I’m noticing how much darker and cooler my morning walks with Shiva-the-kelpie have been lately. Winter is well and truly on its way, so I thought I’d share some tips for keeping your pooch healthy, safe and warm this winter.

1. If your dog is elderly, short-haired, or spends a lot of time outside in wintery weather, you should consider a coat for your dog. The team at Snooty Paws have a great new range of dog coats, jumpers and jackets including the very stylish and practical Driza-bone flannelette lined dog coats.
2. Wherever your dog sleeps, whether it be inside or outside, it is important that their bedding is raised off the ground. Laundry tiles can be freezing in winter! Some thick soft blankets will provide something for your dog to snuggle down into. Check the bed regularly to make sure the bedding is dry and in good condition.
3. Shiva and I love our morning walks, but to make sure that we’re both visible to cars and other early-morning walkers in the dark we have a Nite Ize SpotLit LED light attached to our lead. They’re light-weight, super-bright and easy to clip on to a lead or collar. Nite Ize also make a number of other doggy products including LED collars and leashes. Gogogear is an Australian supplier of Nite Ize products.
4. Just like their owners, dogs can have a tendency to store a little extra weight during the winter months. Regular exercise is important all year round. There’s nothing more invigorating than a brisk walk on a frosting morning!
5. To provide a little extra warmth in your dog’s bed, consider the SnuggleSafe Microwave Pet Head Pad. They provide up to 12 hours of warmth and are a safer option than hot water bottles or electric blankets.  The tough outer casing is bite resistant and hygienically wipe clean.

Our favourite vet, Dr Matt from Small Friends Veterinary Hospital has a great information sheet on his website which has some more tips for making winter easier on your small friend.

Maggie The Mathematic Dog – Celebrity bloopers here

• Dog park criticism labelled premature – Hills & Valley Messenger (concerning the CC Hood Reserve at Panorama, SA)
• Off-leash parks urged – Liverpool City Champion (concerning dog parks in Liverpool Council area)

This course introduces dog owners to what they need to know to get their dog to behave for film and television work.  Owners are introduced to the methods of training used by animal trainers in the industry, guided through  the steps to train their dog for all the commonly used behaviours used in working dogs in film and television, and  will gain skills that they can use to train their dog to perform the variety of behaviours that may be requested of it.   In addition many tricks are introduced and practiced to give the dog a solid repertoire of different behaviours.  Dogs will have a photo shoot and photos will be submitted to an animal talent agency.

The course is run over one evening and one day. For more information download the course brochure.

Pre-register online now!

With so many options and providers, pet insurance can seem quite confusing, and it’s hard to know if it’s worthwhile for you and your pet.

We came across a couple of articles on ninemsn that are quite helpful for understanding the pros and cons of pet insurance and deciding if it’s for you. View them here and here.

We’ve also put together a list of pet insurance providers to help you research your options:

• Vets Own Pet Insurance
• Medibank Pet Insurance
• 1300 Insurance
• RSPCA Pet Insurance
• Petplan Insurance
• Pet Secure
• Petcover
• Bow Wow Meow