Labrador Retriever Dogs Blog

Max (official name Amalthea Nais Bond) is a new born (20th January of 2010) male yellow Labrador. His parents Oscar (official name Amalthea Nais Jack Daniels), a black Labrador, and Avalance (official name Amalthea Nais Avalance), a yellow Labrador, have an excellent pedigree, superb temperament and a true labrador retriever nature. We are proud to own little Max and we are happy to share his accomplishments with you.

Ear infections in dogs ears can be very painful and serious, and should be treated immediately by a veterinarian, not ourselves.

How do we know if our dog has an ear infection?

By doing a regular inspection of our dogs ears will be the first step. Be familiar with his ears; know the typical smell, as that may be the first sign of something wrong. If there is an infection or ear mites, the smell may change, a foul odor is very typical of mites or infection. And if you see a dark, waxy type discharge, then this is another symptom of mites or infection. Either way, your dog needs to be checked and treated.

Even if you suspect, it may be something as simple as allergies, it would be better to be safe than sorry and let your loving dog suffer. They depend on you for their care and they have total trust in you. So when you think of it that way, you want to do everything in your power to make sure they stay healthy and happy.

The breeds with the longer floppy ears are going to be more prone to ear infections to those that have the upright ears. I have a black lab and a Chihuahua, ears of each kind. And I always watch for their behavior when it comes to their ears. When they are healthy, they leave them alone, but if there is pain, or discharge, they will paw at them or try to scratch. Dogs will also shake their head back and forth as if trying to shake something out of their ears.

How can you prevent ear infections?

Between normal checkups check your dogs ears on a regular basis. When you are playing with him or her, just casually look in the ears; it doesn’t need to be a form of trauma for them. Another good time is when you are bathing your dog. Never, ever stick anything in your dog’s ear. It is always a better idea to see your vet when it comes to anything to do with this very fragile part of your pet’s body. Their ears are not like ours, they are very sensitive and have parts that can easily be touched and damaged.

There is one method that a vet will recommend for the owner to do. If you sense a foul smell, or something has changed, you may want to flush your dog’s ear with warm water. There are ear washes for dogs that contain Tea Tree Oil; this is very gentle and very effective in cleaning the ears. It is a natural antiseptic, antibacterial and fungicidal, which will help to keep your dog’s ears clear and infection free.

Make your dogs ears a part of your routine, whether bathing or when sitting quietly with him. Give your dog the care that he or she needs and can’t do for him or herself. They can’t tell when something is wrong; it is our job to make sure they are well and carefree.

Just as a dogs life should be!

I was recently in a social setting where I was asked about my dog, Rocco. Rocco is my Rottweiler who has undergone extensive protection dog training. We were engrossed in a discussion about his training and capabilities when we were overheard by another person.

“Oh, you shouldn’t train your dog to do that stuff. That makes them vicious,” was her statement injected into our conversation. I was initially a bit taken-aback and annoyed; not only was her comment unsolicited but it was based on a lack of knowledge. As I thought about it more, however, I came to realize that this is a common style of thinking. There are many misconceptions about protection dogs and protection dog training. Let me dispel some of the myths of protection dogs and talk about protection dog training at its root to combat some of the more prevalent misinformation.

First, let me do a bit of defining. There are many terms thrown around that are often interchanged incorrectly.

Attack Dog- A poorly trained, typically anti-social, and fearful creature. Ineffective except for looking tough.

Guard Dog- A dog that is trained to guard an area. Guard dogs are often used on estates, warehouses, or open areas that need guarding. Guard dogs may or may not be good with people and may or may not have obedience training.

Police Patrol Dog- A dog that is trained to work chasing down criminals. They are trained to be used on the offensive.

Protection Dog- A dog that is trained to be used first and foremost as a defensive deterrent. A protection dog is trained to show aggression on command and turn off on command. A protection dog is trained to attack on command or if the aggressor is not deterred by the show of aggression. A protection dog has high levels of obedience training.

So now let me return to the original statement. Does training a protection dog make him vicious? I understand why many people would assume this. After all, you are training a dog to show aggression, bite a person, and do what is necessary to combat a human. Protection dog training does not, however, make a dog vicious.

There are several styles and methods for protection dog training. At its root, however, there are two instincts, or drives, that protection dog trainers harness time and time again to achieve results. Let’s examine them.

Prey Drive

Prey drive is a drive that most dogs possess, not just protection dogs. A Labrador retriever chases a tennis ball because of prey drive. The local mongrel chases a car because of prey drive. Essentially, prey drive is a dog’s desire to chase and capture a fast moving object. Nothing vicious about it. A good protection dog trainer will harness this drive to teach a puppy to chase a rag. As the puppy grows older he graduates from a rag to a tug. From a tug the trainer teaches the dog to bite a sleeve or a dog training bite suit. All the while the training is approached as a game. As a fun way to use energy and satisfy drive. Basically, the decoy, or guy wearing the bite suit or sleeve, is not viewed as a ‘bad guy’ but as a partner in a fun game. As training progresses, a good trainer will train the dog to discount the presence of equipment and view the person as the prey object. All of this training is done on command only. As training progresses the dog is taught to only respond when he hears the dog training command from his owner. This ensures for safety and control.

Defense Drive

All creatures have some sort of defense mechanism. Dogs have three ways of dealing with an aggressor: fight, flight, or avoidance. In protection dog training a good trainer will utilize a dog’s defense drive to build on what he has learned with prey drive. The trainer will show the dog that in certain situations a person is a threat and can be dealt with using the skills taught in prey drive. In this way, prey drive and defense drive work together. In essence, a dog is taught that when given a command that the aggressor is a real threat and he should use his skills to fight the threat. As with prey drive these skills are taught only under command and with high levels of control and safety.

There are not many dogs capable of this level of training. A dog that can accomplish this is a strong and very confident dog. This level of confidence is what often makes protection dogs safe and good with people. They are so confident that they don’t view people as threats unless told to under command by their owner. Protection dog training often bolsters this confidence as these dogs learn the power that they have and their innate abilities.

So are these dogs vicious? Absolutely not. Their natural drives have merely been harnessed to teach them new skills. I like to compare a well trained protection dog with a well trained soldier. Is a soldier more of a danger because of his training? Many would argue that he or she isn’t. The advanced levels of training turn a soldier into a person who is extremely confident. A soldier is capable of being a loving and caring family member in one setting and tool of battle in another. Just because a soldier is capable of using weapons under one setting does not make that person ‘vicious’.

Confidence is the opposite of fear. Fear is what causes many problems both in dog and human alike. When you combine the confidence and high levels of control in a well trained protection dog, I contend that you have a dog that is safe to be around and definitely not vicious.

Alamogordo police logs
A 17-year-old female and a 15-year-old female were referred to the Juvenile Probation and Parole Office for alleged shoplifting from Walmart pursuant to an ongoing investigation initiated on Feb. 22. Both were released to their guardians.

Read more on Alamogordo Daily News

Dogs 101 Labrador Retriever

Wanted: A place for a puppy who will change a life
Helping Paws , a service dog training organization in the Twin Cities, needs more volunteer foster homes soon to train service dogs.

Read more on KARE 11 Minneapolis-St. Paul

A great Agility training with Timmy the Labrador Retriever! He has got so much power! Please pose nice comments and subscribe =) Love u :-* bye

Dogs suffer from ear problems all too often. Is your pet shaking his or her head a lot? Or maybe scratching away at the ears with its paw? This could well be a sign of an ear infection. The good news is that you can treat most ear infections with home remedies. Dog ear mites can be eradicated with the details shown in this article.

Ear infections are most commonly caused by microscopic ear mites. They are tiny parasitic arachnids that feed on the capillaries in your pet’s ear. Invisible to the naked eye, they irritate the tender skin which then causes inflammation. Wax production increases and builds up in the narrowed ear canal and can cause blockages. No wonder they start shaking their heads!

The best way to treat the ear infection is with a herbal remedy that will help to clear the ear canal, soothe the inflammation and restore the balance of healthy bacteria.

Follow these instructions to apply:

Tilt his head to the side, lift the ear flap and add a few drops of the solution to fall into the ear canal. Hold the ear flap down and massage gently. Wipe any excess away. He’s going to want to shake his head afterwards so let him before repeating on the other ear. Wipe the ear flap clean with cotton wool. Don’t put anything inside the ear canal as you’re likely to do some serious damage. Please don’t use Q-tips or cotton buds.

If you have any other pets in the house, they all need to be treated too. Ear mites are very contagious and are often picked up from other animals. This is the most likely source of the infection.

Prevention must be a part of any home remedies. Dog ear mites can be kept at bay by taking a holistic approach to your dog’s health.

Make sure they have a good nutritious diet. Dogs should be groomed regularly and checked for any skin issues. Bathe your dog once every couple of months. Keep dog bedding clean and regularly washed. You can also use a maintenance dose of the herbal ear infection treatment if your dog suffers frequently from ear mites.

In summary, if your dog is shaking his or her head, then it’s a sign that there could be something wrong with their ears. Ear mites are the most common culprit. This is really uncomfortable for your pet so please take action straight away. If you follow the steps above you will be able to prevent and treat most dog ear infections yourself.

After starting a business focused on healthy dog products Distinctive Dog (www.distinctivedog.com), a new world opened up regarding the state of dog nutrition and what manufacturers do not tell consumers.

There is much debate when it comes to dog food, treats and pet nutrition. In the wild, dogs inherently hunted and consumed animals and plants. Their digestive systems were designed to break down raw meat while the enzymes present in the meat aided the digestion process.

Today, most domesticated dogs eat processed kibble containing primarily grains and refined protein sources. Once the meat source is removed, the remaining ingredients are mostly unnatural for the pet. Wheat, barley, rice, corn and oats are all man-raised crops that a dog would never eat in the wild. So how have dogs adapted to a diet consisting mostly of grains and processed protein sources?

To begin with, dogs are highly allergy prone animals. Wheat, corn, soy and barley are common culprits of allergies in dogs. The most interesting factor here is that most of these substances are not contained in the dog’s natural food chain.

Corn is an inferior protein source and some experts contend that the dog’s liver must work overtime to extract useable protein, which in the process produces excess nitrates. These nitrates place extra strain on the liver and as some veterinarians will say, is one cause of premature aging.

Wheat, soy, barley and white rice have very little nutritional value and are used by manufacturers to squeeze more profit out of their products. As a fun experiment, place your dog’s dry food in water for about 10 minutes.  If it swells dramatically, it probably contains high amounts of these grains.

There are a variety of theories on the affects of processed dog food and dog treats on our pets. Veterinarian John B. Symes writes and speaks on the affects of gluten, casin from cow’s milk, corn and soy on otherwise healthy dogs. He is a “recovered” celiac and believes these substances are blocking nutrient absorption during the dog’s digestion process.

Many of these ingredients are used as filler in commercial dog food and when mixed with water, create a sticky substance. Symes points out that the dog’s digestive tract is not designed to break down these materials and the resulting partially-digested sticky material coats the intestines, blocking absorption of essential nutrients.

“Imagine that a German shepherd puppy begins eating a wheat, barley, corn, or soy-based diet from the moment it is weaned. If inadequate levels of calcium and vitamin C are absorbed, what are the chances that its hips, elbows, spine, and other cartilaginous structures are going to form properly? I would say “Not good”. Most people familiar with dogs know that this breed has a reputation for horrible hip dysplasia. But, they also have serious allergies and other immune-related disorders. This, of course, is no coincidence. Once it is understood that the allergies form in the area of the gut that is being damaged or coated by the ‘glue’, it is easy to see why the trouble breeds like the German Shepherd, Cocker Spaniel, Shih Tzu, and others have their ‘genetic’ tendencies such as allergic skin and ear problems, orthopedic abnormalities, intervertebral disc ruptures, and cancers,” contends Symes.

Another way dog food and treat manufacturers cut costs is through the protein sources. Most dog foods contain protein sources labeled as “meal”, “digest” or “by-product”. These ingredients contain meat sources that are deemed unsuitable for human consumption. Rendering plants process dead animal and other matter for animal feed, and yes pet food. With virtually no government regulation, these often contaminated protein sources pass as our dog’s dinner.

One regulation on the books was written in the National Research Council’s 1974 publication, The Nutrient Requirement of Dogs. It states that all mammals (except humans) are legally allowable “meat” for rendering as long as they are not decayed. Some states have passed an additional standard excluding dying, dead, disabled, or diseased tissues.

Deborah Lynn Dadd in her book The Nontoxic Home and Office: Protecting Yourself and Your Family form Everyday Toxins and Hazards states, “Each year about 116,000 mammals and nearly 15 million birds are condemned before slaughter. After killing, another 325,000 carcasses are discarded and more than 5.5 million major parts are cut away because they are determined to be diseased. Shockingly, 140,000 tons of poultry is condemned annually, mainly from cancer. The diseased animals that cannot be sold are processed into animal feed.

Now, there is no way to substantiate the claims but I do know that there is no real way to truly know what these ingredients actually contain. In addition, the food is processed at extremely high temperatures during the rendering process which kills much of the nutritional value that may have been present.

When we begin to examine our dog’s diet, one only wonders why dogs are prone to allergies and health issues. William D. Cusick, author of Canine Nutrition & Choosing the Best Food for Your Dog states that nations with generations of dogs raised on commercial pet food have experienced canine longevity decreases up to 50 percent. In addition they have recorded increases in cancers, reproductive complications and other health issues. Hypothesized reasons include environmental pollution, pesticides, vaccinations, urbanization, fluoridated water and commercial pet food.

Cusick furthers his point by stating that in identical environments, humans have increased life expectancy while dogs have decreased. Moreover, in countries where commercial dog food is unavailable these decreases have not been documented. This point cannot be overstated. It points to the dire need for structured research to substantiate the empirical evidence and governmental regulation within the pet food industry.

Today there is no way to concretely determine the health consequences of commercial dog food and grain based diets. As a result of these concerns, many people choose to feed their dogs a Bones and Raw Food diet (BARF). These holistic diets provide a diet closest to what dogs eat in the wild. Our pet’s stomachs are designed to process raw meat and they receive live enzymes not present in cooked food.

Another option is home cooked meals. This can be a tricky option because some human food can be toxic for our pets. A good book on the subject is Home-Prepared Dog & Cat Diets: the Healthful Alternative by Dr. Donald Strombeck. Dog nutrition is different than human nutrition, so I recommend you check with your veterinarian before considering either a BARF or home-prepared diet.

At the very minimum, read and understand pet food labels and ingredients. Ingredient labels are listed in order of quantity. Locate products with minimal levels of wheat or wheat by-products, corn, soy or barley. These are fillers that can adversely affect your dog’s digestive system and if your dog is allergic, they can cause itchy and flakey skin, dull coat and hair loss. These grains should never be listed as the primary ingredient in your dog’s food. Also, understand protein sources and ensure that the protein sources you are providing your pet are high quality and not from rendered sources.

As a general rule of thumb, do not look for quality pet food at your local grocery store or pet store chain.  Specialty pet stores often have greater expertise and can help you find the right food for your pet. If you are looking for healthy dog treats, many companies including Distinctive Dog Bakery (www.distinctivedog.com), offer home baked dog treats free from wheat gluten, soy, corn and other harmful ingredients.

Lastly, consider supplementing your dog’s diet with enzymes and probiotics. Probiotics are friendly bacteria that help in digestion and the absorption of nutrients. They prevent harmful bacteria from growing and causing problems including gas, diarrhea and vomiting. Enzymes help complement probiotics during the digestion process. Adding an enzyme-probiotic mix to your dog’s diet can improve digestion, create better hair coats and increase immune function.

A lot of people have pets and most have either a cat or a dog. Pets are more common in the households of older people and as the large baby boomer generation grows older, it will lead to a substantial increase in the pet population. For many baby boomers, getting a pet later in life will present some unexpected challenges. Especially if the pet of choice is a dog. A cat is in general much easier to have than a dog. However, many people prefer a dog because it is loyal and, as we all know, man’s best friend.

However, more so than cats, dogs should be properly trained. Not that dogs are inherently bad, but they become very enthusiastic and they will take over your house and your life, if not trained.

Dogs are pack animals. They need structure and above all they need a leader. For you and your dog to have a good life together you must be the leader and training the dog will get you there.

The are a number of options you should know before you embark on a dog training program. Dog training is offered everywhere, at many different prices and of many different types.

One type of dog training is known as puppy preschool. This is a dog training course meant for puppies that are about 6 weeks to 5 months old. These puppy preschool classes generally last for no more than 6 to 8 weeks. In these training sessions, your puppy is essentially taught how to socialize with people and as well as other puppies. Here your puppy also begins to learn how to sit down, stay at a place, and how to come.

A second type of dog training course is meant for the dogs that are at least 5 months old. This type of dog training is known as the basic dog training. The duration of these classes is usually about 8 to 10 weeks. This is the basic course, where your dog is taught the art of walking properly on a leash, sitting, staying, coming and heeling.

The third type of dog training course is known as the intermediate dog training. This dog training aims at teaching the dog mostly the same things that are taught in the basic training course, in a more detailed form. Here the dog is trained to stay for a longer span of time, and is also taught to follow the orders given by other people.

The intermediate dog training generally lasts for about 8 to 10 weeks, and is meant for those that are no less than 5 months old. It is essential for the dog to have completed its basic dog training course, or to be accustomed to the basic commands that could have been taught by the owner.

The next type of training course is known as the advanced dog training course. Here, once again, the course is quite similar to its previous one, i.e., the intermediate dog training course, except for the fact that this time it is more detailed. Here, the dog is taught how to sit even without you in the view.

This training course is about 8 to 10 weeks long, and is meant for those that have completed their intermediate training. Here, they are also trained to walk beside their owners without a leash. Moreover, it gradually prepares the dog to take the Canine Good Citizen training course.

The Canine Good Citizen training for dogs is the last course. To pass this course, your dog will be taught the 10 necessary aspects.

This course is strictly meant for those dogs that have completed all the previous courses. The test is quite tough and can only be passed if the dog is really well behaved. Depending on whether your dog can pass, the course can last for several weeks.

Keeping this information in mind, you should be able to decide the dog training course best suited for your dog. However, you may seek the opinion of your local dog trainers to know more. Many trainers consult for free. So now you should be at least a step closer to introducing your dog into a training course!