Dog Training – Tips and Tricks

The classes at Randolph are well under way. Thankfully, the weather is starting to warm and it seems spring is upon us. It was way too long a winter…

Now that we can finally start getting outside, it is a great opportunity to talk about exercise and your dog. Exercise is important to the overall health of a dog– not only does it give your dog an outlet for all the energy, but it is also great for you, the pet owner!

A dog that does not get enough exercise can develop behavior problems in the home. Often, destructive chewing or other destructive behavior can be traced back to not enough exercise.

But what about those busy schedules we have? If you have one of the those days or weeks that you cannot possibly get your dog out for a walk or run, there are some things you can do to help them exercise indoors. Kong toys, Busy Buddy, and other similar toys are great for helping your dog exercise indoors. My dog, Zena, who has boundless energy plays endlessly with her Kong and Busy Buddy toys. These toys are made to stick treats into- and the dogs have to work to get them out! You can also stick liverwurst or peanut butter in the Kongs and put them into the freezer. That makes a great project while you are away at work. Also, a 10-15 min. training session makes a great workout for your dog. Games such as hide and seek in the house can also give your dog a workout.

Just as in humans, nutrition plays an important role in the health of your dog.  If you ate a steady diet of fast food or “junk” food, you would surely suffer the health consequences at some point– heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes,  or cancer.  The same is true for our pets.  Pets that are fed lower quality food suffer the eventual consequences of that poor nutrition– as in more illness and shorter life span.  When choosing a food for your pet, make sure to do your homework.  Visit a couple of places that carry pet foods and take the time to read the labels of several different foods.  You will find a big difference in the foods that are out there.   It is important to note that more expensive does not mean a better quality.  There are some foods that are touted as high quality, when in fact their label shows otherwise.
If you are feeding a puppy, make sure you choose a high quality growth food that fits the needs of your puppy.  Small and medium breed puppies should be fed differently than large/giant breed puppies. There are special large/giant breed puppy formulas available that ensure that your large breed puppy won’t grow too fast.  Large breed puppies that grow too fast can develop bone or joint abnormalities.

The following are some guidelines to help you select a high quality food.  (These guidelines are taken from DogAware.com– author Mary Straus.  Mary writes for the “Whole Dog Journal”)

1.  Select a food that has a specific protein— such as Turkey, Chicken,  Beef,  Duck).  Avoid foods with generic proteins such as animal fat or animal meal since  you don’t know what the protein source is.
2. Avoid any foods with corn gluten meal, wheat gluten meal, soy.  These are cheap waste proteins.  Wheat gluten was the source of the pet food     contamination that killed many pets.  Also, many animals can be allergic to corn or wheat– so it is best to stay clear of them.
3. Avoid any by-product or animal digest (ex. chicken by-product).  Meal is  acceptable (ex. chicken meal) as long as it is NOT generic (meat meal)
4. Avoid BHA, BHT, or Ethoxyquin.  Ethoxyquin has been banned from use in human food, so safe to say it is not good for pets either.
5. Avoid artificial colors, sweeteners or propylene glycol.   This includes corn syrup and ammoniated glycyrrhizin.
6. Avoid grain heavy foods, especially foods with corn or wheat.  A whole meat source should be one of the first ingredients.
7. Look for foods with ingrediants that are fresh or human grade quality.  This is sometimes hard to tell, but many foods are made with animals that were diseased before they died.   Do you really want to feed that to your pet?

The following are examples of 2 foods and their ingrediants.  After looking at the ingredients, answer the questions that follow.  Then, go back and look at the 7 guidelines– and see if you would consider it a low quality or high quality food.

Example 1:

Chicken, Ground Whole Grain Corn, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Ground Whole Grain Wheat, Chicken By-Product Meal, Soybean Meal, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Corn Gluten Meal, Brewers Rice, Chicken Liver Flavor, Soybean Oil, Dried Egg Product, Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Iodized Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), DL-Methionine, preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.

Does this food contain protein by-products ?

Does this food contain corn, wheat, soy?  How about corn gluten meal?

Does this food contain generic meat sources?

Example 2:
Chicken, Chicken Meal, Pearled Barley, Oatmeal, Sweet Potato, Brown Rice, White Rice, Whole Dried Egg, Menhaden Fish Meal, Millet, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Dried Tomato Pomace, Safflower Oil, Herring Meal, Cheese, Flaxseed, Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Apples, Green Beans, Lecithin, Chicken Cartilage, Potassium Chloride, Cranberries, Blueberries, Salt, Monocalcium Phosphate, Chicory Root Extract, Alfalfa Sprouts, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Folic Acid, Parsley, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Longum, Enterococcous Faecium, Vitamin A, D3, E, B12 Supplements, Choline Bitartrate, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Calcium Iodate, Sorbic Acid, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite.

Does this food contain protein by-products?

Does this food contain corn, wheat, soy?  How about corn gluten meal?

Does this food contain generic meat sources?

Hopefully everyone is having success with sit, lie down, and come. Does anyone have any games or fun activities that they would like to share with others?

It is cold……and soon to get colder!

With the increasing frigid temperatures, it is important to make sure that your dog is doing okay with the extreme cold. For puppies, it is very important to ensure that they are not exposed to the elements for long (with potty training- that makes it challenging!). Imagine what it must feel like to stick your bare feet on the snow in below zero weather! It sure wouldn’t make me want to go outside to the bathroom. This can set back any potty training schedule-especially if it hurts to go outside. You may need to provide some extra incentive (shoveling a nice easy place, awesome treats, lots of praise) if it is difficult for your dog to be outside. For dogs without much natural insulation, you can buy sweaters or jackets to provide the warmth your pet needs. A favorite winter gear of mine (and my dogs) are the dog boots that you can purchase to go on their feet. This is especially helpful for dogs that are seniors. Any of these products can be purchased at a pet supply store (Mounds, Animart, PetSmart, Fleet Farm). They can also be purchased on-line from dog supply stores such as Foster & Smith (which is based in Rhinelander, Wisconsin). KIP (Keep it Positive) and fun- even in below zero weather.

Welcome to Edublogs.org. I created this blog to assist the dog owners who are training through “Dogs Do Bark” training (through Dodge County Humane Society).  I hope that through this site, you will feel free to post questions, share your dog stories, and learn about the wonderful world of dog ownership.