Sunday Confessionals of a "Bad" Owner #5

I use a laser pointer on my dog. I know there are the people out there that don't agree with it because it creates OCD type behaviors and even mentally hurts them as they never really catch their "prey" but I believe the OCD risk depends on the individual dog and how you use the pointer. As for the mentally harming them, that's easy enough to avoid by the use of treats, at the end of the game I aim the pointer at an area where a treat was hidden while he was distracted or one is tossed at him as he pounces on the dot.

Santa Paws came to town.

And the Christmas rush is over! Yay! I finally have time to blog again. Christmas was crazy, working two jobs is for the birds especially when both have the Christmas rush. Being a groomer in a remote area doesn’t pay the bills so I also work at a department store 30 hours a week. I’d come home from one job and start another, days off one job were worked at the other. I was beat to say the least. The boys had a wonderful Christmas.

Their stockings were stuffed and larger gifts wrapped and as a last minute thing I bought them several new blankets since they were on sale at the department store. Of course despite buying several (one for each of the two crates and one for the dog bed) they all wanted the dog bed, same with the toys, they each got a new toy, Woof got an obnoxious squeaker moose head, Ranger got a bah-humbug snowman and Boone got a weird monster, floppy limb thing that reminded me of his most favourite puppyhood toy a West Paw Salsa. Boone also got a pack of Kong squeaker tennis balls as he’s a ball hound. But they all want the same toy, Woof’s moose head. Go figure. Besides the toys they each got a bone, I managed to even find one that was low in fat for the problem child, and a few packages of treats, dehydrated sweet potato chews and salmon balls that look oddly like cheese balls, even the container.

I’m normally pretty strict about their diets but on Christmas day it was a free for all. They got pancakes for breakfast and a feed of jiggs dinner later in the day (we held the gravy on Woof’s). By the end of the day the boys were in a blissful, Christmas coma. If Christmas day was a beautiful dream for them than Boxing day was a nightmare. Back to the old routine which they, especially Ranger didn’t understand and refused to believe, he wanted our breakfast our lunch our dinner, he wanted the treats, demanded it. Ever have a 95lb Mooseador demand something from you? I also rearranged the living room furniture which promptly put Boone in a tramatic spaz and then he refused to come into the living room for hours. By the evening though he was coming in and laying in the doorway at least and this morning he’s actually back to normal, or as normal as he gets anyways.

Talk Big Tuesday - The Furminator

Maybe I’m the odd man out but I don’t get the big deal about the furminator. I’ve used both the brand and the knock offs and honestly not over the moon about them, yet I see all these people treating it like it’s the best thing since the internet. I personally don’t like them and don’t think they’re the golden child of the grooming world.

Sometimes teeth on combs and brushes snap off, they get dropped, or maybe they get snagging on something. But on a lot of other tools you can still use them without fear of hurting the dog. Not so with the furminator, if one of these teeth break off that thing is useless, why? Because they are essentially a 30 blade with a handle, they are sharp and using them with broken teeth can and has cut dogs.

As I mentioned the furminator is basically a 30 blade (one of the shortest blades in grooming used for show type clipping (clean face/feet on poodles), on severely matted coats and under snap on combs) on a handle. It doesn’t just remove the undercoat it cuts the coat and can permanently damage it and the skin when used wrong, heck I’ve seen it used properly and it damage the coat.

I’ve had a few clients and heard about others that use it on their long coated dogs thinking that’s the only tool they need. Wrong, the furmintaor simply does not get through all the layers of the coat on some breeds and all you end up doing is cutting up the top coat and leaving the undercoat to mat, it just doesn’t do a thorough grooming job.

The price for this brush is OUTRAGEOUS for what it can\can’t do and quality.

I can do just as good, no actually a better job at deshedding with other tools like a slicker brush and greyhound comb than the furminator can only dream of. And not as a professional groomer but as an owner. As I said I’ve used both the furminator and knock off versions (which by the way no difference except price) as an owner before I ever became a groomer and didn’t like it, I found I could do better with other tools that were more cost effective and higher quality, later as a groomer I found it to be even more true. A slicker brush, greyhound comb and undercoat rake and high quality shampoo do the job far more effectively and efficiently, I also give a lot of credit to my high velocity dryer, this is a professional tool but anyone can buy one, I’ll never be without one ever.

Meet Boone

So I’ve been severally lacking on this blog, we had internet troubles, things got complicated in life and then we were on vacation. Anyways I thought I’d come back and actually introduce the dogs as I never did that. So without further ado, meet Boone.

I renamed "perrywinkle" before I even brought him home.

I was working at the humane society when Boone was brought in as a 3 month old puppy in the freezing winter. He had a horribly broken front leg which required some hardware to fix and was extremely fear aggressive. He wanted no one near his kennel, especially children and men it seemed but really he didn’t like anyone touch him or being near him. He’d put on a very believing show even as young as he was, growling, barking, showing teeth and lunging at the door all while urinating himself. There was only a few that seemed to be able to handle him with little trouble and me who could do whatever I wanted with him without so much as a nervous glance. I’d take extra time and play with him while I fed the others and cleaned the kennels, letting him run around the kennel block while I worked occasionally dabbling in a game of “I’m gunna getcha” which he would loose his mind about (in a good way) and still does. Which basically was stopping what I was doing and running after him to try and “smack” his bum.

Caring for "his babies", he was a big help with the foster kittens.

Once the leg was healed they kept him in the veterinary kennel ward and tried to adopt him out to families with children. My first thought was none to kind about that decision. The dog was terrified and clearly not suited for a life with young children in a busy household. Some dogs just can’t deal with that. I felt awful as they stood there time and time again with an adoption councillor outside his kennel as he got more and more upset. Afterwards I’d go and take him outside for a walk and cool down time, in a matter of minutes the wide eyes, shaking, hunched/tense posture and heavy breathing would stop and once again he’d be normal happy to have a game of snowball catch which by the way he was horrible at.

Keeping his eyes on the ball, forever and always.

One of the vets suggested during a routine exam of him that I take him, “just foster him for a bit, get him used to home life and out of here” yeah… just foster for a bit. I think it was clear to her that Boone had taken a liking to me and I him despite the fact that I didn’t feel I should get a second dog when my senior Lab/Staffy mix was in declining health much less a fear aggressive puppy. But yes I did end up fostering him on a “foster to adopt” contract and he never left which I knew he wouldn’t the moment we went home after my shift and he (after much coaxing) got into the front seat with a big sigh and slept the whole way home. He adored the cats, we had two personal cats and 3 fosters at any given time, always feral kittens. He’d take the roll of mom, clean them, play with them, sleep with them and when they did hungry cries rubbing up against him and gently pawing at him he’d lay down and they’d suckle his tummy while I went to the kitchen and got them a real meal. My senior dog however just found him annoying despite Boone’s desperate attempts to make friends and get him to play.

 

The day after... still a little confused about this neutering thing.

 He was a great comfort when my Lab/Staffy mix passed. I brought Boone home in January by that June we had to help Drifter cross the bridge. That morning they played like never before. Drifter had never been a playful dog with other dogs but he actually ran and played as best he could with Boone, Boone was in his glee! Finally he’s playing with me! We spent the day with Drifter doing all of the things we’d done in younger years that he had loved. Then brought Boone home and went to the vet. When we came back to my parents Boone seemed confused, searched high and low but no big black Drifter to be found. Where had his buddy gone? We headed home and Boone is what kept me from going crazy. The cats were a small help as well but Boone was a dog and I could do what I had done with Drifter. We went for long walks in the country, played ball, tug, chase, cuddled and just talked to him. The doggy routine was there to keep me going despite being one less dog. For the next year every time Boone saw a black dog that resembled the shape of Drifter he’d eagerly want to approach or if he was off leash he’d just take off tail wagging madly. Only to find out that the dog wasn’t Drifter and he would clearly become upset by this. Boone was never a big lover of other dogs, he’d play and chase them but not excited by them otherwise. Then I brought Woof home, Boone needed a friend, he needed another dog and so did I. It just didn’t feel right otherwise. They got along like they’d been friends all their life with the occasional scuffle such as when Woof had a nasty inner ear infection and Boone grabbed his ear. Woof didn’t take that too pleasantly. The two of them have a similar play style that a lot of other dogs we met didn’t have and often didn’t appreciate. Herding breeds like to chase, are vocal and can be quite rough in play, Woof being part Border Collie takes after that style.

This is how to find the squirrel Ranger.

When we moved to Newfoundland the first winter he went missing for 5 days in February. I was at work and my father was at the house and couldn’t find Boone. He’d let them outside, Boone was never leashed despite the fact that we didn’t have a fenced in yard but he never ventured off the property. He’d let him out and than ran out himself for no more than 5 minutes just down the road like he’d done countless times before. When he came back no Boone just paw prints and snow mobile tracks. We assume some of the brats down the road gave him a fright and chase on their snow mobiles and Boone took off across the frozen bay in fright. Just about every night that week was a snow storm and freezing cold temperatures not to mention coyotes that were hungry and desperate at this time. We put it on the radio, posters, internet searched day and night in shifts for him, never dreaming he had actually crossed the bay. We got a phone call, a man had just heard the radio and had just come across a dog he was sure was Boone on the road eating garbage. He stopped his car and checked with his binoculars and the tag read “little brown jug” but Boone was skittish and quickly took off into the trees. Definitely Boone, he had a tag with that on the front and info on the back. He had crossed the bay, so we made the hour drive to that small town, the people were helpful, but Boone was panicked and couldn’t be found. They’d leave bowls of wet food out, chunks of raw meat and leave their shed doors open just enough in case he needed shelter. Always keeping their eyes out for him. At night they would seem him go out into the frozen cove and howl for about an hour before taking off into the trees again. Checking the ice they were defiantly his tracks as what other animal constantly spins a circle every few steps? We ended up getting a call that someone had him in their house, the man had found him curled up under a tree while out snow mobiling with this young daughter. He was near death, cold, tired and very skinny. They had brought him home and set him up with blankets food and water by their fireplace. He could barely stand but tried as I came in the door and called him. He survived with no health problems only to go missing the next winter for 3 days after getting spooked by an explosion while I was in grooming school and he was with my husband this time in a large city he didn’t know. He was almost shot by one man thinking he was a coyote the only thing that stopped him was the reflector on his collar caught his attention just as he was about to shoot. Ranger ended up finding him near a farmer’s field on the outskirts of the city, in much better condition than last time. Ranger started barking and crying in one area and refused to leave, shortly after Boone came running out of the trees a little way down.

Always game for some walking trails!

I’ve come a long way with Boone, we moved from Ontario to Newfoundland and now Labrador, he’s been there through break ups and heart aches. And his fear aggression has gotten so much better. A short stint of muzzle wearing in public got me crucified by many people but it was in the safety of Boone and the public I did it after he grabbed one poor woman as she was walking her dog with us and lunged at another person as he went past us. He’s 6 years old now, an eye catching German Shepherd/Australian Cattle Dog mix with a metal leg and anxiety issues but he’s come so far with his behaviour problems and fits in quite well here. I was told when I first got him that dogs with his anxiety disorder tend to get worse as they age and for awhile that didn’t seem to be true but this year I can see it. We’ve been playing with medications both natural and chemical to try and give him (and us) some relief from the anxiety that plagues him. He still dislikes children and doesn't tolerate them well, nor does he appreciate strangers or family/friends in the house. He's quite good with my husband, though he is very much a mama's boy. But a lover of other animals especially small dogs, cats, rabbits and completely ball obsessed. He’s created my love of Heelers and the desire to have them in the near future.

My constant companion.

Sunday Confessionals of a "Bad" Owner #4

I let my dogs eat peanut butter. I let them lick the butter knife after making a PB&J, or slip some medication in them with it or when visiting my parents my father likes to give them each a piece of bread smeared with it  (or cheese whiz) every morning. People poo-poo me. It causes cancer, diabetes and heart disease oh my! Everything causes cancer, heart disease and diabetes these days, I think humans really blow some things out of proportion. I draw the line at feeding them jars of it every day though...

Sunday Confessionals of a "Bad" Owner #3

My dogs wear their collars almost all the time. The only time they come off for the most part is after their last bathroom outing before bed. Ranger will sometimes not have his on as the salt water ruins them and keeping him out of the water is like trying to keep a seal out of water. I feel safer with them on, considering one is a runner and and another got lost a few winters ago and the only thing that kept him from being shot when he was mistaken for a coyote was that the hunter noticed his collar just before he hit the trigger.

Woof's troubles.

Woof has chronic pancreatitis. If you don’t know what pancreatitis is basically the pancreas becomes inflamed and forces digestive enzymes into the abdomen. These enzymes get to work doing their job but unfortunately they are digesting other organs in the body. This as you can imagine is quite painful and can even be deadly.

Woof went a long time without being diagnosed because he wasn’t showing the typical signs. There was no fever, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, depression, or difficulty breathing. He would get tense in his abdomen and have these episodes of extreme pain as he ran around the house and dragged himself along the floor biting whatever was in reach. These episodes would last 24 – 48 hours off and on and varying in intensity. We went to several vets and none could figure it out or seemed to be that bothered by it. Our current vet gave us a few options, scope him which we’d have to likely travel out of province, exploratory surgery which had its own risks as it was very invasive or just for the heck of it test for pancreatitis.  We opted to test for pancreatitis just to say we did, not expected it to be positive but they were.

Pancreatitis can be brought on by a whole list of things, it’s not a one size fits all diagnosis and you may never know the true cause of it. We have no idea what caused Woof’s. Some breeds are prone to it, sometimes being fed a high fat dog food or fatty human food such as bacon, being overweight, side effects of medication, low protein, high fat diets and even an injury to area can bring it on among other things. Females are more prone to it than males and usually it occurs in older dogs. But it can happen at any age. There are also two different types of pancreatitis, acute and chronic. Acute is the more severe and quick. It is often a one time thing if the dog survives but caution should be taken to avoid it happening again. It can cause a build up of fluids in the chest and abdomen, cause kidney failure and random bleeding since the body’s blood clotting abilities are affected, it can be fatal. Chronic is when the pancreas is permanently scarred, it’s a low grade inflammation that is reoccurring. It will require the dog to be on a low fat diet for the rest of its life.

So then we had to find a food. Of course the common choice was to feed one of the veterinary Rx diets but I’ve never been a fan of them, I don’t like the ingredients and I don’t like the companies themselves. I told myself if I absolutely had to I’d put him on it, for his sake but I’d try other foods first. We tried him on Natural Balance Potato & Duck LID, 10% fat. It didn’t seems to work out for him as he was still have quite a few episodes but it was hard to tell as we were living with my parents and my father had a habit of feeding the dogs whatever despite being told not to. So we switched to Chicken Soup for the Soul Weight Management, 6% fat. Shortly after this we moved out. He’s been on this for 6 months now and only a few episodes usually after he’s gotten into the garbage, got into the other dogs food or was given something we didn’t thing would set him off like a tiny bit of popsicle. I’m not happy with his overall condition on this food though, his coat tends to be greasy and dull, his ears dirty and lately he’s being licking at himself obsessively. So when we were in town last week for a funeral I picked up a new bag of food to try. Go! Sensitivity + Shine Salmon, 12% fat. I started him On October 29^th so very early days yet. Keeping fingers crossed as I’m a big fan of the company and food.

Yesterday evening when we went out he managed to get at the garbage despite it being put up in what we thought was out of his reach. 3am this morning he was pacing the house, I thought maybe he had to go to the bathroom as he often gets distracted when he’s outside and forgets to go. He did pee right away but still seemed off when he came in. I tried to feel his abdomen but he was reluctant. I ended up giving him a pepcid and tramadol just in case. He was restless but didn’t seem to be in any pain, he finally settled shortly after 5am and I headed back to bed. He was given his breakfast and I did dishes, leaving the garbage can down on the floor, I ended up catching him with his head buried licking of the remains of pasta I had scrapped out of a bowl. A little after noon he became restless again, his abdomen was a little tense but nothing striking I gave him another pepcid just in case and shortly after he settled again, got his supper and has been fine ever since. I can’t say if it is the new food that bothered him or the garbage raiding or maybe it wasn’t his pancreatitis at all, who knows. He’s been known to be gassy and we all know how uncomfortable that can be. So we’ll see and keep our fingers and paws crossed. 

Who needs a cat when you have a Woof?

We got home yesterday afternoon after a rough week away. We were both looking forward to an early night in our own bed and in our own home. We started unloading the truck; let the dogs in the house. Woof was bouncing around a little more kooky than normal, we ignored him anyways “it’s Woof”. After unloading and getting everything put away we couldn’t find him, the first thought that crossed my mind was he’d slipped out the door but no he was right beside me monitoring my cookie eating abilities as my husband shut the door. It’s not a big house; it’s quite cozy so he couldn’t be far. We find him in the bathroom staring at the floor vent intently.

Oh great, do we have some squatter living in the vent? Is it Chucky? Some gruesome evil creature ready to eat my brains? Can you tell I’ve watched a few too many Halloween horror movies lately? I try to drag him away but no way will he go, he was going bug eyed at the vent and it was really weird but again we wrote it off as “it’s Woof”. Then Boone started acting funny at the wall vent in the porch. I looked down to see him and was surprised as he never goes into the porch unless we’re there. He too is staring at the vent and pawing at it. By now we notice a weird smell wafting through the house, like a dirty hamster cage type smell. Then we hear Woof, digging and doing his high pitched shriek of excitement when he sees something that he wants but can’t reach. Holy smokes what is in that vent!?

I call Boone upstairs, my husband brushes off the smell to not having lit the wood stove in a week and we continue to ignore Woof. Woof ends up in the porch and after a loud bang husband goes to see what his problem is. He’s got the wall vent half pulled off and is fully intent on getting the rest of it off and getting in the vent. Husband grabs his axe figuring if there is something in there he’ll be ready, removes the rest of the vent cover and before he can stop him Woof is up to his shoulders in the vent and comes out shaking a rat! It clearly hadn’t been dead long, either the heat in the vent got to it or Woof did when he grabbed it. What a way to go either way, but good boy Woofy! The house smelt like a dirty hamster cage for the rest of the night and Woof spent it going from vent to vent in the house making sure the house was clear. He’s really building his reputation as a rodent hunter that’s for sure. Guess we’ll be paying more attention to him from now on, our bad. 

Talk Big Tuesday - How Small is Too Small

Anything under 5-6lbs is too small, that’s my standpoint on this. I understand small dogs play a part for many people, but there comes a point where you have to ask yourself is this really a good idea?  I’m a groomer; I can’t express how hard it is to groom a 3lb dog, especially when that 3lb dog wants nothing more than to not be groomed. Most of my tools are bigger than the dog which makes it hard and if you have to restrain the dog in anyway such as for nails you’re constantly afraid of hurting it because the dog is so tiny.

Medically I can only imagine how hard they are to treat, a lot of medications aren’t meant to be cut down to such a small dose, so vets either end up being limited to what they can use or they have to send it out to a pharmacy to get it compounded. A lot of their tools are larger than the dog and make it incredibly awkward for both the vet and the dog, not to mention the health risks for a dog that small. Hyperglycaemia, UTIs, immune system sensitivity, Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease, Hydrocephalus and Chiari malformation are all extremely common in these dogs.

I can’t even fathom why anyone would want a 2-3lb dog. I’ve know of a woman who had two 3lb Yorkies, both ended up with broken legs by falling and jumping off the couch. That is too small.  If 5-6lb is too big for you, get a stuffed animal. People need to stop with this fad, its dangerous to the dogs. There is nothing wrong with wanting a small dog but there is a point where small becomes too small.

What happens when the unexpected happens?

I’m currently dealing with a death in the family and it’s gotten me thinking about other things. Like what happens if I die unexpectedly, what will happen with my dogs? It’s not something we normally think about, chances are our dogs will die before us; they weren’t blessed with long life spans. It’s something that every pet owner should be thinking about honestly because you never know. The last thing I would want is for any of them to end up in a horrible situation because of my lack of planning.

Should anything happen to me, my other half with care for the dogs and vice versa that is a given. But what if something happens to both of us? Boone would be euthanized, no question. With his behavior issues I wouldn’t be comfortable for anyone to have him, he’s also quite attached to me and I just don’t believe he would handle it well. For me to leave his sight now to go to the store he goes in a panic, pacing, barking, howling and crying until I come back, doesn’t matter if someone is still home with him or not. Woof same thing, he has behavior issues and special needs. While he could likely fit into another home I would worry about keeping those behavior issues in check and his medical issues. Ranger would either go to friends of ours or to my parents; he’s adaptable, has no major health issues and has a well rounded temperament. He’d fret of course but I fully believe he would come around as long as he was with people he knew.

In the case of a medical emergency where I or both of us may end up in hospital we have friends and family that would be willing to care for the dogs.

But back to the euthanasia requests. There are people that will likely call me awful for it. But these are my dogs, I know them best and I don’t feel that family or friends would be able to deal with their needs. I also don’t feel that they are great candidates for adoption, with their behavior issues and medical needs. Even if you have this written in your will the court can overrule it and has in some cases if they think the dog can be adopted out. I’ve told my wishes to my family, I’ve made it crystal clear and they agree, so no worries that they’d go against my wishes and hand them over to a shelter or rescue.

This article actually goes a bit more in depth with planning and other things you can do.
Providing for Your Pet’s Future Without You

Sunday Confessionals of a "Bad" Owner #2

I use a prong collar on one of my dogs. He was a puller when I got him, he still can be, he has high prey drive and an awful attention span (doggy ADHD anyone?). Walking him was horrible, training was miserable. I opted not to use a Halti/Gentle Leader as he absolutely abhorred it and I couldn't be bothered to go through the adjusting period of it as we were both miserable. So I bought a prong and guess what? He did wonderfully on it from day one, our walks are enjoyable now and it helps get his attention back when he zeros in on something.

I am a collar addict.

I have a collar obsession. I’m not going to deny it, never have and never will. I have spent ridicules amounts of money of the years on collars, not one of them every getting the chance to become well worn and tattered. It’s a silly obsession because frankly the dogs don’t care if they have them or not but a fun one. But I noticed today I also have a leash obsession.

I was going through their collars, taking out the ones that I really didn't care for anymore or that they hadn't worn in the past year to donate to rescue when I realized I have twice as many leashes than collars. That is a lot of leash when I don’t use them very often; Boone is hardly ever on leash unless we are walking on the highway or in town around people. Ranger pretty much the same thing. Woof is the only one who uses them daily and the majority of these leashes I’ve had before I ever had Woof or Ranger. Even more surprising is that a majority of them are well worn and some even broken. Apparently I can let go of collars that have nothing wrong with them but can’t let get of broken leashes.

Now back to leash/collar shopping since I’ve cleaned out my horde. I’m thinking a little internet trip to Collar Mania is in order this time. This would be perfect for Woof, it explains him so well. 

Talk Big Tuesday - Overweight Dogs

People with overweight dogs and are blind to it are really starting to aggravate me. How can you not see that your Dachshund looks more like a stick of baloney with toothpicks for legs? How can you look at your Border Collie and not see that it resembles the good year blimp instead of the fine tune and sleek working dog it’s supposed to be? I don’t care if it’s “only” a house dog and doesn’t need to be at “working weight”, fact is it is incredibly unhealthy and unfair to your dog. This is a man made problem and completely unavoidable. You want to know why your 2 year old baloney stick dog is limping and has a has constant back issues? Because it is morbidly obese, you are killing your dog. Why does your 3 year old dog have issues with stairs and can’t even get up off the floor some days? Because it is overweight, the body of that dog was never designed to carry that much weight, you are hurting your dog and you are killing your dog. The "it's only a few pounds", don't try to down play it, even as little as 5lbs extra on a Beagle sized dog can cause issues, that's like an average sized person packing on an extra 20lbs.

It is not “more to love”, it is not “all muscle”, they are not “fluffy” or “big boned” and it definitely isn't cute. They are overweight, obese, fat unhealthy and dying. I look at a picture of a dog that is grossly overweight and I don’t think it’s cute at all. I can’t even bring myself to comment or like it. That saying of if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all is put to work and I just scroll past it. If I happen to encounter an overweight dog I seriously want to cry, I look at that poor dog and feel so bad for it. I don’t doubt the dog isn’t loved, so don’t pull the “well we love our dog so don’t make us out to be bad owners”. I’m not saying you’re a bad owner, I’m saying your dog blind, you can’t see that your own dog, that furry little member of your family you love is suffering silently because you are killing it with kindness. It needs to stop, up the exercise, stop the extras, decrease the amount of food, change the food and get a check up at the vet to rule out a medical problem or side effect of a medication causing the weight and do something to address it.

If you love them you’ll get them back on the road to a proper weight, so they can be happy, healthy and around for a long time.

Talk Big Tuesday – The Frequency of Bathing

So I decided that every Tuesday I’ll do a little entry about something that has bothered me at some point in the week.

Only bath your dogs twice a year, less is better. That was the common belief once, these days most people bath their dogs more often than that. At least I’d like to think so. I came across an article on the internet about how often you should bath your dog and yes it’s more than twice a year.

Think about it, does your dog sleep in the bed with you, lay on the couch, snuggle? Now think about what your dog has done lately, have they been outside, rolled in dirt, swam, been used as a drool rag on at the dog park? Most likely yes, to everything. They’ve likely licked a butt or two and maybe even eaten poop. I don’t know about anyone else but considering all of that and then they want to snuggle or sleep on my bed… kinda gross. Do you really want all that dirt, drool, even insects where you lay your head or plant a kiss? Nope.

Dogs coats are pretty good at repelling nature’s “fun” but get real, they DO get dirty and smelly much to your “mine don’t even smell like dogs, you guys are idiots for bathing your dog more than once a year” argument. You want to sleep next to a dog that has rolled in god knows what on that hike or swam in lake water that very likely has shit and piss in it be my guest. But if that were a person you wouldn’t be caught dead spooning them if they only washed once a year. You can’t tell me that you’re once a year bathed dog isn’t dirty. I’ve bathed once a year dogs, even once every 5 year dogs and the water is like coffee and grits that comes off them. The difference in the feel and look is astounding. But to be honest I was in the twice a year camp for a long time, now knowing and seeing the difference I want to go back in time and slap my old self then wash my poor past dogs. Seriously, your dog is dirty, I can smell it and feel it despite you boasting about it.

Frequent bathing even helps pets with itchy, problem skin. Dogs absorb allergens through their skin as opposed to us who usually absorb it through our mouths and noses. So by upping the bath routine to a weekly deal you can wash off the irritants before they have a good chance of settling in and causing your dog discomfort and likely the discomfort of your wallet due to vet visits.

Overall your dog should be bathed anywhere from once a week to every 8 weeks. Personally mine get bathed every month unless they have gotten into some particularly “fun”. You have to look at a few things though, breed matters. Coat texture really, those dogs with harsher coats (like Terriers, Retrievers and Collies) will repel the “fun” better then those with soft coats (like Shih Tzus, Yorkies and Havanese). The harsher coats I like to see done at LEAST every two months if not every 4-6 weeks, the softer coats even more every 1-2 weeks. If you have someone in the home or family that drops by who has allergies bathing and grooming can make a huge difference, especially the frequency of it, the more the better, it’ll remove the dander and saliva that is causing the allergy. That all being said shampoo matters too. A lot of shampoos in big box stores are pretty low quality, they will strip the coat of the natural oils, create dry skin and some even leave a gross residue. Do yourself a favour, put back that $5.99 bottle of shampoo and pick up a $12.99 bottle from your local pet store or grooming salon. And for goodness sake STOP using human shampoo on your dogs! Mild, high quality shampoos don’t strip or dry out the skin and coat, don’t leave a residue and leave your pet smelling and feeling great.

Now get up and go bath your dog with a quality, mild shampoo and quit talking twice a year nonsense.

Indestructible you say?

Maybe it’s just me, maybe because I have never had a dog that has been a heavy duty chewer and made out like their mission in life was to show up all those companies that claimed to have an indestructible toy. But when I see posts or hear people say they need a toy that is durable as their dog destroys every toy they have ever tried even those toys that were guaranteed tough and indestructible I can’t help but think that the reason your dog destroys these toys is because the majority of toys aren't made to be chewed, if you want a chew get a bone. The majority of these toys are made for play and then to be put up until next time.

I know there are toys out there that say they are for hard chewers, are designed for chewing and are guaranteed or we replace/refund. But my common sense says “hey, at the end of the day that is a rubber/nylon toy, any dog with a good amount of strength and determination could more than likely tear it up.” If I want my dogs to have long lasting, durable chew without spending a ton of money, I get them a bone, rawhide, bully stick etc and I am aware that even those things will be eventually be gnawed to death and eaten and I don't want to be out $40 for 10 minutes of fun. I am thankful for my non-aggressive chewers, I can leave all kinds of toys around and years later they are still around. I've had one particular toy for 5 years now and while filthy it’s still a fully intact stuffless toy, we have a kong that has been around since my first dog back in '99 and a nylabone for several years. We go through balls quite a bit but I expect that, there is only so much mouth those poor things can handle, especially when they squeak and are squeaked to death, the rubber just can’t hold up but even they last months before being tossed.

But if I had a dog that that was an aggressive chewer and known to rip toys apart in minutes I for damn sure wouldn't be leaving them around to be destroyed. I’d bring them out for play and when done put them back up because common sense and experience tells me to or else I’m going to have a heck of a mess and at worst a vet trip. But maybe I’m just naive because I’ve never had an aggressive chewer like I said, I know it’s a common want for us to be able to leave toys out for our dogs to play with when ever they want but if they are proven to be so destructive that a brand that is known to have durable, long lasting toys can’t stand up then it’s likely nothing will and you shouldn’t be leaving toys or even bones around to be shredded, unsupervised and for the dog to end up with a possible obstruction or even choke to death. I think the answer to the question for me is, no. There is no one toy that is 100% indestructible for every dog.

Do I dare get excited?

It's been 6 days since I started Boone on Zylkene and dare I say there seems to already be an improvement? I don't want to get too excited just yet, it could be nothing but he seems to be a little bit calmer in situations where he would normally be upset. The other day I even caught him in a sound sleep under an open window with kids outside screaming, quads going and music blaring. He was even dreaming, something I have never seen him do since he doesn't let himself relax enough to get to that state. My other half even said this morning he seemed calmer as dead set against "drugging him up" he thinks it's working and that Boone seems happier. It's a 30 day trial period so still some time to go before we know for sure but it looks promising.

In other news duck hunting is open! Ranger and my other half were beyond excited on Saturday that they could go hunting unfortunately it was a stormy day and they didn't get to go, poor Ranger was quite put out by this. He kept whining and going over to the hunting gear, even this morning. This morning would have been good but somebody was lazy and didn't get out of bed and it definitely wasn't Ranger who was being lazy! Poor Ranger, soon my boy, soon you'll get your ducks.

I put my dog on anxiety meds, I'm not killing him.

I'm honestly super surprised at the reactions from people since I have shared that I have put Boone on anxiety medications. It's been a mix of positive and negative. The negative accusing me of killing my dog with drugs, not putting in any effort, wanting a quick, easy fix, lowering his quality of life and being an unfit owner so I should give him up. So quick to judge when they don't know how the past 6 years have been, they only see and hear what I choose to share, they don't have the full story.
I have dealt with his anxiety for 6 years, his whole life. We have done the behaviorist route,, we've done the conditioning to build his confidence, we've done the OTC natural remedies similar to Rescue Remedy, we've considered the Thundershirt, we've even said let things be. A vet once told me dogs with his type of anxiety tend to get worse as they age, this was 4 years ago and is holding true unfortunately. I do not like the idea of drugging my dogs but after 6 years and watching him get worse I felt I owed it to him to at least try the medication route. 

He barely sleeps, always on edge and ready to react to any sound/movement. When he actually does sleep and gets woken up he is in that much of a blind panic he doesn't recognize us, our other dogs and acts aggressively before peeing himself and hiding. He runs in circles to the point he not only wears down the grass to dirt, he actually makes ditches in the yard, he'll circle in the house running around a kitchen island, or pace the entirety of the house even though he is clearly tired and even stumbling. He pants, paces and circles in the truck, something he used to love and be very rellaxed with, he even pees all over the truck. We change crate blankets pretty much every day sometimes up to 3 times a day because he pees himself. It is a constant battle to keep weight on him. Having people over is stressful for all involved, thunderstorms, quads going by the house, dropping something on the floor all sends him into a fright. All due to his anxiety. How is this a happy life for a dog? When at the vet this week we decided to start with Zylkene and Ace.

Zylkene is a more natural medication, it's a food supplement made from a milk protein that has the active ingredient of peptide which helps the brain to relax, but not make them drowsy. There aren't any known side effects to it since it is a natural product. It, like most things doesn't work on every dog guaranteed but we're willing to give it a try before going to something stronger. 

Acepromazine (ace) is a sedative. I have a few clients that use it on their dogs for grooming as a last resort before having their pet fully sedated. It does make them drowsy of course and what I call zombie like. It can take a hour to take effect (Boone took 3 hours) and generally last 6 - 8 hours. It can be given daily but we've decided to only give it to him during high stress events such as long travel, thunderstorms, fireworks, and especially in our case rock blasting as they are blasting just up from our house, it feels like an earthquake every time, holy smokes. There are side effects unfortunately, vomiting, seizures, lowered blood pressure and constipation to name a few. But having been checked over and being a healthy dog and with using it only for certain things we are going to take the risk.

Apparently posting pictures of my drugged up dog and finding it a little funny is awful and humiliating to him. And how awful it is to try out such a serious drug for fun. No I didn't not try it out for fun. Instead of writing it over again I'll just copy what I wrote back. 

"I see nothing wrong with trying out the effects of the ace ahead of time before I really need it. Not every dog will react the same to it and when we travel this week I wanted to be sure what to expect from him, how long it would take to effect him, how he would react to it. I didn't do it for shits and giggles I did it to be on the safe side. To wait until the day of, have him stress out the way he does or even have a negative reaction while on the road and not have any vet accessible for up to 8 hours would be dangerous and unfair.And yes, I found some of it funny. Humiliation is a human emotion, not canine, feeling bad for my poor dog is unnecessary. He wasn't feeling bad, he had the most sound sleep I have ever seen and was a different dog this morning because of it I figure. But yes, I laughed, my husband laughed, my parents laughed at some points. Just like they laughed at me when I was coming to after surgery, just like I've laughed at family and friends coming to from anesthesia or under laughing gas. It's funny, and it's OK to laugh. He was in no harm and we were there with him to make sure he didn't fall down the stairs, it wasn't malicious."

I am doing what is best for my dog in this situation. it may not be what you choose to do but it is what I feel needs to be done right now after everything we've tried and what I see he is like on a daily basis. It doesn't make me a bad owner, my dog is not humiliated, I am not looking for an easy fix or any other stupid reason I was accused of. I am doing what I feel is best for my dog right now. I love him and want what is best for him.

A hiking we will go - Tracey Hill Hiking Trail

There are plenty of exciting hiking trails around here and with the views just from the road I'm pretty excited to see what the views are from some of these trails. First up, Tracey Hill Hiking Trail. There are two trails here, you can either go along the shore, called the Boney Shore Trail or hiking a million steps up Tracey Hill. What did I opt for? The stairs... but only because it was a buggy day and me, with my irrational fear of bugs didn't want to risk my sanity so lets gain some altitude and hope for more wind. Both of these trails are located in Red Bay, Labrador a historical basque whaling site. The views are amazing here and it only gets better as you climb those heart attack inducing stairs, all 689 of them.

I was game for it though, we could do this, Boone and Woof with me if anything they'd drag me along. They list this trail as easy but if you're like me and not in shape it might be a bit of a winded walk to say the least. It started off easy enough a little boardwalk trail, even when the stairs come up it doesn't seem so bad, they aren't steep steps. There are rest areas along the trail, with a picnic table and coin operated binoculars, but I'd personally just bring your own if you have a pair.

Also through the trails there are little descriptive panels that you can stop and read about the history of the area. Pretty neat and interesting. The wreck of the Bernier is still in on the rocks and there are tours to it as well as Saddle Island where there is the lighthouse and a bog cemetery among other interesting bits.

The views were amazing and if you look really hard in this second picture you can see a few BIG icebergs. Not much tree wise, it's pretty barren but it gives you these clear views for miles, there was even still snow on some of the hills!

Happy dogs, happy me, beautiful scenery in Red Bay, Labrador. Definitely going to feel this in the morning...

My dog rides the bed... of the truck.

Dogs riding in the beds of trucks is a hot topic. You either agree with it or you are completely and utterly against it. Personally we allow our Lab to ride in the bed. From a 6 week old puppy he was trained to ride in the bed properly. Up against the cab, sit down or lay down and don’t friggin’ move until the truck stops, then and only then may you get up and move around. He does so, he isn't tied, he is only kenneled in the bed if we are going on a long trip or on highways. Why do we allow it? Simply because he enjoys it, given the choice he’ll get in the bed, he has more room than in the cramped back seat with his two brothers. 

While I’m not against it I am against the individuals who allow their dogs to weave back and forth dangerously from side to side while the vehicle is moving. I am also against all of this:

If you allow your dog to ride in the bed of your truck either have full training that it remained seated or down against the back of the cab while the truck moves, secure a crate into the bed that it can be in or tie it with only enough room to maybe stick it's nose around the cab. Anything else is a massive distraction to other drivers and yourself. You cant tell me any of those drivers in those pictures above would be able to stop quickly without the dog getting seriously hurt. Or in the Border Collie's case accelerate quickly so that it doesn't simply slide out along with the rest of the junk that is in the bed.

Don't get me wrong, I know there are dangers to having your dog ride in the bed of the truck. But at least with proper training, the use of a crate or tie it can be safer for all involved. 

The Salt Divider

Woohoo, so I finally have internet, we've made the move to Labrador and all is well.

I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to what my dogs eat. Growing up of course we fed them whatever was at the grocery store. We didn’t see any harm in it; the bag and the TV ads made it look like a good food, like we were giving them the healthiest stuff on the planet. As I got older and more into pet care I was horrified, worse when my Lab mix ended up having a lot of terminal health problems that were commonly associated with foods like that. My parents were never convinced that there were better foods out there, that the ones on the TV ads and in grocery stores were not healthy. The other foods were too expensive and he was just a dog, a much loved family dog but just a dog none the less. My current dogs are fed a much healthier diet of high quality kibbles and prey model raw.

For the most part we all know things such by-products should be avoided and that the first 5 ingredients are the most important, but while cruising the internet today I came across what is called “the salt divider”. I’d never heard of it before and it peaked my interest as I am always open to new information regarding my dogs’ health. Salt is a marker of ingredient quantity in pet food, anything listed after salt on the ingredient list is generally so minimal (less than 1% of the diet) that it barely counts. So if your feeding a food for a certain health benefit such as urinary issues and want a food with cranberries in it and it is listed below salt (salt has several names so you might have to look it up) the fact is that in that 30lb bag of food the amount of cranberry is pretty much equal to that of a cranberry.  That’s pretty sad and misleading. You’re better off buying fresh cranberries or a urinary supplement to add to their food.

So of course after reading about this I decided to check the bags of food I currently had. Woof eats Chicken Soup for the Soul Adult Weight Care, it helps with his pancreatitis as the fat level is fairly low. Salt isn’t listed until the 7^th and 6^th to last ingredient, after that pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, rioboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid are listed. Not bad.

Sunday Confessionals of a "Bad" Owner #1

My dogs are allowed to be loose in the truck. Sometimes I seat belt Woof in but for the most part I don’t. I have no issue with it, sometimes they (Woof) even alternates between sitting in the front seat and laying in the back and even sitting on the center consul. I also let them stick their heads out the window when we’re moving.

How happy birthday turned into a collar debate.

I’m on a few breed specific groups on Facebook. I find that of all the groups on Facebook or even dog forums on the internet the breed specific ones tend to be the most crazy. Today a topic came up on one of them that bothered me a bit. The photo was of a beautiful dog wishing the dog a happy birthday. Nothing that should have started anything just a fun, cute picture and message right? Wrong. The dog was wearing a prong collar.

Instead of seeing it has a cute picture a member decided to make an unhappy comment about the prong collar. I know we’re not all going to agree on what training tool should and shouldn’t be used but on a picture that was taking during a walk and is not showing any misuse, the dog doesn’t look the least be harmed or uncomfortable just an owner wishing her beautiful dog a happy birthday why not just stuff it? It’s uncalled for and no one is forcing you to use one on your dog. This member urged the poster to use a halti instead. Seemingly under some false pretence that a halti is less damaging than a prong when in fact it can be just as harmful if used improperly. Prong, choke, halti, harness, martingale they can all be harmful if not used properly, heck even a regular, flat collar can be dangerous. Nothing is 100% safe but if used with care and sense there is absolutely nothing wrong with them.

Some dogs dog not adjust to halti use they claw, rub and thrash their heads around often causing minor damage to themselves like scratches. If used incorrectly they can cause serious trauma to the neck and spine, if the dog lunges forward with a degree of force their head will be snapped sideways which can seriously damage the spine. The nose band can cause irritation and damage to the eyes if not fitted properly.

Prongs if used incorrectly can seriously hurt the dog’s neck, those blunted tips can puncture the skin but that is extreme misuse! They should also never been flipped outward, I’ve seen some people doing that lately and that is not only the wrong way to use this collar, it cane cause injury to the dog and other dogs also makes me wonder why you didn’t just buy a martingale. 

 Neither of them should be left on your dog unattended or in a situation like a dog park.I also would never use one on a puppy or overly sensitive dog. I’m not saying that one tool is more superior. To each their own. Look at the pretty dog, in the pretty picture with the owner wishing it a happy birthday, wish them a happy birthday and bite your tongue unless your ugly opinion is asked for and quit suggesting something you only partially understand.

Whadd'ya At? How's she going buddy, Whadd'ya At today?

So I wanted to start getting more active again. I've really slacked off and there has been weight gain, in both human and dog alike. One of my pet peeves are overweight dogs, there is no excuse for it, it is not a natural health issue for dogs, it is man made. Here, in Newfoundland June can be a bit tricky. While in other parts of the country the summer weather has been happening for some weeks here not so. We're still getting frost warnings, foggy, rainy days. They call it caplin weather, I call it gross. But summer was here today, sunny, 22C just lovely aside from the packs of nippers laying in wait to feast on your blood. Took the dogs out for a walk along the t'railway. I had planned on taking them through the codroy brook conservation trails but only a couple minutes down one of the trails I was being mauled by nippers so turned back to the main trail, where the old railway lines used to be hence the name t'railway.

Call me nuts but yes I walked all three of them at once. Normally my spouse walks with us but he's on his way to Labrador so it's all down to mom now. I got some looks from cars as they passed us before we got to the t'rail. I'm sure they thought I was a nutter but all three of the boys were on their best behavior as we walked down the sidewalks. Boone's leash is hands free; looped around my waste. Woof and Ranger are held in hand but both of them wear walking aids, Woof a prong collar and Ranger a Premier Easy Walk Harness. I had originally bought it for Woof but I bought it too big and haven't been back to the city to get a a small size, works perfectly for Mr. Moose though. Makes for perfect walking unless Woof sees something that grabs his attention and fires up his prey drive.

A ways down is a little spot where you can access the water. Boone and Ranger took little encouragement to dive in. They love to swim, Ranger especially. I was hesitant to let them swim as there are beavers in the area but we took the chance since it was so hot and they were dying for a swim. Woof doesn't swim, or get wet willingly, I blame it on the husky in him. He can be quite dramatic over it but I guess even he was hot as he reluctantly stepped in far enough to get his belly wet, bowed down to give it a good soak and then quickly returned to shore and looked at the other two with a disgusted look on his face as they splashed him. He busied himself with grazing and trying to drag me to the other side where he seemed sure there was something far more exciting to be had. He has horrible leash manners sometimes and is the only one that can't be off leash. Go figure.

Walking back Boone and Ranger remained off leash until we got back to the road. Ranger has very unhealthy obsession with rocks. He gets overly attached. Barks at them, carries them around, rolls around on them grunting in joy and barks at them again. He started it as a puppy and my spouse never nipped in it the bud. While he's better about it now then when I first met them he still does it occasionally and depending on who's around he'll vary. He'd found "the perfect rock" yet again and decided he wanted to carry it home, he frolicked into the woods beside the t'rail, I could here him grunting "this is so freakin' awesome I love rocks!" and when he came back into my line of sight he was covered in sawdust. The brat. Good thing I didn't have a chance to groom him last week like I planned to. All three are a state but they'll just have to wait until I get a free day at work just before we pack up and move to Labrador next month.