CLAWGUARD door shields so your puppy or dog doesn’t destroy the door frame. It could mean using CLAWGUARD furniture shield to protect your furniture from your cats’ claws. Remember, scratching is instinctual behavior for all cats – it’s up to the pet parent to give the cat a place to do what comes naturally!

Being a pet parent is a responsibility that will pay back rewards in puppy kisses and kitten snuggles and you will have a life long companion as your puppy and kitten grow old!

Can you remember life before you became a pet parent? Once you have begun sharing your life with a cat or dog you simply cannot imagine not having them there to greet you when you come home. Now that you’ve been a pet parent you may find you’ve developed some of these unique traits.

CLAWGUARD builds shields that help protect homes from damage caused by dogs and cats. Products include door shields, couch guards, and universal protective tape that protects commonly scratched areas like window sills, furniture, banisters, weatherstripping and more. CLAWGUARD products relieve pet owner anxiety.