Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

Measuring Your Dog’s Intelligence

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Some dog owners and dog trainers expect their dog’s level of thinking and smartness to be the same of humans, when being trained.  This mistaken assumption about dog psychology can be devastating to the expectations of both the dog owner and the dog itself.

Trainers shouldn’t assess canine intelligence against human standards. Each individual canine may possess his own unique talent. If the occasion does not arise for the animal to display this talent, it doesn’t mean he’s dumb. For centuries, behavior experts have been trying to devise a test that measures all aspects of human intelligence and have failed miserably. With this success rate in mind, how can canine experts profess to measure the dog’s intelligence when we do not even speak the same language?

Labeling a dog dumb can be as unproductive and damaging as labeling humans. If an animal is labeled dumb, the owner usually gives up trying to teach the dog. The label then becomes self-fulfilling because if his owner won’t train him, the dog really won’t know anything.

On the other hand, labeling a dog smart may create unrealistic expectations and disappointment if he doesn’t respond as expected. Perhaps all these “dumb” dogs are just clever enough to make their owners think they are dumb to avoid the effort of obeying! A very frustrated Basset Hound owner complained to his instructor that he had spent a month trying to teach his dog to sit on command and the dog just didn’t get it. As the owner was explaining his dilemma, the instructor was mindlessly playing with a piece of liver that she had not put away after working with another dog. The Basset noticed the liver and began nudging the instructor. From pure habit, she told the dog to sit. The Basset plopped his rear end down as fast as Bassets do. This is a good demonstration of learning theory proven long ago that a lack of response does not mean that learning is not occurring. This dog was learning, the owner just hadn’t found the right motivator to get him to respond.

Perhaps canine intelligence is not measurable, particularly when the criteria for intelligence are measured on another species’ yardstick. Fortunately, regardless of breed, the great majority of dogs are intelligent enough to grasp basic obedience commands when training is intelligently presented. A trainer armed with motivating training methods and a good understanding of the principles behind canine learning can shape a dog’s behavior into desirable conduct.

Dog Health: Natural Healing

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Every dog owner wants to ensure that his or her dog lives in the pink of health. It is only natural for us to wish for our dogs’ good health because, after all, they are our best friends. However, despite of having the best interests in our minds, we often fail to give the right kind of health care for our dogs.

Read on to find out how you can keep your dog in the best of health:

Dogs have an in built ability to take a certain amount of care for themselves. There are a number of natural ways which keep the dog in great health. They are blessed with a natural healing system which, to a great extent, repairs cells, organs and molecules. This natural healing power is something that has ensured the dog’s survival over the centuries, before man started embracing the dog into his daily life and devising ways to care for his pets. Since there is an in built natural care system in dogs, it is our duty to enhance it through our love and care, rather than repress this inherent quality through our artificial methods.

Natural healing in dogs is something that all of us have witnessed. If you see a skin injury in a dog, you will notice that it disappears after a time period of approximately two weeks. Yes, there is a certain amount of time required for the healing, but the healing does occur and it is something that happens beautifully and has the touch of Nature’s perfection.

In order to take good care of your dog, you have to understand these natural health processes at first.

It is only through a thorough understanding of the natural processes which will show us the way of taking good care of our dogs. Every single day, the dog’s body is repairing some kind of minor damage or the other. The numerous cells, organs and molecules in the dog’s body are quick to sense damage, however small it may be, and start working on it.

There is an innate capability of healing that dogs are born with. But as responsible and caring owners, we must create ambiences which will enable the dog to heal itself to its full potential. This can be accomplished by giving our dogs a healthy diet. It is through a healthy diet, proper exercise and love and care that we can give them the best condition for staying healthy and healing themselves.

Another thing that you must ensure for your dog is regular check ups. Take your dog to a veterinarian regularly in order to check for health disorders. In cases of extreme illnesses, do not leave things to natural healing. For example, if your dog breaks its paw, you have to go for surgery immediately.

Just making sure that your dog gets these things mentioned above and you will be happy to learn that your dog will be able to live a long and healthy life. After all, that is all that we as dog lovers want, a happy, healthy and barking long life for all our dogs.

Article by Kelly Marshall from Oh My Dog Supplies – the top place to buy dog beds online

Article Source: Dog Health: Natural Healing

How To Use Your Power In Finding The Right Veterinarian (2)

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 The Right Veterinarian -Part 2

Knowing your veterinarian, trusting him or her, and having a deeper knowledge from their point of view and work ethic can really make taking your dog to the doctor more meaningful (and hopefully more often for the check-ups that so desperately go undone for pets most homes today because there is a lack of trust on the dog owner’s part).

To help you better understand the core of a licensed veterinarian out there, take a look at the following ideas. For starters, there is a good chance that your veterinarian feels exactly the following in their practice:

1) Cares about your animals, cares about you – whether for the sake of your dog, you or the business – wants to see successful outcomes, healthy pets and satisfied clients. The only way business can be continued and clients be made happy is for the well-being of everyone involved.

2) Worries about getting sued, or being brought before the state regulatory board. This worry is disproportionate to the actual chance that this will happen, but that doesn’t change your veterinarian’s awareness of the possibility, which may make some vets better doctors, and in other cases, more paranoid and less willing to take chances.

3) Feels that he or she doesn’t have an income commensurate with the amount of time and education that it took to become a veterinarian. And paradoxically, it is also true that many (although certainly far from all) veterinarians suspect they charge too much, and feel guilty about it.

4) Fails at mind reading. In other words, the doctor has no way of knowing any information, feelings, or opinions you may have on an issue unless voiced. And without your willingness to share, a relationship can fail to bond, which may have negative repercussions for your dog down the road.

5) Harbors a zero tolerance for mistakes (and most likely, you do too). And guess what? All doctors make mistakes.

Your veterinarian tries to do his or her best under the circumstances that present themselves, but what must be kept in mind (by both parties) is that it is your dog. If that concept is too difficult for your veterinarian, find a new one.

And on the flip-side, if you can look deep inside your own attitude, perhaps you are not giving your veterinarian enough trust, communication and open-mindedness.

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Here’s Dog Trainer Chet Womach On How To Save Money By  Handling
Basic Veterinarian Issues At Home

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To discover how to treat your dog at home with over 1000 at-home
health remedies, Click Here.

Dog Food & Supplements: An In Depth Look At Nutrition For Your Pet (7)

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Dog Food & Supplements

According to the canine nutritional experts, a ninety pound adult German Shepherd can require up to seven cans of dog food per day. A sixty pound Collie can require five cans per day.

For the average household, this can become an expensive choice.

Dry dog foods, on the other hand, contain only about ten percent moisture – the other sixty five percent having been removed intentionally during the dehydration process.

The dog owner is expected to replace the moisture either by providing the dog with ample amounts of water alongside the feeding dish, or by adding it directly to the dry food. Feeding directions on labels of dry dog food are very explicit about this.

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Dog Food Secrets You Need To Know!

“In This Shocking FREE Video Report You Discover Why 87% of Dogs Die Too Early & 3 Easy Things You Can Do Today To Stop It Happening to Your Dog”

Dog Food Secrets

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The drawback in feeding dry dog food usually has been caused by the dog owner having allowed the family pooch to enjoy table scraps. Eating people-food accomplishes absolutely nothing for Sparky’s nutritional needs, and simply creates the problem of the finicky eater.

Under the mistaken belief that he’s doing the dog a favor, the dog owner is really robbing the animal of nutrients that are rightfully his – taking food right out of his mouth, so to speak.

In the middle of the scale are the “soft-moist” products which contain more moisture content than dry foods, but considerably less than the canned foods. They are the easiest of all three types to prepare, but are far and away the most expensive. Probably, they are economically most suitable for the small dog.

A compromise solution for the family with the finicky eater as well as the family with a limited dog food budget might be a combination of both canned and dry. Mixing two types – each balanced nutritionally – does nothing to upset the interrelationships of the nutrients.

It’s much easier to control the weight of the family dog when this combination is used. Rather than cut down on the volume intake of the obese dog, a decrease in the amount of dry food, with corresponding increase in canned food will accomplish this without having a constantly hungry dog begging for handouts.

On the other hand, increasing the amount of dry food, with a corresponding decrease in canned, may help to bring the weight up on the dog that has a tendency to be skinny.

The diet of today’s pet dog has come quite a long way from the old days of being fed whale blubber, potatoes and cornbread. Now if manufacturers would take just as much interest in human foods… but for now, if your dog’s choice between caviar or a commercially prepared, balanced dog food, he’d be wise to select the dog food.

Dog Food & Supplements: An In Depth Look At Nutrition For Your Pet (6)

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Dog Food & Supplements

Pet food manufacturers have made it quite easy for the average dog owner to feed their pets without having to be an expert nutritionist. All of the work has been done by the modern manufacturer.

Since it isn’t possible for manufacturers to list all of the nutrients in dog food and their required percentages as published by the NRC (National Research Council) on their labels, the terms “complete diet”, “nutritionally complete”, “balanced”, and “balanced diet” are used.

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Dog Food Secrets You Need To Know!

“In This Shocking FREE Video Report You Discover Why 87% of Dogs Die Too Early & 3 Easy Things You Can Do Today To Stop It Happening to Your Dog”

Dog Food Secrets

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This tells the consumer that the dog food inside the can, bag or box, contains all the essential vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates and fats the average dog needs to satisfy his daily requirements.

The nutritional requirement for puppies, however, is somewhat different than that required for adult dogs. The diet of the adult dog is usually referred to as a “maintenance diet” where a puppy diet is referred to as a “growth diet”.

In 1974 a regulation went into effect that required all dog food manufacturers to specify on their labels whether the product is complete and balanced for the adult dog (maintenance), complete and balanced for puppies (growth), or complete and balanced for growth and maintenance both. Since all manufactures comply with this regulation, the only thing left to the consumers is to read the label on the dog food.

Among the varieties of canned, bagged, or semi-moist dog foods, there are certain drawbacks, as well as advantages. This is true even though they are nutritionally identical if advertised as “complete” and/or “balanced”.

Because canned dog food may contain up to 78% moisture, a dog necessarily has to eat a larger quantity of a canned product to get the same volume of food that he would get if fed a dry product. It takes three pounds of commercially prepared canned dog food to be equivalent to one pound of dry food.

But manufactures do not fill a can two-thirds of the way with water, then top it off with a little dab of dog food. The moisture content inside the can is there by the very nature of the ingredients. For example, when a human buys a thick juicy steak, he’s buying well over fifty percent moisture. The butcher didn’t inject that moisture into the steak with a hypodermic needle.

The moisture content in canned dog food serves a definite and useful purpose, both in processing and in the dog’s digestive system. The drawback to the consumer insofar as canned dog food is concerned, is usually one of economics. It can be very expensive due to the large quantities of canned dog food most normal to large sized dogs will need to eat to get in their daily caloric and nutritional needs.

Dog Food & Supplements – An In Depth Look At Nutrition For Your Pet (1)

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Dog Food & Supplements

Big cans, little cans, heavy bags and cute packs, soft foods, dry dog food, semi-moist, candies, biscuits, chewies, people-like crackers and gourmet bon-bons…

Today’s dog owner is confronted with a bewildering array of food for his pet.

Years ago, when such a variety of dog food wasn’t available, dogs were fed foods that were most plentiful in the region. In the arctic, dogs were fed mostly fish and whale blubber; in the southern United States, a dog’s diet consisted mainly of cornbread; in Europe, potatoes were the main fare.

These diets led to diseases such as black tongue (pelegra in humans), rickets, and other less commonly known ailments, many of them fatal.

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Dog Food Secrets You Need To Know!

“In This Shocking FREE Video Report You Discover Why 87% of Dogs Die Too Early & 3 Easy Things You Can Do Today To Stop It Happening to Your Dog”

Dog Food Secrets

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In the wild, the canine did not just restrict himself to eating just the meat of his prey. He ate the entire animal, including the contents of the stomach.

Wild dogs were known to kill each other while fighting over the stomach contents of their prey. Thus, nature provided the wild animal with a diet considered nutritionally complete.

Domesticated dogs were not allowed that luxury, and usually were fed table scraps for their dog food. These poor diets resulted in serious nutritional imbalances and severe nutritional deficiencies.

After years of study, it was determined that even though the canine is considered a carnivorous animal, he requires certain carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals to satisfy nutritional requirements just as humans do.

In 1953, the National Research Council compiled and published nutritional requirements for dogs. The NRC is a federally established scientific body whose basic function is gathering research data.

After World War II, the pet food industry in the United States began an enormous expansion. Already a highly competitive business, pet food manufacturers quickly found themselves in neck to neck competition for a piece of this multi-million dollar a year business.

In order to survive and successfully compete in the market, pet food manufacturers knew that they must provide a dog food which was:

A) Nutritionally complete; containing all 26 nutrients that the National Research Council said that does need.

B) Palatable so that the dog would enjoy eating the food.

C) Easy and convenient for the customer to handle.

D) Economically competitive in the market.

Pet food manufacturers have established laboratories and hired nutritionists and dog food technicians to select those ingredients, which, when combined, will provide the sufficient nutrition to meet NRC standards.

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