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Dog Treat DIY: Easy, Healthy Homemade Dog Biscuits – Video

December 12, 2013

I’m not a chef, but I do like to make yummy dog treats for my dogs!

The easier the dog biscuits are to make, the better the chance that I’ll actually make ’em. Here’s what I like the most about cooking for my dogs: they’ll eat anything! It doesn’t matter what it looks like — or really, what it tastes like — they love everything!

For Schoon’s birthday — the big lug is one already — he got some homemade cheesy dog biscuits.

Handmade by moi! They’re so easy, they’d actually be a great project for the kids to get involved with, too.

Here’s how easy they are.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup water
1/3 cup cheddar cheese
1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.
Combine flour and oats in medium bowl.
Add water, cheeses, and applesauce to flour mixture.
Knead the ingredients until thoroughly mixed.
Turn out onto a floured surface and roll to about 1/4″ thickness.
Cut biscuits with cookie cutters.
Place on a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until browned.
Cool and let your dog enjoy a snack!

Talk Back.

Do you have a favorite snack to make for your dog? Leave a comment and let us know!

The Perfect Present for Your Dog

December 11, 2013

More than half of dog owners give their dog a present for Christmas.

Our dogs get several presents. Some they need (brush, toenail clippers), but most of them are exactly what our dog’s want! We laugh as they open their own presents, paper flying! It’s part of the fun to see their excitement and enthusiasm.

I’m always on the lookout for a way to make my dog’s day a little bit brighter.

Some little toy, a tasty treat…something to show him I love him. Truth is, some days are a little too hectic. I get caught up in writing dog training articles, or teaching dog training classes. So it’s really nice to have a little help checking off my “get something good for the dog” box on my to-do list.

How Does It Work?

BarkBox is a monthly subscription service. Every month, a box will magically appear at your doorstep. That BarkBox will contain all-natural treats and other cool pup products. When you subscribe, you tell BarkBox what size dog you have, choose a subscription plan (monthly, 3-month, or 6-month plans), and then sit by your doorstep near the 15th of each month to wait for it’s arrival!

What’s In the Box?

On the 15th of every month, BarkBox ships a bounty of high-end dog products to your dog’s doorstep . Tailored to the size of your dog, every box comes stocked with four or more items that can encompass anything from innovative toys and gadgets to shampoos, leashes, and organic treats. Here’s one of the things that initially attracted me to BarkBox: 10% of all proceeds is donated to dog shelters and rescue initiatives.

BarkBox subscription, monthly dog box, gifts for dogs

Lots of good treats & toys!

Just as important: quality of food products. With all the news about tainted pet treats from China, you have a right to know where your dogs’ treats come from! All treats are sourced from the USA and Canada, and chews are sourced from the USA, Canada, South America, Australia and New Zealand. They don’t include rawhide (or anything processed with formaldehyde).

You’ve Got Time to Subscribe for Your Dog!

BarkBox offers three monthly plans each tailored to your dog’s size to ensure appropriate treats and toys are delivered.

Sizes: Small & Cute: 0-20lbs; Just Right: 20-50lbs; Big & Bold: 50+lbs [Clearly, we got the Big & Bold option!].

Plan lengths: 1-month: $29; 3-months: $72 ($24/month, 17% savings); 6-months: $114 ($19/month, 34% savings).

Click here to save $10 on your BarkBox purchase! The savings will automatically be applied when you click the link.

The Bottom Line: Why I Subscribe

I subscribe to BarkBox for our four dogs. While the dogs would love a BarkBox all to themselves, they’re good sharers and we can get away with one box each month. I love the:

quality of the contents of the box
small touches that don’t have to be there, but make it fun for the person opening the box (the little illustrations on the packing paper and, my favorite, the little cartoon doggie drawn inside the box!)

Cartoon drawn *inside* the box!
ease — you come home from work and the box is on your doorstep
convenience. There’s no extra stop at the pet supply store to pick up something for my lovelies.
way my dogs look at me when I give them the BarkBox. It’s good to be adored.

Mmmm!

We really enjoy our BarkBox subscription. We’d subscribe and tell you about it even without BarkBox’s support. I have written this post on behalf of BlogPaws Pet Blogger Network, but you know me — I’m a truth-teller. If I didn’t like it, I would have either told you or declined the offer.

Really Good Dog Treats: Cut ‘Em and Eat ‘Em – Video

December 5, 2013

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Treats your dog will love!

Don’t waste your money on grocery store dog treats.

In addition to being ridiculously expensive, those treats often contain artificial ingredients, colors, and flavors. They also usually contain by-products (a nice way of saying chicken beaks, cow entrails, and other gross stuff).

Smart trainers use treats their dog loves and that are good for them.

I like to use real, human-grade food when I train my dogs. I know what’s in it, it’s pretty inexpensive, and hey, I can eat it, too!

Cheese and meat lend themselves to terrific dog treats.

Easy to cut into bite-sized pieces, human grade, and really delish. Oh, and easy to find and buy!

Get a value pack of cheese and some pepperoni (or summer sausage) from your local grocer. In a pinch, you can even use luncheon meat, although it’s a little harder to handle because it’s thinly sliced.

Cut into 1/4″ strips.

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Remove the paper before feeding to your dog!

Then lay flat and cut into 1/4″ slices. Turn 90° and slice again.

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Stack and slice.

This is what you get.

dog training, homemade dog treats, dog treats, easy to make dog treats

Perfect pieces.

Next, do the same with the cheese.

And you’ve now got some really powerful dog training treats! And hey, if you need a snack, dig in!

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Voila! Perfect dog treats!

I put all the treats in a Ziploc container with a lid, store all the treats in the fridge ’til I need them. We’re always ready to train, even at the last minute!

Your turn: What treats does your dog go ga-ga for? Leave a comment below!

Service Dog Training: Transfer Camp with Caysun

December 2, 2013

Sweet Baby Caysun. I had the pleasure of raising her for the beginning of her service dog career. We got that sweet pup in September of 2011.

We lived with and loved her until she had to go back to the service dog organization a short ten months later. I had a pretty big lump in my throat for turn in. But that’s the story of my life.

She was a dream to work with and picked things up so easily. She fit our family like a glove.

But she has a job to do. An important one. Much more important than lounging around keeping me company.

I had the opportunity to visit Caysun during Transfer Camp. Transfer Camp is a two-week program in which the recipient and the dog learn to work together. It’s a “get to know you” and a “show me what you can do” period that goes both ways. The dog gets to get used to her new partner, and the person learns how to work with the dog.

Caysun’s going to be a diabetic alert dog. She’s done terrific in her training, both with general service dog tasks and with the alerts. By Day 3 of transfer camp, Caysun was alerting her person pretty reliably to sugar highs and lows. It was impressive!

It was also the first time I’d had a chance to see Caysun’s completed training. In addition to the alerts, Caysun can fetch the insulin kit and bring it to her human partner. She can also alert a family member when requested (in case the person needs more help than the insulin kit can provide). Her “dog manners” are stellar: she can leave food alone that’s on the floor, her loose leash walking manners are impresive, and the attention to her person is beautiful to see.

I had mixed feelings about a week before seeing Caysun and her new person. I loved that little girl like crazy. Would I be ok seeing those two together, learning each other’s habits and quirks? I thought it might be a little like seeing an old boyfriend with his new girlfriend.

I needn’t have worried. Caysun was very happy to see me, but was also very serious about her new job. It took only a day or two of working with her new partner for Caysun to realize that this was a special person. It was fun to watch Caysun greet her enthusiastically every morning. And downright amazing when the first spontaneous diabetic alert happened. I cheered a silent cheer inside when I saw that little dog doing what she trained two years to do!

Dog Training: Ask the Trainer – When Can I Get Rid of the Crate?

September 19, 2012

I love crate. I love dogs who love crates. It’s pretty easy to teach your dog to love his crate, and I can’t think of a good reason not to crate a healthy, happy dog.

Why Crate?

Crating is a skill that your dog may need for the rest of his life.

Injury

Dogs being treated for an illness or injury are very often on crate rest for long periods of time. If you’ve let your dog’s crating skills diminish over time, it’s going to be a tough recovery for them. Tough because of the physical issues, but even tougher because now they have to learn how to crate in addition to recuperate from the illness or injury. That’s a tough combination for a dog. I’d rather have the crate already be a familiar and welcome place for the dog to be — he’s likely to actually seek out the crate for rest and recuperation instead of fighting it.

Travel

Crating will be necessary if you travel and need to board your dog.The crating area may be larger, like a kennel run, but it’s still very similar to crating. If your dog is already used to being crated, this kennel run is more like a super-duper big crate instead of being like a jail to him. He’s going to be more relaxed while you’re away. Which, in the end, means YOU will be more relaxed!

Home

Keeping your dog in a crate means your dog is safe when you’re not there to watch him. He can’t be on the counter or in the trash. He won’t be on the counter or in the cleaning chemicals. He won’t be digging up the carpet or chewing on the cherry cabinets. Your iPhone, remotes, and shoes will be in the same place and in the same condition as when you left the house. In short, crating keeps your dog and your stuff safe!

Lily, our 12 old Labrador retriever is crated every time we leave the house. That’s her routine, she knows it, and actually runs to her crate when my keys jingle. When she was about 3 or 4 years old, we wanted to give her some house freedom. That house freedom almost killed her. She managed to get into the pantry and got into raisins. After 7 days in the emergency veterinary hospital, she could finally come home. For another week, though, we had to administer 3/4 liter of fluids twice a day. It was horrific for her (and for me, as I abhor needles and this needle was huge!). Now, Lily is crated when we leave. She’s safe. And so is our checking account.

Introducing House Freedom

If you feel the need to get rid of the crate, re-read that last paragraph above! I get it, most people think their dog would be happier out of the crate. If you do think that, and if you’re positive that you’ve dog-proofed the room, then you can try (try!) house freedom to your dog.

This starts of with just one room of house freedom. Pick the room that is the easiest for you to dog-proof and has the least expensive stuff in it. For some this might be the bathroom or laundry room (think: carpet, moulding, appliances, furniture, etc.). Using a gate or the door, leave the dog alone while you run to do your grocery shopping or other short-ish errand. Give your dog a food-stuffed Kong or something else that will occupy your dog while you’re away.

Hopefully your dog will be sleeping on his dog bed when you come back home and won’t have touched a thing other than that food-stuffed Kong. Hurray! Use that room for a month to be sure your dog is truly happy there and won’t get himself into any trouble. And maybe that’s enough house freedom — he’s out of the crate, he’s got more room to maneuver (but not enough to get himself in trouble).

If you’re really hot on giving your dog the entire house while you’re away, continue to add a room at a time (one per month if all goes well). Opening the entire house up to a dog after just one month’s freedom in just one room isn’t a smart idea. Believe me. I’ve got pictures of a shredded couch as proof. Honest. It was our dear Lily. Another reason she’s crated…

If your dog doesn’t handle house-freedom very well, chalk it up to a good try, and go back to that handy-dandy, reliable crate. Just be sure to take off your dog’s collar, especially if you have tags on it, to be sure nothing can get caught on the crate. Our dogs are always naked in their crates, for safety.

I really like the crates and the safety they offer my dogs. Once I’ve taught my dogs Crate Love, it’s hard to get them out of their crate! They run to the crate automatically, when they know we’re leaving the house. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few dogs out there who are completely fine in the house by themselves. Our Nemo is one of them. The only one of our dogs, however, that we can trust completely. Tango can be left uncrated, but only be in a room that is devoid of food (or even the possibility of food).

Talk back!

Do you use a crate? At what age did you start giving your dog house-freedom?

Transfer Camp: The Beginning for Talos

February 7, 2011

I was 10 minutes late for Transfer Camp at Service Dogs of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA).

I parked in a hurry, rushed inside and found…no one. Well, no one as in Kathy and Talos. Peggy broke the bad news to me: Kathy and Talos went home late the night before – they thought the weather was going to be bad and they wanted to get back to Williamsburg for the weekend break. They’d be back on Monday.

Monday?! I wouldn’t be there on Monday!

I had cleared my calendar for Friday, not Monday! Next week was already full, there wasn’t any way for me to make it back down for Transfer Camp. I missed my chance. I missed meeting Kathy. I missed seeing Talos one last time.

I was crushed.

I’d been waiting this for EVER! I had just tweeted and updated my Facebook status, everyone was expecting updates, pictures, and a full report. But, what was there to do? Crying or tantrumming wouldn’t bring them back.

Peggy took the opportunity, since I’d driven so far and had nothing else to do, to introduce me to SDV’s newest administrative assistant. As I followed Peggy back to the offices, my mind was still stuck in the fact that I wouldn’t get to see T or meet Kathy. I put on a happy face to meet Shannon – it wasn’t her fault my weekend was ruined.

As Peggy opened the office door, everything happened at once.

The flash from a camera, a vision of Kathy and T, and then the tears. They’d played a trick on me! Kathy and Talos didn’t go anywhere, they’d been hiding, waiting for me to get there to surprise me.

I can’t describe the feelings.

Elation, yes. Relief, yes. And a lot, lot more. I was finally meeting Kathy, the person who would be taking care of Talos. The one Talos would be taking care of. We’d met on Facebook, exchanged emails, but had never actually laid eyes on one another. It took a few minutes for the excitement and surprise to wear off enough that we could move out of the office and into the training room.

We spent the next 30 minutes getting to know each other, while I also spent some time loving on Talos. He was happy to see me, but was quite content in his new skin as “working service dog.” After the initial excitement, he went to lay down – there’s the good old Talos you all know and love from this blog!

We had a full day.

I was exhausted by the end of the day, I know Kathy and Talos probably were as well. There will be a few more blog posts with more pictures and some video I shot while visiting.

Kathy and Talos are back in Charlottesville right now, spending another week at Service Dogs of Virginia learning how to work together. Stay tuned for the next chapter about the fun I had at Transfer Camp!

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