Stella Quirk-The First Graduating Puppy Class of 2015

Wrapping up our last night of class and celebrating Stella’s Graduation was a huge accomplishment for Stella the quirky collie! 

Over the past few weeks Stella has been working very hard with homework every night from anywhere between 20 and 40 minutes to improve on her concentration and listening skills for her obedience class. Sometimes she made it impossible to see she knew what she was doing in class due to her sheer excitement in class over all of the friends she could play with but she knows her stuff. In fact, we are fairly certain because she had been trained at home in the things taught in class it may have been too easy and frustrating for her when she is in constant need of stimulation. 

All night our final night of class Stella was on her best behavior even with dad and grandpa there as potential distractions. We had a slight hiccup when her pal Bella and her mom had to go outside to go to the bathroom after an accident. She drug me to the door and sat with her nose against the window of the door until she could see them and once they were back in the building and she checked to make sure they were OK with a slight bump of her nose we were able to continue on as we were instructed. Because of Stella’s intense herding instincts and need to have everyone in her sights, this was not opposed by the trainer thankfully. After many rounds of healing, halt/sits, several turns and stays we went into the stay and leave (all the way on the other side of the room) Try one, Stella was having a hard time of wanting to go greet everyone who said come even though it was for THEIR pup not her. Try two, the trainer held her leash lightly to correct her if she tried to follow me; she tried to follow the other handler instead. Try three however, she sat, stayed and FOCUSED on me! For those of you who know Stella and all of her quirks, you will understand how much of an accomplishment that in itself was for her in a room full of other dogs and people she wants to play with and keep watch over. We were then put back into Healing when she suddenly stopped and did the one thing every puppy parent dreads, she did the squat that number two follows. Without hesitation, I scooped her up into my arms and RAN with her to the door and outside as fast as I could with a nearly 50 pound pup. Needless to say, we didn't fully make it outside before the first bit hit the floor. We did make it in time for her to finish outside and head back in to join the class as they were doing another sit and stay during which she had had enough and started to get lippy with me.  We ended the night with her grumbling and barking as she army crawled to try to sneak away from me while she was supposed to be in her stay position. Here again, the trainer knew what I was dealing with and to keep her quiet dubbed her as the distraction for all of the other dogs who were fully focused. Ha Ha! We handed out yogurt dipped doggy treats to everyone while the trainer handed out our graduation certificates.

Along the way we made several very good dogie friends, Bella the Yellow Lab and Gus the Corgi (I totally believe Stella has a crush on the handsome little fella, I mean who wouldn't right?) The chemistry between the three of them is absolutely amazing. They are so playful yet careful for little Gus. 

Help Keep the Animals Alive

Please sign the petition to help save these animals who have never done anything to harm anyone. Their only hope to survive when they came into the rescue were humans to mother them and heal them. It is up to humans to continue to protect them and help them again. 

What this rescue is doing in educating the children of Itasca and St. Louis county is something that no one else is willing to do. In the years I have known DSWC they have rehabbed and released numerous animals who otherwise would not have had a chance. The DNR is supposed to help PROTECT these animals not euthanize them because they can not physically be wild. These animals have already been through enough in their lives. They did not choose to be raised by humans, it was not preventable. Their welfare should be top priority in this no matter the legal ramifications. Do not let the animals of DSWC suffer in this. 

Link to video of the animals you are saving

Link to the Petition page

A More Natural Pet

For me, knowing what is going into my animals is very important because now days you just do not know anymore. So I took it upon myself to start making their treats myself. 

I started with searching for recipes to try out and I settled with a no bake to begin with. I purchased the three small ingredients and then just had to follow the recipe that was amazingly easy even for a baking and cooking illiterate person like myself. 

Ingredients you need:

• ½ cup of plain yogurt, you could also add a banana flavored yogurt
• 1 cup of peanut butter
• 3 cups of rolled oats

Instructions:

1.       Whisk the yogurt and peanut butter until it forms a paste.

2.       Add the oats a little at a time to fully coat and avoid any dry spots. 

3.       Scoop out bite sized pieces and roll into balls.

4.       Place on a flat tray lined with parchment paper.

5.       Place in the fridge to let chill for an hour and they are ready to serve.

Additional information!

• This mixture makes around 25-50 treats depending on how large you are rolling the treats.
• They can last up to 7-10 days stored in the fridge.
• These tasty puppy treats also double as a tasty granola like treat for yourself and your family as well.

As I continue to expand my knowledge of pet nutrition and what is put into our animals treats and food I am also making more and more things for them myself (I also have been for my family). 

Home is Where the Dog Is

The Loyalty of any animal is something that cannot be replaced but the Loyalty of a dog is that of a hero. Someone who will love you, look out for you and lay their life down on the line for you no matter what. They look forward to you coming home each time you walk out the door, forgive you if you do something wrong and are always trusting that you will do what's right for them and protect them the same as they do for you. For that I am grateful for every dog hair I have in Every item of clothing, the occasional hair I find in my food and the constant vacuuming and sweeping I have to do because of it. And because a house isn't a home without a dog for me.

Give A Dog a Bone! - The benefit of RAW bones for your pup

RAW in just about anything has a lot of benefits for your special pooch but the RAW bones from your local butcher are loaded with nutrients you wouldn't even know were missing from your furry companion’s diet. 

Let me start you off with some science and facts. Humans have modified a number of characteristics of canines but there is one thing they could not alter, the basic nutritional needs. Raw bones have been in a canine’s diet for as long as they have been hunting prey. While today the average canine house pet is not the same behavior wise, they still share the same anatomy. It doesn't matter if the dog in question were to be a Great Dane, Dachshund or a wolf, if you took a look at their internal organs you would see that they are arranged, shaped and function the same. 

According to PetfoodIndustry.com, there are several forms of bone available. Whole, fresh or frozen, fresh bone meal or “green” bone meal, Bone meal or “raw” none meal, steamed bone meal and Bone meal ash or calcinated bone meal. 

Steamed is the type that is most often used for the mass marketed commercial pet food. It is made from bones that are pressure cooked to remove tissue and fat, then dried and ground ending up as a grayish powder. According to PetfoodIndustry.com, most of the bone meal sold to U.S. pet food manufacturers is imported from China, Pakistan or Thailand. Meaning it may or may not exceed safe maximum limits of lead or other heavy metals. This is something you will want to research before choosing your brand of pet food. 

As for raw bones, there are two types you can feed your pups as a healthy part of their diet! The edible bones are going to be the most beneficial ones to feed. They have calcium, phosphorous and beneficial minerals. These bones are the hollow, non-weight baring bones of birds, typically turkey and chicken necks and wings. They are soft, pliable, don’t contain marrow and can easily be crushed in a meat grinder. (When you feed edible bones there is no need to supplement with bone meal) The other type is a recreational bone. This is going to be the big beef or bison femur or hip bones filled with marrow. They don’t supply much nutrition due to being gnawed on and not consumed, but they make great mental stimulation and even tend to create better oral health benefits than brushing your pups teeth and a veterinary cleaning. 

When your dogs are chewing on a nice meaty beef or bison bone they are also chewing on all of the cartilage and soft tissues that are still attached. This is the equivalent of a good brushing a flossing and helps to break down the tartar and prevent gum disease. 

Keep in mind that there is some basic information you should keep in mind before giving a recreational bone to your pups!

Many aggressive chewers are in it to destroy it. They won’t stop until it is gone or they are tired out from it. Dogs such as this can chip or fracture their teeth so it is something to offer them under your watchful eye. Marrow is fatty and can add a substantial amount of calories into your pet’s daily intake. The marrow can also be very rich and upset your pups system if they are not used to it or have sensitive tummies. You probably do not want to offer raw bones on carpeting as most are sold frozen and with some meat left on them. As you can imagine this could create quite the mess! Also, remember this tidbit of information, a dog cannot be given a bone that is too big BUT they can be given one that is too small and would pose a choking hazard. I try to match the bone to the size of the dogs head in length or go bigger. Since I have fed these to Great Pyrenees and Saint Bernard’s as well as a Collie we go giant not just large. If they begin to break small pieces off of their bone REMOVE THEM AT ONCE! They may decide to try and chew them or swallow them which could cause potential problems. NEVER cook raw bones before giving them to your pups. A raw bone will not splinter but a cooked one will and can be dangerous. You should also always supervise your pups when they are given raw bones. 

With the information I have found I have come to the conclusion that raw meaty bones are good for a dog’s all around health and diet (naturally) and that quite simply, dog’s LOVE bones! Although these delicious items work for my pups, raw bones are not right for all dogs. 

It is up to you to decide what is best for your own pooches.