Get yourself a Tuffy made by Kong. This is a wonderful chewing reliever that you can fill with treats. This keeps the dog busy for a long time and he won't even notice if you leave the house. He'll be in heaven. We stuff the OinkerRoll into Piper's and he loves it. (The Kong comes in all sizes and can be found in any of the popular supply catalogs)

If you have a dog that has to be groomed regularly, START EARLY! Get him used to being brushed, handle the feet and ears often, then give him a treat for being a good boy. The rewards will be not having to fight with him later, he'll already be used to it. Piper will fall asleep almost instantly when I start brushing him.

If you have to leave your dog during the day to go to work, leave the radio or television on to keep him company. When he's a puppy, it allows him to get used to different voices and sounds. It can also muffle some of the loud sounds outside that may startle and alert him. Just be careful to put it on a channel that you know will be calming (classical, an all news station, etc.)

Restrain your dog in the car. You can use a pet crate or a seat belt harness. It's safer for your pet, you, and the others on the road.

Playing fetch with your dog can be a fun and easy way to give your dog the exercise he needs. Consider going to a tennis court or enclosed ball field for plenty of room, just be prepared to clean up after him. Have fun!

If you buy your food in bulk, like we do, be sure to have an air tight container to store it in. Dog food can go bad and can get infested with bugs if you are not careful. Consider placing about a week's worth of food in a separate tupperware-type bowl and then you will prolong the life of the stored food. It is being exposed to air that causes many foods to go bad. We use Solid Gold for Piper and our Vet told us to also keep the food in its bag within the container. She said that the plastic of most containers can interact with the food and break down some of the nutrients.

If you have trouble applying ear medicine, try to put a little bit of the medicine on your finger and rub it in the dog's ear. Don't forget a treat after you're done!

If you ever have blood work done on your pet (before neutering, dental work, etc.), be sure to ask for a copy of the pathology report. This is useful as a base line as the dog grows older and medical conditions appear.

Chocolate is toxic to dogs. Even a little bit of chocolate can kill a small dog.

Allow your mommy and daddy to give you a bath but when the "allowed" bath time is over, GET OUT OF THE TUB! That means do whatever it takes to get out of the water and spray the human torturers! Most pups don't realize that if you don't allow some sort of grooming to take place, it's off to the groomers with you and there is no escaping them. (I don't know if this applies to short-haired dogs since mommy tells me often that I have to be brushed.)

When the vacuum monster comes out in your house, never take your eyes off of it. Make sure you let it know who is boss by barking and snapping at it the whole time it is running loose around the house. Believe me, your parents will appreciate your protection!

When you are taken for your walk to answer nature's call, wait until the last possible moment to deposit the heavy load. I've found out that once that is taken care of, my walk is cut much shorter than I would like. This way, get all your sniffing and walking in before. It is important that you sniff and look like you could go at any time, otherwise, they'll start with the "Potty Now" command!

Don't let your parents make you a web site, if you don't already have one. Believe me, it all starts out about you and then guess who is on the 'puter all day? It doesn't take me long to add my diary entry and advice, so why does it take so long for Mommy to do everything else?

When you want to play, take one of your toys and take it to up to whoever you want to play with. Then just stand there with your toy in your mouth... This one almost never fails!

For those of us with the floppy ears, ear infections can happen very easily. So, if you see someone coming at you with a tube of ear medicine (usually a white tube with a long attachment that they stick in your ear) RUN! If you are captured, be sure to wiggle and shake your head so that the ear medicine stays where it belongs - anywhere but your ear!!!

If you like a nice temperature controlled environment like I do, pay attention to this little tip. When the weather starts to turn warm, be very fussy and hard to sleep with at nights. This is a sure bet that your parents will turn the air conditioning on and you'll be sitting pretty - and coolly!!

If you are lucky enough to sleep in the big bed like I am, here is a great tip for waking up your loved ones. Crawl up on the chest and put your face right up to your favorite person. I always get early morning massages by doing this to Mommy. She's just trying to delay getting out of bed but it's the massage I'm after!!