Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Last Sunday we went to the beach. We really like Crescent Beach on the East Coast, it is about a 2 hour drive from where we live. It welcomes on-leash dogs and is a short walk from the parking to the beach, most of it through a boardwalk, which makes it relatively easy to lug all the stuff we usually carry (chairs, cooler, umbrella).
So we took Oliver and his mom Holly as she loves the water and would be a good "role model" for him. It was his First car ride, First time on leash and First beach outing! and I was truly amazed at how well he did.
This beach outing is part of Oliver's socializing. It is very important that I expose him to a lot of places, things, noises, people and other dogs for him to grow as a confident and well adapted dog.
The ideal socializing period for a puppy is from 2 to 6 moths old and you know what? Time flies so I need to act fast because after this window of opportunity, socializing, though not impossible, will be much harder and I will really have to work very hard to help him overcome any issue he might have. So if life were perfect I should have taken the time to do each step individually; but the alternative would have been to not take him at all. I think that when it comes to socializing, "the more the merrier", so off we went on our "Three firsts" adventure.
Probably because there was so much other stuff to sniff and look at, he did not even notice he had a collar and a leash, watching his mom play retrieve in the ocean gave him a lot of confidence as he waddled, a little worried into that water that rolled back and forth and smelled funny. We were very lucky that the ocean was pretty calm that day, so we were able to carry him to the point where the waves were not crashing and he swam quite a bit. At home he swims in our pool two to three times a week, so this helped a lot. Walking along the beach lot's of people came to pet him which was really great for his social skills. Needless to say, he conked out the whole 2-hour drive back home!
When exposing a young dog to new things, he will cue off your attitude. So your feelings, body posture and tone of voice will determine his attitude to the new stimuli. I never for a second doubted that he would take well to the ocean, so by not cooing and pampering ("It's OK, it's OK") but just encouraging to chase his leash through the turf, watch his mom retrieve a toy and sitting calmly without reacting to the waves he decided it was OK.
A hot button for me regarding my "the more the merrier" approach to socializing is the fact that we are usually scared into NOT socializing our puppies until they have completed their vaccination schedule. Well that is not going to happen until my puppy is 6 months old and by that time my window of opportunity will be closed!
I understand the reason for this: my puppy could die from contracting a disease. Now consider this: most of the dogs that end up in shelters (which have a very real chance of being killed) are there because of behavioral issues. I am convinced this could be avoided by proper socializing and training which can only be accomplished if your puppy is out and about. So take your puppy everywhere you can, let him play with other dogs, walk him where he will meet lot's of people, everyone will want to pet him and enroll him in an obedience training class a.s.a.p!
The sooner the better and the more the merrier! And take lot's of photos because 6 months go by FAST.
So we took Oliver and his mom Holly as she loves the water and would be a good "role model" for him. It was his First car ride, First time on leash and First beach outing! and I was truly amazed at how well he did.
This beach outing is part of Oliver's socializing. It is very important that I expose him to a lot of places, things, noises, people and other dogs for him to grow as a confident and well adapted dog.
The ideal socializing period for a puppy is from 2 to 6 moths old and you know what? Time flies so I need to act fast because after this window of opportunity, socializing, though not impossible, will be much harder and I will really have to work very hard to help him overcome any issue he might have. So if life were perfect I should have taken the time to do each step individually; but the alternative would have been to not take him at all. I think that when it comes to socializing, "the more the merrier", so off we went on our "Three firsts" adventure.
Probably because there was so much other stuff to sniff and look at, he did not even notice he had a collar and a leash, watching his mom play retrieve in the ocean gave him a lot of confidence as he waddled, a little worried into that water that rolled back and forth and smelled funny. We were very lucky that the ocean was pretty calm that day, so we were able to carry him to the point where the waves were not crashing and he swam quite a bit. At home he swims in our pool two to three times a week, so this helped a lot. Walking along the beach lot's of people came to pet him which was really great for his social skills. Needless to say, he conked out the whole 2-hour drive back home!
When exposing a young dog to new things, he will cue off your attitude. So your feelings, body posture and tone of voice will determine his attitude to the new stimuli. I never for a second doubted that he would take well to the ocean, so by not cooing and pampering ("It's OK, it's OK") but just encouraging to chase his leash through the turf, watch his mom retrieve a toy and sitting calmly without reacting to the waves he decided it was OK.
A hot button for me regarding my "the more the merrier" approach to socializing is the fact that we are usually scared into NOT socializing our puppies until they have completed their vaccination schedule. Well that is not going to happen until my puppy is 6 months old and by that time my window of opportunity will be closed!
I understand the reason for this: my puppy could die from contracting a disease. Now consider this: most of the dogs that end up in shelters (which have a very real chance of being killed) are there because of behavioral issues. I am convinced this could be avoided by proper socializing and training which can only be accomplished if your puppy is out and about. So take your puppy everywhere you can, let him play with other dogs, walk him where he will meet lot's of people, everyone will want to pet him and enroll him in an obedience training class a.s.a.p!
The sooner the better and the more the merrier! And take lot's of photos because 6 months go by FAST.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Oliver is my 4th generation of "Raw Fed" Labradors. Yep, for the past 14 years all my dogs have been eating raw food a.k.a "Barf" or Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods.
The food bowl in this photo contains a typical meal: A raw chicken neck, raw beef tripe from a company called "Oma's Pride" and reconstituted freeze-dried veggies called Veg-To-Bowl by "Dr. Harvey's". I know it looks disgusting but Oliver will take just a few seconds to gulp in down,
he went from Holly's milk to this!
In a nutshell, this diet is based on the fact that dogs are carnivores and they should eat only meat. Wild dogs have no access to stoves to cook food, so everything they would eat would be raw. Raw food contains live enzymes which are necessary for the proper functioning of the body and to maintain a healthy immune system. The diet also calls for variety, how would you like to eat dry cereal for breakfast, lunch and dinner for ALL your life? I will rotate the usual meal with other foods like raw beef, turkey, sardines, eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, and fruits. I also add Salmon Oil which make their coats glow.
I know many of you have been scared by your vet with warnings about Salmonella and E. Coli, splintered bones and other horror stories. Guess what? in 14 years I have NEVER had a any issues. My dogs have awesome coats, shed a lot less, have hot spots, no ear or urine infections, hardly need baths and never have to go to the vet to have their teeth cleaned.
Oliver's great grandmother "Stormy" was switched to a Raw diet when she was almost one year old. She lived to be 14 and for about 13 1/2 of those years she was vibrant and very healthy. Stormy only went to the vet twice, for a C- section and when she was kicked by a horse. It was only the last 6 months that she got progressively more arthritic and when she could not get up anymore we decided to let her go peacefully.
The American Veterinary Medical Association recently published the following facts and figures on the most prevalent health problems in dogs in the USA that caused owners to seek veterinary treatments:
The food bowl in this photo contains a typical meal: A raw chicken neck, raw beef tripe from a company called "Oma's Pride" and reconstituted freeze-dried veggies called Veg-To-Bowl by "Dr. Harvey's". I know it looks disgusting but Oliver will take just a few seconds to gulp in down,
he went from Holly's milk to this!
I know many of you have been scared by your vet with warnings about Salmonella and E. Coli, splintered bones and other horror stories. Guess what? in 14 years I have NEVER had a any issues. My dogs have awesome coats, shed a lot less, have hot spots, no ear or urine infections, hardly need baths and never have to go to the vet to have their teeth cleaned.
Oliver's great grandmother "Stormy" was switched to a Raw diet when she was almost one year old. She lived to be 14 and for about 13 1/2 of those years she was vibrant and very healthy. Stormy only went to the vet twice, for a C- section and when she was kicked by a horse. It was only the last 6 months that she got progressively more arthritic and when she could not get up anymore we decided to let her go peacefully.
The American Veterinary Medical Association recently published the following facts and figures on the most prevalent health problems in dogs in the USA that caused owners to seek veterinary treatments:
- Skin "allergies"
- Ear Infections
- Stomach upsets
- Bladder Infections
- Benign tumors
- Osteoarthritis
- Sprains
- Eye Infections
- Hypothyroidism
Since most of the animals from this study have been kept indoors all their lives, what is causing so many health problems? I think a combination of the quality of food, water and the routine so called "preventive" medications, such as vaccines and flea/tick topical pesticides, are the culprits of many of these conditions.
We owe it to those with no voice to do the research that enables us to make informed decisions and not be scared or blindly led into conclusions that may not be in our animals best interest. If you have animals with skin conditions and are sick and tired of being sick and tired with traditional veterinary protocols that offer only a temporary relief, I strongly suggest you look into Raw Diets for a solution. The best book on this topic is: Living Enzymes by Robert Mueller.
For me there is no turning back!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Oliver is 9 weeks old today and the dreaded day to receive his first vaccine has come. The reason being is because almost 10 years ago I lost a puppy due to a vaccine reaction. To this day the vet assures me it could have not been the vaccines, but now I know they were responsible for his uncontrolable seizures and death.
I now firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. His untimely death cemented my resolve to seek a holistic path for my dogs, my family and myself. Since then I have practiced minimal vaccinations for all my dogs.
For Oliver's litter we are following Dr. Jean Dodds vaccination protocol, she is the pioneer and a big force behind the Rabies Challenge Fund. This Fund was established to raise enough money to conduct a study on the the duration of immunity of the Rabies vaccine and hopefully safer vaccination protocols. Currently they are conducting a three, five and eventually a nine year study to scientifically prove that vaccines provide immunity for much longer than a year and prevent unnecessary and potentially harmful over vaccination.
My personal opinion is that vaccines are a multi-million dollar business and it will take a fierce commitment from all of us true animal lovers to bring on the needed changes so that our animals can lead the longer and healthier lives they deserve.
I dedicate this post to my sweet Golden Retriever puppy that died to teach me a better path for all the other dogs that have come to join us.
For the Rabies Challenge Fund: http://www.rabieschallengefund.org
I now firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. His untimely death cemented my resolve to seek a holistic path for my dogs, my family and myself. Since then I have practiced minimal vaccinations for all my dogs.
For Oliver's litter we are following Dr. Jean Dodds vaccination protocol, she is the pioneer and a big force behind the Rabies Challenge Fund. This Fund was established to raise enough money to conduct a study on the the duration of immunity of the Rabies vaccine and hopefully safer vaccination protocols. Currently they are conducting a three, five and eventually a nine year study to scientifically prove that vaccines provide immunity for much longer than a year and prevent unnecessary and potentially harmful over vaccination.
My personal opinion is that vaccines are a multi-million dollar business and it will take a fierce commitment from all of us true animal lovers to bring on the needed changes so that our animals can lead the longer and healthier lives they deserve.
I dedicate this post to my sweet Golden Retriever puppy that died to teach me a better path for all the other dogs that have come to join us.
For the Rabies Challenge Fund: http://www.rabieschallengefund.org
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Today Oliver had his first mud bath. His sister Amelia was his partner in crime. The photo speaks for itself!
If you do not feel like - or have the time- to bathe a muddy dog, the best way to deal with him is to put him in his crate until he is completely dry. All the dirt will fall off as it dries. A quick brushing is all it will take to get him looking like a decent dog again. You will have to wash the crate tray, but that is less time consuming than bathing a dog.
I decided Oliver could have his first bath after his mischivious incident. He took it fairly well, letting me lather and rinse him.
Baths always exhaust puppies, so he took a long nap laying on top of me.
Tired dogs are GOOD dogs!
If you do not feel like - or have the time- to bathe a muddy dog, the best way to deal with him is to put him in his crate until he is completely dry. All the dirt will fall off as it dries. A quick brushing is all it will take to get him looking like a decent dog again. You will have to wash the crate tray, but that is less time consuming than bathing a dog.
I decided Oliver could have his first bath after his mischivious incident. He took it fairly well, letting me lather and rinse him.
Baths always exhaust puppies, so he took a long nap laying on top of me.
Tired dogs are GOOD dogs!
Friday, August 6, 2010
No nagging, no anger, no getting upset. Swift, to the point and perfectly fit to the “crime”. That is how dogs correct puppies, I wish I could be as effective.
I watch Oliver tug at a toy Holly is playing with. She follows along for a while, then Oliver starts getting cocky: growling, tugging harder and harder. Holly stops, stares at him and moves forward about 1/8 on an inch. Oliver drops the toy, pulls his ears back and bows in submission. Holly keeps on playing with her toy, Oliver wanders around a few minutes later the game, or should I say, lesson, starts again.
Sabrina has a slightly different method. Her Royal Highness enjoys a little more force in her corrections. Oliver comes over and tries to lick her face, already showing deference and submission. Sabrina growls deeply, Oliver plasters himself to the ground. Sabrina sniffs every inch of him while he remains paralyzed, Sabrina walks away smug and happy!
Now, if Oliver approaches Sabrina while she is chewing a bone or has any other precious possession nearby, Oliver will be pinned to the ground, he will squeal like she is killing him and Sabrina will poke and peck him a little. Oliver retreats bowing to her Royal Highness. Sabrina is in Cloud 9!
Either because Oliver is persistent, or because he is young and has the attention span of a gnat, this is repeated over and over when he is loose around the house. As hard as it is to watch, he is learning something we humans cannot teach him and these valuable lessons will make him an expert at reading “doggy language” a skill that will keep him out of trouble as well as enable him to make many new dog friends during his lifetime.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
