Dog Info

I am always interested in finding out different information related to dogs.   I hope you find the random information helpful ! 

Does your dog have tartar on their teeth ??

Did you know that the tartar on a dog's teeth can be reduced by having the dog chew on deer antlers ??  I didn't.  We took our dog to the vets to ask about having his teeth cleaned.  The vet told us to give him deer antlers to chew on - that would reduce the tartar on his teeth.  And it does work !!! They are available from most pet supply stores and on-line.  I always make sure that I get the ones that are "naturally shed".  I don't want a poor deer to be sacrificed for my dog's cleaner teeth.  I usually buy these antlers. Hint: One of our dogs didn't chew on them as much as I would like so I ended up putting them in the crock pot when I cook some of their meat-based food and the beef or chicken helps flavor the antlers.  He is now much more interested. Ears Massaging your dog's ears can be beneficial to your dog.  There are acupressure points in a dog's ear that are connected to internal organs.  Stroke the ear, between your thumb and fingers, from the base of the ear to the tip of the ear.  Keep repeating until the entire surface of the ear is covered.  Dogs usually love to have their ears massaged. Does your dog have anal gland problems  ??? I didn't even know dogs could have anal gland problems until we had our previous 2 dogs.  One of them had anal gland problems and eventually needed to have both anal glands removed.   Now one of our current dog has had problems emptying her anal glands.  We have had her to the vets a couple of times to empty her anal glands and I noticed her scooting across the carpet a couple of weeks ago.   Now, from our previous dog, I knew the vet had told us canned pumpkin and grape nuts were good to add to the dog's food as a preventive measure to keep the dog's anal glands empty - but I had gotten lazy and  had not been doing that.   One common cause for anal glands not emptying - is a result of the dog food.  If the dog's poop is soft or small, it will not put pressure on the anal glands to empty them - the bigger and firmer and longer the better. SO.... I did some more reading and found several things that can help get "bigger poop" to  keep the dog's anal glands empty. You can add 1 Tbsp of one or more from the list below on the dog's food at every meal. * Canned pumpkin puree (NOT the pumpkin pie mix) * Olive oil or Coconut Oil (dogs LOVE the taste of coconut oil and will lick it off my hand - also, coconut oil has other health benefits for dogs - healthier skin, less itching,  and it's supposed to help reduce the occurrence of ear infections) * Ground flaxseed * Meat * Cooked sweet potatoes * Cooked lentils * Cooked peas * Grape Nuts cereal I am adding 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed, 1 Tbsp Grape Nuts cereal and 1 BIG tsp of coconut oil on her food at every meal.  When I first noticed the scooting, I also added about 1/3 can pumpkin puree on the her food at every meal  - I did this for about 3 days (going through 2 cans of pumpkin puree).  Is your dog bored ??? Is your dog bored ??  Does your dog have LOTS of energy ?? Is your dog destructive around the house ??   Sounds like your dog needs to be stimulated !!!  Dogs need both physical and mental stimulation.  One GREAT way to get mental stimulation is through interactive toys. The dogs LOVE them.  The first time we gave them to our dogs, it took awhile for the dogs to figure out what to do and we actually had to show them on a couple of the toys.  Now they just "whip right through them" to get the treats.  Whenever I get the toys out and fill them with treats, the dogs are sitting right there waiting for them!!!  Here are some good interactive toys. One of our dogs LOVES the  dog spinny toy. Our other dog LOVES the  Tornado . The  twister  is MUCH harder. The  pyramid treat dispenser  is really good also.  You can actually put your dog's meal in the treat dispenser.  So the dog will have to work to get his/her breakfast and dinner.  That way you get 2 benefits from using it - your dog will eat slower and it will be mental stimuation for the dog.   Does your dog eat too fast ??? Does your dog "wolf" down his/her meal ??   If your dog eats too fast, a  portion pacer works GREAT for slowing them down.  You just put it in their normal food dish and pour in the dog food. The dog will have to move the ball around to eat the food; therefore, it takes them longer to eat the meal.  I use the big one for our 45 pound dog and our 75 pound dog.  I bought the small one initially for our 45 pound dog, but it did not do any good.  It was so small she could easily push it out of the way so it really didn't slow down her eating. Does your dog need exercise ??? Here are some good toys that give your dog exercise and fun for all !!! I really enjoy watching Victoria Stilwell's "It's Me or the Dog". To give a dog exercise, she uses "fox on a stick" quite often. For the longest time I thought this was the name of a dog toy to buy.  It turns out that you make this toy.  We used a  lunge whip  and flat fox. Then just tie the fox to the end of the stick - and you have "fox on a stick".  The dogs LOVE to chase the fox at the end of the rope.  This is a GREAT toy for dogs with a high prey drive. I like to use the  Ball Launcher for throwing balls. The floppy disc is GREAT for throwing for the dogs to catch.  Plus it is REALLY soft so you can use it both inside and outside.  It comes in 2 sizes -  7 Inch  and  10 Inch.

Does your dog pull on walks ???

If your dog pulls and is hard to control when walking, it sounds like you might want to try a Gentle Leader !!  It will be like walking a different dog.  It REALLY is amazing how much more control you have over the dog when they are wearing a Gentle Leader - it makes the walk MUCH more enjoyable.   There are 2 different styles of Gentle Leader.  The one you see most often is the  head halter , but there is also one that is more like a harness. We have actually used both kinds - they both work GREAT, but we have found some dogs REALLY hate having the band around their nose.  Some have spent most of the walk trying to get the head halter off their nose.  So now we are using just the harness style. Cutting Nails I have always cut our dog's nails.  Yes....I have cut their quick and yes I did feel horrible.  I bought about every nail clipper on the market - I finally found one that clips fast, is sharp, and our dog doesn't mind at all.   He has REALLY REALLY thick black nails and most clippers ended up actually pinching his nails before they would cut them.  These new clippers are actually more the shape of his nails - so they don't pinch his nail first - they just cut.  It is MUCH faster to cut his nails - plus it has the safety stop.  Of course I give him a treat after EVERY nail I cut and tell him what a good boy he is!!!  I started out cutting 1 or 2 nails at a time.  I had to go slow since he HATED it.  Then the next day I would cut  1 or 2 more nails.  The  clippers  I got are actually for a medium sized dog - but our dog is 75 pounds and has BIG THICK black nails and these work GREAT.  I got the same clipper for the large size dog - but they just didn't work as easily for our dog's nails.  They do not have the safety stop - so I had to go MUCH slower cutting the nails.  I found the faster I can cut his nails, the less it bothers  him. Look at the other views of these clippers - you will see they are more the shape of a dog's nail.  It has a much deeper opening, so the nail isn't pinched like the clippers that have a more oval opening.