admin answers:

The other trainer that was hired at my store teaches a training method called the compulsive learning theory. Basically it states the dog obeys to avoid punishment. If he was a real trainer who is up to date on the proven positive methods, he would know that dogs learn best by a positive based punishment rather than a physical one. In short I have seen this brut of a man hang and jerk aggressive dog via on leashes. He has even gone as fare as pinching the whisker glands on the dog to get them to obey. Some of you may not see the problem in this, but as someone who has gone to school to study dog behavior, it is insulting and honestly if I can be so bold cheating clients in thinking this is the right way into training dogs. If anyone wants to have a good dog trainer here are the list of criteria that will insure you they are good teachers:
1) Ask if they have a valid Dog training certificate from a positive training school( look up the school via google)
2) Ask if they use prong choke or shocks collars in training. They say yes to any of them DO NOT GO WITH THEM!
3) Do they use any physical correction with there hands in training? The answer should be no.
4) Ceaser Mulan or Victoria Stillwell? If it Ceaser they love, I promise you they will screw up your dog.
5) Ask where the training will be. Outside?How many dogs? Is it sanitary?

In my expeirance pet store trainers have little or no knowledge on how to properly train dogs. I have met many and have seen their classes. Best advice is to get a personal trainer who can come to your home and let your dog be in it’s own home where he will learn the best.

And in case your are wondering where my education comes from here is the school I am going to
animalbehaviorcollege.com. Same school Victoria Stilwell from ” It’s me or the Dog” graduated from. That and also I had to work on an externship for 7 months versing myself in different AKC breed groups. Am I educated? Yes. Do I know my material? Yes. Am I a dog whisper? No. I am a person who can get into about a 90% radius of what your dog may be thinking. Thank you for this question, and if you ever have training questions feel free to ask me. ^_^

Dare2howl@yahoo.com

admin answers:

They can be used instead of a chain (collar). The fabric is easier on fragile necks than the regular chain collar. When adjusted properly, it will not close around the neck like a chain collar But you still get the chain sound of the correction. I do not reccommend a flat, chain or martingale for a dog that has pulling issues. For that a prong collar used correctly is actually much safer for the trachea as it stops the pulling with the least pressure on the trachea.

I use the martingale for my two poms. Poms have delicate neck and also they have large heads compared to their necks and a regular chain collar is too long when it is long enough to get over their heads. The martingale can be adjusted after it is put on so the chain does not hang down too low. They do not have pulling issues but a quick jiggle of the chain will put them back into proper position. Plain flat collars are too damaging for small dog’s necks when training or the dog is pulling. They have no “give” and no warning “jiggle”.

admin answers:

Much older than a puppy.

In my opinion, shock collars shouldn’t be used to *teach* anything – they should be used to *proof* what has already been taught by positive training, rewards (not just treats) and corrections.

admin answers:

It can be overwhelming at first trying to choose a food, especially when you’re just starting to learn about all the stuff that goes into dog food and hearing about a bunch of brands that aren’t advertised.

But remember, it’s dog food, not rocket science. Relax and try out a few foods, see which high-quality one works for you and your dog.

===

There is no food that is the *best*, different individual dog may thrive on different foods. What is best for one may not be the best for the next. And just because a food is good quality, it doesn’t mean it will jive the best for your dog.

What you want to find is the HIGH-QUALITY food that *your dog* does best on.

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Read the ingredients before you buy.

Here is my “short list” of rules when I am looking at dog food ingredients:
1) When I chose a dog food, I chose one high meat content. I want to see preferably at least 2-3 out of the top 5 ingredients be meat or meat meal (first ingredient must be!). Meal is simply the meat with the moisture removed.
2) I want to see higher quality grains, such as barley, brown rice, and oatmeal, instead of seeing wheat and corn. Or an alternative starch/carbohydrate such as potatoes or sweet potatoes.
3) I don’t want to see any byproducts.
4) I don’t want to see a lot of fillers.
5) I don’t want to see preservatives that are believed to be carcinogens (BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin).
6) I don’t want to see artificial colorings such as the Red, Blue, and Yellow dyes.
7) I don’t want to see added sugars (sugar, corn syrup).
8) I don’t want to see mystery meats (meats identified only as “meat” or “poultry”.)

Here is an article about byproducts:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=ingrd

And an article on what ingredients to avoid:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients

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Here are some examples of GOOD dog foods:
* Artemis (Fresh Mix)
* Blue Buffalo
* California Natural
* Canidae
* Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
* Eagle Pack Holistic Selects
* EVO
* Fromm
* Innova
* Merrick
* Nature’s Variety
* Orijen
* Solid Gold
* Taste of the Wild
* Timberwolf Organics
* Wellness
* ZiwiPeak

Or check this website; the 4, 5, or 6 star rated foods are all good foods. Http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

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Higher quality food may seem more expensive at first, but it evens out. The higher quality the food, the less fillers eaten (and therefore the less poop comes out the other end). Your dog eats more of a low-quality food to try to get the nutrition it needs, and most of the food just passes right on through. Also, higher-quality food will make your animals healthier, so you save money on vet bills in the long run.

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What *NOT* to buy:

Stay away from grocery stores brands. They are low-quality foods chalk full of fillers, preservatives, dyes, etc.. (Grocery store foods are those like Beneful, Old Roy, Alpo, Pedigree, Purina, etc.)

Beware “premium” foods. “Premium” does not always mean good nutritionally, and is not a nutritionally high quality food. Most of these foods have the same types of ingredients as grocery store foods, just a bit better quality of those not-so-good ingredients. (Premium foods are those like Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Bil-Jac, Royal Canin, etc..)

Another thing to be wary of: A lot of vets will recommend what they sell in their office. They get profit from the brands they keep on their shelves, that’s why they push it. Truth is, vet schools don’t focus a lot on nutrition. It’s not saying that a vet is a bad vet because he recommends those foods, a lot of vets just are told “this is good food”, so they pass the message along without proper nutrition knowledge. Also, some dog food brands (like Hills) support vet schools, so vets have heard of it from the time they start college, which makes them think it’s good as well.

Hills company, the makers of Science Diet, are heavily involved in vet schools. “Hill’s scientists author more than 50 research papers and textbook chapters each year and teach at leading schools of veterinary medicine” (Source of quoted section: http://www.hillsvet.com/zSkin_2/company_info/company_info_general.jsp?JSESSIONID=HMz2B3Jn3hv0rnSoxCobfbBhOec35ODG7yh5t3P0vcvhOtzRlQ9M!598359213!167846923!7005!8005&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302026072&bmUID=1196192566575 )

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“Big box” petstores like Petco and Petsmart rarely have quality foods. (I do believe that PetCo sells “Solid Gold” and “Natural Balance” brands and Petsmart sells “Blue Buffallo”, which are all higher quality foods, but most of the foods aren’t.)

Also, grocery stores and Walmart aren’t good places to buy food either.

Your best bets for getting quality dog food are:
– small, locally owned petstores
– dog boutiques
– farm supply stores

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When switching foods, do it gradually. I do this over about a two week timespan:
25% food A, 75% food B
50% food A, 50% food B
75% food A, 25% food B
100% food A
.

admin answers:

If you can buy it in the supermarket, it’s probably not good for your dog…the brands you mention are all literally garbage…they will provide some calories to keep a dog alive, but have very little nutritional value at all…

Not familiar with the brand you switched to (I feed Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover’s Soul at the moment) but see the source links for some info…the first is a good guide on the types of ingredients you do and do not want in your dog’s food…the 2nd is a review of a number of the “better” dog foods (better than anything you’ll find in the grocery store)…

Why are the brands you mention unhealthy??? They are loaded with fillers and animal parts there was no other use for…I shoot for a food with “human grade” ingredients…

admin answers:

Http://www.dogaware.com/ – information on commercial dog foods, ingredients to avoid, good and bad human foods, supplements and raw diets.

Http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ – in-depth reviews on dog food brands and their ingredients

Wellness & Wellness CORE, Solid Gold, Taste of the Wild, Timber Wolf Organics, California Naturals, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul, Merrick, Canidae, Blue Buffalo, By Nature, Eagle Pack Holistic, Innova & EVO, Instinct and Orijen

admin answers:

I use martingale collars on my dogs, mainly because they are easy to slip on over the dogs heads and I don’t have to worry about buckles. My dogs only wear collars when we’re out walking.
I’ve never heard anyone say a word against martingales.

admin answers:

It really depends on what you are using them for and you should always use them in conjunction with other training methods. They are not going to solve all your problems immediately and they might cause more harm then good. I would only suggest using them as a very last resort b/c there are a lot easier and less harmful ways to train just about any behavior. If you are going to get one then you need to find a trainer who is well versed in their use and can help you use them.

Used in the wrong way you could do a lot of damage to your dog and his relationship with you.

admin answers:

Yes, you should be able to socialize this dog at her age. Shock collars do not train dogs – they mask the problem and are great for people too lazy to teach their dogs anything.

If you can find a really good obedience class with trainers who understand dogs (and the important thing here is that they treat dogs as individuals, not those who only know 1 method and use it no matter the dog’s temperament), take her to classes. But what I would do is start her off at home.

How is she with kids? Is she actually aggressive? Does she growl to warm them away? Is it because she isn’t used to kids and is using it as self-defense? Is she ok with older kids but not with young ones? A good behaviourist might be the best solution for you because they can see the dog in a situation and will be able to read her to determine why she’s doing what she’s doing, from there you can fix it.

If you’re experienced with dogs, you should be able to do it yourselves. Don’t leave her alone with any kids, gauge her reactions. With other dogs, you can’t take her to a dog park, but you can get her used to walking on leash near other dogs on leash. She’ll pick up on your body language – if you tense up, tighten the leash, etc., she’ll think there’s a reason and it encourages her to act aggressively. You need to keep her close to you but be very calm, talk to her, distract her and give her lots of praise and/or treats for any good behaviour.

If she doesn’t like you having visitors, you need to make that into a good experience for her. Let her greet them at the door – they are not to talk to her, pet her or make eye contact with her until after she’s done sniffing. They can then pet her if she’s willing, maybe offer her treats and she’ll learn that new people are a good thing. It’s hard to give too much advice without actually seeing how she interacts with other people or dogs.

admin answers:

It depends who diagnosed your dog, first of all.
They are indeed basically the same thing. They are made with milk. If you want to try to give it to them, and you have a Whole Foods nearby, go and buy “Nancy’s” cultured cottage cheese. It contains cultures just like yogurt, which help your dogs digestive system.

Cultures are “probiotics” and these are healthy friendly bacteria. Probiotics keep the dogs stomach in top shape.

You can give probiotics without milk, by buying an ‘enzyme and probiotic’ in powder form that you just add to the dogs food.

Enzymes help a dog to digest food. If you give your dog dry dog food, it definitely needs enzymes. Try this brand- ANIMAL ESSENTIALS Plant Enzymes & Probiotics.

Here’s what you do. Sprinkle about a quarter to a half tsp on the food once a day. I give my dogs cultured cottage cheese, two or three times a week, just a spoonful, but its not necessary. They just love it.

Try ANIMAL ESSENTIALS Plant Enzymes & Probiotics and you will see a difference. Also, they won’t have gas. My dogs used to have bad gas. But not anymore.

I have found that the ANIMAL ESSENTIALS Plant Enzymes & Probiotics helps the dogs to digest milk easier too.

I do however, feed one of my dogs raw food, and the other one eats completely grain free. He just loves cheese and yogurt tho!!

If you do try yogurt, here is a great recipe!!

1 container of PLAIN organic FAT FREE yogurt.
1 RIPE banana
1 TBS of NATURAL peanut butter

Mash the banana, add all ingredients into a blender, or mix by hand until well mixed. Feed 1/4 cup of yogurt to the dogs as is, or freeze it for an extra yummy treat! You can freeze it in an ice cube tray, and then give them 2 or three cubes at a time!

Good Luck!

admin answers:

There are so many dog foods on the market right now and most people are totally oblivious to healthy and unhealthy dog food. I used to be, but after looking into dog food and researching it I have completely changed my ways when it comes to dog food. All of the food in Wal Mart and most foods from other stores such as Petsmart are unhealthy garbage. Why? Because they either carry:

“Artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives,” all of these can cause cancer and several other health problems. Cancer is the #1 killer of cats and dogs.

“By-products,” they are the junk in meat that are not approved for humans to eat. Road kill, cancerous, dead, and dying animals are allowed as well.

“Fillers,” are corn, wheat, and soy products that virtually don’t have any nutrition in them. They pass right through. Which also makes your dog have to eat more food to feel full.

Surely good dog foods such as Science diet, Eukanuba, Iams, Pedigree, and Purina don’t have any of those and are great to feed my dogs right? Wrong. These foods have most if not all of these terrible things.

Here are the first ten ingredients of three of the so called best foods, which make up most of what your dogs eat and are the most important. The capitol words are the main things that are wrong in the ingredient lists.

Purina adult complete nutrition- WHOLE GRAIN CORN, POULTY BY-PRODUCT MEAL, ANIMAL FAT preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), CORN GLUTEN MEAL, MEAT AND BONE MEAL, brewers rice, soybean meal, barley, whole grain wheat, animal digest… (There is nothing good in that list at all)

Eukanuba-Chicken, CHICKEN BY-PRODUCTS MEAL, CORN MEAL, GROUND WHOLE GRAIN SORGUM, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Fish Meal (source of fish oil), Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Brewers Rice, Natural Chicken Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed)… (Most of what you see are either fillers or by-products)

Science Diet- GROUND WHOLE GRAIN CORN, CHICKEN BY-PRODUCT MEAL, Soybean Meal, ANIMAL FAT (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Soybean Oil, Chicken Liver Flavor, Flaxseed, Iodized Salt, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, … (first ingredient is a filler followed by by-products and more fillers)

Here is a list of both cat and dog well known foods and treats to stay away from-Fancy Feast, Alpo, Friskies,Mighty Dog, Dog Chow, Cat Chow, Puppy Chow, Kitten Chow, Beneful, Purina One, Purina ProPlan, DeliCat, HiPro, Kit’n’Kaboodle, Tender Vittles, Purina Veterinary Diets, MeowMix, Gravy Train, Kibbles ’n Bits, Wagwells, 9Lives, Cycle, Skippy, Nature’s Recipe, Milk Bone, Pup-Peroni, Snausages, Pounce, Pedigree, Waltham’s, Cesar, Sheba, Temptations, Goodlife Recipe, Sensible Choice, Excel, Hills Prescription Diets, Nature’s Best, Diamond, Ol’Roy, Iams, Nutro, Royal Canin.

Here are some foods that I recommend- Timberwolf organics, Innova, California Natural, Evo, Blue Buffalo, Taste of the wild, Wellness, Merrick Before grains, Chicken soup for the dog lovers soul, Health Wise, Karma, Orijen. Plus there are many more great foods not listed. You have to look at the ingredients list of any food that you feed your dog. If it have any of the things listed as bad then immediately put it down.

To show what a good healthy dog food looks like, here is the ingredient list of Taste of the Wild High Prairie- Bison, venison, lamb meal, chicken meal, egg product, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes, canola oil, roasted bison, roasted venison, natural flavor, tomato pomace, ocean fish meal, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Saccharomyces cerevesiae fermentation solubles, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

admin answers:

Yikes! It sounds like you don’t have a lot of time on your hands. The below recipe can be made WITHOUT the chicken. It freezes pretty well, so you could make it on the weekend and pull it out during the week. You could also use turkey or beef if she’ll eat those! Good luck!

Chicken & Vegetable Scallop

2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 package (10 oz.) frozen corn, thawed
1 package (10 oz.) frozen peas, thawed
2 tbsp. Butter or margarine
2 tbsp. Chopped onions (although I always us an entire onion)
2 tbsp. Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Freshly ground pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine chicken, corn & peas in a 13x9x2-inch greased baking dish.

2. In a medium-size sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, approx. 3 minutes (more for the whole onion). Blend in flour, salt, and pepper. Cook 1-2 minutes without browning. Gradually whisk in broth & milk. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly until thick & smooth.

3. Remove from heat & stir in eggs. Pour sauce over chicken mixture.

4. Combine bread crumbs & cheese in a small bowl and sprinkle on top of casserole. Cover with foil. Bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes until lightly browned on top.

admin answers:

These are the 3 best resources that were given to me when I was researching the very same question for my sister.

1. First off, research the market you are getting into. I know this sounds like a Mr. Obvious type of statement, but there are effective, and not-so-effective ways of doing this type of research. So what would be the most effective and cheapest way to research the dog training world? I’d head on over to Mr. P’s dog training pages. Tons and tons of information all geared towards the dog training subject.

2. Get a mentor or become an apprentice… The best and cheapest way to do this is either contact someone who is actively in the business (make sure they are out of your proposed territory – you will not get any help or advice from someone you may take business away from), or tap into SCORE. Go to their website and type in “dog trainer” as part of your criteria for a business mentor. It’s free, and you may fall onto some retired dog trainer who will give you priceless guidance not found in any book.

3. Look at books recommended by established organizations. There are tons of how-to ebooks being marketed online today – and most of them carry inflated price tags since anywhere from 50-75% of the price goes to the affiliates who are marketing them. Sorry, but this is a truism in most cases.

Good luck in your search…

admin answers:

My trainer has assistants that help him to check the dog’s collars (to make sure they are fitted properly), brew coffee (lol), “fetch” treats from the cupboard to drop in front of the dogs when teaching/practicing food refusal, act as distractions (walking by and snapping fingers, etc). All sorts of fun stuff!

I hope you like it! I did the same thing, and am now apprenticing under my trainer, to become one myself!

admin answers:

There a re several that I see:
1. Only one way works for all dogs;
2. Certain types of training equipment is cruel and abusive;
3. Purely positive training (no consequences) is the only way to train;
4. The dog knows when he has been bad;
5. The dog should know better;
6. An old dog can’t be taught;
7. Small dogs don’t need training because they’re small;
8. The best way to train is some famous TV trainer’s way;
9. Dogs are little children in fur coats; and that’s all that I can think of right now.

admin answers:

There are so many dog foods on the market right now and most people are totally oblivious to healthy and unhealthy dog food. I used to be, but after looking into dog food and researching it I have completely changed my ways when it comes to dog food. All of the food in Wal Mart and most foods from other stores such as Petsmart are unhealthy garbage. Why? Because they either carry:

“Artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives,” all of these can cause cancer and several other health problems. Cancer is the #1 killer of cats and dogs.

“By-products,” they are the junk in meat that are not approved for humans to eat. Road kill, cancerous, dead, and dying animals are allowed as well.

“Fillers,” are corn, wheat, and soy products that virtually don’t have any nutrition in them. They pass right through. Which also makes your dog have to eat more food to feel full.

Surely good dog foods such as Science diet, Eukanuba, Iams, Pedigree, and Purina don’t have any of those and are great to feed my dogs right? Wrong. These foods have most if not all of these terrible things.

Here are the first ten ingredients of three of the so called best foods, which make up most of what your dogs eat and are the most important. The capitol words are the main things that are wrong in the ingredient lists.

Purina adult complete nutrition- WHOLE GRAIN CORN, POULTY BY-PRODUCT MEAL, ANIMAL FAT preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), CORN GLUTEN MEAL, MEAT AND BONE MEAL, brewers rice, soybean meal, barley, whole grain wheat, animal digest… (There is nothing good in that list at all)

Eukanuba-Chicken, CHICKEN BY-PRODUCTS MEAL, CORN MEAL, GROUND WHOLE GRAIN SORGUM, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Fish Meal (source of fish oil), Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Brewers Rice, Natural Chicken Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed)… (Most of what you see are either fillers or by-products)

Science Diet- GROUND WHOLE GRAIN CORN, CHICKEN BY-PRODUCT MEAL, Soybean Meal, ANIMAL FAT (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Soybean Oil, Chicken Liver Flavor, Flaxseed, Iodized Salt, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, … (first ingredient is a filler followed by by-products and more fillers)

Here is a list of both cat and dog well known foods and treats to stay away from-Fancy Feast, Alpo, Friskies,Mighty Dog, Dog Chow, Cat Chow, Puppy Chow, Kitten Chow, Beneful, Purina One, Purina ProPlan, DeliCat, HiPro, Kit’n’Kaboodle, Tender Vittles, Purina Veterinary Diets, MeowMix, Gravy Train, Kibbles ’n Bits, Wagwells, 9Lives, Cycle, Skippy, Nature’s Recipe, Milk Bone, Pup-Peroni, Snausages, Pounce, Pedigree, Waltham’s, Cesar, Sheba, Temptations, Goodlife Recipe, Sensible Choice, Excel, Hills Prescription Diets, Nature’s Best, Diamond, Ol’Roy, Iams, Nutro, Royal Canin.

Here are some foods that I recommend- Timberwolf organics, Innova, California Natural, Evo, Blue Buffalo, Taste of the wild, Wellness, Merrick Before grains, Chicken soup for the dog lovers soul, Health Wise, Karma, Orijen. Plus there are many more great foods not listed. You have to look at the ingredients list of any food that you feed your dog. If it have any of the things listed as bad then immediately put it down.

To show what a good healthy dog food looks like, here is the ingredient list of Taste of the Wild High Prairie- Bison, venison, lamb meal, chicken meal, egg product, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes, canola oil, roasted bison, roasted venison, natural flavor, tomato pomace, ocean fish meal, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Saccharomyces cerevesiae fermentation solubles, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

admin answers:

I feed a variation of the BARF diet. This diet is comprised of human grade raw foods- chicken, beef heart, liver, kidney, broccoli, sweet potatoe, carrots etc… They are doing wonderful on it *and* I know exactly what they are eating!

My cats get this with a small amount of kibble so they get taurine. Aside from the fact they are highly picky..

admin answers:

Anything by these brands; Eagle Pack, Canidae, Timberwolf Organics, California Natural, Innova, Solid Gold and Chicken Soup For the Pet Lovers Soul are high quality foods. Even some of the brands you can get in places such as PetSmart (Natural Balance, Nutro, etc.) are ok.

If you are in the UK, James Wellbeloved is probably the best easily available dog food on the market.

Avoid junk like Pedigree, Science Diet, etc. These foods contain little meat (and any meat that they do contain is poor quality) and rediculous amount of grains and fillers. Feeding high grain/high carb food is terrible for the health of your dog therefore they should be avoided at all costs.

admin answers:

Let me share with you what I have learned about feline nutrition to help you make an informed decision on what diet you should feed your cat.

Many brands of manufactured cat foods claiming to be “healthy” really are not. In fact they are made of the lowest ingredients possible. I’m not saying that a cat can’t live off them… Just the same as you could live off hot dogs and Mac and cheese forever, but better choices can and should be made for your feline friends. I would not venture to say that any manufactured food is “best” for a cat but a grain free organic wet food would be a good start. Feeding canned is certainly better than feeding dry in all cases.

Cats were never meant to eat dry food, also known as cereals or kibble. We, humans, make them eat it for convenience to us. It has nothing to do with them or their nutritional needs. It’s completely species inappropriate.

All small domestic cats descended from desert cats. In the wild, desert cats derive their entire liquid intake from their prey. They do not have a thirst mechanism because they don’t need it when eating a species appropriate diet. They get all they need from what they eat. Additionally water was usually not available to them in their desert climate. So they do not often drink water. Regular ol’ house cats have descended from those same wild desert cats.

So in a home environment, your kitty does not get the moisture it needs from dry food and it’s almost always in a constant state of dehydration. Water fountains are encouraged to TRY to get your cat to drink more and your kitty may even enjoy it, but it will never meet its water intake needs drinking from a bowl.

Deadly feline illnesses such as diabetes, kidney failure, obesity, allergies, Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), bladder stones, kidney stones, urinary tract blockages and Urinary Tract Infections (FLUTD), with and without deadly crystals run rampant these days. Cats are not taking in enough water to stave them off. Proper water intake through a species appropriate diet alone can prevent most of these conditions.

Overall, wet is all around better for any cats diet, be it canned or Raw and they should never be fed dry cereal kibble if we wish to most closely match their wild nutritional and dietary needs. Kibble meets our needs… not our cats.

It is also bogus that kibble cleans teeth. DRY FOOD DOES NOT CLEAN TEETH. It’s an old myth that has been scientifically disproved for years, but old-school vets drilled it into people’s heads for so long (and sadly still do) that people still believe it. Cats can not “chew”. They do not have flat “chewing” teeth. Their molars are not for grinding food. They have meat ripping pointy carnivorous teeth. You may see them “crunch” a piece of food once to crack and break it… but they are absolutely unable to chew a hard piece of food. Want your cat to have clean teeth? Give them an appropriately sized raw bone to chew on. :o)

I personally feed a Raw Meat and Bones based diet to my cats and they are very healthy on it. I HIGHLY recommend it. Once I got the hang of it and felt comfortable with it it’s a snap to prepare. It’s something you might want to consider someday. Cats are obligate carnivores after all and must derive ALL their nutrients from meat based sources. They are unable to absorb them from any other source. Despite thousands of years of domestication they remain strictly carnivorous. True and honest meat eaters and that is what they need most. Protein from meat!

If you are interested in feeding a raw diet some great places to start learning are http://www.catinfo.org/ , http://www.catnutrition.org/ , and http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/ .

If you would like to try raw with your cats and don’t want to get all technical about it but want to try a trusted, time tested and balanced raw diet you can order from http://www.felinespride.com/products/catfood.aspx . I purchased this myself when I first started and my cats loved it!

Another premade Raw you can try is Natures Varity. I personally have never used this but know many people that do and it’s pretty easy to find http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.lasso?page=1507&-session=naturesvariety:D04EC9250597c11908GJS417647E.

If raw is not an option for you please be aware that there are three Categories of manufactured Pet Foods:

-“Grocery store” foods – (Generic Brands and cheap name brands) Those foods found in grocery stores and mass-market retailers are made with lower-quality, less-digestible, inexpensive ingredients and are therefore a cheaper alternative. While easy on the pocketbook, “grocery store” foods normally do not provide your cat with the healthiest, most nutrient-dense ingredients.

-Premium foods – (Iams/Eukanuba, Purina One, Hills Science Diet, Nutro and such) Foods often found in grocery stores, pet stores, and veterinarian offices that contain higher-grade ingredients, but still include many elements of “grocery store” food, such as artificial colors, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives, and “filler” ingredients such as corn and wheat products, by-products and even animal digest. Yuck! Premium foods are usually more expensive than “grocery store” foods because their ingredients are sometimes of a higher quality, and are therefore somewhat more beneficial and digestible. But don’t be fooled, some of those same so called Premium brands are sometimes worse than grocery store foods, but they charge prices like they are better. They aren’t!

-Healthy foods – (Wellness, Merrick, Eagle Pack, Drs Foster & Smith) The newest addition to the pet food market – provide pets with the highest quality, healthiest, and most nutritious ingredients. They are typically available for purchase online or direct from the manufacturer. Some better retailers are starting to carry them now. Complete Petmart carries a few healthy brand foods. Foods in the Healthy class contain nutrient-rich ingredients. Formulated to provide optimum health benefits for pets, these foods often use real meat as the primary protein source, carbohydrate-rich whole grains like brown rice and barley and whole, fresh fruits and vegetables. They should not contain artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. They will almost always be fortified with additional vitamins and minerals, and will use the best natural sources for fatty acids to help build healthy skin and a beautiful coat. Because healthy foods use high quality ingredients, you should expect to pay a little more than you would for other types of pet food. Remember, though, with healthy foods you can feed less since healthy foods are more nutrient-dense than other types of food so it often evens out or cost’s les than feeding foods filled with cheap non-nutritional by-products fillers.

With all that information in mind, when you are choosing a new cat food, study the ingredients. All ingredients on pet food labels are listed by weight. Meaning whatever ingredients are listed first on the list, there is more in there. The first ingredients listed should be whole meat ingredients, protein sources, such as Chicken or Turkey. NOT just the word “meat”! Who the heck knows what that is? The word Chicken Meal is ok, but it should be a secondary ingredient, not first. Meal is the meat dehydrated and ground into a powder.

The ingredients also should NOT include any by-products or animal digest whatsoever. Those are disgusting left over animal parts that are scraped off the filthy floors of meat and poultry plants. They should just go into the trash but they put them into pet food instead. EW!!!! Also make sure there are no artificial colors or flavors. And make sure there is no BHA and BHT used preservatives. These preservatives have been shown to cause cancer in both cats and dogs. Bad Bad stuff and it’s in almost every cat treat on the market. 🙁

So, in summery of the ingredients… if you see the words by-products, Animal Digest, the word “meat” alone, Corn, Corn Gluten, Wheat Gluten, or BHA or BHT… stop reading, put down that product and move on to the next.

Be aware that when switching to a Healthy, Holistic or Organic food, you will pay for what you get. Good foods are not cheap. They are pricey and will cost you more than cheaper products, just like steak costs more than hotdogs. But again, you will be feeding a better food and improving the over all health of your pet. This in turn leads to less vet visits for illness now and more importantly later in life in their geriatric years. You will also feed less of this food on a per animal basis because a smaller amount of food contains what your cat needs. Overall healthy wet foods are well worth it, if only for the piece of mind that the ingredients are better for your cat than cheap crap.

You can start your research for a healthy cat food here if you are not ready to try feeding a Raw diet:
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com

If you want to buy in a store, Complete Petmart is a good store and carries quite a few natural, organic, and holistic blends. Also check with your local feed/grain stores.

I highly recommend you take the time to research for yourself, but the information I have given should get you off to a good start. Good luck choosing a healthy food!

********IMPORTANT*******Don’t forget to switch your Pets food slowly over a period of 10 to 14 days, if you can. Mixing 25% new to 75% old. Then 50/50… then 75% new to 25% old. And finally switch over to 100% new. Take it slow as not to upset their digestive system.

admin answers:

Never feed your dog Iams or any other advertised commercial dog foods. They are extremely bad and can even cause cancer.They have hooves,horns, beaks, chicken feet, intestines and chemicals in them. Choose from these great brands Innova, Canidae, solid gold, Merrick Timberwolf, Wellness,Orijen,Go Natural Grain Free,Newman’s Organic,Organix Organic. They are harder to find but the manufacturers will usually ship to your door. Please your dog deserves better.

admin answers:

My opinion is that it’s an overpriced bag of crappy ingredients with a huge parent company that can afford a high profile marketing plan. Simply put… It’s garbage no matter how many ads they put out to tell you it isn’t.

Let me share with you what I have learned about feline nutrition to help you make an informed decision on what diet you should feed your cat.

Many brands of manufactured cat foods claiming to be “healthy” really are not. In fact they are made of the lowest ingredients possible. I’m not saying that a cat can’t live off them… Just the same as you could live off hot dogs and Mac and cheese forever, but better choices can and should be made for your feline friends. I would not venture to say that any manufactured food is “best” for a cat but a grain free organic wet food would be a good start. Feeding canned is certainly better than feeding dry in all cases.

Cats were never meant to eat dry food, also known as cereals or kibble. We, humans, make them eat it for convenience to us. It has nothing to do with them or their nutritional needs. It’s completely species inappropriate.

All small domestic cats descended from desert cats. In the wild, desert cats derive their entire liquid intake from their prey. They do not have a thirst mechanism because they don’t need it when eating a species appropriate diet. They get all they need from what they eat. Additionally water was usually not available to them in their desert climate. So they do not often drink water. Regular ol’ house cats have descended from those same wild desert cats.

So in a home environment, your kitty does not get the moisture it needs from dry food and it’s almost always in a constant state of dehydration. Water fountains are encouraged to TRY to get your cat to drink more and your kitty may even enjoy it, but it will never meet its water intake needs drinking from a bowl.

Deadly feline illnesses such as diabetes, kidney failure, obesity, allergies, Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), bladder stones, kidney stones, urinary tract blockages and Urinary Tract Infections (FLUTD), with and without deadly crystals run rampant these days. Cats are not taking in enough water to stave them off. Proper water intake through a species appropriate diet alone can prevent most of these conditions.

Overall, wet is all around better for any cats diet, be it canned or Raw and they should never be fed dry cereal kibble if we wish to most closely match their wild nutritional and dietary needs. Kibble meets our needs… not our cats.

It is also bogus that kibble cleans teeth. DRY FOOD DOES NOT CLEAN TEETH. It’s an old myth that has been scientifically disproved for years, but old-school vets drilled it into people’s heads for so long (and sadly still do) that people still believe it. Cats can not “chew”. They do not have flat “chewing” teeth. Their molars are not for grinding food. They have meat ripping pointy carnivorous teeth. You may see them “crunch” a piece of food once to crack and break it… but they are absolutely unable to chew a hard piece of food. Want your cat to have clean teeth? Give them an appropriately sized raw bone to chew on. :o)

I personally feed a Raw Meat and Bones based diet to my cats and they are very healthy on it. I HIGHLY recommend it. Once I got the hang of it and felt comfortable with it it’s a snap to prepare. It’s something you might want to consider someday. Cats are obligate carnivores after all and must derive ALL their nutrients from meat based sources. They are unable to absorb them from any other source. Despite thousands of years of domestication they remain strictly carnivorous. True and honest meat eaters and that is what they need most. Protein from meat!

If you are interested in feeding a raw diet some great places to start learning are http://www.catinfo.org/ , http://www.catnutrition.org/ , and http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/ .

If you would like to try raw with your cats and don’t want to get all technical about it but want to try a trusted, time tested and balanced raw diet you can order from http://www.felinespride.com/products/catfood.aspx . I purchased this myself when I first started and my cats loved it!

Another premade Raw you can try is Natures Varity. I personally have never used this but know many people that do and it’s pretty easy to find http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.lasso?page=1507&-session=naturesvariety:D04EC9250597c11908GJS417647E.

If raw is not an option for you please be aware that there are three Categories of manufactured Pet Foods:

-“Grocery store” foods – (Generic Brands and cheap name brands) Those foods found in grocery stores and mass-market retailers are made with lower-quality, less-digestible, inexpensive ingredients and are therefore a cheaper alternative. While easy on the pocketbook, “grocery store” foods normally do not provide your cat with the healthiest, most nutrient-dense ingredients.

-Premium foods – (Iams/Eukanuba, Purina One, Hills Science Diet, Nutro and such) Foods often found in grocery stores, pet stores, and veterinarian offices that contain higher-grade ingredients, but still include many elements of “grocery store” food, such as artificial colors, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives, and “filler” ingredients such as corn and wheat products, by-products and even animal digest. Yuck! Premium foods are usually more expensive than “grocery store” foods because their ingredients are sometimes of a higher quality, and are therefore somewhat more beneficial and digestible. But don’t be fooled, some of those same so called Premium brands are sometimes worse than grocery store foods, but they charge prices like they are better. They aren’t!

-Healthy foods – (Wellness, Merrick, Eagle Pack, Drs Foster & Smith) The newest addition to the pet food market – provide pets with the highest quality, healthiest, and most nutritious ingredients. They are typically available for purchase online or direct from the manufacturer. Some better retailers are starting to carry them now. Complete Petmart carries a few healthy brand foods. Foods in the Healthy class contain nutrient-rich ingredients. Formulated to provide optimum health benefits for pets, these foods often use real meat as the primary protein source, carbohydrate-rich whole grains like brown rice and barley and whole, fresh fruits and vegetables. They should not contain artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. They will almost always be fortified with additional vitamins and minerals, and will use the best natural sources for fatty acids to help build healthy skin and a beautiful coat. Because healthy foods use high quality ingredients, you should expect to pay a little more than you would for other types of pet food. Remember, though, with healthy foods you can feed less since healthy foods are more nutrient-dense than other types of food so it often evens out or cost’s les than feeding foods filled with cheap non-nutritional by-products fillers.

With all that information in mind, when you are choosing a new cat food, study the ingredients. All ingredients on pet food labels are listed by weight. Meaning whatever ingredients are listed first on the list, there is more in there. The first ingredients listed should be whole meat ingredients, protein sources, such as Chicken or Turkey. NOT just the word “meat”! Who the heck knows what that is? The word Chicken Meal is ok, but it should be a secondary ingredient, not first. Meal is the meat dehydrated and ground into a powder.

The ingredients also should NOT include any by-products or animal digest whatsoever. Those are disgusting left over animal parts that are scraped off the filthy floors of meat and poultry plants. They should just go into the trash but they put them into pet food instead. EW!!!! Also make sure there are no artificial colors or flavors. And make sure there is no BHA and BHT used preservatives. These preservatives have been shown to cause cancer in both cats and dogs. Bad Bad stuff and it’s in almost every cat treat on the market. 🙁

So, in summery of the ingredients… if you see the words by-products, Animal Digest, the word “meat” alone, Corn, Corn Gluten, Wheat Gluten, or BHA or BHT… stop reading, put down that product and move on to the next.

Be aware that when switching to a Healthy, Holistic or Organic food, you will pay for what you get. Good foods are not cheap. They are pricey and will cost you more than cheaper products, just like steak costs more than hotdogs. But again, you will be feeding a better food and improving the over all health of your pet. This in turn leads to less vet visits for illness now and more importantly later in life in their geriatric years. You will also feed less of this food on a per animal basis because a smaller amount of food contains what your cat needs. Overall healthy wet foods are well worth it, if only for the piece of mind that the ingredients are better for your cat than cheap crap.

You can start your research for a healthy cat food here if you are not ready to try feeding a Raw diet:
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com

If you want to buy in a store, Complete Petmart is a good store and carries quite a few natural, organic, and holistic blends. Also check with your local feed/grain stores.

I highly recommend you take the time to research for yourself, but the information I have given should get you off to a good start. Good luck choosing a healthy food!

********IMPORTANT*******Don’t forget to switch your Pets food slowly over a period of 10 to 14 days, if you can. Mixing 25% new to 75% old. Then 50/50… then 75% new to 25% old. And finally switch over to 100% new. Take it slow as not to upset their digestive system.

admin answers:

I don’t live in your area, but this is what i did when I was looking for a trainer. I went to the local dog park, and dog friendly areas and watched dogs and their owners interacting. The dogs who had a pleasant demeanor and the owners who really watched them…well, I approached and asked for a training recommendation. Between 4 or 5 people I got 2 names. I did a little reading on training methods and had a pretty good idea of what might be best for my dog. I went to observe both these trainers teach a group lesson. One of them really impressed me and I chose to work with him. This organization has a package deal that is way more expensive than Petsmart. But all of these trainers are certified, with years of experience in ALL methods of training and all types of breeds. Their package does include 5 hours personal one on one training in your home or area outside, training tools AND free group classes for the life of your dog. The classes are 3 x a week. You can go, or not. I like the classes and the reinforcement is great for the dog’s obedience. And, if some problem arises, they are always there for you by phone , internet or after group class. Goldendoodles are great dogs with a fairly high energy level. The petsmart trainers are OK for basic obedience for dogs that are happy go lucky and benefit from the socialization. In case a dog is challenging, dominant/ aggressive or presenting any problem out of the ordinary, they are not the way to go. Sometimes you do get what you pay for! Hope you find a good trainer…good luck.

admin answers:

It depends on what you want: private lessons, group classes, someone else to train your dog for you
Is this for general/basic obedience or something more advanced/specific (e.g. Aggression problems)?
The Dumb Friends League offers group classes at a good rate. The instructors are behavior department staff and usually have 1 or more behavior volunteers helping. All behavior staff are extremely knowledgeable about dog behavior. They emphasize positive reinforcement/clicker training. DDFL offers many classes beyond basic obedience. Visit their website for more information:
http://ddfl.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=training_dog

admin answers:

You need to take him to training. With a professional trainer. German Shepards are extremely intelligent. You need to be exercising his MIND as well as his body. He is not being challenged enough. Pet Co and Petsmart have CHEAP training classes. They are not the best, but they will do. You can then work with him on training several times a day in shorter increments. That will help his as well. Plus, with training he will learn to walk on leash just fine.

Also, is he being taught he proper things to chew on? He needs bully sticks, kongs, buster cubes – things that will work his mind. The minute he gets ahold of something he shouldn’t have, you say “eh eh”, remove it, replace it with a proper toy and then praise him for chewing on that. You can get a product called SCAT that you place on the counters, tabletops, etc. It is motion activated. The minute the paws hit the counter, a blast of air and noise is activated. It works like a charm. My male no longer counter surfs and we haven’t had the SCAT on the couters, tabletops or bed for a year. We’re getting ready to use it again with our 7 month pup as she’s starting to surf when she’s bored.

Timeouts should be for a minimum of 10 minutes. You are not giving him enough time to calm himself down. Timeouts aren’t just for him, they are for you as well. Have you tried crate training for sleep? This will help both you and he get rest. You get into a regular routine. Just like a baby going into their crib, the crate at night signifies bed time. It will be easy to transition him to sleeping on his own bed once he used to the evening routine. Denver Dumb Friends has a GREAT article that can guide you through crate training here:

www.ddfl.org

This is all very fixable with training. Training isn’t just for him, it’s for you two as well. You will be amazed at the helpful tips you learn! It’s also a lot of fun. He’s super smart so you will be able to teach him all kinds of cool tricks to impress friends as well as burn off that energy. You might also hook up with a dog or two that he likes from the class. We met a few couples and have been having playdates with our newest pup for a few months now. It’s an amazing energy burner because they can go at it much better than we can!!