Ask Darcie
Do you have a Training, Behavior, Food and feeding, or anything about dogs question? Leave a comment here at Ask Darcie. The answer will be in the Ask Darcie category here at The Dish so check back to see what help she might have for you and your dog. Practical and positive. That’s Darcie.
Some questions to Ask Darcie might be answered in a posted article. Those are the questions where the answers need to be shared with everyone. Thank you in advance for those!
(Note: When you ask a question or comment to a post, please don’t advertise your wares or your business. I give those comments to the dogs, they don’t get any air time at The Dish. If your comment attacks a reader, I’ll delete your comment. Please make your comment sensibly and honorably for your readers and mine. Thanks! Darcie)
Darcie might not reply or comment back to any comments left about articles or posts unless there is a question directed to her. She will answer questions and comments to Ask Darcie. Hugs to Your Dogs!
(Note: When you ask a question or comment to a post, please don’t advertise your wares or your business. I give those comments to the dogs, they don’t get any air time at The Dish. If your comment attacks a reader, I’ll delete your comment. Please make your comment sensibly and honorably for your readers and mine. Thanks! Darcie)
Darcie might not reply or comment back to any comments left about articles or posts unless there is a question directed to her. She will answer questions and comments to Ask Darcie. Hugs to Your Dogs!
[Dear Pam, search for barking at The Dish. I think you'll find some great help with some of my articles. Thanks! Darcie]
Dear Darcie, I have two 5 year old miniature schnauzers that are brothers. We travel in our RV often. They are pretty well behaved except for barking or howling while we leave them there alone. Is there any way to prevent that or stop it? We have had a couple of complaints made recently about them but we have no idea what to do. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Pam
Pam Wells
September 2, 2009 at 10:07 pm
[Dear Shannon, Take a look at these two at The Dish, http://thedish.sitstay.com/2009/08/01/ding-dong-barking-dogs and http://thedish.sitstay.com/2009/07/08/barking-what-to-do I think you'll like them both. Darcie]
Dear Darcie, How in the world did you get Dancer to stay quiet with the “thanks Dance” command? We have a beagle who gets focused on whatever he’s barking at and will not stop. We can lure him into another room, run him thru his “parlor tricks” for 10 minutes and when we’re done he’s right back barking at whatever he was focused on. It’s a real pain when the neighbors are in their back yards or people are walking down the street. We have managed to keep him from uncontrolled barking most of the time, but with the garbage truck all bets are off. He just doesn’t even hear us. Suggestions? Thanks. Shannon
Shannon
September 5, 2009 at 11:30 am
[Dear Jennifer, Take a look at my article here at The Dish, "Ding Dong! Barking dogs. http://thedish.sitstay.com/2009/08/01/ding-dong-barking-dogs , Thanks. Darcie]
Dear Darcie, My border collie is generally very well behaved and polite (waits for permission to enter a doorway, etc.) My problem is his barking at the door when someone approaches. How can I convince him to give an alert, then accept my judgement that the visitor is no threat and that he should hush? This is driving us nuts. Jennifer
Jennifer
September 5, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Thanks for the suggestions. I’m starting TODAY!
Jennifer Giese
September 6, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Dear Darcie, Your blog is a very good read and very helpful to dog owners like myself. I also really admire you as a dog owner because you seem very responsible, knowledgable, and passionate with your “pack.” Surprisingly, not all online dog supplies store owners are actual experts in what they preach or in what they sell. I just read your blog entry about 3 of the most important things to teach your dog when you begin training it, and I was surprised you didn’t emphasize the “come” when called. From my own personal experience, as well as what dog trainers seem to always teach as “the most important thing you can teach your dog,” I was curious why you didn’t mention it. Great website in SitStay by the way, it has replaced PetFoodDirect as my new favorite. Vast selection of top of the line products at great prices…Gracias. Zachary
[Dear Zachary, I didn't add the Come to the list of three because if she always keeps her dog on leash, it's not one of the most necessary to live well with her dogs. I agree that Come is a life necessity and she'll get to that when she has success with these three things, the Come may even happen as she trains these other things, Come is cool like that. She asked for three things so she could get started and in my opinion, there is nothing more important than: Sit, which gives her control. Good Potty manners, which insures a healthy house. And walking on a loose leash, which will insure exercise for the dogs and a healthy body for her. With those three things, she and her dogs will live together without scenes, in a healthy house, and with her shoulders and back in tact at the other end of a happy dog on a loose leash. She'll have great success with her dogs with these three things and when she does, she'll move on to the rest. Isn't it good how that happens? Thanks for writing! Darcie]
Zachary Odette
October 1, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Hi Darcie, We have a 6 y.o. female Lhasa Apso adopted in February 2008 from a rescue mission. She absolutely loves other dogs and always wants to go visiting so she can play. We’ve treated her like a queen since we rescued her. What are your thoughts about us getting another dog for her? If you think it’s a good idea, would you do a puppy or older dog? My fear is that she has had a hard enough life and will get upset about bringing another dog in the house. Thanks, John
[Dear John, She sounds lovely. Everybody wants puppies, they are usually easily placed in new homes. It's the older dogs that have troubles finding new homes. If I were in your shoes, if it was me? I'd rescue another dog close to her age, temperament, and activity level and let them greet, see how they get along. If she likes the new dog, stay with neutered or spayed please, take them both home and live happily ever after. Rescue dogs, in my experience, have great big hearts, they are grateful for being saved. She sounds like a solid dog and should get along famously with another rescue. Please do spend at least three hours with a dog you suspect that will be your next before introducing them, to be sure it's the dog you'd like to have. If the rescue center will let you see the new dog play and be around some other rescue dogs, that will tell you a bunch about the new dog. Then bring your girl to visit the new one and see how it goes. Most rescues will have a special room for outside dogs to come in to greet. If they get along with each other, go for a nice long one hour, on leash walk with both dogs so they can start bonding as walking partners. Then get on home and enjoy your bigger family. Bless your heart for saving the dogs. Darcie]
John
October 8, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Hi Darcie: I am a volunteer with Big Dogs Huge Paws. While I was at your home, you mentioned a book that will cure dog pulling in one day.
What is the name of that book and does SitStay.com carry it? THanks. Kaywin
[Dear Kaywin, Yes, we do! The book is by Turid Rugaas. It's titled My Dog Pulls. Find it at http://www.sitstay.com, search for it with the words 'my dog pulls'. The Store will show it to you. I love Turid and this book! Give Mr. Lincoln a hug for me. Thanks, Darcie]
Kaywin Sohl
October 12, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Hey Darcie, thanks so much for your wisdom and insight into dog-land! I’ve learned much here and started my 3 border collies (yes, all rescues) on a raw diet this summer. What a difference – “no” to doggy breath and bad poo, “yes” to shiny coats, nice teeth and positive energy. I’ve got a great idea for a bumper sticker: “Let your inner wolf shine – feed raw!” lol. thanks again, mostly from Haley, Sundance & Ted. Jen
[Dear Jen, I am so happy that you're sharing your good results with raw food for your dogs with everyone. The difference is amazing, isn't it! Feeding our dogs the way Nature intended is so perfectly smart. Thank you! Darcie]
Jen in NOLA
October 14, 2009 at 10:00 am
Hi Darcie! I just read Kent’s review of the SnooZZy OrthoAir Inflatable Dog Beds. I laughed so hard when I read “Oliver likes to claw at his bed so the cover ends up next to the bed. He then digs at the bed itself.” My dog does the same thing. She really gets into this routine and sometimes snorts. Then she lays down with the most contented sigh. It’s hilarious. Any insight into why some dogs do this and others twirl a few circles and plunk down? Great to know my dog isn’t the only one who does this before she sleeps! Amy
[Dear Amy, I don't know why some dogs do the circle and make the bed thing. There is some speculation and of course some will tell you that it's a instinctual thing. My Dancer loved to make her bed before going to bed. Tilli just lays down and calls it a day. Frankie sometimes makes her bed but mostly she's on the lookout for a reason to get up again, Black Lab Border Collie, high energy. Oliver does make his bed most of the time. There have been a few times I've seen him lay down and go to sleep with no making at all, usually that's right after a good day play session. I think it's probably more of a personal issue. Like us, do you sleep on the whole bed or your half, do you plump your pillows or let them lay, do you wiggle around to get comfortable or do you just go to sleep? I'm like my Dancer was, I usually get the bed just right, then I fall off to dreamland. Thanks, Darcie]
Amy
October 14, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Dear Darcie, How can I cure my 8 month old beagle/??? mix from chasing cats? She killed a baby kitten that came into the yard. We now have 2 kittens about 10-12 weeks old. They live in the barn but I can’t trust Bella anywhere near them. Where do I start to train Bella to leave the cats alone? Spanking and locking her in her cage has not helped. Her sister is not nearly as aggressive or interested in the kittens, but will go after them when Bella does. Thanks for your help. Pat
[Dear Pat, Yes, usually violence doesn’t work, it just creates more violence. In your case, against cats. Karen Pryor probably says it better than anyone I know. Here’s a link to her article on how she stopped her dog from chasing and hurting the cat. Karen’s article is really good and I know her so recommending her to you is easy for me, click here for Karen’s article.
Please read it and then buy your clicker training supplies from http://www.sitstay.com You’ll like our SitStay’s Getting Started Clicking Kit, it has everything you need and treats. I think you’ll even get a free treat in your order! Thanks, Darcie
Pat
November 4, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Hi Darcie, do you happen to remember the name of the dog you write about in your post on the shock collar and scat mat? I’d really like to see it but trying to watch the current episode on the NG site I only get the lady from the Biggest Loser and her dog. Thanks! Laura
(Laura, It’s in that same episode. The woman from the biggest loser really surprised me, she seems so practical with people. It’s common sense for me not to let a dog run amuck with no manners like hers was. She did a lot of yelling at the dog but didn’t go to get the dog so nothing she said was being taken seriously by the dog. Her assistant did have control of the dog, I’d guess because she put in the time with him. Putting a leash on the dog was the perfect solution for a dog out of control, then training sit, stay. I liked how Cesar portrayed this one. Of course we all know that the dog had been exercised a lot when they started showing the film, and a tired dog is usually a good dog. It was still a pretty good one, I didn’t see any hurt happening. Thanks, Darcie)
Laura
November 11, 2009 at 1:03 am
Dear Darcie: I was reading on the ASPCA’s Facebook page about Oreo, a pitbull they are euthanizing. Several comments related to “Call Caesar Milan because he’ll help”. I feel the need to comment on why NOT to call Caesar. I am struggling to keep my post appearing sane and leading people to investigate his methods vs. becoming defensive of what they do not realize about his methods. What advice can you share on how to reply? Or in the future to explain to people why Caesar’s methods are not to be praised or followed? Thank you. Amy
(Dear Amy, I wish there was an easy answer. I and many others have been working for years to change minds and it’s been successful, a person and a dog at a time. Changing minds about how to care for and train animals can be difficult. As humans, we like to think that we know best so no matter what our choice of method is, we don’t like to change. If we’ve had some success with harsher treatments, we believe that it works and we’ll stick with that until hell freezes over. No matter that there are much better ways. It’s hard to say I’m sorry I was wrong and it’s harder yet to forgive one’s self for having done it badly. It usually finally takes a person working with a dog that they love, from puppyhood and having something go wrong in adulthood, seeing the harm they’ve caused, to change a mind. Sometimes by then it’s too late and a dog has been damaged beyond saving. The good news is that they then become advocates for positive, effective, no harm dog training and will shout it from the rooftops. Converts are often the strongest of most religions and of dog trainers and dog lovers. If you have to suggest who to contact for help with Oreo, you might consider Best Friends Animal Society, as far as I’ve seen they use only positive and get good results. They worked with some of the Vick dogs and good success. I’ve been told by the owner of a Rotti that Best Friends recently turned down helping that dog, it had been trained with Cesar’s methods and had turned into a biting, emotionally volatile dog. All seemed all right until the dog turned two, then something snapped in his brain, he had had enough, I guess. The dog was euthanized because no one believed they could turn around the damage that had been done with “touches”, stress, pressure, and alpha rolls. They may turn Oreo down if they think as the ASPCA does, that Oreo is beyond help at this point, and she might be. I don’t know what to tell you for sure. Pray or meditate about it. Find that quiet place inside yourself and the right answers will come. Keep it simple. Write something down and then let it sit for an hour if you have the time, then go back and finish it. Don’t use fighting words, they won’t work. Be helpful, write with love. I hate it and I hate to say it out loud but I believe there are times when euthanizing a dog is the only safe choice left, for the dog and for the people. If the dog is so mentally, emotionally, and physically destroyed by humans that no human can safely be around the dog and there isn’t anyone who wants to or can safely manage and pay for the dog’s care for the rest of it’s life, there aren’t many choices left. It sounds like Oreo was beaten regularly and then tossed off of a six story building. It sounds like she’s beyond any human help. I wish it wasn’t so. If I were Oreo and knew that I would have to live out my life in solitude and continuing emotional and mental anguish, I might at this point in my life, shattered, scared and scarred, wish to move on to where there is no pain. If we could stop bad breeding practices, abuse of animals, and bad training practices, there wouldn’t be stories like Oreo’s. Maybe in a better world. Some people would have you believe that they have the same “energy” and strength that Cesar Millan has and some of them do, “the force” is not specific only to him. Some would have you believe that using words like “behaviorist” instead of “trainer” gives a person the right to hang or shock a dog. I don’t agree. The trouble is that there are so many more people who don’t have a good energy to work with dogs. They lose their temper, they aren’t consistent, they discipline when there should be praise, they hang a dog on leash because that’s what they think the method is. Using Cesar’s techniques without good energy can and does cause emotional, mental, and physical harm to dogs and sometimes even if you have the good energy. It all depends on the dog’s heart. Will he still trust and respect you if you treat him like that? If you want Oreo to live and Cesar Millan is the only living human in the world who will try to help, he is your only choice. No, I don’t like some of what he does but I also don’t believe he’s evil. Ask the question, “Is death a better choice than Cesar Millan trying to make a difference in this dog’s life? Can he save her? Is there a possibility that he can without making her worse?” The answer would be another question. You know how he works with aggressive dogs, would he work with Oreo the same way he does with the dogs on the TV show given how she’s been so physically hurt? I don’t know the answer to that. I wish I could be a better help to you. Sometimes, like in the case of Oreo who is so badly damaged, there isn’t an easy answer. Let me end with this. I am glad that you are not being silent. Silence might be golden and only saying nice things might be good manners but they won’t change the world to a better place when things are drastically wrong. I hope you get the end you want for Oreo. I’ll pray for her right now. Darcie)
Amy
November 13, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Dear Darcie, I have read your articles for puppy biting and anxiety and trust. My problem is we bred our Ridgeback and she had 13 pups. They all found homes by 8 weeks. One pup’s owner is having difficulty with lunging at face and she has bitten everyone. I just sent him your suggestions for stopping this but he may wish to return her. If he does, I will certainly try your methods myself. But, If I then find her a new home after fixing this problem, will she again revert to this behavior in a new home? Karen
(Dear Karen, I’ll answer this question as a regular post. This subject deserves more than a few lines. See TheDish. Thanks, Darcie)
Karen
December 9, 2009 at 8:28 am
Dear Darcie,
We have an 18 mo old Beagle/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix.
He is VERY smart,VERY athletic and VERY energetic, much more than we bargained for. He is also VERY sneaky when he wants to do bad. He is fixed, crate trained, and I have taken him to obediance classes and worked with him since he was 3 mos old. We’ve made it through Intermediate, but he won’t stay with me off-lead to go on to Agility or Advanced classes. He is house broken, except where other dogs have marked.
My biggest problem is I have to keep him gated in an area that includes a large kitchen and my office, where I spend most of the day. If he’s left unsupervised he tears up anything he can find or steal. He jumps up onto tables or climbs furniture to reach things. He wants to play ALL the time, and I have to get some actual work done some times. I’ve got Snappy Trainers everywhere, but the cats set them off. As soon as the coast is clear, the dog’s up stealing things to destroy. He will also attempt anything to get to the cats’ food.
We live 5 miles out in the country and there are no neighbor dogs, or anyone else to entertain him. My husband travels most weeks. I’ve thought of getting him a companion dog (NOT puppy), but we have four cats, two geriatric, and can’t afford any more vet bills. I’m also afraid of doubling the trouble I already have. How can I calm him enough to let him be part of the family? Cathie
(Dear Cathie, I’ll answer this in a regular post. I have lots of ideas of you and we’ll need more room than we have here! -Darcie)
Cathie
December 10, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Hi Darcie: The place we board our dog recently began carrying a dog product called PetzLife Oral Care Gel. While I like the idea of keeping my dog’s teeth healthy, I’m concerned if the ingredients are safe for a dog, particularly the grain alcohol. What is your opinion on this product? And what do you think is the best way to keep from having a dog anesthetized for a teeth cleaning? Thanks!! Amy
(Dear Amy, Without saying anything bad about somebody’s product, let me take you in a different direction. Take a look at PlaqueOff at SitStay.com, I think you like the ingredients much better and it works! Natural supplements when you need them and a good diet are the best things you can do for your dog’s teeth. I like a raw food diet for my dogs. If you like the convenience of commercial foods, take a look at the foods we carry, they are some of the very best. My best advice is to stay away from corn based food and supplements for dogs. I wrote an article about that not to long ago. Search The Dish for “Is Your Dog a Corn Dog?” And make sure your dog gets plenty of time for chewing. If you steer clear of that awful white rawhide, you should do great. We have a really nice and long line up of chews, too. Thanks. – Darcie)
Amy
December 12, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Dear Darcie,
We have 3 wonderful dogs, a 7 year-old beagle, a 2 year-old beagle and a 2 year-old shih tzu. While all 3 dogs are fantastic, we have some big issues. I would love to try clicker training, but I’m honestly not sure how to train 3 dogs at once. If I take 1 dog out in the yard to work with them, the 2 in the house bark and carry on. How do you work with multiple dogs? Thanks so much! Kelly
Kelly Williams-Hobbs
December 17, 2009 at 8:37 am
Dear Kelly, Dogs are really smart about when they are working and when another dog is working. Just start. Pay complete attention to only one dog. The other dogs have to lay down on the couch or someplace comfy to wait their turn. Our three Belgians and one Golden were pros at this after just one session. Keep your session with each dog to about five minutes to start. I used to say, “Who’s next?” and they dogs chose who got to be next. They were wonderful. I am so glad you’re starting clicker training. You’ll find out how easy it is to work with several dogs at once and with one at a time although everyone is in the room. Thanks, Darcie
Darcie
December 17, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Hi Darcie, I wanted some more information from you regarding tripett. I read the little article from one of your customers saying how much they liked it. I used to feed it to my wolfhound but for some reason I quit. Even though the article starts out with “Why feed tripe” it doesn’t really tell you why, or what it does for the dog. If I feed kibble how much of the tripe do I need to feed him to benefit him, and if I add to his dry, how much of his dry do I not give him. Could you email me back with the information. I also wanted to take this opportunity to tell you how much I love shopping on your website and your customer service is fantastic!!! Wish you had a store in Colorado!! Susie
Dear Susie, Tripe is basic good food for dogs, nutritious and healthy. It’s as close as you can get to what the dogs would eat if they didn’t have you cooking for them…Nature’s food. You can feed tripe every day with kibble or you can feed only Tripett as it’s own meal for a few meals a week. Go to http://www.sitstay.com and search for the word ‘Tripett’ to see all the flavors and the suggested daily feeding instructions. The SitStay Dogs get Tripett several days a week. Oliver is almost 90 pounds and gets two to three cans for a tripe only meal. The girls are 62 pounds or so and they get one can. I hope that helps. You should see some fast changes in your dogs if you’re feeding only a dry kibble now. The Tripett is wholesome and the dogs love, love, love it! – Darcie
Susie
December 21, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Dear Darcie, I stubbled upon your site recently looking for “hearing dog apparel”. My dog’s vet wrote a letter “certifying” our dear “Token” as a “hearing dog”. My doctor then backed it up saying I needed a “hearing dog” because I am hearing impaired. What are some other techniques I can teach him to “alert me” of other things,ie:phone ringing. (I’m not totally deaf deaf, but incredibly hearing impaired) He does notify us when someone is at the door (What dog doesn’t!!!??). He originally was a “rescue dog”. Someone abandoned him on the side of a country road leaving him for dead. Let me tell you he is amazing! He does seem to “notice” when someone is ABOUT to knock or ring the doorbell. Thank you. Patti Martin, Rogers, AR
Dear Patti, I love it when rescue dogs become service dogs, it’s so perfect in the circle of life. Please check with http://www.ada.gov , search for ‘service dog’ to see the current regulations. I like clicker training, it’s fast and it’s fun. Go to http://www.sitstay.com and search for ‘clicker training’ to find the book, DVD or Kit that you like best. You can teach anything with clicker training. Hugs to you and your dog. – Darcie
Patti
December 28, 2009 at 6:41 am
Dear Darcie,
!) Patricia
Another question, I was recently apartment hunting and asked the owner of an apartment complex what her policy was on service animals. She said AND I QUOTE,”Oh it isn’t one of THOSE THERAPY DOGS IS IT?! They don’t count! AND if your hearing impaired how can you talk on the phone!?”(It’s called VOLUME CONTROL LADY!!! Plus after having to say,”Pardon? Excuse me? Can you repeat that please?” 50 times she would have gotten the hint!) She was so “snotty” about it and I was actually speechless! I did answer her politely not wanting to rattle off the service animal disability act or cuss her out or even send Guido over there to break her legs!(JK on the Guido part). In my mind after I informed her that my dog was a hearing dog, I was thinking What a B***H! Can someone in a position such as this legally be all like that towards service dogs even if they ARE therapy dogs?! Wait til she sees what I say on my facebook about her!(ok she probably won’t see it, but ooooh, I am ticked! Please advise Darcy. Thank you!(PS my HEARING SERVICE dog is my therapy too! and he’s right next to me right now keeping my feet warm!
Dear Patricia, Therapy Dogs are not covered by the ADA regulation. Service Dogs are. If your dog is a Service Dog according to ADA, your dog can live and be with you anywhere. Go to http://www.ada.gov search on ‘service dog’ to get the current regulations and explanation of what a service dog is.
Your best revenge against her is no revenge at all. Generally people who like to cause ill will for others feed on hearing bad things about themselves from those others and when they hear it, feel vindicated knowing that they were right about those others. If she’s the owner of the complex, you may want to strongly consider not renting from her, you’ll probably not find peace there. If I were you, I wouldn’t mention her by name or business on Facebook but only as a problem that you encountered while looking for a place to live. It would be a “she said, she said” and she could sue you if your written word hurts her business. Take a deep breath and let it go. I’d guess it wasn’t personal anyway, she may have had problems with dogs in her building in the past and that can be hard for a landlord to get over. If it was personal, she just doesn’t understand compassion yet. She will one day. Pray for her instead.
I hope this helps. – Darcie
Patricia Martin
December 28, 2009 at 7:08 am
Hi Darcie, We would like two of the scent pouches please. One in blue, one in pink. If they make purple, we’d like the pink one in purple instead. Just asking…..Thanks very much! Do you know of any trackers in the Boulder, CO area so we could have that info on hand quickly? Laura
Dear Laura, Having a tracking contact number on hand is extremely important in case of emergency. And if your dog goes missing, that’s an emergency. Check with your local tracking or search and rescue teams for a solid contact phone number then store that number inside the Pouch. Brush your dog and fill the baggie full of hair. You might consider changing the hair out every few weeks to have fresh scent for your tracker. SitStay.com will make your order for a blue and a pink (sorry, no purple yet) and email you for payment. They’ll probably ask if you want to use the same card you used for your last order. These Scent Keepsake Pouches are so beautiful and well made. Thank you very much! – Darcie
Laura
December 28, 2009 at 11:58 am
Dear Darcie, I am interested in the scent and keepsake pouches. Am I at the right place? Is the quantity limited? I’m witing an article about finding lost pets and would like to include info on them if hey will be readily available to the public wh may be interested. I’ll look for your reply here, or in my emailbox! Thanks! Beth
Dear Beth, Yes, this is the right place. The quantity is not limited. We’ll have them available at http://www.sitstay.com very soon. The designs are mine. Here’s the write up that will be with the Scent and Keepsake Pouch online, you can quote me for your article if you’ll reference me, Darc, and my store, SitStay.com:
“This Scent and Keepsake Pouch comes to you and your dog from my love for my dog Dancer. In her honor and memory, I offer these beautifully made Scent and Keepsake Pouches to you. If your dog goes missing, is stolen, gets confused, ill or lost, you will have what I didn’t have. You’ll have the scent specific to your one dog to find your dog again.
My old Dancer went missing last June. We’d gone for a walk in our beautiful prairie home, her most favorite thing in the world to do. She was an explorer and often left the trail to follow a scent and then would come back to me to tell me happily what she’d found. This day, this walk, she left the trail and then she disappeared. She’d was right behind me and in a heartbeat, she disappeared as if she’d never been. I called and called but only my voice came back to me. The air was still and quiet, a light rain was falling. She didn’t come. Something was terribly wrong. Our friends, our neighbors, our family and we looked high and low and thought we had covered every inch of our property and we still couldn’t find her. The heartbreak of knowing that she must have left the trail and died, that in those few minutes her life ended without me, left me grief stricken, my heart was breaking. The pain of knowing that she was all alone sent me to my knees sobbing in prayer and grief over and over that day. “Where are you, Dancer? Where are you, Girl?” A tracker said that old dogs often get dazed and confused and walk away to die. I couldn’t believe that my Dancer would leave me but what if it was true? What if she had lost her mind and was somewhere walking where no one would stop to help her? What if she had waded into the water and couldn’t get out? What if she’d fallen and I wasn’t there to help her? We called tracking dogs in but they could not find her. The only scent articles we had were things that she’d shared with the other dogs. All the dogs’ scents were mixed up and the prairie was filled with scent from all of them, criss crossing each other’s trails. The prairie was our own private and special playground, it was filled with a mixture of all of them. The tracking dogs became confused, there were too many scents, they couldn’t pick up the scent they were supposed to follow. They walked in circles and sat down. They did not have a scent that was solely Dancer’s and they could not find her among the heavily dog scented grasses. They tried so hard but her scent was mixed up with all the other dogs. If we would have had a scent article specific to her, they would have found her quickly.
We did finally find my old Dancer girl not far from where she’d left me. She’d picked up the scent of something interesting and followed it just like she’d done a million times. Dancer left the trail just like always but this time the end of her life met her before she could come back to me. She put her head down, curled her tail around herself and went to sleep, cradled deep in the prairie grass that we both loved, the rain falling softly on her shoulders. I wish I could have been there.
DESCRIPTION:
Beautiful, hand made Scent and Keepsake Pouch. Each pouch has a plastic picture frame on the bottom for quick recognition by your tracker. Fill the specially prepared bag inside with your dog’s hair. Write down your local dog tracking organization or club’s contact information and store it inside the Pouch. The Pouch is about the size of a small apple when it is puffed up. It will lie flat to store in a purse or pocket. If your dog goes missing, you are ready.
Rescue dogs tend to jump fences and run away before they bond with their owners. Old dogs can get confused and walk away from home. Dogs in a car accident might flee the scene in terror. Playing puppies who squeeze through the fence get lost and don’t know how to come home. Don’t lose your dog! Be ready. Have your Scent and Keepsake Pouch ready so you can call for help immediately. A tracking dog can follow the scent right to your wayward one.
Buy yourself the gift of peace of mind.
If your dog disappears, you will have the absolute best scent article stored and kept in a safe place.”
Thank you for spreading the word, Beth. I really appreciate it and I know that everyone who loves their dog will appreciate it, too. – Darc
Beth
January 3, 2010 at 10:03 am
Hi Darcie. I rescued my 1 year old dog about three months ago and after having him settle in some, we began taking obedience training. He wasn’t initially keen on it, but he’s smart and responds well to having a task (and to getting a treat!)I would like to continue on with our training and hope to have him be a therapy dog. Now, I am fortunate enough to live in an area where there are several therapy dog organizations. Each seems to be different, with variations in overall structure, rules and regulations, and fees. Since you are an advocate of therapy dogs, I was hoping you could help. Do you have any advice on how to choose the right organization to join? Teri
Dear Teri, Meet the people. The dogs are all going to be about the same but the people in the org might be different. Ask if you can come as a guest to two meetings for each club. Leave your dog at home for the first meeting and take him for the second meeting if you wish to return. I’d go as a quest to each to see how they run their meetings, how they treat their people and newcomers and how they treat their dogs. Stay after for coffee, there are usually several people who stay behind to visit, these will be the people who are running things. These are the people you’ll want to feel you can bond with. Most therapy dog clubs do the same things, they take their dogs out to do good things for people. So how you choose which club to join really boils down to where you are comfortable, accepted, and assured that the people running the org or the club are basically good people who do it out of love for dogs and for people who can’t have dogs with them right now. Money, rules, and color of vests and where you visit are second to finding a place you want to stay with for years to come. Just a note. If there are one or two overbearing people in the club and everyone has to walk on eggshells around them, you might want to avoid that club, there will not be peace. You want a club where you can be involved and help, not a club where you start looking for reasons not to go to the meetings. If you and your dog are having fun and doing the good thing, you’ve made a wise choice. New friends are just the bonus. – Darc
Teri
January 6, 2010 at 3:44 pm
Dear Darcy, I’d like to switch to raw food but I have two or three major concerns. First, the reason I’d like to switch is because I agree that fresh food can be better than commercial dog food, is certainly more natural and can be be better controlled. But I do worry a little about keeping a dog’s diet balanced, especially since I have a picky standard poodle. He eats kibble only as a last resort, so I’ve been cooking chicken and carrots for him–he doesn’t seem to like pork very much and I haven’t tried beef. He’ll eat some raw vegetables when I am preparing dinner for myself or making salads, but he seems to be eating them because his buddy the doberman does and because I give them to him by hand, like a treat. He often ignores them or eats around them when they are in his food dish. The one time I gave him a piece of raw chicken, he played with it and left it uneaten. So he is one concern. My other concern is that the doberman is an aggressive chewer and I feel I cannot give him raw bones. He’s already had one of his upper premolars (the biggest tooth in his head) crowned when he broke it chewing on rawhide. The veterinary dentist said he should have “nothing harder than you can mark with your fingernail”. This specialist is a good guy and is one expert I’ve come to rely on to help my dog but who has a very real problem with a diet of raw meaty bones. Otherwise, the doberman is a very hearty eater and also a very easy keeper. He actually gets by on less food than the poodle. What can you tell me about my situation? Ellen
Dear Ellen, If they were my dogs, I’d take them to a raw diet. There’s nothing wrong with feeding kibble if you choose the high quality kibble like those we sell at SitStay.com. We will never steer you wrong. I carry these in the SitStay store because they are some of the best available. But fresh is always better. Raw chicken bones are soft and pliable, easily chewed and digested by dogs so that’s in line with what your vet has requested of you. Find a vet who does like to see dogs eat what Nature intended for them to eat, they’ll be a good support for you. Here’s a SitStay link that will really help you http://dogrun.sitstay.com , there’s a wonderful resource for feeding raw food.
I’d suggest that you get one of our books on raw food to help guide you. Go to http://www.sitstay.com and look at the books for diet. They are, one and all, great.
I’m glad that you’re moving to a better diet for the dogs. Feed them the way you should eat, only don’t cook it. Balancing doesn’t have to be by the day, it can be by the week, it’s really not hard to do. Really it isn’t. In another six months, you’re going to be telling everyone you know to make the change for their dogs.
I had a comment this week that was kinda funny. She said, “What are you doing? Don’t you know that you’re getting people to stop buying dog food from SitStay? Aren’t your sales what support you? Aren’t you afraid you’ll lose business and money? What are you thinking?” My answer? No, I don’t worry about SitStay. We have only wonderful stuff and our customers are extremely loyal to us because we care for them and their dogs. Lots of people will continue to feed kibble so I offer them the best choices that I can. Why wouldn’t I urge people to feed their dogs fresh food? I love dogs and I want them to be well and happy and live the longest life they can with the people who love them. I can’t ship fresh food so the next best thing is to tell them how to do it. I love dogs. Being wealthy might be nice but I’d rather have every one of you living the best life you can with your dogs than to line my pockets with your lunch money. When you’re not giving all of your money to the vet any more because your dogs are well, you can buy them more toys and stuff at SitStay. I’ll love that! LOL! – Darc
Ellen Michael
January 15, 2010 at 11:36 am
Hi Darcy -
I have a question I’ve wanted answered “forever” and I’ve had lots of answers, just none that satisfied me so far.
Every dog food brand recommends a certain daily amount of their food according to their weight and that amount differs from brand to brand. They are all very close to the same amounts but they still differ.
We like to use kibble and top it with a dollop of wet food
( approx 2 T ) w/a squirt of water to mix, then warm it up a bit in the microwave. I know all the above is probably more to our
psychological tastes than his but still we enjoy doing this.
Our 1 year old bearded collie is 40 lb and his average
daily exercise consists of a 1-3 mile somewhat leisurely walk
w/my husband and 1 day per week at Doggie DayCare where
he plays for 1 hr, then goes to his kennel to rest for 1-1 1/2
hr, then back to playtime again (3X).
Finally, my question :
What amount of dry kibble, wet food, and lest not I forget his doggie treats ( healthy but still treats just the same ) should
he be eating per day ?
Again, I realize all dry and wet food ( & treats ) are not equal,
but do you have some sort of calculation that you could share
and would help me better able to figure the amount of food he should be eating for a healthy diet ?
Thanks ever so much ;0) Christie
Dear Cristie, I’ll post my answer to your question. It might take me a little room and it will answer some other questions I’ve received, too. Thank you. – Darcy
Cristie
January 30, 2010 at 5:51 am
Dear Darcy – I have an 13+ y.o. male GSD(+husky?)/Lab mix. He’s my absolute heart dog and still very healthy overall. Ideal weight is around 62 lbs and he is what I would consider barrel chested. We are seeing some hearing loss, joint stiffness and weaker back legs these days.
My questions revolve around what I’m seeing with friends’ dogs as a tendency for older, male, large dogs in getting bloat and what type of diet or routine could help prevent bloat? Do you believe there is a relationship in this happening? I’ll be honest, it terrifies me… 2 dogs I know were saved by emergency vet surgery, the other was lost just 2 weeks ago.
I feed 2x per day, about 10 hrs between a.m. and p.m. times. We have been kibble since day one, with leftover (unseasoned) veggies added randomly as we have them. (loves those broccoli and cauliflower stems!)
Since about 2002 we’ve exclusively fed Solid Gold. We walk about 3/4 mile shortly after the a.m. meal before I start my day. Evenings (when not winter in MN) we get about 5-10 good ball tosses in (not his choice, I limit him these days)
Would love your thoughts on this topic of bloat.
Thanks!
Stacy & Guinness
Mpls, MN
Stacy, I’ll answer in a post, there’s not enough room here. Hugs to your boy. – Darcy
Stacy
January 31, 2010 at 12:13 am
Dear Darcy,
Just putting it out here…
A male terrier looking dog all covered and caked in ice and snow followed my son and dog home(Which is rare my dog will SELDOM if ever “befriend” another male dog.
He’s small, black and white with a little bit of “brindle” colouring on his face and snout. Looks like his tail has been “docked” a little(?).
He was found in Rogers, AR
I have posted this on several websites trying to get the word out. I will be calling animal shelters and vet clinics in the morning(They were closed today and yesterday).
Thanks!
Patti Martin
Patricia Martin
January 31, 2010 at 7:39 pm
Darcie,
My husband has fallen in love with your “dome home” and wants to build one here in Louisiana. Where can I get more info? He google’d dome homes but they are all above ground. Kelley
Kelley, Go to http://www.formworksbuilding.com , Tell Dale that I sent you. He answers email quickly.
Darcy
Kelley
February 1, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Hey Darcie, Do you have any posts/articles on Separation Anxiety? I’m working with someone who adopted a husky/lab, about 2 yrs old, female, this is now her 4th “home” not including at least 2 foster homes in between. She’s very sweet, but incredibly needy. The new owner thought crating was out of the question, but has finally been able to have success using the crate (prior to crating, she was gated in a room where she ate walls and couches). She’s using vet prescribed sedatives, not sure what kind, but I told her that should be an absolute last resort and to try some herbal remedies first and since the vet meds have done zilch for this dog, she needs some help. I did a quick search for separation anxiety, but nothing came up on the site. I’d like to have some articles for her to read possibly to help verify what I’ve been telling her. She is determined to keep this dog, the kids even want to try dock dog sports with her, but until they can get through the mess in her head and the separation issues. Biggest issue being she LOVES other dogs, but cannot contain herself and will break through her Invisible Fence to see them. She lives with an older greyhound/lab who is very active and will play with her, but even when staked out, or on leash supervised, she gets fixated on the dogs passing by and gets tunnel vision! Any help you can pass along for her would be appreciated, thanks! Lindsay
Dear Lindsay, Thank you for turning her away from drugs. What most people don’t understand is that with a lot of those drugs the dog’s mind doesn’t stop feeling fearful, scared, or anxious, their body just can’t react. They may look calm on the outside but inside they are still working that fear. It can be terrifying and certainly makes matters worse. Explain it like this: I am going to put you in a straight jacket so you can’t react, tape your eyes closed so I can’t see your fear, tape your mouth shut so you can’t scream and drop you into a pool of water with blocks tied to your feet. You can’t move or cry out or save yourself, the fear is still there. You might look peaceful floating to the bottom of the pool but…
Yes, I have great stuff on anxiety and separation anxiety. Click on this link Anxiety Fear Exercise
If it was me, I’d dump the invisible fence, it can raise anxiety in dogs in a lot of different ways. Staking out a dog is never a good thing in my opinion, it can cause so many problems in dogs who aren’t perfectly happy to be still. Get the dog to a chiropractor, search The Dish for all of those articles. And yes, get the dog into activities now, don’t wait until the separation anxiety is solved. A dog getting exercise and playing sports will be a more stress free and confident dog.
And clicker training, get that from SitStay.com It’s amazing what it can do for a dog’s attention and calming influence. I watched a current It’s Me or the Dog on TV last week. She took a biting dog, dog was a bad, bad biter of all people, holding on to a child’s face and hanging on biter and who was attacking other dogs and turned it quickly into a dog who turned it’s attention away from those things and calmed. No alpha rolls or holding the dog on it’s side, no jerking, just plain old showing the dog what’s good and then the dog gets to decide to work with the people. I see it happen over and over and over again. The dog you’re talking about is sweet and wants to play but same thing, need to change the focus. Have your friend tell us how it goes. Thanks, Darcy
Lindsay
February 2, 2010 at 11:06 am
Hi Darcy,
I am confused about feeding amounts. I read in one of your posts raw food is 2% of body weight.
I have 5 dogs-4 around 12 pounds, one around 15 pounds.
I think I may be overfeeding them.
I recently started feeding Honest Kitchen Preference (And I haven’t checked with them yet)and ground beef.
I would say my dogs are less active.
The feeding recommendations say
up to 10lbs 1/4c: 1/4c for less active
10-30 lbs 1/2c: 1/2c for less active
I have been feeding twice a day using the 10-30 lb guidelines:
12pound dogs 2% would be 3.84 oz
1/4c beef weighs 2 1/4 oz
1/4c preference weighs 5/8 oz
1/2 cup water weighs 3 oz
———–
total 5 7/8 oz
Daily would be about 11 3/4oz
They scarf the food down and then act like they are starving.
Oh, I also give them a pinch of Source seaweed a day.
To me, it looks like I should cut their feed in half at least. If I am understanding the 2% correct.
They are:
Jazz 12 yr old schipperke
Gandhi 8-9 year old Chinese Crested
Dylan 8-9 year old Chinese Crested
Valerie 14 yr old Chinese Crested
Teddy 3 yr old miniature toy/poodles
They were all rescues. Darcy, thanks for sharing your expertise. Linda
Linda, I’ll reply as a post, this will take a bit to answer. Thanks, Darcy
Linda Coussens
February 5, 2010 at 9:09 am
Hi Darcy, First I just want to say that I’ve really enjoyed reading your blog. It’s been a huge help for me and our new addition (Riley, a 4mo coonhound mix). We’ve recently switched to raw–and he’s doing great. We had tried Orijen for a month or so and never a solid poop (yuck!)–so I figured why not; with all the “small, firm poop” talk, who can resist? But I just have a few questions…
1) When do you consider a puppy no longer a “puppy”, or when should I stop feeding him 10% of his bodyweight?
2) I’ve been using the Nature’s variety frozen food to start, but ultimately I’d like to do some sort of combination of frozen and fresh meat. Where the patties are balanced as far as meat/bone/organ go, do you have an suggestions as to how to keep the fresh food in balance with those ratios (80% meat 10% bone 10% organ)? Thanks! Lindsey
Dear Lindsey, When a puppy is no longer needing 10% depends entirely on the puppy. Bigger dogs take longer to grow up and they often go through spurts of needing more food, then less, then more again, just like a human child. You don’t want a rolly polly puppy. Lean from puppyhood is best, in my opinion. Feel the ribs every day and adjust food a bit as you need to. You’ll get the hang of it quickly.
Nature’s Variety is a good food and can be used as the only food for most dogs. I liked to add more veggies and fruit, too. Lots of people feed only that.
I can’t give you everything in a short answer. You’ll want more info and lots of hands on experience, and you can ask questions too, go to the SitStay Dogrun Forum, it’s linked at SitStay.com. And check out the books on raw diet at SitStay.com. Really, if you can feed yourself and you’re in tune with Mother Nature (what would your dog eat if he was catching it himself), you’ll do great.
I’m so glad you’ve gone to raw. Let us know when your dog comes to thank you for that. It happens with every single one. – Darcy
lindsey
February 8, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Hi Darcy, I have a 6 year rescued greyhound (1 of 4) that seems to be a compulsive licker. It seems that once she gets a nick or scratch she licks it until it is a major wound. The other greyhounds do some licking but not as obsessively as Hannah. The area she is licking now has been healed up twice using an E-collar and topical creams. Once we think the area is healed and remove the E-collar within 48 hours she has the area raw again. Do you have any ideas about what else we can do? She is a registered pet therapy dog with TDInc and does a few hours of pet therapy a week so I would like to keep her as “wound free” as possible. Thanks, Patrice and Hannah Kearney,Ne
Dear Patrice and Hannah, If she was mine, I’d get her to a vet chiropractor. It’s possible that she has some nerve or alignment issues going on which make her lick. If they can calm those things, it can calm her emotions, too. It’s pretty amazing what chiropractic and acupuncture can do. Darcy
Patrice Brost
February 12, 2010 at 6:33 pm
Hi Darcy – I love receiving “The Dish,” all your excellent advice, and the wonderful SitStay products you carry.
However, I was VERY distressed tonight to learn on one of my dog-lists about the Nature’s Variety Frozen Raw Chicken recall. Not nearly so much about the recall, but in learning about their current testing procedures. We feed the raw chicken medallions, thankfully the two bags I’d just purchased have an October 2010 use by date, but I’m not at all pleased with this company.
Their web site recall information says that as part of their corrective action “Nature’s Variety raw frozen products will now undergo a “test and hold” period before being released for sale.”
WHAT??? The stuff is FROZEN!!!! They couldn’t hold it until they had the PATHOGENIC bacteria test results before shipping out for consumption?? Sounds like a Company truly concerned about the health of my animals – no more Nature’s Variety for me!!
Has Nature’s Variety become just another garbage dogfood Company concerned ONLY about the bottom line?? Barb
Dear Barb, I’ll post my answer to your question to the main part of The Dish. It’s too long to put here. – Darcy
Barb
February 12, 2010 at 10:16 pm
Dear Darcy
I have 2 rescued disabled dogs (One is blind in one eye and one is 3 legged- all human inflicted)) and I “babysit” the neighbors rescue for a total of 3 dogs. All have come from very difficult backgrounds. They are really great guys except when they see another dog. They go CRAZY-it is very difficult to hold on to them let alone to try to teach them anything when they are acting out-When it is over I can’t correct them as they wouldn’t know why. I know that they need socialization -but how can I accomplish that if I can’t get them around other dogs?
Any help you can suggest would be so appreciated. My goal with my two is to get them into therapy work with the Veterans Hospital here in my area.
Thank You for being there for us Chastain
Dear Chastain, If you like TV trainers, watch Victoria Stilwell’s It’s Me or the Dog. She often trains just this thing. Or find someone local who will help you, only positive please, no choking, electric or shock collars, or pulling. It’s not hard, it might take a little time, but in the end your dogs will be great on the street and everywhere else. In my opinion, steer clear of Cesar Millan type trainers, their training isn’t fun, will teach your dog to mistrust you, and more often than not, it doesn’t last. – Darcy
Chastain Wolf
February 15, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Hi Darcy:
Amy
I was flipping through tv yesterday and watched part of an infomercial for The Perfect Dog. http://www.theperfectdog.com.
The training collar is described as “The Command Collar® is NOT an electronic collar, shock collar, or noise emitting collar. It is manually operated and it is simply designed to emulate a mother dog’s natural corrective process. It is safe to use, lightweight, attractive, and effective.”
How does this actually work and what are your thoughts? I’m not interested in trying it, but am curious how this functions…Thanks for your insight.
Amy, I’ll answer in a post, this is going to take a few words.
– Darcy
Amy
February 15, 2010 at 12:30 pm
Hi Darcy, I have been reading your posts about dog food and tried to do my own research. The tool that made me think about my recent dog food was the scoring system where you add and subtract points for different ingredients in your food and then come up with the score either below (bad) or above 100 (good). If that scoring system is legit, it makes me sick to see what dog foods are promoted by vets and advertised for on animal related tv channels. Do you know where that scoring system originated and if it is a legitimate tool to evaluate your dog food? Thanks! Nadja
Dear Nadja, The dog food industry is a mega billion dollar industry and everyone wants in on the action. There are so many things out there that just aren’t necessary to determine a good food. I’ve seen several of these scoring websites, some are probably legit, many are not. If the scoring system insists that you sign up first, know your source; they may want more from you than to find a dog food, expect spam and your info sold for money. And unless you know that who is behind the scoring understands nutrition and ingredients, you’re not going to get good answers anyway; how do you know it’s not one of the dog food makers who you would never buy from or someone being paid to entice you into buying bad food? Money drives a lot of people, be aware of that when you trust.
I’m more practical than most. Instead of trying to figure this out with a scoring system, I’d say it’s better to learn how to read a label and understand how some dog food makers can and do fudge their labels. It’s pretty safe to say these days that if it’s at the vet or the grocery store, I wouldn’t feed it to my dogs. Instead of a scoring system of foods, know how to read the labels, understand ingredients, talk to the makers or the stores selling the food, if they don’t give you good answers and won’t do it in writing, don’t buy from them. If you want good dog food, I only carry the good stuff at SitStay.com and although our food list is not yet a complete list of what I do like, it’s a great place to shop with trust. Your own fresh or raw food is the best way to feed your dog. When you choose the food, you have complete control. If you can feed yourself, you can feed your dog. I hope this is helpful. – Darcy
Nadja
February 16, 2010 at 11:37 am
Dear Darcy, I was wondering if you had any suggestions or tips for feeding my little dog that had teeth removed. Previously the vet removed ten – yes ten and I was upset. This time he went for his dental and she removed the incisors plus a premolar and a molar. Everyone seems to say dogs learn to eat minus teeth but he is having problems – he can’t chew his food well at all now. He is a hairless Chinese Crested and I realize this breed has more than its share of mouth problems but I am very concerned about him. Nance
Dear Nance, Any good quality canned food like SitStay.com carries or raw ground up food will be doable for your dog, either will be easy for a dog who doesn’t have teeth any more. Your dog needs really good nutrition, I’d stay away from vet and grocery stores foods, they rarely carry the good stuff. Why did the vet remove his teeth? – Darcy
Nance
February 19, 2010 at 4:25 pm
Hi Darcy – True to this breed Storm being a hairless has the primitive mouth. He had his regular dental appointments after I got him. However previous to that time he had abscessed teeth and gum irritation. It makes me sad watching him struggle with his food as he loved to eat – that was the highlight of the day for him. He is only 6 years old. Now that Dr. Kate removed his incisors he is experiencing problems keeping his tongue in his mouth and that upsets him also. I never have fed the grocery store variety of food – showed dogs for over twenty years – big ones – Afghan Hounds and Old English Sheepdogs. Now in my retirement have had to get the smaller guys. I will be checking out the ground up food once he gets his moth totally healed. The vet didn’t want any soft food going up into the cavities until it all healed over. He actually has some trouble holding the food in his mouth at this stage of the healing process – it just drops out. It is frustrating for both of us. Thank you Darcy. I just love your site – in fact way back in the olden days your store was the first one I ever ordered from on the web and that has been many years ago. Nance
Dear Nance, Yes, SitStay.com was the first or at least one of the first pet supply stores online in the history of the Internet. We never could find anyone whose start date was before ours but we can’t prove they weren’t there either. I count my blessings every day.
I’ve said a prayer for both of you. I wish it was different for you guys. We have to go with what we have right now, can’t change the past. Live in the moment with him, stay cheerful and love him to pieces. Dogs are fantastic at learning to cope with what life throws at them, all we have to do is stay light hearted to help them along. Let us know how it goes. Thank you so much for business, your kind words and sharing your dog with us. I really appreciate it. The more we learn, the more we can help others. I wish I knew everything. – Darcy
Nance
February 20, 2010 at 12:56 am
Dear Darcy, I HAVE A QUESTION. WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND TO STOP A 4 MO OLD WEIGHT 4-5 LB. PUP FROM EATING HER OWN POOP? SHE WON’T LET ME SEE HER POOP NOR CAN I CATCH HER EATING IT. YOU SEEM TO BE SO GOOD AT PRESCRIBING AND GIVING ADVICE ON SEVERAL SUBJECTS. LIBBY
Dear Libby, The best way to keep it from happening is to pick it up immediately after the dog poops. The way to do that? The pup must be under complete supervision until her house manners and potty manners are perfect. This means she’s either in her crate, in a play pen, or on a leash attached to you or someone else in the family. She will not have a chance to do something without you seeing it. Puppies who get free rein of the house will start bad habits. Read and follow this advice and routine and you’ll have great luck: House Breaking Some dogs, especially puppy mill dogs (did you buy her at a pet store or did she come from rescue?), have a life long habit of coprophagia, those are the dogs who will need a lifetime human partner when they poop, you’re there to pick it up. Wish I had better news for you. Please don’t use tobasco or pepper or anything like that, those things can hurt her. Simply be there to pick up after her. – Darcy
libby davis
February 24, 2010 at 11:42 pm
Hi Darcy, I have heard (or read) somewhere that if you feed your dog pineapple that by the time it gets through the GI tract it makes the poop taste really bad. I have the poop eating problem with only 1 of my dogs, so I was wondering if this was an option in a multi-dog house hold. I can’t always watch all of them to see where they poop. Patrice
Dear Patrice, I’ve heard of it, I’ve never personally seen it work. Generally dogs who eat poop by habit don’t care what it tastes like, I don’t think it’s like desert or something, it’s a habit or they were the bed cleaner in the litter. There are lots of theories why. The best thing to do is go out with your dogs and pick up the poop right away. They only poop once or twice a day if they have a good diet. That’s not to hard to do.
Thanks. – Darcy
Patrice Brost
February 26, 2010 at 5:24 pm
Hi Darcy,
I noticed you do not carry any of the Wholistic Pet (http://www.wholisticpet.com/) products. I learned about them on some raw food discussion groups – especially their Canine Complete supplement. Have you tried them and decided against it or have you not tried them yet? Thanks Kimber
Kimber, they are in our lineup of products to test and try. If we love them, we’ll add them to the Store. I wish we had more time and twice the staff to make these things go faster! That’s what we get for being a small family business. We love it. Thank you so much for your support and for asking. We fill our store with the products we love and things that you love, too. Everyone, stay in touch with us and tell us what you want. Thanks, Darcy
Kimber
March 3, 2010 at 7:52 pm
My dog Mackenzie and I are proud Pet Partners registered with Delta Society. Recently, there was an article in the New York Times about unscrupulous people ordering Therapy Dog vests and Service Dogs vests online for dogs who are not registered or trained. One woman blatently bragged that she ordered a red vest online and convinced her doctor to write a letter so that her dog would be allowed where pets other than working dogs are not allowed. These people want the “perks” of airline travel and other allowances made for working dogs. I have always admired your high standards. Why are you offering Therapy Dog and Service dog vests for sale on your site? You are not requiring any proof that the customer actually owns a registered dog. Delta and other recognized organizations sell their own vests and patches. The facility where we volunteer provides a vest with the hospital logo. Offering vests to the general public is a disservice to those of us who gave our time for training and registering our dogs. Our dogs are evaluated every year or two years, including health certification. Your vests would not fool a hospital but would you want to be traveling on a plane or train with an uncrated dog who may not have his vaccinations and might be aggressive? People misusing working dog vests ruin it for those of us who volunteer our time with our dogs. Lynn
Dear Lynn, I know that you mean well but you might not be completely informed.
I’m not sure how a dog wearing a vest could ruin your service and life with your dog. If you’re talking about a dog who isn’t well mannered in public, that dog can legally be ousted from the premises and does not reflect on you and your dog at all.
I won’t even get into what I think of vaccinations and how many veterinarians are staring to come out against them. They are finding that more and more dogs are sick and dying due directly to vaccinations. If your dog is vaccinated, you shouldn’t have to worry about other dogs not being vaccinated. Your dog is “protected”.
As you know, the ADA does not require that Service Dogs be registered or certified and most of them are not. I hope it never happens that a dog has to go to an organization of training to become a Service Dog. If it does happen, you’ll see orgs and businesses pop up who claim they can train but they won’t produce the dogs who can help. So many disabled people won’t be able to get dogs because they don’t have enough money, they won’t be able to live their lives outside their homes. Including veterans and children of families who don’t have enough money to have their dogs trained. That would be a travesty, wouldn’t it? Especially because many dogs train so easily to help people, they don’t have to pay thousands of dollars to have a dog bred to be a Service Dog and pay for the training as well. Rescue dogs are being trained more and more and they are being trained by normal, regular people without a huge cost to the disabled person.
Therapy Dogs don’t have to be certified or registered to do their work. There is no law that says they do.
When was the last time you flew or rode on a train with an aggressive dog? It’s never happened to me. I don’t think you’re going to see a normally intelligent person trying to pass an aggressive dog off as a Service Dog. If that bad person you’re talking about does take their aggressive dog out into public, vest or no vest, they’ll have to go to court just like anyone else would. It’s not a good argument for dogs not wearing vests.
SitStay has sold high quality, well made vests for Service Dogs, Therapy Dogs, working dogs, and clubs who have special needs for vests for several years. It’s a service that we will continue. I’m sure that you’re not asking me to quit selling vests to people who need them because some people would be dishonest by putting a “Service Dog” vest on their dog. I’m sure you know, too, that there are many unscrupulous businesses who are selling vests for huge amounts of money with certifications that aren’t worth the paper they are printed on. Go after those guys, please, if you feel you have to make a stand against this, they are stealing right out of the pockets of the people you are trying to protect.
I get a letter like yours about once every five years. It’s usually from someone new and on fire for the program they’re in and who may not have all the facts of who needs a Service Dog and who gets one and all the reasons vests are used in the dog world. I appreciate your letter and I wish you the very best. – Darcy
Lynn Michalson
March 4, 2010 at 7:02 pm
There is not a hospital in New York that is allowed to accept a dog as a Therapy Dog who is not registered by a recognized organization. Same applies in our public libraries. Sorry, but that is the State requirements in NY. As for cost, the hospital where we volunteer offers on-site Delta training, subsidized by grants, for those who cannot pay the cost of the training course. The organization who registers the dog carries our liability insurance, not the hospital. TDI will evaluate and register a dog without classes. Mayor Bloomberg fought long and hard to get Therapy Dog programs in all major teaching hospitals in NY. Lynn
Dear Lynn, Yes, most hospitals do want a dog to go through Therapy Dog training before it’s visits a hospital, nursing home, or school. That training insures that the dog will be calm and good during the visit. Therapy Dog organizations and clubs usually do have some sort of certification or diploma for finishing the course or joining the club. Therapy dogs are usually pets of the people who volunteer with them. I think there may be some confusion about the difference between Therapy Dogs and Service Dogs. Service Dogs are not Therapy Dogs, they are not considered pets, they do not require certification or registration, they do have to be trained. Thanks. – Darcy
Lynn Michalson
March 7, 2010 at 8:28 pm
Dear Darcy, First, I want to thank you for your reply to Lynn’s letter about Service Dog Vests. I appreciate you providing information that clarifies what is and what is not legally required of Service Dogs. I am amazed at how many businesses do not know the law, let alone the everyday people who are unaware! I am privately training my Service Dog with the help of professionals and frequently have to deal with the uninformed. For example, I just made reservations at a hotel and, out of courtesy, informed them that I would have a Service Dog with me. They are ‘requiring’ a certificate upon check in. I have one of those ‘not worth the paper they are printed on’ certificates that I got when I first adopted Cura which I will bring in the event that they insist, but I plan on having a little informative chat with the manager in the hope that it will benefit someone who tries to stay there in the future.
Now, on to my question . . . I frequently read your recommendations on feeding and would love to move my dog to a completely raw or frozen raw diet. But, I have done the research and, with her size and food requirments, to do so would be prohibitively expensive. Instead, I have settled for a high quality, no grain, kibble that is HEAVILY supplemented with fresh and frozen fruits, veggies, fats, and starches — in healthy proportions. She is thriving on this compromise. But I wanted to know if you were aware of any raw diets that were not geared toward the small dog owner. Stephaie
Dear Stephaie, An adult dog will eat about 2% of it’s good body weight in raw food each day, puppies will eat 10%. That’s really not so much. That’s less than 2 pounds of raw food for a 90 pound dog. Two pounds of food is about 4 cups, tightly compressed. If your dog is doing well on a good quality kibble with fresh foods, you’re doing fine! Which dog food did you choose? Just curious.
The ADA states to businesses: “The ADA defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. If they meet this definition, animals are considered service animals under the ADA regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by a state or local government.” And “Some, but not all, service animals wear special collars and harnesses. Some, but not all, are licensed or certified and have identification papers. If you are not certain that an animal is a service animal, you may ask the person who has the animal if it is a service animal required because of a disability. However, an individual who is going to a restaurant or theater is not likely to be carrying documentation of his or her medical condition or disability. Therefore, such documentation generally may not be required as a condition for providing service to an individual accompanied by a service animal. Although a number of states have programs to certify service animals, you may not insist on proof of state certification before permitting the service animal to accompany the person with a disability.”
Please note that so far, the ADA does require that the animal be trained before it meets the description of a Service Dog. If you’re still in training, your dog may not qualify. Nebraska, where I live, is trying to pass legislation so dogs in training will be allowed in public to insure and proof their training. You might check with your state to find out what they require. The best way to encourage managers about Service Dogs is, with a kind heart and a smile, give them a print out of the ADA info. You can find it here, ADA info page. Have a great trip. – Darcy
Stephaie
March 6, 2010 at 3:44 pm
Darcy, I was surprised to hear that some states do not treat Service Dogs in Training the same way as fully trained dogs — after all, how are they going to get trained if they can’t be given the necessary experiences? Fingers crossed that Nebraska will manage to pass that legislation. Fortunately, that is not the case in my state — though I will definitely keep that in mind when traveling out of state! Great to have the information ahead of time — thank you! BTW — we use Taste of the Wild. Though I am going to try a brand that I just encountered called Earthborn which claims to be both holistic and grain free. I want to have some choices in case for some reason, my preferred food becomes unavailable for some reason.Stephaie
Stephaie, Just FYI, Diamond Pet Food and Taste of the Wild have the same home address. Diamond has had some troubles in the past, perhaps they have that all figured out now. I haven’t made the move to carry foods made by Diamond. I do like Whole Earth Farms and all of the foods we have SitStay.com. If you’d like to go a bit more natural, choose some of the freeze dried raw to add to your dog’s diet. SitStay’s dog foods list Thanks. – Darcy
Stephaie
March 8, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Dear Darcy: Thank you for all the past dog feeding advice you’ve shared. I am a little confused on grains though. I realize that dogs do not need grain and do not necessarily digest them well. But I do notice your wonderful sitstay.com does sell dry kibble containing grain. So is it a general rule that unless your dog is allergic to grain, it is ok to feed a food containing grain (minimal and quality grain)? We’re in transition of food and boy, is it confusing to read labels and sort out quality ingredients. Thanks! Kennedy
Kennedy, I’ll answer you in a post, this is a much longer discussion than we can fit here. See Dog Food Ingredients. – Thanks, Darc
Kennedy
March 11, 2010 at 10:54 am
Why do dogs love to roll in poop? Carolyn
Carolyn, it seems to me that fox poop is the most popular around here; it must be the best perfume. I don’t think anyone knows for certain why dogs roll in stinky stuff. There are theories; masking their own scent is the biggest one. There is the idea that dogs roll in dead stuff to mask their own odor so they can hunt prey. In all my years, I’ve never known a prey animal who doesn’t avoid something that smells dead…because it smells like death…so that doesn’t work for me entirely. Sharing information about something they found is another one. I’ve even heard that the stinkier the dog, the more power they have “in the pack” which I think is completely ridiculous. The SitStay Dogs don’t seem to care what the other one rolled in and they aren’t hunters so none of these theories hold water for me. See, nobody knows for sure yet. I guess they do it because they like it and it probably is some long ago instinct which is rooted deep in their brain somewhere. If your dog is rolling in dog poop, time to start cleaning up after them immediately. I’d say that would have more to do with a puppy mill dog, bad beginnings, or a mental or emotional challenge. Best to clean up and manage when you have this problem, I don’t know if there is a cure for it other than management. – Darc
Carolyn Long
March 12, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Dear Darc, Saw a great dog on TV the other day (Denver)…they were doing demos for Sit means Sit (a training organization) so I thought -wouldn’t this be great- being able to walk dog and dog not responding to distractions around him. Then I decided to check into their training program and they apparently use this “Special sit means sit collar” Sounds like another shock collar. Have you heard of this training program ? and am I right about the collar? Thanks, Karen
Dear Karen, Yes, it seems to be so. I’ve never met Fred but have heard many stories about the training, it’s not all good. Once the “trainer” goes home with the dog and the shock collar things tend to go badly for a lot of dogs. Most of us don’t have the perfect timing that it takes to make the collars work effectively without ruining a perfectly good dog, experts when honest will tell you that they’re ruined a good many good dogs. It’s not that dogs can’t be forced to do things with an electrocution collar (that’s what they truly are, e-collars), it’s that it’s not necessary to use force to teach a dog anything. The only trainers who have to use shock collars are those who don’t know how to communicate with dogs. Of course many of them disagree with me because they find that a shock collars gets them what they want and they don’t have to understand dogs. It’s an “easy” way to get something done, well not so easy for the dog is it? Really, isn’t the best trainer the one who can train without abuse of any kind? Get SitStay’s Clicker Training Kit or any of our clicker training products. It’s fun and you can teach your dog anything, including ignoring distractions and walking by your side without a leash. I can’t find it again, but there’s a video on YouTube.com of a woman teaching her dog to walk on it’s front legs. She taught the dog to back up onto a stack of books and as she clicked the dog learned to lift it’s back legs without the books as help. It was all done without touching the dog, no shocking and no collar at all, and all with clicker training. The dog loved it and learned quickly.
You know, in some places on Earth dogs are so revered that the people believe that if you do something bad to a dog, something bad will happen to you. I believe it, too. The last man who told me that he used a shock collar on his dog is deeply in debt, nothing seems to go right for him, he just can’t figure it out. Just saying….. – Darc
Karen Schramm
March 21, 2010 at 12:49 pm
Hi Darc, a friend of mine just asked me what I give my dogs for flea and tick prevention, because I usually research the things I give my dogs. However, I have to admit i have not looked into flea preventatives, yet. What do you guys give the SitStay dogs? Are there any issues people should be aware of? Nadja
Dear Nadja, The SitStay Dogs use Frontline, it’s reportedly the one with the fewest side effects of all. I hate having to do anything with chemicals but we live in an area where ticks are very happy to be. We will not live with ticks and fleas. We’ve tested some of the natural remedies like Sergeant’s Sentry, which at the time was brand new and touted as natural and safe, it was a terrible test, it almost killed Tilli. The best thing that you can do is feed as natural a diet as you can, the dog’s body will naturally repel parasites as best as each individual dog can. Dog’s systems seem to be different. Tilli rarely ever had a tick, I had to sit with Dancer after every walk to hunt through her hair and take them off, I got really good at it. These dogs have never had fleas, except for Oliver who had them when I went to pick him up in Texas. You might like these two articles about Fleas and Oliver’s flea story. Garlic, in moderation, too much can be harmful, seems to be a good supplement, it seems to repel the little creatures. I wish I had better news for you but generally if you’re in a tick and flea infested part of the world, the spot ons make a difference. I wish it wasn’t so. – Darc
Nadja Peery
March 22, 2010 at 9:11 am
Thank you for your time.I wish people wouldn’t continue to make a living off of these inhumane ways of training.
Karen Schramm
March 24, 2010 at 8:37 am
UPDATE! Shootag refuses to offer samples to us or to anyone for testing. That in itself tells me that they do not believe in their own product. Why? My guess is that it doesn’t work like they say it will or they would have samples into every retailer’s hands! Do note that it “works up to 4 weeks”, that can mean that it might work for an hour or even a few minutes. If it doesn’t work, you don’t get your money back, you get another tag. Why? This usually means that you gave them your money, now it’s their money.
At this point, I’d say it’s a scam. Sorry. We’ll have to keep praying for something else to keep ticks and fleas away. – Darcie
Darcie, The Honest Kitchen just posted a reference including a link to http://www.shootag.com/. Do you have any experience with this product?
Thanks Linda
Dear Linda, I know of this product, the maker has asked us to carry their tags. I love quantum physics and natural medicine, I’m willing to give this a try and a test. We are in the process of getting these to test, I’ll be the guinea pig, mosquitoes and ticks love me and they’ll be here soon. If it works for me, we’ll try them on the dogs, too. I have tested two products that say they work like this, they did not work. Until we test them and know they really work, I won’t carry it. My big question is, what does the energy field do to our and the dog’s natural energy field? We all have one, will it be disrupted and what problems could that cause? I’d think it would be better than drugs definitely but if it doesn’t work like it should, we’ve all just been parted from our money and at what cost? If the testing goes well, we’ll carry them. Thanks! – Darcie
Linda Coussens
March 25, 2010 at 5:44 am
Darcie,
I just read your comments on the ShooTag product and was curious about what your findings were on Sentry’s ‘Natural Defense Flea and Tick for dogs’ that PawNaturals sells. Since moving to PA 4 years ago, Libby has become a tick magnet and is extremely sensitive to them (red blotches in ears and on belly). I have held off on chemicals until I could boost her immune system but, after the winter we have had, I feel I have to be prepared.
Thanks Mary Anne
Mary Anne, I’ll answer you in a post so nobody will miss this. It’s not good. Thanks. – Darcie
Mary Anne Easley (for Libby)
March 26, 2010 at 9:19 am
Dear Darcie, I’m wanting to make my own liver treats for a while now, but i have a friend telling me that a poster at her vet lists liver as dangerous for dogs. There are loads of liver treats on the market. What’s the story behind that? Nadja
Dear Nadja, My best guess is that her vet wants to warn her against sick or damaged livers in food and treats or feeding too much liver, not that liver is bad for dogs. Liver is rich in nutrition for both humans and dogs, that’s been know for years. Liver has brought dying puppies back from certain death, given new life to lethargic dogs, and injured dogs seem to recover faster when liver is added to their diet a few times a week. You certainly don’t want to give a diseased liver to your dog or eat one either. Think about it this way, if you think about what a rabbit is made of, what amounts of which parts should your dog be eating? The stomach contents vary, the liver is a bit smaller than than the heart and kidneys combined but not as big as the bones and the rest of the meat so if you feed your dog like Mother Nature would, you’d have all the parts in the whole rabbit in the right quantity for your dog. If you’re not feeding whole animals to your dog, give attention to how much of what foods you are feeding so your dog is getting a more natural balance of food. If you’re using liver as treats, don’t add more liver to your dog’s daily diet. Too much of anything isn’t good for us or our dogs, including liver which is high in vitamin A. If you stick to the old saying “All things in moderation”, including food, and shop only where you get safe and healthy food, you’ll be good. Remember that Mother Nature knows what your dog should eat and one of those things is liver. I suggest to people all the time to feed natural foods in natural quantities and do not over supplement, over supplementing is asking for trouble. A dog who eats a lot of liver and also gets a vitamin A supplement will be getting too much vitamin A. See what I mean? Ask your friend what the poster says exactly and let me know. I’d be surprised if it was anything more than this. Thanks.
Nadja Peery
March 28, 2010 at 12:25 pm
dear Darcy,
love your site and blog.Here is my question.I am getting a second puppy in a couple weeks and am wondering if clicker training to housebreak etc is apropriate for a young dog.He will be 10 weeks old. Thank’s! Priska
Dear Priska, Clicker training will work for anything but I normally don’t use it to potty train. I urge you to use routine for potty training instead. It’s fast and you never have to remember where you left your clicker in case of a hurry. Search The Dish for ‘house breaking’ or go to the article here, it’s really good and detailed to get you through the potty training: House Breaking Have fun! Potty training time can be a very worthy, fun, and bonding time. – Darcie
Priska groetsch
April 7, 2010 at 5:11 am
Darcy, I’ve decided to start my 6 year old chow mix rescue on some agility training. Eddie has always been a great dog to work with, always willing and eager to learn. I decided to start with clicker training after having read about it in your blogs. I was excited to begin when I received the Sit Stay Clicker starting kit, and i read the book and watched the video. In our first session, just familiarizing him with the concept of the clicker, he ran away every time I clicked! He had the same demeanor that he has every time he gets his toenails clipped or his glands expressed – he looks like I just hit him with a board. I stopped after 3 tries as I was concerned about what was clearly a negative experience for him. Do you have any ideas for me as to what other noise maker I can use instead of the clicker? I hate to give up on this idea so soon! Jane
Dear Jane, It sounds like your dog might be sound sensitive or you might be leaning toward him too much when you click so it’s more like a reprimand type of action than a good thing. First use really, really fantastic treats, something your dog loves very much. You can warm up the treats in the microwave but just so they’re warm not hot, that will bring out the smell. Or warm baked chicken meat is one most dogs can’t turn down, that could get you started again. Or baked liver, that’s always a treat! Go easy on the liver though, too much organ meat can cause loose stools.
This is what I suggest. Put the clicker into a sock and hold it behind your back or at your waist at the side, not really hiding it but moving it away from your dog. The sock will reduce the sound. Toss treats onto the floor a ways from you, about three feet or so. As your dog picks up each treat, click instantly as each treat goes into his mouth. By the time you feed him 15 treats this way, you should be able to hand feed the treats as you click, still with the muted clicker.
If he is still afraid of the muted clicker sound, go outside and try again. Dog on leash. The sound will be more absorbed into the outdoor air.
If that is still too much for him, use a ball point pen clicker. That’s a soft click.
Do make sure that you’re not concerned about anything when you start your training sessions. Laugh and have fun. Don’t forget to breathe. When we are relaxed, our dogs tend to relax, too.
If your dog isn’t food motivated, you can use a toy toss as the reward.
I’d strongly suggest that you go for a nice happy walk before starting clicker training. The walk helps your dog deplete some of that energy that might be causing his fear reaction to the sound of the clicker. Remember, it’s a game so keep a smile on your face and don’t lean or stand right over your dog.
Let me know how it goes. I’m so proud of you! All dogs will learn clicker training quickly, with some we have to find a way around their regular fears to get started. You’re going to do great. – Darcie
Jane
April 12, 2010 at 8:15 am
Darcie, I have a feeding question. Every so often I research dog foods and have decided to switch to a grain free product. According to the analysis ‘Taste Of The Wild has a lower protein content than most of the others which makes me think it won’t be quite as rich and more suitable for my Westie. I am getting my new puppy next week and am wondering if grain free would be suitable for him as well. Since he will be another terrier and not a big breed puppy would it be ok? I’ve read a gazillion reviews and am sooooo confused at this point. I have also started adding the Tripett to my dogs food and he loves it. After reading some reviews I was almost afraid to open the can for fear of what I would smell but its not bad at all-very pleased I can give him something that’s so good for him. Thanks Darcy! Priska
Dear Priska, I haven’t decided to carry TOW, there’s some history behind it that still concerns me and the reviews have been mixed. I do like the foods we have at SitStay.com, I think you’d be happy with any of them.
I do like grain free diets for dogs. I especially hate that most dog foods are made of corn, it’s killing dogs and filling veterinarian’s pockets. In Nature, grain matures in the fall, right before winter and cold time. Grain adds fat and weight to dogs. If the dog isn’t going to have to fend for himself and try to keep warm in the cold outdoors, he doesn’t need extra fat. My dogs have almost all lived inside the house with me, a few ranch dogs preferred the barn and they did get some extra carbs in winter. Extra fat can mean heart and kidney disease, stress on the bones increasing problems with hip dysplasia, and an uncomfortable dog. Dogs who are lean and healthy are easier to train and happier dogs. If your dog will be an athlete and run or work hard all day long, putting a lot of physical effort into his day, day after day, select grain as carbs is okay, they’ll burn it up. Think human runners, they eat a lot of pasta. If I did that I wouldn’t be able to get up off my little butt much less feel good about it. Same for most dogs.
Feeding dogs at home is pretty easy and especially economical for smaller dogs. In my opinion, your own good raw food is your best and wisest choice. Then fresh home cooked (no cooked bones please), then high quality canned food, then dry foods. Why? Because raw food is what Nature intended for dogs. I see it this way, even if the dog food company starts with the best raw ingredients, they are still processing with heat and having to add back the vitamins, minerals, and taste to the food because they’ve cooked it all out. Why not just start with the good raw stuff of your own or buying a high quality raw food? SitStay.com has just added some new raw dehydrated foods, this is excellent because it gives you raw food with the convenience of dry kibble dog food. They’ll be online very soon. See Dog Food in the left hand menu, click on Addiction.
You want your puppy to get good food so he can grow slowly, stay lean, letting his bones form properly and his body mature normally. Some of the puppy foods on the market are geared to fast growth and fat pups, it’s not good for them and can cause real troubles later in their life.
Tripe is an excellent food. Tripett is the best canned tripe that I know of, the nutrition is retained through the canning process and that’s excellent. I’m happy that you’re feeding it.
If your pup was mine, I’d feed raw food, adding high quality canned for variety of proteins, and continue the tripe several times weekly or even daily. If you like the convenience of packaged foods, take a look at our canned foods and the new dehydrated raw Addiction foods (the new Addiction foods are here in house, we’ll have them online soon!). If you like kibble dry foods, please choose the highest quality. I know that the foods I choose to be in the SitStay.com store are some of the very best.
I’ll add a caution about where to buy food. Before you buy, look at the other products the store is carrying. Do they sell shock collars, metal collars, and bleached rawhide? Foods that are made of corn and corn syrup? Foods that were rotting before they were made into treats, chews and food? All of these products are partially responsible for dogs winding up in rescue or euthanized. Dogs who eat bad food are harder to train, can become aggressive, and they can suffer for most of their lives with ill health. Those stores either don’t know about the harm these products cause (I don’t believe it for a minute) or they are more interested in the profit made on these types of things without care for you or your dogs. A lot of people shop with those stores only because they don’t know what is really better for a dog. Please choose to support the stores who won’t harm a dog by the choice of products they sell. When you support the good guys like SitStay.com, the bad guys will eventually go out of business and you will be saving millions of dogs from illness, disease, abuse, rescue and euthanasia.
Don’t forget that your pup needs to chew. Raw bones are best in my opinion and high quality bully sticks and other really high quality chews for inside the house. A dog who chews is a happier and more mentally stable dog. Shop at SitStay.com, we’ll never steer you wrong. I hope this helps.
Read Pete’s story here at The Dish. A perfect example of a raw fed dog getting well again. It’s an excellent reason to start with raw in the first place. Thanks. – Darcie
Priska
April 15, 2010 at 8:12 am
Thanks for your answer Darcie.Would you tell me what your issues are with TOTW.Compared to other grainfree foods this had the most positive reviews and the dogs generally tolerated it very well.With the Orijen for example I came across a lot of comments that it was too rich for the dogs-told you I was confused-smile.
I so hear you about the raw food and understand the benefits of it but I am not ready to jump in so for now I’ll try and do the best I can with a good dry food and a small portion of tripe with each meal.That doesn’t mean that I will not keep educating myself re the raw food and I may start feeding at least some meals that way.I love the idea of the freeze dried food but its really cost prohibitive for me at this time.The same goes for some of the other foods I can only get online.The shipping costs just make it that much more expensive.
If I go get some bones at the butchers what should I ask for?I think my terriers would really love that. Thanks again and I will be back to stock up on tripe. Priska,
Priska, I really don’t want to get into any legal issues or turn people from TOW. It doesn’t meet my high standards, at least not yet, that’s all. You can do a search on “Taste of the Wild Diamond” to see the old press and problems.
Knuckle bones from the butcher are good, they’re usually too big for the dogs to chew up and swallow but they can get the marrow out. Raw chicken and turkey bones are always good for the dogs to consume. Dogs need to eat bones, most foods don’t have the bones in it. Consider cooking your own food for your little dogs and then moving to raw later. Just no cooked bones, please. Adult dogs will eat about 2% of their weight daily in fresh food. Puppies 10%. 25 pounds times 2% is only a half pound, that’s one cup of food. That won’t cost you much and it’s way better than some foods out there. And you’re using your own good ingredients. Save money and know what your dogs are getting.
– Darcie
Priska
April 15, 2010 at 3:58 pm
Great-thanks Darcie.I’ll do some more research and also will go get some bones.I’ll definitely look into preparing some of my own food as well.
Priska
Priska groetsch
April 16, 2010 at 5:22 am
Love, love, love your Sit Stay newsletters/columns/suggestions. My question is my Labradoodle puppy -
4 months old – gets car sick. I have tried Rescue Remedy; very short car trips, etc. but would appreciate suggestions. Thanks, Darcie. Darla
Dear Darla, Tilli used to get so car sick when she was younger so I know what you’re talking about. We went to get her when she was 4 months old, it was a long ride home from Wisconsin to Nebraska with her being sick the whole way. When we got home, we changed her to a raw food diet right away and gave her ginger just before we got into the car to go any where. You can use ginger snaps just watch the sugar content. She also moved from the back of the car to the front, that really helped. Today she rides in the back seat and for years, no car sickness. What are you feeding as a regular diet? Sometimes a lack of nutrition which doesn’t feed the brain properly can cause thing like this, most dog foods don’t have the nutrition they say they have. I’d also suggest that you find a vet chiropractor. We’re finding out more and more that when a body is out of alignment, lots of things can happen…even car sickness. Let me know about the food and if you see the chiropractor. Thanks. – Darcie
Darla Garvey
April 23, 2010 at 10:09 am
Dear Darcie, Do you have a particular brand of dog food that you would recommend for a Greyhound and a Jack Russell? I know they would probably fare better with different kinds. What do you recommend? Thank you, Vivian
Dear Vivian, There are so many ideas about what’s right for a particular breed of dog…and those ideas are usually dry dog food types, protein quantity this or that. If your dogs were mine I’d feed them real food that you have in your own kitchen, feed it raw the way Nature intended for dogs to eat. If you want to feed processed dog food, use canned for best nutrition. If you like dry dog food, choose a good quality like the ones we have at SitStay.com. I would veer totally away from anything with corn, in my opinion it’s why dogs are so sick and tired these days. I’ve written many articles on Feeding, take a look here at The Dish. We have some really good raw diet books in the store, too, if you need a little help. The main thing I tell everyone is, if you can feed yourself, you can feed your dog and no, it doesn’t cost a fortune to do it. I hope this helps. – Darcie
Vivian Bullock
April 23, 2010 at 5:17 pm
Hi Darcie, I am just venturing into raw feeding and I know you guys all feed raw and you are living not too far from me (I live in Manhattan, KS) I was wondering if you know of any meat wholesalers or mind sharing where you get the meat and bones for your dogs? THANKS! Nadja
Dear Nadja, I’m so glad you’re moving to raw food. Your dogs are going to love you for this. About eight years ago, I designed the raw food that Nature’s Variety makes. The recipes have changed a bit over the years but still the same good food with the bone inside. Kent likes the convenience and feeds it to his dogs, Frankie, Oliver and Tilli. You might be able to find it in your local store but you can feed your own good food. Ask your grocer for free raw bones and also ask them if there is a meat wholesaler in your area, your grocer should know the answer to that question. Also, become friends with hunters. They usually toss the meaty bones and organs away, ask them if you can have them instead. You’ll need a freezer or a locker. A cold storage locker where they cut meat is another place to talk to; ask for beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, you might even find rabbit if you’re lucky. Check around to see if anyone is raising rabbits, I think they must be God’s answer for a canine’s perfect meal, if it wasn’t so, there wouldn’t be so many of them. You might get lucky and work out some low cost bones and meat. You’re a good person to do this for your dogs. For veggies and fruit, talk to your local growers and buy what they couldn’t sell at the farmer’s market. They might even just give it to you. Take it home, pulp it up and freeze it. Thanks! – Darcie
Nadja
April 24, 2010 at 9:01 am
me again. Among other raw books (some from your store) I just read Pet Food Nation. I don’t find her reasoning against raw (and for cooked) food very solid, but one thing got my attention. She talks about the risk of bacteria, especially salmonella and trichinosis. Do you see those as valid reasons to decide against raw food? And doesn’t meat and veggies loose at least some of their nutrients through cooking? Thanks for all you do! Nadja
Dear Nadja, I know there’s a lot of scary information out there, I’ve heard that same argument over and over for years, that raw food is not only not good for dogs but dangerous. It’s really too bad, too, because people are being scared into sticking with poor quality foods simply because they are made by “trusted” dog food makers and their stuff has a label on it that says “dog food”. Just because the label says ‘dog food’ is not indication that there is anything good in some of those packages. My Dancer ate a road kill squirrel that had been lying in the road basking in the sun for days, it was pretty ripe with all kinds of bacteria, I’m sure, and of course had started decaying and smelled awful. Dancer’s regular diet was raw food, the squirrel meal did not phase her except for one loose stool. If it was poison to her, she would have died or become ill after having ingested so much. The only concern I would have with feeding raw food is with a dog who is very ill, I’d start them with fresh cooked foods to begin the change of diet. If their system is compromised by poor quality foods and illness, they need a little more help changing to a raw food diet than a dog who is in a more normal health. In my whole life, I have never had one person tell me after changing to raw food that it was anything short of miraculous for the dog…that’s a long time for something untoward to have occurred. Will it ever happen? I can’t say, I don’t know the future.
We do worm our dogs regularly because I think it’s a good thing to do. Heartguard and Interceptor type heartworm meds take care of all that should a problem ever arise, so far it never has. There are some natural remedies but I haven’t had a lot of luck with those. We live in an area, like you do, where mosquitoes are naturally in the outdoors and they carry heartworm, preventative for heartworm is smart and the bonus is, it kills other worms and parasites should they be introduced into the system in any way, like eating road kill squirrel. Our dogs don’t get pork simply because I don’t eat it regularly.
Yes, fresh foods start to lose nutrients when you start processing them, like in cooking or being stored for long periods of time. In my experience, dogs who eat a raw diet are rarely over taken by things like salmonella because they have such a cast iron constitution, they are healthy and can ward off lots of things, they have very short digestive systems so nasty stuff doesn’t have time to get a really good foothold before it’s processed through. I was told by a vet who does necropsy that salmonella is found naturally occurring in all dogs stomachs, not that a compromised dog couldn’t be affected but that all dogs already have it there, even healthy dogs who’ve died of old age or in an accident. Salmonella was present in the stomach but it wasn’t what killed the dog. If that’s true and I have no reason to believe it’s not, that means that salmonella in a normal population in the dog does not kill dogs. Unless a dog is very sick or otherwise health compromised, getting to a fully raw diet might take a little longer. Know where your food comes from and handle it just as you would for yourself, that means keep meat cold until it’s time to eat.
So to answer your question, dogs naturally deal with stuff like this all the time, a healthy dog doesn’t get sick from it other than maybe some diarrhea or vomiting if they get into something really nasty like a melting road kill squirrel. Dogs eject stuff from their bodies in those two ways, it’s supposed to work like that, it means their bodies are rejecting what shouldn’t be in their system.
I’m not a scientist or a doctor or even a certified nutritionist. But I know what has always been good for my dogs. I’m a practical girl who has lived in the country and off the land for most of my life and seeing dogs do what they do and eat what they naturally eat. In my opinion, they know what’s right for them. I’ll continue to feed my dogs the way Nature intended for them to eat and keep telling others about the real good that comes of feeding animals what they are made to eat.
Thanks. – Darcie
Nadja
April 26, 2010 at 9:29 am
Hey, Darcie, I commented almost a year ago that I’d taken the big leap and started my 3 BC’s on a raw diet. I had them all at the vet last week (living in South Louisiana we’re deep in mosquito / heartworm territory) and my Sundance has lost 22 pounds! Yes, he was overweight at 77 pounds and is now down to a svelt 55 (he is a big-boned boy BC). He’s never been hungry (well, he’s a dog and I suppose if you asked him that question he’d say he was ALWAYS hungry
and has never looked nor acted better. The other 2 BC’s started last year at 32 lbs~ and are the same weight this year. I think the thing most interesting to me is the equalization – that on the natural diet, the fat dog’s weight went down dramatically while the normal weight dogs’ weight stayed the same. If that isn’t proof that this is the right path, I don’t know what would be. Thanks again for the great information you provide – you probably added years to my guy’s life! Jen
Dear Jen, Yay! It’s amazing how that works, isn’t it? When the body and brain are being fed the way Nature intended, good things happen. I love hearing success stories and with raw food I’ve never yet heard any but success stories. I am so glad for you and your guys. Thank you so much for writing to share. Your story will help someone else and they and their dogs will be blessed, too. – Darcie
Jen D
May 4, 2010 at 9:53 am
Hi, Darcie. My two dogs (a 10-year-old smooth collie and an 8-year old chow mix) and I live in Concord, MA. March and April were very wet months around here with record rainfall. The problem is that as the weather warms up, biblical-size swarms of mosquitoes have emerged all around our neighborhood and in our backyard. (I truly have never seen anything like it!) We live in a very woodsy area, so I’ve been driving into the town center where it is not woodsy and taking the pups for walks there after work and in the evening. It is, however, impossible to avoid the backyard in the early morning/late at night for necessary potty breaks. I get swarmed and bitten but Max and Maddy (the pups) get eaten alive. They look so incredibly miserable and uncomfortable even as they rush to get to business, so we can go back inside. Can you recommend anything that would help the pups fend off mosquitoes during these unavoidable times in our mosquito hell? Gina,
Dear Gina, Maybe I can help. I’ve had good luck with Best Shot Bug Spray get it at http://www.sitstay.com , for the dogs and for myself too, to repel mosquitoes. I think it has a nice smell. I spray it on the dogs and me and I’ve been pleased with the results. I don’t remember ever being bitten with the spray on.
Advantix spot on says it repels mosquitoes and ticks, and kills both of those and fleas for up to 4 weeks. Many of our customers have had great luck with using it. If you have cats, you don’t want to use Advantix, it can hurt the cats.
I’m thinking about doing this: The shoo!Tag test failed us for dog and human against ticks but I still have the Tags. I didn’t throw them away. I think I’m going to test it against mosquitoes. Just to clarify any use it may or may not have. Watch The Dish by Darcie for the results of that. I have to wear it for 24 hours before putting myself out there for a blood meal and I have plans for the next several days where I don’t want to wear that Tag…so it’s going to be next week before I start that test.
I hope this helps. Thanks. – Darcie
Gina Sauceda
May 6, 2010 at 11:53 am
Dear Darcie, I am currently raw-feeding my third dog now, and I wonder if you could give me your input on dental wear based on your own experience with your raw-fed dogs.
To date, my vet has commented on the excessive wear on the teeth of all three of these dogs. My first dog came to me as an adult pound rescue, I was told she had “chewed her way through cable tie-outs and a chain” before she came to me. My vet noted her worn teeth from the day he first examined her – so I’m pretty sure her dental wear had nothing to do with raw bones.
My second dog was raised by me from a puppy and had no dental trauma at all – but was a major tennis ball addict before I was ever made aware of how much damage the rough exterior of a tennis ball could do to teeth. My vet started commenting on his worn teeth by the time he was 6 or 7 years old. Again, I’m not sure whether the dental wear was caused by the tennis balls or the raw bones, but he’s 12 now and his teeth are pretty worn down.
The third dog, also an adult pound rescue, actually was re-homed to me by his adopter who was also a raw feeder; and we’re guessing he’s about 5 now. My vet has already mentioned that his teeth are showing quite a bit of wear.
My question to you is, in your opinion is this just a normal consequence of aging in a raw-fed dog? Aging in any dog? Or is accelerated dental wear a genetic thing, or just something no one really knows?
Did your raw-fed dogs have excessively worn teeth as they aged? The first dog I ever had was fed a sub-standard kibble diet (I didn’t know any better at the time), and I don’t remember any vet ever telling me that her teeth were worn.
(Not that it would have mattered to me, given all the other major health problems she had due to what I was feeding her at the time.)
thank you,
Kathy B.
Dear Kathy, I’ll answer you in a post to the main part of The Dish. I think this is important. Thanks. – Darcie
Kathy B
May 7, 2010 at 9:32 pm
Hello again and as always thank you for your column and your great sit-stay reviews/store. I was wondering if you have had any experience with a product for plaque control I have recently seen. I’m fairly sure it is called “Plaque-attack”, it comes in a small spray bottle. The advertisement claims a couple of sprays on your dogs teeth is all it takes. When things are that “simple” they always raise a red flag to me. Thank you in advance! jb
Dear JB, I haven’t seen that particular plaque product. There are some on the market that can work. SitStay.com carries a few and they do work. Thank you! – Darcie
Jim
May 8, 2010 at 4:48 pm
Hi JB: I’ve been using PlaqueOff powder from sitstay.com for a couple of months mixed in with my dog’s dinner. Her breath is definitely sweeter. Teeth tartar looks better. And she doesn’t even notice the powder in her food. The description on the site does note simple. It truly is simple and for our dog, has worked very well. I tried one other product not on sitstay.com’s site, and my dog’s breath smelled and she did not like the product. Tossed it away. Amy
Amy, what was the product that didn’t work? I need to know why it wouldn’t work for all dogs so the most info you can give me about using it would be great. Thanks. – Darcie
Amy
May 10, 2010 at 8:48 am
Just wanted to say thank you Amy for your kind reply…Since my staffordshire terrier doesn’t seem to thrilled with brushing I am looking for an alternative. I tried the finger tip style as well as toothbrush style, he’s not thrilled (ha,ha.) He’s still only two so his teeth are great and I’d like to help keep them as good as possible. Thank you.
jb
Jim
May 10, 2010 at 6:51 pm
Hi Darcie: The product was PetzLife Oral Care Gel. It smelled ok, but my dog did not like the smell or the taste (and she’s a hound). It didn’t do anything to reduce or control tartar. In fact her breath, which wasn’t bad before I used the Gel, got smelly. I also didn’t feel confident about the ingredients in the Gel. The PlaqueOff powder is a substantially better and safer product, and she isn’t turned off by it in her food–and I see and smell positive results. Amy
Hi Amy, We don’t carry PetzLife Oral Care Gel. You did get the Plaque Off from us. I think maybe you have us mixed up with another store.
Thanks. – Darcie
Amy
May 10, 2010 at 5:00 pm
Hi Darcie! I wrote that the other product was not on sitstay.com’s site.
It was at a doggy daycare I used and after the results, immediately went to check what sitstay.com carried. I’ve not ordered a product from sitstay.com that didn’t do what is promised. Great to have shopping reassurance! Amy
Amy, Oh good! I’m sorry! You’re right! Thank you!
– Darcie
Amy
May 13, 2010 at 8:24 am
Darcie,
I have a yorkie that will be turning 16 in June. I have promised him if he will just live long enough to make it, I will make it a very special party for him. I wanted to make a cake that he can eat along with 3 other dogs. I would also like it to be good for the cats if possible. Do you have any good recipes? The humans don’t have to be able to eat the same cake. I can buy one for us. Thank you in advance for any input.
Melinda
Dear Melinda, We do have cake at SitStay.com. Go to http://www.sitstay.com and search for ‘cake’, you’ll see both the cake mix and the really cute pans. Thanks. – Darcie
Melinda
May 11, 2010 at 4:41 pm
Thank you so much! I didn’t even think to look..even though I know you have everything. Are any of the flavors you sell cat friendly or should I just stick to the dogs? Melinda
Dear Melinda, Yes, we have stuff for cats for our customer’s convenience. One of the favorite customer treats for cats is Wildside Salmon. A favorite supplement to diet is Tripett. Click on Cat Supplies in the left menu at http://www.sitstay.com Thanks! – Darcie
Melinda
May 20, 2010 at 12:03 pm
Dear Darcie: I have a very heartbreaking dilemma. My male dog has yet again bit someone. He is food aggressive, toy aggressive and dog aggressive. When we adopted him from a shelter over 6 yrs ago we had no idea he had these issues. We have taken him to trainers in the past that have only made him worse and less trusting of people. He will sit next to someone that is over and if they pet him he growls and yesterday for no reason at all as a friend was standing up to leave the dog jumped up and bit his thigh and butt area. He also bites and intimidates my other two female dogs. I’m at the point of no return and considering having him put down for fear he will hurt someone else. Please help I have no idea what to do.
Let’s talk for a minute. It can be hard to have a dog who needs constant management…it doesn’t mean the dog has to be killed. I know sometimes when you’re scared or at your wit’s end, it can seem like the best thing is to euthanize the dog…hang on before you make yourself feel worse and put a dog to death that may be able to be saved.
Dogs don’t usually bite for no reason, unless they are mentally and totally unsound, they have a reason for the action. It’s definitely his reason, whatever it is, and you have to figure it out to get him to change his behavior. There’s something happening that he knows that you don’t. Let me ask some questions. How old is he? Is he neutered? What breed? How are you dealing with the aggression and biting? What did the trainers you used do with him? What kind of bites: single bites, multiple biting in the same bite action, deep or surface, any stitches?
I’m so sorry that you’re having these problems. The shelter should have been able to test him for aggressive issues along with guarding and a lot of other stuff, too. Then they should have tested you to find out what your level of understanding and training for dogs was. Could you handle a dog with those tendencies should have been their first question. Many shelters don’t do that testing and the person who winds up the dog can have a very rough time of it. Before you put him down, please find some positive help for him. I’ll suggest you see if you can talk to Jean Donaldson or Ian Dunbar. If you can’t contact them, go online and search for ‘ADPT trainer’ or email them explaining the problem that you have, they may be able to hook you up with the perfect help: information@apdt.com These trainers and behavior modifiers are not all created equal so you’ll want to interview and get references. Do not use anyone who will use force, pressure, choking, jerking, yelling, or a shock collar…you’ll probably be asking for more trouble than you have now.
If he was mine, I’d put a muzzle on him and get him to a vet chiropractor immediately to make sure that his body doesn’t have pain in it, that makes anybody cranky. Yes, he could be suffering from something that happened to him a long time ago, like broken bones in his neck from someone jerking him. I know it sounds almost too simple but dogs have made wonderful turn arounds when their bodies are working properly. If the body isn’t balanced, the brain can’t be balanced. It’s a great place to start and doesn’t cost a lot. Here’s a video of our Tilli getting an adjustment and links to vet chiropractors for you.
Let us know what the answers to the questions are or what you do from here. Unless he is biting and causing great damage, you may be able to salvage this guy. Before you put him down, see if you can find someone who will take a dog with his problems. There are lots of people out there who will. Talk to your vet, they are wonderful references.
In the meantime, put a muzzle on that boy so no one else gets bitten. Thanks. – Darcie
Name withheld
May 17, 2010 at 8:54 am
Darcie, thanks for your prompt response. To give you a little more background on my dog he is neutered, almost 7 yrs old and seems to be a pit/husky/shepherd mix around 70lbs. We adopted him at 7/8 months old- the shelter was unsure of his age. His food aggression is very extreme- you can not even hand him a treat because you will lose a finger. He also is separated with a baby gate from my other 2 dogs while eating because he will attack them if they make eye contact with him. I have never had this type of training issues with any dog I’ve had. I grew up with an 80lb rottie that we found as stray and a husky that was also a stray and were able to train them. The two other I have that my male dog currently lives with are a female greyhound and female doberman who are both trained and sweet as pie to all people and dogs they meet.
A trainer we took him to used a jerking Caesar like method that only made him more aggressive/fearful- which was about 4 yrs ago. The trainer also owned a boarding facility so every time the dogs need to be boarded he would now see this man and submissively urinate.
I’m not going to put him down I was very upset this morning when I wrote you the email. I definitely feel constantly challenged with my dog. He has some days where he sweet and lovable and a joy all day. Then the next day it could be he growls for no reason or attacks one of my other dogs. And the person he bit yesterday was someone he had met before and never showed any aggression toward. He bit the person multiple times but not hard enough to constitute stitches. He has bitten in the past mostly with food- I was just simply putting his food down for him to eat once and gotten bitten almost clear through my hand. I feel like he is Je I will not give up on him and I will take your advice and get him to a chiropractor and see if that helps. I will also look for a trainer in my area that can help that does not use hurtful methods. Thank you.
Yes, that Cesar Millan stuff can cause a lot of problems on top of the original problems that don’t have to be. I sure wish that Cesar would change his tune completely to purely positive training so trainers like the one you used would stop trying to copy what he does. It’s causing biting dogs and dogs who bite harder. And of course, you’ve found a new boarding facility.
It sounds to me like frustration, fear, and simply not knowing what else to do instead of going off….mixed with guarding behavior which can be cured for most dogs. A good trainer will be able to help you move his mind and his actions to the good place.
A multiple bite is bad, that’s often beyond biting for a reason, it’s into biting to cause harm. When I’ve seen it, there seems to be a level of agitation for the dog, like he told the person what to do and they didn’t do it so he bit several times in one bite…out of frustration. I watched a dog do this one time and I swear it was like a man shaking his fist, not just once but several times. The difference, teeth. That doesn’t mean that’s what’s going on with your guy.
Muzzle him, please. It won’t hurt him and it will keep your dogs, your family, your friends, and your pocket book safe. The good news is that if he meant to damage your friend when he bit multiple times, he would have. A dog who bites multiple times in one bite can cause a great deal of damage to human skin. Because he didn’t, I feel like you have time to work with this dog and get the behaviors changed around to good behavior.
A good truly positive trainer is going to be your best help. Thanks for getting him to a chiropractor, it probably won’t solve all the issues, they are too deeply ingrained in his darling brain, but it’s a great place to start to help make sure that he’s well. Acupuncture can help with tension, too. Your vet will know best. Stay in touch so we know how you did.
In the meantime, lots of walking on a leash, no pulling, no stopping to mark or pee or sniff or anything…just walking. If he’s a puller, get the book My Dog Pulls, it’s great! Everybody going the same direction for at least an hour a day, more if you can. Thanks. – Darcie
Name withheld
May 17, 2010 at 3:45 pm
I have a 2 year old GSD Dakota who has started to exhibit some aggressive/fearful behavior. She has been difficult to train but we have not given up. At times she will show me teeth and will growl and snarl when I put her in her crate. I have not harmed her in any way and am responsible with her training, socialization, and exercise. On the other hand she is extremely close to me and tends to favor me over my husband. We have two other dogs in the home who do not have these issues. It seems as though we have to treat her differently than every other dog in the home. She has snapped at the puppy during feeding time so we have adjusted their feeding schedule and areas. What are some things I can do to break her of the fear/aggression before it gets out of hand. I want my dog to trust me and at times I feel she does not. We have two females (2 y/o GSD, 9 week old Rottie) and one male (9 month old GSD) and from what it seems Dakota is the alpha female of their pack) Melissa
Melissa, Ah, a new puppy in the house. Something changed. It’s not unusual to see changes in behavior when the household changes.
Because it sounds like this has just started, get her to a vet chiropractor. She may be hurt or ill. That could solve everything. Here’s an article that I wrote some time ago with video of Tilli’s first adjustment and links to vet chiropractors.
Clicker training will show you that training is not only fun, it’s fast and the dogs get it. It sounds to me that you’re not communicating with this dog and treating her differently may be causing more problems. Get your supplies and training material here at SitStay.com.
Please don’t use traditional jerk and pull methods with your girl. Steer clear of TV shows that do any of that or put pressure on a dog to change behavior. If you use the methods that Cesar Millan teaches, you could wind up with a biting dog. Cesar is trying to move to the good and positive but he’s not there yet so not doing what he does will be a lot better for your dog and your family.
Find a positive trainer. Try contacting Jean Donaldson or APDT for help.
I hope this helps. When our dogs are no challenge, we don’t learn more about dogs. Read everything you can that’s written by a positive trainer, like Jean Donaldson. The more you know about your dogs, the better trainer you will become.
It’s entirely possible that you’re accidentally training her to act fearful and aggressive. Get out a video camera and film everything for the next few weeks. You might even find that she isn’t the problem at all, it could be one of the other dogs affecting her and making her act like that. Video is powerful. We get to see what really happened by slowing down the footage and we get to see how we reacted, too. – Darcie
Melissa E
May 20, 2010 at 6:13 am
Hello Darcie;
I have a 2 year old Yorky with a flea problem and need help controlling his fleas without over medicating, bathing daily, and dusting the house carpet weekly. I use Ortho Bug-b-gone all over the yard. I have not found a flea product that works. I serched on your site for flea control articles and only got mosquito control articles. I’ve not had a mosquito issue here in Largo, FL. any ideas are welcome. Norman
Dear Norman, I’ve answered your question in a post at The Dish by Darcie. See it here Fleas! Dang it! Thank you. – Darcie
Norman Pickett
May 21, 2010 at 6:06 am
Hi Darcie,
I am very interested in dog training, I am taking classes to become certified and train myself and am trying to talk to and watch as many trainers as I can. I am in love with clicker training and positive methods but I am also a bit sceptical about how well it works to treat truly aggressive dogs. A friend of mine has such a dog, very messed up by a really bad trainer he had during his first months of his life. They are awesome in dealing with him and wouldn’t give him up for the world. With my own dogs and my fosters I have only had minor aggression issues that I could resolve with good leadership and obedience training. But her case and many others are something I have not yet experienced, but I would love to understand it. So long story short. In an old show I heard Victoria Stillwell say that the very source of aggressive behavior is fear. I have never thought about that way, but it makes sense to me. My friend with the aggressive dog disagrees. We are not fighting about things like that, we are both learning and trying to help each other learn. So I was wondering if you could maybe throw your own opinion into the mix to help us learn. I realize that aggression is still very misunderstood and little researched… I am just looking for opinions to help us open our minds.
Thanks so much for all you do! Nadja
Dear Nadja, Good for you! That’s wonderful.
Yes, in my opinion aggression is caused by fear. Your friend may not see the fear the way that she understands fear for herself. Use a video camera then watch it back in slow motion. Watch the eyes and the body language. Fear is often the first reaction, then aggression is used for protection. When the problem is fear, clicker training will help your dog understand that he can do something else in response to the fear and the fear can go away. Aggression feeds on itself. When the dog finds that aggression works to control his environment, of course he uses it again and again, escalating as his anxiety increases. When we can help our dogs find a new response to the fear, the aggression ends.
I’m sure there are several reasons for aggression in dogs. One is bad breeding, not breeding for temperament. Another is mental illness which can be another result of bad breeding. I know that a big source of aggression is bad food and especially those containing corn. I haven’t yet met a dog with a case of aggression who wasn’t eating corn.
One source of aggression is ill health, even physical misalignment. When the brain is so busy taking care of an out of balance body, how is it expected to take care of how we think about things or help us recognize a real threat from a fear realized threat? Same thing for our dogs. I suggest strongly that your friend get her dog to a vet chiropractor. Adjustments and acupuncture are working wonders for dogs who have aggressive tendencies. Here’s a video of Tilli’s first adjustment and some links to find a vet. Tilli is not aggressive but she was snapping at the pups because her body hurt so much. She’s 13 1/2 and she’s doing great.
I hope this helps. – Darcie
Nadja
May 21, 2010 at 11:21 am
Dear Darcie
Have been training my own chi dog for my hearing inpaired husband. Their are some many different scams and programs for tags to cards that everytime I research one it is a scam just opening up the site. I have trusted both sit stay and your information on sho tags and training tips that I thought you could give me a guiding hand on or direction to find a legal and legit program or testers. The dog is an owner trained one and all I have found is frustration. Could you help not only me but many otheras who have lost money on bogus scams from the internet. Thank you Cindy
Take a look at my article here, I think it will answer all your questions. Service Dog Scam
ciindy
May 28, 2010 at 11:25 am
Dear Darcie, I read in one of your previous posts about a dog of yours that had a pink nose and when you changed him to a raw food diet, his nose went back to black. I have a 5 year old Golden Retriever and her nose turned pink when she was around 2 years old. Right now she is being fed Wellness Core but prior to that she was on a veterinary diet due to digestive issues. Does diet have an effect on nose color? Is there anything else that affects nose color? Just curious if hers will ever go back to black and I don’t know if I’m ready to try a raw diet at this time. Thanks, Cheri
Dear Cheri, a nose turning pink could be natural. I’d say your dog is too young for that but I could be wrong. Do a search online for the words ‘dog nose pink’ to see a lot of ideas of why it happens. It could be one of those things that nobody knows for certain, sometimes it can be a medical condition, sometimes it’s aging. With Bruno, it was a definite lack of nutrition. When he started eating right for his species and his body, his nose turned black again.
We have several dehydrated raw foods that are easy to prepare. Take a look at the freeze dried foods here, especially Addiction for your girl to start with. I really like all of our foods. And is your girl getting any raw bones to eat and digest, like chicken and turkey? Dogs need bones. Nature’s Variety has the bones ground in, it’s my recipe from 8 years ago. You can’t go wrong with any of these. Addiction or any of the dehydrated raw foods would be a good way to add some raw food to her diet and see if it makes the change back to black for you. Let me know. – Darcie
Cheri
June 3, 2010 at 6:48 pm