With over 226,000 complaints per year to councils, there's an obvious issue with the collection and disposal of dog waste. Over 1000 tonne is deposited each day and some left uncleared. Traditional methods of clearing often leaves residue waste behind. The dangers of dog waste to people and the environment is clearer than ever, with children losing the sight in their eyes after falling in waste, and scientists warning about the effects of waste running into our storm drains. Improving the way we do things often begins in the home - so having a garden gadget such as The dooup Complete Pet Waste Clearer is the start to a cleaner world. It clears, sanitises, stores and seals the waste away, and all this can be done in seconds. It's about time that such an awful daily chore was made easier and more hygienic! See the dooup in action

 

the truth about dog poo

As the ambassador of the dooup brand, it’s my job to inform and educate all you humans about the dangers of our doggy doo. Obviously you can’t be without us furry beings, and therefore will always have the daily job of clearing up after us and for the majority of the time, this will be from your beloved gardens. 

There are 23 million bacteria contained in dog waste and some of it can be quite harmful, especially for all the little humans that like to crawl around the garden. Some of the bigger ones like to play football or do handstands and cartwheels exactly where our doggy doo has been. 

The dooup is perfect for keeping the garden hygienically clean because it collects the waste while automatically spraying a garden friendly sanitising fluid over the affected area, preventing the spread of nasty bacteria and parasites.

Little Aimee Langdon here (pictured) fell into some dog waste and is now partially blinded in her left eye. Of course, this was due to the dog not being wormed and as a result the waste was infected with toxicara. The infective eggs can remain active in soil for an entire year, so sanitising as you clear is certainly useful. Many of you use a garden shovel or a bag to clear from your garden, so you might be interested in this great garden gadget that clears, sanitises, stores and even seals the waste away. Take a look and let us know your thoughts.

the thin line between dog and human

Dogs can understand our intent to communicate with them and are about as receptive to human communication as pre-verbal infants, according to a new study.

Researchers used eye-tracking technology to study how dogs observed a person looking at pots after giving the dogs communicative cues, such as eye contact and directed speech. They found that the dogs’ tendency to follow the person’s gaze was on par with that of 6-month-old infant.
The study suggests that dogs have evolved to be especially attuned to human communicative signals, and early humans may have selected them for domestication particularly for this reason, the researchers said.

Other scientists are excited that the eye-tracking method has been successfully adapted for dogs. “This opens many new opportunities in studying dog cognition,” said Juliane Kaminski, a cognitive psychologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, who was not involved in the research.

"The research was motivated by the infant scientific literature,” said study first author Erno Teglas, an infant psychologist at the Central European University in Hungary. The researchers essentially conducted the same experiment with dogs that other scientists did with infants in 2008.

keep your pets lean and fit

How According to animal charity PDSA, more than a third of British dogs are already overweight, and this proportion could rise to 50% by 2013!

Like humans, pets which are overweight have a reduced quality of life. They are likely to be less full of life, and as a result, less fun.

As with humans, this can cause the following; heart disease, diabetes, respiratory problems, high blood pressure and even cancer.

Obesity can be a result of disease, and there are also a variety of factors that can have a bearing on weight for both cats and dogs. For example, some breeds are more prone to obesity than others, while being neutered and the ageing process also increases the risk.

However, a more common reason than any of these is that a pet is getting more energy from its food than it is using up in exercising; either it’s eating too much, or not being active enough.

With cats and dogs, you should be able to feel the ribs – though they should not be sticking out – and the animal should have a waist which is visible from above, along with a belly which is tucked up when viewed from the side. If they don’t have these features then they may be overweight, or even obese, depending on the scale of the problem, and it could make sense to contact your vet.

It is suggested that owners feed their pets commercial pet food – as recommended by a vet – as opposed to providing a home-made diet, as pet food make it easier to gauge the level of nutrients they are getting. Follow the guidelines on the packaging so you don’t under- or over-feed.

While giving treats can work well in training to reward good behaviour, owners should try to avoid sugary or salty food – in fact, the PDSA suggests that most dogs like chopped carrot.

The other part of the equation is ensuring that your pet gets plenty of exercise. In addition to taking a dog for walks – and allowing it to run off the lead in safe, contained areas – there are a number of ways to encourage it to take exercise. Playing ‘fetch’ with a tennis ball or even a Frisbee is a common example, while allowing your dog to swim is a good option for animals with joint problems. If you are up to it and if you have a dog which is calm enough, you could even try a ‘springer’ – a fixed lead with a built-in spring – which allows you to cycle safely alongside your pet.