National Dog Week

National Dog Week was started in 1928 by Captain Will Judy, a noted dog judge and former publisher of Dog World Magazine. The purpose of National Dog Week is to remind everyone that owning a dog is a responsibility that we must uphold. The theme of this years’ National Dog Week is “Mans’ Best Friend” a saying we hear over and over again and I think we forget just how true that statement is. The concept that mans’ best friend is his dog, is believed to originated in the courtroom of a trial way back in 1869. Sen. George Graham Vest, of Missouri was defending a man who was seeking damages from his brother in law for killing his dog, a foxhound called Old Drum. During the closing arguments of the trial he gave a speech that is now referred to as "Tribute to the American Dog." Here is a portion of the speech.

"The best friend a man has in the world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name may become traitors to their faith ... "The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog. ... He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer. ... If fortune drives the master forth, an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him. ..."

Old Drum now has his own monument in Warrensburg, Missouri with the famous speech inscribed below. Oh and they won the case by the way!

A recent story reminds me of the meaning of Mans’ Best Friend. The story of the U.S. Navy Seal Jon T. Tumilson who lost his life during service on August 6 this year,  who was mourned by his loyal dog Hawkeye.  The photo brought tears to my eyes before I even read the story.

During this upcoming week, that this year runs September 26-28, lets all remember how wonderful dogs really are and how much we owe it to them to do all we can to help them.

Don't let your dog get twisted

If you've ever seen the movie Marley and Me you will likely remember the dog got a twisted stomach and eventually died from it. Apparently that is an all to often scene played out over and over again. Bloat is the second leading cause of death for dogs, right after cancer. According to Web MD bloat is actually a term used to describe two conditions. The first is gastric dilatation, in which the stomach distends with gas and fluid. The second is volvulus, in which the distended stomach rotates on its long axis. The spleen is attached to the wall of the stomach, and therefore rotates with the stomach. Or to put it plainly, the dogs stomach fills up so full of gas that it makes the stomach start to twist inside the dog. The mortality rate for bloat is 50%  this life threatening emergency needs to be recognized and treated immediately. From the first onset of symptoms you have very little time, ranging from minutes to hours. Here are a some of the early warning signs.
Attempting to Vomit: Repeated attempts to vomit with nothing coming up but maybe some foam. Sometimes appears as though the dog is coughing. May occur every 5-30 minutes. This is the most common symptom. Normal vomiting is not a sign.
Unusual Restlessness and Anxiety: Circling, pacing, acting unusual. A fairly common sign
Swelling and Tightening of the Abdomen: The stomach skin with feel very stretched and tight. You might think this would be the first sign of bloat but often times it is not apparent or never occurs. Don't rely on this to determine if your dog has bloat.
Discolored Gums: If you read my last post you should know what color is normal for your dog. Dogs with bloat often have unusually red gums in early stages and blue gums in later stages.
Difficulty Breathing: Not a very common symptom but sometimes a dog will look straight up and open his mouth as if trying to get a breath.
Some dog breeds are more prone to bloat, below are just a few considered high risk.

Akita
Bloodhound
Collie
German Shepherd Dog
Great Dane
Irish Setter
Irish Wolfhound
Newfoundland
Rottweiler
Saint Bernard
Standard Poodle
Weimaraner
There are some preventative measures you can take. The one I found is do NOT use an elevated food dish. I always thought this was better for the dog, and maybe in some ways it is but if your dog is at risk for bloat don't use one. One study by VMD Lawrence Glickman found that using an elevated dog food bowl increased the risk of bloat by as much as 200%. You should also avoid feeding your dog a dry food only diet. It doesn't matter if the dog is given table scraps or canned dog food it all lowers the risk.
Veterinary medicine is so advanced now days and there are a lot of surgical procedures that can correct this problem and even prevent it in the future. Keep a watchful eye on your dog and remember the signs, your dog will have a much better chance if you get him to the Vet quickly.

Vital Information!

A few nights ago my dog Bo hurt his leg, not to bad, just enough to make himself limp around for a day. He's done this before, he jumps right off the side of the porch instead of going down the stairs, and I think his age is catching up to him and the landing is harder on him these days. This time however, he seemed a little more agitated than before. When we came in the house and he laid down he seemed to be breathing heavy and faster than normal. I wasn't sure if it was just the heat or if he was really in distress. I ended up calling my friend who is a vet tech and she came by and took a look at him and turns out it was just the heat, thankfully, but she suggested I learn his vitals and what is normal so I can recognize a real emergency and perhaps save myself unnecessary stress.
Dogs have such a wide range of what is considered normal vitals that it is best to take your dogs vitals before an emergency ever occurs and keep them written on a card in your emergency phone. Or do what I did and store them in your phone, I put everything in my phone!
It was pretty easy to take his vitals, I did most of it while he was sleeping. My papillon pepsi is was much harder she never sits still and wanted to know what I was doing!
Here is a list of what vitals you should take and some tips that will help.
TemperatureThis is the only vital that your dog won't like but if you have the right thermometer it will make it much easier. I used a baby rectal thermometer that takes 5 seconds to register the temp. Just put a dab of petroleum jelly on the tip and insert enough to cover the metal tip. A dogs average temp is between 100.5 and 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
PulseThis one was a bit tricky for me, you might have to try it a few times. Place your hand flat against your dogs chest, you should be able to feel your dogs heart beat. Take count for 15 seconds and multiply by 4 to get your dog's number of beats per minute. There is another way to feel the pulse on the leg but it was easier for me to do it on the chest. I also had an easier time when he was standing than when he was laying down. If you don't feel the heartbeat slide your hand lower on his chest until you do feel it. Make sure you do this when your dog is rested so you get his true pulse and not an elevated one after exercise. A dogs heart rate can be anywhere between 60 and 180 beats per minute with larger dogs on the lower end and toy breeds at the higher end. Puppies have an even higher rate around 220 beats per minute.
Respiration Rate
Count your dogs number of breaths, one rise and fall of the rib cage, while he is awake but relaxed. Count for 15 seconds and multiply by 4 to get his respiration rate. Be sure to wait at least an hour after exercise.
Mucous-Membrane Color
Lift your dogs lip and take a look at the pink part of his gums. Some dogs have black on their gums and that is normal, just pay attention to the pink color, you may want to take a picture to compare to later if you don't think you will remember what it looked like when a problem occurs.
Capillary Refill Time
While your still in his mouth, press a finger against a pink area of the gums for a second or two. Once you remove your finger it should take less than two seconds for the area to regain color.
Skin Turgor
This is when you pull up on your dogs skin and let it go, it should snap back immediately. If it stays up still pinched together, it could be a sign of dehydration.
That about wraps it up, this should help you determine if you need to see the vet or not. If in doubt, go to the vet!

Bad Hair Day? Contest of the Week Can Fix That!

This week I am giving a way a bottle of the best smelling shampoo you have ever had! This is one of those bottles of shampoo that just smells so yummy you want to taste it!

Check it out here besides smelling good, its an all natural good for your dog and the earth shampoo. To enter answer this question on our facebook page, What is the silliest, craziest, or funniest thing that your dog has ever done?

Yet Another Job for the Working Dog!

Today I was watching a show on bed bugs and how awful they have become, and was pleasantly surprised when once again dogs are coming to the rescue!
Over the last 10 years the infestations of bed bugs has increased by 500% and they are insanely hard to get rid of. There are reported incidents of people getting them in theaters and subways, and even a local fire station had an outbreak. I had no idea how much of a problem these bugs had become, and now I can't stop itching after watching the show! But in all seriousness the people that have their houses infected are seriously affected by this, some eventually walk away from their entire house and all its contents because the cost to hire exterminators is so high. One family on the show I was watching paid $10,000 to rid their house of bed bugs. There are other ways to do it but it is just so time consuming and hard to completely rid your house of them. Human pest inspectors are only 30% accurate at finding the bedbugs, they can hide virtually anywhere, and they must be treated directly. They can be killed with heat, or steam but if you hire professionals to do it they will most likely use chemicals but most infestations need to be treated at least three times. The dogs are much more accurate than the humans, they can smell live bugs or even a single egg with 98% accuracy. The university of Florida published a study they did in 08 proving how accurate the dogs are. The cost of the dogs is much less, The Bed Bug Detectors charges $350 for a residential inspection. They will also work with you to remedy the problem without having to spend thousands on a pest control company. The National Entomology Scent Detection Canine Association (NESDCA) oversees the certification of dogs trained to sniff out these bugs. Even families that do hire a pest control service can use the dogs after treatment to get some peace of mind in knowing the bug are really gone. Many pest control companies employ their own dogs to go in after treatments to check for bugs.
This is really another great way dogs just improve our lives and offer us options that we would never have with out them. I really love hearing about all the neat things dogs do. If you have heard of a unique job for dogs leave a comment and let me know, I would love to hear about it.

Introducing the Puppies!

About a week ago we got 4 new little fosters. This is my first time fostering such young pups. I really had no idea what I was getting my self into. I just saw their cute little faces and couldn't resist. It's a good thing they are so darn cute because they are tons of extra work!
I have them in the kitchen so they aren't running all over the house getting into everything. I am working with them on peeing and pooing in one area so when it comes time for potty training they will be a little ahead of the game. So I have to keep their sleeping area super clean so they don't want to go potty there. I feel like I am always cleaning, feeding or washing the puppies! It's round the clock care for these little pups.
They are just to cute! All the work is melted away when I get four little hungry puppies running up to me full of wiggles and licks! I don't want to name them so no one get to attached so they are just called puppies as a group, but they are all so different. The largest of the puppies is the brown girl, she is bossy, and uses her size to push her sisters and brother around. Then there are the two black and tan girls, the twins. They are very sweet and calm and one is a bit shy. And there is one lone boy, he is super lazy, all he wants to do is sleep. He will get up for a few minutes but he mostly just watches his sisters play.
Here are some pics I took this morning. You will see how irresistible they are!


My Papillon Pepsi is checking out one of the puppies, she likes them too even though she won't admit it!

What is your dogs job outlook?

If dogs had to look for jobs like people do, would your dog be standing in the unemployment line? Or would your dog have plenty of offers to choose from? I know this is a silly thought but when I was reading an article recently about dogs that help people with diabetes it made me think, how many jobs are there for dogs?

Apparently there are tons of jobs for dogs, tuition is not cheap however, and there aren’t government grants for canine students so a lot of the organizations rely on contributions from generous people.  Here are some of the jobs I found that aren’t your ordinary guide dog jobs.

Scent tracking dogs. Bloodhounds are known for their amazing ability to track and are after more than just criminals, they are called upon to locate anything from lost children to disoriented Alzheimer’s patients. It’s not just Bloodhounds for hire, dogs of all breeds are used for their wonder snouts, searchdogfoundation.org uses nothing but rescue dogs of all breeds for locating disaster victims buried under rubble. Some other scents dogs are trained for are, narcotics, accelerants and termites.

Seizure alert dogs.  Dogs that help people who have epilepsy or a seizure disorder. They can alert other family members when the person has a seizure, and also will attempt to wake an unconscious person. Some dogs learn to actually alert the person of an impending seizure. This allows the person to get to a safe place before the seizure takes place and give them peace of mind when leaving the house. Seizure alert dogs cannot be taught to alert for seizures this is something they develop on their own. How do they do this? Well, no one knows for sure, it may be a change in heart rate or some other subtle change in the body that the dog can sense.

Peanut detection dogs. For people who are deathly allergic to peanuts a Peanut Detection Dog (PDD) can provide much needed peace of mind. Peanut detection dogs are trained to detect peanuts in any form, raw, butter, cooked, oil, dust, etc. Poodles are often used as PDDs because they do not shed and have low dander so allergy sufferers can tolerate owning the dog. More information can be found at peanutdog.com

Grief Therapy Dogs. The role of the therapy dog is now expanding into grief therapy in funeral homes. More and more funeral homes across America are adding a canine staff member to their support team.  The International Cemetery, Cremation, and Funeral Association (ICCFA) former president Mark Krause helped to pave the way for these service dogs, encouraging his members to get involved and share with other members at the industries conferences. Some grief therapy dogs are naturals at their jobs never receiving any formal training. Most however, have undergone therapy training and are certified therapy dogs.

Pain Relief Dogs. A rare breed Xoloitzcuintlis or Xolos (pronounced show-lows) provide pain relief in the form of their hot bodies. This Mexican dog is known for their ability to create an unusually high body heat. Nancy Gordon was so impressed with the relief her little dog gave her she was inspired to create a non-profit organization for chronic pain sufferers Paws for Relief!  Xolos  for chronic pain relief. More information can be found at pawsforcomfort.com

Bear Dogs. The rare breed Karelian Bear Dog is a special breed that is working to save bears and people. Beardogs.org is a unique program teaching bears to stay away from people. Founded by Carrie Hunt the Wind River Bear Institute is the only one of its kind. Training this special breed a technique Hunt calls ‘bear shepherding’, using the dogs along with other methods to teach the bears to avoid human boundaries. The Karelian Bear Dog is the only breed used for this job, and only a few pups out of each litter have the instinct to hunt bears.

These are just a few of the many titles canines hold.  In my house my dogs have some unofficial titles like, therapist, guardian, entertainer, and vacuum (for all those dinner time spills!) among the many, many other ‘jobs’ they take on.

This Weeks Contest

For this weeks contest I will be giving away a dog biscuit cookie cutter! This cookie cutter is very cute, on one side it has one large biscuit that says #1 Dog with a paw print and the other side has two smaller biscuits that say puppy with two paw prints. It also has some cards so you can write down your favorite recipes and it comes with 4 recipes to get you started. Very cute little set, and for this giveaway all you have to do is leave a comment for this post! I will choose a winner with random.org on next Friday August 19th. Good luck!

Is Your Dog A Genius?

We all think our dogs are smart, but there was a show on national geographic last night that was all about just how smart our dogs really are.

The documentary starts off with an experiment done on monkeys to see if they can follow the human clue of a finger point. They would hide a treat under a cup and show the monkey two cups and point to one, the monkey didn’t get it. One of the researchers said his dog could do it, and that lead to a bunch of different tests with the dogs. They found that not only could they follow a pointing finger, even just an eye look in that direction would signal the dog. It was very interesting to see how much dogs can understand. In the show they explain how a dog has learned over time to read human body language and facial expressions, scientist say dogs are one of the worlds best associative learners. Dogs can pick up small clues that happen around them and associate it with human behavior. This is why your dog always knows you are about to leave the house before you go anywhere. They found that dogs can read human body language %90 of the time, even six month old puppies can read facial expressions.

This show is somewhat old, first aired in 2007, but it is still airing on national geographic channel. If you get a chance to watch it I highly recommend it. If you have already seen it let me know what you thought of it.

My thoughts on Canine Xchange

I started Canine Xchange because I wanted more eco friendly products that were safe for my dog and our environment. I came up with the resale idea because I figured I wasn't the only one who bought a ton of stuff for my dogs that I didn't even use. Instead of throwing this stuff away or selling it dirt cheap at a garage sale I wondered if there where any resale or consignment shops for dogs. I couldn't find anything close by or online so I thought I would start my own resale dog boutique. Canine Xchange is my idea of an online consignment store for dogs. It's really an awesome idea if you think about it, you get the convenience of buying online and the savings of buying pre-owned items. However, not many pet owners have ever heard of a resale pet shop, much less an online one. So I have to introduce this new idea to dog lovers everywhere and explain what we do and why we do it!
     Buying resale is very Eco friendly. Many items are thrown out when they still have lots of life left in them. We all have bought something for our dog that didn't work out. Toys that were never played with or an outfit that didn't fit. Some pet parents will throw that in at the next garage sale or post it on craigslist, but many more will just eventually throw it out. Some people are just to busy to deal with it and after holding on to it for awhile end up tossing it in the trash. Canine Xchange gives busy dog owners an easy way to keep their items out of landfills and put a little cash back in their wallet.
     Besides selling pre-owned items we also up-cycle, or what I like to call 'Paw-cycle' items, that is when an item is not quite fit for resale we fix it up and make it like new again! Bringing life back in to those old items. This creates one of a kind pieces that are often nicer than the original item. Some items that just can't be saved are re-purposed into something else. Like an old dog sweater that is torn to badly to be repaired can be shredded and used as filling for a dog pillow, or cut in strips and braided to be used as a dog toy. Every item is different and it sometimes takes a lot of creativity but we try to use as much as possible.
In order to offer our customers a wide range of products we also carry new items as well as our resale items. We have found that not everything a dog needs can be found pre-owned, but we are searching all the time to add new eco-friendly products that our dogs will love and benefit from.
Canine Xchange is still a growing baby and I would love to hear your input and thoughts on this.

Benefits of Bamboo Dog Bowls

Bamboo dog bowls have many benefits. If you are considering what type of bowl you should get your dog, bamboo is definitely a top choice. Renewable, sustainable and biodegradable, what more could you ask for in a dog bowl! When I first heard of bamboo dog bowls I had no idea the benefits of bamboo, turns out it’s a super plant.

Bamboo grows fast and easy, any farmers dream plant. Bamboo doesn’t even need the farmer; it can grow with only the water it receives from natural rainfalls. Bamboo is also super resistant, needing no chemicals to ward off pesky insects. Bamboo also grows amazingly fast, without fertilizers. Bamboo can grow up to 39” per day, making it one of the fastest growing plants in the world.  Now if this was all the benefits of bamboo it would still be pretty amazing but keep reading, it gets even better. Bamboo can actually help reverse global warming! Bamboo absorbs more carbon dioxide and produces more oxygen than a tree of equal size.  

If all the great earth saving benefits of bamboo hasn’t convinced you a bamboo dog bowl is great enough for your dog consider this, bamboo is naturally anti-fungal and anti-microbial. This means it’s resistant to odor retention and mildew.

Bamboo dog bowls are as hard and resistant as any plastic dog bowl. They will last you many years. And when the bowl has served its purpose it will completely break-down in the landfill. You can see the dog bowls we have available here, you will find they look like any ordinary plastic bowl.

Grand Opening Contests and Give-Aways!

So, August is our official grand opening and we will be hosting some simple contest to kick things off. For the first contest head on over to our facebook page and tell us what your dogs name is to be entered to win a pink and gray hoodie by companion road for your pup. Contest will run starting today August 4th and will end on August 11th. The winner will be chosen at random using random.org and that's all there is to it!
Here is the hoodie we will be giving away.

Ten tips to reduce your dog’s carbon pawprint!

There are several things you can do to help your dog reduce his carbon pawprint. There are so many ways to reduce waste and re-use items that you use for your pup. Spending a lot of money is not necessary; you can find many ways to be green without spending a lot of green!

1.       Reduce waste before it happens. The best way to reduce your pups waste is to stop it before it happens. When you are about to buy something for your dog, consider the packaging. Is there another comparable product that has less packaging?  Is the package at least made from recycled materials? Could you possibly reuse the packaging for something else?

2.       Buy products made from recycled items. Now days there are tons of dog toys, beds, clothes and much more all made from recyclable materials. Collars made from bamboo, dog beds made from hemp and even dog bowls made from rice husk, are just a few to give you an idea of what is available. Even better, recycle your own stuff and make a tug toy out of an old towel or turn that old sweater of your s into your dogs newest fashion! If you’re not big on sewing you can still make some cool toys with very basic crafting know how and if you have kids they would love to make toys for your dog out of scrap fabric or old tee shirts.

3.       Buy items that last longer. If you just can’t find that special toy for your dog made from recycled materials, spend a few extra bucks to get the good one. A well made toy that will last much longer is a better investment for you and will also reduce the amount of waste you add to the landfills.

4.       Donate your old items to a local shelter or dog rescue. Your dogs’ old collar can still be used by the dogs at the shelter, and they will be happy to get it. You can also donate other items as well. Most shelters are in need of blankets, newspapers, leashes and dog food. Contact your local shelter and I am sure they will be more than happy to tell you what they need.

5.       Consider composting your dogs’ poo. I know this doesn’t sound like fun but all dogs poo and it must be dealt with! There are specially made composters for this, you just put it in the ground and when you pick up after your dog you drop it in, along with some special enzymes that help it decompose. You can find an article here that tells you how to make a dog waste composter step by step.

6.       Skip the chemical baths. Instead of using chemicals to clean up your pet opt for all natural biodegradable cleaners. You can even keep it simple and use a mixture of vinegar and water. If the thought of a vinegar smelling dog doesn’t entice you there are a great variety of shampoos and soaps made of all natural ingredients. You will even be able to find some especially made to calm your dog, or repel fleas.

7.       Make your own dog treats. There are several websites that have recipes for homemade dog treats that use ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Check out   http://www.dogtreatrecipes.org/  you will find tons of free recipes to get you started. Not only do you save a trip to the store you won’t have any packaging to throw out, and your dog will love you for it!

8.       Let your dog take you out! Get out and play with your dog, turn off the computer and throw a ball for your pup pal. Instead of driving to the dog park, consider taking a stroll around the neighborhood. Save energy and the cost of gas by staying in your neighborhood, and your dog will still have a blast.

9.       Spread the word! Tell people about that great new eco friendly product you found. Show someone at the dog park how great those biodegradable bags work.  If someone hasn’t bought anything made from recycled products in awhile they likely think it is of lesser quality. I remember buying items made from recycled materials years ago and it was rough and weird looking. Now days there are great products that you would never even know they are made from recycled materials if someone didn’t tell you.

10.   Keep it simple. Being green doesn’t have to be difficult, the more you practice it the easier it will come. Just do the best you can and pretty soon it will become a way of life for you and your four legged friend.

House training tips for the new puppy owner

1.       Use only positive reinforcement. Don’t punish your puppy for the negative only give praise when your puppy goes outside. Punishing your puppy when she wets indoors will only teach her to hide from you when she has to go.  

2.       Be consistent; take your dog outside first thing in the morning, whenever she just wakes up from a nap and about 15 minutes after she finishes eating.  

3.       Walk the puppy outside. Very important! You must not carry the dog outside let her walk out on a leash so she will learn where to go when she needs to go out.

4.       Don’t let her out of your sight! Your untrained puppy should always be by your side where you can see her. Keep her on her leash and attach the leash to you as you go about your day. You’ll trip over her quite a bit at first but she will learn to follow your lead soon enough.

5.       Crate train her. If you are un-able to watch her she should be confined to a small area and not allowed to run free around the house.  Having your puppy sleep in her crate is ideal and will help speed up the potty training.  Dogs naturally do not like to sleep in a soiled area so she will wait until you let her out to potty. Make sure the crate is not large enough for her to eliminate on one side and sleep on the other; she only needs enough room to stand and turn around. See the crate training post for more tips on this.

6.       Take your puppy out to the same spot every time. When you get there say the same word, if you’re going to use ‘potty’ or ‘go pee’ just keep it the same.

7.       Thoroughly clean all accidents. Use vinegar and water to clean up the area where your dog had an accident so she is not tempted to re-use that spot.

8.       Feed a good diet. Feed your dog a good quality food and stick with it. Switching food will upset her stomach and possibly cause diarrhea, this will greatly delay your potty training efforts.   

9.       Be patient, all puppies have accidents; this is just part of owning a dog. Puppies can only hold their bladders for one hour per month of age. So your two month old puppy you just brought home can only hold her bladder for two hours, this means night time outings.

10.   The key to success is positive reinforcement. When your puppy eliminates outside, praise or give a reward immediately! Not when she comes back in the house, or runs back to you. It has to be the moment she finishes. This is the only way to let the puppy know what is expected of her, do it to late or too soon and she won’t get it.