Fostering Maggie

We have had quite a full house this week.  I received an email from Great Dane rescue that Maggie – a 9 month old Great Dane mix was due to be put to sleep the next morning at the local shelter.  It was a long but rushed process to save her – but we did and I fostered her here for 4 days while she recovered from her spaying surgery.  She is a lovely dog – but like most all pound dogs – has her fair share of issues.  Through the combined efforts of 4 organizations, yesterday she went to Hamilton to be fostered there for the few days remaining until her new home was sorted.

I have a friend with his pup and kitten staying with me and this meant I had my three guys (Echo, Siryn and Mooki) plus his two, plus Miss Maggie.  A houseful indeed for a small farm cottage. She was very relaxed after her surgery so day 1 and 2 went very well.

By day three she was tired of being cooped up in the sectioned off part of the house.  She was digging at the door and getting restless.  So we took her out for some gentle walks and then added a small stint at the dog park.

By day 4 she was getting a bit destructive in her boredom – poor thing…

She has made a big impact in our hearts – she is a lovely dog that I really look forward to hearing more about from her new home.  If she didn’t have such a high prey drive especially around cats and birds – I would have taken her in a heartbeat!  Good luck Miss Maggie May!

Raw Feeding Update

Well raw has certainly made a difference to my guys here.  Since I started earlier this month – they have been having chicken drumsticks, heart, necks and backs, pet mice, sheeps heart, ox and sheep liver and fish.  Everyone’s coats look fantastic, there stools are much more solid and consistent and in general they seem healthier.  It is more expensive than regular kibble but less expensive than premium kibble like Eukanuba, Science Diet or Royal Canin.

The kittens are doing much better on this as well.  Mooki has put on 10 times his previous weight in just under 2 weeks – he is starting to fill out and get muscle where he was quite thin and gangly before.  Again much better coat condition and finally we got rid of the diarrhea that has been plaguing him for 7 weeks.  All in all a fantastic result!

The only downside is storage of the meat – to get it at a decent price you need to buy on special, and that means freezer space.  Make sure you have it planned for before you start.

There are lots of great books and forums out there if you are considering raw feeding.  Do your research first but I can attest to the fact that it has worked wonders on my pack!

Starting down the Raw Track

I have been researching raw feeding for a while and I think alot of it makes since.  Dogs in the wild – I am talking about feral packs/dingos, not just their wolf cousins, do not eat grains like the corn, wheat and barley that are commonly used as fillers in commercially prepared dog foods.    I don’t want to get into a debate over commercial vs raw – but after feeding kibble for more than 30 years – I thought I would see if the grass was truly greener on the other side of the farm.

One of the sites I came across had a very good list of why to feed raw: Raw Learning Site

Why should I feed a raw diet?

A raw diet provides a range of benefits that commercial dog diets can never hope to even closely match.These benefits include: no doggy odour naturally cleans teeth – no need for toothbrushes, de-scaling jobs, or gum disease the time it takes for a dog to chew a raw meaty bones give their stomach adequate time to get the acids moving much less stools produced – and they are firm, and turn chalky after a couple of days decreased or non-existant vet bills (your dogs are healthier!) less cost for dog food – commercial dog foods are ludicriously expensive mirrors what a dog would be getting in the wild – and certainly even the modern day dog has a digestive tract exactly the same as a wolf puppies develop at a more appropriate rate – and quick growth spurts are avoided. A GOOD breeder will want to stop fast growth in any pup. the ripping and chewing involved in eating raw meaty bones develops the jaw, neck, and shoulder muscles of the dog. Commercial dog foods will never assist in this important muscle development.

Another site explains it very well:  A Raw Deal
Dogs are sometimes called “opportunistic omnivores” due to the fact that they can survive on a wide variety of foods, but they are designed by nature to eat a diet primarily from animal sources. Their teeth and jaws are made to rip and tear off chunks of meat, not to chew and grind plant foods; their saliva does not contain digestive enzymes; and they have the carnivore’s shorter and smoother intestines designed to process proteins and fat, not the longer, pouched digestive tract needed to digest carbohydrates.

An example of an average meal for Piglet, a 15-year-old Chinese Shar-Pei, weighing 35 pounds, that is relatively inactive due to her age, might be: (also from A Raw Deal)

• 1 large egg alternating daily with 1 to 1½ oz liver or kidney
• Muscle meat, heart, green tripe and/or healthy leftovers, enough to equal 3 oz total food (including egg/organs)
• A spoonful of yogurt or cottage cheese (I use low-fat or nonfat varieties these days)
• 3 to 4 oz veggies, alternating daily between steamed veggies and pureed “veggie muffin” (described below)

• Mon/Wed/Fri: rotate among chicken necks, chicken backs and lamb breast (with skin and visible fat removed)
• Sun/Tues/Thurs: rotate among different ground products, ranging from raw meaty bones only to complete diets
• Saturday: canned fish, alternating between jack mackerel and pink salmon, or occasionally sardines

So tonight I brought home some ox kidney, lamb liver and chicken necks and hearts.  I know my guys are pretty keen on raw meat as they love raw mince.  I had the three pups – Echo, Siryn and my friends pup Loki all waiting to see what the fuss was about.

Echo and Siryn ate it all – loving every bite.  Loki liked the chicken but spat out the kidney and liver. We’ll try him again later with it and see if he acquires a taste for it.   Overall I’d say we have success.  I’m not sure if Scott (Loki’s owner) is planning on going raw, but my guys are from today.  There is a small amount of kibble left which they will have with the meat over the next 3 days to ease the transition – and of course I will be watching for any signs of upset stomach or distress – but judging by the gusto with which they ate tonight’s dinner – I’d say we are in the clear with the taste test at least!

What’s your take on RAW?

52 Weeks of Dogs

I was reading other trainers blogs yesterday and came across a reference to a year long photo journey with your pets – and as I am as into my photography as I am my training – I had to apply.  It is an awesome opportunity to really get to know my dogs over the next year and I am grateful for the chance.

Basically you submit 1 photo a week, of 1 dog (the same dog) for a year.  What better chance to really watch puppies grow and develop.  For more details – check out the Flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/52weeks4dogs/

I will be photographing each of them each week and submitting Siryn’s for the project but still creating an extra folder for Echo.  I chose Siryn as she will have the greatest change in appearance this year.

But just know – applications are not open, you must apply – you must post one photo a week and there is a breed cap currently on Border Collies and Standard Poodles as there are too many currently in the group.  Oh and the new year starts Jan 4th – so you have to be quick!

Go on – show us your doggies smile.

Temperament Testing for Litters

I have been thinking for several months that I wanted another pup to keep Echo company, and had looked at a handful of litters but nothing really was right for me.  Since I have had some time off over the holidays – I have been looking again.  I found a great sounding/looking litter in Waiuku and went out to meet the pups – and ended up temperament testing the entire litter.

My friend Linzi helping with the testing

If you aren’t sure what temperament testing is – here is the American Temperament Testing Society definition:
‘The ATTS test focuses on and measures different aspects of temperament such as stability, shyness, aggressiveness, and friendliness as well as the dog’s instinct for protectiveness towards its handler and/or self-preservation in the face of a threat. The test is designed for the betterment of all breeds of dogs and takes into consideration each breed’s inherent tendencies.’

Basically it is an indicator of a puppies potential strengths and weaknesses – and can help breeders to match the right pup with the right family.

These guys were fantastic – the litter ranged from an assertive and high energy little boy – to mellow, eager to please ones, to a shy and somewhat fearful but lovely little girl.

Interested in how it’s done?  Here is a PDF file that may be helpful in explaining the gist of testing.  While you can certainly give it a try yourself – it is often better to get someone unknown to the puppies and with some knowledge of training to perform the test.

ATTS_Testers_Guide

In the end – I didn’t take one of these gorgeous pups – but I did bring home my darling Sierra.  Her page has been added.

Welcome to Desperado Dogs!

Hi!  Welcome to the Desperado Dogs blog.  Here I will share dog training tips, answer questions about your pet, update you on the latest news from around the globe in relation to dog training and sports, show you case studies of my training and on Echo’s page- you can follow my own pups progress through the training levels created by Sue Ailsby of DragonflyLlama.  If you are in the Wellsford area of New Zealand, I am teaching group classes starting mid-Jan and am available for one on one training from Jan 6th.  I look forward to hearing from you.