Transitioning from pee-pads to going outside

It was going to have to happen sometime. Now that it's warmer in Toronto and I want to take Farfl places, she needs to be properly house trained so that she knows that it's not appropriate to "go" indoors. But how do you make that transition? Farfl is so used to being able to go whenever she pleases  because she's had access to a pee-pad at all times - I wondered how to teach her that it's best...

Farfl appears on her first talk show!

Okay, it's only the silly video podcast that me and my friend Josh do every so often, but it's a start! "Talking Bollocks" is an occasional chat show devised by me, Marilla Wex, and Josh Rachlis - voice artist, film-maker and eco-warrior. We started it because we both wanted to be on chat shows but no one was asking us. So we started our own. Please be aware that there is content that is not...

What Do You Do With Your Dog When You Go On Vacation?

My husband and I had planned a trip to England for a few days. Michael is a writer and was invited to appear at Jewish Book Week in London.  A fantastic opportunity for him to promote his work to the British market and a perfect excuse for me to get back home, eat fish and chips and drink real beer. But what should we do with Farfl while we were gone? We couldn't take her with us because she...

Housetraining a Chihuahua

Small dogs get a bad rap when it comes to house training Because they're little, it can be easy to overlook a chihuahua puppy's accidents, because they're not as gigantic or disastrous as those left by a rottweiler or shepherd puppy. But this is a big mistake. I live in Toronto, which is very, very cold and snowy in the winter time. This makes housetraining tricky because it's not safe to take a...

One Bad Decision Costs $2,000

Why didn't I put her in the crate.... My husband is finishing writing his latest book at the moment and is a little bit stressed. I needed to go out and get some coffee and go to the bank and I decided to take Farfl with me so that she wouldn't bug him. What a bad decision that turned out to be...Farfl had coped really well being in my purse the other day after puppy kindergarten class so I...