RedHead

I got one because Teague gets very anxious/excited in the car. To be honest I don't think it helps at all but I probably haven't given it a fair chance either. The training place said a lot of people have had success with them. As with any training aid though, you can't just expect to put it on and have instant success (well not usually). If you only put it on when the dog is scared, it will be associated with that. If you put it on when the dog is relaxed, and pet, massage, feed or whatever, they will begin to associate the feeling of it on them with relaxation.

Dog attacks are not fun to see Even though the pit owner didn't mean anything, I personally have NO sympathy for people who choose to get powerful breed dogs and then don't have full control of them. Two powerful pits straining on their leash at everything is just an accident waiting to happen, this guy clearly is not the right owner for them. Hopefully the other dog is okay and the pitbull owner got a wakeup call. You noticed you didn't see blood...a lot of dog fights that look and sound horrible are sometimes just more putting on a show rather than doing damage. Most dogs that are truly aggressive to kill another dog will do it straight away...I would imagine if a pitbull was grabbing the neck of a smaller dog and really meant to harm it, it would have done serious damage right away. Hopefully this was more a holding on thing than actually doing fatal damage. Sorry you had to see that.

Are the seeds fed whole? If so, I would be highly doubtful if any of it is actually absorbed. If your dog has ever eaten bird seed, you will know what I mean! They are not efficient at all in digesting seeds, they basically go right through. If it is ground up, I would imagine it would be digested easier. I add chia to my morning shakes, it also goes by the name "Salba" I think.

lol I can relate!!

Have you checked out the PC Nutrition First bones?? They are very similiar, having really good ingredients for a dental chew. You can get them at No Frills here, and they are around $3.99 for a package of two 6 inch bones. The other similar type brands are double that for one, and I actually prefer the ingredients in the PC over any of them. If you are looking for this type of chew you may want to check them out. I don't think they are available in the U.S. http://www.presidentschoice.ca/LCLOnline/products.jsp?type=details&brandId=4&tags=lclot89013&productId=prod1150025&

Variety is not as important as ratio of ingredients in raw diets (although it looks like you have great supplies!). A lot of people think giving little bits of everything is best, when in fact you have to feed larger amounts of the basics to ensure the dog is getting ideal nutrition. One mistake a lot of people do is base the diet on meaty bones with very little boneless meat. As long as you add a good amount of boneless meat you should be fine (I really like Lew Olsen's diet plan). Heart is a great highly nutritious cheap boneless meat if you can mix that with the ground venison that would be great! Years ago, I used to grind up veggie mixes but not anymore...there was no benefit that I could see. My dogs get a decent amount of table scraps (pasta, potatoes, cooked veggies, soup, kibble). I don't normally feed frozen, but it doesn't change the nutritional content or anything. I have heard cautions that say if a dog chews for long enough their mouth numbs and they might chomp down too hard breaking a tooth. For something quickly chewed like a turkey neck though, that shouldn't be a problem.

I feed it sometimes...my dogs do fine on it. If you go by ingredient lists in terms of amount of meat in a food vs. cost, I think it is one of the better deals you can find. I prefer the other formulas to the Sierra Mountain just because they are all the same price and the others have more meat in the ingredients...I figure I may as well get my money's worth.

My non grey Karma was EXTREMELY fearful of men when I got her as she was hit over the head with shovels and newpapers among other things (to the point of shivering and hardly being able to stand). At the time I got her there was a lot of construction going on at my house and I noticed she was fine with with all of the various construction men...basically because they walked past her and ignored her going in and out all day, and she would come behind them and sniff the air. This is opposed to "well do-ers" like my dad who tried to baby talk her and pet her which ended up with her barking and growling! Being able to pet a dog is sort of a human thing, for some dogs just being calm in the same room as a scary thing is an important first step. Petting paired with a panicked mindset will only produce anxiety. Petting while the dog is relaxed and happy is the only thing that will create a positive bond. As the other have said, having men come in and completely ignore him is really what he needs and wants. HE will approach when he is ready. In my case liver treats did WONDERS but each dog is different. Trust me, if Karma overcame this (well, mostly) you can do it! It just takes time and a lot of patience!

We HAVE to walk every day, at least twice (before and after work) or Teague gets very restless and whiny. If I didn't go in the cold we wouldn't be able to walk all winter! I think you just need to judge your dog. The only thing that cuts our walks short is if they are limping...I can always put a coat on them but if their paws are sore we cut it short. Dogs do have different tolerances, but they will let you know if they don't enjoy things (whining or limping). We have been going all week in -20F temps with coats (no booties as they hate them) and have just cut the walks shorter and done more indoor training and activities.

I give Grizzly Salmon Oil as well. I have tried a lot but really like this product because of the pump, as well as its wild salmon, and it has the nice orange colour that is apparently good in salmon oil. It is an awesome supplement, so many studies on the benefits of Omega 3's

You may want to check out the St. Louis co-op group. I find these are the most useful for finding good deals and sources. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/StLouisRaw4Pets/

Thanks for the videos I really like the idea of teaching something more active like that, but didn't think of anything other than come. I'm thinking Teague might respond better to that kind of thing too, and I have already taught him "over" on hikes so he can jump over logs and fences. I never thought of the poles, I taught my old dog to weave through my legs as I walked but Teague is too tall, so I gave up on that one. I think I'll do a mix of the two approaches and see what works. Thanks again for all of the ideas. If we learn anything monumental I will post I am mostly just doing it to give him some stimulation, he goes stir crazy if his walks gets shortened down in the cold weather, so we'll just have fun with it. Do you make your own poles out of PVC pipes? I couldn't tell from the video.

My old dog had a really severe and chronic pancreatitis attack when she was only a few years old. We tried everything, and it took a few years to figure out what worked, but after that she never had another problem again and lived a long and healthy life. Digestive enzymes, especially a pancreaitic enzyme powder can help. It really depends on your dog for what works but there are a lot of foods with a fat content of 9%-12% that are decent quality, especially if you look at the senior formulas. Here is a listing of some foods (I am not endorsing the site, but just thought it was useful that they posted fat and protein content of foods). http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/best-dog-foods/suggested-low-fat-dog-food/ Don't feel guilty for feeding cheese and yogurt, to be honest, I highly doubt that is what caused the pancreatitis. From what I was told, high fat foods trigger pancreatitis attacks, but don't necessarily cause it. Many dogs can recover quite well and go on eating their old food, other dogs need a more specific diet plan, but definitely be aware of keeping the fat lower. I fed a lot of fish and chicken/turkey which worked well.

Thanks for all the ideas! We did a bit of training today with the cold weather...I tried the box idea but with a toy just because I thought it might be useful in the future for training retrieves or other tricks. He is starting to offer behaviours on his own which is a dramatic improvement. I usually have the treat bowl in view as he doesn't fixate on it, but today I put it behind my back where he couldn't see it and he was facinated. He was right up close and seemed to enjoy the fact that these treats were magically appearing...it seemed to keep him more engaged. Funny what you discover as motivation We have been doing hide and go seek to practice stay and come, it is hard with just me here, but pretty funny to see how horrible his searching skills are. I'm trying to get him to use his scenting skills a little bit more. lol We'll keep plugging away and take things slowly!

I don't know if it is possible, but I would try to find out if the bag gave you problems due to an ingredient or formula change versus tainted ingredients. I wouldn't be so concerned if it was an ingredient change, but it would be hard for me to trust a company if it was an additive or chemical in the ingredients. Unfortunately, with a large portion of dog food ingredients outsourced from China, it is really hard to know who or what to trust If you really like this company and your dogs do well on it, I would try to contact the company for info before you switch.

I usually boil fish just because my dogs are picky, but they will sometimes eat frozen whole raw fish. Feeding it raw should be fine. Some fish in the salmon family *can* have a parasite in them that can be harmful, but as far as I know other types of fish do not have them. Either way, if you freeze the fish for a day or two it will kill off any parasites. Funny, but every dog I have ever fed raw fish to will eat the head first! In Teague's case that is all he will eat...he usually leave the body behind and I have to boil it up to get him to eat it Sushi! My old dog ate the head off first as well...must be the nutritious part

I feed them occasionally along with chicken backs and have never had a problem. I leave the skin on, but removed it for my old dog only because she had pancreatitis. They can be really large, but that is good as it promotes chewing and prevents the dog from swallowing. Teague normally doesn't eat the whole thing so I just put the extra in the fridge for the next day

I posted quite a while ago about being frustrated with the sloooowness of clicker training Teague, but thanks to those who told me to stick with it because we have made progress! Small progress, but for a dog who took two whole weeks to lift his paw to shake, not bad I taught him to target, and turned that into a bump on the face for "kiss" as well as stay, come (sit is not happening!) and his hardest trick yet...spin around. I think he is starting to "get" things a bit faster so that is good. I don't do it daily but this week is supposed to be really cold so I thought with shorter walks he might benefit from more indoor training. I was hoping some people could provide me with some easy and fun clicker games or tricks. I really need to keep things simple, as he still will only work for short periods and needs very basic steps. Would love to hear of some fun games or activities for a hound that doesn't necessarily initiate a lot of behaviours or move on his own. Thanks!

Teague won't work for hotdogs or cheese....the hardest food motivated dog in the world! I buy rotisserie chicken, de-bone them, and freeze in portions which works well. I amazingly got 15 minutes of solid training using cut up beef roast the other day. These options are healthy, cheaper, and more motivating than store bought treats imo. He'll often eat a good cup or more during a training session so I try to do it around dinner, and then feed a much smaller meal later.

Fish is a great protein, but if you feed a lot I would beware of ones high in mercury or other pollutants. For that reason alone, I personally wouldn't feed a fish based food, but feeding it as an add in should be okay (I am assuming the same human guidelines of recommended fish and amounts relative to toxins applies to dogs). I feed sardines, mackerel, whitefish, salmon, smelt and sometimes local lake fish that my brother catches. I also feed canned mussels once a week, they are very high in zinc which is great for the fur and skin. I have to say, my pups aren't super fond of fish

I'm a teacher and I always adopt in the summer if I can as I do a very slow transition to being home alone. Most people can't do this though, so either way can work out and the dog will adapt. Obviously, if you are with the dog in the summer and don't practice alone time you can have problems, but for me, I liked having the extra time to work on things.

You can sometimes get a better idea of a dog's "pet" behaviour, likes/dislikes, prey drive, housetraining, SA, etc if they have been in a foster home, so I think that can be a good option for people looking for a very specific dog, or a dog with certain traits. There will likely be more of an adjustment period with kennel dogs, you will be the one to introduce them to their first house, slippery floors, stairs, etc. I remember seeing the new kennel dogs getting off the truck at our group's picnic last year, and forgot how very "kennel dog" their behaviour is! I don't mean this in a bad way, it is just that there is a period of adjustment. I personally prefer just getting directly from the kennel. I really enjoy being able to interact with a lot of greys to pick one, rather have a group pick one for me. There are also usually way more dogs to choose from in a kennel. I like to be the one to introduce them to home life so I can get them started right away on my routine, rules, etc. Having said that, dogs are very adaptable, so they are likely to adjust quite easily either way!

Congrats on your new pup! Teague also came from McGregor Adoption Centre (he just travelled really far in the Greyhoundmobile!) The peeing while you are gone plus the freaking out in crate sounds like there could be some separation anxiety issues as well. I was going to suggest crating but if he freaks out in that and pees more, you may want to work more on the separation anxiety. A lot of people here have experience and can suggest resources. Sounds like he needs to have a lot of restrictions on where he is allowed to be right now (either right with you so you can catch him and take him out, or else in a crate). Enzyme cleaners like Nature's Miracle work well to take out the stains. In the meantime, you may want to put a belly band on him. It is basically a wrap that goes around them like a diaper and absorbs the pee

I would cut back on the fibre. Beet pulp and pumpkin is quite a lot. What happens if you just feed the kibble with fish oil and no pumpkin? You may want to try that. If that doesn't work, I would personally try looking into some different food options.

Acana is my personal favourite. Great ingredients, one of the few foods that (as far as I know) doesn't have any ingredients from China, and it seems to agree with a lot of dogs who don't normally do well on some of the higher meat or grain free foods. It is quite expensive on the downside, but I do believe in this case you are getting what you pay for.