Archive for the ‘Dog Training’ Category

Many of us love to take our dogs out to swim whether in a lake, pond or pool just for that purpose.  A good percentage of dogs, regardless of breed, simply love to swim, splash and play in just about any body of water.  While absolutely fun for our canine companions, swimming also has many practical applications that can help our dogs to stay healthy, lose weight or help them to recover from injury and illness.

The first thing that people think of when they think of their dog swimming is FUN!  That’s okay – it is fun!  Swimming is a great way to play with your dog.  Taking them to a pond, lake, the ocean or a doggy swimming pool is a great summer activity that everyone in the family can partake in.   Throwing a toy out into the water and watching the absolute joy on your dog’s face as he plunges in to get it is enough to make even the biggest stresses go away.  Plenty of dogs don’t even need a toy -they just splash and play for the sheer love of it.

There are even more reasons, though, for swimming our dogs – though pure joy is a pretty good one we would have to admit.  Swimming is, in reality, one of the healthiest activities that your dog can partake of.  Just as for humans, swimming is a great exercise.  The resistance of the water means that your dog is constantly working whether running along the shore in knee deep surf or swimming out to retrieve a ball or stick.  He doesn’t even realize how much work it is since he’s having a blast but work it is!  Swimming is a gentle and safe way to get weight off of your dog and replace that flab with muscle.  Taking long walks, while interesting and enjoyable for most dogs, can get a little monotonous and without the resistance of the water, takes far longer to burn the same number of calories.  Swimming is an excellent way to not only lose the weight but to replace the fat with lean muscle.  Being overweight often makes it difficult for a dog to even take walks.  The extra stress on the joints makes it highly likely that your dog will actually injure himself as you are attempting to walk off the pounds.  Swimming negates this risk by being a low impact way to gently fight the battle of the bulge.  Take any overweight dog and if you feed a sensible diet and swim them regularly, you will find you have a lean mean licking machine in no time flat!

Swimming is also a fantastic rehabilitation tool.  Dogs who suffer from diseases and injuries affecting joints such as elbow and hip dysplasia, cruciate ligament ruptures, degenerative myelopathy, arthritis or paralysis, can greatly benefit from the gentle stimulation and exercise that swimming provides.  The buoyancy of the water takes all the stress off of the joints and muscles giving greater freedom of movement without pain.  This strengthens the muscles which helps with mobility and pain management after swimming is done.  The fact that the exercise occurs in water means that there is far less impact on the joints and body as a whole than there would be if you exercised your dog on land.  This means, if done correctly and with common sense, swimming is not likely to cause further injury. In fact, swimming will help to build muscle which will help your dog to compensate for his disease or injury making injury or exacerbation of an existing injury or disease, less likely once out of the water.

Ah, but you say that your dog simply won’t swim – hates the water, hates a lake, hates a pool, hates a pond.  Certainly there are diehard water haters out there….but then again, are they?  Perhaps they just need the right sort of encouragement.  Perhaps your dog would be more willing to try the water out if you swim first!  Pick a lake with easy water access – a gentle bank that won’t make your dog nervous.  Wade in first and encourage your pup to follow.  You’d be surprised at how often this method can work – after all, your dog wants nothing more than to be with his person!  Sometimes having another canine companion along for the day can help as well – so long as it is one proficient in the how to’s of swimming already.  If a reluctant dog sees another dog thoroughly enjoying himself in the water, the urge to see what all the fun is about might just be too much for him to bear!  Have a dog who LOVES to eat?  Try his favorite treats – take them out in the water with you as an added incentive or let them float close to the shore so that your dog has to at least get his feet wet in order to gobble them up.  Slowly move them further and further, gently enticing your dog to submerge himself further and further.  Before he knows it he’s all wet and having a grand time!  Always watch your dog closely – not all dogs are strong or talented swimmers.  Never panic – even if your dog does – and make sure you can calmly help him if he seems to need it.  Most dogs will eventually take to the water like they have loved it their whole lives, some will be more reluctant.  Some will prefer a pond or a lake while others love a pool.  Whichever body of water becomes your dog’s favorite, getting them to swim and to swim happily is well worth any work involved.

Swimming -  it will always be about fun in the sun but now you know that it is really so much more!

Who doesn’t like a rousing game of fetch out in the yard with their beloved pet?  Part of the reason we own dogs is because of the joy they give us with a simple game of frisbee and tag out in the yard or a rousing game of tug in the living room.  Over the years, the games that we play with our dogs have morphed into something more.  Puzzle games that challenge us to challenge them have become all the rage.  Helping your dog learn to problem solve and have fun while doing it has become yet another way for us to enjoy our canine companions.  It seems now that games are moving to yet another level – board games that you and your dog actually play with other people and their dogs!  Game nights that include us and our four legged companions – what a cool concept THAT is!

Do You Mind pits team against team in a fast paced game where the team consists of you and your pooch!  Roll the dice, pick a card and get your pup to do the activity listed before the timer runs out.  Each activity completed gives you a certain amount of points – the team with the most points in the end WINS!  There are several variations which makes Do You Mind 4 games in one – there is even a Solitaire game where you can practice with your dog getting ready for the day when the competition shows up!

Funagle is the game that will make you belly laugh until everything hurts!  The object is to “funagle” your dog into doing wild and crazy activities like a moonwalk or crawling or sticking out their tongue.  Every time you succeed you get a tag – person and dog with the most tags at the end of the game win!  It doesn’t require any training or skill – its just plain old silly fun!

MuttHeads is the game that requires that not only your dog do activities but that YOU do as well!  Depending on the card you pick, your dog may be the one balancing a treat on his nose or it just might be you!  You can imagine the hilarity that will ensue as the tasks get goofier and goofier!  This card game helps you to form a real bond with your dog – because after all, you both look pretty silly but its ALWAYS better to look silly together with the one you love!

Take your relationship with your dog and move it on up to the next level!  Better than Monopoly or Scrabble, at least you won’t have to worry about your dog cheating or stealing from the bank!  Have a fun night with friends and family and at the same time deepen the bond between you and your pooch!  Playing a board game with your dog is not just a silly idea – its a reality and probably one of the best times you’ve ever had!

In this, the age of computers and the internet, its the norm for people to head to “google” or the web in general when they have a question about something or need information.  Sometimes it can be hard to sort through all the muck and come up with the answer that you want.  For this reason, we would love to share those sites that we have found useful and informative or just plain fun!

Raw feeding websites are varied and diverse.  It seems that everyone has an opinion and really, that’s okay!  We may not all agree with what a particular site says – we may think its silly, but sometimes its nice to be able to review differing opinions and ideas and to, from that, come up with our own way of doing things, our own variations and our own opinions.  Below is a list of raw feeding sites that YOU might find helpful and/or interesting:

The internet has become one of our main resources for answering any manner of question about our canine companions

A Place For Paws – Had to do it!  Our site offers not only food BUT information.  Our blog, FAQ’s and articles are a great resource for anyone thinking of feeding raw

Top 50 FAQ’s For Raw Feeders – This is one of our favorite sites.  Very comprehensive, easy to read, easy to understand and fantastic whether you are new to raw or have been doing it for awhile

Raw Learning and Raw Feeding FAQ – This site has a long list of FAQ’s that cover a myriad of topics.  The author of this site is primarily a prey model feeder and states her opinions accordingly BUT be that as it may, many general topics are covered as well regardless of raw feeding style

Tom Lonsdale’s Raw Meaty Bones – You will find Lonsdale’s book on this site as well as many articles that he has written and lectures he has given as well as those by others.

Caber Feidh Natural Diets and Holistic Care – this comprehensive website, built by a Scottish Deerhound enthusiast, has very useful diet information as well as a wealth of information regarding holistic care in general

Health issues are yet another HUGE internet search topic when it comes to our pets.  What to do, what to feed, what to supplement – anything and everything we can find out that may be the key to keeping our animals healthier.

Dog Aware – Probably THE most comprehensive site for health information as well as diet and raw feeding resources.  This is the go-to site for many ailments that are prevalent in our furry friends such as kidney disease, liver failure, heart problems, skin issues, hypothyroidism….the list goes on and on!

Dr. Jean Dodd’s Vaccine Protocols – a succinct look at Dr. Dodd’s vaccine protocols for puppies and adult dogs

B-Naturals Newsletter – A huge list of newsletters relevant to many aspects of your dog’s life concentrating mainly on health and diet

Training articles are also in high demand – google a problem and see what solutions you get online.  Here are a few to consider:

Clicker Solutions – positive training techniques centering primarily on using a clicker.  Divides training problems into categories so you can find what you need to concentrate on quickly

Dr. P’s Training Articles – a HUGE library of training articles including some basics on responsible dog ownership and acquiring a new pet

Patricia McConnell’s Blog – Training from a slightly different perspective centering on behaviors and the relationship between humans and dogs

Shirley Chong – Leading the Dance – This website offers many solutions and steps to follow to make sure your relationship with your dog is a fulfilling one

Karen Pryor and the Clicker – One of the leading clicker trainers in the world, this site gives you quick and easy answers as to just what this thing called “clicker training” is about

Included above are only a FEW of the wonderful sites that exist on the web from which we can gain insight and answers – or at the very least, opinions that may make us think…We’ll make sure to add more favorites as time goes by – that’s a promise!