A better way to jog with your dog

This week The Telegraph have published an article about your perfect jogging companion...your pooch. Forget expensive personal trainers; a 'woof' of encouragement is all you need!

All you dog owners out there know that your furry friends need to get out of the house at least once a day, so it's the best way to get into a regular routine of exercise. After all, dogs don't mind if it's raining, so they'll be less opportunities for an excuse. 

With the new dooup for dog walks out later this summer, you'll be able to jog hands free while still having control over their lead. So if you do have to run by roads, at least you'll have that extra safety feature.

Plus, there's room for a bottle of water for you and pooch, a place to keep your keys and your phone, and it's packed and ready to grab from your hallway on your way out. Comes complete with a discreet pooper scooper, already loaded with bags, so you're ready to clear and go when that inevitable moment arrives. And no need to detour to find a bin...simply place the scooper with the concealed waste back into the specially protected section. 

So with all the practical necessities dealt with by the dooup, you will be able to focus on the business of enjoying your jog. After all, there's no pressure to chat like there would be with a trainer and yet you'll still be 'pushed' to keep up. 

Register your interest for our On the Go dooup here

Check out the Telegraph article here

Hiring a dog walker?

For those busy types among you, hiring a dog walker is essential if you want to keep your beloved furry friend happy and healthy. 

Although you may be happy to walk him or her when you do get home work, it is often worth having a dog walking service that you can rely on to fill in some of the time you’re away during the working days. 

The other obvious plus point to having a trusty dog walker on board is to ensure that your dog can have a toilet break too. Coming home to dog waste on the kitchen floor and a destructive doggy due to boredom, is not the best way to enjoy your dog. Looking into a dog walking service, could be your saviour.

We’ve decided to look into some of the best services, and promise to pass our finding onto you. Check back here soon or our blog page  to benefit from our research.

Buying a dog or a puppy is a big decision, and it’s important that you figure out what type of dog is right for you. You need to examine your current lifestyle and consider what adjustments you are willing to make for a dog. You must consider the needs of your family too. If you have children or other pets, it’s essential to ensure that your new dog is the right fit.
As with most pets, one must consider any allergies suffered by members of the family, and overall, if the household might prefer low-shedding dogs, in this case, it would be worth looking into the hypo-allergenic dog breeds.

The other obvious factor to consider is the size of the dog, and along with that, the energy level and age as these will be contributing factors when you are planning their exercise routine.

Team dooup will be looking into some of the best dog quizzes and breed selector websites to help you make your choice, so be sure to check in soon.

We’ll also be looking into the cost of owning a dog, and providing you with a breakdown of costs of owning a dog, the initial costs when buying a dog. It’s worth considering adopting a dog too as this can be lots more cost effective, and of course rewarding in the sense that you are giving a dog a second chance home.

Check back here and at our blog page

Great reviews for The dooup

It's a fact that people rarely take the time to review a product if they're happy with it - this is a shame because businesses like ours, with a great product that works extremely well to make a nasty job easier, can sometimes go unnoticed.

Occasionally, as with all new gadgets, some people will misuse the product and therefore not get the best out of it. Some of these people will be only too quick to review it negatively and this creates a distorted picture of its functionality. The dooup is the only 5 in 1 pooper scooper that finally offers a hygienic process to clearing from the garden; a place we use to relax, dine, grow food and where children play. So why shouldn't we have a system that provides a similar level of effective and hygienic clearance to that of the toilet in the home?

So, The dooup has been now been reviewed by impartial experts from Dogs Today magazine, who kindly took the time to read the instructions and watch the short support video. This resulted in positive results and therefore a glowing report. The dooup has even been given Editor's Choice! And you can't argue with the professionals, can you.

Take a look at the latest How it Works video 

Dog owners live a healthier life

If you want to live a healthier life get a dog, research suggests.

The companionship offered by many pets is thought to be good for you, but the benefits of owning a dog outstrip those of cat owners, the study says.

A psychologist from Queen's University, Belfast, said dog owners tended to have lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

Writing in the British Journal of Health Psychology, she says that regular "walkies" may partly explain the difference.

Dr Deborah Wells reviewed dozens of earlier research papers which looked at the health benefits of pet ownership.

In some cases, the social support offered by an animal is greater than the support that another human could offer.

 

Overall, pets help lower blood pressure and anxiety as well as boost your immunity.

 

Having a dog in the home with a newborn has even proven to be beneficial;

 

If a dog lived in the home, infants were less likely to show evidence of pet allergies. The infant is less likely to have eczema, a common allergy skin condition that causes red patches and itching. In addition, they had higher levels of some immune system chemicals -- a sign of stronger immune system activation.

"Dogs are dirty animals, and this suggests that babies who have greater exposure to dirt and allergens have a stronger immune system," Gern says.

Spring is in the air

Now that Easter has been and gone, and the hope of some sunshine is stronger than ever, it’s time to clear those gardens and prep those barbecues. Clean and green living are the future, that’s why we created The dooup for easy cleaning and the prevention of harmful bacteria spreading, not only throughout your garden and into your home but potentially polluting storm drains and therefore waterways and aquatic life.

 

As mentioned in our last blog, scientists have produced methods for tracking the origin of nasty bacteria in streams and seawater and the high levels of bacteria raised due to dog waste include E.coli, fecal coliform bacteria, salmonella and giardia – all things we don’t want in our gardens and wouldn’t be happy to spread around either. Now there’s no need to.

 

Starting with the home and garden, the dooup is the only pooper scooper to scoop the poop while spraying the affected area, then automatically bagging it for safe disposal.

 

Dog owners are said to live more healthier lives, perhaps due to the walks and the unconditional love received from dogs - what if the only downside to owning a dog could be removed with this handy garden gadget, that is the only 4 in 1 pooper scooper, that works to clear dog waste, spray garden/environmentally friendly sanitising fluid, then even act as a portable dog poo bin, storing around a week’s worth before sealing it all away in a biodegradable bag.

 

Now that’s logical, clean and green. Spring into the future with the best garden gadget ever – The dooup!

Check out how it works here

Get your garden ready for the egg hunt

The annual Easter egg hunt is one reason to ensure your garden is clear and clean from the 23 million bacteria that is typically contained in dog waste. Apart from the obvious potential health and safety issues, no one wants to find such a nugget within close proximity to a fabulous chocolate egg. It's likely that the chocolate egg will lose its' appeal - not a bad idea if you're hoping to reduce the amount consumed.

The dooup is the best gadget to have on hand to keep your garden clear and clean, ready for that fabulous egg hunt where the children will be even more thorough when exploring the garden. Waste and residue waste left behind can remain active in soil for up to three years, so if dogs frequently toilet in the garden, this is a time for you to advise children to refrain from putting their hands anywhere near their face until they have washed them thoroughly after the hunt.

If the dooup had been around previously, perhaps these warnings would not need be so severe, after all, it's so much more than a pooper scooper; it clears, sprays, stores and seals the waste away. With each collection, the affected area is sprayed with garden, animal and child friendly sanitising fluid to prevent the spread of the bacteria - and all with a simple push!

Now for a little science bit:- 

 

“For as long as the dog has been man's best friend, dog waste has posed a menace to man's nose and foot. Now science has revealed a more unsavory truth: It's an environmental pollutant.

In the mid-1990s, scientists perfected methods for tracking the origin of nasty bacteria in streams and seawater.

In the US, dogs help to raise bacteria levels in beaches so high that visitors must stay out of the water. Goaded by such studies, some cities have directed as much as $10,000 in the last few years to encourage dog owners to clean up after their pets. A few municipalities have started issuing citations to those who ignore pet clean-up ordinances.

 

It's not just from the nuggets deposited on the beaches, but runoff from stormwater drains after that water has come into contact with the poop. Some of the bacteria harbored in dog poo includes E. coli, fecal coliform bacteria, salmonella and giardia

Many dog lovers are in denial about their pooches' leavings. But researchers have named the idea that areas used by dogs pump more bacteria into waterways - the "Fido hypothesis."

And this is just a little info about the effects to the environment. Keep an eye out for blogs to follow for more info on the dangers of dog waste to people.

But for now, we'll wish you a Happy Easter, with lots of fun and bacteria free egg hunts!

Why dog waste should be hygienically cleared

All faeces contain bacteria that can cause stomach upsets if ingested. However, the greatest risk to public health from dog faeces is toxocariasis.

 

Toxocariasis is an infection of the round worm Toxocara canis. It is a zoonotic disease that is spread via unwashed vegetables and dog faeces. Young children in particular are at risk due to their weaker immune systems and because they are more likely to expose themselves by ingesting the eggs. A puppy can pass as many as 15,000 eggs per gram of faeces, and they are a major source of environmental contamination.

Keeping a dooup in your garden, ready to clear and spray where dog waste has been is the logical solution. All other pooper scoopers and garden shovels will typically leave residue waste that can remain active for up to a year if untreated.

It's about time hygienic and easy clearance was available for our gardens; after all, this is where we dine, relax and play - it's an extension of our home!

The Mayor and London Councils are now working towards a “zero
waste to landfill” goal over the next 20 years. Dog poo and other hazardous waste is costing money to dispose of and more importantly - energy could be produced if this were collected and processed on a regular basis.

Tax for one tonne of landfill waste is said to be around £72 and it's estimated that the dog population of the UK produces 900 tonnes of faeces every day - much of that goes to landfill! Plus, long term increasing energy prices from
fossil fuels makes the economic argument of using waste to generate
energy, even stronger.

Would dog owners get behind this process of collecting and depositing dog waste to a central unit for the purposes of turning it into usable energy? If they could truly see the benefits of their actions - I think yes.

This is one of my main topics and I'll be barking about it - alot, so do join me. I speak human too!

Councils all over the UK receive hundreds of complaints from residents about constant dog fouling in public areas – even parks where children play. And the cost of clearing is huge. One thing is clear, that unfortunately the minority of lazy dog owners will always ruin it for everyone, and therefore some clear rules need to be in place.

If everyone trained their dogs to toilet in the garden, using the dooup makes this an easy and hygienic process and we’d all be living in a cleaner and safer environment. You can even use this 4 in 1 pooper scooper as a dog poo bin by timing your walks after the week’s collection and then taking the safely sealed bag to your nearest dog poo bin.
That way, councils could provide one for residential collection bin for each neighbourhood and be able to monitor the collections more efficiently as residents would be part of the process of alerting the main point of contact, usually that particular councils dog warden.

Councils could even provide one dog poo bin per residential area, so each neighbourhood would have their regular deposit bin and these could be monitored more easily as residents would be part of the process of alerting the main point of contact if full. Plus, the prospect of turning dog poo into energy would make an even greater incentive to deposit your dog poo - especially if you knew that your dog's poo was helping to heat a public library, or light up a dark corner of a street.

Disgust as dog poo bags thrown in trees - News - The visitor

Disgust as dog poo bags thrown in trees - News - The visitor

Why not train dogs to go in the garden, then clear, clean, store and seal it away with The dooup!

The dooup is the next generation pooper scooper that finally provides an easy and hygienic way of clearing dog poo from the garden!

The most unique Christmas gift ever!

They say a dog is for life, not just for Christmas. It's the same with The dooup. As long as there's a dog, there's the need to scoop the doo, so why not give the most thoughtful gift this Christmas? The dooup is the answer to this awful daily chore and whether spring, summer, autunm or winter, your gift will be at hand to quickly, easily and hygienically clear from their garden. The dooup clears, sanitises and stores the waste before sealing it away at the end of the week. It definately beats the Christmas jumper! Everybody loves a toy on Christmas day, and The dooup is a great gadget for all the family to play with, though it would probably be best to use play doe on Christmas day - the kids will love it, especially the bigger kids! www.thedooup.com

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.