A few weeks ago I tried out a bubble machine to see if my dogs would enjoy it.
It was a great success!
My Shiba Inu had a merry ole time chasing the bubbles around the backyard and even did some leaping to get at some of the ones that were flying away. My Siberian Husky was more interested in the water that was coming out of the bubble machine, but she also got into the chasing after noticing my Shiba’s crazy antics.
I tried out two types of bubble machines –
The portable type that operates standalone, and the sprinkler type that you attach to your water hose. Definitely go with the latter. The portable machine that I got did not work well because the bubble output was low. I don’t think my dogs even noticed that there were bubbles.
However, the water hose version of the bubble machine is quote awesome.
Spouts of water come out together with a lot of bubbles. I have the Gazillion Bubble Sprinkler, which for some strange reason only sells in Amazon UK. The only downside is that it gobbles up the soapy bubble mixture very quickly.
There are a variety of recipes for making your own bubble mixture. I have experimented with a few and the big problem has to do with how long the bubbles last for. If you just use regular dish detergent with water, the bubbles pretty much burst right away, so your dogs will not even notice them, much less be able to chase after them.
Apparently, adding corn syrup into the mixture can help, so that is what I am going to try next.
In any case, the bubble machine is a great way to exercise your dog, and have some fun with them during sunny, summer days.
“On the other hand, I liked seeing that he can be a softy like the rest of us when it come to cute behaviors.”
I really liked that too. Nothing wrong with being soft sometimes 🙂
Must be a lot of fun to train a service dog. You should write about it – I would love to hear more about the whole process.
I have a service dog that goes everywhere with me. That includes the college classes I teach. I make sure that he gets exercise before classes and after. He looks pretty content to just me with me during the classes. He is a very laid back dog which is one of the reasons he is a service dog.
Cesar has taught me so much about what dogs need and even about how other people perceive us. Perhaps the little dog was doing something to earn the food Cesar gave him by sitting up. I’m sure that Cesar reviews what is put on the show very carefully. On the other hand, I liked seeing that he can be a softy like the rest of us when it come to cute behaviors.
I’m curious — in the case of a ‘service’ dog, which dotes on its owner, lying at the owner’s feet while in a restaurant for an hour, getting the mail and the slippers and the remote and the phone: do you think these dogs are unhappy? I’m not asking whether they are controlled, for they obviously are, or whether it is appropriate, which it obviously is, but simply do they seem Sad to you? Do these dogs not feel loved, not feel respected? Is a Canine Good Citizen award simply a prize for psychological abuse in your mind? Are the handlers at dog shows making their charges miserable when parading them in front of the judges? Are hunting dogs responding to their master’s whistles feeling depressed? Should agility trainers just let their dogs run around wherever they want on the course? Super Dog doesn’t control for control’s sake, it controls to reinforce in the dog’s mind that the owner is boss, a prerequisite for all other training. I’ll ask again — did you watch the videos?