It is officially spring but we still have a lot of snow on the ground. I would say it will take about 2 more weeks until the snow is gone. We have had 3 days of above zero temperatures and the snow is indeed melting fast. My dog walking trails are still hard packed and I am only starting to punch through the snow here and there. The dogs who like to run beside the path are indeed punching through.
Ted was the first to do so and I thought he had really hurt himself as it was hard for him to get up. Two of his four legs went through the snow all the way to the top and two did not. I think he was stunned more than anything. He walked away with a limp and a small scrape on his toe but was back to himself by the next day.
One of my favorite things about winter is clean dogs. Yes on the colder days I have to spend a lot of time dressing and undressing the dogs who don’t have the coats for this climate. Some dogs (Tug the Bull Dog and Timber the Terrier) actually require long johns, a jacket and boots. But the amount of time I spend dressing dogs in winter is inconsequential in comparison to cleaning dirty dogs the rest of the year. And it is a clean job. No mud involved. Or smell.
When the snow is gone and the streams run freely, the swamps and ponds are there for swimming or just submerging in and the mud is just eveywhere to roll and run in that is a dirty time of year.
I literally spend hours every day hosing and wiping dogs down before they go back into their homes. Some dogs ie Golden Retreivers, White Standard Poodles and Border Collies who have lots of hair can be hosed and rubbed down with a towel and you would swear they haven’t been cleaned. I sometimes wish there was a mobile grooming service following the Dog Mobile to clean all the dogs before they head back into their homes.
So I will enjoy my last few days or weeks of clean dogs and a relatively clean dog mobile until the mud season is upon us.

Over the years of dealing with a lot of dogs it has become very apparent to me that the quality and kind of food you feed your dog directly affects their behaviour. Today I am going to discuss high protein/grain free dog foods which seems to be very trendy right now.

High protein dog food is meant to be fed to working dogs or dogs who exercize more than 3 hours a day. When it is fed to a dog who does not exercize that much it makes for an extra energetic dog. When it is fed to a breed that is already extra energetic such as a Labrador, Standard Poodle, Golden Retreiver, Border Collie or Australian Shepherd who is not exercizing 3+ hours a day you can end up with a Tasmanian Devil on your hands.

In fact some of these dogs have so much excess energy and they do not know how to channel it. As a result I actually think they feel uncomfortable. So they end up playing rough with other dogs, running away to get that extra exercize their body knows they need on their own and just misbehaving.

I had a lab client who was on a good quality meat/grain mix food and then switched to the high protein no grain food without telling me. It became very apparent that something had changed in this dogs life. He was hyper, unmanageable, agressive in the car with me and the other dogs as we drove to our walks, playing too rough with the other dogs on the walks and when I returned him home acting like he had never been walked. I talked to the owner to see what had changed. Had she stopped exercizing him morning and night or was there a food change. Turns out it was the food. So I requested he go back to his old food. He did and immediately he calmed down and was a lovable young lab again. He still hada lot of energy but he was controlled and happy.

About 2 months later he started exhibiting the same crazy behaviour and sure enough he had been put back on the high protein/no grain food. I had to explain to his owner that his behaviour was so disruptive to me and the group that I would not longer be able to walk him if he continued on that food. So he immediatly changed back to the other good quality lower protein/grain mix food and again he calmed down.

This is one example. I have seen this behaviour pattern frequently. I also realize a lot of breeders are recomending this high protein food when people are purchasing puppies. Exactly this happened when my parents got their Leonburger puppy a year ago. They thought her frenzied behaviour was normal puppy behaviour. When they switched to a lower protein food they still had an energetic puppy but she was no longer out of control.

If you have a dog on this food who is exhibiting some of the above mentioned behaviours I would recomend switching your dog over to a lower protein dog food for a month or two and make note of any behaviour changes. If after 2 months you are not convinced put your dog back on the high protein food and again make note of behaviour and energy changes.

There are plenty of good quality foods out there where the first ingredient is protein (ie fish,lamb,chicken) followed by a good quality grain (that is not just a filler like wheat gluten) that is good for your dog. So please before you put your dog on a high protein food examine his breed tendencies and your daily hours of exercize before choosing his food.

I would also go to a few reputable sellers of dog food ( I am not talking about the Vetrinarian’s office as they usually just push 1-2 brands whose ingredient list usually starts of with a low quality grain filler). Go somewhere where there is a big variety of dog food of good quality where the owners or employees are long term employees and know what they are talking about. Have a good discussion about your dog’s breed, energy level, exercize level etc and what food would best suite your dog.

Some manufacturers of high protein dog food such as Orijen also make a lower protein food such as Acana. Both high quality just different protein levels.

Locally I would recomend both Dog Elegance in Chelsea and Critter Jungle in Ottawa for such expertise. I would not recomend the chain pet food stores that are out there in abundance. Their employee turn over is usually high and true knowledge of dog food is usually quite low.

Some time ago I sent wrote a blog post about the plight of 2 street dogs in downtown Ottawa requesting some small donations to buy them winter coats and boots to help keep them warm.  It seems when a street or homeless person has a dog they are not allowed to take them into the shelters at night to warm up.  So dog and human brave the elements 24 hours a day.  We have had some incredibly cold days this winter and I know my dog can’t handle the cold without the help of winter boots and coat.  Wally’s owner Stephanie is working downtown and met 2 men and their dogs and contacted me about trying to help them out.

Well the response was overwhelmingly good.  Within 24 hours I was able to stop accepting donations because we had raised so much money.  First off I want to thank Vince who owns The Cyclery Bike store on Bank Street.  He immediately emailed me to say he would cover the cost of both jackets.  I did some calling around to pet shops and found that the jackets were rather expensive so we ended up purchasing Shedrow brand dog jackets at  Green Hawk which is an equestrian store that carries good quality and reasonably priced dog jackets.

In regards to the dog boots France who owns the pet shop in Chelsea Dog Elegance offered to give us the boots for less than cost which was incredibly generous.  We purchased the great winter boot made here in Canada called Muttluk.

Our youngest contributor to the fund was Evan at age 9 who is a family member of Terra’s. Bonnie’s owner put together a package for each of the dog’s owners that consisted of warm down vests, chocolates and some wet dog food.  Eddie’s owner also donated 2 big bags of Orijen Dog Kibble to feed the dogs.

Wally’s owner Stephanie delivered the jackets.  The first dog to receive her goods was Gerbil.  Steph said she couldn’t believe how fast the jacket was out of her hands and onto Gerbil’s back.  Gerbil and her owner were just estatic to receive the a warm winter coat.  Steph showed Gerbil’s owner how to put the boots on and on they went.  Steph said when she handed over the care package the man’s eye’s just lit up when he saw the chocolates.

It took a few days to track down the second dog who is named Muff and is a 13 year old Lab Mix.  Muff was a rescue dog who has spent most of his life living on the streets.  His original owner passed away 2 years ago and his best friend is now Muff’s continuous companion.  It was a really cold day when Muff  received his coat and he was really appreciative.  It turns out that Muff would not wear boots so he only took the coat and care package of clothes, food and chocolates.

So we have some surplus money and are on the  hunt for another dog in need of a coat.  We may now wait until next winter to find more dogs.  I have also been given some winter dog coats that other dogs have outgrown that we can pass on to street dogs in need.

When ever you are throwing out a used dog collar, coat, toy etc think about donating those items to either a dog rescue service or a street dog in need.  What we consider used is often something that would be really appreciated and needed by others less fortunate than our dogs.

Once again Thank you all for your generosity. We have made a huge difference in the lives of Gerbil and Muff. Steph gave me an update a few weeks after she delivered the coats and the dogs were still wearing them and warm.

It has come to my attention by way of Wally’s owner Stephanie that there are 2 homeless dogs living on the streets of Ottawa with their owners who are in need of some warm coats and possibly boots.  As we all know it has been terribly cold out there and these 2 dogs are shivering.  Stephanie has confirmed with the dogs owners that gifts of coats would be much appreciated and used by the dogs. Both these dogs are size large so if anyone happens to have  used large dog’s coats and boots that they would like to donate it would be much appreciated.  Otherwise if you can donate a small amount of money so that we can go out and purchase the coats that would be much appreciated.  If you can not  no worries.  We think we can get 2 Shedrow dog jackets for $70.  If we raise enough for winter boots that is just a bonus.  Any help is appreciated.

Today was incredibly cold day at -26c with the wind chill.  Many of the dogs I walk do have winter boots but many do not.  On a day like today it became apparent that many more do need to be wearing boots.  Some of the dogs were hopping on 3 feet as they held their coldest foot in the air for some relief only to have to lift another one up very quickly.    Other dogs that have the kind of hair between their toes that  collects ice spend a lot of their  time pulling the ice out and end up with bleeding feet.  Another concern ( not so much with the dogs I walk as we are in the forest) are dogs who walk on roads treated with salt.  The salt can cause burning lesions on the bottom of their feet and in between their toes not to mention when they lick their feet off after their walk the salt is really not very good for them.

I have tried a number of boots on dogs over the years and the hand`s down winner is Muttluks.  They have an elasticized cuff which you can roll down to make it easier to put the boot on your dog.  You pop the dog`s foot into the boot and then roll up the cuff.  If your dog has dew claws as mine does make sure the dew claw is pointing down and not up as this could be very painful.  Then cinch the velcro strap around the foot to tighten.  You do not want them so tight that they cut off circulation and not so loose that they fall off.

My dog Dot started out 3 years ago wearing Ruffwear boots which seemed incredibly durable but because they are so short they kept falling off.  I think the Muttluk`s tall cuff not only makes the boot warmer but easier to put on and stay on.  Dot has worn her Muttluk`s now every day in the winter for 3 seasons.  The foot part of the boot which has a reinforced leather sole as well as the cuff are still in tip top shape.  There is no wear and tear anywhere except the velcro straps are starting to fray a bit.  Another great feature is the velcro straps are reflective to help make your dog stand out at night.

One thing I did notice today is that 3 of the dogs I walk had Muttluk`s that were too small for them.  I think people are buying boots on the  small side  with the thought that it will help keep the boot on.  Unfortunately this is not so.  If you can manage to get a too small boot onto the dog they will fall off very quickly.  It actually hurts to put a too small boot on a dog so most dog`s are not going to let you do it and wearing boots them becomes a stressful and unenjoyable experience.  I recommend you take your dog with you to purchase the dog boots so you can try them on with the help of a sales person to get the right fit.

My dog is 70 pounds and wears a size large.  There is a little room to breath so on very cold days (since she is outside with me all day) I can put a pair of children`s size wool socks underneath the Muttluk.

I highly recommend this product for your dog`s winter warmth.  Every dog I walked today who was properly dressed in boots, coat or long johns (coat and long john product reviews up next) didn`t even notice how cold it was outside.  They just got on with the business of walking, running and playing with their friends.

Muttluks are available locally at Boutique Elegance and in the city at Critter Jungle.

http://www.boutiquedogelegance.com/home.html

http://www.muttluks.com/product_land.php

I bought these shoes in the fall from Boutique Burro Borracho for dog walking on the trails.  I needed something waterproof or strongly water resistant, not slippery on the wet rocks, fairly warm as I would be walking in temperatures as low as zero and sometimes lower.  Also very durable as I am walking on very technical terrain.  I walk through mud puddles,  rocks, trees and of course I have big dogs bouncing off my feet all day long.  So Boutique Burro Borracho who carry Teva’s recommended these and ordered them in especially for me.

I have to say in 8 years of dog walking on technical terrain in the forest these are my favorite shoes so far.  They measure up in every area above.  I think I even wore them when it was -7 with neoprene booties over my socks.  I just love them.  On rainy days my feet wouldn’t start to get damp until the very end of a day outside.

Today I wore them for a different purpose. We had a lot of snow overnight and I wanted to go out in my snowshoes and break trail to start packing it down for the dogs before Monday.  I wore my wonderfully warm Bridgadale socks which I wear every day in the winter.  Over this I wore some MEC Gore Tex socks and my Teva Pro Event Forge shoes.

My snowshoes are the Atlas Run snowshoes.  I used to wear my giant Atlas snowshoes but about 5 dogs can stand on the back of them so I purchased the Atlas Run Snowshoe.  I use them both for walking the dogs and snowshoe running.  They are light, small, easy to put on and I love them.

So off we went in the forest for our walk/snow shoe run and the Teva Pro Event Forge shoes were awesome.  My feet stayed dry and warm and it was -7c today.  I highly recomned these for both snowshoe runners and avid trail walker’s and hikers who are out there in every kind of weather.

Today I dropped by Suzie’s house to drop off a card for a dog physiotherapist for her.  Everytime Suzie goes for a long walk now she gets a really sore front shoulder.  She is only 10.5 years old and loves walking so it would be sad if she had to restrict her walking at such a young age.

Nutmeg had great success with a dog physiotherapist after her surgery where a large chunk of her front upper leg was removed due to cancer.  Well I should say she went about 6 months after the surgery where she had major complications and no physio and her leg shrunk, shortenend and she ended up with a club foot.  It became very difficult for her to walk and she was depressed.  As soon as she started working with a dog physiotherapist that all turned around and within a few short weeks she was doing long walks with the crew again.  So I hope this works for Suzie too.

Interestingly though I had Bonnie, Eddie and Gruffalow in the car with me as we had just finished a walk in the area.  Five years ago on Christmas Eve when Bonnie was just a wee little puppy she was dumped off in front of Suzie’s house.  Suzie’s family took her in but could not keep her as they had a 3 week old baby, a toddler, a dog and were shortly going to move to Vietnam.  So the wonderful Joanne who had a lovely dog named Buster at the time decided to adopt little Bonnie.

During today’s visit I said to Suzie’s owner and two children (one who was the 3 week old baby and is now five).  ”Would you like to see Bonnie who is all grown up and also five” I asked?.  So the father and children and as you have it the grandfather visiting from Red Deer, Alberta and who was also there that Christmas 5 years ago came out to the car to meet Bonnie.  Unbelievably Bonnie would not come out of the car.  I guess she remembers the place where she was dumped all those years ago.  Dogs do have amazing memories.  So everyone admired her from the door and remarked on what a beautiful dog she has turned into.  I of course felt horrible for making Bonnie feel so bad but who knew she would remember such a thing.

Gruffalow and Eddie were more than happy to get out and visit the children.  Gruffalow is named for a character in a children’s book that I have never read but these children had.  They thought that was a great name for a dog.  Then they got to meet Eddie who in addition to being Bonnie’s boyfriend is also Suzie’s boyfriend.  So far Eddie has only walked with Bonnie and Suzie separately so if they ever all walk together I don’t know how he will be able to continue to keep this a secret.

I always recomend getting a puppy when you are going to have 2-4 weeks off of work to stay home to train and just be with the puppy.  This is not an option for everyone.  The time will come when you have to start leaving the puppy alone at home.  These are a few of the things I have learned along the way.

1.  When leaving the house do not make a big production about how bad you feel as the dog will pick up on this.  Act calm and use the same departure word every day so that the puppy knows you are leaving.  The word  could be good-bye, work or whatever you deem appropriate.

2.  Leave the radio on during the day.  I have found that CBC is the most popular station listened to by dogs during the day.  It may be that the large quantity of talking is soothing or the dogs are genuinly interested in the array of subjects covered over time.

3.  Buy some small kongs and put healthy dog treats inside followed by either natural peanut butter or apple sauce.  I emphasize the natural part as you do not want to be giving your puppy sugar.  Just peanuts or applepuree.  Then freeze the kongs.  When you leave for work give this to the puppy and it could take 1-2 hours for the puppy to get through the frozen peanut butter and into the treats.  That is 1-2 hours that the puppy is not thinking about the fact he/she is alone and you are not there.  If you are coming home for a mid-day walk and toilet break have another kong in the freezer for the puppy for when you leave a second time.

4.  Leave some toys that are safe for the puppy to chew on and occupy themselves with,but can not swallow or in any way hurt themselves with.

5.  When you do come home I go back to point 1. and stay calm.  Don’t get all exited and let the puppy jump all over you.  That is a behaviour you will not want when the dog is bigger.  Also in the exitement of greeting a puppy may lose control and pee.  This can actually then become  a learned behaviour where they think a happy greeting means it is time to pee anywhere anytime.  Don’t say a word but take the puppy immediatley outside to do their business.  Once this is done then greet the dog.

6. A puppy well exercized in the morning and evening and hopefully mid-day will not mind being left on their own.  They will just need to sleep.

On New Year’s Eve in Gleneagle there were fireworks set off  in celebration.   The result was a neighbours dog out to do her business before bed got spooked and fled. This was just before midnight and the dog was black so you can imagine the difficulty in locating her. Just shy of 48 hours after her disappearance she was found by Wally the Black Standard Poodle and his owners trapped in the porch of the Official Residence of the Speaker of the House of Commons. She had gone in probably looking for shelter and the door closed behind her.

So as Wally and his family were out for their evening walk they heard barking and found poor Lillie. Luckily they new who she was due to a large email and social network campaign that had been launched to alert people of her plight. I would guesstimate that Lillie was found 12-15 kilometers from where she disappeared. So she travelled far through both forest and developed areas and crossed many roads to get there. She dodged many bullets to stay safe I would say. The end result of this story is great.  The dog is fine and she is home with her family.
I have heard of many other instances where dogs have been spooked by fireworks and run away. Right here in my own neighbourhood a dog was hit by a car and killed while fleeing from the sound of fireworks.  Our dear friend Kali was enjoying time on a outdoor patio with her family when fireworks spooked her.  She disappeared North and was gone all night but showed up at her Aunt’s house in the morning.
So I ask people when you are going to light fireworks at home please inform your neighbours so that they can protect their animals. People with animals also must think about dates like St. Jean Baptiste, Canada Day, Independence Day and New Year’s Eve where there may be fireworks and take precautions with their pets.  This has nothing to do with Fireworks but every year for Halloween I make sure all my cats are in the house all day and night due to the large number of people moving about and I make sure my dog can not slip out the front door as trick or treaters come and go.

I would also like to let everyone know that a second dog  (young male German Shepherd) that I had notified everyone about has also been reunited with his family.  This dog also came from GlenEagle and was away from home for 48 hours.  Tessa and Sneug’s owner found him in the forest behind Larrimac but because he had no collar and tags it took that long for the owner and the dog to re-unite.  I understand Tessa and Sneug really enjoyed his company for the 48 hours they took care of him.

Our friends, Rod and Linda, have a 7 year old black lab named Lillie who spooked at fireworks last night on Summerlea just off of Gleneagle Road. It happened around 11:55 pm. Lillie took off down the road and hasn’t been seen since. She wasn’t wearing a collar, as she was just out quickly to do her business before going back in the house but unfortunately it wasn’t before the fireworks went off.

If you see or hear of a dog matching Lillie’s description, please call Rod and Linda at 819-827-0727