Raising Markus is the series where we share stories about our time raising Markus. Said to be aggressive and having gone unadopted for over a year, Raising Markus is the story of a rescued dog from Korea given a second opportunity, now in Vancouver, Canada. This series will include the lessons, joys and struggles of dog owners fumbling our way through our first adoption. The hope is that if you're considering rescuing a dog of your own, our stories are useful to you.

We've recently received a questions about bandanas and how we wear them on Markus. Aside from looking great, we also use bandanas for other uses so we're sharing about what those uses are with you and towards the end, we'll cover how to wear a bandana properly on your dog.

Wet bandana on a hot day

In the heat of the summer when the dog's tongue is long, we're always looking for ways to cool Markus off when he's under the sun. For some dog owners, they have the luxury of throwing a ball (or sometimes even the dog) into the water and they'll make a splash and cool off that way. For Markus who doesn't like getting into the water, we have to think of alternative ways to keep him cool.

A trick that we've been taught is to dip the bandana in cold water before tying it around the dog's neck. This will at least keep the neck and chest area cool and as the dog runs around, the wet bandana helps the dog to cool off faster. If the bandana starts to dry off or the bandana itself starts to get warmer, you can literally rinse and repeat.

To hold flea and tick spray

When the weather is warm and dry, something we need to look out are ticks and fleas. There are a few ways that owners protect their dogs from ticks and fleas that includes applying medicine - some like to give their dogs pills - or some owner prefer to use something more topical like a cream that's applied between the shoulder blades so dogs can't lick it. 

For those who don't want the medication applied on their dog's skin or ingested into the body, another way we've heard of people applying flea and tick medications is on the bandana. Since the bandana is tied closely around the dog's neck and shoulder area, you can use something like a flea and tick spray to apply the medication once the bandana's been put on, which it works more as a preventative measure.

A downside of this is that you'll have to remember to put the bandana on every time you go out to a dog park or a hike in the woods. In some areas, you might even have to put it on for your regular daily walks. Another thing to consider here is the number of bandanas you own and if it's worth spraying down each one of these or the fact that the effective of the medication can wear out overtime. If you're iffy about putting flea and tick medication directly on your dog, try exploring this method.

To stand out from the crowd

Imagine going to a Shiba meetup with a Shiba where upwards of thirty other Shibas are running around in the same park. Even though Markus is slightly bigger than a typical Shiba (being half Jindo), he still blends in by colour and his face still looks like one. When the dogs are really going, it gets hard to tell the dogs apart quickly and this is where having a bandana really helps.

Since we're still working and training Markus at an off-leash park, it's important for us to have something that stands out a bit more in the crowd so we can pick him out quickly!

How do we wear the bandana

So let's get to the question that started this bandana topic: how do we get the bandana to stay on Markus? How do we wear it in a way that isn't droopy? To answer these questions, there are a few things to look at.

The stiffness of the fabric that the bandana is made of plays a huge part. If the cloth is thicker or the bandana is double-layered, then it's sometimes easier for the bandana to keep its shape even once it's tied behind the dog's neck. If the bandana uses a softer material or one that is heavy, it could sometimes start to droop around the neck area.

If the bandana starts to droop, we like to fold it once or twice before tying it. So if you're starting with a square, fold it in half so you get a triangle first. Then with the long side at the top with the triangle pointed at you, fold the top down an inch or so. You can do this twice as long as there's still enough fabric to tie around your dog's neck. This naturally creates a stiffer band for the bandana that gives it just that little bit of structure and the rest of it can naturally hang down.

The second thing to look for is whether the bandana has a button or not. If the bandana doesn't have a button, it's a bit easier to determine the size that you need when tying it around the dog's neck. If the bandana comes with a button, that size is usually already decided for you so if you have a bigger dog with a thin neck, it might not sit very well.

Whenever we find that the button is too loose even after folding it down, we actually just end up tying it behind the dog's neck. Then, instead of doing a double knot, we just use the button to keep it in place.

We've had our fair share of different bandanas by brand and they come in all shapes and sizes - some that fit perfectly and others that are excessively big. Some of our favourite bandanas come from Mutt Cloth, Pine + Bone and more recently Le Shoob. By using some of these tricks, we always manage to get the bandana, no matter what size it comes in, to sit nicely on Markus!

We’re so grateful for your support of The Markus Project. We mostly choose our locations through searching and word of mouth. If you know of a park, trail or location you think we should check out, please share it with us. We’d love to know!