I own dogs that are in very different life stages and need very different things. Mr. Arthritis is an old man, tends to get chubby easily and has a stress belly. Mr. Hyperactivity is an old man with arthritis as well, but he is also still active and energetic. He needs special diet to support his joints. Mrs. Aloofness is a middle age lady with very sophisticated taste, she gets fat easily and she enjoys long naps. Exercising isn't really ”her thing”. Ms. Dominance is young, full of energy, and she exercises a lot. She jumps, climbs, pulls and the terrain she plays on changes from grass to little pebbles to forest full of branches and rocks. I also have an elderly ferret, who could use some more weigh and has bad teeth, and an adult ferret, who loves to play but also loves to sleep. A lot.

There is no way I could ever feed all my pets the same exact food. All my dogs the same kibble, both my ferrets the same kibble. Yes, I have some kibble there and they do eat kibble every now and then, but their main diet has to be specifically meant for them. It has to answer to their needs. Not a single brand of commercial pet food can offer me EVERYTHING I need in the same bag, and it can't do that to anyone else either.  
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 The amount of brands is endless. There are bags after bags after bags on shelves, each promising to answer to your every need. There are foods for active dogs, foods for puppies, foods for elders, foods for dogs with gastric issues. One could think it's easy to find a good fit, when in reality finding a good fit is pretty impossible unless your dog was the exact dog they developed the food for.

First problem of commercial dog foods is that they are developed and engineered to answer to the so called ”example dog's” needs. The problem is, none of our pets happens to be that example dog. They live different lives with different exercise, different environment and different genetics.

”For many years, the public, through TV and magazine ads, colorfur packaging, endorsements from actors and even our own veterinarians was told that dry and canned dog food was high quality and the best food for our dogs. We were told that all of the essential protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins and minerals were all right there in the package and all we had to do was pour it into a bowl. It was easy and convenient way to feed our pets and everyone agreed, it was easy to do and our pets readily ate it. Sales of dry and canned foods soared, particularly after World War II with baby boomers staring families and the family pet being a big part of it.” - Victoria Spencer (Afghan Hound – A contemporary view, 2014)

Foods are sold to us with easyness. How easy would it be to answer to every active dog's needs by buying food meant for active dogs? Or have a healthy senior dog by buying senior foods? This image is sold to us with ads, and it is temping to think the promises are true. However, the general idea of every dogs being the exact same is like stating all people should eat the same food. It's completely ridiculous idea since we need different things, everyone knows that. Food producers know this too, but they continue to market their foods as ”fit for all”, because the easy way is a tempting way.

The next big issue with commercial foods is that most of them are manufactured in countries that demand little to no quality control considering the ingredients.

Lately there have been many cases of commercial pet foods causing problems. News pop up frequently stating dog foods have caused poisonings or other health related issues. This is due to the fact the quality of ingredients isn't supervised. According to many sources, for example the documentary Pet Fooled and numerous different sources in the net, including www.truthaboutpetfood.com , state that meats and grain used in dog foods are low quality, often leftovers or even plain garbage, and they are handled with unhygienic manners. Now, the situation may and does vary from country to country, but since most of our pet foods come from USA, we can assume most of them are exactly what is described above.

Why use low quality ingredients? It's cheaper, first of all. Secondly, dogs as scavengers can process foods impressively well and they can live long, even healthy lives no matter the food they consume is not the greatest. This does not mean all dogs will. It has even been speculated that the increasing lecels of canine cancers would have something to do with processed commercial dog foods made from bad ingredients filled with many kinds of unnecessary chemicals bad for health.

Cost is also the reason why dog foods are mostly grain. The amount of carbohydrates in dog foods is astonishing. Meat is expensive, processing meat is expensive, and even if you use low quality meat you pay more the more meat your products contains. Therefore grain is used. Rice, corn, even wheat. None of these are in any way natural food for dogs. Dog can benefit from carbohydrates, but this can not justify majority of the food consisting of grains.

There are good brands available. Usually these brands can tell you exactly where their ingredients come from and they use good ingredients free from chemicals. Their sources are trustworthy, preferably local, and no third party is included. 
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Another issue with many commercial foods is poor proof of used ingredients. Some brands have very little to no actual information on where all the stuff mentioned in the bag comes from. They say they have lots of meat and this and that and their food contains this much of whatevers, but there is no actual information even about what kind of meat is used, from where they get for example all the mentioned vitamins and minerals, and how much does the product contain grain, and what grain. Sometimes names like ”chicken meal” or ”protein meal” are used. This means the food manufacturers have bought already rendered product that in some cases could even consist of the remains of sick animals, road kills, even deceased pets (www.truthaboutpetfood.com).

If you browse through the list of ingerients you can even find added color. This being paint. Noms.

If the manufacturers themselves can't be sure of the origins and quality of their ingredients, there is no way a customer could ever know for sure. The only way to know what goes into your dog's mouth is to prepare the food from real ingredients yourself. 

The quality of the ingredients matter. Buying the cheapest possible leftovers from butchers is sadly very common, but no dog will live a healthy life eating pork legs or chicken necks only. Whether you use raw or cook for your dogs, it's also important to know what your dog needs. No matter dogs can live with many diets, surviving doesn't mean the diet is optimal. You may want to do some research and be critical.

Unfortunately it seems there really is no fast lane to victory. Ignorance is bliss, but knowing your basics when feeding a dog properly is just a must. This doesn't have to mean spending your evenings crying and calculating milligrams. You can always rely on those good, reliable sources of food, ask some help or read some tips. There are many found in books and internet. 

​I have talked about feeding raw meat before, so if you want to, you might like to check out my previous post.

Before we start, I want to underline once more I am just a dog enthusiast and someone who fights to feed my dogs the very best I can. None of what I write here is to be considered an ultimate truth. I base my feeding mainly to the teachings of two dog feeding instructors. In some things they agree, in some they disagree. I am not really swearing for either's name, I just try to pick up what I can and make my own assumptions.

Basically when raw feeding a dog you must make sure you are giving your dog every vitamin and mineral it needs as well as the right kind of meat it can consume and use. Now, some people believe all this can be achieved with natural ingredients, while some people believe you can never get enough from the food itself. I am somewhere in the middle. I think it is possible to get everything you need from natural sources, but that situation might be easier to accomplish with some well chosen ad-ons.

I am NOT one of those who think it's best to give lots of extra. I believe filling the need is a must, some extra to that doesn't do harm, but giving double doses based on limited internet sources or personal thoughts is most likely not justified.

At this point I am using the chart offered by Katiska (https://www.katiska.info/ruokinta/yleista/vitamiinit-ja-hivenaineet-pahkinankuoressa/) explaining the needs of vitamins and minerals. The chart itself is based on various sources AND personal opinions, and therefore I am also using what I have learned from another dog food instructor, Riikka Lahti from the MUSH team ( https://www.mushbarf.com/fi/ ).

Some vitamins and minerals are more important than others when trying to build a balanced diet. This is both because there are both fat- and water-soluble vitamins as well as the fact that some vitamins are easy to get from the food while others are tougher.

Some vitamins the dog most likely gets enough from it's diet when raw feeding are vitamins B and C. There are both produced by the dog itself, and there's lots of vitamin Bs in meat. C-vitamin is also found in fruit, some veggies and liver.

Vitamins you might want to look a bit closer are vitamins A, E and K.

A vitamin is found mainly in liver. It is fat-soluble and that can't be ignored, no matter dog is somewhat able to push out the vitamin it doesn't need. Judging by the chart the minimal amount of A-vitamin per day would be 22,5mcg per kilogram. The amount of A-vitamin one gets from liver depends on what liver is used. I use pork/beef liver, so the amount is somewhere around 19 000 mcg / 100g. This means 1g of liver would have around 190 mcg of vitamin A. Mss. Dominance is around 24 kilograms, so she'd need 540 mcg vitamin A per day, meaning about 2,8 grams of liver per day. 2,8 grams. However, the absorbing is not optimal, so giving a little teaspoon of liver per day would fill her need of vitamin A just fine and not give a dangerous overdose either (teaspoon being about 5g). If you are giving something else with vitamin A in it, you might want to make sure the dose doesn't get too high, though. We talk about this later.

E-vitamin is found in fats and oils. The best way to get enough E-vitamin is to feed good quality, preferably cold pressed, oils and fish-liver oil. Some people like to add drops of E vitamin as well. I don't do that, and I will explain later why so. The chart suggests that the need of the vitamin E is 0,5 mg per kilograms. This means, once more, that for example Mss. Dominance would need around 15mg of vitamin E per day. From fish liver oil you get about 10 mg per 5 ml. Obviously from that very same oil you also get lots of vitamin A, around 250 mcg per 5 ml, so be careful with liver if you feed fish liver oil. I prefer to use sunflower oil and rapeseed oil mixed, and this way I get near the optimal.

I am a little bit over careful with possible over dosing, and therefore my boys, who eat also kibble and get A-vitamin from there, too, don't get liver that often. My girls need to have liver so they have all the vitamins they need, so in their case I try to give liver not daily but once in a few days or so. They still have the fish liver oil to give them A. And just to compare, and to ease my own mind, Royal Canin Maxi adult gives about 480 mcg / 100 g , so by eating that my girls would get more vitamin A than they do now (assuming they get about 3-4 grams of liver per daily, which they don't every day, and 250 mcg from fish liver oil).

There is not much I know to say about vitamin K. It is found in some light meats, liver, and produced in small amounts by the dog itself. Some greens, including spinach, include vitamin K as well. There is no real need to add vitamin K, as long as the dog is fed properly and it is healthy. Vets do give vitamin K in case of poisoning however, but in normal situation there should be no need to add vitamin K if the feeding is otherwise alright and the dog is healthy.

Now we get to the really important stuff, the vitamin D.

Vitamin D has it's fingers in many different processes within the body. The most important role is working together with calcium and allowing it to absorb. If the dog is suffering from lack of vitamin D, it can't use calcium, no matter how much is given. Therefore adding vitamin D when raw feeding is to be considered essential.

The optimal amount of vitamin D per day is said by the chart to be 0.7 mcg per kg. Most sources in the net, however, talk about 0.3 or 0.4 mcg, and since 0.7 mcg is the writers own opinion, I go with 0.3 mch per day per kilogram as the daily need. Once more, we use Mss. Dominance as an example and calculate her need to be around 8 mcg per day. So, where to start gathering that? Well, fish is one good option. 100 grams of sea salmon has about 6.8 mcg of vitamin D. One can also use fish liver oil, since it has pretty high amount of vitamin D (10 mcg per 5ml). Once more, if fish liver oil is used, make sure the amount of vitamin A is not super high.

Some people give products meant for people, but I find this controversial as if we are supposed to feed optimal food, I eant to give as little chemicals as possible. Fish liver oil and fish are natural sources for vitamin D.

 Minerals come in many, and I am mostly concentrating on those you can actually add. Most minerals are gotten from the meat itself, or from the veggies added to the diet. Iodine is gotten from the dried seaweed most raw feeders are using.

Zinc and calcium are probably the most important to look at closer.

Calcium is gotten from bones. Now, remember what was said about the vitamin D, now. No amount of calcium does any good if the dog is lacking vitamin D. When it gets enough vitamin D, the suggested amount of calcium per kg is 60 mg. With our example girl the amount of calcium per day would be about 1,4 g.

If you feed bones, calcium is rarely a problem. If you feed calcium as a powder, make sure the amount of calcium is high enough.

Zinc is one important mineral, and probably the most comtroversial. Some people say zinc is gotten from the food while others say one can never get enough zinc from the food. There is zinc in the meat as well as in internal organs, but it doesn't absorb that well. The minimal amount of zinc needed per kilogram is about 1mg, the said optimal being 2mg. I am not sure in what that optimal is based on, so I have been giving our example dog about 30mgs per day, trusting that the lacking amount is gotten from the meats and veggies she eats.

Zinc has many jobs to do, too, but as someone who owns long haired dogs one of the most obvious is good coat and good nails. Now, zinc if often paired with biotin and metionin, and as I have been using products with and without the last two I have to say I noticed the difference when using zinc paired with the said ingrediends opposing to using it without them. Therefore I use products with biotin and metionin, these days.  
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 From what I have gathered and read, what I need to add to my dog's diet are vitamins A, D and E as well as calcium and zinc. I also need to add seaweed to get enough iodine.

As a source for vitamin A I use liver, mainly, and fish liver oil. This way the amount of A the dog gets is a tad high (not even a tad), but since vitamin A is pushed out by the dog if it's not needed I am not too worried. I also give more than enough zinc and that helps vitamin A to absorb. I give very little liver per day, and I try to compensate this by making sure we have enough oils and veggies in the food to fill the needs of vitamins K and E that are both also met in liver.

Enough calcium could be achieved with feeding crushed bones, but since I'm hesitant to do that due to Mss. Dominance's special needs, I add calcium to their food as a powder. My powder is not having added vitamin D in it, however, so I use salmon to get the vitamin D I need for the calcium to be absorbed. I might change, later, to a product that has vitamin D added, but by far I haven't founded one with reasonable prize.

Zinc is added from a jar as well. I use Avital Biotin, so the need per day is 2 pills (this means 30 mgs of zinc per day, which is over the minimum but under the said optimal. I trust the gap is filled with zinc from the meats and organs and veggies I use). 

So in the end added to our meats and oils I have no more than 5 jars / bottles of supplements. To someone like me who hates any kind of playing with bottles and jars that is a tad irritating. Sometimes I wish for an easier solution, and there actually IS one. That's called MUSH Vaisto, a complete raw food made by a Finnish company MUSH. Their products are 100% Finnish, with the exception of some meats one just don't have here in Finland. We don't actually have sea salmon swimming in our lakes here.

Anyways, what I like in Vaisto complete foods is that they fill all basic needs of the dog and one doesn't necessarily have to add anything to them. I would probably still add zinc and maybe vitamin D in the form of the fish liver oil just to be sure, but other than that I wouldn't have to add anything. The simplicity of this intrigues me and should it be I'd only have one dog I would totally go for Vaisto. I also suggest it strongly, as my own experiences with it have been great.

My only problem, owning 4 dogs, is the cost. No matter during some months I choose the easy road and go with Vaisto, during some other, less rich months it's cheaper for me to mix the meats myself. During those times I mainly buy my meats from KennelRehu. Sometimes I buy some meats from pet stores, specially for my ferrets since they are very nitpicky, but that tends to be somewhat costy.

Since cost is a factor to most of us, let's talk about expenses next. 
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 This is something I find myself asking any time someone makes a post like this. ”Yes, fancy numbers and all, but how does that look in real life?!”

Well, it looks like this:

I add 450 to 500 grams of meat mix I have prepared. This mix consists of 1000 grams of grounded turkey, 500 grams of grounded beef/pork, 500 grams of grounded fish and about 100 grams of veggies (usually grounded raw spinach, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, along with some possible seasonal berries like cowberries, blueberries, apples, zucchini etc.)

To this I add supplements based on the dog's weight. For Mss. Dominance this would be about 2 grams of calcium in total, so I don't really add that much because the salmon I use already has calcium, a little bit of seaweed, 2 pills of Avital Biotin, 5ml of fish liver oil (when we use it), half a teaspoon or so of liver, some rapeseed oil (I hate that name, seriously), some sunflower oil, some grounded flax if needed. Sometimes I add lactic acid bacteria, sometimes I crack an egg there and reduce the amount of meat a bit.

It sounds like a hassle, and it is a bit, so I usually give all supplements during evening. In the morning I only give the meat mix with some added grounded flax and oils, because it's faster. I have more time to play jar bingo in the evening.

* just to mention, I do use Working Dog Hyaluron 365 for my boys every day, but as it's not a must, I left it out of this post. I talked about it more in my post about arthritis. We also have kibble days every now and then, usually when I forgot to defrost food, and boys get some kibble every day because they tend to get hungry during the night if they don't get kibble in the evening, but most of our diet is based on raw meat and the calculations above.   

We have a wide variety of companion breeds these days. Most of those breeds have served some other purpose too in the past, but have been bred to be companions after they were replaced with modern technology or just simply not needed anymore. Times change. Many breeds had their loyal friends back in the days and when the breed's original purpose was no longer useful they were bred to be companions. This meant their working traits or certain strong instincts were bred away in order to make them more easy to live with.

Most of companion breeds are small. In FCI we have a whole group of companion and toy breeds. While some of the breeds are large or medium, companion dogs are often compatible with small modern apartments that don't have large yards or much room. Most of modern people live in cities and work long days, so having a dog that need tons of exercise and room and makes lots of noise just isn't practical. 

Then why do people end up taking in breeds that still have strong instincts and breed specific traits that need special attention? If we have a whole group of companion breeds, why we have hunting breeds and high prey drive breeds ending up with families that find their behavior problematic?
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Unfortunately looks play a huge part in why certain active working breeds with strong instincts that may cause some problems in modern society end up in wrong families. Some breeds like Siberian huskies resemble the type of an arctic ”base dog” people find them aesthetically pleasing. They also look wolf-like to inexperienced eye which is yet another reason people have strong liking on them. However, huskies are a breed that need lots of exercise and usually at least another dog in the family. They don't do well alone, they tend to be vocal with their pack and they like to work. They pull, and that is what they were bred to do. Taking in a husky, keeping it in a small apartment all day long alone and walking it on a no-pull harness an hour a day is ignoring the dog's needs. Sometimes some dogs, specially from show lines, may end up adapting. Most do not.

The same thing happens regularly with hunting breeds. Some breeds like dachshunds can live happily as family pets as long as they get to use their energy in some breed specific way. They like to sniff around, dig and ”kill a prey”, and if their needs are not met, they are not happy. They start to act up. Sometimes people don't understand many of those show stars work outside the show ring, or they have large open areas they can use their hunting instincts on. Some flashy breeds like Weimaraners are still widely and often used as hunting dogs and they don't do well at all being just home pets. Luckily most breeders are strict with homes, but accidents happen.

Movies have a tendency to increase the demand of a breed. When Disney put out 101 Dalmatians, thousands of young dalmatians ended up searching for new homes during the next few years. People fell in love with the breed from the movie, and when they realized what they saw in the movie had nothing to do with the actual breed they got rid of the dog. Turned out ”Pongo” was far more interested in ripping the house up and launching at other dogs than it was finding the love of a lifetime for his owner.

Pumis and schipperkes are great examples of breeds that look simply adorable but are actually pretty hard-headed and active. They are not for everyone, yet their looks have led many people taking in a pup and later giving it up when it turned out far less adorable than they thought.

To add to all the above, there is a trend to go for the working line of the breed instead of the usually more calm show line. Working lines tend to loos less exaggerated, but that is not the only way they differ from the show line. They are usually far more active and they require more things to do. Someone who just took one in because it looked better than the puffy show star may be up for a surprise if the needs of the working dog are not met.

All of this applies also to breed mixes. It is harder to tell how a mixed breed dog will end up when it's older, but it's parents can tell us a lot. If the breeds in the ancestry are known, we can also assume something about the possible breed related traits the dog may end up having. All this should be taken into consideration when thinking about buying a pup, no matter how adorable or cool the puppies and the parents look like.  
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Frustration shows in many ways. Earlier I wrote about lack of exercise and mentioned some behavioral issues there that could be caused by it. The same applies here. Aggression, destroying home and refusing to listen or trying to boss people around can all tell about frustration caused by being unable to behave in a breed specific way. The mind fills the gap with some secondary behavior in an attempt to reduce stress caused by frustration.

​Sometimes the dog will end up doing what it was bred to do but with some unwanted target. This is the most common with herding breeds starting to herd cars, bicycles or people, or cattle dogs nibbling at ankles. Guarding dogs can turn very dangerously territorial and alerting dogs often alert about every small sound they hear. This is the case with many small spitz that live in towns. It's in their nature to alert. They do what they were bred to do, no matter the neighbors may disagree.

All above can be controlled with training to a certain point, but in most cases the problem remains for as long as the dog is frustrated. This means the only solution would be to combine training with some breed specific hobby. Luckily, dogs are not that picky with their hobbies. They don't know if the lure they chase is alive, they just enjoy chasing it. Dachshunds may be all happy tracking down pieces of beef in some man made tunnels and herding breeds can try their luck with experienced shepherd and some sheep that are used to being herded by dogs. They can also enjoy some other activity where they can work with their owner and focus.

It's way easier to live with a dog that fits your life style than trying to learn a new way of life to adapt to your dog. This is why one should be extra careful when picking a breed or a breed mix. We will later discuss about some traits of individual dogs and how important it is to pick the right puppy from the litter, but to get to that point we need to understand the importance of picking the breed first.

If you enjoy short walks and relaxing on the cough watching TV or reading a good book, find a companion breed. It doesn't matter if you have always wanted a rottweiler. If you don't live a life fit for a rottweiler, don't take it in. No breed should be chosen just based on how cool it looks. Many people who struggle with their large strong working breed for years could have been completely happy with a small companion breed. This goes vice versa, too; if you are an active outdoors person who loves hikes and wants a dog that can keep up and maybe even accompany you to hunting grounds, maybe don't pick a French bulldog.  

When I meet a person with a problematic dog, I always want to know as much of the dog as I possibly can. I make sure all the normal needs of the dog are met (more than often they are not) and after that I want to know how the breed specific needs are met. Many people seem to think a trainer or a consultant can somehow magically transform the dog and make it perfect for them, but this is a false assumption. They can do nothing if the dog is not given right kind of stimulation and if the owner isn't ready to work with the dog.

There is nothing I or any other trainer or consultant can do if the dog lives in a home that is not fit for it. The owner needs to be ready to change their ways if that is what the dog needs. This means if they have a hunting dog, they need to find a way to answer to it's need to track, for example. If they have a sighthound, it needs to run free. If they have a husky, it needs to work. If they have a Belgian shepherd malinois, it needs stuff to do and things to think. Exercise. There is no cure to a breed specific trait, and there should not be. The human is the one that took the dog in, and if the dog is to stay in the family the human must answer to it's needs. There may be some other problems too that need training and working on, but the general problem of totally wrong kind of environment needs to be attacked first. Only after that those other behavioral issues can be worked with. Sometimes there even isn't any other problem. Boredom and frustration cause many kind of problematic behavior, not to mention sometimes the whole ”problematic behavior” is actually the dog performing a task it's meant to perform. It's owners just simply find it difficult to work with.

The problem with many TV superstar trainers is the idea of ”fixing” the dog's ”problems” when in many cases the actual problem is the human being who fails to meet the needs of his/her dog. Teaching the dog a trick with pieces of cheese or hissing and correcting it when it growls is reacting to behavior that is caused by some bigger issue. Shows have limited TV time and no matter there is lot of work put in every dog, viewers only see a fracture of it. This can lead to thinking hiring a trainer to meet the dog a couple of times is a solution to one's problems. Unfortunately some so called trainers know this and they end up taking people's money and giving them lots of bad advice when in reality the problem behind the behavior is never even figured out. They may even take the dog in to participate in ”a camp”, but when the dog returns so do the problems should it be they are caused by frustration.

There really is no highway to Heaven here. Unfortunately, if the owner isn't willing to work with the dog and answer to it's needs, there is nothing anyone can do. The only way to make sure this so called problem behavior stops is to make sure the dog gets to be what it's instincts tell it to be. Obviously there are dogs that have bad nerves, traumatized dogs and ill dogs that are pain, but those dogs are a completely new story. It's way more common to meet dogs that would have no problems at all if the people owning them would pay some attention to what their dog is and find a way to let it behave like it's supposed to. 

​We can choose to see that breed specific behavior as a problem, or we can try and build something out of it. I prefer the latter. 

Recently I wrote a post about the importance of exercise, and after that the importance of calming down. In both posts I mention walking being something that isn't exactly physically exhausting, but more so mentally stimulating.

Dogs are animals that like to travel. Wild dog packs walks around their territory daily in search of food. This is natural behavior for the dog. No matter a domestic dog living in the family doesn't have to search for it's food around the town it still has the factory built need to travel if it's given the chance. They sniff around, mark their path, stop to stare where ever they saw something interesting. World with all it's things and smells and sounds is like an amusement park to them.  
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Googling dog's sense of smell gives you many kinds of results on how much better dogs can smell things than people. Because of that I don't give any specific numbers but simply state the obvious; dog's can smell way better than people and their sense of smell is their most important sense. Some scientists even say while people see dreams, dogs would actually SMELL dreams. I don't know about that, but I do know my dogs really enjoy sticking their nose everywhere.

Smells matter more to dogs than anything else. Sighthounds rely on their sight while they hunt and they are more prone to investigate things they see than my non-sighthound dogs, but every dog trusts it's nose as it's most important sense. Smells even have a very important part in their social life. They smell each other to have an idea of who the other is. They smell strange people. They smell odd things they know nothing agout. They go snout first wherever they go, because their nose tells them more than any other sense they have.

While walking the dog meets a whole new world of smells. While free running preferably in open space answers to the need of exercise and while dogs stop to smell things even then, travelling forward and smelling the messages of other dogs, tracks left by prey animals and whatever the surroundings have to offer stimulate the mind in a whole another level. Based on my experience it also calms the dog down and makes it react better to for example training later. Sniffing all that information in and processing it's meaning and source calms the dog's mind. It has to focus. Letting the dog use it's nose in this way often helps the most energetic dogs to be a little less excited about everything all the time.

Just like with people, dogs like to experience things. While some people, like me, would enjoy hours after hours just laying on bed and staring out of the window, most would eventually get bored. This is exactly what happens with dogs, also. They get bored. They like to experience things. Walking to new places gives the dogs something to do. All the best if after the walk they can let out some steam by running!

While meeting other dogs and people during walks may not be that social, just passing them by, those meetings still stimulate the mind. Dogs are able to figure out many things about the passing by group by just sniffing the air or walking along their tracks to where they came from. These wild, unexpected encounters are interesting and one can often see the dog tense up and get excited when it smells the tracks of another dog. Whenever they find a place that holds many messages by other dogs, it's like visiting a very active forum. Let them sniff it out and maybe answer some date invites. It's not like they (usually) lead to any ACTUAL dates.

If you have a playful dog and just happen to meet another playful, social dog, maybe they can share a play (if the owners agree, obviously). This too adds to the effect of enriching the dog's mind when walking.  
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Like said before in this very same post, dogs are travellers. While they are not wolves, they still share their need to travel, mark their territory and check for any possible messages left by other packs and dogs.

Answering the dog's needs as a dog is equally if not even more important than answering it's needs as a member of a certain breed. Dogs are first of all dogs, second of all dogs from a certain breed/breed mix and third of all individuals. Filling the needs of a dog helps to understand the extra needs of a dog from the breed Italian Greyhound, and when you know the needs of a dog that is an Italian Greyhound you are less likely to miss the individual needs of Max, the Italian Greyhound. These needs obviously overlap, but it's important to understand we can't fill the needs of Max if we don't understand that Max is an Italian Greuhound, and we can't understand what is an Italian Greyhound if we don't know what is a dog.

This leads us back to travelling. Dogs like to travel, experience the world and it's smells. Even if you let your dog run on the same field or yard every day hours straight if it can't travel and sniff new things, that need is never fulfilled. If the dog is exercised and trained and it's mind is stimulated, it can still be a happy dog!

But would a walk ADD to it's life? Yes, it would.   

In the article Hanna Kivinen (http://www.koiraosteopatia.fi/tietoa/kaulapanta-vai-valjaat) lists eleven different parts of the dog's neck than can get affected by the use of the collar. The problems are most often caused by a sudden tug or continuing pulling. Possible injuries caused by the tug are similar to those caused by the so called whipslash-effect in car accidents, where the head moves back and forth rapidly and the neck in injured by this. Possible injuries caused by constant pulling are muscle jams, muscle pain and injuries of throat, similar to what happens if a human is choked.

Collars were developed for the very same reason as we have bits for horses; to gain control. Collar is easy to attach, you can make a loop from almost every piece of rope or string and the neck is a sensitive area so the dog reacts to the instructions given via the leash. This, however, does not mean that the dog's neck would be any more adjusted to the wear of the collar than a human neck. It's a common misbelief that a dog has it's neck, muscles, vertebra and throat somehow used to the pressure of the collar. This is not true.  
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One common rule to collars is that is should be about the width of two vertebra at least. It should not be used high up on the throat but lower so any possible injuries of throat can be avoided. The dog should not pull when using a collar and the collar should be snug enough to not jump around but loose enough so it doesn't cause unnecessary pressure and affect breathing. Padded and soft collars are the most easy ones to the throat. They are also the most comfortable ones and great for small puppies, also.

Collars to avoid are choke collars that tighten around the dog's neck without any stop. Martingale collars, or the so called ”half chokers” never get too tight if they are picked and measured properly and from my own experience I can say it also seems to be the most comfortable for my dogs. When there is no pulling, the collar is loose and doesn't choke, and when there IS pulling, the collar can't get too tight around the neck. Normal collars are good also.

I use collars mainly as accessories or when we are in a show or in a place I can be sure the dog is not pulling too much. I use wide collars mainly made from fabric or padded leather to try and avoid any possible injuries. I do use a collar during walks along with a harness so I can take a hold of the collar if I need added physical control. Unfortunately sometimes it is needed, and it's better to hold the dog by the collar than let it run away, for example chasing a prey, and get seriously injured.
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Because it's more ergonomic for the dog, simply put. A good, fit harness is always a better option for the dog than a collar, and despite many people say their dogs dislike the feeling of the harness it's not about the harness itself but about not being used to it's touch. It's the same as with collars and small puppies. Dogs are not born used to collars and they are not born used to harnesses either. Some dogs need more help getting familiar with the sensation that others, but all dogs can be taught to wear a harness.

A good harness sits nicely and tight enough. It should not move around when the dog moves, but it should let the dog breath properly. The pull should concentrate on the chest instead of the throat or neck. There should be no straps going over shoulder plates to allow maximum mobility, no rubbing against armpits and the ring for leash attachment should preferably be more on the back than closer to the neck.  

Pulling and sleighing harnesses have slightly different structure, but they are meant for that; pulling. There are harnesses fit for both, such as the model I use for Ms. Dominance, DC Zero Short, and they are more or less like the described harnesses for general use. They are also pretty good for dogs with deep chest.  You can see from the picture above the harness fits nicely and snug, the chest part is low enough not to press the neck and the leash attachment is pretty far back. The harness is also padded for added comfort.

Another good solution I like is the Swedish sighthound harness that I use for Mrs. Aloofness and Mr. Hyperactivity (seen above), or just plain simple old Y-shape harnesses I have for Mr. Arthritis. The problem with regular Y-harnesses can be that their leash attachment is a tad too close to the neck for my liking. I have never had problems with it, however, since Mr. Arth... ah, so depressing nickname! I have no problems with regular Y-harness because Mr. I-have-arthritis-but-I-am-still-very-active-and-happy-and-lively-dog doesn't pull when leashed and therefore there is no unnecessary pressure.  

Oh, and to answer a question I myself wondered for a long time; can you use regular harness as a pulling/sleighing harness for fun? Well, that is not recommended as pulling harnesses are built for it and they are better distributing the pressure and making sure the pulling feels as comfortable as it can. Regular harnesses are not meant for pulling purposes and they can possibly cause muscle jams if constantly used for that purpose. Much like shoes; you can run with just a regular Converse All Stars, but sneakers are way better for that and it's less likely your legs get sore.

Arthritis is not actually a single disease. It is an informal way of referring to joint pain or joint disease. That is also why there are so many ways to treat arthritis and why there are so many dogs diagnosed with it. In this post I talk mostly about degenerative arthritis, also called osteoarthritis. This is the arthritis caused by structural problems such as old injuries or inheritable weaknesses in bone structure (the so called ”bad hips”, ”bad elbows” etc.).

”Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. When the cartilage – the slick, cushioning surface on the ends of bones – wears away, bone rubs against bone, causing pain, swelling and stiffness. Over time, joints can lose strength and pain may become chronic. Risk factors include excess weight, family history, age and previous injury (an anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, tear, for example).” (www.arthritis.org)
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Structural problems of dogs wary, but what is common for all of them is that the dog is not built in a balanced, optimal way. Sometimes it's just bad luck, sometimes it's bad breeding, and sometimes unfortunately it's because the breed itself is not healthy in shape. We have many breeds that are shaped in a way that affects their normal every day life, affecting their moving, breathing, even reproducing. Sometimes their build also causes problems with their joints, as is the case with too straight or too exaggerated angulations or too heavy body. These problems can lead to arthritis, and it can happen fast. Even a young dog can have arthritis caused by major structural issues.

Arthritis doesn't read the breed standard. It doesn't respect ”but this is how the breed is supposed to look like!”
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In general, with any dog that has arthritis it's good to remember some basic tips on how to ease the situation and make the dogs life less painful. The list below is meant for people, but it just happens to also fit dogs:

• using hot and cold therapies
• regular physical activity
• maintaining a healthy weight 
• strengthening the muscles around the joint for added support
• balancing activity with rest

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It's a common misbelief that resting and avoiding exercise is the best way to deal with arthritis. Obviously rest is important, but so is exercise. The type of exercise is important, and so is the surface the exercise is happening on. Calm, continuing moving on soft surfaces is best for dogs with arthritis. This includes for example calm walks in a forest where the dog can move on it's own phase. Swimming is also a great way to exercise a dog with arthritis as the water floats the dog, this way taking off the weight from the joints. When the joints are able to move without holding the weight, the mobility is increased, muscles supporting the joint are trained and the joint gains flexibility.

Avoiding repetitive and heavy tasks, such as everyone's favorite game ”fetch the ball”, is encouraged. Also, hard surfaces cause more stress to the joint, so it's best to try and avoid long walks on asfalt. Thsi can be tricky specially in big cities.

Healthy weight is crucial. None of the above save the situation if the dog is morbidly obese. The less there is weight for the joints to support, the less there is pain.

Sometimes pain medication or assistive devices can be needed. There are some companies in the world that manufacture devices for dogs with joint related problems. These devides can however be extremely expensive.

My own experiences with laser treatment on dogs have also been very positive. It seemed to reduce both pain and swelling and the effect lasted for quite some time after just a few treatments.

Both chondroitin and Glucosamine are natural chemical compounds in your body that support the joint. With age the amount of both lessen, and therefore eating them as a supplement is often recommended for older dogs and dogs with arthritis. As it is with any supplement, however, the effectivity of these kind of products is modest at it's best, so they work best as a supportive method combined with possible pain medication and right kind of exercise. It is also to be noted that these supplements work best TOGETHER.

MSM is an organic sulfur compoud that is said to reduce inflammation and ease pain. Like with the supplements above, studies can't really prove if it's super effective or not, but as there are reports of it reducing the pain when used together with chondroitin and glucosamine, there is no real reason to not give it. Many people, including me, have seen drastic changes in their dogs with arthritis after giving them all three together.

Something to remember when choosing a brand is to make sure the amounts of supplements in their products are high enough. My own recommendations would be Cartivet MSM, which we used successfully for years when Mr. Arthritis was younger, and Working Dog Hyaluron 365. The latter has proven itself to be best product I have seen by far, and all my dogs use it. Mr. Arthritis and Mr. Hyperactivity for their arthritis and Mrs. Aloofness and Ms. Dominance to have just some added general support.

All in all, after living with arthritis for quite some time I have learned that it 's not a death sentence. Yes, it requires some extra effort, but the dog can live good life even with arthritis. We do some occasional fetching with my boys no matter they may be a little stiff after that. With right supplements, painmeds when needed and optimal exercise they live very happy, mostly painfree and definitely fun and fulfilling lives.

It's a nasty thing, but don't let it stop you, or your dog. 

E-collars are collars that are supposed to shock the dog when it performs an undesired action or does not perform the desired action. They are sometimes used for punishment, but more frequently these days as a sort of a way to tell the dog whatever it is doing or not doing is not desired and it should change it's ways. They are based on negative feedback and negative reinforcement, causing an unpleasant sensation to either stop the action or punish from it. By my experience most people use them with a remote, trying to maintain their control of the dog when the dog is off leash. 

A prong collars is a collar that has blunt edge "spikes" inside the collar tightening around the dog's neck and causing an unpleasant sensation when it pulls or when the collar is pulled by a human. They are mostly used to maintain control of the dog when it otherwise does not respond. 

The key word in both descriptions is control. Amusingly, these tools that are used to control the dog don't actually teach the dog anything nor do they provide any real control, as control is achieved through training and does not depend on which tools the dog is wearing in that particular moment. True, many trainers and owners use them along with training, in which case it is to be considered the trainer or owner does not have the needed abilities to otherwise control their dog and hence has to rely in discomfort as some sort of reinforcement of one's authority.

There are many tools in dog world that are supposed to help controlling the dog in case it is big and because of some reason does not listen. Having worked with a dominant, aloof dog that has a strong will to fight my authority, I refuse to think a grown up adult needs tools based on pain or discomfort to get the wanted results. Usually there are several options to maintain physical control during the time of training. It's based on one's own ethics whether or not they have will or time to work with those tools. As it is with any learning, getting rid of an unwanted behavior or teaching a new way to act takes time. Using pain and discomfort works with some dogs (not with all, which is also one reason to avoid such tools) and it provides fast results, but there are ways to control the dog (no-pull harnesses, muzzles, long leads...) during the training without having to rely on extremes. Also, keeping oneself away from tools that restrict the dog with pain also forces one to actually TRAIN the dog and CHANGE the behavior through learning, not only through restricting. It is sadly very common that trainers who use questionable tools don't train the dog enough to work without those tools. As soon as they are removed, the dog gets back to it's old habits, indicating it hasn't actually learned anything but to avoid certain actions when it's wearing a certain collar. 

Many people who use E-collars and prong collars explain they use positive reinforcement only when they train the dog. They separate the behavior of the dog, such as walking properly on leash, listening to commands off-leash and behaving in public, and tricks such as give paw, sit, stay. The problem here is that this kind on thinking assumes the so called "good behavior" is something the dog already knows and chooses not to perform. It is not taught how to behave, it is just punished from the false behavior, usually something that is very natural to it. The madness of this concept is best explained with a following matter; would you have learned to read if you had been punished from laying on your bed? The good behavior is to be taught the same way as any trick is, and if one already knows positive reinforcement is scientifically proved to be the best way to teach, why would one use an E-collar or prong collar? Why not when teaching tricks, if with teaching behavior? After all, in both situations we talk about the process of learning.

​In a study back in 2014 the researchers reported an increase of behavior connected with stress when using E-collars in training. The dogs in a group training with E-collars were showing significant signs of being stressed and tense, whilst in the other groups such behavior was reported far less frequently. Same kind of results were found in yet another study back in 2003, where groups of working dogs were trained with and without the shock collar. In the first study there was an increase in cortisol (the "stress hormone") levels reported as well, though this was not confirmed to be significant later on when studying a larger group. There are other articles, then again, indicating there might be cellular and hormonal changes due to the usage of shock collars, and that being shocked repeatedly may weaken the vertebra on the neck as well as cause damage on the throat. 

Prong collars and choke collars can cause severe damage on the dog when it launches. Even if they are "used correctly" there is a possibility these tools may cause severe pain and actual damage, thus the need of using them should be questioned. It is a known fact the effect of these tools is based on the fact they feel uncomfortable on the neck. They are supposed to, because they are supposed to restrict the dog from performing an undesired action, such as pulling on the leash. If the dog, however, does, even the correctly placed collar will tighten up and that may cause damage to throat or vertebra. This possibility is the greater the bigger and more stubborn the dog is. Obviously there are trainers saying prong collars and choke collars can be used perfectly safe, but how is that possible when the effect of the tool is based on the same exact reason they should be banned - they cause unnatural pinch and/or strangle the dog? Out of these two, choke collars cause more damage than correctly used prong collars, but even correctly used prong collars may lead to problems if the dog manages to pull so hard the blunt spikes break the skin or pinch too hard. It is also a tool that WILL hurt the dog if not used in the exact way it is supposed to be used. 

There is no fast lane to success. Learning is a process that takes time. Even if the dog can learn to avoid discomfort and pain faster that it learns to work for it's food in desired ways, it is possible to train the dog both fast and humanely. This requires skill and determination, and as any learning, repeats and time. Using pain or discomfort because of the lack of skill is a poor excuse for any trainer. Wanting to achieve fast results with minimal effort is also a poor excuse. A dog needs time, and if one does not have time, one does not get a dog. Laziness should not be considered as a justification to use controversial training methods.  

There are some ways to avoid the need of making hard decisions, too. Not so long ago I was told by an owner of a hunting breed that the E-collar has saved the dog's life many times, stopping it from running on the road. This leads me asking why the dog is kept off leash in such dangerous area? Hunting breeds are known to be challenging considering recall, so one should always make sure the place you let your dog off leash is as safe as possible. One should also work on the recall as much as one just can, so the dog is less likely to wander off. 

Scenery above is a good example of using a controversial tool because of the lack of skill, and in this case, a lack of knowledge as well.

It is said we should "agree to disagree", but considering using harmful methods in training I refuse to do so. There have been enough studies and scientific proof showing teaching the dog by using positive reinforcement is the most effective way of training, that we can safely say using controversial training methods and tools is not needed. The fact some trainers still use them because of the lack of skill and understanding is not to be taken as justification. Also, these tools working on some dogs is not a proof they are to be considered good ways to train. We have so many other options, more humane and as effective, that there should not be any need to risk your dog. 

The use of carbohydrates in dog food is often explained with the need of sugars. Sugars are essential for the brain, which is correct. The dogs, however, are able to form glucose out of fat (the process is called gluconeogenesis), and therefore they do not need a special source of carbohydrate in their diet. The reason why dogs and wolves can use some carbohydrates and turn them into energy is because their prey in wild consists of plant eaters. While eating their prey they can sometimes consume parts of the undigested plants eaten by the prey animal. Therefore their digestive system can use that source of energy to some extent. In most commercial dog foods the amount of carbohydrates is as high as 30%-70%. It is not natural for dogs.

The most common problem created by excessive use of carbohydrates is obesity, along with problems like diabetes. A dog is just plain and simply not made to use that much carbohydrates. However, because dogs CAN use carbohydrates for energy to some extent, and because the sources of carbohydrates are cheaper to use for the companies, commercial dog foods often use lots of sources of carbohydrates as part of their ingredients.

It is often recommended that puppies are not fed low-carb diets, however many companies producing low-carb diets have puppy foods. There is no real reason to why puppies should have high level of carbohydrates in their food if they are offered enough protein and they get all the supplements they need to grow.

Carbohydrates are not to be mixed with fiber, that does indeed serve a purpose in food. It is, however, not needed in great amounts. A little goes a long way.

Another problem often caused by carbohydrates, and the reason why I am writing this post, is yeast.

Afghan hounds are prone to yeast. It's a common thing in the breed due to the breed's ”originality” and because of their long, quite heavy hanging ears. It is possible a dog developes yeast because of humidity, but it's even more common because the dog gets too much sugar from it's diet.

Yeast needs sugar to live. The yeast infection of a dog is simply an overgrowth of the natural bacteria the dog already has in it's normal flora. It's usually a symptom of the imbalance of digestive system, either because of allergies or inability to use as much carbohydrates the dog is fed.

”Diet is the foundation of health. The way you nourish your dog is either going to help his immune system manage yeast, or it's going to feed a potential or existing yeast overgrowth situation.” - healthypets.mercola.com

So quite simply, if your dog has yeast, you should take a look at it's diet. Are you feeding your dog a food it can process, or are you expecting it's system to digest food that is actually not appropriate for it's species? Before you go on trying million different hypoallergenic kibble, take a moment and consider the possibility of going raw.
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Raw food diet does not cure cancer, nor does it do miracles, but sometimes it can change the life of a dog. This is because most dogs benefit from being fed like dogs should be fed – getting low carbohydrates and lots of protein and fat.

Allergies are always a symptom of an immune system failure, however if your dog is ”allergic” to wheat or gets yeast from too much sugar, it is not to be considered suffering from immune system failure but simply having a digestive system of a more original canine. The fact some dogs are better using carbohydrates and dealing with sugars is not a reason to call the others allergic. Allergy is something caused by an overactive immune system failing to see what is to be considered a threat and what is not. Yeast is simply an overgrowth of bacteria that feed on sugars (however, in some cases it is caused by allergies).

Raw food diet is not feeding raw bones and hoping the dog survives (that is actually called BARF and it's not healthy for the dog. It provides mostly calcium with the loss of everything else). It is feeding raw MEAT. Bones are actually quite small part of any canine's diet, and therefore they shouldn't be too dominant in raw feeding either. In some cases you can't use bones at all, but you can still feed your dog raw meat as long as you prove the source of calcium.

What does this benefit, then?

Well, obviously it's the most natural way to feed a dog! Most dogs do great with raw, most do great with getting some raw and then getting kibble. Some dogs that have digestive system problems may be bad at using lots of fat and therefore some very rare cases may benefit better from a high quality kibble than from raw food. This is totally alright, as long as the kibble fed is good quality. I myself avoid kibble with corn, rice, potatoes or sweet potatoes, as they are high in sugar and sugar is exactly what I don't wish to have in my dog's diet.

Raw food is mostly just protein and fat, and with added supplements (such as vitamisn A, D and E, calcium and zinc) it answers to the basic need of a dog. Your dog is a meat eater. Take a look at it's teeth – are those made for biting rice or ripping the flesh of a prey? Often dogs that are fed raw have more energy. This is simply because they can use their food faster and better.

Raw is what nature meant for canines to eat. 
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