Remember the glowing review I gave to Zuke's Zbones (their dental treat) as compared to Greenies?
I need to update my thoughts a bit.....
I originally fed "Z-ridges". They were on sale because they were being discontinued and replaced with "Z-Bones", a product that had a different name and packaging, but I was told was an identical formula.
Here's the issue --> the flavor I tried was "Original Fresh Breath". I haven't been able to find it in the "new" product, and I've been told several of the "old" flavors have been discontinued. The only flavors I can find are ones like "carrot", "apple" etc. The ingredient lists ARE very similar, but the products with the "extra" flavorings break down much quicker and seem softer than the one I originally tried. And when I say broke down faster.......it takes her 5 min or less to get through the new one compared to 20 or more minutes for the original product. I think it's because the flavoring ingredients break up the product enough that it doesn't hold together the same. Could it also be because of the addition of tapioca? I'm not sure, but at least until I can find a flavor that behaves more like the original fresh breath I originally tried, I'm not sure I can whole-heartedly recommend this product, and I'm not sure it's worth the cost to regularly feed. Very disappointing how differently the "new" product performed (how long it lasted, perception of the "roughness" of the chewed surface etc.)
Here's the ingredient list for the product I originally fed: (Original Fresh Breath)
Potato starch
Vegetable glycerin
Cellulose fiber
Alfalfa concentrate
Natural flavor
Lecithin
Whey
Vanilla extract
Clove powder
Parsley powder
Nutmeg powder
fennel seed powder
Here's the ingredient list for the new "Z-bone" product: (Clean Carrot Crunch)
Potato starch
tapioca
Vegetable glycerin
Carrot
Pumpkin
Alfalfa concentrate
Cellulose fiber
Beta carotene
Lecithin
Natural flavor
Parsley
Ground clove
Rosemary extract
Fennel seed powder
vanilla extract
Calcium propionate
Zinc propionate
I'm going to contact the company and see what they say.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Happy I gotcha anniversay!!!!!
One year ago Matt drove me to Oregon (and back in one day!) to pick up Tess in the rain. She was a scrawny little thing with ears that drug in her food dish a definite opinion about life. Not content to cuddle on my lap, she perferred launching herself, jumping bean style, at the dashboard to better see the scenery. As much as I wanted a cuddly puppy on my lap, except for a few precious minutes here and there, she wanted to be in constant motion sniffing and exploring her world.
Oh, how little has changed.
As I look through my pictures I've taken over the past year, the vast majority are of Tess asleep...
It's not that she isn't cute when she's awake, it's just that catching her awake AND not moving at the speed of light is hardly possible --> and she's just so darn much fun that I'm usually too busy singing and dancing and tugging and jumping....and generally having a BALL with my puppy to pick up a camera and capture the moment.
I find that when I show off pictures of my pets, I tend to chose the same favorite ones over and over. So, instead, for this special anniversary, my pictures have a theme.
I present to you, my favorite sleeping pictures of Tess from our first year. (in no particular order).
On the way home from Oregon. The toy pictured came from a group of gifts given to me by my co-workers at my job I had left the day before. When asked what I wanted, I replied "puppy stuff".
My recliner --> somehow when it's YOUR dog on the furniture it isn't nearly as bad as someone ELSE'S dog on the furniture.
At the AERC convention
On the way to school. A more unusual position.....
Yesterday. In the truck.
An now for a close up.....(her ear hair looks funny because I let her play with Reed and he slobbered all over her).
Another pic from the trip home from Oregon.
My absolute favorite pic of Tess. Taken the first day we were home. I made the bed she's laying on :).
With another toy from my co-worker
Her favorite pal, Reed.
Why won't she cuddle with ME like that!?
At my aunts house over the summer. By this time I figured out she didn't like hard surfaces, so there's a pile of towels for her to lay on.
Can you pick her out?
Her first service dog outing.
Camping again.
More at the aunts house
Not technically sleeping and a pretty awful picture.....but it's sweet. It's late at night and she's keeping an eye on me.
Oh, how little has changed.
As I look through my pictures I've taken over the past year, the vast majority are of Tess asleep...
It's not that she isn't cute when she's awake, it's just that catching her awake AND not moving at the speed of light is hardly possible --> and she's just so darn much fun that I'm usually too busy singing and dancing and tugging and jumping....and generally having a BALL with my puppy to pick up a camera and capture the moment.
I find that when I show off pictures of my pets, I tend to chose the same favorite ones over and over. So, instead, for this special anniversary, my pictures have a theme.
I present to you, my favorite sleeping pictures of Tess from our first year. (in no particular order).
On the way home from Oregon. The toy pictured came from a group of gifts given to me by my co-workers at my job I had left the day before. When asked what I wanted, I replied "puppy stuff".
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Dog Bite Prevention Week
Dog bite prevention week is coming up!!!!! In that theme, I have several recommended links.
Those of you on facebook saw me post this earlier this week
And here's an excellent post on dogs and children.
I. HATE. GETTING. BIT.
I've never had a serious bite. Most of it is psychological fear thinking about GETTING bit. I don't have a tragic story to share or even a particularly amusing anecedote. I just absolute hate the idea of getting bit by a dog (or a parrot. And probably reptiles. I'm working an exotics rotation tomorrow so I'll let you know).
I'm not a dog person, yet I have a dog I love, so I'm sensitive that not everyone welcomes my dog in their space (whether from fear, personal preference etc.). Tess is unlikely to bite anyone EVER, but I still do games and "tricks" and watch her carefully in public to protect her and people who might want to pet her. Any dog can bite under the right circumstances.
I carefully watch dogs in public, especially if the owner seems especially unaware and the dog is stressed or showing anxiety, or engaging in behaviors that signal a dog that isn't under control, like straining against the leash. Yes, it might be because they are "just so friendly and just want to stay hi....." but an over excited dog straining against the leash shows a lack of control and head on greetings on a tight leash, whether dog-dog or dog-human is asking for trouble. :).
Be safe, be aware, and please share your favorite story, picture, or post for bite week.
Those of you on facebook saw me post this earlier this week
And here's an excellent post on dogs and children.
I. HATE. GETTING. BIT.
I've never had a serious bite. Most of it is psychological fear thinking about GETTING bit. I don't have a tragic story to share or even a particularly amusing anecedote. I just absolute hate the idea of getting bit by a dog (or a parrot. And probably reptiles. I'm working an exotics rotation tomorrow so I'll let you know).
I'm not a dog person, yet I have a dog I love, so I'm sensitive that not everyone welcomes my dog in their space (whether from fear, personal preference etc.). Tess is unlikely to bite anyone EVER, but I still do games and "tricks" and watch her carefully in public to protect her and people who might want to pet her. Any dog can bite under the right circumstances.
I carefully watch dogs in public, especially if the owner seems especially unaware and the dog is stressed or showing anxiety, or engaging in behaviors that signal a dog that isn't under control, like straining against the leash. Yes, it might be because they are "just so friendly and just want to stay hi....." but an over excited dog straining against the leash shows a lack of control and head on greetings on a tight leash, whether dog-dog or dog-human is asking for trouble. :).
Be safe, be aware, and please share your favorite story, picture, or post for bite week.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Kong Stuffers
I use a lot of kongs and food toys to keep my busy not-so-much-a-puppy-any-more's mind engaged, and distracted from her neferious plan of world domination. Or at least the "kingdom of bird" domination.
As both a reminder to myself AND to provide ideas to others, I'm going to post stuffer recipies that I was really happy with.
**Please note that they worked for my dog and me, but may not work for your dog. I'm lucky to have a dog with a stomach made of iron. Thus diarrhea and vomiting are unlikely no matter what crazy stuff I throw at her, and yes, I do feed my dog "people food". Portion control is key, use common sense of dogs condition and activity level when choosing your food stuffs. Your mileage may vary.
General guidelines:
I like freezing the whole kong after stuffing it, so most of the recipes are frozen --> although they don't have to be. It just makes them last just a little bit longer....while still making it possible for the dog to the food if they work at it, because it gets easier as it melts.
Another option to make up "discs" of soft food that freezes hard that can be forced into the mouth of the kong. This is a good option if I want to feed less in a kong, BUT still don't want it to be too easy to get the food out, at least in the beginning.
2-3 layers is good for stuffing.
Specific stuffs:
-2 of any of the following: cottage cheese or yogurt (I like plain), rice, applesauce (non-sweetened).
-Canned food with chunks of meat in a "gravy" (like Taste of the Wild). Smear peanut butter on the small hole. Loosely fill the kong with the chunks of meat and the drippings, fill with water and freeze solid (1-2 days). Meat chunks are easier to get out, but must work thorugh the gravy flavored ice. This recipe lasted HOURS and she didn't get frustrated with it and give up.
-Chunky cut up fruits and veggies like apples, carrots, bananas. A bit of peanut butter smeared on the inside of the kong and across small hole. Fill with water and freeze. Or mix in yogart/canned food and freeze.
As I come across other combinations that I like, I will post!
As both a reminder to myself AND to provide ideas to others, I'm going to post stuffer recipies that I was really happy with.
**Please note that they worked for my dog and me, but may not work for your dog. I'm lucky to have a dog with a stomach made of iron. Thus diarrhea and vomiting are unlikely no matter what crazy stuff I throw at her, and yes, I do feed my dog "people food". Portion control is key, use common sense of dogs condition and activity level when choosing your food stuffs. Your mileage may vary.
General guidelines:
I like freezing the whole kong after stuffing it, so most of the recipes are frozen --> although they don't have to be. It just makes them last just a little bit longer....while still making it possible for the dog to the food if they work at it, because it gets easier as it melts.
Another option to make up "discs" of soft food that freezes hard that can be forced into the mouth of the kong. This is a good option if I want to feed less in a kong, BUT still don't want it to be too easy to get the food out, at least in the beginning.
2-3 layers is good for stuffing.
Specific stuffs:
-2 of any of the following: cottage cheese or yogurt (I like plain), rice, applesauce (non-sweetened).
-Canned food with chunks of meat in a "gravy" (like Taste of the Wild). Smear peanut butter on the small hole. Loosely fill the kong with the chunks of meat and the drippings, fill with water and freeze solid (1-2 days). Meat chunks are easier to get out, but must work thorugh the gravy flavored ice. This recipe lasted HOURS and she didn't get frustrated with it and give up.
-Chunky cut up fruits and veggies like apples, carrots, bananas. A bit of peanut butter smeared on the inside of the kong and across small hole. Fill with water and freeze. Or mix in yogart/canned food and freeze.
As I come across other combinations that I like, I will post!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Treats for Dental Health? Greenie Review
After watching Tess come out of anesthesia and how miserable she was, AND knowing the dental health IS important to overall health of both animals and humans....I'm really interested in NOT subjecting my dog to any procedures that require her to be knocked out than what is strictly necessary.
I don't brush Tess's teeth. See my comments on the nail-trimming post...Eventually I will be able to handle her mouth, have her open it on command etc --> but in the meantime it's a battle that I do not need at this point in our training.
So, I need other options.
I give her plenty to chew on - but she's a powerful chewer (even for a 30 pound dog) so I have to chose carefully. For example, nylabone dental chews (blue bone with nubbies) is one of her favorites......but she can destroy one in just a couple of hours, and can tear off big enough chunks to give her diarrhea and vomiting......The only chew products that are tough enough for sustained chewing are also too hard for them to do an effective job cleaning the teeth and gums. I also worry about how hard they are that they might actually do damage to soft tissue in her mouth. Any soft toys are instantly destroyed before my eyes and destuffed before I can blink twice.
Some people swear by rawhides and other edible chews. Tess snarfs them as fast as possible and I've had to pull more than a couple out of her throat and every time I take one away because it's getting to a "snarffing" stage it increases the value of that rawhide because she knows she only gets it for a limited time and she snarfs it even faster. She's very food motivated and its hard to convince her I have ANYTHING of larger value than the rawhide that she possesses.
So, I decided to try a dental chew product, like greenies.
In fact, I tried exactly that: greenies.
They have a couple of things in their favor. They were developed by a vet, they are recommended by vets, they are certified by a dental pet organization and they've been around for a while.
So, I bought a month's supply.
Especially because they are pricey and have to be fed at least 5 days/week to be effective, I wanted to evaluate them critically. Do they really work? Was this good money spent? Will feeding this product once a day do something else to my dog nutritionally that is unintended?
I did some internet research. I was esepcially concerned that there seemed to be NO data supporting their claim that when regularly fed they improved dental health....except perhaps keeping breath fresh, which is the least of my concerns (although it can be a small indicator of oral health).
It looks like there were some concerns over the digestibility of greenies and a possible risk of GI obstructions - but greenies had been reformulated recently and were much more digestable, including being able to dissolve/be soft in glass of water over night. This at first reassured me - but I was also confused how something the consistency of a gummy was helping to keep her teeth clean.....
Especially something she didn't exactly spend anytime chomping down on and swallowing.
Then I learned something else. Greenies was recently bought by the "Mars" company (yes --> that Mars company you are familiar with in the human world) and the product was immediately reformulated (to be the more gummy texture I had noticed). Additionally, wheat - which I believe was absent before - is now like the 2nd ingredient on the label.
And folks, unless I've missed something major, that's the final nail in the Greenie coffin for me. No clear evidence or explaining of how this product works to promote oral health, the product is eaten in under one minute with no apparent oral effort, and it contains a significant amount of wheat.
I started to look for something else.
Zeke's brand dental chews were on sale at the local pet store so I picked up a back. Once called "Z-ridges" I believe they are now called "Z-bones". Same formulation, but different name and packaging. Wheat and corn free, it takes Tess 1/2 hour to get through one. The texture is a mix of hardness that breaks off in tiny chunks when aggressively chewed that are rough enough to create some abrasion, but soft enough not to do damage.
I will admit that it looked tasty enough that I stole a little chunk from Tess and tried it. :) It was good. Hard but chewy at the same time --> didn't get gummy. Actually a pleasant flavor. Made me wonder if I ate one I too could have shiny teeth without having to expend any actual effort. :).
Overall I'm really pleased with the Zeke bones and while I probably can't afford to feed them on a regular basis, I'll do my best to feed regularly enough to make a difference.
If I was really brave I'd just give her a raw drumstick or wing or something and let that do its work....but I'm a wimp :)
I don't brush Tess's teeth. See my comments on the nail-trimming post...Eventually I will be able to handle her mouth, have her open it on command etc --> but in the meantime it's a battle that I do not need at this point in our training.
So, I need other options.
I give her plenty to chew on - but she's a powerful chewer (even for a 30 pound dog) so I have to chose carefully. For example, nylabone dental chews (blue bone with nubbies) is one of her favorites......but she can destroy one in just a couple of hours, and can tear off big enough chunks to give her diarrhea and vomiting......The only chew products that are tough enough for sustained chewing are also too hard for them to do an effective job cleaning the teeth and gums. I also worry about how hard they are that they might actually do damage to soft tissue in her mouth. Any soft toys are instantly destroyed before my eyes and destuffed before I can blink twice.
Some people swear by rawhides and other edible chews. Tess snarfs them as fast as possible and I've had to pull more than a couple out of her throat and every time I take one away because it's getting to a "snarffing" stage it increases the value of that rawhide because she knows she only gets it for a limited time and she snarfs it even faster. She's very food motivated and its hard to convince her I have ANYTHING of larger value than the rawhide that she possesses.
So, I decided to try a dental chew product, like greenies.
In fact, I tried exactly that: greenies.
They have a couple of things in their favor. They were developed by a vet, they are recommended by vets, they are certified by a dental pet organization and they've been around for a while.
So, I bought a month's supply.
Especially because they are pricey and have to be fed at least 5 days/week to be effective, I wanted to evaluate them critically. Do they really work? Was this good money spent? Will feeding this product once a day do something else to my dog nutritionally that is unintended?
I did some internet research. I was esepcially concerned that there seemed to be NO data supporting their claim that when regularly fed they improved dental health....except perhaps keeping breath fresh, which is the least of my concerns (although it can be a small indicator of oral health).
It looks like there were some concerns over the digestibility of greenies and a possible risk of GI obstructions - but greenies had been reformulated recently and were much more digestable, including being able to dissolve/be soft in glass of water over night. This at first reassured me - but I was also confused how something the consistency of a gummy was helping to keep her teeth clean.....
Especially something she didn't exactly spend anytime chomping down on and swallowing.
Then I learned something else. Greenies was recently bought by the "Mars" company (yes --> that Mars company you are familiar with in the human world) and the product was immediately reformulated (to be the more gummy texture I had noticed). Additionally, wheat - which I believe was absent before - is now like the 2nd ingredient on the label.
And folks, unless I've missed something major, that's the final nail in the Greenie coffin for me. No clear evidence or explaining of how this product works to promote oral health, the product is eaten in under one minute with no apparent oral effort, and it contains a significant amount of wheat.
I started to look for something else.
Zeke's brand dental chews were on sale at the local pet store so I picked up a back. Once called "Z-ridges" I believe they are now called "Z-bones". Same formulation, but different name and packaging. Wheat and corn free, it takes Tess 1/2 hour to get through one. The texture is a mix of hardness that breaks off in tiny chunks when aggressively chewed that are rough enough to create some abrasion, but soft enough not to do damage.
I will admit that it looked tasty enough that I stole a little chunk from Tess and tried it. :) It was good. Hard but chewy at the same time --> didn't get gummy. Actually a pleasant flavor. Made me wonder if I ate one I too could have shiny teeth without having to expend any actual effort. :).
Overall I'm really pleased with the Zeke bones and while I probably can't afford to feed them on a regular basis, I'll do my best to feed regularly enough to make a difference.
If I was really brave I'd just give her a raw drumstick or wing or something and let that do its work....but I'm a wimp :)
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
I'm seriously scared
Tess is scary smart.
How in the world am I going to:
1. Stay ahead of the this dog as we BOTH learn agility
2. Not completely screw up this dog by inadvertently rewarding the wrong stuff.
3. Keep her little mind active enough that she doesn't start developing alternative career plans such as "official stuffed animal destroyer", or "vet" (because at this point I pretty sure she could go through vet school and pass the boards before I can).
Just had a training session where I was reminded how very fast her little mind moves.
a. We have only done 6 weave poles. She's not solid on all her entries, so we stayed there for a while. My trainer ("K") said that you don't want to stay at one place too long because they can get "stuck" so I decided to go ahead and add another 6 pole set in line and see how she did with 12 --> were our problems a lack of understanding or boredom? Ummmm.....considering she flew through the set of 12 with NO problems and actually got FASTER with BETTER foot work, I'm thinking the latter.
As that little project only took 3 minutes of my planned training session I decided to do some shaping exercises.
b. For the online clicker challenge I have a couple of tricks in mind, including her doing various figures around my legs. I decided to work on a figure 8 through my legs at a walk. This was our second session on this behavior, so of course I'm breaking it down in itty bitty steps and keeping a very high reward rate.......one BIG exaggerated SLOW step after another. After one or two trips across the room, I was ready to start another one. I stood, with Tess on my right, and my legs slightly apart. "Ready?", asked. In response Tess started doing FAST figure 8's through my only slightly parted legs, as I stood there. Ummm....yeah. Very good Tess. Way to generalize. I guess we have that one down. Ummm.....how about going forward with me with your head between my knees? OK. How about backing up with me keeping your head is between my knees? Ummm....I guess that's it for today.
Tess is VERY good about generalizing. This is bad, this is good. It means that any errors in my training instantly carry over to all sorts of behaviors. It means letting her break a control behavior (like house, sit, down, stand) at ANY time IMMEDIATELY transfers to training. It also means that a skill learned on a "transition" object like a travel plank for contacts instantly transfers to obstacles. It definitely keeps me on my toes and I quickly know whether I've screwed up somewhere......
Whew....sometimes I think I got a Border Collie with floppy ears. Who likes birds instead of sheep. And prefers to focus on birds instead of me. Without a tail. And without fear.
And by the way - having done exercises with friends, clicker training each other through shaping (friend has handful of m&m's and clicker. Without luring, tries to shape a behavior in other person), I know from personal experience it is not the easiest thing to figure out how to get those m&ms!!!!!! I'm in awe of how FAST Tess can figure out what I want. That's genius right there....
How in the world am I going to:
1. Stay ahead of the this dog as we BOTH learn agility
2. Not completely screw up this dog by inadvertently rewarding the wrong stuff.
3. Keep her little mind active enough that she doesn't start developing alternative career plans such as "official stuffed animal destroyer", or "vet" (because at this point I pretty sure she could go through vet school and pass the boards before I can).
Just had a training session where I was reminded how very fast her little mind moves.
a. We have only done 6 weave poles. She's not solid on all her entries, so we stayed there for a while. My trainer ("K") said that you don't want to stay at one place too long because they can get "stuck" so I decided to go ahead and add another 6 pole set in line and see how she did with 12 --> were our problems a lack of understanding or boredom? Ummmm.....considering she flew through the set of 12 with NO problems and actually got FASTER with BETTER foot work, I'm thinking the latter.
As that little project only took 3 minutes of my planned training session I decided to do some shaping exercises.
b. For the online clicker challenge I have a couple of tricks in mind, including her doing various figures around my legs. I decided to work on a figure 8 through my legs at a walk. This was our second session on this behavior, so of course I'm breaking it down in itty bitty steps and keeping a very high reward rate.......one BIG exaggerated SLOW step after another. After one or two trips across the room, I was ready to start another one. I stood, with Tess on my right, and my legs slightly apart. "Ready?", asked. In response Tess started doing FAST figure 8's through my only slightly parted legs, as I stood there. Ummm....yeah. Very good Tess. Way to generalize. I guess we have that one down. Ummm.....how about going forward with me with your head between my knees? OK. How about backing up with me keeping your head is between my knees? Ummm....I guess that's it for today.
Tess is VERY good about generalizing. This is bad, this is good. It means that any errors in my training instantly carry over to all sorts of behaviors. It means letting her break a control behavior (like house, sit, down, stand) at ANY time IMMEDIATELY transfers to training. It also means that a skill learned on a "transition" object like a travel plank for contacts instantly transfers to obstacles. It definitely keeps me on my toes and I quickly know whether I've screwed up somewhere......
Whew....sometimes I think I got a Border Collie with floppy ears. Who likes birds instead of sheep. And prefers to focus on birds instead of me. Without a tail. And without fear.
And by the way - having done exercises with friends, clicker training each other through shaping (friend has handful of m&m's and clicker. Without luring, tries to shape a behavior in other person), I know from personal experience it is not the easiest thing to figure out how to get those m&ms!!!!!! I'm in awe of how FAST Tess can figure out what I want. That's genius right there....
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
An Online Challenge
Here's a fun online challenge if you are out of ideas of what to teach your dog next!
Join the facebook group here (if you have trouble, email me with your name and I will invite you from the facebook page), and then take a look at the challenges set on the youtube channel.
Read the details on facebook, but in a nutshell it looks like you chose a challenge and then post a video response of your dog doing then trick. You can also "set" a challenge by emailing a video to the event organizer (see the facebook page). The goal is to teach your dog as many tricks as possible in a year (cut off is April 30, 2013). Please note the focus is teaching your dog to do these tricks using POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT.
I suppose technically there are points and such for setting challenges and completing challenges, but even as competitive as I am --> I'm just looking forward to some inspiration over the next year.
Join the facebook group here (if you have trouble, email me with your name and I will invite you from the facebook page), and then take a look at the challenges set on the youtube channel.
Read the details on facebook, but in a nutshell it looks like you chose a challenge and then post a video response of your dog doing then trick. You can also "set" a challenge by emailing a video to the event organizer (see the facebook page). The goal is to teach your dog as many tricks as possible in a year (cut off is April 30, 2013). Please note the focus is teaching your dog to do these tricks using POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT.
I suppose technically there are points and such for setting challenges and completing challenges, but even as competitive as I am --> I'm just looking forward to some inspiration over the next year.
Resource page has been updated
I have added some books, vidoes, youtube channels and websites to the resource page.
As always, if you have a favorite that isn't listed, let me know! I don't necessarily add resources I haven't personally reviewed - but I'll put it on my "to read/watch" list!
As always, if you have a favorite that isn't listed, let me know! I don't necessarily add resources I haven't personally reviewed - but I'll put it on my "to read/watch" list!
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