RedHead

Lol I have done that before too. Luckily, we are usually far away from other people when we walk, and it doesn't happen too often

I just signed up for Trupanion. After researching most of the companies here, that one seemed to have the best deal because they don't have a limit on yearly costs. I would have never previously thought of pet insurance, but I always have a bit of anxiety over how I would pay for emergency vet bills, so it is a huge weight off my shoulders. I pay $60/month plus a $500 deductible (pet insurance seems way cheaper in the U.S.) but I am glad I got him signed up while he was fairly young and healthy. I didn't sign up my other dog because she is over 10 and it was just too expensive.

It really depends on how steady and comfortable your dog is in a canoe. As I'm sure you are aware, if they are prone to moving around or running at things they see it is pretty easy to tip a canoe. Because canoes are so narrow and wobbly, some dogs don't feel comfortable, but I'm sure most could get used to it with time and adjust their balancing. I really don't think it would work out well with Teague, he is so big and awkward (getting him onboard without tipping would be a challenge ), but my smaller dog can do any type of boat and is great.

Sort of off topic, but has anyone tried laser therapy for arthritis instead of acupuncture and found it effective?? I don't have arthritis issues with my pups, but my vet is one of the first vet clinics to have started the laser therapy, and she really swears by it. Just wondering what people's experiences were.

I have a 6 ft wooden fence in my (very small) yard, but I often visit my parents who have a combination of 6 feet to 4 feet chain link. Teague would not even think of trying to jump it. I am guessing if any grey would jump (some do), it would be more likely the smaller, lighter females. Karma, my little forty pound dog used to easily clear a 6 foot fence when I first got her and she had bad SA.

Teague has always had very yellow pee...much darker than any of my other dogs. I wouldn't worry about how much they drink unless they are showing obvious signs of dehydration. You can add some non salt broth to the water if you think he really needs to drink more, but most likely, he is probably just fine.

For the most part, it is fine to feed raw and kibble together. I think it is a bit of an "old wives tale" started by some raw die hards who make up a lot of theories. Many dogs are successfully fed this way, including racing greyhounds, and sled dogs who almost all eat a kibble/raw meat mixture.

I'm 32...was the young age of 30 when I got Teague who will be 6 this year

You can easily feed the two together. There are lots of ways depending on how you want to do it. You can either feed one meal kibble, one meal raw, or two meals of kibble/raw mixed. Most days here I do a morning ground/chopped raw mix in with kibble, then the evening meal is usually raw or sometimes cooked leftovers. Lew Olsen has a book called "Raw and Natural Nutrition" with recipes for mixed diets, kibble add-ins, all raw and cooked. Ideally, at least half of your meat would be boneless, so feeding turkey necks all the time would be too much bone. But..if you mix in some ground meat, stewing meat, heart, organs, eggs, that helps to add in the boneless stuff.

Mine sat around for two years..neither of my dogs would touch it. I tried soaking it in hot water to get the juices/smell out, but still no go. I gave it away to my Aunt's dog who loves it though, and it has lasted her forever, even with a pretty powerful chewer.

I think there is a fine line with multiple dogs when it comes to what growls are acceptable and what are not. Growls are not always "bad" they are a form of communication, and sometimes needed. I only allow growling when another dog is doing something rude or innappropriate like mounting, stealing food, playing rough, etc. (assuming I know the dog, and they aren't going to escalate the growl into anything worse). I don't allow it for anything else, like growling when another dog gets attention, eating side by side, a dog simply coming to sniff, etc. It is also a matter of knowing your dog. Karma, my older non-grey, for example, rarely growls EVER, but can read other dogs amazingly. So..on the rare occasion when she does growl, I trust she has good reason for it (and she does!). It sounds like your pups are both pretty level headed, so I would keep an eye on things, and use your judgement

I am in a similar situation as you. Teague also does NOT do well on most commercial foods I have tried...it isn't worms, or bacteria, he just doesn't do well on cooked/rendered fats. I would do all raw if I could, but when I am low on supplies it gets expensive and I do a mix of kibble/raw as well as some homecooked. If I keep things at least 60% raw it seems to keep his system in check. Where are you getting your food from? There are a ton of co-ops in Toronto with great deals. Have you checked into any raw supplier groups?

I've never had a crate except for puppies. I have nothing againt them, I just didn't have one when I got Teague, plus I had 3 weeks off from work so I didn't have to leave him alone until he had done a lot of alone training. I have never had a problem with any of my dogs uncrated. We go for a run before work and they basically have free reign in the house and are fine. Feeding is easy as well, Karma eats in the kitchen and Teague eats in the hallway (he won't go in the kitchen for some reason, but it makes things easier that way!). They don't have any aggression eating side by side either. So...I guess if I had problems where a crate would be useful I would get one, but since everything is fine without, I haven't put down the $ to get one.

You can pretty much feed any part you can find. One of my favourites (because it is very meaty and cheap) are pork shoulder/picnic roasts. They usually have the skin left on them as well so they are best, long lasting chew I have found! They are quite large so usually they last 2-3 meals. I also occasionally give hocks/tails as a chew treat (they have them at our grocery store) and feed ribs, neck, heart, and kidney when I can find it. My ground mix also has trim and tongue

You're not likely to find prices as cheap as the U.S. but as far as I know the best and cheapest place here is www.bullysticks.ca Certainly cheaper than the petstore prices!

Teague sometimes does a little hunched-back, excited type of skitter when certain vehicles pass. I assumed it just reminds him of chasing (don't some kennels drive up and down in ATV's beside the dog runs??) Snowmobiles realy get him excited, I think it's the louder, high pitched motor. If he was off leash he would be chasing them for sure!

A few things I taught after target was "kiss" where Teague bumps my face with his nose. Also I used target to lure him into a circle, and now he will "spin" around in a circle. If your dog will lure well you can also teach "bow" easily (put your arm in front of their back legs so they don't walk, and then move the food lure along the floor in front of their nose...they will have to bow down to get it. Teague won't do this, but all of my other dogs did). I asked a few weeks ago here about clicker ideas and there were some good ideas around working with pvc poles doing jumps or weaving. Also, the "100 things to do with a box" is fun where you put a box (or any object) in front of the dog and start clicking any behaviours they offer. This way they start to get the idea that by offering behaviours, they get rewarded.

I have been clicker training and it is really fun. I have to admit, it took a long time for Teague to "get it" MUCH longer any of my other dogs who had started training as puppies. I gave up for a while, but started again, and he\s definitely more motivated and learning faster now. We have just been doing easy target exercises, and some simple movements like spin, paw, come, stay, etc. So...my advice is keep at it and don't give up

The theory behind rotating is that 1) multiple protein sources and ingredients can give a wider variety of nutrients, and 2) rotating is supposed to prevent allergies and intolerances that can build up when the same ingredients are eaten day in, day out. If your dog can handle it, I think rotating foods and protein sources is great. Some dogs can't handle it so well though.

ANY ingredient can be contaminated: grains, vegetables (I remember seeing a really nasty pic of some half rotten carrots they were putting in food), meats or even the additives which in most cases come from places like China. In fact, that personally concerns me more...I could be wrong, but I am guessing that to keep costs down, a large proportion of ingredients in petfoods still comes from China, certainly many of the grains and additives (remember the big melamine recall a few years ago?). The corn used in dog food, I am guessing, is the same "animal corn" feed put in livestock./cattle food, so I am assuming it is checked under the same regulations.

I had posted something very similar to you a while ago. I was trying to do some training and things were going soooo slow, plus like yours, Teague didn't seem overly food motivated. He will take food from my hand but won't lure, whether because he is too "polite" or due to the fact he just doesn't get it, I don't know I watched all the videos on lying and sitting, but it doesn't work here because he will not follow the food. So...instead of food I have started using a target stick/clicker reward to lure him. He knows if he touches the stick with his nose he gets a reward, so I can use that to move and lure him. I almost gave up after it took two weeks to teach a reliable paw shake, but then I decided to just have fun with things and forget about sit and lie down and work with the clicker on easier things like targeting, paw, spin, kiss, come, stay, etc. I can honestly say he is definitely starting to get things easier and faster and at least now understands that training means that he has to offer up new behaviours to get rewarded. He does not, and probably never will, train as fast as the other dogs (or rats!) I have trained, but we are having fun and definitely making progress. We have to use a greasy, messy mixture of chopped rotisserie chicken and beefroast/ beefheart here, hotdogs, cheese, etc. do not keep his interest. Finding a food that truly motivates is also key.

I have fed venison before...some dogs have loved it, others it has caused stomach issues. I don't worry so much about the leg bones, my dogs don't aggressively chew bones at all, basically they pick the meat off with their front teeth and leave the bones. I feed lamb leg bones and they have to be one of Teague's favourite things ever. So...unless your dog is a voracious chewer (most raw fed dogs are not since they are used to bones) I would go ahead and feed

I would also love to do agility. I am not sure if Teague would be so good at it though....we are starting to practice very basic stuff for fun at home with weave poles. I don't think there are many places near me who do agility..and if they do I think most require basic obedience first which I am not really so keen on doing. I would love to do something like coursing, but again, there is nothing close by

In my experience, the only thing that causes crumbly poo is lots of bone. But...it sounds you aren't feeding too much, so I would maybe wait another week to see if he adjusts. You may want to add in some organ meats (if you haven't already) or even less bone for the time being to let him gradually adjust. You could also try him on no bone for a few days to see if that makes a difference. Then gradually add it in.

I also started "training" right off the bat...the more you let your dog do things you don't want, the more it will become ingrained in them. I start right away with my rules and expectations. Much easier for us both that way! I use clicker training to work on fun things indoors. It takes a loooot of patience in the beginning, I actually gave up once or twice, but have started again and he is really starting to get things and have fun.