Dog Breed of the Week: Chow Chow

October 30, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Chow Chow Dog Breed Information

The Chow Chow has a very distinctive look almost like a little fluffy bear! Chow Chows are well-known for their black tongues and curled up tails. They have a lifespan of eight to 12 years with some health concerns you want to be aware of. Some of the major health concerns include CHD, entropion and patellar luxation. The few minor concerns are elbow displasia, cataract, gastric tortion and glaucoma. To help ensure you’re getting a healthy dog, it’s wise to pair up with a reputable breeder who does health checks on their dogs. If you choose to go the adoption route, there are tests available to find out the dog’s health.

Chow Chow Temperament

Chow Chows are part of the AKC Non-Sporting Group with their original function being guardians and today’s function being a companion. You will find the Chow to be dignified, reserved and weary of strangers, making them great guard dogs. They also tend to be serious and inexpressive dogs, which may not make them the best dog for children. The Chow stands anywhere from 17″ to 20″ tall and weighs between 45 to 70 pounds.

Dog Grooming Requirements

Chow Chows either have a smooth or rough coat. Despite the texture of their coat, all Chow Chows have a thick undercoat that provides them insulation from the cold. Dog grooming requirements for a smooth-coated Chow are minimal. However, rough-coated Chows require more grooming, such as regular brushing and bathing. These dogs don’t do well in really hot, humid weather because they have such a thick undercoat. If you do happen to live in a humid climate, then your Chow should have a way to stay cool, such as a kiddy pool, your house or even a temperature-controlled dog house.

RELATED: Heavy Duty Dog Shampoo

Exercise and Dog Training

Chow Chows don’t require extensive exercise, but they do require regular outdoor activity such as morning or evening walks. Providing your dog with daily exercise will facilitate a calmer and healthy attitude, allowing you to be more successful when it comes to training. Dog training can be a little difficult with this dog breed, as they tend to be reserved and unemotional, but by no means does this mean they’re not trainable.

You need to find out what motivates your particular dog. Most dogs with these types of personalities don’t take well to corrective negative training techniques. You’ll have much more success using positive reinforcement training techniques instead. I have not only trained, but also owned Chow Chows and only used positive techniques when training.

With any dog breed, there are pros and cons. It’s important your chosen dog’s personality and functions meet the needs of you and your family. Not all dogs are perfect for every home, so doing research and educating yourself on the breed you’re considering will help you find the right dog for your family. After all, you’re adding another member to your family! For more information on the Chow, please check out the links below.

Chow Chow

http://chowclub.org/ccci/

You may also like: Chinese Crested Dog

Holistic Veterinary Care: Is It Really Worth It?

October 28, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Why You Should Consider Holistic Veterinary Care

Lately, we’re flooded with “all natural” phrases. It’s plastered on our food and dog food, and even popping up as promises in our doctor’s and veterinarian’s offices. While it’s easy to feel confident choosing items or services labeled as holistic, make sure the product or service really do address every part of your life and your dog’s life. Better yet, make sure it works for your dog. If it doesn’t, find an alternative. Think of holistic veterinary care as a different way of looking at things. You’ll be shocked by the results.

My Position on Holistic Veterinary Care

Allow me to explain my philosophy because I believe it’s important to readers. So many articles are biased, as some writers have an agenda. while I do have my personal passionate moments, I try to be as unbiased as possible.

Now, I’m neither a veterinarian nor a human doctor. I’m a professional dog trainer and an educated consumer who follows what works. Trust me, I’m skeptical. Many things sound too good to be true, so I only trust modalities that have benefited my dogs, clients’ dogs and myself. If it doesn’t work, I don’t bash it. I assume it just didn’t work for me personally, but I’ll explain my personal experience.

I’m not looking for miracles, though they would be nice, but they frankly don’t happen often. Instead, I’m looking for improvements to increase quality of life, decrease symptoms and, most importantly, diminish the main concern. I’ve had amazingly positive experiences with holistic care, if not for my dogs, for myself. I believe seeking a holistic veterinarian is worth the effort and drive, as it most certainly complements some traditional medicine. However, I don’t believe holistic veterinary care or holistic medicine for humans is a cure-all. I haven’t witnessed it yet.

What is Holistic Veterinary Care?

A Different Way at Looking at Things

Holistic care focuses on addressing all parts of the body and not just one specific area. Basically, you’re not treating symptoms. You’re identifying the main cause and ways to address it. A great example of where holistic veterinary care is applicable is dog allergies. If your dog has chewed a hole into his skin due to allergies, you understand the struggle. Holistic vets focus on why your dog is so itchy, as the cause is usually an imbalance somewhere in the body. Once the imbalance is corrected, the symptom of itchiness goes away. Now, I wish it were that simple, but it does take time, patience and a very experienced holistic vet. Holistic veterinary care worked for my Miniature Bull Terrier that was plagued with chronic yeast infections on her skin.

Many years ago, I had a dog that licked his front leg so much he caused a huge lick granuloma and our regular vet continued to treat him with antibiotics and steroids. He most certainly felt better. When the steroids wore off, he was back to how he was before the medicine, so I knew something else was lingering. I scheduled an appointment with a chiropractor who was certified to perform adjustments on pets. As the chiropractor ran her hands along my dog’s spine, she realized he was misaligned and adjusted him.

Wow! I watched my dog’s eyes roll in the back of his head and immediately lie down. When I brought him home, he literally slept for two days and seemed much more relaxed. And the licking stopped. After consulting our chiro and doing a bit of research on my own, my dog probably had transferred pain or a pinched nerve due to his misalignment. So once the pain stopped, he quit licking where it hurt.

Finding a Holistic Veterinary Clinic

Most holistic veterinarians are certified in chiropractic care, acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Depending on your dog’s condition, they may use one or all modalities offered. They’re literally assessing your dog at the moment. Don’t forget to bring along a list of your dog’s medications and supplements, as they’ll need to know about those in advance.

A holistic vet exam is a bit different than your regular vet’s exam. They look at your dog’s tongue, feel his pulse and feel along his skin. You may see muscle testing, which is asking the body what it needs to heal itself. Before rolling your eyes, I firmly believed for the longest time that this was a huge money-making gimmick. I changed my perspective when I was flat on my back from a bulged disc, and muscle testing indicated a certain herb could help with my imbalance. Well, it’s either take an herb or continue popping Lortabs, so I decided on the herb. Within two days, I felt amazing and my back quit hurting. Now, it wasn’t just the herb that helped; it was also the chiropractic adjustments and acupuncture. Within two weeks, I was symptom-free.

Finding a holistic veterinarian is much easier in 2015 than before. I highly recommend locating someone through the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association. Remember, anyone can label himself as holistic or natural, but AHVMA only lists veterinarians who have completed required certification and coursework. If you have to, make the drive to a holistic veterinary care clinic–it’s worth it.

I would love to hear your thoughts! What are your experiences with a holistic vet and which vet did you choose? By sharing our experiences, we’re helping our dogs.

Dog Trainer Confession: Puppy Playtime is Not For All Puppies

October 27, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Puppy Playtime Isn’t as Great as You Think It Is

Trust me, I’m quite aware I’m treading on the newest trend in the pet industry and totally understand many dog training experts feel puppies must be exposed to “safe” playtime during their younger months. I also understand the concept of puppy play and its positive outcomes, but it doesn’t always work out well. While it sounds lovely in theory, puppy playtime is not all sunshine and roses from a dog trainer’s perspective.

The Magical Unicorn of Proper Play Sessions

Most puppy playtime sessions happen before, during or after puppy manners class. There are some locations that offer additional puppy play sessions separate from class time, which focuses on socializing puppies for 30 minutes to an hour.

In concept, puppies play with other puppies their same age or younger than four months old under supervision. Some puppy play sessions are separated by size, and others are further divided by play style. Before engaging in puppy playtime, puppies are temperament tested to ensure they play well with others. Sounds perfect, right? This is not reality.

Safety is Impossible to Achieve Without Hurt Feelings

In a class of 8-10 puppies, there will be one or two that don’t play well with other puppies. These puppies just don’t want to be bothered with all the commotion or are simply terrified. Yes, in a perfect world, puppies should learn how to nicely disengage from playtime, but some puppies are relentless.

Personally, I don’t allow a puppy to be bullied by other dogs. It’s not fair and will teach terrible behaviors in the long run. Explaining to dog owners their puppy is no longer allowed to play with puppies is gut-wrenching. Of course, we do what’s best for the puppy at the time, but understand that dog owners have a hard time digesting this message. We would be a fool to chastise a dog owner, especially one who’s trying to do the right thing.

Somehow, society has told dog owners that if your puppy doesn’t want to play with other puppies, then something is wrong. This is not true. Forcing puppies to play together because someone says it’s good for them doesn’t make sense. Dogs and puppies are individuals, and each puppy should have his own training plan according to his personality. Assuming all puppies will get along is like assuming all humans will get along in a crowded freeway. That’s just not going to happen. Just because someone says it, it doesn’t mean we must follow it. I refuse to simply “just drink the Kool-Aid.”

Now, I’m not saying puppy playtime is evil and will hurt puppies, and it should be bashed so the feelings of pet owners aren’t hurt. I live in the real world, and as much as I hope for perfect puppy play, I don’t really see it often. I believe puppies should be able to choose to play. It should never be forced.

Research and question everything. Do what’s right for your puppy or dog, trust your gut feeling, and when in doubt stop the behavior.

Playtime Won’t Cure Aggression or Fear

Nope, it won’t. Every once in awhile, an experienced dog trainer may pair a frightened puppy with a super sweet, gentle puppy. If done correctly, the scared puppy will learn the ropes slowly with the gentle puppy encouraging him along the way. Now, this is not common. In the real world, puppies are expected to get along. If they don’t, dog owners are somehow convinced their puppy needs to find the right puppy to “teach their puppy a lesson,” which never ends well. Continuing to place a fearful puppy in a play session will only terrify him further just like allowing a rude puppy to continue bullying other puppies or terrorize fearful puppies will only teach him to become dog aggressive.

Searching for that one puppy that will “teach your puppy a lesson” is like playing Russian roulette. Most scared or pushy puppies learn aggression works, and it works quickly.

If Your Puppy Doesn’t Play, It’s Okay!

Sometimes, I wish for the old days of when puppies attended puppy class on leash and learned polite behaviors instead of playing. Back in the day, puppies learned their humans bring wonderful things, polite manners and ways to easily ignore distractions around them. Puppies learned to walk nicely on leash and ignore bouncing puppies next to them in exchange for food rewards.

I do feel the pendulum has swung too far. We now live in a society of dogs obsessed with greeting everyone. They’ll pull toward, stare, whine, lunge or drag their pet owners toward dogs, children and people. Being on the other side is scary; even I’m not comfortable watching a dog yank his pet owners toward me.

Remember, socializing puppies doesn’t mean they must play with other puppies. If your dog isn’t comfortable, listen to him.

Want to Hear a Dog Trainer’s True Confession?

We don’t allow our puppies to play during playtime. Instead, we teach puppies to focus on us when hearing their name. We teach them to sit still during greetings, come when called and, of course, enjoy free time during manners class where we play with them and not other puppies. We certainly don’t bring our dogs to dog parks, but that’s another rant. 🙂

Be your puppy’s voice. If he’s not enjoying playtime, pick him up and end the session. You owe no one an explanation; it’s your puppy.

Can Dogs Sprain Their Tails?

October 26, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Yes, Dogs Can Sprain Their Tails

As a whole, we really don’t talk much about causes and treatment of sprained dog tails–that is until it happens to your dog. I stumbled upon an article this week about the matter and became completely fascinated. I didn’t know exposure to cold water could cause a sprained tail. So I dug deep, as I wanted to know everything. Interestingly, much of what causes a dog’s tail to break is a complete mystery. “The X-Files” should do an episode on cold tails in dogs. I want to know more!

Before we go further, it seems this phenomenon is referred to by other names. You’ll hear references, such as limber tail, cold tail, broken tail, swimmer’s tail and even dead tail. While the terms are interesting, let’s discuss what cold tail looks like as well as causes and treatment. As always, prevention is the best treatment!

How to Tell If Your Dog’s Tail is Sprained

While researching, I noticed sprained tail issues are openly discussed among sporting breed enthusiasts, as the injury is common in Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Pointers and other hunting breeds with long tails. However, this issue most certainly can affect other breeds too, such as Great Danes, Chihuahuas and, my favorite breed, Miniature Bull Terriers. Even more fascinating, curled tailed dogs can sprain their tails too.

Usually a dog will either hold his tail straight down or hold his tail one or two inches from his body while the remaining 90 percent drops straight down. A painful tail is void of any movement–the dog is trying to hold it still. Now, don’t get painful tails confused with a fearful dog’s tail, which can drop or tuck under the body. Painful tails are limp and motionless–they almost look like a straight line pointing to the ground. With curly tailed dogs, you’ll notice their tails are hanging straight down, as it hurts to curl their tails up and over their backs.

Having a sprained dog tail is very painful for your dog. Not only will you notice a hanging tail, but it will also probably be extremely painful when touched. When dogs are in pain, they’ll hide, pant, pace, drool, widen their eyes and become restless. Some injured dogs even refuse to eat or move.

RELATED: My Dog Refuses to Move

Causes of Sprained Dog Tails

Excessive Exercise

Most sprained and broken tails are caused by excessive exercise. This usually affects weekend warrior dogs that overexert themselves a couple days per week. A dog’s tail contains muscle, which can easily become overworked, especially during long and rough play sessions or while swimming long periods and distances. Dogs use their tails for balance during play and as rudders while swimming, both of which can easily cause muscle exhaustion.

Air Drying

Cold tail happens when a dog’s body is exposed to water and shakes off excess water to air dry. This can happen right after a bath or swim. Veterinarians are still scratching their heads when it comes to the exact reason cold tail happens. I wonder if a long appendage has a harder time keeping warm, especially when wet and exposed to cool temperatures, which in turn causes muscles to become rigid and tightened. That’s my personal thought and by no means a theory. 🙂

Crating for Too Long

Crating a dog for long periods of time can cause a sprained dog tail, especially if the dog had just completed a tough workout or rough play session. It’s recommended to let your dog stretch his legs every two hours or hire a pet sitter to let your dog out several times a day if he’s crated.

Sprained Dog Tail Treatment

If your dog exhibits any of these symptoms, I highly recommend scheduling a veterinary visit immediately. Even though many causes are unknown, your vet can treat your dog’s sprained tail quickly. Usually anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed along with one to two weeks of rest. Within a few days, you’ll notice your dog feeling much better.

While it’s tempting to overwork our dogs during the weekend, it’s important to slowly build their endurance over time. After a long workout, allow your dog to cool down in a large area. Perhaps, have a picnic for 30 minutes or chat with a friend while your dog stretches out and relaxes.

As for cold tail, thoroughly dry your dog with a towel after a bath or swim. Make sure your dog’s tail and rear end are completely dry. Even better, blow dry your dog’s coat on a low heat setting, keeping the hair dryer at least 12 inches away from his skin. Run your fingers in between your dog’s fur and skin to check for moisture. If your dog isn’t completely dry yet, keep him warm until he’s fully dry.

Ping, ping, ping (“The X-Files” theme). Has your dog experienced a sprained or cold tail before?

You may also like: Why Does My Dog Have Gas All the Time?

Why Does My Dog Have Gas All the Time?

October 23, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Excessive Flatulence in Dogs

Can your dog clear the room with a silent, but deadly passing of gas? Your dog’s flatulence might give the kids a giggle, embarrass you while guests are over or even cause you to lose your appetite. By sniffing into the issue a little further, you might be able to cut down on this occurrence or even get rid of it.

Causes of Excessive Flatulence

Surprisingly, there could be a number of reasons why your dog is gassier than the neighbor’s dog. I mean, passing gas is a normal occurrence, but if you have an air freshener in the living room to sit with your dog, you may have a problem.

RELATED: Why Do Dogs Sniff Your Crotch?

Your Dog’s Air Intake

You might be thinking: “Really? My dog’s air intake can cause my dog to have gas? How could this even happen,” you might ask. Well, there are a couple of ways your dog could intake more air than normal. Your dog can inhale more air by eating too fast, eating or drinking right after exercise, or having a brachycephalic dog (shorter muzzle dog).

Excessive gas can be prevented. While you can’t change the length of your dog’s nose, there are other ways you can prevent your dog from passing excessive gas. One way is to slow down your dog’s eating by purchasing a special bowl that makes him work for his food. You can also refrain from giving your dog food directly after exercise or outside play, feed smaller meals more frequently, or use a food dispensing toy.

Dietary Issues

What you’re feeding your dog can play a huge role in the gas department and not to mention his overall health. When you’re selecting dog food, choose dog food rich in fiber and not fat. Stay away from spoiled foods and dairy products.

If you’re uncertain whether or not your dog’s current diet is causing excessive flatulence, I encourage you to speak with your veterinarian to ensure the food you’re feeding your dog meets his dietary needs. To prevent your dog from accessing spoiled or raw foods and drinks, you’ll need to block trash cans, counters and anything that might contain such food.

Health Issues

Last, but definitely not least, health issues could be causing the problem. The most common health issues that cause increased gas include parasites, inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome. If your dog’s health is affected, you may notice additional symptoms, such as vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite. With any medical concern, it’s recommended you speak with your veterinarian to discuss the best plan of action.

READ NEXT: Why Do Dogs Eat Poop?