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poop4u · 5 years ago

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Raising a Dog in the Country

#Poop4U

The post Raising a Dog in the Country by Nikki Moustaki appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Rural dog training

Rural dogs have more freedom than city dogs, but that comes with its own set of training challenges, all of them for the safety of the dog and the people and other critters he encounters.

Photography ©KariHoglund | Getty Images

“I had to teach Sofi not to kill our chickens,” says Berta Bader, a full-time student from Boise, Idaho, of her 11-year-old Miniature Poodle. “I supervised Sofi with the chickens and distracted her when she looked at them. Next step was a lot of praise every time she ignored the chickens. Now chicken killing is not her main focus.”

Lisa G. Shaffer, PhD, from Spokane, Washington, has trained her four dogs — two Dachshunds and two Saint Bernards — to stop on command.

“We don’t want our wiener dogs in with our miniature horses,” Lisa says. “The horses don’t like the small dogs, and we worry that they’ll get stepped on. If we say stop, they stop and wait for us to pick them up, or it gets their attention and we can call them back.”

Shannon Bridwell of Greer, South Carolina, lives with two Greyhounds and five Ibizan Hounds. “A lot of rural dogs have issues with barking, reactivity and other behavioral concerns associated with a lack of socialization, training, and mental and physical stimulation,” she says. “A lot of rural owners do not take their dogs out as often as city people do.”

Sharma Sonntag of Lander, Wyoming, who lives with three Rat Terriers, says that rural dogs need to be trained not to chase wildlife and that they should be “snake trained” as well.

Emily Hurt of Sherman, Texas, who lives with seven Border Collies, says that the biggest training must-have for a rural dog is good check-in behavior. “I know when I’m out on the property I can count on my dogs to check in with me periodically just to be sure they know where I am. This is reinforced from the time that they’re very young, and it’s something I make sure to continuously reinforce and strengthen as the dogs go through different stages of maturity.”

Photography ©eAlisa | Getty Images ©ktmoffitt | Getty Images

Country dog health

Rural dogs need flea and tick control, heartworm prevention, the leptospirosis vaccine and intestinal parasite control, says Lisa Whitney, DVM, from St. Johnsbury, Vermont.

Emily also says that the biggest health must is staying up to date on preventives. “All of my Border Collies naturally seem to avoid or ignore snakes, but my Jack Russell was a master snake hunter back in the day,” she says. “I gave her the rattlesnake vaccine a few times. I didn’t want to be in a bad spot and have her completely unprotected.”

Wendy also believes in preventive care due to the country dogs’ love of nature’s snacks. “Deer poop looks like doggo kibble, turkey poop looks like ice cream, and dead mice and rodents are part of life in the country,” she says. “They’re all delicious to dogs. Got to keep them on the worm preventives.”

Other animals pose a big hazard to the country dog, from snakes to predators, from rabid animals to those who seem like not much of a threat, like deer.

“Petey once thought a deer reclining under an oak tree was our late Greyhound, Magic,” says Wendy of her Chihuahua. “When he went to say hi, the deer hoofed him! He had a huge gash across his torso. Thankfully it didn’t need stitches, but he learned his lesson — and I did, too!”

Linda Chekanow of Sparta, North Carolina, has also had an unexpected experience with a dog and a deer. “Waffles, my Chihuahua mix, fell in love with a doe who kept coming into the fenced acre where we have our fruit trees and chickens,” Linda says. “They ran along the fence together, like playing. After several days the deer turned up in our garden one evening at dusk. Before I could stop him, Waffles went running full speed to her, barking all the way. She eyeballed him, and when he got close enough, she raised one hoof and kicked him. He came yipping back to the door with poop hanging out of his butt! It sounds funny now, but at the time I was scared he might have been hurt. Luckily nothing was broken but his heart.”

Susan Daffron of Sandpoint, Idaho, says that her dogs are never left unsupervised and that they are always on leash, confined in a fenced area or inside the house. “One of our neighbors had their dog stomped on by a moose, which broke the dog’s back. Other dogs in the area have been shot by property owners because the dog was messing with their livestock, such as eating chickens.”

Weather can also pose a health danger. Make sure that your dog stays hydrated in hot weather, especially if he has a thick coat.

“Frostbite can be a hazard, and poor visibility during snowstorms can cause disorientation,” says Kelly Leathers from Vail, Colorado, who lives with Lily, a 10-year-old Newfoundland/Golden Retriever mix. “If you live in a mountainous region, avalanches can be a serious risk. This year there was an avalanche almost every day. Many dog parents choose to put a beacon on their canine companions.”

Even plants in the environment can cause a dog pain and illness. When Sharma worked as a veterinary technician, a young Springer Spaniel, Yukon, was brought into the clinic with thousands of foxtails embedded in his body. The owners wanted the dog euthanized.

“He had them in his ear, his legs, belly, neck, pretty much everywhere,” Sharma says. “I adopted him and then spent nine months removing foxtails and getting him well. Yukon went on to be a therapy dog.”

Challenges and advantages

“We run into a major issue with off-leash, unsocialized dogs,” Shannon says. “There’s a mentality in the country that dogs can just run loose. We can’t even take walks on our road because there are so many loose dogs. I also feel that many rural dogs do not get the same level of socialization and intentional exercise because owners rely on big yards and don’t take the dogs out very often.”

Lisa says that her Dachshund, Trixie, is an excellent mouser, and that if they don’t watch her, the dog will tear up the garden. “She has destroyed a lawn mower trying to get to a mouse nest, torn up sprinklers trying to get to mice, has dug under the deck — basically she’s always in search of mice,” Lisa says.

Rural dogs also find strange things because many are allowed to roam and explore their land.

“My Collie, Emma, brought home an empty tortoise shell,” says Terry Albert, who lives in Poway, California, with four dogs. “Another time she brought home the head of a steer my neighbor had butchered. He had thrown the head into the nearby brush.”

Life as a country dog also has many advantages, and there are advantages for dog lovers as well. Most rural areas allow people to keep many more dogs than they could in a city or the suburbs.

Country Pup Hazards

Embrace Pet Insurance’s data shows that their top five claims for rural dogs are:

✯ Cranial cruciate ligament tear

✯ Allergy

✯ Seizure

✯ Lymphoma

✯ UTI

Embrace concludes that perhaps dogs who have property or larger yards aren’t always leash walked and have access to unrestricted running (leading to cruciate ligament tears), versus city dogs, which tend to be leash-trained.

Other hazards facing rural dogs include:

✯ Ticks and other biting bugs

✯ Skunk (getting sprayed isn’t fatal, but it’s inconvenient)

✯ Porcupine

✯ Venomous snakes

✯ Foxtail grass

✯ Poisonous plants

✯ Predators + other critters: Mountain lions (also known as cougars, bobcats, coyotes, bears, wild boars, deer, moose, elk, hawks, eagles, owls and raccoons

✯ Rabid animals

✯ Cars zipping down country roads

✯ Unfriendly people and dogs

Poop4U Blog via www.Poop4U.com Nikki Moustaki, Khareem Sudlow

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ultralifehackerguru-blog · 8 years ago

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New Post has been published on http://www.lifehacker.guru/easy-dog-treats-you-can-make-for-your-furry-friend/

Easy Dog Treats You Can Make For Your Furry Friend

Dogs are a very important part of life, and they deserve treats. Sure, there are a ton of store-bought options out there, but recent recalls have made me wary, and there’s something reassuring about seeing every ingredient that goes into my pet’s snack. Unlike some human confections, dog treats are super easy to whip up, and we’ve rounded up a bunch of simple, tasty morsels for your favorite furry friend.

As with any dietary change, make sure you consult your veterinarian before introducing any new food to your dog’s diet, and remember that everything below is meant to be given occasionally as a treat, not as a meal replacement. (Also, though these treats are all safe for human consumption, they’re all pretty bland, and the only ones I’d recommend eating yourself are the smoothie and the raw fruits and veggies.)

Baked Goods

I show love for people by baking for them, and no one is more deserving of my love than my dog. (In fact, I think few people are as deserving of love as my dog, much less “more deserving.”) In addition to being more worthy of your culinary creations, dogs are simply much more fun to bake for. Has any human ever eaten a cookie with the same level of gusto and enthusiasm that your dog has eaten anything? Has a dog ever given “constructive feedback” regarding your carrot cake recipe? Does your dog care about presentation? I think not.

Two-Ingredient Baby Food Treats

These treats from Curbly are super cheap and super easy to make, which makes them some of my favorites. All you need is whole-wheat flour and some high-quality baby food for a cookie that’s perfect for your fur baby.

Ingredients:

2 cups 100% organic whole wheat flour (You can also mix in wheat germ, spelt, or rolled oats.)

2 4-ounce jars of preservative-free baby food, made from pooch-friendly fruits and vegetables like sweet potatoes, pears, apples, and carrots. (Make sure to avoid anything with onion, garlic, or anything in the allium family.)

Mix the two ingredients together to form a dough, adding water as needed to keep it firm but malleable. Roll the dough out, cut it into shapes with a sharp knife or cookie cutters, transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake at 350℉ for 20-25 minutes. Let the treats cool before giving them to your pup.

Flax Seed Cheddar Biscuits

These cookies (which I developed for Dogster) require a smidge more effort but, as you can see from the above photo, my dog is a huge fan. The flax seeds are good for your pup’s skin and coat, and just a sprinkling of cheddar makes these biscuits extra enticing. You can obtain flax seeds from most health or specialty food stores; just make sure to crush them right before use, so as to prevent the oil from going rancid.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour (either all-purpose or whole wheat)

1/2 cup of beef broth

2 tablespoons of flax seeds, freshly crushed (the ground stuff is fine too, just use a little less)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Shredded cheddar for topping (optional)

Whisk together broth, flax, and olive oil until they are fairly combined (some separation is unavoidable). Stir in flour and flax, and combine to form a sticky, stretchy dough. Coat your hands with a little olive oil and roll dough into 16 ping-pong-ball-sized mounds. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and press a pinch of cheddar into the top of each one. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is browned and the biscuits are firm, but slightly springy. Let cool.

Frozen Treats

During my last attempt to be a somewhat healthy grownup, my King Charles Spaniel became obsessed with my morning smoothie. At first I just let her lick my empty glass, but was soon making a little extra so she could have her own, spaniel-sized portion in her bowl. Unsurprisingly, her favorite was the one with peanut butter in it.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie

Ingredients:

5 ounces of nonfat Greek yogurt (I used one of the single-serving Chobani 0% yogurts)

2 heaping tablespoons of peanut butter

8 small strawberries (use frozen for a frosty treat)

A tablespoon of maple syrup (any grade is fine, but grade B is more flavorful)

Put it all in a blender and blend until it’s a smoothie. I’m pretty confident you know what a smoothie looks like. Pour a small portion into your pups bowl and either refrigerated the rest or drink it yourself.

Strawberry Ice Cream

You may or may not have seen a little product called “Frosty Paws,” but it is essentially overpriced dog ice cream that my pooch is crazy for. (She’s also crazy for a pizza grease-soaked paper towel, so let’s not put too much stock in her palate.) Unlike children, dogs are completely unaware of branding, and they will be just as happy with the ice cream-like concoction you create. (Which is great, because those Frosty Paw things are expensive.)

Ingredients:

4 large strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and diced

3 cups of nonfat plain yogurt, divided in half; avoid brands that contain any fat substitutes

Combine both ingredients in a blender or food processor. Transfer mixture to little cups or an ice cube tray and freeze. If you want to pipe the mixture into fun little shapes, pour the mixture into a piping bag or resealable plastic bag with a corner snipped off. Line a baking tray or cutting board with wax paper and pipe whatever shapes you artistically capable of onto the paper. (I can do circles and hearts.) Pop the tray or board in your freezer until the shapes are fully set (about fifteen minutes). Peel them off the paper and serve to your favorite pupper. (Store in an airtight container in the freezer.)

Meaty Munchies

Though the pet food marketing would have us believe that dogs are ruled by their desire for bacon, that particular pork product should be largely avoided as a treat, due to high levels of salt and fat. (Even bacon of the highest quality isn’t fit for canine consumption.) For a healthy, but still vastly appealing porcine snack, swap out the cured breakfast meat for simply-cooked pig ears for a chewy treat.

Baked Pig Ears

I love a fried pig ear, but deep-frying is not a good cooking method for dog treats. Instead of dipping them in a vat of hot oil, Food52 recommends baking these babies slow and low in the oven. (Alternatively, you can smoke them. Food52 can walk you through the process here.)

Ingredients:

Pig ears

Oil

Obtain some pig ears from your butcher or nearest Piggly Wiggly (if you happen to live near such a fine establishment). Cut them into pieces that are appropriately sized for your doggo (they shrink a bit during cooking), then toss them with just enough oil to coat. Spread them out on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake on your oven’s lowest setting until they are completely dried out. Depending on how low your oven can go, this will take anywhere from 6-10 hours, so flip them around the four hour mark. Once they’re nice and crispy, let them cool, and store in a paper bag in a cool, dry place.

Go Raw

Dogs like food, and frankly they don’t care how much time you spend preparing it. That’s great news, because there’s not always time to bake (or blend) for your pooch, but you can still reward him or her for being such a good boy or girl with some tasty raw snacks:

Carrot sticks—Dogs don’t even need dip.

Apples slices—Remove the seeds and core first.

Pineapple chunks—Make sure to peel off every bit of that spiny skin.

Blueberries—Freeze ‘em for a chilly summertime treat.

Cucumbers—Cucumbers are mostly water, making them super hydrating and appropriate for pets that might be on calorie-restricted diets

Those are my dog’s personal favorites, but you can check out this list from the American Kennel Club for more ideas. If you have any doubt as to whether or not something is okay for your dog to eat consult your veterinarian, and always avoid onions (or anything in the onion family), grapes, mushrooms, avocado, and tomatoes.