Feng Shui for Fido. Josanne Wayman

       Don’t Quibble About Kibble

      This one seems so obvious it shouldn’t even need mentioning, but feeding your dog quality food is really important. Having said that, I’m embarrassed to admit how long it took me to reach that conclusion. I somehow got the crazy notion that all dog foods were alike. It wasn’t until I took in a friend’s dog when she could no longer keep him that I saw the error of my ways. Sarah had always fed Buddy a premium brand and he came with his own bag. I decided to give some to my other dog, Buster too.

      Seeing the end result the next day made me a believer. Buster’s feces had always been pretty offensive before that, but the change of diet made them far less so. Fortunately, though Buster was no pup at the time, he wasn’t too old either. I think the improved diet helped him live to the ripe old age he eventually made it to. His coat looked good, and he was still getting plenty of exercise up until the day he died at fourteen.

      If I’d learned this lesson sooner, I truly believe I could have saved myself and my carpets a lot of grief with my first dog, Maxine. Maxine lived a long time too, but her final couple of years were marked by some pretty bad accidents. Old dogs have given us the best years of their lives, surely they’ve earned all the care and respect we can give them and the best kibble, too.

       Good Toys Make Good Boys

      Good toys certainly don’t have to be the most expensive ones, but you should stick with the tried and true kind. I have an adorable pink elephant made out of rope. It cost $10 at a darling dog boutique and I laugh every time I see one of the boys playing with it. It has held up far longer than ten of those dollar store toys would have, making it a great buy. And here’s the real clincher; all those cheap toys create a real mess in the short time it takes your dog to rip them up. If you think all rope toys are created equal, let Fido put that theory to the test. You’re going to get really tired of vacuuming up all the little fibers from that so-called bargain. And who knows how much of the stuff our dogs are ingesting before the vacuum gets to it?

      Finding the right toy for your boy may take some trial and error. I think most dogs swear by anything Kong. My dogs love them too, but I’m surprised how quickly Kongs get worn down to red nubs around here. On second thought, the more dogs love a toy, the longer they’re going to play with it, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised after all. But I like other types of toys too, for the interaction they can provide and for their long life, and I feel safe in saying my dogs agree with me on this.

       Contain Yourself

      Even the best toys still look pretty bad when they’re strewn all over the place. You want your dog to enjoy them however, so what are you supposed to do? Keep them in a great-looking place. I have just the right container but it took me a little while to find it because it had to meet a lot of requirements. It had to look good in the living room, since that’s where we all spend most of our waking hours. It had to be low enough for the boys to reach, large enough to hold lots of big stuff, and easy for Buddy to open.

      Buddy is incredibly smart. It took him about three minutes and four bits of kibble to master the opening the toy box trick, and it’s hilarious. He throws that baby open, digs out what he wants, and looks very pleased with himself. Chewy almost never plays with toys so the container isn’t of much interest to him and since I got Jackson, it stays open most of the time anyway. Maybe our solution can give you an idea or two for how to stash your dog’s stuff.

       Exercise His Rights

      Giving your dog plenty of exercise will help you reap tremendous rewards, not the least of which will be benefits to your own health and wellness. A dog who gets tired out each day is far less likely to get up to mischief, thus helping to ensure the feng shui you seek. As with any worthwhile aim, a commitment to keeping Fido fit won’t always be easy. If you give it the proper chance however, there’ll be no going back. In tackling any major change that is good for you, the inevitable question is: “How long do I have to keep doing this?” And the answer: “Until you don’t want to stop!” It’s far more difficult to avoid your dog’s exercise time once you’ve got him in the habit, and boy, is that going to be one easy trick to teach.

      You might have to get creative, but the results will be worth it. If you live in a city, perhaps you can coordinate your walks with errands or a little light shopping. Maybe you live near a school where you and your dog can run around the field a few times. I used to jog through the Paramount Studios cemetery when I lived in Hollywood, California with Maxine. I later learned – with a little help from my dog friends – that city life was not for me. But at the time, my mornings of solitude and respite in that lovely cemetery - away from the constant traffic and noise - probably did me even more good than they did for Max.

      Suburbanites no doubt have more options, but a backyard and a doggie-door are no replacement for actual walks with any dog – especially a big one. Being out with your dog allows you to see him in his happiest state – which is a great reward in itself. Stick with your dog’s vigorous exercise routine long enough and you’ll soon find it’s something you crave, too.

      Even if you have to drive somewhere to take a real hike with your dog (yes, I get the irony) you can end up with a different kind of mess. I have some tips for keeping your car in great shape as well as your house, but they’re in a later chapter . For now I just want to remind you to be fair to the environment and try to keep these trips as close to home as possible. Also, why not coordinate them with other short errands? This has the extra advantage of making you far more likely to pick up the dog walking habit since it won’t cost you as much in time and gas.

       Yin and Yang Unleashed

      On the extremely rare occasions the boys and I have had to skip our daily hike, I think I miss it more than they do. Prior to making these walks a daily routine, my main source of exercise was ballet classes. I would never have imagined myself slugging through the sand and mud while keeping an eye out for snakes. Now I can’t imagine my day without my walking meditation time; which is exactly what these hikes have become for me. I’m fortunate to have undeveloped areas near my house where I can let the boys off leash. That frees me up too, in really profound ways. I’m now convinced there is no problem that won’t look a lot better after our walk. I get to test this theory on a daily basis and it’s always true.

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