Remember that scene in Rocky when he cracks six eggs into a glass and drinks them down? I still shudder at that image. When we were kids, my older brother tried it – I think by the second egg he was choking and ready to bring them right back up.
However, Rocky didn’t know much about nutrition considering raw eggs can cause biotin deficiency in humans and dogs. Raw eggs contain the enzyme avidin that blocks biotin absorption. Raw eggs are a great source of protein and are reported to be good for their skin and coats yet biotin depletion can lead to unhealthy flakiness and eventually hair loss.
There is also possibility of your dog contracting salmonella poisoning from raw eggs as well. How common is this? Not very and if you buy eggs from your local farmer, the concern is even less.
What’s the answer? Limit raw eggs to a once a week treat at most. Or if you want to feed eggs on a more frequent basis, scramble the egg and allow it cool before feeding it to your dog. Cooking kills the enzyme as well as salmonella so, as always, better to be safe.
In honour (spelled with a ‘u’ of course) of Canada Day tomorrow, I want to welcome a fellow Canadian to the Good Dog Blog! Nancy Tobis is a registered professional dog trainer from Toronto, Ontario who not only brings her canine know-how to the GDB but also a background in canine nutrition. An expert of natural and homemade diets for our four-legged friends, Nancy makes diet recommendations for your dog based on their age, medical conditions, breed, and body weight. Starting tomorrow, she will be taking over the Wednesday spot, answering your questions on canine training and nutrition. For more information on Nancy, visit her website at www.devotedtodogs.ca/ or through the Good Dog Blog.
Welcome, Nancy, to the Good Dog Blog!
Question:
I have two weimaraners – a 3 year old castrated dog and a younger bitch. The problem is with the bitch who has been wetting her bed since she was a puppy even though she is not reprimanded and all other aspects of her house training have been fine. She only seems to do it when the dogs are left alone even though they are not left for very long and have each other for company. I seem to be having to wash her bed nearly every day now and I am fed up and desperate for a solution.
ANSWER:
It sounds as though your bitch has a separation anxiety problem – i.e. she is uncomfortable being left alone. If your bitch was not trained to accept periods of isolation as a puppy, then you cannot expect her to accept it as an adult. As you have discovered, the company of another dog is not always sufficient to detract from the anxiety of an absent owner.
You need to go back to basics and work on building up the time she can be left. To begin with, put her in a room, shut the door and literally 10 seconds later, re-enter the room but without giving her any fuss or attention. Gradually build up the time you can leave her until she can cope with the couple of hours you might be away. And before you go away for longer periods, make ure she is well-exercised, has recently been to the toilet and is left with an interesting diversion, such as a Kong stuffed with some food.
Written by Karen Allport, resident dog training expert from Be Dog Savvy. For more dog training articles from Karen, visit bedogsavvy.com
About a week ago, Snick posted about how he spends his days and of course he included how much he loves to go to daycare to play. That led to a discussion a couple days later about the pros and cons of doggy daycare. To round out the topic, today we’re interviewing dog trainer, Colleen Safford, of New York Walk & Train.
source: www.allaboutdogsandcats.com/PetCareGrooming/GroomingExtras.html
There are a few tricks of the trade that all professional groomers use to give your dog that
great look when they leave the shop. These simple little steps help your dog feel more
comfortable and look better until the next trip to the groomer.
VeggieDent Dog Chews, manufactured by Virbac Animal Health, have been taken off the market in Australia following reports of kidney problems in dogs that had consumed them. Virbac Animal Health removed the treats from Australian store shelves until further notice.
source: cattletoday.biz//Golden_Opportunity_for_Prime_Puppy_Training.php
Puppies are amazing to watch because they are the most curious creatures and like to get into everything. They soak up smells, sounds, and sights and their mind seems to be always racing. Vital information is being absorbed by a puppy every day.
Flexcin International, makers of FlexPet, is supporting Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends Animal Society operates the country’s largest sanctuary for homeless animals and works globally with animal shelters and rescue groups to bring about a time when there will be no more homeless pets.
source: cattletoday.biz//North_American_Dog_Groups_Herding_Dogs.php
When you go to buy a dog, you can research and seek a specific breed. There are literally hundreds of different breeds out there. These formal classification do not include the so-called Designer Dogs or the delightful mixtures called Mutts, Mongrels or Mixed Breeds.
Question:
Hi there,
My 2 year old female Jack Russell X is in the habit of only urinating and defecating while on walks. I take her on a short walk first thing in the morning, a big walk when I get home from work and I take her again before bed. She is outside when we are at work but otherwise inside. As far as we are aware she doesn’t go in the back yard. How can I break this routine and get her to go to the toilet in the back yard??
In terms of her background, we adopted her about 3 months ago. She was abused and abandoned and then rescued by some friends, who we adopted her from.
Looking forward to your response. Many thanks, Donna
ANSWER:
Hi Donna,
I understand your plight! My shepherd would never use her own yard and she to came from an abusive home. I have also heard of similar situations happening with kennel dogs – they will not go in their outdoor area but wait to be let out for exercise.
Time will probably take care of the problem on its own but there are a couple of tricks you can try if you want to speed the process up.
Many abused or neglected dogs have a particular type of ground they prefer to ‘go’ on. Do you see a routine with her? I know of a few dogs that would only use grass with a bit of gravel in it, probably because that is what their kennel had in it or some strange thing. If you see she has a preference, cater to it by adding the same look and feel to her yard. Make that area her ‘bathroom’ spot and she will probably always use it versus the rest of the lawn – this is not a bad outcome at all!
Next, wait her out. Encourage her to drink a big bowl of water (add a little low-sodium beef broth to it to make it extra yummy), then put her on her leash and take her out to her bathroom area. Now wait. Eventually she will have to go pee and when she starts to pace or look urgent, encourage her to go pee. Be supportive; say ‘good girl, go pee’ and when she does, let her know she is the smartest, most wonderful dog in the world! Obviously, if she is becoming very uncomfortable and does not look like she is going to give into nature, then take her off the property and let her relieve herself.
My last trick is nearly always a surefire winner – invite your doggy friends over and have them pee all over the yard! This is really mean in the doggy hierarchy as she will be beside herself to cover up all the other doggy scent that is suddenly in her yard but it almost always works too. When she does pee, let her know she is marvelous and that you are not upset with her. This does not help with teaching her she can defecate in the yard but at least it is a first step.
Does anyone else have any suggestions? My shepherd did learn to pee in the yard quite quickly but she was an old girl before she would defecate in her space. This was a frustration but at least it made cleaning up the yard a non-event.
Ann
Question:
I have a family that includes 5 cats and 5 dogs. 4 of the dogs are Great Danes…2 male, 2 female, all fixed. ( The 5th dog is a totally cool Aussie/cattledog male) The 2 males fight as of the last 2 years, so we have to arrange them in 2 pairs and rotate for bed space.
All the dogs sleep with cats curled up with them. Its really cool, except if the boys get together. How can we teach them to get along again? My husband and I love all of them equally.
Answer:
That’s quite a menagerie you have there! You’re already doing the best thing that I could advise without seeing the dogs, which is keeping everybody safe.
The devil is in the details with dog training, so to really get this right, you should hire a reward-based trainer near you. Look for one on the Association of Pet Dog Trainers website or the Karen Pryor Academy website ). Or find a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist on the Animal Behavior Society website.
The right kind of trainer will discuss ways to change the dogs’ feelings about one another, rather than just punishing them for fighting. Never punish a dog for growling. If you do that, you are just telling him to stop letting you in on how he’s feeling, that you’d rather be surprised with a dog fight out of the blue.
Here are some tips: If your dogs have fought several times without injury, then bringing them together should be fairly straightforward. If they have injured each other, you want to get them both used to a muzzle before you re-introduce them. To get them together, start off of the property so they are not so territorial. Expect it to take several sessions, but you’d start with walking them in the same direction, on opposite sides of the street (or further).
Every time one looks at the other, he gets a treat. I use a clicker for training, which can help. You can do this without the clicker by just saying the dog’s name and reaching down with a super-scrumptious treat. But you can also use the clicker – just click the instant he sees the other dog, then give him a treat. If he doesn’t already know what the clicker is, then you may want to teach him about that, first. Learn more about clicker training here. Once you click & reward a lot for just looking at the other dog, begin to click a little later, *after* he looks at the other dog and back at you.
When you get close enough for them to sniff, find a big stretch of chain link fence and have them sniff briefly (less than a second) through the fence, then call them back for a treat. Work up to longer greetings and more time together.
These tips will help, but I’ll remind you again to hire a reward-based trainer or behaviorist, to help you with the full situation.
Grisha Stewart, MA, CPDT, CTP
Voted as Seattle’s Top Dog Trainer by the readers of CityDog Magazine, Grisha Stewart is the owner and founder of Ahimsa Dog Training in Seattle, WA. Grisha is a Certified Training Partner from the Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training & Behavior, a Certified Pet Dog Trainer and since 2002, an active member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. She attends several training and behavior workshops each year and is a certified Pet First Aid attendant and evaluator for the Canine Good Citizen program.
For more information on Grisha and Ahimsa Dog Training in the Seattle, Washington area, visitwww.ahimsadogtraining.com.
My male cat is about 6 years old and just within the past couple of days, he has been acting like his balance is off kilter. I put him down off of my bed and he just kind of fell over to his side and laid in that same spot for a very long time. Since then, he has his eyes closed most of the time or squints, and…
source: www.24petwatch.com/petinsurance/tips-for-a-healthy-dog-coat.asp Whether you have a show dog or just a beloved family pet it is always nice to have a dog with a clean, shiny and healthy coat.
do dogs have manners or strange manners? us humans have different manners…
for instance, recently cici insisted that I walk her far from our campsite so that she could fart 3-4 times one evening when it was pitch black outside, (appreciated that in a way) yet she enjoys sleeping with her face in my face…
source: www.wagstreet.com/article_child_dog_safety_issues-life_with_a_dog.html
Children and dogs just seem to go hand-in-hand. Many adults have very fond memories of their favorite dog when they were growing up. The bond between a pet and a child can be very strong.
I’m pretty excited about this product and can’t wait to get one for Koda to try out! It is called The Amazing Treat Machine and what I feel is the most amazing thing is the simplicity of it.
source: www.animalpetsandfriends.com/Article/How-To-Teach-Your-Dog-Nifty-Tricks/150 Believe it or not you can teach an old dog new tricks! Most of the tricks that you see dog’s on TV or in the movies completing are relatively simple once you break them down to their basic components.
Question:
Hi,
I have been noticing that my almost nine-year-old yellow labrador retriever has been scooting/rubbing her behind on our carpet lately. She has never done this before, and she’s been around a long time! I know it’s not that her glands back there are clogged, and it is probably just allergies since she is allergic to meat, grass, pollen, and probably other things. If it is caused by allergies, I would have thought that she would have done this before now, and I am not sure why she suddenly started this. My vet doesn’t seem to think she has anything wrong, but it is annoying and guests get very grossed out and offended when she does this in their view. I haven’t been able to take her on trips to grandma’s house anymore, because she might do this there and they would get angry. What can I do to stop this gross habit? She stops when I say ‘no’, but I would like her to not do it at all. Thanks! Em
ANSWER:
Hi Em,
Yes, I can see how the average homeowner would not appreciate this behavior! I am doggy and I don’t like it when my dog does it in the house either so I can’t imagine the effect it would have on someone who isn’t ‘doggy’.
‘Scooting’ is normally attributed to blocked, infected or impacted anal glands but since your veterinarian says that everything is fine ‘back there’, then I think you are correct in thinking it is general itchiness caused by allergies.
To test this theory, putting your Lab on anti-histamines for a week should stop the itchiness and the scooting. Ask your vet about what anti-histamine they recommend. If that is the case, then talk to your vet about what can be done to help her with her allergies. If her butt is that itchy, chances are other places are equally as uncomfortable. Some dogs spend their lives on anti-histamines but I would prefer to see if there is another course of action available to you both. If this takes care of the problem, however, then you also know to give her a dose before guests visit or visiting the ‘grandparents’. You may find that moving her to a hypoallergenic food may help the problem in the long term.
If this does not help the problem, I would look at a possible yeast infection on the area around the anus. Labs have heavy tails that do not allow for a lot of air movement so a yeast infection could develop in this warm, damp area. This is an easy problem to rectify (pardon the pun) once a diagnosis is made.
For a temporary solution, there are topical sprays and creams that take the ‘itch’ out. These would help her become socially acceptable again and, more importantly, make her more comfortable. Ask your vet what he would suggest.
Does anyone else have any suggestions? Let us how it goes as I know your pooch is not the only one suffering from this problem!
Ann