The Life of Riley: 2013

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Utilizing Kibble For Mental Stimulation..What?!

Yeah, why should they get food for free if you can make their brains work for it?? Also, free food in a bowl is also boring for your dog and makes them a bit lazy. Make them work for it so that they can be better behaved and understand that food does not come free and that they actually have to be good dogs in order to receive any food rewards.

For dogs in training, I generally like to use their kibble instead of treats because they are going to have kibble anyways, why not put it to work? Also, training requires ALOT of food, and giving a lot of treats is not healthy since they are high in calories, and low in nutrition. Yes, even the "healthy holistic" treats can be fattening and not cost effective.

Dogs who free feed (ie. there's always food in the bowl) usually do not like to receive kibble as a reward. This can be corrected by taking away food from the bowl, and when they are hungry enough, they'll come begging for kibble. Don't starve them, but it usually takes 1-2 days until the dog figures out that their kibble only comes one by one from your hand instead of the usual food bowl. Note: you should following your veterinarian's instructions on how much to feed for growing puppies and pregnant dogs. But if you want to train puppies, you can take away the bowl while training them, and then put back the bowl when you are done with training.

Even if you do not have the time to train your dog with kibble, your dog should understand that kibble comes to those who earn it. That way, their brain is always working and thinking so that they aren't just sitting there waiting for food to be served. Mental stimulation is just as important as physical exercise! Here are some products that I use for my dog when I don't have time to train him and don't want him to eat from a bowl:

The Bob-a-lot Interactive Toy ($16 on Amazon) allows kibble to be put into the toy, and has two compartments where you control how much kibble falls out; one at the cap and one at the side of the toy. The dog tilts the toy and kibble falls out, but the toy rights itself in the upright position due to the nature of the heavy bottom. The dog has to figure out that food only comes out if he moves and tilts the toy.

Premier's Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble ($16 on Amazon) is another food dispensing toy in which you put food in the middle of the toy, the dog rolls it around, and food dispenses. It is similar to the Bob-a-lot but dispense a lot of food at once and does not give good control of how much food is dispensed.

The Kong toy ($8 on Amazon) is very popular as well. The Kong usually keeps a dog distracted or bored, but you can also you it to dispense their kibble. It's a rubber toy in which you put kibble and a little bit of peanut butter or wet food to maintain the kibble inside. Some people like to buy the Kong Stuff'n, which is liver, cheese, or peanut butter spread in a compressed canister that dispenses like whipped cream. One way to make kibble last in the kong is to plug the smaller end of the Kong with peanut butter, put the kibble inside, fill the Kong with water, and freeze it.

One other amazing toy design is by Nina Ottoson, who makes puzzle toys for dogs that need to get through certain milestones within the toy to get the food. In the video, the toy is called the Dog Worker ($50 on Amazon), which the dog needs to figure out that he needs to pick up the wood pegs or push them to the center of the piece to get to the treat. Very stimulating!

All these toys will teach the dog that not only is it fun to get food from a toy, but it also give them a challenge.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Fat Weighing Your Dog Down?

Let's face it. Most dogs living in a first world country is a bit overweight, even if the dog's belly is not drastically dragging on the floor. First of all, if you free feed your dog (filling the bowl whenever the bowl is empty), your dog will be overweight. So why does it matter that your dog is overweight? Just think of all the health problems you would encounter if you were obese, then apply it to your dog. It creates a series of health problems such as diabetes, joint problems, heart problems, cholesterol levels, etc.

Here is a summary breakdown of how to determine your dog's body fat:

Body Score of 1:

Ribs, pelvis, vertebra are all visible from a distance

Body Score of 3:

Obvious waste line is tucked (between last rib and hip bone)
Prominent hip bones
Top of spine is visible

Body Score of 5 (IDEAL BODY SHAPE):

Ribs, spine, and hip bones are easily felt without pressing through fat covering
Waist is tucked in when viewing the dog from top
Abdominal is tucked in

Body Score of 7 (most dogs are in this category):

Ribs, spine, and hip bones are not easily felt, ie. you have to press into the body to feel those bones
One or two ripples of fat behind the neck region

Body Score of 9:

Massive fat deposits on spine and ribs
Numerous ripples of fat in neck region and limbs
Abdominal tuck absent

Body Conditioning System made by Dr. Sophia Yin, modified from the Scoring System developed by Nestle Purina.

Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian or a certified trainer (yet). All these reviews on products and training only reflects on what's worked for dogs I've trained and their lifestyles. Adjust to how you see fit for your dog.

After reading this, if you feel that your dog has more than a body condition score of 5, consider cutting your dog's food back a bit (start by feeding 75% of original diet), or stop free feeding. If you feel that your dog has a body score of 9, do not drastically change his diet because it can have devastating changes to the digestive system. Instead, consult with your veterinarian about a diet plan. Not only a balanced diet is important, but a developing a different exercising routine should be incorporated into the plan.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Riley's Nose Knows

I've always been curious with nosework/scenting/tracking in dogs, so I decided to take a canine nosework class with Tracey Louper (http://aintmisbehavin-k9.com/). She is a dog trainer who has trained her own dogs in search and rescue, and have obtained tracking titles. I have been working with her on Riley's nosework training for about two months. It has been very fun, and maybe I will enter Riley in a nosework competition next year.

A little insight on nosework that I've learned thus far:
Nosework is a canine sport that any dog can do! All dogs have powerful noses that can sniff out the slightest scent. It teaches fearful dogs to venture out into small crevices, and to build their confidence in new places. I also had to train myself to let the dog lead me into the scenting course. I am also used to the dog walking next to me NOT pulling. However, the instructor said that he needs to lead me to the scent, and to avoid obedience work so the dog can take the time to just think about nosework, and not about obeying commands. That was a hard habit to break. The dogs wear a harness instead of being clipped to a head halter or flat collar because it is easier to lead on a back-clipping harness and doesn't restrict access to what's in front of the dog. Riley now wears a harness during nosework, which he percieves as "let's get to nosework" when he has it on. As we approach the "start line" of the nosework course, I keep ahold of Riley for about 3-5 seconds to let him take in the atmosphere, and he is released when I say "Search."

For the intro to nosework class, the instructor put out opened empty cardboard boxes. She puts treats in one of the many boxes randomly laid onto the ground. The dogs are curious and sniff every box to see what's in it. Once they find the box that has the treats, they eat, and you reward them for finding those treats by dropping more food into the box. This way, they are learning to keep their head inside the box. In other words, "good things happen when my head is in the box," says the dog. When yo are done, do not drag the dog away from the box. Rather, pick up the box and walk away with the dog. This way, the dog doesn't perceive you punishing him by dragging him away. When the dogs learn that the boxes mean it's nosework time, you start putting the treats in a small container (like a small lotion can or soap box) and poke holes so the scent can permeate. The container is put into an empty box among other boxes on the ground. The dogs search and when the find the container, you place treats onto the container so they learn that good things happen near the container and they are rewarded when the find the container. When they are good at this, you can remove systematically remove the boxes and start hiding the container between doorways, next to trash cans, door stops, etc. If they get stuck, add in a few empty boxes to prompt them that this scenrio is for nosework time. In class, we practiced outside, but at home, I practice in my living room. I started hiding my soap box container on bookshelves, under the coach, under the dog bed, on top of boxes, etc.

A few hints on success:
1) Never stop moving. If you stop walking, your dog may stop searching.
2) Deliver the treat to the dog as soon as he finds the scent, and deliver right next to the scent.
3) Have your dog potty before nosework class, and in between trials. Do NOT let him pee while he is searching in order to prevent the search from becoming contaminated. They should not be allowed to do anything else but sniff out the scent.
4) Hold the dog for 3-5 seconds before allowing him to cross into the scent arena. This helps the dog get a grip of the scenario.

Scent is a very strange concept to me. But of course if comes naturally to the dog. The wind can either help or inhibit the dog from finding the scent. In this video below, Riley is doing nosework indoors. He walks past the soap box containing the treats, but then catches the scent and makes a "hook," meaning he makes a U-turn back to the scent. This happens alot during nosework. One other interesting aspect is that not only does the dog learn to sniff out odors on the ground, the dog learns that sometimes he needs to smell one level above his head. So I started hiding the odor on the couch, on the third shelf of the bookshelf, on a chair, etc., so that he learns he needs to lift his head to search for the scent as well.

As we move onto more advanced levels, Riley will learn to scent odors that aren't food related such as anise or wintergreen. THEN we'll see about entering him in nosework competition. More updates later about this!

Cheers,
Tina & Riley

Riley's Tooth Fairy is not Coming

I am very adamant on Riley's oral hygiene. I have seen too many dogs with bad oral hygiene, teeth rotting, teeth falling out, and the owners wonder why their dog's health is failing. If you think about it in human terms, you would be more concerned about rotting teeth. Why should we fail to realize that oral hygiend is equally important in our pets? That was a rhetorical question. The answer is always most likely: LAZINESS. And the fact that most pets will not willingly open their mouths and stay still long enough for you to scrub their teeth. It takes dedication and training them to enjoy getting their teeth brushed. But think about it...if you trained your dog for a week straight to be calm while brushing their teeth, then it would set them up for success in the oral hygiene department for the remainder of their lifetime. But of course, everyone sees the hardship for what it is now.

Anyways, as much as I tried to brush Riley's teeth everyday, I still made a mistake in another department, which cost me $1,200 in his oral surgery procedure. I was not aware that certain pet edibles could cause fractures in the tooth. We think that Riley was chewing on a piece of cow bone, (the ones with yummy marrow in the middle), caused a fracture, and finally gave out. His canine broke in half laterally, and the pulp chamber was exposed. Oops. I knew that had to be taken care of soon, because if it didn't get treated, bacteria and other pathogens could migrate up the opening and into the bloodstream From thereon, it would spread to all areas of the body, causing organ failure, and may be fatal. So I decided to bite the bullet and go ahead with the surgery.

I called four clinics, and the best one was Cordova Veterinary Hospital (http://www.cordovavet.com/). Dr. Melissa Gates is the owner, and also performed the surgery on Riley. She was very patient with me as I told her he is fear aggressive and to take extra measures when examining him. His surgery went very well, and he recovered quickly as if nothing had ever happened.

What's the lesson here? I learned that you should never give your dog any edibles or chew toys that you cannot bend or break with your own hands, ie. no cow bones, deer antlers, cow hooves, etc. The vet provides many resources on dental health. Here are some FAQs on dental care:
http://www.cordovavet.com/pet-dental/faq.html