Does your pet eat better than you?

p.s. Almost 13 years old and still killing it! #QueenMorkie

If you are a pet parent and use social media, odds are you've been served up an ad at some point in time for a company that offers home delivery of fresh pet food. From The Farmer's Dog to Nom Nom Now, getting healthy, ready-to-serve meals from your pet is now easier than ever. With recipes that are prepared with human-grade ingredients and less preservatives/artificial stuff, there's no question in our mind that these businesses are ushering in a new area of pet dining!

While we are HUGE fans of serving Paddy food that is less processed, we have yet to find a service that meets our needs. Since she's so tiny, getting weekly or bi-weekly deliveries is a little bit overkill - especially as the portion sizes they recommend are way too much for our 7lb doggy. We did stumble up on Grocery Pup, which offers a la carte 3lb bag options, but we've got to figure out the freezer storage situation first (plus $70 is a lot for 6lbs of food).

Do you have a pet food delivery service that you love? We would love our readers to share any recommendations that they may have.

An Interview with Cesar Millan, Star of Cesar 911

Big news!! We recently had the opportunity to participate in a Q&A with dog behavioral expert Cesar Millan- yes, THE DOG WHISPERER. While we are huge fans of his shows, we have been DYING to ask him about how to try and solve some of Paddington's occasional problems. With the second season of Cesar's Nat Geo WILD show Cesar 911 premiers on Friday, February 27th, we were thrilled that Cesar could take some time to share his advice with us.

It's not something we often talk about on this blog, but Paddy is NOT a huge walker - we can be literally walking down the street and she'll stop in her tracks and refuse to move forward. We've tried bringing treats and all kinds of tricks, but once she stops... she's not going anywhere. Since we've also seen other small dogs do this while out, we asked Cesar for his advice as to what might be going on.

Question: Our dog while walking on a leash will sometimes stop in the middle of the sidewalk for no reason at all. We've tried to figure out why this happens (more often than not we're alone - there aren't any other people/cars/animals around), and would love some tips for making walking a more enjoyable experience for our dog. 

The first thing to look at is your dog’s body language when she freezes. Is she focused intently on something and alert? Then she has probably noticed something that you can’t see or hear — remember, a dog’s main sense organ is its nose, and they can detect dogs, people, or other animals that are too far away for you to see. If this is why she is freezing, then you should be able to easily redirect her attention and get her moving again.

However, if when she freezes she shows signs of fear, like hunched posture, tail between the legs, and shaking, then she has made some association with something in the area and a bad experience. It’s important when a dog freezes in fear to not try to force them to move forward but also to not try to comfort them with affection. Before you can rehabilitate the behavior, though, you will need to figure out what it is in the environment that is making her do this. Has she ever had a traumatic experience on the walk, for example?

Finally, if Paddy is showing neither alertness nor fear but still stops on the walk, have your vet check her out to see whether there are any physical issues causing the behavior.

Our second question actually was inspired by the fact we often tune into Cesar's show on Nat Geo WILD. While it's great that Paddy has amazing vision, she often will start barking when she spies another dog or animal on TV. Thus, we asked Cesar for some tips on how to discourage her from doing this and allow us to watch Cesar 911 in peace.

Question: Our dog will occasionally bark at the television. How do we get her to stop? 

Immediate correction when the behavior happens, and consistency in providing it. If your dog is showing an unwanted behavior, you have to give the correction every time, and you have to do it as soon as the dog starts the behavior. You also need to be aware of how the behavior developed. A lot of times, a dog will do something like bark at a cat on TV and, the first few times, the humans find it funny, so they’ll laugh and talk to the dog. Unfortunately, when you do this, you’re telling the dog, “Keep doing that,” until it becomes an annoying misbehavior. That’s why, when you start working to eliminate the behavior, you have to be consistent and patient, because now you’re trying to teach the dog to not do something that you originally taught it unintentionally.

Hopefully you found this advice as helpful as well. A huge, special thank you to Cesar for sharing his insight and tips! 

For even more great pieces of advice and amazing stories make sure to tune into Cesar 911 on Fridays at 9/8 Central. Nat Geo is also running a 2-hour special that was filed at the Palms Casino Resort as part of Cesar's world tour - Cesar Millan Viva Las Vegas!, which will be airing on Friday, February 20th at 9/8 Central.

5 Tips for a PAWSOME Photo Shoot!

Today, we were invited to take part in a very special shoot for an upcoming issue of Pup Culture Magazine! We got to catch up with old friends and also make some new ones that we're excited to introduce you to in the near future. Anyway, prepping for today got us thinking about advice for making the most out of a photo shoot, so here we go:

Paddy on set with her snacks.

1. WATER. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! We packed one of our handy Aqua Pure Breed waters and made sure to bring an extra backup bottle that we could refill the dish with. While there are some nice portable dispensers, typically we find it hard to convince Paddy to drink out of anything that isn't bowl shaped. Also, if you have a small dog, disposable cups typically won't work since they're too deep. Another good alternative would be to save a shallow takeout container with a lid if you can't get your hands on any pre-packaged waters.

2. BREAKS. Just like people, dogs have varying attention spans. Paddy can go for about 5-10 minutes of photos before needing a quick breather. Make sure that your dog isn't getting too stressed out by giving them a chance to relax off the set. We packed a small ball for Paddy which we threw for her during breaks to keep her entertained and give her a nice break from posing. In addition to play breaks, all that hydration and excitement might mean more regular bathroom breaks than normal.

3. TOYS. Does your dog have a favorite toy? Make sure to pack a few items that will get your dog's attention behind the camera. While squeaky/noisy toys often get ears to perk in a way that is oh-so-adorable, we find that anything with noise is going to make Paddy break the pose she's holding. We typically bring one of Paddy's favorite toys or a little tennis ball to get her to look at the camera.

4. SNACKS. Low-calorie training treats make for great photo shoot snacks. We brought with us Blue Buffalo Bits Training Treats which are soft and easy to break into smaller morsels. Don't reward your dog after ever photo--use your judgment, otherwise the snack you have on hand will quickly become boring/expected. We also bring a VERY high value snack (little bits of Pupperoni), just in case. It also helps to make sure your dog does not eat/snack 2-3 hours before the shoot. If they're full, they're going to be less likely to want to work for the treats.

5. HAVE FUN! The more relaxed you are, the more relaxed your dog is going to be. Things may not go perfectly, your dog may have absolutely no interest in what's going on, but getting frustrated will only make them less likely to listen. Stay calm and use a friendly tone of voice-- the more rewarding and positive the experience they have, the more they'll be into it in the future. We use lots of positive reinforcement (treats, pats, verbal encouragement), and always try to make sure Paddy is having fun on set.

We hope that these tips were helpful and that you'll share them with friends! Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes details of our shoot! and make sure to follow Pup Culture Magazine on Facebook for info about their Fall issue.

Hot Dog in the City

It has been HOT HOT HOT in the city, and with no sign of the heat letting up, it's important to remember how these temperatures affect your pup, especially if you live in a concrete jungle like NYC. Love this graphic from Healing Springs Animal Hospital via the Paw Prints Magazine Facebook page that explains how hot the sidewalk feels to your doggy's paws:

How do you take care of your pooch's paws when the sidewalks are steamy? We've seen some folks opt for the booties and also heard great things about Musher's Secret Paw Protectant, but would love to hear how you help your dog handle the heat!

Pet Dental Health Month & @Petco!

Yup, it's National Pet Dental Health Month and we're continuing with the Public Service Announcement posts 'cause it's super important you take care of your pup's pearly whites! Did you know that an astonishing 80 percent of cats and dogs are effected by Periodontal Disease? IN addition to making your pet's breath smell RANK, it also can cause other serious health problems.

Luckily for all of those brushing newbies, Petco is helping proactive pet parents take care of their dog or cat's dental health by providing national FREE oral health seminars on February 11-12. The events, which are sponsored by Greenies, NutriDent and TropiClean, will demonstrate how to prevent dental plaque and tartar with daily home care. In addition, qualified Petco employees will teach pet parents about the importance of oral health, as well as provide free dental care information that will keep pets smiling from ear to ear.

Not a bad deal, right? Head to your local Petco for more details, or visit their website to get more information about events near you. 

Pet Dental Health Month!

Happy February/Pet Dental Month! That's right! It's an entire month dedicated to pet dental hygiene! Woot woot!

In addition to brushing once a week, we always make sure our cupboard is stocked with treats that will taste good and help to get rid of tartar. 

To get the month off to a good start, we asked Brad Kriser, owner of Kriser's all-natural pet store and doggy brushing advocate for some helpful tips when it comes to keep your pup's smile sparkly and clean.

Help! How do I get into the hard-to-reach places of your dog’s mouth, especially if they’re tiny like Paddington:

There are many ways that pet parents can get into those hard to reach places.  There are toothbrushes that are smaller in size that can be used for the smaller dogs. The finger brush can be good as they might be more likely to allow your finger in their mouth rather than a toothbrush.

If brushing is not an option then I recommend using a dental supplement/spray such as PetzLife Spray. You can also use the PetzLife Gel; it can be placed on a doggie cookie and when chewed up, it will get the enzymatic gel all over the mouth.

In addition to brushing, what oral-hygiene treats do you recommend? 
The dental treats that we recommend first and foremost are raw bones. We also like natural chews such as bully sticks for helping to clean the teeth.  The next items are dental chews such as Zukes or Terrabone chews.

Thanks Brad for the insights!

How often you brush your pup's teeth? Tell us about their dental habits! 

Expert Tips for Fighting Fleas

http://fuffer.wordpress.com/tag/bugs/

With Halloween right around the corner, we've got a post on the scariest thing we could think of: FLEAS.

EEEE!

Though we like to think of ourselves as pretty seasoned when it comes to doggy ailments and issues, nothing makes our skin crawl like the thought of fleas! Fortunately, we had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Lynn Buzhardt, who's leading flea education on behalf of Novartis Animal Health/Sentinel's new flea prevention program.

What are the tell-tale signs that my dog has fleas?
There are several ways to tell your dog has fleas. You may actually see an adult flea on your dog’s coat, especially if your dog has light-colored or short fur. Fleas tend to stay close to the skin and scurry around a lot. Adult fleas are often found over the lower back, around the face and under the belly.

If you don’t spy an adult flea, however, it doesn’t mean your dog is flea-free. You may find evidence elsewhere that fleas have invaded. Fleas consume your pet’s blood for a meal, and eliminate the digested blood (i.e., flea poop) on the coat. Digested blood will appear as tiny black specks. To confirm that these specks are dried blood, place a few on a damp paper towel. When moistened, the dried blood will turn from black to brownish-red.

In addition to suffering itchy discomfort, some pets can become allergic to flea saliva and develop flea allergy dermatitis, the most common skin disease in dogs. In severe cases, a pet may even become anemic from blood loss. Some fleas may also carry tapeworm eggs that can infect a pet if accidentally swallowed by the pet while grooming itself.
 
If my dog has a flea bite, does this mean we've got an infestation?
Although one flea bite does not always mean you have a flea infestation, remember that adult fleas reproduce rapidly, so an infestation may not be far off. An adult female flea can lay up to 2,000 eggs during her lifetime.  (Barzkilla Note: EWWW!) As soon as adult fleas take a blood meal from your pet, they are ready to reproduce. If there are adult fleas on your dog, you may safely assume that you have a potential infestation in your home. By the time you see one flea, you could have already spent months living with an infestation of eggs and maggot-like larvae. Visible adult fleas represent only 5 percent of the flea population. The other 95 percent hide in your home in the form of eggs, maggot-like larvae and pupae. Eggs and larvae are usually found in areas where the dog rests, such as your sofa, bed or rugs. To prevent flea infestations, fleas must be controlled in the home as well as on the dog.

What's the best way to get rid of fleas?
The best way to rid your home of fleas is to use a dual approach. Contact a professional exterminator about treating the premises. In-home extermination should focus on upholstered furniture, rugs and carpeting. Vacuum all floors prior to home treatment and check with your professional exterminator to see when it is best to vacuum following the treatment. If your pet sleeps in your bed, wash sheets and pillowcases in hot water and regular laundry detergent. Vacuum the mattress and consider buying new pillows.

Be sure to treat the dog’s environment outside as well. Remove underbrush from trees and rake leaves where fleas and ticks lurk. When spraying the yard for fleas, concentrate on the areas where your pet spends most of his time. Eggs and larvae will likely be shed in the spots where he lies down.

Speak to your veterinarian about treating your pet. Your pet’s doctor will prescribe medications to kill the adult fleas and to break the flea’s life cycle, thus preventing future generations of fleas. Use an insect growth regulator (IGR) such as SENTINEL® (milbemycin oxime/lufenuron) Flavor Tabs® to stop future stages of the flea life cycle. Be sure to read the label carefully before administering.
 
Can my dog get fleas all year round?
Waiting too long to use preventive treatments before flea and tick season comes around could be dangerous for your dog. Fleas are very hardy parasites and can survive climate extremes. While they prefer warm, humid environments, they can endure dry, hot summers and cold, wet winters. Fleas can go 100 days without a meal. A monthly tablet like SENTINEL Flavor Tabs combines flea prevention with heartworm and internal parasite protection, offering an easy way to keep your pet and home safe year-round.

To learn more about flea control and to locate a veterinarian near you, visit www.sentinelpet.com. Dogs should be tested for heartworm prior to use. In a small percentage of treated dogs, digestive, neurologic and skin side effects may occur. For full product information, go to www.sentinelpet.com. 

We hope you find all of this info and advice helpful-- we sure did! While prevention is definitely the way to go, being able to address one of our phobias with an expert did make us feel more prepared in case we ever have to fight a flea infestation. Thanks Dr. Buzhardt!