Cleaning for Company

I used to be, and maybe I still am, known to my immediate family, (hubby & sons) as being somewhat fanatical as it pertains to cleaning my home when we are expecting company. In fact my sons will actually try to leave town when they hear these dirty words, “cleaning for company!” To them this means , get this place clean now, if not, there will be a slight wrath from mom, 'cuz when she wants it done, she wants it done now, and wants it done her way! Unbelievable, I know! "Humm, Cleaning for Company, sounds like a game show doesn’t it?”

Picture this, everyone is around the dining room table enjoying some fabulous meal made by anyone other than me, and we’re talking and laughing about the days events when suddenly the phone rings.

“Hello?”I answer. “Oh hi Ell! Great, you’re coming up? When?”

Silence suddenly befalls the dining table, all chewing stops, breaths are held, forks and knives are gently laid down, chairs are slowly getting pushed further from the table and all eyes are wide open. I’m assuming my body must be starting to change into a lighter shade of pale monster green at this time judging by the looks on all their faces!


I think I’ve gotten a little better over the years, a little less strict, but let’s face it; dog hair as a condiment with dinner is still a turn off to guests, as is doggie odor when you walk through the door. I don’t go nuts over it on a daily basis like I did when I had my previous brood of six smaller dogs; those days were easy, mostly tiny feet to keep up with. Still, when company is coming, I like a thorough job. Of course since I quit smoking May 4th 2009 at 6:05 in the morning, (but who’s counting!) I am even more aware of such doggie odors and sure as I’m sitting here my dogs find them absolutely delectable, whereas humans may find them a bit repulsive!

So, I thought I would share a couple of my favorite rug cleaning products with you. I am not in the like of over powering floral odors such as what one would find in a country store; those odors steal my breath and give me a huge headache. I like scents that smell clean, not ammonia or bleach clean, just clean and for that clean smell I choose Woolite One Step Rug Cleaner or Woolite Power Shot. Both have a nice clean smell and when sprayed, they foam up, and you vacuum when dry. I have been known to go against the rules and vacuum the carpet when it was still wet as the roller brush on the vacuum gives the carpet that freshly cleaned look. The regular Woolite One Step Carpet Cleaner can cost about $3.50 and up for a 10. oz can and for a quick clean smelling room this is a product I would use. But to really zap out stains, as seen in the pictures above the new Woolite Power Shot with oxy clean for pet stains can really do a great job, even on dry set in stains.

Recently with my sisters visit, came a rug cleaning for my mother’s apartment, so as I headed out the door to work I asked sis to see if the rug cleaning company could clean my small area carpet as well which I would gladly pay for. Well, they cleaned it and they left it in my garage to dry. The price was right, 20.00, or free for me since my mom paid for it, and there it sat in the garage for four days until Peter returned home from a quick NY trip. When he rolled it out on the living room floor he pointed out a large stain that was left behind and had been dried in. It made me wonder what creature had wandered into my garage and peed on my clean carpet since my dogs do not have access to the garage unless I bring them in there! So I took my camera, grabbed a picture to demonstrate to you, my loving audience, what the stain looked like before I used the power shot and what it looked like after using the Woolite Power shot. You can clearly see the difference in the pictures above.

This product can be found in your hardware or grocery store for about $4.00 to $5.00, expensive, but it’s worth every penny! It does a great job even on dried pet stains which I really appreciate since I seem to have family members that conveniently do not notice the dog peeing on the floor right in front of them! Basically you would absorb as much of the urine (or vomit) stain that you can and then spray the power shot, let it sit for about five minutes, then blot with a clean cloth, and vacuum when dry. On a dried stain just point and shoot, let stand a little longer, and then blot up.
Peter discovered this product when he was on vacation last summer and decided to take the scatter carpets outside to the garage and clean them using a scrub brush and the shop vac.

Another carpet spray that I like that is not overwhelming and has a pleasing aroma that tickles your nostrils is Carpet Fresh~Super Pet carpet and room odor eliminator. This is not a cleaner like the power shot but it is a nice product to have for a quick freshening up. This is made by the WD-40 company and can be sprayed and left on the carpet, there is no need to vacuum this up. I love to use this on not only my carpet for daily freshening, but I also use it on my furniture, throw blankets, and mattresses when company comes for a visit. A 10.5 oz. can cost around $3.50 or higher.

So a big Newfoundland size, two paws up for the Woolite Company! Don’t ever change that clean fresh scent! And a big two paws up for the WD-40 Company. Two quick and easily used products that I hate to be without!

Power shot http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3196859

Download site for a coupon for Carpet fresh http://www.carpetfreshbrand.com/

Being a leader: Respecting household rules and why it is so important

(Do not miss the video listed at the botom of the site as it will give you a good insight in dog behavior)

Everyone who owns a dog (or in my case six), but does not take the time to establish who in the pack is the leader may find themselves with major problems ahead of them, from an alpha aggressive stereotypical dog who tries to dominate every other adult, dog, or child in the home to those that growl or nip at you when you go to remove them from the couch. Dogs that are not clear on who the leader is in the home may begin to try and take over that role, which causes more friction between all the dogs or the humans involved. Even if you have only one dog in your home, that dog still considers your family a pack, and if there are young children involved all the more reason why rules should not be broken. A very young child does not have a chance of being seen as a higher up in the dog’s pack and that is why so many children are bitten when the parents believe that leaving the dog and child alone in a room is safe. I really hate to hear this sentence or something similar from parents, “Oh, my kid can climb all over our dog and the dog just lays there. He would never bite my child.” These people will believe what they are saying until for whatever reason the time comes that the dog finally does bite the child. Then of course it’s the dog’s fault.

Although many people believe that humping is a sex act, and of course it is when there are two dogs actually mating, if a dog is humping humans or other dogs in the home it is not a sexual act but one of dominance. That is why humping is done by both males and females. I can’t tell you how many times I see this question. “My female is humping my other female and they are both neutered, does this mean they’re gay?” Of course through that question I can clearly see just how much knowledge this person has of dogs as females are not neutered!

There are many ways to establish yourself as the alpha and it does not mean you have to hurt a dog in the process. ‘Alpha rolls’ are not necessary and in most cases don’t last a lifetime, they last only as long as you are right next to the dog doing it. Also if you have to do it constantly what good is it? Why would you want to continuously have to do alpha rolls to your dog to keep the peace anyway? Why not just take leadership yourself by calm control so there is no confusion and no one is struggling to be the top dog?

Changing the dog’s attitude and the way he or she perceives you through everyday practices are simple enough to do and can fit into almost any routine. It is not the dog that growls, nips, or bites, that is seen as the alpha by other dogs, that dog is actually seen as an aggressive nuisance and is usually not socially acceptable. It is the dog that is cool, calm, and collective that no one messes with and who all wish to follow that is seen as the alpha in the pack.

Once your role is established there are certain things humans do over time to constantly confuse those in their charge because humans are built on emotions first, thought second, and even though their intentions may be well meaning (after all, it’s hard to resist sad doggie eyes), they can indeed really wreak havoc on a pack of dogs when rules once set forth are broken. (Yes honey I am talking about you!) Here’s an example; when you put down a rule that there is to be no food given from the table, that rule should be adhered to by everyone! (Grandmas included!) When the rules are broken, it is like breaking a silent chain of command which brings the human, who should always be on the top of the heap, down to the status of equal in a dog’s mind. Rule breaking creates nothing more than an opening to overthrow the powers that be, which then in turn can create chaos.


When dogs do not expect to be fed from the table they will not huddle around vying for the top spot to get the goodies. When the rule is broken and they start to huddle around the table it can eventually cause fighting between the dogs. What you have created by breaking this one rule is a bottleneck of hungry buggers in a small space with no way out. Thus internal fighting will eventually begin and you will loose your status among them. No longer will your words be heard as commands but they will be heard as yada, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah! (Yes hon, again, talking about you!) Once that happens, the human begins to resort to out of control yelling because the dog no longer listens to simple commands and the pack becomes so far out of balance that hard core training may have to begin all over again and all because one person let their human emotions get in the way. Hey, let’s face it, we all look pitiful every now and again, but it doesn’t mean we get what we want! If it really worked, I would be at the car dealership looking pitiful over a Mercedes Benz!

So, are you the dominant force in your home? Take this quiz and find out.
Dominance quiz http://www.bcrescue.org/dominancetest.html

If after you have taken the dominance quiz you find that you are not at the top of the heap, putting your dog (or dogs) on the Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF) diet in combination with some obedience training can help to get things back on track.
Nothing in life is free diet click here 


NILF being the leader
http://siriusdog.com/articles/kids-dogs-bites-safety-prey.htm

In the video on the site below you will see how a pack of eight week old puppies already perceive each other. Take notice of the way the aggressive puppy treats everyone, but does it mean he is the leader? Happy watchingJ http://leerburg.com/dogfight.htm