Dog Food Recalls

16.29 in Dog, food, recalls

Please be aware that there are several active dog food recalls at the moment.  We want to keep our pets healthy, so take a moment to review the lists.  The primary culprits are Diamond Pet Foods - involving a number of brands, including (but NOT limited to), Call of the Wild, Chicken Soup for The Pet Lovers Soul, and Diamond varieties, and other brands that have some of their food manufactured at Diamond plants:  Wellness Dry Dog Food, Canidae Dog Food, Natural Balance Dog Food, and Solid Gold.  Again, this is not a comprehensive list.  For a complete list, as well as up-to-date details, visit Dog Food Advisor or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which oversees the pet food industry. 

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Food Stuffing Type Dog Toys What the heck do I do with this thing

18.15 in do, Dog, food, heck, i, stuffing, the, thing, this, toys, type, what, with

You may have purchased one of those great interactive food stuffing toys for your dog, right? Maybe one of those red cone-shaped ones from the Kong Company? And you put some of your dogs kibble with a little peanut butter in it, gave it to him or her, and left it at that. But what now? What else can you do with it? OMG theres just SO much! As a matter of fact, I teach an entire class on stuffing food toys, and other types of "enrichment" at my inquisitive canine studio. 

I love feeding my own dog Poncho out of these, and other "interactive" food toys. He enjoys eating his meals out of them as well - I can tell because he goes into his "whirling dervish" mode every time I get one out of the freezer...yes, the freezer - hes at what I call "University Level". Pre-school would be dry kibble topped off with a little wet food. 

The Kong Company is nice enough to supply you with lots of tips and advice on great ways to use your dogs Kong toys. For me, I like coming up with my own "recipes" (okay, I think of them more of concoctions) with anything and everything that is either leftover from me and my hubby, or whatever I find in the fridge that needs to be eaten. 

Because the Kongs are relatively small on the inside, you arent able to put an entire meal in just one. So, like we humans have sets of dishes, I have purchased a few Kongs of the same size and consider them Ponchos "dishes". I might just give him one, along with his other favorite food toy the Tricky Treat Ball. And of course he gets his veggies in his bowl - there are some veggies in his Kong mixture, but most of them end up in his bowl...I think the veggies are the only thing Ill feed him from his bowl. 

Okay, so what all do I put in it? And how do I do it? Simple...for the easiest "recipe" I combine the following ingredients*:

• Kibble (high quality like Solid Gold or Wellness)
• Canned wet food (high quality like Solid Gold or Wellness)
• Leftover veggies: canned pumpkin, zucchini, asparagus, bell peppers, carrots, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, summer squash etc...and anything else that might be around that he likes.
• Fruit: apples, pears, berries (or whatever is around that he likes)
• Grains: leftover brown rice, whole wheat pasta, couscous, quinoa, sweet and regular potatoes...and anything else leftover that he likes. 
• Meat: scraps of whatever we have leftover
• Dairy: plain non-fat yoghurt

I mix it all together, making sure there is enough kibble (which has many of Ponchos doggy specific required nutrients) and wet stuff to make it the consistency of a human type chicken salad. I add a little chicken broth or water to thin it out a bit. Then, I cover and refrigerate it overnight. This way, the kibble soaks up the water from the veggies etc...makes it a little stiffer, for easier stuffing. 

Now Im ready to prepare Ponchos meals. I take one of his Kong toys, and using a small fork or spoon, I fill it tightly with his "casserole". I then wrap it in plastic wrap, and put it in the freezer. This way, I can make a whole bunch of them, and keep them for when I need them. When theyre frozen, it takes him longer to go through one...instead of gulping down a meal in 10 seconds!

If youre just starting out, youll want to have your dog go through all the "stages" - beginners level (pre-school) to "University". If you start with a more difficult level, your dog might get frustrated and not want anything to do with it. Making it easy gets him or her conditioned to loving their Kong. They begin to associate the toy with more excitement than just the food itself. Its a fun game for them - plus again, this action taps into their predatory drive, and gives them something to do! 

Here are some "level of difficulty" suggestions, which are based upon how quickly your dog can get the food out:

1. Beginner: dry kibble (can add in some dry treats to make it extra tasty and enticing), top off hole with wet food.
2. Intermediate I: mix kibble with a little wet food, add any leftovers you want, loosely pack it - you still want to make it easy for food to come out. 
3. Intermediate II: kibble, wet food, any leftovers you want to add, pack it tight. 
4. Advanced: Freeze it! Initially you can thaw it partially before giving it to your dog, so as not to make it too difficult. 

Remember: there are some foods that are not healthy or safe for your dog - check with your vet if you are unsure. If youre dog has never had a Kong, its best to supervise until you know he or she know how to "use it". 

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How to Fade A Lure when training with food

23.10 in a, Dog, fade, food, how, lure, to, training, when, with

1 Get RID of the lure as soon as you can! The goal is within 3 trials. 

2 If you dont have a clicker use a very short word like "yes!" or "yep!" 

3 Always make it harder and harder, dont get stuck at the same level of criteria

4 If you go to far to quickly you can always go back a step

5 If your dog is not following the lure, get a smellier lure- real meat!

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Will Feeding People Food Make Your Dog Beg

21.31 in beg, Dog, feeding, food, make, people, will, your

Heres the thing about "people food."  It doesnt exist.  Theres no such thing.  Okay, well, obviously there is food that people eat.  But when it comes down to it, food is food.  Chicken is chicken whether it is eaten by a person or a dog.

Therefore, this concept of "If I feed my dog people food shell learn to beg," cant be entirely true.  But if the ingredients arent the problem, is it how they are prepared?  If you feed a dog only chicken that comes out of a bag in the form of kibble, will she never beg?  Well, if that were true it would mean that by only being fed kibble its whole life, a dog would not recognize "people food" as something worth begging for.  Not worth it?  If a whole chicken fell on the floor, would a dog walk away, thinking to herself "hmm... not kibble.  Must not be food."?  Not a chance. ("Gulp, that chicken was good!")

But there is an answer.  Its a simple one, in fact.  A dog learns to beg based on where she is fed, not what she is fed. If you eat popcorn on the couch and always toss the dog a few kernels (guilty), shell sit by the couch and beg every time you eat popcorn.  Youll get those pleading eyes and folded back ears; the "I havent eaten in months and Ive been SO good" look.  If your kids sneak table scraps to the dog, expect some drooling during dinner.

Alright, so why does it matter?  Is people food good for your dog?  Should you change your routine and start offering dinner scraps (or just eliminate the guilt if you already are)?  If "people food" and "dog food" is all just food, are there things that are good for your dog?  Not good for her?  Yes, and you should stay tuned to find out!

 

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