Is Dog Whisperer methods too harsh?

[Nomad]

Many thanks Donna....this "poop" business has been a bit much! LOL!!!!
We have a wonderful "health food" pet specialty shop not too far from my home, but I get confused when I go in there. Now, I have more to work with. I really like the new lady vet I've taken my doggie to, but she didn't know much about food or vitamins. I did take note that my dog loves these vitamins I put her on...she is such a cheerful energetic little thing! Now, I need to help her with her bottom problem and her bad breath. Let's face it, if these odors get any worse, only her mommy is going to love her in her current state of smelliness!!!

 

[Hound dog]

Honestly, I didn't have time to read thru all the replies. (I'm still borrowing easy child's internet to get here)

I grew up with dogs and have had them most of my adult life. I can think of two that were not well mannered. One was abused in early puppyhood. The other was a pet shot pup and yeah.......learned my lesson there. The first one had to be put down and the 2nd one found a great outside home on a farm.

I humanize all my animals. I always will. Animals have emotions and arent' half as dumb as most people like to think.

When a new fur baby comes home their treated as any baby would be. Lots of lovin' and patience and attention. I have never spanked my dogs. They do earn a Time Out in the crate on occasion. (and I've never had this cause them not to love their crates) I'm consistant with dicipline as you would be with a child. And even as they grow I continue to think of them on the intelligence/behavior level of a toddler and that sets the stage for how I treat them.

I start training from the get go. It's done everyday, then reinforced throughout their lives.

I like some of the Dog Wisperers ideas. But personally..........I wouldn't let him near an animal of mine. I "parent" my animals, I don't dominate them. I don't attempt to break their spirit or their will.

Most unwanted behaviors end by the 3rd year. Those that don't will be corrected usually with patience and consistancy.

But just about every dog will have their quirks. Things you just may not be able to correct. Sort of like a kid. lol We had a basset years ago who couldn't bare to be locked up at all. She could get over/ around any gate put in her path much to my father in law's frustration.

hugs

 

[witzend]

I'd ask the dog whisperer guy to come back out or to advise you at his place about the mopeyness. I think I wouldn't focus as much on him being mopey as I would on the goal of getting him to add happiness back to the mix.

 

[Nomad]

Donna...
husband and I went to the doggie speciality shop and told them about our dogs bottom and breath. We also told them about her food. They said it was horrible...lots of fillers. So, they suggested two good ones...first ingredient "meat." When I got home, I gave her a few little pieces of the packets and I could tell she loved it. We decided on the guys first choice and I mixed half with half of her regular food and then I gave her half of her usual amount of vitamins and a little water...she gobbled it up so fast I thought she would choke! I kinda want to keep the vitamins...she adores the way I mix it with water, etc. The shop owner thought it was a good plan to simply reduce the vitamins I give her. They are a good brand (he sells them) and he doesn't think a little extra vitamins will hurt her.
It will be GREAT if this improves her two problems...both having to do with odors.

I'll be honest...I will be a little annoyed too...cause I DID mention it to two vets and both said that it had nothing to do with her food.

I recall the last time the TECH kinda made a face when I asked if I should switch our dog to a premium dog food and the vet said her dog food was fine. Hmmmm. That made me very suspicious that HE thought it had something to do with her food and in the back of my mind I thought to myself I would stop by the specialty shop that only sells the premium dog foods.

Right now, I'm trying to find for her a good harness to walk her. The regular store only sells one that digs into her back and I don't like the ones at this speciality shop. There is another specaialty shop...but it is far.

Do you know a good on line store for harness? I'm looking for material/velcros...something very well made.

Thank you for your advice...(Fran too!). I think it is what my dog really needed!!

p.s. When you guys say that you throw green beans as "filler," is this so the dog feels like he/she is eating more? Also, do you use a can? Aren't you worried about salt? Do you buy low salt green beans? If you use rice, is it brown or white? Do you make it once a week and then take from there, etc. Thank you.

If anyone knows anything about cat behavior...PLEASE identify yourself! Thank you...I might start another thread though.

 

[witzend]

Thanks.
The vet said to feed Purina?

I'd be changing vets. Unless you like feeding twice the food and picking up four times the pooh. What kind of idiot would say that?

 

[donna723]

Nomad, I'm glad you found a good food that she likes! Just be sure to make the change-over gradually over a period of about two weeks. Start out with the old food and a bit of the new, and gradually increase the proportion of new food until she's completely on the new stuff.

What I do with mine ... Nutritionally, they probably don't need this at all because they get a very good dry food, but they like it and they do very well on it. Every week I get a pound of ground beef, brown it in a skillet (NO seasonings), and drain off all the grease. I dump in a cup of uncooked white rice and two cups of water, put a lid on it, and let it simmer until the rice is done. Then I dump in a can of green beans. I know I probably should use frozen because they have less salt - I do rinse them first though. I put this in a plastic container with a lid and put it in the fridge. Then every morning I put a couple big serving spoonsful in about a cup of water and warm it up on the stove. I divide it between the three of them, mixing it with their dry food. Their food makes kind of a sauce when you add liquid. I add a little more of the liquid to Ragan's because she has some wonky teeth and likes hers softer, and a little less to Freebie's because she likes hers to still be crunchy. And yeah, I know I spoil them rotten! The rice keeps their poops nice and firm and the green beans are good fiber too. Some people use green beans for overweight dogs, substituting about a fourth of their dry food with green beans - it fills them up with very few calories. This makes quite a bit but I have three dogs - the two piggy little Bostons (22 lbs. and 27 lbs.) and Freebie, my little mixed breed who is about 35 lbs.

And about the harnesses, check this out ...

http://www.puppia.com.au/#

My girls don't have these yet, but the Puppia harnesses are supposed to be the best. They're a bit pricey but a lot of people use them and rave about them. They're made of breathable fabric and they're very sturdy and non-irritating. They come in all kinds of colors and patterns too. And they fit very well if you do the measuring correctly. I know they make them for small to medium size dogs, not sure how big they come though. There's other places you can buy them too and they're usually on eBay, just make sure you get a real one and not a knock-off.

And what they eat CAN and DOES affect their breath! If they eat something that doesn't really agree with them or that they don't digest well, their breath will not be nice! I can honestly say that my three do not have 'doggie breath'.

 

[GoingNorth]

I have a 7 year old German Shepherd who has a systemic autoimmune disorder (epidermolysis bullosa).

It causes blisters on the mucous membranes, like on the lips and around the genitalia.

It also affects the digestive tract and of course the coat since he has problems absorbing his food.

I tried all of the premium foods over the years trying to deal with the diarrhea, the coat issues, etc.

My vet finally prescribed PURINA DCO, a prescription diet used for dogs with digestive issues (one problem with EB is that the scarring over the years causes problems with bowel motility). DCO has added fiber to help with that.]

I supplement with a couple of lbs of hamburger and pork per week (raw) because DCO is somewhat low in calories and despite his age, Gryphon is by no means underweight and to add in the extra fat.

I can say that despite being appalled at feeding a Purina product, my dog is having normal bowel function for the first time in his life.

For the breath and to keep the teeth clean, I feed one raw knuckle bone or 2-3 raw chicken backs per week (raw bones are safe).

At 7, Gryphon has never required any type of dental work, not even a routine cleaning.

Also, not all dogs do well on grain-free diets. They really shouldn't be used unless you have evidence of a grain intolerance.

Merrick is an excellent food.

For stool odor or gas or bad breath, look for products or supplements containing yucca schidigera

 

[Nomad]

Many thanks GN!

It does seem like folks have their favorites.

I did note that the pet store owner, who would obviously feel strongly about Premium Foods, did not like the one I was buying from the grocery store...it is a "popular/well liked" one.

The one I ended up buying from the specialty shop is not grain free...just doesn't have fillers...the shop owner felt it was much healthier and also has condrointin in it (my dog has back issues).

I will look for yucca schidigera and will really think about the raw bone. Where do you get the raw bone? Grocery store, from your kitchen, etc.??? (Sorry if this is a silly question).

 

[GoingNorth]

If you have a grocery store or butcher shop that actually cuts meat on site you should be able to ask them in advance to hold some bones for you. Just remember to ask for raw knuckles or split knuckles

My local grocery stores do not cut meat on site but I have a local butcher store that does.

One thing about raw bones. They are extremely high residue and can be constipating--you can get very bulky whitish stools.

You need to watch a dog carefully while it is chewing on a bone. Some dogs need to learn how to eat one "properly" (crunch it down as opposed to cracking off hunks and bolting them)

If you have smaller dogs you might do better to get raw chicken backs. Pull off the excess fat if your dog has a weight problem.

Shank bones are bad since they are too hard for most dogs to crunch up and they tend to crack off hunks.

Remember that you want a bone the dog can actually chew up.

What I do with Gryphon is let him have his bone for an hour or so and then take it away and put it in the fridge for a day or two.

The chicken backs are more of a treat for a dog his size (Gryphon is a German Shepherd. He weighs in at 90 lbs and has a truly scary set of teeth, LoL).

When the weather is very hot I sometimes give him a FROZEN chicken back.

by the way. I would NOT recommend the DCO to someone who is not trying to treat a specific health disorder. It is by no means a natural food.

However, it meant that I wasn't periodically using steroids during flare-ups and the poor dog is no longer dealing with belly pain half the time.

With the chicken backs, you will probably have to go to a local butcher shop where they cut their own poultry to get them in bulk. Otherwise you can save them in your freezer from when you buy whole chickens for yourself (I buy whole chickens and cut them up. It saves money)

One downside to feeding the raw bones is that you will see wear on the chewing surfaces of the teeth.

The upside is that you will see nice, healthy teeth and much fresher breath.

My previous German Shepherd, who was a working dog (search and rescue) lived most of her life on a fully raw diet and made it to FOURTEEN years of age without ever needing her teeth cleaned.

The only dental work she ever required was a root canal on a cracked canine tooth and that happened as a result of accidentally grabbing a ring on a "sleeve" during attack work.

By the time she died she still had all her teeth though there was certainly noticeable wear on them.

 

[Nomad]

Thank you again...

She has an overbite...so I'm not exactly sure about the bones. Will give it some thought.

Guess what? The speciality shop gave me two premium dog foods to try. I just checked...on one package it lists yucca schidigera in the ingredients! Cool!

Donna...just saw your post! Many thanks for the info about the rice/green beans and the harness!!!!
Woo hoo...my doggie is going to be smelling pretty and looking good!

 

[GoingNorth]

Nomad, so long as the overbite isn't so bad that her back teeth don't meet at all, bones should be just fine.\

Even a little bit of raw (muscle) meat help clean the teeth due to the enzymes contained. You want to get very "tough" meat that is full of fibrous tissue and requires chewing.

If you have little dogs, another good bone is beef rib bones with the meat on them. If your dog has a weight problem you will want to trim off the fat on the backs of the ribs.

You absolutely want to stay away from the 'dentabones' and similar that are made of wheat gluten and the like. The dogs cannot digest them and many dogs can't handle the wheat (not to mention the concerns over contamination of wheat gluten used in pet foods)

If you can give me a bit more info on size of your dog and dental health, I might be able to help you further.

I worked part time as a "nurse" (technician) for a holistic vet in Germany for a few years and I learned a lot.

I've had a lot of dogs over the years and cared for many more, and I learned quite a bit