We all love our dogs, that goes without saying, and some of us love our gardens too… But owning a dog doesn’t have to mean sacrificing our lovely gardens. Yes, burn patches on lawns can be a real pain, but there are things you can do to help remedy the burnt grass. Here are some suggestions.
 
What Causes Urine Burns?

Urine is high in ammonia, which contains nitrogen. In the correct concentration nitrogen is actually good for plants and grass and acts as a fertiliser. Unfortunately the concentration of nitrogen is very high in dogs’ urine, so the area of grass which has received a high dose of nitrogen dies, creating brown patches. The area surrounding it which has received a less concentrated dosage of nitrogen grows fast and can look green and lush. It is commonly thought that female dogs are the only culprits of causing urine burns on grass, and this is untrue! Females crouch to relieve themselves, meaning there is a high concentration of urine on just one small patch of grass which inevitably kills the grass quicker. Male dogs tend to cock their legs, meaning their spray of urine goes further and thus not doing as much ‘damage’ as quickly!

What does Ha-Pee Lawns, from WOOF&BREW do? By Richard Allport BVetMed, VetMFHom, MRCVS​

“Ha Pee Lawns does two things – one is to bind the ammonia and neutralise it. The other effect is that the rest of the herbs have mainly a very mild diuretic effect, which helps make the urine less concentrated, so less likely to burn. If the urine is a little more dilute it will also be less acid or alkaline in effect, not because the actual level of acidity/alkalinity changes but there is less actual amount of acid, or alkaline in each ‘deposit’ of urine. This diuretic effect is not strong enough to make dogs drink or pee excessively, but will help if the urine is too concentrated. The single most important effect though is the ammonia binding effect. “
 
Learn even more about Ha-Pee Lawns and buy HERE. 

We’re starting a new series over here at The Tail Times – Meet The Crew!  Once in a while, we will introduce you to one of our best team members, the criteria being that they have to have 4 legs! 
​
This week, we are introducing our social media executive’s Bedlington Terrier, Ronnie! 

​Ronnie, Bedlington Terrier, Age 10 months
 
Favourite human: My uncle Callum
 
Favourite sleeping position: Roll over, legs up and streeeeettttccchhh
 
Favourite snack: CHEESE CHEEEEEEEESE
 
Naughtiest moment: I chewed my mum’s trainers up once. And I’ve peed on the new rug a fair few times. They still love me though.
 
Favourite non-toy: Plastic plant pots. Preferably with the plant still in it.
 
Cleverest trick: My humans make me work for all of my treats so I’ve mastered the art of pleasing them for the sake of a tiny square of cheese. ‘Roll over’ is my party trick. 
 
Favourite walking route: Ferry Meadows in Peterborough has lots of birds to chase. Particularly swans who don’t seem to take too kindly to me wanting to play. Not sure what their problem is to be honest.
 
Best memory: Digging my way under the fence to play with the German Shepherd next door. Bella and I had a great time so I don’t know why everyone made such a fuss about it. 
 
Favourite spot in the house: Mum and dad’s bed, just as the sun is setting. Warn but not too hot. 
 
Bad habits: I do tend to grab my mum’s arm away from her book to play with me when she’s trying to read… 
 
Favourite WOOF&BREW product: There’s nothing better than a Paw Pop on a sunny day!

Separation anxiety in dogs is a really common thing, and at the moment, having been in lockdown for nearly 3 months in the UK, more and more of us are going to experience separation anxiety in our dogs as we gradually go back into the office or just out and about as the country opens up. 
Our dogs have been so used to having us around for the past few months that they might find the transition of us having more freedom outside of the house hard, and this can take place in many forms. 
 
Symptons of Separation Anxiety in Dogs

• They become distressed as soon as you leave, or even before you leave when you are getting ready to go. 
• The dog experiences fear which can show in the form of an increased heart rate and breathing rate, an increased need to go to the toilet, panting, salivating and increased activity levels. Your dog may also whine and howl at you to try and get you to come back. 
• Whilst you're out you may find that your dog has chewed something that they wouldn’t usually be interested in such as a piece of furniture or item of clothing – this is a sign of separation anxiety because it is something that carries your scent, they chew these items to form a barrier of your scent around them as a sort of security blanket.
• When you do get home your dog may excessively follow you around the house. 

 
How To Help Your Dog Get Used To Being Left Alone
Take them for a walk before you intend to leave. This serves a few purposes, one being that it physically tires them out so that they are likely to fall asleep quicker once you’ve left the house. Taking your dog for a walk will also get the outdoors out of their system a little bit so that they might be less inclined to want to go with you. 
 
Don’t make such a fuss when you leave the house. In fact, don’t have any contact at all. It might be hard, they might be whining as you put on your shoes, or howling as you grab your bag and coat, but in the long run, your dog will eventually realise that you will always come back and that you leaving them alone isn’t always a bad thing. The more you make a fuss, the more your dog expects it to be negative for them. Act natural!
 
Start off small and build it up. If you have the opportunity to go out only for small periods of time before heading back to work, make the most of it. Head out for 15-20 minutes at a time and build it up to a few hours over a period of a couple of weeks. This gets your dog used to the idea of you being gone again, without throwing them in at the deep end. 
 
Invest in products to help. There are so many products on the market now to help ease separation anxiety in dogs, one of them being our very own Anxious Hound. This is an all-natural tonic that helps to calm and ease anxiety in a herbal fashion. You can read more about it here. Believe it or not, there are also dog-friendly podcasts that have been made specifically for dogs that are left at home and are aimed at being a soothing and comforting bit of background noise to help calm an anxious dog. Doggy cameras with a speaker function can also be a good way of checking up on your dog during the day and also allow you to talk to them so that they can hear a familiar voice. 
 
Learn more about Anxious Hound here.

As an owner, there is nothing worse than looking at your hot dog in the heat, panting, exhausted and struggling to deal with the sun. We’ve put together a list of ways you can help your furry best friend out in the heat to help them to keep cool, calm and hydrated this summer!
 
Encourage them to stay in shaded areas
If possible, create as many shaded areas away from direct sunlight as possible with umbrellas and encourage your dog to lie in the shade with their favourite treats placed in these spaces. 
 
Water is key!
Dogs need more attention in the heat to make sure that they are staying cool and out of the sun. Being on hand with damp towels for them to lie on can really help to make sure your dog stays cool. Also, filling up a hot water bottle with cold water can help. Cooling your dog down with water is key, you could even turn it into a game with a paddling pool in the shade. It keeps them cool whilst also encouraging them to stay in the shade, which can be the hardest part! Putting a garden sprinkler on can also encourage this, but we’d suggest only doing this if you have a large enough shady spot, or later on in the evening when the sun isn’t as strong, as this could encourage dogs to run around chasing the water. 
 
NEVER Leave your dog in a hot car, even if the windows are open. Leaving a dog in a hot car can leave your dogs feeling claustrophobic, stressed and extremely uncomfortable very quickly and can even lead to death. Make sure that you plan any trips around your dog not being left in a car for any amount of time in the heat and if you see another dog left in a hot car, call 999 immediately. 
 
Discourage peak-time play
Plan your walks and play time around the heat in the day. Take your dog out early in the morning or in the evening after the sun had set to allow your dog to have an enjoyable walk in the cool temperatures. This will also avoid your pooch’s paws being burned by hot tarmac! Discourage your dog from chasing balls or playing vigorously with toys in the midday sun, encouraging them with water play in the shade instead. 
 
Keep your dog hydrated
Making sure that your dog has access to plenty of clean, cold water at all times is absolutely key. It’s necessary all year round, but absolutely vital in the heat. Always make sure you have a bottle of water for them for walks too. 
 
Give them frozen treats
You can freeze your dog’s favourite treats or fruits and vegetables for a tasty way of cooling them down, or you can treat your dog to some of our Paw Pops, a yummy freeze pop designed to help to cool your four-legged friend down in the sun! 
 
Keep on top of grooming
Making sure your dog is brushed and groomed regularly is key to keeping them cool. Some breeds are worse than others in terms of their coat matting, and knots in their fur can add another layer of heat, so it’s really important to keep fur lovely and knot-free!
 
So there you have it, some tips on keeping your dog cool in the heat! Let us know what you do to keep your hounds cool!

​They say that a dog is a man’s best friend, but it turns out that owning a dog can actually be great for your physical and mental health, as well as providing unconditional love. Here are 5 ways that your dog benefits your health…
 
1. They Can Improve Heart Health

Studies have shown that owning a dog can lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol and decrease triglyceride levels, contributing overall to better cardiovascular health. Needless to say, dogs make our heart explode, but only in the good way!
 
2. They Keep You Fit and Active

Owning a dog means taking on the responsibility of ensuring that they receive plenty of exercise every day. For us humans, doctors recommend that we partake in at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of exercise per week. Most dog owners go way above and beyond this, leading to better overall health purely thanks to walks, ball throwing, and running around after rambunctious pups!
 
3. They Can Improve Your Social Life

How many times when you’ve been out for a walk without your dog do you actually stop and chat to a stranger? Our bet is on next to none. Now take your dog out for a walk and count how many times you speak to strangers then. Our guess is you stop and speak to numerous strangers whilst your dog play, sniff, bark and yap at each other. Some people have even found lifelong friendships just through bumping into each other on dog walks! How great is that?!
 
4. They Can Reduce Your Stress

There’s a reason why dogs are used as therapy devices on certain wards in hospitals and care homes. Studies have shown that interactions with dogs reduces anxiety and blood pressure and increases the happy chemicals serotonin and dopamine. It has also been studied that offices allowing dogs are also less likely to be a stressful environment and can also relieve tension in marriages!
 
5. You Can Be More Resistant to Allergies

Studies have shown that children brought up in households with dogs are less likely to develop conditions including asthma, obesity and eczema and this can last a lifetime. Children are less likely to develop these conditions throughout their adult lives. 
 
So now you know that your dog looks after your health in many ways, why not check out our range of tonics so that you can make sure your dog is living its life to the fullest with you too? We have tonics to help with conditions ranging from Anxiety, bad breath, skin issues, achy joints and more!

Check them out HERE.
​

1. Play Hide & Seek
​Playing family games of hide and seek is always a good idea when you’re stuck indoors but including  your dog in these games is a great way of tiring them out. You could also simply hide your dog’s toys or treats and get them to go and find them like a treasure hunt. 

2. Play games of fetch 
​Playing fetch with your dog in the garden or long hallways is a great way to play with your dog and keep them occupied and exercised at home. Nearly all dogs love playing fetch, no matter how fast or slow they are and this is also a great opportunity for you to teach your dog to be more obedient and bring the ball back to you and ‘drop’ it at your feet!

3. Set up an obstacle course with things you have at home 
Setting up an obstacle course or agility track in your home using household objects such as chairs, cushions and small tables is a really fun way of exercising your dog indoors. You could make a fort-style tunnel with blankets and cushions and see how fast your dog can run through. You could create small ‘jumps’ for your dog from chairs or using the sofa, but do make sure that nothing is too high for your dog and that they are not landing on hard or slippery floors, only do this on carpet or if they have a safe landing space! Cardboard boxes are also a great tool to use for exercising a dog. They can get in them, stand on top of them, drag them, push them. You could hide things in the box, hide things under the box – there really is no end to making a dog use his brain when playing with a cardboard box.

4. Teach new tricks 
They say you can’t teach an old dogs new tricks, but that’s actually not entirely true! Most dogs will do anything for their favourite treats and if you’re stuck indoors for whatever reason, this is a great opportunity to teach your dpgs brand new tricks and learning experiences in order for them to receive a delicious treat! There really is no end to tricks that you can teach your dog, service dogs seem to put ‘pet’ dogs to shame when it comes to carrying out sophisticated tasks, but there is no reason why you can’t teach your dog some new tasks. Some basic examples are: Sit, stay, down, give each paws, beg, speak, roll over, spin, or even play ‘dead’! 

5. The cup game 
Grab two identical cups, paper or plastic cups work best for this. show your dog a treat and let them smell it. Hide it underneath one of the cups. Switch the cups around twice and tell your dog to fetch the treat. Add more cups as your dog gets used to the game to make it more difficult. This is a great brain busting game for your dog and a great way to tire them out indoors!

The DogFriendly Awards are your opportunity to recognise and reward dog friendly places and get businesses that go the extra mile for the benefit of the UK’s 9.4 million dogs and their owners. Winners of the DogFriendly Awards in each of the categories are chosen by public vote. The closing date for nominations and voting is the 30th September and the awards will be presented at the Excel in London on the 20th October!
​
As a thank you for recommending or voting for a location, DogFriendly also gives you the opportunity to enter into a free prize draw to win £500 towards a dog friendly holiday. The closing date for nominations and voting in this year's DogFriendly Awards is the 30th September 2018 and the awards will be presented at the Excel in London on 20th October 2018.

There are four categories including:

• The Best Dog Friendly Place - in association with Agria Pet Insurance
• The Best Dog Friendly Employer - in association with WOOF&BREW
• The Best Dog Friendly Holiday Aboard - in association with by passpawt
• The Best Dog Friendly Business - in association with my pet people

Let's reward those wonderful people and businesses who give a warm and hearty welcome to our dogs! 

You can also see all of last years winners here

​Three myths and a truth
 
Summer is well and truly here, and it is a scorcher! The grass is suffering from a severe lack of rain but also from the dog! Where your dog pees, brown patches develop, which is often called lawn burn or lawn scald. Why does this happen, and what can you do about it?
 
There are several myths about this:
 
Myth one: Only bitches cause lawn burn because their urine is different to that of male dogs. Completely untrue. The only reason why it often seems that bitches cause brown spots but males don't is that female dogs squat to pee, so there is a large amount of pee on a small area of lawn. Males tend to spread their pee over a wide area (applies to humans too, apparently!) so there is less volume of urine on any particular patch of lawn.
 
Myth two: It happens because a dog's urine is too acidic. Nope, not true either. The brown spots aren't acid burns. Grass likes an acidic pH to grow in – anything between 5.5 and 7. The pH of an average dog's urine is between 5.5 and 7. So no problem there.
 
Myth three: It happens because a dog's urine is too alkaline. Now it is true that if a dog's urine were very alkaline it could harm grass growth, but it a rare finding, and not a common cause of brown lawn burn.
 
There are substances that you can add to a dog's drinking water that are alleged to stop brown patches on the lawn. One recommendation is the use Gypsum salts: not only do these not work, but Gypsum (Calcium sulphate) can cause eye, skin, oral, and respiratory irritation in dogs.
 
One particular home remedy, tomato juice or tomato ketchup, likely has its primary benefit through both increased salt and water intake. While salt will make the dog drink more and dilute the urine, increased salt intake can cause problems for dogs with existing kidney or heart conditions. Pure tomato flakes help neutralise nitrogen, but tomato juice and ketchup won't help.
 
Cider vinegar has been promoted as another 'cure' for lawn scald. This may alter the urine pH  slightly, but urine pH is not the cause of lawn burns.
 
THE TRUTH
 
Lawn burns are caused by the high nitrogen content in dog urine. Dog pee has a high nitrogen content because dogs are carnivorous, eat lots of protein, and the breakdown products of protein digestion passed out in the urine are high in nitrogen. When passed on a small area of lawn it acts like a  massive overdose of fertiliser and 'burns' the grass.

The effect will be more noticeable if the urine is strongly concentrated, or if the urine is very alkaline, but it is the nitrogen content only that actually causes the effect.
 
THE CURE
 
First, encourage your dog to drink plenty of water. This will ensure the urine produced is not too concentrated. Secondly, find a product that will bind with and neutralise the nitrogen in the urine
 
There is one product that will do both – WOOF&BREW's Ha-Pee Lawns Herbal Tea and Tonic. Most dogs love to drink either the tea or the tonic (or both), so  they will be naturally well hydrated, and the herbs in the blend do really bind and neutralise the nitrogen and help stop lawn burns, as well as promoting a healthy urinary tract in general.
 
And here's an extra grass growing tip: If you're a lazy gardener who doesn't like getting the lawnmower out, sprinkle your lawn with whisky – it'll come up half cut!

​Find out about the rest of our health tonic range, including Anxiety tonic. All tonics come with a 100% money back guarantee if you are not satisfied!

July is Independent Retailer Month which is an annual event that highlights the important role of smaller, local, independent retailers. At WOOF&BREW we are very lucky to have a fantastic selection of independent stockists ranging from family owned businesses to larger scale pet and garden stores. We love working with our stockists and here is an example of one such stockist. Introducing ‘Doggie Fashions Ltd’, a wonderful dog friendly business located in the stunning ‘Trentham Estate’ in Stoke-on-Trent.

​Tell us about your pet shop
Doggie Fashions Ltd is a unique, independent business selling everything & anything a dog could ever need or wish for!  It's an eye-popping, jaw-dropping, tail-wagging store, open 7 days a week.
 
From our own recipe of handmade ‘doggie bakery treats & doggie ice cream’ right through to a ‘Self Service Dog Wash’ it’s the pawfect place for dogs.
 
Over the years it has definitely become a well-known ‘Destination Store’ located within a beautiful shopping village at the popular, very dog friendly tourist attraction ‘The Trentham Estate’ in Stoke-on-Trent.
 
We (Sarah Patten & Kerry Wilson) started the business back in 2002 creating a shop totally dedicated to selling thousands of products ‘just for dogs’.
 
Originally Doggie Fashions sold from a small shop, on-line & our mail order brochure.  However, after relocating to The Trentham Estate we made the decision to purely concentrate on selling from the new retail unit, the decision was a success and we’ve never looked back.

What do you like about WOOF&BREW and do you have a favourite product?
They are a lovely team at WOOF&BREW, a pleasure to deal with.

​Their products are quite different to the norm, have great packaging & are a real talking point with customers.
Our favourite product is the Bottom Sniffer Beer although very closely followed by the Pawsecco.

​What do your customers say about WOOF&BREW?
The products always cause a real stir in our shop when customers see the range . . . . in a good way.  They love the clever names of the products and the way the packaging imitates the real thing.  You can guarantee to hear laughter from the area of the shop where these products are!
​
For more information please visit their website at
www.doggiefashions.co.uk 

Or find them on Facebook www.facebook.com/doggiefashionstrentham

Do get in touch if you are one of our Independent Stockists and would like to feature on our blog! Email us at bark@woofandbrew.com

If you would like to become a stockist then do also get in touch, we would love to hear from you!