Dogs are Not Impulse Buys

When it’s time to get a new pair of jeans you head out to your local clothing store, try a few pairs on, making sure the style is to your liking and the fit is good for your body type. Although you might get lucky, finding the first pair of jeans you grab fits and looks great, it’s more likely that you’ll have to spend some time in the fitting room until you find the one that works the best. This can be a lengthy process sometime but since you’ll most likely be wearing these jeans for years to come, it’s important to get the ones that are the best for you.

I’m amazed at how people can scrutinize intently over the purchase of a pair of jeans, while giving very little thought to adding a dog to their lives. The decision to bring a dog home should be home should be a family one that is researched and considered carefully. There are many factors that need to be examined both in dog and in the household.

I’ve had to do too many sessions trying to help people with behavioral issues because they got the wrong dog for their situation, or they rushed into bringing the dog home without taking the time to think out if they had the time, resources and/or desire to take care of a dog.

Puppies tend to be the victims of this much more than adult dogs. You see that cute little face and your heart tells your brain to shut up and just bring the cute little guy home to cuddle. A sad statistic is that over half of the puppies that get taken home won’t be there by their first birthday. The reason is usually that not much thought was given into getting a puppy and once the people realized all the work and effort that goes into raising a pup, they freak out and want a do over. However this is not some book you bought on Amazon – it’s a living thing.

Returning that pair of jeans is easy, but re-homing a dog is a bit trickier – especially for the dog. So think long and hard before you make the life altering decision to bring a dog home. If you do decide to do it, make sure it’s an educated decision so you get the right fit for your family and lifestyle. I give free consultations to help discuss what the best kind of dog is for each individual situation, yet I’m rarely taken up on it. Dogs can be a great addition to your family, but they can also be the very last thing you should get.

Get informed and think long and hard to make sure you making the right choice for both you and the dog. If more people considered the decision to get a dog more carefully there would be more dogs with only one human on their resumes.

Survey: Are you the first and only owner to your dog?

Guest Blogger Jeff Coltenback: Joint Health

Keeping pets healthy and happy is what I try to do on a daily basis. Every day I am afforded opportunities to help or educate pet owners and their pets on natural pet care. It’s my calling in life so to speak. It’s my passion. I always first promote proactive prevention for our pets. If a pet is healthy, is fed well, has adequate exercise, proper leadership, is not exposed to unnecessary toxins and lives in a healthy environment, offering natural supplements KEEPS that animal healthy. Unfortunately, many of our pets will get sick or injured, as only “children” can. It happens. So, reacting to their body’s needs is important. Natural supplements available to us today are abundant. There are animal parts (organs, glands, tissue, etc) that play a role in immune support. There are natural herbs that help fight infection. And, there are plenty of whole food supplements that aid in reactive and proactive health. And, of course, there are plenty of supplements out there that support the skeletal and connective tissue components of a dog’s body. You may even take them yourself. So, let’s take a brief look.

One of the most common types of supplements I often recommend is related to joint health. Dogs, like us, benefit from dietary supplements that contain ingredients like glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM and/or Vitamin C. A joint supplement containing glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM is, in my opinion, most effective. Glucosamine is a precursor to a major component of joint cartilage and connective tissue and can help degenerative conditions both reactively and proactively. Chondroitin is also a major component of cartilage. MSM, or Methylsulfonylmethane, is widely used for its reported efficacy as an anti-inflammatory agent. Aiding the dog’s body in controlling inflammation is crucial to recovery. There are also more and more joint supplements nowadays available in herbal form. The decision of which type and how much to use is best discussed with your Veterinarian or pet professional. This short article is not conducive to in-depth analysis. I will, however, offer that I prefer liquid forms of glucosamine/joint supplements. Many health professionals have cited the fact that liquid is more easily absorbed by the body. But, I have seen similar effectiveness from pills and joint chew treats. As for dosage of joint supplements, most commercial products have recommended servings listed on the packaging. I often recommend higher doses; of course you should always consult a professional if you are going to increase dosage.

For example, a recommended dose for my nine year old, 50lb Pit Bull is 750mg a day. Yet, I often give her up to 5200mgs a day depending on what her body is telling me. If she has an unusual period of activity, I may load her on this dose for a week or so (proactively). Then I drop down to a maintenance dose of 3000mg (spilt between morning and night). On normal, maintenance servings, she gets about 1500mg a day (twice the recommended dose). As pets age, they may need more or less for their specific situation and health status – just like humans. Depending on the breed and size of a dog, I will recommend starting them on a joint supplement at a certain age. For the purpose of this article, I will be general. For healthy dogs, I recommend starting them on a joint support regimen once they reach 5 years of age. If they are large breeds or have a history of joint problems, I may start them sooner. One of the most important aspects of a supplement regimen is that each owner trusts their own intuition as to what their pet needs. But, proper diet along with a natural supplement protocol is a great alternative to reactive or conventional methods of pet care.

Jeff Coltenback, founder Paradise Pet
specializing in nutrition and behavior
48 West Passaic ave, Bloomfield, nj 07003
973-338-0795
www.njpetshop.com

A picture from the photo shoot for our upcoming performance. Jeff's the one in the middle with a mouth-full of wood.

The Perfect Bedside Manner

I’ve been sick for about 2 weeks now and the consensus seems to be that I have walking pneumonia. I think one of the reasons that I can’t seem to shake this illness is that my kids have been on and off sick for about a month and in a violently coughing fit I bruised or broke a rib or two. What all this means is that I have not gotten a decent nights sleep in about a month and I’m exhausted.

Wow, that’s quite a pity party I just threw. I don’t mean to be a complainer, I’m just sooo tired.

This past weekend after a night of almost no sleep and feeling pretty yucky, there was just no way I could function. My wife took one look at me and sent me up to take a nap – my first of two that day. As I was about to walk up the stairs to my bedroom my gaze drifted past my dog who was laying on the living room floor looking up at me.

I stopped and locked eyes with her and immediately could read her mind. Her gentle face very clearly communicated, “I know you’re not well and I’m here if you need me.” From just her look I immediately felt comfort and with a twist of my hand she followed me upstairs and into my bed where she curled up between my legs under the covers. Together we had a very restful nap.

One the best qualities of dogs is that they are always there for us and have a unique ability to quietly comfort us just when we need it most. In the same situation people tend to verbalize too much and although they mean well they feel it necessary to give advice or an opinion when sometimes just quiet reassurance is all that is needed.

That’s where the bond with a dog shines above all other relationships. No matter what, they don’t judge, they have no opinion, and love you the same whether you are rich or poor, happy or sad, or well or sick. They are always waiting and available just when you need them most.

Today I woke up with my ribs aching and, due to a late night trip to the ER with my daughter, my head heavy and tired. As I slowly made my way down the stairs my first sight was good old Hayley looking up at me saying, “I’m here for you if you need me – just say the word.”

Why Your Dog Ate the Couch

Whether your pooch is just chewing the corner of the carpet, or totally dismantling your favorite chair, there really are only two good answers to why your dog is being destructive. 1) he’s bored out of his mind, 2) he’s really not ready to be unsupervised, or (most likely) both.

Most of the time the dog is not at fault for the destructive behavior – you are. I know what you’re thinking: how on Earth can it be your fault the dog ate your couch? Well, once we analyze the facts it becomes obvious.

How much exercise did your dog get prior to any destructive behavior? I’m always amazed at how greatly most people underestimate the exercise needs of their dogs. All dogs wake up with energy – every single day – that needs to be drained. That energy is coming out one of two ways: constructively or destructively. If you don’t provide enough constructive energy release your dog will find a destructive outlet. Every dog has their own destructive ways to rid themselves of that energy. Stereotypically, a Yorkie will bark all day long, and a Lab will chew apart your furniture, but every dog will have their own way to let out extra energy.

Certain breeds have higher energy requirements than others. The average Jack Russell Terrier needs about 3 hours of sprinting a day, so those little walks around the block are doing nothing for him. If you have a puppy or young dog that energy requirement goes up. No matter what, every dog is an individual and will have their own unique set of energy needs. My usual rule of thumb is whatever you’re currently doing to exercise your dog, it’s not enough (not matter who you are). I’ve only met a handful of people who, in my opinion, adequately provided enough exercise for their dogs on a regular basis.

Lack of exercise is the number one contributing factor to all behavior problems, and just about all issues are improved upon with exercise. It’s the most powerful tool you have available and its always part of my treatment plan for any and all behavioral problems. A tired dog is a good dog – always!

Next we have to determine if your dog have too much freedom. Way too many people give their dogs run of the house much too soon. Personally, I like keeping the dog’s world small and slowly expanding it as he learns the rules of living in this very human world. Giving your dog too much unsupervised freedom is just setting him up to fail. At his best, he’s a dog. And he will make decisions as a dog no matter what. Our job as responsible dog owners is to guide him as he learns the rules of the human world. We need to be there to say sitting on the rug is good, but eating it is bad. If we’re not there, it’s not his fault – it’s ours.

There’s no magical amount of time when you can say your dog is officially ready to be left alone in the house unconfined, you just take a leap of faith and try it. When you do try it though, you have to set him up to succeed. If you get up in the morning, take your dog for a ten minute walk, pat him on the head, say “be a good boy,” and go off to work for eight hours, you’re really not giving him much of a chance. The first time you leave him you want to run him like crazy, and then give him something to do (like a Kong filled with frozen peanut butter), and only leave him for about an hour. Then, slowly expand the time, always making sure he’s exercised and has something to chew on besides your valuables. That’s setting him up to succeed and before you know it you’ve created a well behaved habit of not getting into trouble while you’re away.

So don’t be so quick to blame Fido for sampling your furniture if you’re the one leaving him there like a coiled spring with nothing interesting to do. Find constructive ways to get him the energy release and supervise him so you can teach him the rules of the house before you leave him all alone to make his own decisions. Your dog is just doing what dogs do - be a dog. It’s up to you to show him how to be a dog living in the human world.

The Marching of Time

Time has a way of quietly moving forward. You don’t really notice its passage until you pause from your activities and take note of a reference point. It’s like when you go to beach and decide to take a dip in the ocean to cool off. You relax just past the breakers enjoying the day in the refreshing water and light breeze. It’s not until you gaze back at the beach after a while that you notice the gentle ocean current has taken you far from where you set up your beach camp.

This past week I looked back at the beach. I took a good look at my trusty canine companion, Hayley, and noticed some changes that I wasn’t totally aware of. Since I’m with her every single day it I failed to notice that her steps have been slowing and her brown and white muzzle has a bit more white than a few years ago. I still think she’s looking great for a ten year old dog, but there’s no denying that time is marching on and she is aging.

And to my dismay, I’m aging too. However, because the canine life span is so much shorter than ours it’s happening much more quickly to Hayley. She has always been a high energy, athletic dog. We spent our early days together jogging, hiking and playing fetch for hours. Although we would both like to do all those activities at our original pace and intensity, we now have some limitations – and that’s ok.

It can be hard to face the fact that we can’t do all the things that we want or used to do (with our dogs and ourselves), but that is no reason to get us down. There are still plenty of pleasures in life that are available to us that can be just as, if not more, rewarding than all the fun things we used to do. To get the most out of them we need to appreciate what we have now, and resist the urge to make comparisons with the past.

Dogs have a great ability to live in the present moment, with no concern of the past. They never look back in despair over all the activities they can no longer do. Instead, they revel in what they can experience right here and now.

Dog behavior great Ian Dunbar always talks about how he would drive his aging rescue dog Claude (who has recently passed away) to a new field or wooded trail and slowly follow Claude as he slowly sniffed his way around. They would walk for thirty minutes or more but would travel less than ten square feet. Claude took his time savoring every sniff and had a great time.

Time is moving whether we notice it or not. It’s propelling us forward softly and consistently always and forever. Don’t be saddened by this realization - embrace it. Now-a-days Hayley and I spend more time walking than running; more time sniffing than hiking; and much more time relaxing than we do in athletics. And we’re both enjoying the ride together.

Car Safety

When I first got my dog I took her everywhere with me. She would travel with me while I worked (this was before I was a dog trainer) and we would go on frequent hiking trips all over New Jersey and New York. I have to admit that I really didn’t give much thought into putting her in my Jeep – I just opened the door and let her in the back, where she paced around from window to window while I drove to our destination.

Then one day, a speeding sedan ran a stop sign and slammed into my SUV as I was going through an intersection. The impact knocked my vehicle onto its side and sent it sliding twenty feet down the street. As always I was wearing my seat belt, which saved me from sustaining any major injuries. Hayley, my trusty companion, had fortunately stayed home that day. If she had been with me, she would have been thrown around the interior of the SUV and been seriously hurt or worse.

The incident was a big wake up call for me and from that point forward I gave important thought to how I travel with my dog. I don’t know about you, but my pooch is much more than an animal– she’s a family member. And I give her the same care and consideration that I give my children. I would never put my kids into my car without buckling them up and that goes for Hayley as well.

It makes me a bit crazy to see dogs roaming freely in cars with their bodies sticking half way out the windows. Car accidents happen every single day. There are over 16,000 car accidents each day in the United States. To me that sounds like a lot and I’m not taking any chances with my loved ones, and that includes my dog.

So, now Hayley gets seat-belted in just like my family. There are lots of great dog safely devices out there that can help your dog get to where you’re going safely. Personally, I use a comfy harness that secures Hayley in using the shoulder seat belt. They also have some for the little guys as well.

My dog is a 50lb. pit bull and with the seat belt on her head rests perfectly on the open window, allowing her to see out and enjoy the breeze. For small dogs who like to check out the world as it goes by, there are a number of great boosters seats that also keep your dog fastened safely.

The safest place to seat belt your dog in is the back seat. However, if you’re like me and have two car seats taking up the entire back seat, the front may be you’re only option. If that’s the case, make sure you always turn off the passenger side airbag when your dog is in the front. If that air bag does go off while your dog is there the impact will most likely kill him.

Keeping them seat-belted in also helps if your pooch gets car sick by providing him more stability. Anxious dogs also benefit from being belted because they are not able to move as much (the more a dog moves, the more energy they create – and that includes anxious energy).

All in all I can’t think of any reason not to be safe and seat belt your furry best buddy in when you travel by car. Sure, most of the time nothing goes wrong, but I love my dog too much to take chances with her life.