Welcome Dog Lovers - Information About Dogs, Dog Breeds, Dog Training, Adoption & Behavior

Pack Management Mistakes That Most Dog Owners Make

2013-06-15T01:31:00.000-07:00

Pack management begins with critically observing and understanding each dog in a pack. The biggest mistake that most dog owners make is considering all dogs in a pack as same.Dogs are social animals with unique behavior and ingrained pack instincts, and maintain a balanced dominance hierarchy within a particular pack. However, conflicts occur between dogs within a pack when any one or more dogs in the pack behave beyond the pack's naturally set rule. Same things happen within a pack of several domesticated dogs, irrespective of breeds, size and group. Understanding and managing complex social behaviors of your dogs housed together is essentially necessary to maintain a pack smoothly. However, another big mistake that most dog owners make is housing several dogs together without indulging themselves in learing behaviors of each dog. It is at this point that a professional canine behaviorist's role comes to play. If you are a new owner or do not have much experience in keeping more than one dogs at a time together you should, at the very outset, learn from the mistakes that I had made in my early days, and then eventually I realized that pack management is both an art and science, and immensely important skill that any dog owner should posses to be a succesful pack leader.

Here are a few very big mistakes that I had made...

Failing to analyze each dog's behavior: Analyzing each dog and his or her behavior is more than important, failing which may generate potential problem within your pack! Consider observing each dog separately. Powerful observation can only help you to analyze behaviors and characteristics of each dog in a pack. There is not single, suite-to-all strategy to manage a pack. It depends hugely on the breeds you deal with. Characteristics, behaviors and temperament vary from breed to breed. Even within a single breed, two dogs may exhibit distinctive behavior. It is only after a careful observation that you can analyze each dog. Use your judgement and be intuitive about formulating a custom strategy to manage your pack. I would suggest you to get in touch with a professionally skilled behaviorist before you should rely on your own judgement.

Failing to set rules for your pack: This can end up with disciplinary issues and conflicts within the pack. It is important for you to know clearly what you DON'T want in the pack. Sticking to the rules strictly is even more important and a challenge as well. However, it is highly recommended to set rule for your pack keeping humane treatment in mind. Any deviation from the pack rules indicates your inefficiency of behind a pack leader.

Failing to maintain the hierarchical structure: This will certainly lead to clashes and conflicts between members of a pack. Identify the alfa member of the pack and it is important to support him/ her as long as the pack rules are not broken. Establishing hierarchy is highly significant. In a pack of several dogs there must be an alfa member that dominates. Clashes will occur as soon as another dog tries to take over the alfa position. Being a pack leader you need to maintain the pecking order - the dominance hierarchy that your dogs establish for themselves in a natural way. It would be unwise trying to break their natural hierarchy by considering all of them as equal.

Failing to establishing pack leadership: Despite the presence of an alfa dog in your pack it is important that each dog should know that you are the leader of the pack. you need to be both benevolent and tough at the same time. Be a model of a well behaved alfa to your pack. Failing to establish pack leadership will encourage your dogs in the pack to exhibit inconsistent behavior that may disturb the pecking order - dominance hierarchy. The aim should be to reduce all possibilities of socialization mistakes.

Leading your dogs with doubts and confusion in mind: This will expose you to the risk of being an utter failure! Remember that your dogs can read your mind quite efficiently. It is important to be steady and keep your mind doubtless while teaching your dogs the pack rules. Make the dog obey on the first command. Repetition in command means your dog has still confusion in accepting you as a leader, which in turn means you are not yet perfectly capable of controlling a pack.

Introducing new member all on a sudden: Dogs are naturally very territorial with inherent instinct to protect his pack. There is no point in experimenting with a new dog being introduced in a pack; he/she will certainly fail. Keep the new dog separated for the first few days - socialization phase by building a wicket gate. The socialization phase is crucial and demands extra endeavor and time to help the new dog mingle with the existing members and get used to with the pack rules. This is typically a training phase and requires a professional's intervention.

Keeping all dogs in a single room: The worst kind of a mistake that you can make is by keeping a new dog in the same room with the existing ones. The first few hours or even the first couple of days may be smooth, but that doesn't give enough indication about a smoother future. Keep all dogs kenneled separately is an wise idea to prevent conflicts. Proper socialization of the new dog(s) is, however, too significant.

Putting the whole pack in a competitive play: This is another big mistake usually made by dog owners. Especially if your dogs are not highly obedience trained, and if you have not been able to effectively established pack leadership, then putting your dogs in competitive play can be utterly dangerous.

Expecting too much from your dog: Remember you are dealing with a pack of dogs; not a team of scientists. It would be a fool's errand on your part if you start expecting too much from your pack and each member of it. Be reasonable and practical. We are comfortable with chasing and achieving high targets in our lives, but dogs are entirely different from us humans. More over one breed from the other personality wise, characteristically and genetically. It is hence important to study your breed and more specifically your dog and you will know how much to expect from your dog(s).

I know some of you already have committed some of these mistakes; but no point repent over what you have already done. Life sails on... some dog breeds are intelligent enough to learn things even when they are old.

Hyperglycemia (Diabetes Mellitus) - High Blood Sugar in Dogs

2013-05-29T22:53:00.002-07:00

Hyperglycemia - commonly known as diabetes mellitus is a common hormonal disorder in canines and the condition often exhibits a wide range of symptoms. All you need to know is what to keep your eye on. Alike humans hyperglycemia in dogs are of two type - Type I (dependent on the level of insulin... occurs when the body becomes unabile to produce enough insulin or any insulin at all) and Type II (non-insulin dependent... occurs when the body fails to respond to insulin). However, canines mostly are diagnosed with diabetes mellitus Type I.

Healthy dogs normally have the blood glucose levels ranging between 75 to 120 mg per deciliter of blood. With 80 mg per deciliter or lower a dog is considered to have developed hypoglycemia and with the blood glucose level coming down to 60 mg per deciliter of blood the subject may go into coma or even death.

Causes of Diabetes Mellitus in Dogs

There are multiple causes for this. While in many dogs, DM may be acquired through genetic transmission of the condition there are other reasons too.

Pancreatic Problem
In most cases pancreatic diseases like Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, pancreatitis etc. are the major cause developing blod sugar problem in dogs. This is because with any pancreatic disease the pancreas becomes inefficient of producing correct level of insulin. Deficiency of insulin in the dog's blood leads to rise in blood sugar level - Hyperglycemia.

Infection
Body infection - especially in teeth, Kidney or urinary tract in worst situation may also lead to rise in blood suggar level in blood.

Age
Old age is another reason a dog can develop hyperglycemia. 5 years to 7 years of age are crucial to keep an eye on your dog's blood glocose level.

Gender
Female dogs have been noticed to have developed diabetes mellitus more than males. High progesterone levels in female dogs enhances the risk of developing hyperglycemia.

Food
Giving nutritional supplements for growth that contains high glocose level may expose your dog to the risk of developing diabetes mellitus.

Physiological and other Conditions
Obese dogs are more prone to develop Hyperglycemia. Insifficient urination leads, high stress situations, over exertion, over excitement contribute immensely to the development of high blood sugar level in dogs.

Major Clinical Symptoms
Clinical symptoms actually depend largely on the severity of underlying condition in the dog. Not always that a dog may exhibit strong symptoms of hyperglycemia. However the most common and noticeable symptoms are:

Polydipsia - Increased thirst and water intake
Polyuria - Increased urination
Excessive hunger and over eating tendency
Obesity
Bloodshot eyes (caused by inflamed blood vessels)
Wounds won't heal fast
Frequent fungal and bacterial infections
Depression

Other symptoms that may be noticed in the long run are:

Gradual Weight loss
Cataract
Enlarged liver
Damage nerve in legs
Dehydration
Tissue damage in worst situations

Dog Facts - Did You Know?

2013-05-12T23:09:00.000-07:00

Just collected some interesting facts about dogs. Some of these are already known by most of my readers, but a few, I bet was really not known.

In the Bible there are 14 mentioning of dogs

Studies have shown that:

A female dog bites almost as twice as a male
The number of breaths of Dogs ranges between 10 and 30 in 60 seconds
A puppy can have 28 milk teeth at the most
A particular gene (PKP-2) is associated with canine atopic dermatitis - eczema in dogs.
A team of highly talented scientists in Sweden worked on this.
Mixed-breed canines have been found to exhibit behavioral traits similar to the breed that their resemblance of appearance are inclined towards

In the UK Kennel Club survey, 2004 the Bloodhounds were found to have a median longevity of 6.75 years. This made this beautiful canine breed one of the shortest-lived dog breeds
Greyhound - known to be the fastest dog breed on the Earth can run at an incredibly high speed of 45 miles per hour, though for short time span
Clear your confusion- Irish Wolfhound is the largest, while Great Dane is the tallest of all dog breeds. St. Bernard is the heaviest of all prevailing dog breeds.
Daz - a four-year-old white GSD, who has recorded a bark of 108 decibels. Daz was honored to be the world's loudest barking dog. Owners's name - Mr. Peter Lucken.
Schultzs Law - this law had been enforced in the honor of the Gloucester police GSD, Schultz after his death while on duty
The oldest dog in the world recorded so far was an Australian cattle-dog named "Bluey", Victoria, Australia. Bluey survived until he was 29 years and 5 months old
In the Titanic massacre there were two dogs that could survive
In German, Dachshund means badger dog - the smallest dog used for hunting purpose.
While breeding Dachshund, breeders in the past used pay attention on the body structure - long and low to the ground to fit into a badger's den.
References to Bloodhounds had been discovered first in an English writing in the mid 14th century. This suggests that Bloodhounds were already an established canine breed by that time.
The word 'bloodhound' has been recorded from c1350. According to the most recent documentation the etymological meaning is ‘hound of pure blood’

Insight to Organic Pet Stain and Odor Remover

2013-03-23T06:28:00.004-07:00

Ugly, odd stains left behind by food spillover, fecal waste, urine, vomit and blood stain due to sudden pet accident and the odor associated can make your home feel and smell disgusting. But, with natural and organic solution you can fight the toughest of stains and odor. It is safe for your furry friends and for your kids too.

The Technology Behind

The USP of organic stain and odor curbing formula lies in its habit-breaking power. The odor-removing effect is so strong that your pets will hardly be able to recognize previously soiled places and choose them for defecating and remarking. Accentuated with fresh fragrances, the organic formula breaks the re-soiling and scratching habit (bandaged areas of wound) of your best buddy beyond their olfactory senses.

The formula specifically deodorizes and cleanses with a natural wetting agent. Made out of natural ingredients, the stain fighting agent penetrates deep into the carpet or other upholstery, thereby making the surface completely odor-free by breaking down the molecular bonds of chemicals that cause odor. The agent is powered by countless high speed enzymes which effectively dissolve into the carpet or any other surface to remove the stubbornest of stains. It can erase away stains in a jiffy and is highly effective on multiple surfaces, such as upholstery, vinyl, carpet, concrete, laminate, hard wood, ceramic tile and litter pan.

Why Should You Use Organic Stain and Odor Remover?
Reasons to choose environmentally responsible formulation are:

Nontoxicity
Noninflammatory
Noncorrosive
100% biodegradability and eco-friendly

Although not all deodorizer are made of the similar formula. It is important that the pet owners should make a brief of research before picking a brand. A genuine product (so far my experience goes), will not only keep home spic-n-span, but stop the awful remarking habit of your pets in the most natural way.

Even though an eco-friendly stain and odor fighting solution is effective as a housekeeping product, it still remains the fact that you should train up your pup or kitty to learn the perfect places for relieving and avoid soiling of carpets and upholstery by defecating.

Urinary Incontinence in Dogs - Lack Of Bladder Control

2013-03-02T02:07:00.003-08:00

This post is a part of canine health awareness program, hosted by dog training collar store. You can visit their official website - dog training collar store

You are not alone, if you are an owner of a beautiful dog that is suffering from urinary incontinence, which means lack of ability to control bladder activity, leading to involuntary urination. Not very rare, this involuntary urination problem is seen in dogs since the birth. Some dog breeds have been studied to be more prone to urinary incontinence as a birth defect. Breeds that are exposed to this condition from the birth are Collie, Labrador, Miniature Poodle, Welsh Corgi, Wire-haired Fox Terrier, Cocker Spaniels, Springer Spaniels, West Highland White Terrier, Doberman Pinschers, Old English Sheepdogs. However, all other breeds may also be exposed to birth defect resulting to lack of bladder control.

Studies have shown that females (especially mid-aged to older females- spayed) have been noticed to be more prone to this condition than males, but that doesn't leave any scope to conclude that males will never have this problems. Dogs may develop urinary incontinence due to many reasons, including infection in bladder, infected urethra. Incontinence in urination process may be caused by malfunctioning of specific parts of the brain and/or spinal cord that are responsible for proper functioning of bladder. Sometimes obesity can also contribute to this problem in dogs. Neutering is yet another risk factor for lack of bladder control in dogs. Urinary incontinence in dogs due to neutering is a temporary condition and the problem usually get resolved automatically as the dog recovers. However, complications due to neutering are not very common. So, the common reasons for lack of bladder control in dogs can be enlisted as:

Malfunctioning of nerves around the bladder
Damaged specific parts of the spinal cord, controlling the bladder function
Damaged specific parts of the brain, controlling the bladder function
Pressure on the bladder caused by mass - due to obesity
Overactive bladder syndrome (also called 'irritable bladder' or 'detrusor instability')
Urinary tract infections (UTI)
Urinary stones
Improper development of bladder - birth defects
Old age is another big reason
Protruding intervertebral disc
Renal infection
Prostate disorders
Anatomic disorders
Side effects of medications

Common symptoms

Involuntary urine leakage Urinary tract infections Inflammation of skin around the genitals
Don't confuse urinary incontinence with frequent urination. Frequent urination and urinary incontinence both may be caused by conditions like benign enlargement of prostate, neurogenic bladder, urethral stricture, yet they are different. Dogs with frequent urination problem do not suffer the lack bladder control, where as an incontinent dog looses the bladder control.

Diagnosis and Medication

In many cases dogs with incontinence are treated by hormones or phenylpropanolamine (PPA). Hormones like estrogen or testosterone have proved to be quite effective in treating incontinence in canines. But these hormones leaves your dog exposed to the risk of developing genital cancers and bone marrow suppression as side effects. Hence it is always suggested to see a highly experienced vet before you end up with a wrong decision. A physical examination along with blood as well as urine tests are highly recommended in order to help your vet diagnose the problem correctly. Your vet is the right person to decide on the therapies for incontinence.

Non-surgical Neutering Methods For Your Dogs

2013-01-19T08:05:00.002-08:00

Neutering your dog provides some of the most significant health benefits for him. Prevention of undesirable litters is not the only reason behind neutering a male, but it is also a precautionary measure against testicular carcinoma. Desirable age for neutering a dog is six months. However, there are a series of risks involved in surgically neutering a male. The probable risks that a dog gets exposed to in case of surgery involved in the process are as follows:

Internal infection around the incision
Recovery process is sometimes is too slow that leads to several problems
Complications at times (however in rare cases) get severe
Anesthesia to some dogs leads to serious problems
It is sometimes difficult to keep some dogs in total rest in the post-surgery phase
Surgery is an expensive process

There are very effective alternative to the surgical neutering methods that keeps your dog healthy and happy. Non-surgical methods of neutering a dog involve injection.

Injecting a solution of calcium chloride dihydrate into the testicles of a male dog will cause castration that involves no surgical activities. The chemical dosage is 20% by weight of CaCl2 dissolved in ethanol - 95% ABV. This injection eventually causes sterilization of the necrosis of the testicular tissue within approximately 40 days of the day of injection. On the date Sep 8, 2012 the first International Conference on Dog Population Management that was held in the UK concluded that calcium chloride could be used as an effective and risk-free chemosterilant (chemical compound for reproductive sterility) for dogs.

Neutersol is the brand name of zinc gluconate, neutralized by arginine, is a potent chemosterilant. On injecting this cytotoxic compound into the dogs’ testicles will cause permanent infertility due to cell damage caused by chemical imbalance in the testes.

No surgery, No risk, No Worries…

Happy New Year 2013

2012-12-31T22:00:00.000-08:00

Wishing All Dog Lovers a Very Happy New Year...

Wishing You a Merry Christmas

2012-12-24T23:59:00.000-08:00

'And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: 'Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people, Unto you is born this day a Savior which is Christ the Lord.'

Our wish and this card is just for you - fellow dog lovers. Hope you like it :)

Designer Dog Crates

2012-11-17T05:42:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for a designer private home for your dog? Wood dog crate may be a great choice for fancy dog fanatics! Whether you have a Pomeranian or poodle or a chihuahua, the wooden crate is going to be a safe and cozy shelter for you pooches, where s(he) can spend the private moments. This dog furniture facilitates the dwelling of your beloved pooch in your living room alongside enhancing the trendy look of your interior.

And guess what! These designer dog crates will prove to be hugely effective when your dog is in crate training session. I just found some info about the designer crate for dogs at www.wooddogcrate.com

Traditional Choke Chains Vs. Electronic Dog Training Collar

2012-11-10T05:03:00.001-08:00

Choke Chains, as the name implies, is actually made of metal links and is designed in a way so as to get an effective control over your dog by choking around the neck of the dog. This choking acts as the corrective signals to the dog and the dog knows that if it continues doing the same thing the chain will chock him more tightly. This is perfectly inhumane and uncompassionate. Moreover, evidences are there that misuse of choke chains have claimed lots of innocent lives.

Dog Training Collar, on the other hand, is 100 times safer and humane as it does not create any discomfort to your dog. The contemporary training or stimulation collar for dogs works scientifically. The device attached to the collar generates low static stimulation once you press the button of the remote transmitter in your hand. The stimulation actually acts as the corrective signal for your dog that has been trained to act desirably upon the signal. However, stimulation collars aren't the only available alternative to effectively train your dog. There are collars that uses spray signals and ultrasonic signals are also effective devices.

Get more information at http://dogtrainingcollars.com

How a Dog Bark Collar Works : A Brief Overview

2012-10-31T09:05:00.000-07:00

It is as normal for a dog to bark as it is for us to talk! But if barking is too much and going out of the tolerating limit, it is not only problematic to you and your neighbors, but also health-wise dangerous for Rover too.

The best way for a person to stop Rover from barking madly is by teaching him to bark and stop on command. However this cannot be done in a fortnight. Harmless dog bark collar can also be of great help to you to correct undesirable barking. Taking the help of technology in this is nothing wrong.

So how does a dog bark collar work?

All you need to do is to keep the collar around his neck always to at the time when he barks most – for example when he is in the garden. When your dog barks, the sound vibration gets detected by the sensor device attached to the collar. The collar correct the barking by responding with a corrective ultrasonic sound that the dog can hear. The weird sound make Rover stops barking instantly. The sound makes barking an unpleasant activity for the Rover himself.

Reward him and praise him lavishly as soon as he stops barking to let him know that you are pleased for stop the barking. http://www.dogbarkcollar.com offers more information about dog bark collar.

Do you need a dog fence?

2012-10-20T08:01:00.002-07:00

Often times my friends and acquaintances who know me as a dog man ask me whether they need a dog fence! And guess what? Most of them think that they don't because their dog stays mostly indoor.

First off, dogs are not indoor animals. It is important to make provisions for them to go out whenever they need. The role of a fence comes to play here.

And more...

Is your dog aggressive? If he is then it is more than important to plan for a dog fence. You may be brought to severe penal action if your dog rushes out and bit somebody.
Is your female dog pregnant? She should be kept confined... but not indoor. Moving outside and enjoying the sun is very important for your pregnant female.

However for none of these an electric dog fence is preferred unless your dog is well trained. Honestly speaking not training your dog may save you a few dollars today, but may prove to be insanely problematic in the coming days. Your dog should be trained not to go past the territory as soon as he/she hears the warning beep of the outdoor electric dog fence. It is not expected that you dog will always learn fast. Patience is the keyword! You should complete all the steps of dog fence training without any break. It is advisable to hire a professional dog training professional.

The few steps of effective dog fence training are:

First Session : Teach the retreat or hold back pattern on warning beep.

Second Session: Correction

Thirds Session: Dealing with distractions

Fourth Session: Off-leash training

Fifth Session: Practice for off-leash unsupervised.

Looking for more information? Check out http://www.dogfencediy.com

Street Dogs Help League - LAPC

2012-09-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

I want to share something with you.

My friend, Esteban Vargas Romero is a music teacher in an academy in Peru. He always had a deep love for animals; now together with his students they share the same passion.

Since few months ago, they take affection for a special homeless dog they called “Chicle” which unfortunately has cancer and it´s threatening his life and some others dog, they started to feed them to avoid they starve or eat garbage from streets.

Out there are many dogs in the same situation of Chicle because the people keep dropping out their pets to the streets when they get sick, pregnant or grow up to much and unlike other places there is no animal’s organization in Peru where they can take them.

Their work with these dogs makes them realize that the problem is much deeper than they thought.

SAVING CHICLE AND HIS BUDDIES

Esteban: "The veterinarian told us that if we wait too long to operate Chicle´s, his cancer will get worse, it will spread all over his body, and needs urgent surgery.

If the campaign succeeds we will take Chicle to surgery (it has a big cost here :S), take care of the postmedical expenses and rehabilitation. The great news are that one of my closest students is willing to adopting Chicle after the surgery, accompanying him on his recovery, giving him all the love Chicle needs.
Chicle’s buddies need to be taken off the streets, be fed and many of them need medical treatment, we will give all of them the required help."

"STREET'S DOGS HELP LEAGUE - LAPC"

It is a dramatic situation that Chicle, his buddies and all abandoned dogs are going through because there is no one to take care of them. This had a huge impact on their lives, so they decided to take action by themrselves, creating a permanent solution so this never happens again.

To make this possible they will create the “Street´s Dogs Help League (Liga de Ayuda a Perros Callejeros-LAPC)”, hoping it will be a relief for all those who love and care about animals. Watch out the LAPC video clip:

LAPC will carry out the following activities to help the abandoned dogs in this city and nearby cities:

Find the abandoned dogs
Take them off the streets no matter the condition they are.
Give them medical treatment
Give them food and hygiene
Find loving and caring families willing to adopt them.
They also want to hire a full-time veterinarian to be part of the team and hope to have their own place where the dogs can live until we found them new families!

They are giving their best effort to make this cause possible and you can be part it, making the world a fairer place for the animals by spread the word or contributing by http://www.indiegogo.com/stredogheleague

Caring for an Urban Canine

2012-09-25T10:05:00.001-07:00

Cities are full of dogs, most of which are well cared for by loving owners, but city life is a far cry from the wild existence of our dogs’ ancestors. Limited space in urban areas means that Fido has little chance to run free; even small backyards are hard to come by. Noise is a constant factor in most bustling cities. Smells are pungent and highly concentrated, and are particularly intriguing for a sensitive canine nose. A dense urban population makes close encounters with people and all sorts of other animals inevitable. Dog owners can certainly overcome these urban challenges, but it takes dedication and consistent training to keep a city dog happy and healthy.

Without plenty of exercise and socialization many city dogs turn into urban terrors. One of the biggest problem behaviors of city dogs is excessive barking. The boredom of spending long days alone, combined with a high level of ambient noise, anxiety brought on by urban stimuli, and the frustration of pent up energy, will often cause a dog to bark incessantly for hours on end. This is no way for your dog to live, and in close city quarters it can also make you very unpopular with your neighbors. There are bark collars and other devices that you can use to deter your dog from barking. However, while these devices do have their place in training a dog not to bark incessantly, very often they treat the symptoms rather than the cause. In fact, you can even have your dog surgically debarked – this may satisfy your neighbors’ need for peace, but your dog will continue to suffer, albeit more quietly. Debarking surgery is a kind of animal abuse and is considered as an inhuman act. The best way to stop barking dogs is to address the root of the problem – boredom, stress, and frustration. The rigors of city life can become overwhelming, but you must remember that your dog needs your care, time, and attention. Dog owners in urban areas have an extra responsibility to provide for their pets’ basic needs. Develop a routine for exercising and socializing your city dog; you might be surprised by how much happier you both will feel.

The first step in caring for a dog in the city is exercise. Dogs were meant to spend each day roaming their territory in search of food and water, exploring scents, and socializing with their pack. Confining these animals to a city apartment for many solitary hours each day is going to have repercussions as energy builds up with no means of release. Walk your dog – walk him often, and walk him for long periods at a time. Keep a quick pace; this is exercise, not a Sunday stroll. Walking your dog for at least an hour each day will burn off excess energy and make a noticeable difference in behavior. You can also look for dog parks to allow your dog freedom to run and socialize, but your dog must play well with others and you must pay full attention. Dog parks are not an opportunity for owners to sit back and relax. If your dog has difficulty with other dogs, look for dog runs in your area. These are smaller enclosures meant for just a couple of dogs; in most cases other owners will ask if it is okay to bring their dog in with yours.

Draining excess energy daily will go a long way to stop barking dogs, but you can further improve behavior with regular socialization. The onslaught of stimulation a dog experiences in the city can cause a great deal of stress and anxiety. You need to spend time daily exposing your dog to a variety of potentially stressful or frightening situations, ensuring that your dog has positive experiences when exposed to these situations, and reward him for behaving correctly and for relaxing. Socialization never ends; it is an ongoing process throughout the life of your dog. If you commit to providing your dog with the exercise, socialization, and training he needs, you will enjoy a remarkable improvement in his behavior, while greatly improving his quality of life – the quality of your life, and that of your neighbors, will undoubtedly improve as well.

Author: This information was contributed by Havahart Wireless - the registered trade mark of Woodstream Corp. Havahart Wireless have worked relentlessly with technologies that can offer animals and their owners better life. Check out this device used to stop barking dogs.

Five Most Common Dog Skin Problems

2012-09-25T09:40:00.001-07:00

As with human skin, it takes more than just pampering to keep your dog's skin healthy – to maintain a silky, shiny, beautiful dog skin and coat requires proper nutrition, plenty of exercise, regular brushing and shampooing, and careful and appropriate action when signs of a skin problem occur.
However, even if you follow the basics of proper dog skin care, your dog may still be susceptible to skin conditions from time to time. Here are the five most common dog skin problems and the best way to treat them.

Allergic Dermatitis
A dog can develop allergies from almost anything, including pollen, weeds, mold, dust, insect bites, food, and/or grooming products. Heredity is also a significant contributing factor. Skin allergies among dogs have become more prevalent in recent years, and consequently, have made regular visits to the veterinarian even more important. The principal symptoms of an allergy include intense itching, rashes, and/or skin inflammation, which often make the dog irritable and miserable. As with any health condition, prevention is always the best cure. Once the allergen has been identified, avoid exposing your dog to whatever is causing the allergy. Symptoms can usually be relieved with cortisone based medication.

Yeast Infection
The first sign that your dog has a yeast infection is when you notice your pet shaking or tilting their head, or rubbing their ear with their paws, against furniture, or on the floor. The overgrowth of yeast occurs on the outer ear, causing redness, swelling, scabbing, and a waxy residue around the ear opening. Other indications include unusual eye movements, and walking in circles. A yeast infection is normally caused by water or debris getting trapped in the dog's ear canal after swimming or being bathed. When left untreated, the infection can spread to the middle ear, and then the inner ear, which then affects the dog's equilibrium, and can also lead to deafness. For this reason, it is critical to catch and treat the outer ear infection as soon as possible. Once diagnosed, treatment is simple and effective, and generally involves the use of a topical cream; however, oral drugs and medicated baths may also be prescribed.

Seborrhea
If a rancid smell permeates the air every time your dog is nearby, this is a clear indication of oily seborrhea – a skin condition caused by overactive sebaceous glands that lead to the excessive production of sebum. The grease is accompanied by scales of dead skin that stick to the hair.
Seborrhea can also be dry, and cause shedding of dandruff-like flakes. Oily seborrhea can lead to hair follicles becoming plugged and infected, causing another skin condition called folliculitis.
Excessive oiliness often also causes ear wax to build up in the ear canals, resulting in ceruminous otitis. Seborrhea has no cure, but the symptoms can be treated using medicated shampoos. Your veterinarian can advise you on the best product to use, and how often you should treat the condition, depending on its severity. Oral corticosteroids may also be prescribed to treat severe itching.

Ringworm
Ringworm can be easily contracted through physical contact with soil, carpet, furniture, toys, brushes, and combs that are contaminated with the spores of the fungus. Consequently, it is a common skin condition among dogs. The infection affects the hair and hair follicles on the dog's face, ears, tail, and paws. As with a ringworm infection in humans, the condition is characterized by a circular pattern of hair loss that is scaly at the center and ringed with red outside. The fungal infection, in itself, is not itchy; the itchiness is caused by a secondary bacterial infection that also causes scabbing and crusting. Because ringworm can mimic other skin conditions, examination by a veterinarian is important to correctly diagnose the infection. Mild cases of ringworm usually go away on their own, but this generally takes between three and four months. Because the fungal infection is not just contagious to other dogs, and even cats, but also to humans, early diagnosis and treatment is very important. Topical anti-fungal creams or lotions, combined with anti-fungal shampoos, are used to treat the infection, with treatment typically lasting between four and six weeks.

Mange
Also called sarcoptic mange or canine scabies, the condition is caused by microscopic mites present on the dog's skin and in the hair follicles. Mites are the most common canine parasites. The skin condition is characterized by hair loss and bald patches that create a polka-dot appearance; scabs and sores also develop. If left untreated, secondary bacterial infections that cause itching and an unpleasant smell can occur. Effective treatment requires correct identification of the type of mites involved; a veterinarian will then prescribe the appropriate anti-parasitic, anti-pruritic, and anti-inflammatory topical, oral, or injected medication. A dog with mange should be isolated to prevent the condition from spreading to other animals and even humans.

Proper skin care is essential to prevent dog skin problems. This includes: using the right kind of soaps and shampoos; regular hair brushing; a healthy, balanced diet that includes supplements; regular flea treatment; completing the required vaccinations and getting other injections to reduce the risk for diseases; keeping the house clean; and regular visits to the vet.

Author: This information about dog skin problems was contributed by Kauffman's Animal Health, Inc. an international animal feed manufacturing company based in Lebanon, USA.

Things to Remember While Feeding Your Dog

2012-09-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

Loads of talks have been going on for years regarding dog food and nutrition. Here are just a few suggestions. These are the points that I follow when it comes to feeding my dogs.

1. Stop free feeding your dog. If your dog leaves the meal, leave it only for 15-20 minutes, and then pick it up.
2. Make sure that his meal is at the room temperature, while you are serving it.
3. Give fresh water and change the water in every two to three hours time, and more frequently depending on the need and during the summer. If the water cannot be drunk by you, it cannot be drunk your your dogs too.
4. Serve the water in a properly washed bowl.
5. Make sure your dog's food is not microwaved
6. Make sure you dog's food is not stored wrapped in aluminum foil
7. Do not over-exercise you dog at least 2 hours before and after heavy meal.
8. Prevent your dog from becoming obese
9. Whelping females should not be fed bones to help keep the stool soften.
10. It is suggested to fast a dog once in a month. However, many experienced people do it once a week.
11. The amount of exercise a dog gets should be the determinant of the amount and type of food. Giving him meat every day is NOT a must.
12. Cooked bones are big NO
13. Onions are good for you, but not for your dogs. In dogs onions decrease the RBC count in the blood.
14. Milk are no good for your dog. Canines are usually lactose intolerant.
15. Remember... dogs are not carnivorous animals; they are omnivorous and all-meat diet throughout the life is not recommended. Give him green too!

You will love to check out the Dog Nutrition section of Welcome Dog Lovers (WDL) Blog.

What Are The Signs of a Healthy Dog?

2012-09-09T05:42:00.003-07:00

Owners who truly love their dogs usually take all measures to make sure that their dogs are healthy, happy and active. The moment a pup is brought home, it becomes the owner's moral responsibility to take care of its well-being. Let us go throughout the signs which would testify your dog's health.

The sight of the healthy dog brimming with a happy face is all that a dog-loving owner wants to start his day with. Apart from a 'cold wet nose', your dog needs to show the signs of good health in various other ways to ensure his well-being. Hence, it is important to check out the indications that signify that your dog is growing healthily.

A dog with a problem-free fur and skin, ears and nose, eyes, fitness-level, urine and feces and teeth is basically considered as having a good health. A dog coat tells a lot about his health. A shiny, bouncy, tick-free, soft-to-touch coat is the first sign of a healthy dog. The skin of a dog should also be a parameter to judge for any signs of bad-health, infection or lack of well-being in a dog.

Signs like a smooth and soft skin without sight of any open soar, infection, red-patches, allergies, scales and scab or abnormal growth are highly recommended for a healthy dog. Also, the owner should make sure that the dog's body should be free from all sorts of parasites, bugs, ticks, fleas etc which suck the nutrients from the dog's body and make the pet prone to infections and diseases.

Clean and wax-free ears are anther attribute of a healthy dog. The owner should make sure that the dog's ears is free from any kind of bleeding, soar or redness, bad odor or swelling.

A healthy dog reflects a set of white sparkling teeth and no loose gums and dark lining in the teeth, and this requires regular brushing and check-ups and proper dental-hygiene.

The next thing that testifies your dog's well-being is his sparkling and moist eyes with a heart-melting twinkle in them. The area around the eyeball is supposed to have a pink border. Make sure that your dog's eyes are kept clean with no thick yellowish discharge from there. Eyes being one of the most important parts of its body reflect health and happiness of the dog's body and mind.

Another sign of good health in a dog is the lack of any foul smell from its mouth. The gums of the dog should also be in good condition without any sort of infection and bleeding. Healthy gums appear pinkish or pink-tainted, whereas pale gums is a sign of anemia. Make sure that your dog's gums show no signs of periodontal disease like Gingivitis which include redness, soaring or inflated gums.

The nose of a healthy dog is always cold and wet to touch. However, make sure that your dog's nose is free from foul-smelling, thick or yellowish discharge, which in a young pup may mean some illness and physical ailments.

The normal body temperature of a dog is 101 degree F. Anything less than 100 F and more than 103 F should be a matter of concern for the dog's owner as it is regarded unhealthy.

Last but not the least; the healthy dog's urine is either white or yellow in color. Presence of blood or other harmful component can be detected from brownish or reddish colored urine. Likewise, the stool-color of a healthy dog is firm and brown without any tinge of red or black.

Still one more point...

A dog with any illness may exhibit unpredictable aggression to his pack members. His pack members includes any other pets in your house and you and you family. Any physical and psychological irritation will adversely influence the mental stability, which even holds good for you and me.

Dogs' Crossing

2012-08-03T21:57:00.000-07:00

Amongst the entire variety of dog species, hybrids and half-breeds (“metis”) comprise a separate group. The whole process of dogs’ breeding is a set of science and art, which has interested thousands of animal-lovers all over the world. Most of them raise two main types of dogs: hybrids (the result of two different breeds’ crossing) or metises (do not have any signs of specific breeds or even pure-bred ancestors). There is also the third group of wolfdogs, which, as one could guess, look like wild wolves after crossing. Most of these dogs are the result of German shepherds’ or Siberian Huskies’ pairing.

Most of the zoologists and dog handlers agree that new breeds possess pretty distinctive behavioral and psychological features, oriented on accomplishment of specific assignments. However, mutations are not excluded, and constant breeding of several generations is not recommended. In this context, it is appropriate to consider the main methods of dogs’ crossing.

Inbreeding is a crossing of close relatives (mother, father, daughter, brother, sister, etc.) In fact, this method requires detailed analysis of physical and mental shape of dogs, and even their ancestors. Amateur breeders are recommended to learn dogs’ history up to fourth generation at least. In particular, inbreeding result might reveal the defects of dogs’ nature of the oldest generations.

Linebreeding is much alike inbreeding, but the “actors” are dogs, which have a common relative in third or fourth generation.

Outcrossing (outbreeding) is a pairing of unrelated breeds. Animal-breeders use it to invest any specific characteristic of the other line, or to correct the deficiency, penetrated into the line in terms of physical or mental characteristics.

The specific trend of dog breeding emerged at the beginning of the 20th century, which focused on design of dog breeds. Regardless this method has nothing in common with design of general meaning, but getting a dog with peculiar characteristics. It has started when breeders crossed thoroughbred poodle with other dog species. Their main goal was to create hypoallergenic breed, which would gather the best features of other ones. There are several general issues, associated with designer dogs.

First of all, the name of their breeds is a set of a few words of the parents’ breeds. For example, Pomapoo is a mix of Pomeranian and Poodle, Yorkipoo - Yorkie and Poodle, Foxy Russell - Jack Russell Terrier and Toy Fox Terrier, German Australian Shepherd – German and Australian Shepherd, Golden Shepherd - Golden Retriever and German Shepherd, etc. The tradition of such names roots back to 1960s, when Dorgi dog was crossed (a mix of Dachshund and Corgi).

Secondly, designer dogs are usually bred as decorative companion dogs. In addition, the main purpose of their breeding is a decrease of genetic mutations and health problems, much observed among purebred species.

Thirdly, registry of a new dog breed is quite a long process. If a breeder got a new designer dog it won’t be registered despite the whole blood of the parents. However, if several generations was created accompanied by necessary documentation, the dogs’ club might be organized, which is a necessary condition for new breed registry.

Does your Female Dog Cock Her Leg?

2012-07-08T04:13:00.004-07:00

Wondering why your female dog is cocking (lifting) her legs?

Well, it is not quite common to find females cocking (lifting) their legs while urinating, yet sometimes female dogs are are marked for their their leg cocking behavior.

There are many school of thoughts to explain as to why some females cock their legs during urination and the most common explanations have been discussed here...

Natural instincts are deeply ingrained in animals. Dogs usually lift their leg while urinating, while females don't. This is natures law! Female dogs, by nature, assumes the natural positioning while urinating, however in certain cases some females are noticed to cock their legs much like males, while some others exhibit half sit and half cocking position during urination. According to canine behaviorists one of the probable reasons could be due to the fact that such a female dog is slightly masculinised by over secretion of testosteron while in the uterus. Testosteron is a steroid hormone that falls under the androgen group and is found in almost all mammals. Although it is the principal male sex hormone that is secreted in the testicles of the male dogs, it is also secreted in the ovaries of the female dogs in limited quantity. However, this could happen probably because of the blood flow in the uterus - from the back - cervix towards the front - ovaries and the position of the puppy. This probably allows the male puppies near the region of cervix to influence the female puppies that are in front of them.

Other canine experts explain a different reason for this behavior in female dogs. Some female lift their leg during urination because their position when they were in uterus. Probably the female puppy was positioned in between the two males in the uterus. In such case, chances are there that the particular female sometimes gets masculinised by androgenic effects. The male sex hormones - androgen gets diffused through the membranes that divide one puppy from the next in the uterus.

Developmental Growth Disorders in Puppies

2012-07-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

It is more than important that you should kick start your dog's life with good nutrition, proper exercise and pure love. With these being introduced your dog's life during the early stage when he is a puppy you can rest assured that your puppy will grow up with minimum health issues - especially growth disorders. Growth disorders is not just a single diseases, but is referred to any kind of health problem that your puppy tend to show as he or she grows. Growth disorders in puppies commonly includes problems like bowed legs, obesity, joint pain, abnormal posture, muscle disorders, digestive ailments etc. Puppies (especially of large and giant breeds) with tendencies to grow faster may show some of the growth disorders like bowed legs, joint pain and abnormal posture and the condition may worsen if proper care is not administered at the right time.

The best way to treat growth disorders in puppies is to prevent it at the first place! Make a routine for feeding. Food should be given at fixed interval. For a growing puppy it is suggested to feed him or her at a regular interval of 4 to 5 hours. A controlled and scientific intake of a properly balanced diet with required protein, vitamins and minerals is the key to the success story. Play time is essential for good digestive system. undisturbed sleep is again another most important nutrition for a growing puppy.

Puppies should be kept on a scientific growth formula. A growing puppy should not be fed to grow at an above-average rate. Heavy feeding and administering excess minerals may expose your puppy to the risk of developing anatomical deformities. Proteins, doubtlessly, are the “building blocks” of tissues, and hence it is of utmost importance, but over feeding of high protein diet can jeopardize your puppy's life. Meat has higher biological value than vegies. Meat is hence important, but vegetables are also important instead of over feeding of meat. calcium and phosphorus are both highly important for healthy growth and bone development. But over supplementation can cause irreparable damages.

Last but not the least, water has immense significance in preventing most of the growth disorders in puppies.

Most Common Sign of Eye Problems in Your Dog

2012-06-24T04:59:00.001-07:00

Eye problems are quite common in dogs - especially the puppies and aging dogs. Like us - humans, our canine citizens are also prone to eye problems. The flat headed breeds such as boxer, Pekingese, bulldog, pug, Shar Pei etc. that have protruding eyes, are more prone to eye discharge problem compared to the other breeds.The most common and preliminary symptoms of eye problems in dogs are as follows:

Running eyes - excess tearing (Epiphora)
Continuous Discharge from the eyes
Dry eye - characterized by sticky, tenacious discharge
Eyes turn cloudy
Bulging eye(s)
Redness
Dog rubbing eyes with his foreleg
Dog trying to rub his face on the hard surface like wall or ground
Dog trying to avoid light

Prevention is the best cure I can suggest for any health issues in your dogs, including eye problems. The preventive measures for eye problems in dogs starts mainly with proper diet, apart from keeping him clean and not letting mingle with dogs with eye problems already. Some eye diseases in dogs, like human, are contagious. Experienced doggy people stress more on diet to keep their dogs healthy. I would suggest you considering adding certain components in your dog's meal in order to prevent eye problems.

Give him green! Remember, that your dog is not a carnivorous animal; rather he is omnivorous like you and me. It is not wise at all to keep him only on meat. Add green leafy vegies, cabbage leaves, parsley carrot, spinach, sesame seeds to his diet in adequate quantity. Sunflower seeds are also good for your dog's eye health. Eggs can be great addition to his diet. Two eggs in each meal to an adult large breed dog that has normal digestive system can make a very healthy diet for him. Eggs are very good source of eye nutrients such as vitamin A, Vitamin B12, vitamin D, cysteine, lecithin and zinc. Boiled green papayas are great addition to your dogs meal. Green and ripen papayas, and mangoes are rich in bioflavonoids which is another most important eye nutrition that must be given to your dogs.

Pets Prevent Kids From Developing Asthma

2012-06-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

Good news for dog owners! If you have a dog at your home, your kid is lucky.

Latest study carried out by Dr. Kei Fujimura, the molecular biologist at the University of California, San Francisco, proved that kids staying with pet dog(s) are less pron to develop asthma and any RSVs (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) or allergies.

Serrine Lau, a member of the research team said, “several longitudinal studies have shown that exposure to certain domestic animals, for example, indoor dogs, during a person’s early life (even possibly before he or she is born) is associated with strong protection against asthma and asthma-related conditions later in life.” According to the study the dusts in a house having pets have different microbial composition than the dusts in a house without a pet. Molecular biologist, Dr. Kei Fujimura, submitted his group's work at the General Meeting of the American Society of Microbiology. According to Dr. Fujimura, these findings are considered as the preliminary steps towards developing a proved therapy for the protection against RSV in infants, which will act as a mean to lessen the occurrence of asthma in long run. The group of researchers had experimented on mice, where they collected dust from a house with pet dogs. They mixed the dust in a solution and fed it to the some of mice.

In order to come into this conclusion, scientists carried on the experiments on a sample of mice, wherein the scientists collected the dust from houses with dogs as pets, mixed the same in a solution and fed it to some mice, who were given RSVs after 8 days. It was noticed that the mice that had been fed with the dust solution had developed immunity towards RSVs, while the mice that weren't given the solution had become susceptible to the virus attack.

The National Institutes of Health were highly impressed with the results of this research work, and they have invested around one million dollars into a grant for having the scientists work further to make the results more conclusive.

Does Your Dog Eat Grass? My Reva Does!

2012-06-09T23:55:00.001-07:00

Hey, but Rex is certainly not a goat or a mule! So why should he eat grass then? Is he hungry? Any health disorder? I am sure that you have already addressed this to your vet. First off, let me tell you that you are not the only one on this planet to find his dogs eating grass. Believe me, two of my three beautiful German Shepherds eat grass.

As a matter of fact dogs eating grass is very common behavior, although not desirable. Dogs in the wild have also been noticed eating grass and then sometimes vomiting, which leads many of us to conclude that this is a natural behavior in the canine world. The behavior that is characterized by consciously consuming certain things by a species that are not the food for that particular species is called “Pica”. So a dog’s behavior of eating grass is a type of Pica that doesn’t do any fatal harm but there is always a chance of getting poisoned if the dog accidentally ingests any poisonous leaves or insects along with the grass. Researches have been carried out on the dogs to evaluate the number of the dogs eating grass. A number of 49 dogs were released to grassland where there were other weeds too. It was found that around 39 out of 49 dogs had consumed plants at some time, and more interestingly it was found that the grass was the most preferred plant.

So what might be the probable reason for your dogs eating grass? Well veterinary researchers have thousands of theoretical explanations in this regard, but as a matter of fact no one has yet come up with any confirmed conclusion as to why a dog eats grass. This type of Pica in dogs has made many dog owners frown on. Most vets and experienced owners have a common explanation and it is dogs eat grass when they feel irritation or pain inside their stomach and they eat grass because they need to vomit. This is not true, because most of the times my dogs eat grass and do not vomit. Secondly, dogs have their natural ability to vomit whenever they want; they do not need to eat grass to vomit.

Another school of thoughts… dogs have an instinctual craving for the roughage or minerals or fiber present in the vegetation. This is probably true and sounds to have some logic in the explanation, but what about my third dog that have never eaten grass? All my GSDs are on same quality and quantity of food. All of them have same kind and volume of exercise. All of them have same life style and kennel environment. The food ingredients are also same for each of my dogs. Considering all these again leads to the conclusion that this explanation about dogs eating grass for mineral or roughage is not a proven fact.

Well, until the time we get a consistent and proven reason as to why dogs eat grass, we can conclude that they eat grass because they like to eat grass. Grass contains a vegetable sap that is a bit sweeter in taste. Probably they like it because of that! This is much like dogs love to eat chocolates, but chocolates can never be a recommended food for them. They do not know what should they eat and why shouldn’t they eat certain things. Yet they eat certain things that shouldn’t be eaten, but they eat them because they like their taste and flavor. May be certain dogs like to eat grass, while others do not -- much like us humans; You probably love to eat burgers, but I don‘t.

So nothing to worry about as long as your grass is not recently treated with fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or any other chemicals.

Dogs Thought Process: What Does Your Dog Think?

2012-05-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

Thinking Dogs way is not always the solution to understand what your dog thinks!

Here's an amazing information about a dog project, that was lead by Gregory Berns. Berns spared thoughts on this project not until May, 2011,when the US Navy dogs had been employed to work with SEAL to kill Osama Bin Laden. Berns said, "I was amazed when I saw the pictures of what military dogs can do. I realized that if dogs can be trained to jump out of helicopters and airplanes, we could certainly train them to go into an fMRI to see what they're thinking."

McKenzie in the fMRI scanner ; Berns directing...

What does Rex think when he gazes at your eyes? I am sure you have tried to figure out his feelings and get an idea of what's going on in his mind. it is important to think dogs way in order to explore Rex's thought process. The researchers at the Emory University have come up with a scientific method to get an idea of what is a dog thinking when he seems to be thinking something - means when he alert or gazing at something. The method involves using harmless functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, which is used to study the functionality of human brains. The findings of the first experimentation with the dog's thought process was published by The Public Library of Science (PLoS ONE), explaining how actually a dog's brain functions.

The director of the Emory Center for Neuropolicy and lead researcher of the dog project, Gregory Berns said, "it was amazing to see the first brain images of a fully awake, unrestrained dog. As far as we know, no one has been able to do this previously. We hope this opens up a whole new door for understanding canine cognition and inter-species communication. We want to understand the dog-human relationship, from the dog's perspective." The aim of the research was to decode the thought process of canines. This was done by recording the specific areas of the dogs' brains that were activated by various stimuli.

The credit all goes to two key persons - Andrew Brooks (a graduate at the Center for Neuropolicy) and Mark Spivak - a professional dog trainer. the major participants were the two dogs: Callie - a 2-year-old southern squirrel-hunting dog and McKenzie - a 3-year-old Border Collie. While Berns (neuroeconomist, who uses fMRI technology to study functionality of human mind) had adopted Callie when she was 9 months old from a dog shelter, McKenzie was already owned by Melissa Cate, and was already trained for agility tests.

Callie and McKenzie were both trained for several months to walk into the scanner and stay there still for the researchers to measure the neural activities of their brains. While doing fMRI of Callie's and Mckenzie's brains the researchers were trying to figure out whether dogs have empathy, and if they could understand their owners' emotions - happiness, sadness and anger. In this experiment with dogs mind the dogs were trained to follow and respond to two non-verbal signals (hand movements), where one sign indicated that the dogs would get their favorite treat, the other indicated that they wouldn't be receiving any! Interestingly, the Caudate region of the dogs' brain that is associated with receiving rewards for humans was found activated for both Callie and MacKenzie.

Bern said, "these results indicate that dogs pay very close attention to human signals, and these signals may have a direct line to the dog's reward system." He also said, "the dog's brain represents something special about how humans and animals came together. It's possible that dogs have even affected human evolution. People who took dogs into their homes and villages may have had certain advantages. As much as we made dogs, I think dogs probably made some part of us, too."

Dogs Food Philosophy - BARF vs Non-BARF

2012-04-29T04:20:00.001-07:00

BARF Diet has immensely good effect on dogs… that is what many researchers consider. The BARF-ers, as many GSD owners consider themselves, have been feeding their shepherds a good combination of raw meat, raw meaty bones, eggs, and vegetables (not all veggies are recommended), along with the other important ingredients, including yogurt, some recommended cooked grains and cereals (in limited quantity) and fruits. Researchers have proved that the home-made BARF diet keeps a dog – especially the larger ones like German Shepherds, Danes, Labradors, Mastiffs etc. healthier than those that are fed the commercial dog food.

Dr. Ian Billinghurst, a veterinary surgeon from Australia has been working on the study of the related area and an feeding program was formulated to make close observations. According the him the dogs, in his clinic, that were kept on BARF food were noticed to have regained health faster than those that weren’t. Dr. Billinghurst said, "Raw meaty bone-eating dogs lived much longer than their commercially fed counterparts. Bone-eating dogs have the wonderful benefits of clean teeth with no periodontal disease, wonderfully improved digestion, a reduction in obesity, fabulous eating exercise, healthy stools, no anal sac problems, and the wonderful psychological, emotional, and immune system benefits that eating raw meaty bones has conferred on dogs for millions of years."

So what the dog owners, like us, are left with?

Confusion! Yes… another group of highly qualified researchers have warranted a caution against using BARF diets. Julie Churchill, who is a specialist in companion animal nutrition at the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine, raised a voice against the BARF-ers’ philosophy. Dr. Churchill said, "I am very much against the raw food diets. Many dogs can do well on a raw food diet. However, (the diets) have the potential to be life-threatening. Any food that can potentially kill even one animal is not worth the risk."

Advocates of BARF feeders has their unique philosophy that the commercial dog foods are lack the necessary enzymes and nutritional ingredients. This seems to be the most effective holistic approach towards healthy feeding and care for your dogs. While one group explains the benefits of the BARF dog food, considering it as a natural, healthy and nutritious raw food diet of old fashion, the other group is constantly campaigning against the BARF philosophy.

Fact is fact! There’s nothing wrong in BARF diet for your dog, as long the meat and bones are super fresh. Raw meats that are kept for some time will develop life threatening bacteria. Sometimes meats that are preserved or frozen also contain salmonella that may prove to be potentially dangerous for your dog.

Why not cooking it? Meat, egg, veggies (not all greens are good), cereals and other ingredients, like turmeric etc. can be boiled for 15-20 minutes and you can ensure a huge safety!