Episode 1583
Upgrades Around Your House for the dog lover
If you are a pet owner, technology has really started to help you out. We talk about the many new products for dog owners as well as the many new tricks and tips that can make your life easier for you and your dog. All this and MORE in todays show.
Thanks for listening to Around the house if you want to hear more please subscribe so you get notified of the latest episode as it posts at https://around-the-house-with-e.captivate.fm/listen
If you want to join the Around the House Insider for access to the back catalog, Exclusive Content and a direct email to Eric G and access to the show early https://around-the-house-with-e.captivate.fm/support
We love comments and we would love reviews on how this information has helped you on your house! Thanks for listening! For more information about the show head to https://aroundthehouseonline.com/
Information given on the Around the House Show should not be considered construction or design advice for your specific project, nor is it intended to replace consulting at your home or jobsite by a building professional. The views and opinions expressed by those interviewed on the podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Around the House Show.
Mentioned in this episode:
Baldwin Hardware
A new kind of decking and siding from Millboard
For more information about the latest in decking and cladding head to https://www.millboard.com/
Transcript
[00:00:26] Eric Goranson: But if you go through and set this up correctly with the right base underneath it, And the right drainage. You can have a space that is, um, meant for the dogs, but not as, uh, filled with odor as you might think. Um, it is a challenge that we've been fighting and I've gotta go back and install it, uh, install my turf correctly because it is just laying down on the ground right now.
[:[00:01:07] Eric Goranson: We help you get the most outta your own through information and education. Thanks for joining us today. Today's show is brought to you by our friends over at Ru cher@rootquencher.com. If you are spending time making sure that you've got your plant, shrubs, trees are all watered correctly, check these guys out because they put the water right at the roots so the water doesn't run down the hill or anywhere else.
[:[00:01:48] Eric Goranson: And today I wanted to talk about some of those things that really make, you know, fun for the dogs around the house. You know what I mean? I mean, that's the fun part, is taking care of those pets. It can be an exciting time [00:02:00] and one of the first ones that I did here when I moved into my new house, and this was a lot of fun, so I wanted to create a dog area because you know, I'm busy, my wife's busy.
[:[00:02:37] Eric Goranson: And so what we did is we took this little side yard that was kind of a awkward triangular space. I fenced it in and put some, uh, artificial turf down and created our dog bathroom area, the little dog run on the side. Then I put in a, uh, just a regular dog door and it worked okay. Uh, [00:03:00] this last early spring and it was, I think my first segment that I did for my new show around the House Northwest, the television show, is I installed a high tech pet door and literally this is high tech 'cause that's the company name, high Tech Pet.
[:[00:03:49] Eric Goranson: This is your answer to having something. You know, the problem I had is I had the old dog door in there with the magnets on it, and if we had a 30 or 40 mile hour [00:04:00] wind, it would open the door up and blow in. And I have large dogs, so this would be a problem. So now you put a collar on your pet, they get close to the door, you can get it tuned in.
[:[00:04:28] Eric Goranson: In three, it gives you a very affordable solution for keeping the animals out where they need to be and your animals in where they wanna be. The ability for them to go outside. And so that's what really is cool. So they have this, uh, uh, pet collar that's operated. It's a, uh, ultrasonic pet collar. And I can also run it with my phone, which is cool.
[:[00:05:13] Eric Goranson: Um, and then the app also gives you full operating instructions of how to operate it, and it works out really well. And then, um, you know, if you need to, if it needs firmware updates, things like that, it'll automatically do it, which is great. But, um, I do love the four-way access, control and hold option two, so you can.
[:[00:05:46] Eric Goranson: You can put 'em through a wall. They do have, uh, like wall tunnel kits that you can put through there. Uh, different sizes. They have their, uh, pet safe batteries that go into these. Um, I tell you what, they work well and, uh, I'm [00:06:00] sold on it. They did a great job with it. Um, and so, uh, you can remote control it from anywhere, so that is a key right there to give you that.
[:[00:06:30] Eric Goranson: Um, you know, so those are things that, uh, if you're trying to control your pet, that's an interesting one. Now, here's the thing, and I've learned this. Here's, here's a a, something that I've learned a lot over the years is being a dog owner and there's a lot of people out there. Oh, I've had dogs my entire life.
[:[00:07:09] Eric Goranson: You know, we see so many bad habits as far as pet owners and even more so now, and with, with C O V I D and the huge problems we had of people getting pets that had never had pets before and had no experience. Letting those trainers do the heavy lifting for you so you can make sure and get your pet under control and you under control of how to deal with that pet.
[:[00:07:56] Eric Goranson: So today I'm really trying to make sure that we give you the right [00:08:00] tools and the right pieces. So if you're trying to make it work with your pet, um, and you're a new pet owner, that you've got some options. And so that's the key. Now, another thing I wanna talk about, we're gonna talk about this in the next segment here as far as putting that artificial turf down.
[:[00:08:38] Eric Goranson: But if you go through and set this up correctly, with the right base underneath it and the right drainage, you can have a space that is um, meant for the dogs. Not as, uh, filled with odor as you might think. Um, it is a challenge that we've been fighting and I've gotta go back and install it, uh, install my turf correctly because it is [00:09:00] just laying down on the ground right now because I had a couple spare pieces at the time when we were moving that I had from a buddy.
[:[00:09:26] Eric Goranson: And so it'll actually smell better in time. The way I'm doing it now by just rolling it out works well. But, uh, walking by that fence, uh, I'm happy to have a neighbor's house right up against it. Watch that. So we'll talk about that in the next segment.
[:[00:10:24] Eric Goranson: Welcome back to The Round the House. Show this where we hope to get the most outta your home through information and education. If you wanna find out more about us, head over to around the house online.com. And, uh, you can find us over there with the podcast, the radio show, as well as our videos that you find over at Kbt v Fox 12.
[:[00:11:05] Eric Goranson: And there's a couple different ways to go as far as keeping that deodorized if it's an area that your dogs are using as a bathroom source, you know, or they're gonna be using the bathroom and you want to keep it smelling good. There is a product, uh, and these are both ones I'm gonna be testing out here shortly, so I'll let you know how it goes, but, uh, they're well known in the industry.
[:[00:11:45] Eric Goranson: This stuff works really well. So this backyard deodorizer is designed to absorb the urine, and what it does is it prevents the ammonia from turning into a gas, right? So where other products kind of neutralize it, this [00:12:00] actually doesn't neutralize it. It just captured that ammonia. And keeps it from getting released.
[:[00:12:29] Eric Goranson: They have a starter pack that you can buy. Um, that's all set to go, which has stuff. There's, you know, a premium bundle. Anyway, there's a lot of stuff z o filled, z e o f i l l.com. And they've got a lot of different things depending on your application. So, uh, they recommended for dog runs, artificial turf dog parks.
[:[00:13:14] Eric Goranson: Porch potty, potty pads, dog kennels, dog runs, stables, barns, concrete cement, rock, stones, gravel, dirt, basically anywhere you want. And, uh, it's an endless list. But basically all you do is mix this stuff out and spray it out there. And if you use one of those pump sprayers, it works really well. And, uh, follow the directions and then you have, uh, a, a good situation on your hands because, um, basically you're gonna repeat the steps.
[:[00:14:07] Eric Goranson: And so, uh, let the microbes do the work for you. That's also great, um, you know, for handling that stuff. Now, the next one here is something that is a challenge. And this can be a challenge with dogs and cats, and especially cats, um, when you have dogs that, um, go to the bathroom inside the house. The non-approved areas, and this is a big problem when you have, uh, wall-to-wall carpeting and things like that.
[:[00:15:09] Eric Goranson: I have had very good success with that product, uh, using that with, um, in combination, you know, with a good shampooer and a, a good professional carpet cleaner. And I'm not talking the one you rent from the store, having somebody come in on the truck mount. Um, what we did is we went in there, and this was in a, uh, rental probably 15 years ago.
[:[00:15:47] Eric Goranson: And then I had the carpet cleaners come through and professionally steam clean the carpet. Afterwards with the black light, you couldn't tell it happened. And second of all, you couldn't tell with the smell. [00:16:00] So that worked out really well. If you're trying to do this here with, uh, with one of those rental ones, um, you're not gonna have the desired results 'cause it just leaves too much water in place.
[:[00:16:37] Eric Goranson: Or go in there with one of the, uh, you know, mop it up as best you can, and then come in there with one of the odor. Capturing paints or primers and then, you know, multiple coats of primer, get it locked in, or if it's just one area, cut out that subfloor and replace it with something that's not, that's always the better situation.
[:[00:17:25] Eric Goranson: And, um, I would've said no. I would've said, I don't want that health hazard. And maybe not they're doing that anymore, 'cause carpet's just gonna be better to put in there. But again, make sure that you've got those things taken care of. Make sure you've got the right carpet in there. And then they make pads.
[:[00:17:58] Eric Goranson: And once it's in the pad, it's very [00:18:00] hard to get outta there. So using a closed cell pad is really good for that and it keeps things really clean. So, uh, make sure you use that closed cell, like an eight pound pad. I love those. They're so comfy and plush at the same time they're sealed. So, uh, nothing gets a chance to get through that.
[:[00:18:57] Eric Goranson: Hey, this is Ron Keel, the middle Cal. Boy [00:19:00] from Kehl, the Ron Kehl Band and Steeler, we are rocking around the house with Eric G. Ray is your welcome back to Around the House Show. We're help you get the most outta your home through information and education. Hey, if you're looking for videos to inspire you or help you through a project, head over to.
[:[00:19:39] Eric Goranson: Um, we've had a lot of fun with new products. D i y projects and stuff like that. Um, you've got about a hundred twenty four, a hundred twenty five videos hiding out over there, so it's a great place for that. And, uh, there's some really fun stuff to show off. So, uh, we just did one last week, uh, where a guy took this super steep [00:20:00] backyard that was unusable and, uh, my friend's over at the wall, which is a sponsor of the show, they came in there and terra it and put in an 18 hole putt putt course.
[:[00:20:26] Eric Goranson: It was just a little rescue we had and he, you know, rest is rest in peace. Little buddy has, uh, crossed over that, uh, rainbow Bridge to the other side. But here's the deal. He was an escape artist and that's how we got him. Or Julie got him years ago, even before my time, he was an escape artist and he kept getting out.
[:[00:21:14] Eric Goranson: So here's what I did. Um, I started out with the Phi f i dog collar, and it is a smart dog collar, uh, website for that is try fi, so t r y f i.com and it basically gives me a G P Ss for my dog. And it's also a fitness tracker, you know? And so it's a big deal. I mean, 7 million dogs go missing every year. And so what you can do is you can go around and set your perimeter and have it notify you that, Hey, your dog just left the building, so it's great.
[:[00:22:17] Eric Goranson: So if your dog's not within 200 feet of an iPhone, you have no idea where that dog is. So, um, and what's cool is, is this, this has G P s and L T E so. It actually uses the technology from the cell phone towers to work. And so, uh, this works out really well. So when you go into lost dog mode, you can figure out where the dog went to.
[:[00:23:06] Eric Goranson: So, uh, their series three is the most waterproof device ever put on a dog. So it is meant for that. And so these are really cool and it's something to take a look at and I really like working with these guys. They've got some really great stuff. Um, you know, this. Is a serious collar that is meant for serious dogs.
[:[00:24:00] Eric Goranson: So I finally had to go in and take some really fine chicken wire mesh that was thick and small. 'cause I didn't want the dog to get hurt. So what I did is I dug down about a foot. And then came back about two feet. So I tasked it to the bottom of my fence, went down about a foot, and then went back and backfilled over the top of this L piece.
[:[00:24:43] Eric Goranson: But, uh, we had to do it. I mean, in a perfect world, I could have done a concrete thing, but having that return was the key. Not just putting it down there because he would go to the bottom of the fence, dig, and the dogs are not smart enough generally to go, oh, I need to get back two feet and then dig. [00:25:00] So they couldn't figure that out.
[:[00:25:20] Eric Goranson: So that was a great solution as far as keeping the dog in the yard where we wanted it to. Now, the other things that we have done around here is, um, you know, created shade out in that area. In the past when we had a really hot summer, Now I've got an area that is, uh, full tree covers, so I don't have to really worry about that.
[:[00:25:58] Eric Goranson: Whoop, there they are. [00:26:00] Nice little cameo appearance right there, but really, Controlling access is key and that is gonna be something that is gonna be great. And, uh, being able to track your dog as well. And the battery lasts a long time. It's like once a month I can put it on there for, you know, um, an hour or two and it's charged up really well.
[:[00:26:44] Eric Goranson: And, uh, the next thing I wanna talk about, um, coming up here in the next segment, which I think is an important one here. Is making sure that you are doing all the things as a dog owner that you should be doing, whether it's the follow up checkups, whether it's the [00:27:00] exercise, and that is something that I think has been one of the biggest problems that we've had, is that we have a huge issue with people that went out and bought these really cool breeds that they loved off Instagram and then brought them home and realized, holy smokes, I have to take them out for five miles a walk today, otherwise they're gonna tear my house up.
[:[00:27:44] Eric Goranson: That has been a very cool situation where we've had teamwork that's made this work. Now, when we come back, we got so much more to talk about as, uh, dog owners and pet owners here. Um, I really want to talk a little bit more about, um, some of the [00:28:00] food and the training aspects here, and we'll do that when we come back.
[:[00:28:22] Eric Goranson: Alright, we'll be right back after these important messages. Don't go anywhere.
[:[00:28:59] Eric Goranson: It's the end of the [00:29:00] show now. Drinking down people, it's time to go. That time again. It's last call. Welcome back to The Round the House. Show this where we hope you get the most outta your home. Through information we've been sitting here talking about, um, some might accessible hacks and and tricks as being a pet owner and making sure that you've got stuff dialed in for your dog, especially, you know, and making sure that that's taken care of and, uh, that your pet is living their best life.
[:[00:29:52] Eric Goranson: There are insurance companies that won't insure you if the wrong breed or they will charge you [00:30:00] more if you have. What they would consider an aggressive breed. And I'm not gonna get into the, um, into the debate of what's an aggressive dog and what's not. I know that there are some wonderful pit bulls that are so loving out there, and there's those handful of people that, uh, have been fairly mean to these dogs and have trained them into.
[:[00:30:42] Eric Goranson: So this is something that has been, uh, uh, challenging for people. And, uh, they'll go pick up their dog. And here's what happens. They go pick the dog up and guess what? Um, they go to and renew their insurance or whatever, and the insurance company goes, Hey, what dog you got? Oh, I got [00:31:00] X. And they go, Ooh, yeah, we can't cover you with that dog.
[:[00:31:40] Eric Goranson: We're probably nine months outta the year outside with warm water. So now I have all the materials to do that so we can start doing that and it's gonna turn out really cool. I'm excited to see it. We are gonna get that laid out and um, I'm gonna make it so the dogs can jump up a little bit higher, so it's a little easier on our backs.
[:[00:32:14] Eric Goranson: If I get covered in dirt that I don't want to track inside, that will be an important part of this process. So think about a dog wash area. Um, you know, William did a great one over at his house, uh, on tile. Our friend William White, that's on the show a lot. He did an inside one. I'm gonna do one outside because I just don't have the space.
[:[00:33:06] Eric Goranson: So, uh, having your own dog wash is a luxury and I'm gonna have some fun there and get it taken care of. So, uh, another trick that we do too is we have, uh, we buy 'em from Costco, but I buy those waterless. Dog bath wipes. And so basically these are like the hospital wipes, the big ones you get. But when we bring the dogs in from inside, we don't want to give 'em a full bath.
[:[00:33:45] Eric Goranson: That is another great hack. Having those, um, you know, those, um, waterless wipes, those have been a really great one, you know, and that is good. Now, some of the other stuff that you can do, um, [00:34:00] there's a lot of little tricks out there for dealing with pets, but, um, one is gonna come down to training. Um, you know, I, I recommend everybody as a dog owner, unless you are a dog trainer yourself.
[:[00:34:33] Eric Goranson: There's a lot of other companies across the us. That have some great solutions for that besides just going to the dog park, you know? And um, and one thing too, I want to talk about find the trainer that works with you. If you're a dog park person and you have a trainer that hates dog parts, dog parks, that is not going to be a good mix.
[:[00:35:14] Eric Goranson: It is not good for my sleep when I've got the dog taken up my spot of the bed. So making sure that you've got that, making sure that you've got the, um, Details for your dog. You know, they get in their flea meds, the tick meds, the heartworm medicine, all those things. Uh, and there's a lot of different online, um, apps out there as well to help you manage these things for your dog.
[:[00:36:01] Eric Goranson: And, uh, if you travel a lot, make sure that you've got a, a doggy pack where need to go. And you can even put those in your cars, the ones that you typically take the dog with. But, uh, a little doggy backpack, um, can be a smart one, especially if you're going on hiking trips with CLOs, collapsible water bowls, water bottles, things like that.
[:[00:36:45] Eric Goranson: So there's a lot of different things you can be doing, um, around the house to make sure that, that, uh, You know, you've got a good life for your dog and a good life for you. You don't need to be a slave to your pets just as your pets, [00:37:00] you know, don't want to be ignored as well. So what you have to do is find that happy medium and, uh, do your research before you.
[:[00:37:27] Eric Goranson: So make sure that you've got the understanding of what it takes to be a dog owner. Two, the finances, if you are barely getting by and your paycheck to paycheck may be getting a dog or two isn't gonna be the best answer for you. It might emotionally, but it might not be financially because, um, taking care of a pet is a, uh, is a big responsibility.
[:[00:38:16] Eric Goranson: For years or even a decade depending on what you're looking at for a pet. So, hey guys, thanks for tuning into Around the house today. If you want more information, head over to around the house online.com. You can find us there as well as on social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. We have multiple accounts depending on, uh, whether it's the radio show podcast.
[:[00:38:56] Eric Goranson: Thanks for tuning in around the house everybody. We'll see you in the Midweek Special [00:39:00] Podcast. We'll catch you next Saturday or Sunday,
