Dog food debate

It’s easy to get confused by all the marketing ploys that dog food companies use to fill our heads.  Unfortunately, the biggest names with the most television commercials (Iams, Pedigree, etc) are also the worst things we can feed our dogs.  Those brands are cheap, $30 or less for a 30 lb bag because the quality of the food is cheap.  A lot of it is filler and your dog will end up eating more of it.  So is it really saving you money?  Experienced owners will argue that dogs eat less of a higher quality kibble because they get full sooner and it works out to be about the same cost as each bag lasts longer.  Don’t fall for the commercials with the cute puppies!

On the Doberman talk forum, there is a general consensus that the 2 best dog food brands for Dobermans is Taste of the Wild and Acana.  Of these brands, the formula giving the best results is the fish based kibble.  The fishy formulas have higher omega 3 and 6, which improves dry skin and gives dobes a shiny coat.  Also, some dobes are allergic to poultry so it is best to avoid experimenting with poultry based foods altogether.

The second major dog food debate is whether or not to feed a “puppy” formula or start them off on the “all life stages” formula.  Here’s where it gets tricky, most vets will recommend the puppy formula, but at the same time, they will also admit that they are not nutritionists.  We have to remember that vets look after all breeds of dogs.  What works for other breeds may not be what is best for Dobermans.  Contrary to what your vet will likely recommend, most Doberman breeders will tell you to skip the “puppy” formula because this feed is too rich for the dobe puppy’s digestive system.  They raise their dogs on the “all life stages” formula.  From their experience, the “puppy” formula often gives loose stools, which means that the puppy was not able to absorb all the nutrients while the food passed through their system.  As knowledgeable as veterinarians are about dogs, they are not Doberman specialists.  When it comes to Doberman health and nutrition, there is great value in taking advice from Doberman breeders who have raised many generations of dobes.

The food I have selected for Dobie is Acana Pacifica.  It contains 3 types of fish, all fresh caught, never frozen, contains no preservatives and is made in Canada.  It is also grain free with the following botanical inclusions: juniper berries, angelica root, red raspberry leaf, dandelion root, peppermint leaf and marigold flowers.  To be quite honest, I have no clue as to how these ingredients are beneficial to dogs, but I am a strong believer in natural herbal remedies.  I like that Acana uses natural ingredients in place of chemical compounds.  There are many good dog foods out there, but beware there are just as many bad dog foods.  When choosing a food for your puppy, the most important selection criteria is to screen the ingredients list. The ingredients below are used by manufacturers to cut costs. Some of these are harmful to your dog and feeding him these is the equivalent of slowly poisoning your dog. Do your dog a favour and read the ingredients label on every treat and kibble before you decide to buy it.

Never choose a food that has any of the following listed in the ingredients:
Animal By-Products, Meat and Bone Meal, Poultry Fat, BHT, BHA, Ethoxyquin, Soya, Sugar, Salt, Brewers Rice or Beet Pulp.

Why?
“Meat and bone meal is prepared from the wastes materials associated with slaughtering operations (carcass trimmings, condemned carcasses, condemned livers, inedible offal (lungs) and bones) and also from the rendering of dead animals. There can be a wide variation between plants and batches in what goes into the meat and bone meal that is being prepared. If the ash content is high, this indicates that it contains a higher amount of bones and is referred to as meat and bone meal. If the ash content is lower it is referred to as meat meal.” - FAO
http://www.fao.org/ag/AGA/AGAP/FRG/AFRIS/Data/316.HTM

Butylated Hydroxytoluene- BHT, and Butylated Hydroxyanisole- BHA
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (part of the World Health Organization) considers BHA and BHT carcinogenic.
http://www.canadiancontent.ca/issues/0499bht.html
Long-term exposure to high doses of BHT is toxic in mice and rats, causing liver, thyroid and kidney problems and affecting lung function and blood coagulation.
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/health/science/toxics/chemicals-in-your-cosmetics---bha-and-bhti/

“Ethoxyquin is registered for use as an antioxidant to control scald (browning) in pears. It is applied post-harvest by spraying/drenching, paper wrapping, or a combination thereof.” - EPA Pesticide registration
http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/factsheets/0003fact.pdf

Grossed out yet?  It's a harsh reality.  On the bright side, checkout the full breakdown of Acana Pacifica's ingredients and nutritional content analysis on their website:

http://www.championpetfoods.com/acana/

Hurtta jacket for Dobie

As you can see, it is September, I don’t have my puppy yet, but I have already bought him a jacket for the winter months when he grows up.  Over-prepared much?!  It’s okay, it was on sale.

It's more expensive than my daily wear winter jacket but I want Dobie to have the best of the best.  And when it comes to cold weather coats for dogs, Hurtta is the top of the line dog-wear brand.  The Hurtta Pro Winter Jacket is made using Houndtex material which is wear resistant, waterproof, windproof and breathable.  All the seams are taped, similar to my snowboarding jackets to keep moisture out.  Hurtta also sells rain coats, training gear for handlers and safety gear for dogs.

http://www.hurttacollection.com/en/

Toronto Schutzhund Club

Last week, I had mentioned to my breeder that I was interested in the Schutzhund sport. Sheilah advised me to start contacting clubs now in case they had a waiting list for new members, which was awesome advice. Last night, I went to spectate the Toronto Schutzhund Club’s practice and check out their field. They are located on the north side of Major Mackenzie Drive just east of McCowan. This means the commute to practice will be under 15 minutes for me. I met a couple in the club that drove in from Kitchener twice a week! Lucky me...

The president of TSC is Vince Stragapete. He is a certified national trial helper and has achieved a Sch3 title with his dog Max. He is currently training his new partner, Echo. Vince is very knowledgeable in Schutzhund training techniques, and that’s great, but the best thing about this club I think is that Vince is always willing to help each dog/handler team improve. Vince works with each team one on one, making sure everyone has learned something new today that they can practice at home. And it doesn’t matter whether the team is training for their BH, Sch3 or just there for fun, Vince is dedicated to helping that team accomplish their goals. This is very obvious to me after watching them practice.

Everyone on the club is very friendly and they LOVE talking about their dogs. When they heard that my puppy was 2 weeks old, the ‘AWWWW’s could be heard from the other end of the field. Even though I didn’t have my dog yet, Vince was already giving me tips and asking if I had any questions.

Today’s lesson: Keep all training fun for the puppy. Make everything a game. The goal is to build drive, not to inhibit the puppy’s natural play/prey/bite drive. Dobermans and German Sheppards were bred for Schutzhund work. Whether a dog succeeds or not depends on whether the handler breaks the dog. Train yourself not to mess up your dog.

For more information, check out TSC’s website:
http://www.torontoschutzhundclub.com/

Puppy proofing the house

The count-down to Dobie's arrival has finally begun.  In the next few weeks, I'll be spending a lot of time reorganizing and cleaning my home.  Puppy-proofing is very similar to baby-proofing. We want to keep dangerous items and our valuables out of reach of the puppy.  Here is my to-do list:

• Put cleaning chemicals in a closet with a door the puppy can’t open.  Safety first. 
• Put away decorations that can be knocked over and broken, such as vases. 
• Roll up and put away your rugs until puppy is house broken.  No point getting mad at the puppy when he has an accident on it.  It was our fault for leaving the rug there. 
• Put all small items away, even if it is on the coffee table.  Remove anything that the puppy can possibly swallow or choke on. 
• Remove any material that the puppy could become tangled in when playing.  Such as nets, string, power cords, or the cables to your gaming console, etc.  Loose cables should be tidied in a cable organizer or wrap. 
• Close the door to all washrooms when the puppy is unsupervised.  We want to avoid the bad habit of drinking out of the toilet.  Yuck! 
• Put away all people food in cupboards.  Don’t leave anything you don’t want the puppy to eat on the counter or kitchen table.  They will find their way to it and there are foods which are toxic to dogs.  I’ll upload a list of toxic foods in another post. 
• Put away your valuables.  The puppy hasn’t learned that these are not chew toys yet. 
• Give the puppy a safe area to play in, fence off the dangerous areas such as the kitchen.  Fill this play area with his toys to help him learn which toys are his and which items belong to you. 
• In addition to cleaning the house, make sure the backyard is puppy proof as well.  Some examples are getting a garbage can with a lid that locks, making sure the lawn is clean of debris that the puppy could potentially ingest and making sure that dangerous weeds have been removed.

Dobie Birth Announcement!

I am overjoyed to announce that Dobie and his litter-mates have been born!

On September 11th, 2011, Garshangan’s Take A Chance On Me “Abba” gave birth to 7 healthy black puppies. All 7 born in this litter are male, one of which is my dearest Epic Dobaru Time “Dobie”.  Abba and the puppies are all doing well.  Their tails will be docked tomorrow.

I have been waiting so long for Dobie to be born that I can’t find the right words to describe how happy I am at the moment. Even though I haven’t met Dobie yet, I love him already.

Congratulations Sheilah & Abba, and many many thank you’s!

Household rules for humans

Have you ever seen those people whose dog runs wild, jumping on all the guests, barking non-stop, and the owners don’t bother correcting the dog anymore because they are so fed up with its behaviour? It’s not a pretty sight, and guess who is to blame! Not the dog, it is always the owner’s fault for the dog’s poor behaviour. When bringing a puppy into a home, there must be basic rules that everyone in the house follows. Even all guests to the home MUST follow the rules because dogs learn through repetition. It is crucial that consistency is maintained in the puppy stages.

Here are the 10 rules I have set for my household. Some are for the puppy's safety and some are for the puppy's training. Most of these rules are just common sense. To make sure these rules are followed, I will print and frame this list to ensure all guests to my home understand how to act around my puppy. Since I am training for a perfectly behaved Schutzhund dog, I cannot allow the reinforcement of unwanted behaviour when my attention is diverted. I already know ahead of time that I will receive negative feedback about these rules. I'll be told that I’m being unreasonable or insensitive to my guests. But to be perfectly honest, it doesn't matter to me how guests feel about the rules.
Don’t be afraid to establish household rules and reinforce them.  Serious dog owners put their dog’s well-being first!

10 Household People Rules

1. Do not feed Dobie anything other than his kibble (NO TREATS, NO PEOPLE FOOD)
2. Do not leave any food out, eat it or put it away, drinks included, except water
3. Close all doors when leaving a room unsupervised (washrooms, bedrooms, office)
4. Do not leave cleaning supplies/chemicals out, put away in closets
5. Do not use chemicals near Dobie, put Dobie in crate before cleaning
6. Do not pet Dobie if you have not washed your hands
7. Ignore Dobie if he jumps up on you, say “NO” and turn away
8. Do not let Dobie on any sofa or bed, say “NO” and push him off
9. Do not let Dobie scratch his ears, say “NO”, hold his foot, give him a chew toy
10. Do not let Dobie chew on anything other than his toys, say “NO”, give him a chew toy