Dog Training Nation

In Dogs We Trust

You are here: Home / Blog

Pet-Safe Natural Weed Killers

by

Natural Weed Killers That Won’t Harm Your Dog

Natural Weed Killers
yevgenromanenko/iStock

It’s summer, which means weeds and grass are sprouting up in unwanted areas everywhere. I’m always amazed where weeds will pop up and grow. I’m from the South and I’ve personally witnessed weeds growing out of water gutters hanging from the rooftops many times. Not only do weeds pop up everywhere, but they’re also next to impossible to remove permanently. You think you’ve killed the weeds, but you see their return the following week.

So it makes sense that people grab the cheapest and most effective weed killer possible. No one wants to fight weeds every day. However, are chemical weed killers safe? We all know the answer, and they’re not. What’s an alternative to fight pesky weeds on your lawn? Pet-safe weed killers. While natural weed killers weren’t very effective in the past, they’ve come a long way, baby!

Chemical Weed Killers Are Dangerous

Many years ago, I pledged to never use chemical weed killers again. Not only are synthetic chemicals extremely harmful to our water supply, but they also expose our precious dogs to toxic chemicals every time our pets play or potty on treated lawns. Several studies have shown that dogs will excrete synthetic lawn treatment chemicals in their urine even when pet owners have followed chemical product instructions carefully. In addition, several studies have linked weed-killing chemicals to cancer in dogs.

RELATED: 1 Simple Way to Keep Your Dog Safe in the Backyard

Now, let’s think about this for a minute. Weeds are harmless to humans, yet we pour chemicals on them. Weeds don’t sting or bite us; we kill them because they’re growing in and around our lawns, gardens and flower beds. I understand weeds can and will take over an area and smother other plants, and they can also be unsightly, but should we really increase our risk of cancer just because weeds are pests? Maybe we need to rethink a few things.

Natural Weed Killers That Are Pet-Safe

Thankfully, there are several natural weed killers on the market that won’t harm our dogs or our earth, yet still kill weeds. Yes, there’s a bit of a drawback using non-toxic weed killers. For example, you must spray or pour natural weed killers more often than chemical versions and only during specific times of the day. However, I think it’s worth it to reduce potential poisoning and cancer risks in pets and their owners.

10%-20% Vinegar

Over the years, I’ve tried a ton of natural weed killers and I’ve found good strong vinegar works the best. Spraying vinegar directly onto weeds works best on warm and dry sunny days, so I spray it around noon. Some gardeners swear adding dishwashing liquid, salt and citrus oils will boost the effectiveness of vinegar’s weed-killing power. I didn’t notice a difference when I tried it, but I’m sure it’s still worth a try.

Regular grocery store vinegar doesn’t work. You need the strong stuff. Head to your nearest lawn supply store, Lowe’s or Home Depot for the good stuff. You’ll need 10%-20% vinegar (don’t dilute it). Ask a sales associate to recommend a specific sprayer based on the area expanse you’re needing to treat.

It may take a day or two before you notice weeds welting, so it’s best to spray vinegar when rain chances are low. Keep your dogs away from the area until the vinegar dries and please wear protective eyewear. Vinegar is an acid and will blow back into your face on windy days. Oh, and be prepared for the smell. 🙂

BurnOut Weed Killer

If you’re having issues finding strong vinegar in your area, you can purchase it online or buy other non-toxic weed killing products. BurnOut Weed Killer is made of strong vinegar and clove oil, which many lawn experts claim boosts the effectiveness of vinegar. Clove oil also masks the vinegar’s unpleasant smell. 🙂 Just remember to follow this product’s directions carefully and understand it may take a bit longer to work its magic than chemical weed killers.

The Old-Fashioned Way

Pulling weeds out by hand, then covering the area with several layers of plastic or newspaper gets rid of weeds too. Now, this method will take more time than simply spraying weed killers, but it works just as effectively.

Many years ago, we had a large shaded area that only grew weeds. I fought this weed-infested area for an entire year. I even poured salt on the weeds since many articles promised that nothing would ever grow in the area again once I “salted the earth.” Well, we had weeds within a week. Finally, I caved in and pulled all the weeds out by hand. Then, I layered newspaper and landscaping plastic material over the area and covered the paper and plastic with gravel. Guess what? No weeds and the area finally looked neat and tidy. For small clusters of weeds, I use strong vinegar. 🙂

Enjoy summer, but keep poisons out of your yard. Your dog will thank you!

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Put an End to Dog Fence Fighting Aggression

Reasons for Sudden Aggression in Dogs & How to Fix It

by

Sudden Aggression in Dogs

Sudden Aggression in Dogs
sae1010/iStock

When your friendly and easy-going dog suddenly attacks another dog, child or you, it’s an extremely terrifying and confusing moment. Many pet owners wonder what exactly caused their dog to growl, snap or bite. The answer isn’t always clear. One thing’s for sure is if you witness sudden aggression in your dog, you need to address it immediately.

Why is My Dog Suddenly Aggressive?

We all want to understand why our dogs suddenly become aggressive because if we can identify the cause, we can fix it. Sometimes, the cause of aggression in dogs is pretty obvious and other times we have to dig deep to find the real reason our dogs acted out. Below are a few reasons on why a dog may suddenly growl, snap, lunge or bite. If you’re still unsure of the cause, partner with a dog trainer and veterinary behaviorist to resolve this bad dog behavior.

Please remember: Never allow children (or anyone, really) to sit on, ride, tease, pinch, pull, poke at any part of a dog’s body, roughly pet, throw something at, run toward, hit, scream, kick or step on a dog. Doing this will certainly cause pain or scare a dog, which will cause aggression.

Pain

Dogs are stoic creatures. It’s unbelievable how dogs can mask excruciating pain. When dogs are in pain, they’ll growl, snap or bite if you touch a painful area; it hurts! On the other hand, if your dog hides, constantly pants, drools, limps, licks a specific area, whines when moving or remains still, he’s likely in pain as well. If you suspect your dog is suffering, bring your dog to a veterinarian immediately. Then, conduct a family meeting to explain that physical petting and cuddling your dog is painful for him now, so give your dog space until he feels better.

Scared

Dogs get scared more than their pet owners know. Many dogs are frightened when a new person touches them, visits their home, yells at them, physically hurts or punishes them (i.e. hitting, collar correcting, pushing) and so forth.

For professional dog trainers, it’s pretty easy to know when dogs are scared. You’ll notice a dog is scared when his body language changes quickly, ears flatten back, tail tucks, eyes widen, and body stops moving and freezes or leans away from whatever is scaring him.

Some dogs will even growl, which may translate to “please leave me alone,” “stop doing that,” “this is freaking me out,” “if you don’t stop, I will run away or hurt you,” or “I’m scared.” Always listen and respect your dog’s growl. If you punish or ignore a dog for growling, your dog will escalate his warning to an air snap or bite. When your dog growls, he’s begging you to stop scaring him.

Resource Guarding

Dogs love their resources. They love toys, food in their bowl, chewies, treats, cozy spaces and even their pet owners. Some dogs will guard their resources fiercely. You can see this in action when you walk next to or touch your dog’s beloved resources. You’ll notice your dog will either hover over the item, freeze, growl, snap or bite.

In the dog training world, we call this resource guarding. Do know, resource guarding is a completely normal dog behavior. Those that guard their resources survive. Although it can be scary if resource guarding occurs in your home, especially around other dogs and small children.

RELATED: My Dog Steals Food From Children

Never punish your dog for resource guarding. You’ll make the situation much worse. Instead, teach your dog or puppy that trading his favorite items for super yummy treats is rewarding. Check out additional details on eliminating resource guarding behavior.

Personality

This one is usually a shocker. Many pet owners either refuse to accept their dogs aren’t friendly or completely misread their dog’s behavior. Once, many years ago, a pet owner insisted I hold her growling small dog during a behavior consult. This 8-lb dog was firmly nestled in his pet owner’s arms and as the owner approached me, her dog growled, flashed his teeth and sneezed/snorted. Of course, I backed away, but the pet owner insisted her dog was only “smiling” at me.

Long story short, we had a discussion on interpreting her dog’s body language, which completely stopped all of her dog aggression issues. If only all consults were that easy. 🙂

Here’s the truth: many dogs just don’t like meeting new people or dogs, and that’s OK. If your dog doesn’t like it, then please stop introducing him to strangers (i.e. other dogs, children) and accept it’s part of your dog’s personality. If you’re not sure whether or not your dog is friendly, please seek advice from a professional and experienced dog trainer.

What Should You Do Next?

Remember, it’s very important to find the reason for your dog’s sudden aggression because then it can be addressed.

Steer Clear of Triggers

Keep your dog away from whatever caused his sudden burst of aggression until your dog is seen by a veterinarian. Use sturdy baby gates and crates to keep your dog safely confined when guests come over or when children are playing. If your dog is aggressive toward another dog, keep all household dogs separated and stop allowing your dog to visit other dogs.

RELATED: Multiple Dog Household Tips

See Your Veterinarian

Always start with ruling out any and all medical issues. If your dog is in pain, a complete veterinary exam, blood work, X-rays and additional diagnostics should discover the cause of your dog’s pain and sudden aggression.

If pain isn’t causing your dog’s aggression, then ruling out illness is extremely important. Seizures, low or high thyroid levels, anxiety, and chronic illnesses can cause sudden aggression in dogs to happen, so always see a veterinarian first.

Find a Professional Dog Trainer

Once medical issues have been completely ruled out by your veterinarian, it’s time to find a professional dog trainer. If your dog has bitten someone or another dog, you need help from a veterinary behaviorist first and then follow up with a dog trainer. Check out these tips on finding an experienced dog trainer who specializes in dog aggression as well as locating a veterinary behaviorist. These articles will help you narrow your search quickly.

Sometimes, it’s difficult figuring out the exact cause for sudden aggression in dogs, but keep digging and work with a positive reinforcement dog trainer.

What is Calming Dog Food and Should You Use It?

by

Calming Dog Food to Help Your Anxious Dog

Calming Dog Food
wellsbc/iStock

Animal behavior is picking up momentum in the veterinary world, and it’s about time. Vets and their staff want to create a friendly, fun environment for clients and their pets. They’re finally addressing the huge elephant in the room: dogs hiding under the exam table. While reading an article by leading veterinary behaviorists, I learned that a new prescription calming dog food has hit the market that promises to calm a stressed, anxious and nervous dog.

Hum, does calming dog food actually work? Well, it looks like it.

What is Calming Dog Food?

While many veterinary practices are incorporating force-free veterinary exams now, they’re also addressing anxiety, stress, fearfulness, separation anxiety and aggression in dogs and cats. One way to address these issues is by prescribing calming dog food. Calming dog food contains ingredients, such as hydrolyzed casein and L-tryptophan, which promote calmness in dogs.

Over the last five years, several companies have created supplements to reduce dog anxiety and stress. One such company that began offering dog calming products is Royal Canin Veterinary Diet. Its Canine Calm dry dog food, which is only available through your veterinarian, is chicken-based and contains dried hydrolyzed casein and L-tryptophan.

You’re probably scratching your head and wondering if this calming dog food and its special ingredients really work. It seems, per the research and high reviews, that this dog food is very promising for anxious dogs.

Which Dogs Would Benefit From Calming Dog Food?

If your dog is anxious, fearful, afraid of loud sounds and/or constantly stressed, then I’d ask your veterinarian about calming dog food. From my understanding, it’ll take a few weeks to see results, but some pet owners claim results only within a few days.

Do understand, this calming food isn’t a magic potion. It won’t completely cure your dog’s fearful and anxious behavior, but it may reduce it quite a bit. I’m a firm believer in some help is better than no help, so I recommend you give this food a try. In addition to a food change, your veterinarian may refer you to a veterinary behaviorist for prescription medication and a professional dog trainer to begin behavior modification protocols.

How Much Does It Cost?

Unfortunately, calming dog food is outrageously expensive. A 4.4lb bag will cost you around $27 and an 8.8lb bag costs $51. It’s completely affordable if you share your home with small dogs. For large dogs, it’ll probably cost $100-$200 per month to feed them this prescription dog food. If price is a concern, ask your vet about Solliquin supplements. They have the same calming ingredients plus a few extra ones too.

I’d love to hear from pet owners who have used this calming dog food! Please drop me a note in the comment section below. I’m extremely interested in hearing your personal experiences. ;o) 

How to Prevent Scorpions From Stinging Your Dog

by

Keep Scorpion Stings at Bay With These Tips

Scorpion Stings
Ledzeppelinriff/iStock

It’s that time of year in blazing hot south Arizona where scorpions come out to play. Bleh! This is our first summer in Phoenix, and we’ve already been formally introduced to a poisonous bark scorpion. Unfortunately, the experience was too up close and personal for my taste, leaving my husband with a scorpion sting.

It started last night. We found a bark scorpion in our bed at 1:00am when it stung my husband. That nasty creature was less than a foot away from my small dog and a couple of feet from me. The bark scorpion obviously strolled right past a snoring Rottweiler while it headed straight for our bed. My husband jumped out of bed claiming a scorpion stung his thigh, which caused me to stand and scream in the bathtub with both dogs until he found it. I’m surprised the police weren’t called.

My hubby is okay and I’ve resisted the urge to burn the house down, and yes I haven’t slept since. Fortunately, deep breaths, bright lights, a frantic voicemail to my pest control guy and a Xanax decreased my sudden thoughts of things crawling all over my body and face.

How do we protect ourselves and our dogs from scorpion stings?

RELATED: Protecting Your Furniture From Dog Hair and Nails

How to Prevent Scorpions From Stinging Your Dog

Scorpions are nocturnal; they search for food and water at night. It seems scorpions live everywhere too. While most scorpion stings feel like broken glass in your skin, they’re not poisonous except for the bark scorpion. Apparently, June through August is prime scorpion time, and we had our formal introduction in July.

Seal Cracks and Gaps

The best way to keep your dog safe from scorpion stings is to keep your dog inside and scorpions outside. Small cracks in your home and gaps in weather stripping near doors and windows are beacons to scorpions. To check for gaps and cracks, have someone shine a flashlight along your windows and doors at night while another person stands outside t0 look for light peeking through. Scorpions are able to flatten themselves like a credit card, so seal any and all cracks and gaps tightly.

Hunt Them at Night

Bug sprays and powders won’t affect a scorpion. If they do, it would take 7 to 14 days for it to penetrate their extremely durable exoskeleton. Now, sprays and powders will keep other pests away that scorpions love to munch on. Some of our neighbors hunt scorpions at night with black lights and a shoe because scorpions shine brightly under black light. Around 10:00pm, we usually hear gleeful “I got ’em” comments coming from several homes in the neighborhood. Many neighbors and pest control companies swear this is an effective way to prevent scorpion stings. Maybe I need a black light and one of my old shoes too.

Hire a Pest Control Company

We do have a pest control company that sprays regularly. They’ve walked our property before showing us cracks and gaps that need to be sealed. Although, somehow, a scorpion still got into our home. While I totally believe in natural products and living a chemical-free life, I made an exception for the pest control company. After chatting with our holistic veterinarian, she recommended pest control chemicals if we’re dealing with bark scorpions. Another reason I hired a bug guy is because bark scorpions can scale walls and walk along ceilings. They can go anywhere they want to basically.

What to Do if a Scorpion Stings Your Dog

When dogs are stung by scorpions (or wasps and bees for that matter), your dog will likely yelp, whine, paw or rub at the sting site. Scorpion stings hurt. Many years ago, my dog was stung by a scorpion in our Texas home. He yelped and began limping immediately. Fortunately, I saw the scorpion scurry away. However, I managed to kill the scorpion, put it in a plastic bag, and bring it and my dog to our vet’s office immediately. I say that I’m thankful for seeing the scorpion because I was able to rule out what actually caused the sting.

If a bark scorpion stings your dog or cat, bring your pet to a veterinarian immediately. She’ll likely inject a Benadryl-like medication into your pet. If a scorpion stings your dog overnight, call your veterinary emergency clinic immediately. She’ll likely ask you to bring your pet in for an injection too.

From chatting with our vet, we learned that not only can bark scorpion stings cause pain, but the sting site can also become quickly infected. When my husband was stung by a bark scorpion, the pain lasted for more than 12 hours. He was nauseous for a couple of days, but luckily the sting site didn’t become infected.

For other types of scorpion stings, watch your pet closely for the next 4 hours. Most large dogs recover well from scorpion bites, but reactions are more common with small dogs and cats. If your dog or cat has trouble breathing, struggles to stand up, can’t walk properly or looks distressed in any way, get your pet to your vet immediately.

Good luck out there, and I hope you never see a scorpion. As for me, I need to call my bug man again. I need reassurance after writing this article (scratch, scratch).

You may also like: Bubbles for Dogs: A Great Summer Game

Why You Should Feed Your Dog Bone Broth

by

Bone Broth for Dogs: Benefits & Recipe

Bone Broth for Dogs
Photosiber/iStock

News flash! Instead of squeezing every last drop of juice out of fruits and vegetables, trendy people are now slow-simmering bones for hours and sipping rich-flavored broths as a result. It’s the latest healthy diet craze, but here’s another news flash! Bone broth for dogs has been popular for years and here’s why.

Bone Broth Benefits for Dogs

Repairs Skin, Hair, Joints & Leaky Gut

Bones are packed with essential vitamins and minerals. When bones are cooked slowly, valuable nutrients are released into a tasty broth. What’s even more exciting is that bones are full of collagen, which is a protein found in connective tissues of animal bones that helps repair skin, hair, joints and leaky gut as well as make it easier to digest gelatin. Interestingly, some people swear collagen erases wrinkles too.

While dogs couldn’t care less about wrinkles—I think—bone broth for dogs can help soothe and repair a painful digestive system and repair joints for pets in need.

Supports and Repairs Joints

When my Rottweiler had surgery to repair his torn ACL, my veterinarian friend suggested feeding my dog bone broth every day to support and repair his joints. Now, both of my dogs thoroughly enjoy drinking bone broth daily, and surprisingly it really soothed my Rottie’s IBS tummy, meaning less gas and pain.

RELATED: Get Your Dog Checked for Vitamin D Deficiency

How to Make Bone Broth for Dogs

First, you need bones. You’ll need enough bones to cover the bottom of a slow cooker or pot. Fortunately, bones are pretty cheap at the grocery store. As for which types of bones to simmer, this is usually determined by availability.

If you’re struggling to find raw bones, check local Asian markets or raw dog food dealers who deliver in your area. For my bone broth recipes, I’ve used large beef marrow bones, chicken backs, chicken leg bones and even chicken feet.

Ingredients

  • Bones
  • Raw apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Layer the bottom of a slow cooker or pot with bones.

2. Fill pot with water. Water level should be a couple of inches above the bones.

3. Add ½ teaspoon of raw apple cider vinegar. Acid helps bones release valuable nutrients.

4. Simmer bones for at least 12 hours. I usually cook bones for 24 hours, and I use a slow cooker (crock pot).

5. After 12-24 hours, allow the bone broth to completely cool before straining out the bones.

Never feed your dog cooked bones. These bones can crack and splinter in your dog’s mouth, throat and intestinal track. I recommend throwing away all cooked bones.

6. Once you’ve strained the broth, pour it into canning jars and store in your refrigerator. Freeze excess bone broth in plastic containers. For more information, check out this bone broth recipe. It’s the one I use. 🙂

If You Don’t Have Time to Make Broth

In the beginning, I wasn’t convinced bone broth for dogs would make a difference in my dog’s health. Rather than making broth, I’d buy Honest Kitchen’s Bone Broth online. It’s a dehydrated bone broth that contains turmeric, pumpkin and parsley.

It’s super easy to make; just mix dehydrated powder into hot water and serve once it’s cooled down. Just a heads up, it can get expensive quickly for large dogs. A can of bone broth would cost us $14, and we used one can per week.

Don’t be fooled by grocery broths or stocks. These packaged broths contain onions or onion powder, which is deadly for your dog. Plus, packaged or cubed broth products contain chemicals, tons of salt and preservatives. Yuck!

RELATED: Can Dogs Eat Mushrooms?

Feeding Your Dog Bone Broth

Those who feed bone broth to their dogs regularly recommend ¼ cup per 25 pounds daily. You can pour it over your dog’s meals or serve it as an afternoon snack. One thing is for sure, your dog will love bone broth!

Dog Training Nation is a dog training blog for pet owners and dog lovers. We cover a range of topics from puppy socialization tips to dog aggression to dog health. It is our hope you share our content to make the world a better place for dogs.

Dog Training Nation

Quick Links

Dog Training
Dog Behavior
Dog Training Videos
Become a Dog Trainer
About
Contact Us