...And We're Back!!!

Yes, I have been absent.  I spent some serious time unplugged.  Crazy but true. 

 First, I made some jam and tomato sauce.  Details and recipes will follow.

Then, we took full advantage of the the last days of warm weather by taking off for lots of hiking and swimming!

 What a great way to enjoy those last few hot lazy days.  And so great for my mental health!

H204K9 Water Bottle - Part Deux

 

Meet our replacement H204K9 water bottle.  I got one of these bottles a while ago, and the dogs loved it.  And I loved it.  And I reviewed it.  And then someone adopted it as their own.

Well, the nice people at H204K9 sent us a new one.  And I got to choose from all of the available colors.  Of course I chose pink.

I have been using this bottle for the girls for over a month now, and I absolutely love it.  So check out The Friendly Pooch for a more thorough review and pics from our latest dog park and hiking adventures!

Have a good weekend everyone!  Get out there and enjoy the sunshine.  And don't forget your water and your sunscreen!

The Playful Pooch

I did it.  I started a second blog.  A dog blog of course. So for updates on the antics of Kitty and Millie, and for other useful (or at least somewhat useful) doggie content, chek out The Playful Pooch.  And please add yourself to our pack of friends!

I added the dog food info from this blog - because that's what I get asked about the most. 

One of the things I want to do on The Playful Pooch is to feature YOUR dogs, so I may be contacting you for pictures and stories.  Also, if you would like to feature your dog on The Playful Pooch, email me at theplayfulpooch at gmail.

Also please email, comment or chat any feedback and requests. 

HAPPY WEEKEND!!

Sporn Collar - Stops Your Dog from Pulling

Some dogs are easier to leash train than others.  And even a leash trained dog will sometimes decide to chase a squirrel or another dog - and give you a good yank at the other end of the leash.  My girls are each about 80 lbs, and even though they're good on the leash, but they weren't always.  And 160 lbs of dog is tough to hold on to!

I've never been a fan of the choke collar.  I think they're mean and can potentially hurt your dog.  As a result, I went looking for alternatives.  I found a great one in the Sporn Halter Collar.  They don't ship to Canada directly, but you can get them from Ren's.

The collar has two restraints attached to the front that go under your dog's front legs.  These then come together through a loop on the back of the collar and attach to the leash.  When your dog pulls, the restraints tighten and pinch the dog's armpit region.  This is not painful for your dog, but it is uncomfortabe.  The equivalent of a poke.

I used these on both my girls when I was leash training them.  And now, even though I am confident that the girls are well leash trained, I still use these if we're going somewhere new. 

For example, I put them on when we go hiking somewhere popular where there will be a lot of people and off leash dogs we don't know coming out of the bushes in our direction.  It gives me something to grab them with and they can't yank me.

My parents' dog, Ernie wears his EVERYWHERE because he is strong and stubborn, so when he sees a squirrel or something he goes after it, leash or not.  It's comfy enough to wear when he's off leash and running around.  No chafing problems.

These collars take a little practice to get your dog into.  It's best to put the collar on first and then put the legs through the loops one at a time.  Ernie is so used to it now, he lifts up his legs to make it easier.  At first, your dog may not like the collar very much.  After all, it pinches them when they pull.  But it doesn't take long for them to associate the collar with walks and dog parks.  All of our dogs are THRILLED when they see their Sporn collars coming out.

So if your dog pulls on the leash, the Sporn Collar is the best thing I've found to keep your pooch in control without hurting them.  We've gotten a lot of questions about our dogs' collars both at the dog park and online, and I've gotten several thank-you's from others who had a lot of trouble keeping their dogs from pulling.  Or from people whose dogs are stronger than they are - like my parents.  I highly recommend these.  Best $40 (for two) I've ever spent!

Get Outside with your Furry Friends

It's spring out there.  The weather is perfect for being outdoors.  I love taking my dogs to the forest or to the dog park.  It's such a nice time to relax and focus my energy on them.  They love it and I love watching them play and frolic outside.  Nothing de-stresses and relaxes me more. We go everyday, rain or shine. Our time outside keeps me sane.  It keeps my girls sane too.

Sadly, not all the dogs we know get daily walks or excercise. 

So Amelia, Kitty and I challenge you to get out with your dog this weekend. 

And if you don't have a dog, that's ok.  Take your friend's dog.  Or take your kids or your significant other (we hear they need regular excercise too).

Take them to the dog park...

Or on a stroll in the city...

Or let them frolic on a beach and catch some waves...

(Aren't my girls AH-DORABLE???)

Or take them with you on your next run...

Or on a play date in the park...

And while you're out there, leave everything else behind.  No cell phones, no computers, no planning work meetings or house cleaning schedules.  This is YOUR time.  Take the time to enjoy it.  Live in the moment like your dogs do.

And remember...

 

We hear the above applies to kids and husbands too!

Also, Millie, Kitty and I would love to hear what you did!  We might get some good ideas, and we LUUUVE new adventures!

Weekend in the Woods with the Doggies

My mom and I spent some time in the forest with the Doggies this weekend.  The dogs had a great time running around the woods chasing squirrels and rabbits.  And it was so nice and warm that they actually got hot and had to take a little break on a patch of cool sand they found.

Here are the girls having a rest and a breather. Kitty is in the front and Millie is in the back.

Several strategies were employed to maxmize cooling.  Amelia decided to roll around in the dirt.

Kitty, on the other hand, stretched her legs behind her to cool her belly.

However, no one was as hot as Ernie (my parents' dog).  Not only is he black, but he also has a super thick coat complete with a downy undercoat.  You can see that he spent a good amount of time rolling around in the cool dirt as well.

Our semi-new H204K9 water bottle was stolen at the dog park yesterday - it was on the picnic table while we were playing fetch and when I turned around after a couple of throws it was gone.  Really people?  Really?  We're stealing water bottles now?  So if the JERK who took our doggie water bottle is reading this - YOU SUCK! 

Rant over - WHEW!

Other than the slight doggie dehydration (rectified with a big bowl of water at the car), we had a super duper time!  I love hiking.  But I love hiking with the dogs a 100 times more!

What did you do this weekend?

H2O4K9 Water Bottle

I picked up one of these H2O4K9 water bottles today at the All About Pets Show in Toronto.  It's stainless steel, which I prefer to aluminum because aluminum does leech into the water.  The stainless steel is very thin, which keeps the bottle as light as possible.  It has a wide enough neck that you can put ice into the water on really hot days.  The lid is a screw cap with a silicone gasket, and it turns into a small water bowl for the dog.  I wish they made a bigger size so I could use it for two big dogs.  I do appreciate how it's just a bottle with a cap that doubles with a bowl.  This is such a superior design to anything else I've seen on the market.  No need to fuss around with a collapsable bowl, etc.  Just pour the water into the cap, and let them drink.  Then pour left overs back into bottle, tigten cap, and it can go back into your backpack.  No fuss, no mess.

We used it today on our dog park adventure, and we give it an enthusiastic 2 thumbs up.

So if you have a pooch of your own, or if you are looking for a gift for someone with a pooch, this is a must have accessory as we move into the hot summer months!

Hiking with the Dogs

I couldn't finish the vanity today, because it was chilly, gloomy and very windy.  So instead, we decided to take the dogs hiking.  Here are some pics from today's romp in the forest.

Millie checking back where we were through the trees.

 

Sniffing the winter bunny dwellings - abandoned when the snow melted.

 

Kitty (yes, she's a dog named Kitty) checking out the trees for squirrels.

All three doggies sniffing around.  The black lab is my parents' dog - Ernie.

Though it was a bit muddy at times, and Kitty decided to get ready for hunting by rolling around in horse poop, it was a great hike.  And luckily, there was enough snow to wipe Kitty down, so the whole car did not smell like a horse's arse!

Argyle Dog Collars

I was at the local 'hoity toity' pet store the other day, and I spotted these amazying collars. They're from a company called Mascot.   At $80, they're way pricey for a dog collar, but they're SO CUTE.  And the leather is so soft.  And that super cute buckle!  AH-Dorable!

Alba Un-Petroleum Jelly Review

We all have petroleum jelly in our house.  When it comes to beauty/body/skin care, petroleum jelly is a real work horse.

From the Alba website:
With beeswax, moisture rich coconut oil and soothing, protective vitamin E, this natural, non-petroleum jelly is perfect as an all-over body moisturizer for soothing, softening skin rejuvenation...The original, multi-purpose skin moisturizer and protectant is made from only pure plant oils and all natural waxes.

I don't really believe all the hoopla about petroleum jelly being carcinogenic or particularly bad for you.  But since I put the stuff on my doggie paws (keeps snow/ice crystals from sticking to their feet), an they tend to lick it off, I prefer the natrual stuff.  I have been using the un-petroleum jelly for about 6 months now, and I have found it to be comparable to vaseline.  So if you are worried about petroleum products and want a more natural alternative, look no further than your local health food store.

Dog Kibble: The Good, Bad, and Truly Ugly

On top of the homemade dog food my girls get each morning, they also have kibble available to them all day.  This is called free choice feeding, and is a way of letting your pet regulate their nutritional needs.  My breeder feeds her dogs this way, and this is how the puppies ate when I got them.  I like free choice feeding because when we do big hikes, or when it's cold outside, my girls eat a little more.  On the other hand, on days when we only do our usual 1 hour walk, they eat less.  They also ate a lot more during growth spurts.

Again, I am not saying that there is anything wrong with scheduled feeding.  This is what works for us.  My dogs do not have any weight problems due to free choice feeding.  The only issue I have had with this type of feeding schedule is that when they were puppies I always had a ziploc bag with kibble with me on longer outings.  I have been told at the dog park that free choice feeding is bad training, but have not found this to be the case.  My girls are well behaved, follow my instructions well, and come when called (even when there is a squirrel involved!).  What more can I ask for?

According to the scale I posted yeserday, here are some of the dog foods on the market rate:

Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
Canidae / Score 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
Foundations / Score 106 A+
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 73 D
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F
ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+
Purina Beneful / Score 17 F
Purina Dog / Score 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F
Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+
Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A

When compared to some of the more popular brands, I am impressed with how well the Kirkland brand kibble compares.  Especially since Kirkland Dog food is made from human grade meat that is hormone and antibiotic free. This such a great value that if you have a large dog, it in itself is worth the yearly membership costs.  It's about $23 for a 40lb bag!

The girls get this regularly, and grew up on the Kirkland puppy food.  The have had no problems digesting this food or being sensitive to it.  In combination with the homemade food, their coats are shiny and healthy.

We're currently in Canada.  But when we were in California I discovered Nature's Variety dog food.  They have two types of kibble, one without grains (Instinct) and one with grains (Prairie).  I was giving my girls Prairie, which comes in several varieties.  If your dog has a sensitivity to a particular food, you can choose varieties that do not contain it, otherwise you can alternate between the different varieties for more complete nutrition. 

I loved this dog food.  My dogs LOVED it.  Their coats were even more shiny and it even smelled good.  Their favorite was the salmon, but they enjoyed all of the varieties.  There was no adjustment period when alternating between the different varieties. 

What I love most about Nature's Variety do food is that you can look up the ingredients on their website, and then look up each ingredient  individually for an explanation about why that ingredient is beneficial to your furry friend.  Check them out at http://www.naturesvariety.com/.  And if you're in the Bay Area, you can get this dog food at Pet Food Express, where if you buy three bags of dog food, the fourth one is free!

Dog Food: What I Feed my Fur Girls.

I have two large (>75lb each) Rhodesian Ridgeback/Southern Black Mouth Cur fur ladies. When I got them I did a lot of research into dog food. As a result, my girls enjoy a home cooked meal in the morning (recipe below) and they free choice feed on either Nature's Variety or Kirkland kibble.

Disclaimer: I am not a vet, nor am I claiming to be an expert in dog nutrition. I am just sharing the info I have found in my research, and what I feed my pets.

I found dog food to be the most challenging aspect of owning a dog. There are so many dog food brands out there, at so many different price points. I don't think that expensive means good quality. I think there is good and bad at all price points.

The Scale

The most useful resource I found when researching dog food was a scale by which dog food can be rated according to ingredients.   Here is how it works:

Start with a grade of 100:

1) For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points
2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points
3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points
5) If the same grain ingredient is used two or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer's rice", "rice flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points
6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than two meats in the top three ingredients, subtract 3 points
7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points
9) If corn is listed in the top five ingredients, subtract 2 more points
10) If the food contains any animal fat otherthan fish oil, subtract points
11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points
14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to beef), subtract 1 point
15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point
Extra Credit:

1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points
3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points
7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points
8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points
9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points
10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point
12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one, count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source, but "chicken" and "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point
13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point

94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
69 = F

For more info, check out The Dog Food Project.

Homemade Dog Food Recipe
I buy what is in season (tends to be cheaper), what looks good in the store, and what is priced well.  I try to buy good quality ingredients.  As such, the food does vary somewhat from batch to batch.  The dogs do not react to this variation in any way.  Feel free to vary ingredients depending on what is available in your area or what you have in your freezer/fridge/pantry.  It helps to be friends with your butcher to get good meat variation at great prices

Meat (approx 40% total by volume)
    Pork (including: shoulder, hocks, chops, leg)
    Beef (roast, stew, shank, tendons)
    Chicken (stewing hen from farmer's market)
    Turkey (legs, wings)
    Veal (breasts, chops)
    Other as available (venison, moose, bear, lamb, etc)

Wash meat and add to boiling water, skin, bones and all.  Cook until falling off the bone.  Lately we have been puttng the pot into the oven and letting it cook slowly overnight.  The beef tendons should be very soft and signifcantly smaller.  Take meat out of pot and chop when cool enough to handle.  Strain and save liquid.  Discard all bones as cook bones are brittle, often break into shards, and can cut up your dog's digestive system.  Add cut up meat back into pot.

Vegetables (approx 35% total by volume)
    Cabbage
    Sweet Potatoes
    Purple Yams
    Tarot
    Carrots
    Apples
    Broccoli
    Chinese Broccoli
    Zuccini
    Butternut Squash
    Pumpkin
    Mushrooms
    Brussel Sprouts
    Celery
    Cauliflower
    Beets
    Green Beans
    Chinese Long Green Beans
    Any other veggies in season (avoid: onions, eggplant, peppers, tomato, citrus, corn, soy)

    Garlic
    Fresh or Frozen Parsley

Process all veggies in food processor, until chopped.  Most veggies can be shredded in your food processor.  Shred cabbage first, add back to meat and simmer until well cooked (while you process the rest of the veggies).   Add water as needed.  Add some salt, though it should be very underseasoned by human standards.  After cabbage is cooked, add the rest of the veggies and bring to a boil.  Simmer with veggies for 5-10 minutes.

Grains (25% total)
    Roasted Buckwheat (10-15% total)
    Barley
    Rice
    Oats

Make sure there is enough water in your pot to completely cook the grains and that the pot is boiling. Add grains to pot and bring to a boil agin.  Add garlic and parsley.  Stir and cover and let sit in a 250oF oven for 30-40 minutes, or until grains are cooked.

Cool completely before giving to your dog.

We make huge batches of this food and freeze in portions.  Defrost and serve.