Pet obesity graphic produced by Matt Beswick for Pet365 – a UK stockist of dog coats, collars and accessories. Click here to view the full post.

More on Pet Obesity is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

Also, if your dog needs to lose weight, see an article I did for this blog a while back, called Is Your Dog Fat?

Click on the images to read more about the books at Amazon:

I’m pleased that this is available for Kindle as well as in paperback… Here’s the blurb about Fitness Unleashed: Research shows that trim pets live up to two years longer than overweight ones—making for a more healthy, vibrant life for your dog.

In a groundbreaking study, top obesity expert Dr. Robert Kushner found that exercising with your dog not only benefits your furry friend, it also gives you more confidence and motivation to exercise, leading to more weight-loss success. Dr. Kushner and prominent veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker have teamed up to present a simple, comprehensive walking program—beginning with just three 15-minute walks per week—that is as good for you as it is for your dog!

With a subtitle of 100 Ways to Work Out with Your Dog, See Spot Run goes into creating a regular fitness program and sticking with it, and then spells out 100 sports, games, and activities you can do with your dog. No matter your level of activity, you and your dog will find some fun here!

The Health Benefits of Dog Walking for People and Pets: Evidence and Case Studies (New Directions in the Human-Animal Bond Series) is a more scholarly work and its price reflects it. Still, I am tempted by the Kindle version which is about half the cost of the hardcover book.

It came from a special 2009 symposium on how human-animal interaction may help fight obesity across the lifespan. The authors present scientific evidence about the benefits of dog walking for improving human and animal health, and case studies of programs that are using this powerful expression of the human-animal bond to combat obesity. The volume is especially valuable as a sourcebook of evidence-based studies for public health professionals treating overweight humans and veterinarians treating obese dogs.

Losing Weight with Your Dog is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

So I have the device  in my house. But here in southern Colorado, we are having a serious drought and it seems the fleas don’t like it. I have yet to see a flea and my dogs have not been scratching.  What to do? Hit the internet.  I went looking for reviews from people who have actually used it. I found a few here and there on a variety of websites. At Amazon, I found more.

All together, I read about a dozen reviews. Some people were very enthusiastic and others were not.  It seemed to me that there was a wider range of likes and dislikes than many items get.

Eventually, no doubt some fleas will turn up here and I will try it and then update this post or do a new one. You can read more about My Flea Trap at their website and at Amazon.

Here is what it looks like:

Of course there are many chemical solutions for fleas and if you live in a place with a lot of fleas, you may need to use them. I’ve used them when we lived in rainier places, and I will use them again if I have to. But if My Flea Trap works, terrific! It would be better on the environment for sure.

My Flea Trap: Not Quite a Review Because We Haven’t Had Fleas Yet is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

If you would rather read than listen — or want to do both — this audio is based loosely on this page of my website:  Dog Toenail Trimming with a Dremel Tool.

… but I did add more content to the audio file when I was recording it.

And if you would like to download this audio to listen to on an mp3 player, for example, here is the direct link to it. Just right-click or the Mac equivalent to save it to your computer.

http://www.training-dogs.com/sound-files/toenails.mp3

Here is the cordless Dremel tool for pets; click on the image to go to Amazon. I find that the little sandpapery things last a good long time, and it’s easy to find replacements.

Doing Dog Toenails with a Dremel Tool is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

If you would rather read than listen — or want to do both — this audio is based loosely on this page of my website: Does Your Dog Get Enough Exercise?

And if you would like to download this audio to listen to on an mp3 player, for example, here is the direct link to it. Just right-click or the Mac equivalent to save it to your computer.

http://www.training-dogs.com/sound-files/exercise.mp3

I hope this inspires you to increase your dog’s exercise. Here’s a good book on how to do that for your dog and get more exercise yourself. Click on the image to find out more at Amazon:

Does Your Dog Get Enough Exercise? Do You? is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

So I was delighted to find out about this new book.

I still remember my mother-in-law sending our aging Rhodesian Ridgeback, Cider, Reiki healing from 1000 miles away, some 15 years ago. Cider got somewhat better, and I figured it could have been the Reiki. I’ve also written here on this site about my experiences with the TTouch for dogs, so this new book would be right up my alley.

Here is part of the blurb about the book from Dogwise:

Anyone can learn energy healing, and this book makes it simple. You’ll get clear explanations backed by scientific studies, step-by-step exercises, and plenty of photographs. With a bit of practice, you will soon be channeling life force energy through your hands to dogs. You’ll learn to “scan” for problem areas; relieve joint pain; reduce inflammation; heal emotional issues with the “heart-centered” technique; learn about special considerations for working with shelter dogs; and more. There is an entire chapter dedicated to commonly asked questions, and another on do-it-yourself energy experiments you can try right away.

Imagine a gentle, non-invasive healing method that can address pain, injury, and illness; speed recovery after surgery; and have remarkable effects on fear, anxiety, aggression, depression, and trauma. Energy healing can do all this and more! It works by stimulating the body’s natural ability to heal itself, and can assist dogs in resolving a myriad of physical, emotional, and even mental issues. Energy healing will not cause harm, has no side effects, and can be used in conjunction with other holistic therapies or conventional medical treatments. Done on a regular basis, this safe, effective practice can help to keep dogs healthy and well-balanced.

Energy healing is simple, natural, and free, and is one of the best gifts you can give yourself and the dogs you love.

Specifics such as working with pain and inflammation, maintaining balance, working with shelter dogs and even how to work with dying animals will give the reader both the inspiration and courage to explore energy healing.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? Readers, if you use energy healing, do comment below.

You can get Energy Healing for Dogs at Dogwise.

Energy Healing For Dogs, by Nicole Wilde is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

Kudos to Dogwise Publishing for continuing to bring out such an excellent variety of dog books! Click on the book cover to go to Dogwise and find out more.

Or browse the book’s back cover right here. Most of it, anyway.

The Healthy Way to Stretch Your Dog: A Physical Therapy Approach is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

First, you may need to change some of your own habits. If you show your affection for your dog by giving a lot of treats, better if you use the treats for training rewards – and cut down on the amount you feed your dog at meal times to allow for those treats. Also, you can use tiny treats; for example, I cut one hot dog into quarters lengthwise, and then into 25 or more slices, and I have over 100 treats right there! I freeze them and use them frozen. One package of hot dogs lasts me and my two dogs for months.

It really is better for your dog if you can keep his weight in a normal range. Not only will he feel and look better, but he is less likely to have arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, and a host of other problems.

How Much to Feed Your Dog?

There’s a saying; "Feed your dog to condition." This means feed the right amount so that you can feel those ribs. Remember that the suggested guidelines on the dog food packages are put there by the companies that sell the food! Many of the estimates are too high. Plus, different dogs of the same breed will need different amounts of food, depending on how active they are. A dog that goes running with its owner daily will need less food than a dog who gets less exercise.

If your dog is fat now, cut down on his food a little and see over the next few weeks if that is making a difference. If not, cut down a little more or try a different food. Veterinarians sell prescription weight loss diets. I have never had to use one on a dog, but I’ve heard they can work well. Eventually your dog should be in good condition.

Interestingly, underfeeding your dog may add to his life span. A recently completed study followed a group of dogs for 14 years and the results indicated that the dogs who were somewhat underfed lived an average of 15% longer than their littermates who were fed normal amounts of food.

Exercise

Being sure your dog gets enough exercise is important for several reasons. A tired-out dog is much less likely to get into mischief, for one thing! Another is that dogs are naturally meant to get exercise to stay fit. And of course, you can help your dog lose weight by taking him for walks, letting him run at a dog park if there is a good one near you, and other activities.

An enjoyable training game is to have two people in a yard with the dog. One of them calls the dog. When the dog comes, the other person calls the dog. Back and forth the dog goes. This is a great game for children, who often have more patience with it than do adults! This exercise is a way of teaching a dog to come, and in that context, small treats are used. If the purpose is weight loss, make those tiny treats and don’t give them every time the dog runs from person to person.

Really heavy dogs may have reached a point where walking and running are uncomfortable for them. In that case, you might investigate what water options are in your community. We have a friend whose dogs go in and out of her swimming pool, and love to dog-paddle! There also more high-tech solutions that your local veterinarian or dog trainer may know about. Any way that a fat dog can get some exercise in water can help.

Whatever you can do to help your dog stay trim will help!

Is Your Dog Fat? is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

She explained that normal dogs without skin allergies or other sensitivities simply don’t need bathing very much at all. A dog’s coat contains natural oils which are designed to repel dirt.

When people wash their dogs a lot, these oils can be removed. If that happens, then the coat will no longer stay clean naturally. So then the people are inclined to wash the dog again, and so it goes.

She  said that she bathes her own dogs roughly once a year. She realized that would horrify a lot of tidy housekeepers, but while her dogs do shed some hair, they really don’t bring in much dirt. I didn’t think to ask her what breeds they were.

She advised that if you really felt you had to wash your dogs sometimes, be sure to use a very mild shampoo, one which is soap-free, because that will remove less oil from the skin and coat.

But won’t the dogs smell without frequent baths?

This veterinarian said, ” In my experience, doggie smell comes from less-than-healthy skin. ” There are a couple of factors that particularly affect skin: diet and parasites. A good quality diet will lead to a nice shiny coat and healthy skin. If your dog has fleas or other critters that lead to scratching, then the normal bacteria and fungi that live on the skin may multiply out of control. In this context, she added that not bathing your dog will also make the flea control meds that you apply last longer.

Ears

The skin in a dog’s ear canal is much like the skin on the rest of the body. She said to me that if the dog has normal healthy ears without discharge or excessive wax, don’t use cleaners. If you do, you might upset the natural balance of fungi and bacteria in the ear. If they multiply, they will cause infection. She had a convincing argument: she personally has owned dogs for some 22 years, and she has never cleaned their ears. Just once in all that time did she have one dog with an infection briefly,

When this advice might not apply

She recommended that you work with your veterinarian if your dog has allergies, sensitivities, or infections. In those situations, medicated baths or some kind of ear treatment may be appropriate.

Save Time and Trouble, Don’t Wash Your Dog Much! is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

So I was pleased to come across a cute chart on the National Geographic website, based on data from the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals):

Weight of Dogs and Chocolate Quantities Consumed

The images aren’t quite right, as the picture labeled as a Doberman looks like a Dachsund to me, but the chart at least gives you some idea of what you are dealing with.

There is some small print at the bottom, which essentially says the exact amounts of the dangerous chemical, theobromine, may vary in the different kinds of chocolate they show. I would also add that dogs, like humans, exhibit biochemical individuality. This means that two dogs of the same size and even of the same breed may react differently to the same amounts of chocolate or other poison ingested.

Seems to me that the main use of this chart is to give you some sense of scale. If your Great Dane eats one chocolate chip, it’s most unlikely that you have a problem! But if the dog is smaller and the qauntity larger, then take a look at the chart and decide if it’s time to call the veterinarian. I like it that the chart allows you to set the dog’s estimated weight in pounds or kilograms, and the amount of chocolate ingested in grams or ounces.

I set the chart for a 50 pound dog and saw the estimates that it would take at least 6 ounces for any symptoms to appear. There are different weights given for vomiting and diarrhea, rapid heartbeats, tremors and seizures, and potential death.

I hope you never need this chart, but I suggest you bookmark this page just in case. And tell your friends! That’s how I found out about the chart, friends telling friends.

Chocolate and Dogs is a post from: Training Dogs Blog