What's FOOD got to do with it?

   Two weeks ago Allie was riding "shotgun" in the car with me, and I smelled a terrible odor.  I had smelled that odor before and I knew that it meant that Miss Allie Mae had an ear infection.  I had a sinking feeling.  Allie has had so many health issues this past year, and I thought to myself, "Not this too!"  Thankfully I have a really great vet who looked at her ear and declared that she thought she had a yeast infection.  The ear swab came back a few minutes later and revealed that Allie had a humdinger of an yeast infection.  The first question my vet asked, which is why I love her, was "What is your dog eating?"  My pups all get super good food that is grain free and potato free and is loaded with human grade protein.  However, this question made my ticker start ticking.  What if there was something in her food that was causing this nasty ear infection?
     I started to research, and I found out that tapioca, which is in many grain free foods, can cause a yeasty reaction in SOME dogs.  I think it is safe to say that tapioca causes a horrendous yeast reaction in Allie Mae. I won't name the food that we were on, because I don't want people to think that it is a bad food.  It is not, and interestlying enough we had already switched to Acana Singles because of one of my other dog's skin issues.  But... that's another blog post.  In the meantime, enjoy this video I found of Dr. Karen Becker talking about yeast issues in dogs.  Happy Training!

These are a few MORE of my favorite things....

     Food stuffable toys should be part of all Pet Parents' training regimen.  Even though my own dogs are 6, 3 and 19 months I still use food stuffable toys in place of their food bowl.  Whenever our life changes or energy requirements increase, I start using my food stuffable toys religiously.  They help burn mental energy, which in turn keeps my pups from "going off the reservation".  Here are a few new food stuffable toys that I have found.

 JW's  caterpillar toy is a most excellent invention.  I use it for my "Brainiacs" when I need to keep them extra busy.  You can cut one of the teeth to make it easier for the dogs to get to their kibble. 

The Everlasting Chew Toy line by StarMark is a sweet diversion for any dog. I mainly use the groovy ball, because it hold the most kibble. I will occasionally put an everlasting "chew" in it.  However,don't be fooled... the chew is not "everlasting", but the toy is pretty sturdy and will survive many chewings. 

The Kong Wobbler is a fun toy.  Dogs have to figure out which way to whack the wobbler to make food appear.  However, this is NOT a chew toy and should NOT be left out when owners are not supervising.  

                                                                                  

Doggie To Do List for 2014: To Do #3

     This year I will teach a reliable retrieve to my little herding dog, Pippin. There... I admitted it.  My little Pip will get a toy with incredible drive, and she will tug with enthusiasm. However, she will only bring it half way back to me.  She doesn't understand that I want it in my hand so we can start the game again.  In other words she is not the retrieving fiend that I would like her to be.  I was spoiled by my last agility dog, Tucker Jack.  He came to me at 8 weeks old and had an instant love of toys.  This love grew and grew until, at the age of 6 months, he became what my family and I lovingly called "a crackhead" for the ball.  Because of his love of the ball AND his reliable retrieve, I was able to teach him almost everything he learned about agility and basic obedience with toys.  It was wonderful.  He had SUCH incredible focus on me.  He was a true competitor.  I see that same fire in Pippin.  I just have to stoke it a little, and a reliable retrieve is just the way to do this. So in 2014 I am aiming for the same crazy, retrieving drive in my little pipsqueak that I had in my Tucker Jack.  I'm on the right track with my Golden puppy Arrow.  During the last month it is clear that he too, just like Tucker, will "live to retrieve". And heaven knows if I can get my golden girl Allie Mae into loving toys just as much as she loves treats, I can surely get little Pip to retrieve the toy ALL the way back to my hand.  Until next time... Happy Training!

Chew Toy Training: My Favorite Tools

Puppies and newly adopted adult dogs don't naturally know what they should and should not chew in the house.  It is our job as responsible owners to get them addicted to chewing the RIGHT things.  Below are a list of my "must have" chew toys.

Chew Toy  #1:  Premier's Busy Buddy "Squirrel Dude"
Use your dog's kibble (dog food) inside the squirrel dude.  The rubber teeth make it harder for your dog to get his kibble out.

Chew Toy #2: Small Sterilized Beef Bone

A small sterilized beef bone is the perfect thing for stuffing yummy treats into.  Use treats such as string cheese, freeze dried liver or cooked chicken.  After a long day of chewing on the bone your dog will have gotten some of the food out of the bone.  At the end of the day use a pen to poke through the bone.  The treats your dog couldn't get will fall out, and you will become your dog's hero.

Chew Toy #3: Omega Paw Treat Ball

Pour your dog's meal into this ball and watch him go crazy trying to get it out.

Chew Toy #4:  Twist and Treat

Unscrew the twist and treat, put your dog's kibble inside, twist the top back on, and watch your dog have some fun.  For small kibble make sure the Twist and Treat is tightly twisted all the way down.

Chew Toy #5: KONG

Stuff the your dog's Kong toy with his kibble and run a trickle of water through the toy for a minute.  Let the soaked kibble sit out overnight.  Then give it to your dog right before you leave for work.  Soaking the kibble makes it more difficult for your dog to get it out.  For teething puppies you can freeze the Kong. Chewing on a frozen Kong feels super good on their swollen gums.

Chew Toy #6: KONG Goodie Bone

Here's another great Kong toy!  Stuff your dog's soaked kibble inside or stuff in special treats like big hunks of string cheese, cooked chicken, and/or freeze dried liver.  If you choose to use kibble the kibble must be really mushy to stay inside.   You can also stuff this with dog biscuits. Put two or three small dog biscuits together to make it really challenging for your dog to get out.

Chew Toys #7 and #8: Petstages Stick and Galileo Bone by Nylabone

Both of these bones are great for teething puppies or bored adult dogs.  

Until next time... Happy Training!

Lessons Learned At The Pond

   I decided to take my dogs for a walk today at Jensen Nature Park.  My dogs have been there many times, and we often practice "Look At That" and our Sit/Stay commands, especially around the ducks.  Today as I was letting Allie Mae out of her crate, her leash slipped through my fingers and she headed.... straight for the pond.
     Before I could react she was in the water swimming with the ducks.  I put the other two dogs back into their crates and went after Allie Mae.  I paced the shoreline calling to her, feeling pretty confident that she would come to me.  She has always had a really good recall. She did not come to me. This was a disaster since dogs are not allowed off leash in the park, and they are certainly not allowed in the pond.  I cursed under my breath and continued to sweetly called out to Allie. She totally blew me off.       Luckily, the people who were feeding the ducks thought it was rather funny that she was so intent on swimming after the ducks.  I was NOT amused.  My dog, who I thought had a rock solid "come", was completely ignoring me.  After about 5 minutes of this I started to get worried.  Although the day was warmer than usual, it was still 32 degrees outside.  This combined with the ice crusted pond, led me to fret over whether she would be okay in the water.  I kept on calling to her, but it did no good.  She was really focused on those ducks.  

       Fifteen minutes later I took my jacket off, and prepared to jump in after her.  The people around me thought that I was crazy, but I could tell that Allie was getting tired.  As luck would have it she decided that she had had enough, and, with some encouragement, started to swim to shore.  I gritted my teeth and gave her lots of praise when she finally came out of the water.  I wanted to ring her neck!!!  I led her to the car and got her into the crate.  The whole way home I was steaming mad.  Allie Mae is a very stubborn girl, and has always been a challenging dog to train.  However, this little stunt took the cake.  What a knuckle headed dog!
     Then I remembered that problems can be training GOLD MINES.  I arrived home; ran into the house, and retrieved my 15 foot leash, her favorite toy, and two dog coats.  I got Allie out of the car and bundled her up in both coats.  Then we headed back to the park.  You read that correctly.  We headed back to the park.
     I decided to walk my other two dogs so that I could mentally cool down before training Allie.  Arrow, Pippin, and I had a great walk with lots of attention stops and sit/stays.  We arrived back at the car 40 minutes later.  I took a deep breath and let Allie out of her crate.  Using the long lead we worked on distance sits at the edge of the pond.  In the end I was able to get Allie to sit about 5 feet away from me while being distracted by the ducks.  Needless to say we will be going back to work on this skill EVERY DAY until she gets it.  I NEVER want a repeat of what happened today at the pond.  I felt totally helpless.  However, the incident served to remind me that training has to be on-going and frequently practiced.  I am confident that I will be able to improve Allie's understanding of sit and down at a distance and will be able to get both commands on a reliable verbal only cue.  If you see me at Jensen Park with a long line and a crazy Golden Retriever, now you'll know why.  Until next time... Happy Training!

Doggie To Do List For 2014: To Do #2

Take a hike!  No.  Really.  Take a hike with your dog!  I have lived in Utah for four years and I have yet to take advantage of all the wonderful hiking trials available around me.  This year is the year of the "hike" for me and my pack.  Here are some of the trails that I would like to hike with my dogs: Big Water Trail in Mill Creek Canyon (pictured left), Neff's Canyon, and Waterfall Canyon.  Luckily I have lots of friends who I am sure would be willing to trek with this amateur hiker.  I can't wait for Spring and Summer.   For more information about the trails mentioned above click on the link below.  Until next time... Happy Training!
http://sportsguidemag.com/index.php/trailsides/401-hiking-with-your-hound

Doggie To Do List for 2014: To Do #1

     This year I will swim with my dogs on a regular basis.  Swimming is such good, low impact exercise for dogs, and is wonderful, exhausting exercise. I have been doing some research and I have found a swimming facility in Salt Lake City that allows dogs to swim all year round.  I will post a review once we have tried it out. If you too are interested in having a splashing good time with your pooch, follow the link below the video. Here's Honey, the Great Dane, showing us how it is done in Auckland, New Zealand.  

Until next time... Happy Training!

http://www.swimatbarleys.com/our-services/indoor-dog-swimming-pool/