Dog Ownership Training - What I learned on Week One

Firstly I signed up to this through Mid Antrim Animal Sanctuary's Facebook page which notified me of it.  The course was free due to eternal funding and did have limited places.  I was lucky enough to secure one for myself.

I sadly do not and have not ever owned a dog but I hope to in the next few years and want to learn as much as I can about looking after them!

The first evening was on 18/05/2015.  We were given an info pack with some writing material.

The first speaker was called Robin and he is a Dog Trainer.  Some things I learnt from Robin;

1. Badly behaved dogs are usually bored - make sure they are getting enough exercise.
2. If you rescue a dog - many behaviours come from a previous home.  Therefore you have to take time to know your dogs habits (good and bad)
3. Dogs usually have a main focus - some love attention, some love food, some just want a nice warm bed.
4. Don't wash dog beds too often - dogs like their bed to smell like them.
5. Only give dogs toys when you want them to play, and change and mix them to keep the dog occupied so he doesn't grow bored of them.
6. Play games with your dog like hiding toys in the garden.
7. Take your dog a walk BEFORE feeding them.
8. Before bringing ANY dog (puppy or rescue)

The second speaker was a Vet surgeon, working for over 25 years.  Some things I learnt;

1. Pedigree breeds do have more health problems and these vary by breed.  Do your research before getting a certain breed.
2. As dogs get older they often get arthritis - don't be afraid to give them pain relief.  If you have none you can give them paracetamol.
3. For dogs known to get hip dysplasia you can give them joint supplements.
4. Make sure you feed your dog at least 2 a day.  Once a day is incredibly dangerous as it can cause the stomach to swell, twist and be fatal within hours.
5. Beware of slug pellets/animal poison in gardens.
6. Make sure you get the dog treated 3-4 times a year for worm - BOTH KINDS!
7. Neutering your dog is always encouraged.  Too early can cause bladder incontinence so wait until after the first heat.
8. If you get a puppy make sure to get all vaccinated - if it is a rescue dog make sure it has all vaccinations.

LUSH Kitchen - Dislikes

It is well known to all my friends and families that I have a slight obsession with LUSH products and ethics.  As a follower of blogs and vlogs about the products I have come to know a lot more about them.

It always interests me what products LUSH fans actually dislike, and for what reason.  here are some of mine from the LUSH Kitchen.  The Kitchen is excellent but for me I can be too enticed by something which sounds great but just isn't the kind of scent I like.

1. Emperor Of Ice Cream


I absolutely hated this product and it took me a lifetime to finish it.  I bought this expecting it to smell like vanilla ice cream.  I thought it would be creamy, sweet and delicious.  What I received was something quite different.  The texture is oily rather than creamy and you could see the oil building up between the formula itself.  The smell? Bleurghh it smelt rotten.  I later discovered it was the smell of jasmine which I found I now hate with a passion!

Buy if; You like jasmine, and oily pastes.


2. Gumback Express

This product is not the worst thing in the world but I definitely wouldn't buy it again, for 2 reasons.  Firstly the scent isn't very sweet and smells like mashed up bananas that have been sitting in a warm room for a few hours.  Secondly the texture is very thin (Thinner than Rub Rub Rub) and therefore doesn't do it's job very well.  I prefer a very coarse and exfoliating scrub.

I expected this product to be very thick and paste-like and smell like banana bubblegum, so it was not as I expected.  I can see how people do like this product as it isn't terrible - and the almonds shells are a nice natural exfoliatant but just not for me.

3. Geo Phyzz


A firm favourite for many Lushies  - this bath bomb designed for sore muscles and tired bodies.

I shall start with the positives - the scent.  It smells of freshly cut grass and pine trees mixed with a medicinal scent and the bomb itself is HUGE.  A lovely autumnal or winter fragrance.

Where this starts to lose points with me is the actual composition.  It is made mostly (if not entirely) of bath salts.  Therefore it does not create patterns in the water and instead plops down to the very bottom of the tub and means the bath has a layer of hard salts at the bottom.  I felt this was a bit of a waste and would have preferred some sodium bicarb to lift the bomb up and give the bath some moisturising properties.

Anything you've tried in the Kitchen and hated?

Lovelove.

x

April Review

April was an incredible month and with it brought some beautiful weather! Here is what I have been up to this month. :)





Movies;

Avengers; Age of Ultron



Although I am admittedly not a big fan of superhero films I see want to see this film - mostly due to enjoying the first one so much.  I found the film entertaining but it didn't knock my socks off.  I found Ultron to be a weak villian.  Some great performances from the Avengers themselves although I didn't find this as humourous as some previous Marvel films.

It is also important to note that Disney has decided to make barely any merch for Black Widow despite being in the top 3 characters in the film - sort it out Disney!

TV Shows;

Scrotal Recall;



I randomly came across this on Netflix as it is a Netflix Original.  It is essentially about a man who is looking for love but with all the wrong girls and on finding out he has Chlamydia is forced to re-contact them all.  The show is very funny and rude but also hits a few sensitive notes on the way.

This is a British comedy which only has one season, but was so easy to watch I'd love a few more!

30 Rock;


On my quest to watch things I always hear good things about I stumbled across this on Netflix.  Although admittedly it did take me a while to get into and it isn't my favourite I do like this.  The Tina Fey - Alex Baldwin humour at the start came across quite forced but I grew to appreciate it and again it is easy to watch while I am playing a game, or doing something else.

Shout out to Grey's Anatomy for ripping my heart out too.



Games;

Kingdom Hearts 2.5;



As a fan of the series and after 100%ing KH 1.5, this month I got stuck into the sequel.  Although not as strong as the first in many elements I am enjoying the HD remake with extras.  I am slowly working to 100% this one too although I am still waiting to get some abilities like Super High Jump and Glide.

New Super Mario Bros U;



Special Events;

Disney on Ice;



Judith Wedding 23rd April;



Other events;

1. Started a new job
2. Got eyelashes tinted