Wordless Woof Wednesday

Briscoe the Bullmastiff & Buddy the Havenese play-bow to each other & initiate a game of puppy zoomies. 

- Anna Bettina

Certified Training & Nutrition Solutions

HappyHealthyPup.com

There's no such thing as Spoiled

As a professional trainer, I hear this word a lot...spoiled. Generally it's in context to a dog's undesirable behavior.

"She's doing ______. I guess she's just spoiled."

"She's allowed on the furniture. I've spoiled her, huh?"

"She doesn't listen to me, she's totally spoiled!"

Somehow, giving dogs access to furniture, offering plenty of treats and/or toys and allowing them more of your time has been labeled as "spoiled". Usually this happens when the dog doesn't listen to the owner. Well, I've got something important to tell you. 

There's no such thing as a spoiled dog, just a dog who needs a bigger vocabulary and better reinforcement! 

Dogs are incredibly smart and can learn hundreds of cues. Use that to your advantage! Teach your dog a variety of behaviors that are useful for you...teach them to get off furniture when you ask or to leave things on the counters or tables alone and to greet people nicely. Now, here's the most important part - reinforce those behaviors! Dogs need consistent practice with behaviors before they learn them reliably (and sleeping in your bed will not affect that)!

You can't "ruin" a dog by snuggling in bed with them or sharing your salmon dinner. If anything, some of these indulgences can help build a bond with your dog and teach them to pay better attention to you (the person with access to all things awesome). 

So, go ahead, spoil your dog! Buy that new toy or invite your dog up on the couch.  Just be sure to reinforce the cues that are most important you so your dog has a solid vocabulary and listens every time! You'll both be happy with the results!

- Anna Bettina

Certified Training & Nutrition Solutions

www.HappyHealthyPup.com

Winter tips for a Happy Healthy Pup

Brrr...It's been cooling off outside and the days are certainly shorter. Winter is on the way, are you and your pup ready? Here are some easy tips that will help you stay Happy & Healthy during the cold, darker days. 

Up the Fish Oil

You're already giving your pup this fabulous supplement because you know about all the great benefits, right? Now is the time to increase that dose, or even double it. Why? Here's a couple things you may not know about fish oil...

During winter months dogs go from indoor dry heat (from your furnace) to cool, crisp winter chills outdoors. They go back and forth between these extremes several times a day. This is hard on the skin and coat, often leading to flaky sin and increased shedding. Increasing omega fatty acids will help soothe irritated skin and help with shedding.

There is also less sun available during winter months. Dogs generally have less access to playtime outdoors combined with shorter walks. Increasing omega fatty acids during the winter months can actually fight the winter blahs and give your pup an increased feeling of well-being. Now, that's something we can all use!

Food Fun

Often during winter months, walks are cut short due to cold or dark and playtime outside is decreased because of the weather. We all know that a tired pup is a happy pup, so how do we help wear them out? Food toys! Feed your pup from a puzzle/interactive toy so that mealtimes take a bit longer and your dog is encouraged to think and work for a meal. 

We love toys like the Nina Ottoson puzzles and the Treatstik. 

Stretching

Activity level is generally a bit lower in the colder months. Help keep your pup healthy by stretching them regularly and making sure they keep limber. This will also increase blood flow to less active parts of the body and keep oxygen flowing throughout the body. The best part? You'll get some quiet one-on-one time with your pup! For tips on stretching your dog properly, check out our favorite stretching book: Stretch your dog Healthy.

We hope you stay safe and warm during the winter months. Winter can be boring for many pups, but it certainly lends itself to some great snuggling (our favorite)! Enjoy!

- Anna Bettina

Certified Canine Training & Nutrition

HappyHealthyPup.com

Barkworld = Awesome!

Barkworld is over, and wow, we had a great time! 

We had the pleasure of teaching Doga, friday and saturday morning, to Barkworld attendees and their pooches. Doga is Yoga, with your dog. We had the chance to do some breathing, stretching and simple yoga poses with our dogs. Pudgy, the Bulldog showed up bright and early and loved it! 

There were many great speakers during the day and good times to be had at the HOWL-o-ween bash and Block Pawties at night! It was very fun to meet so many of our social media friends in person and get to party with so many pups! 

We were also giving away a Custom Nutrition Plan for one lucky pooch, the winner will be announced later this week. 

If you were at Barkworld,what was your favorite part?

Becoming your dog's food advocate

We often encourage you to make educated decisions on behalf of your dog when it comes to dog food. But what does that really mean? 

Know your dog. 

Every dog is different and thus, their diets will vary from dog to dog. We encourage pet parents to feed fresh, wholesome, raw foods. But, regardless of what you feed. It's important that you can read (and understand) the ingredient label/guaranteed analysis. And know how that food effects your dog. Does their coat look clean and smell nice, are their eyes bright and breath smell nice? 

If you're still trying to find the food that works best for your dog, keep a journal of your feeding trails and note coat, breath, eyes, and overall behavior on each food. 

You don't need to be an expert to feed your dog like one (after all, that's what people like me do). But, you should have enough information to have full confidence in the food you feed your dog. This is especially important if your veterinarian doesn't agree. 

Read the labels. Understand ingredients. Know your Dog.

- Anna Bettina
www.HappyHealthyPup.com

Briscoe the Bullmastiff

There's a new addition at Happy Healthy Pup! Most of you know that I have had Neos for about 14yrs now, I LOVE Neos...but I was open to whatever the universe brought me this time around. And, it so happens that he came in the form of a teeny-tiny Bullmastiff. 

Briscoe the Bullmastiff is 15mos old, pretty under-socialized and all around an anxious kinda guy. He's going to be making the transition to Happy, Healthy, Holistic Pup & if you'd like to follow his progress be sure to follow his blog, or join him on Facebook! 

Here's to your own Happy Healthy Pup! 

Anna Bettina

www.HappyHealthyPup.com

How to go Holistic for National Pet Week!

It's National Pet Week! That's right, pet's all across the US get a whole week to be celebrated, and they should! After all, they bring us joy every day of the year, right? So, what better way to celebrate National Pet Week than by going holistic, even if it's just for a week! We've compiled a list of eight things that you can do to become a more holistic pet parent!


- Shop Local. We all know that shopping local helps to support your own neighborhood and can really boost your local economy, but there's one other bonus to shopping local...your dog gets to go too. Dogs look forward to outings and what's more fun than shopping at a dog store! By shopping local, you help to keep pet-friendly businesses in your own neighborhood and in turn, ensure you always have a fun place to go with your dog. So, load them up and take them with next time. And don't forget to spend a few extra minutes letting them look around and stick their nose in everything, that's the fun part after all!


- Buy Organic. Whenever possible, buy the organic toys. Our dogs come into contact with so many more toxins than we do (mostly because of their proximity to the ground and licking paws). There has been a vast number of scares about toxins in toys, these should be fun and safe for your dog! 


- Say Bye, Bye Bugs. Flea & Tick season is ramping up, which means it's time for topicals. This year, try things a little differently...use a holistic or all-natural topical/spray instead of chemicals. Many of these are made with essential oils and not only work, but smell wonderful while doing so! There are loads and loads of effective options out there, and all of them are much safer than applying chemicals directly to your dog's skin. 


- The Raw deal. What we feed our dogs is by far the most important decision we ever make for them. Food effects health, behavior, well-being, and more. So, make the decision this week to move towards a species appropriate diet. Ask your local pet store owner about what types of raw food they carry and bring some home to try. Your dog will be elated...and when that doggy odor, bad breath and big stools all disappear, you will be too!

- De-toxify your Life. Remember how we said that your dog comes into contact with many more toxins than you? Many of these come from our own homes! Toss the chemicals and say hello to green cleaning!  Vinegar is a fabulous all-purpose cleaner and the acetic acid in vinegar kills viruses, germs, bacteria and mold. Add some fresh lemon juice or essential oils (like lavender or tea tree) to help boost cleaning power and add fragrance. Not ready to make your own, check the green cleaning section of your favorite store to see all the options available without harsh chemicals. 

- Walk along together. Many dogs pull on the leash, the world is an exciting place and they want to get there..now. If you have a puller, get the pressure off of their neck. The neck is the gateway to the rest of the body and not only can pulling mis-align your dogs spine, it can interrupt energy flow, put pressure of important blood vessels, nerves, and damage the trachea. You already know that we never condone the use of painful "training" collars...one prominent veterinarian even believes that prong, choke and shock collars can lead to cancer**. So, pick up a harness next time you're out with your dog. If they tend to pull check out the Sense-ation Harness or the Freedom Harness. 

- Spend some quiet time. Our lives are often very hectic, and for those of us who do take quiet time, we tend to do so without our dogs. Include them this week! Sit on the floor with your dog and take deep, slow breaths. Watch how your dog calms and starts to take deep breaths as well. Breathing this way will lower both your resting heart rates which has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety! You can even add a couple drops of a lavender massage lotion to your dog's fur before the session. Such a simple way to promote wellness and spend a few extra minutes with your pup.

- Add some feel good. If there's one supplement I think every dog should be on, it's fish oil. The naturally occurring Omega Fatty acids in Fish Oil have many benefits: softer coat, healthier skin, clearer eyes, improved brain function, better digestion, and the list goes on. But my favorite benefit of fish oil is the fact that it promotes a feeling of well-being for your dog. Who doesn't want a little feel good dose every day?

While we know you may not be able to do all of these things this week, we hope this gives you some ideas on things you can change in your life to have a happy, healthy, holistic pup!

- Anna Bettina

www.HappyHealthyPup.com

** Dr. Peter Dobias is a Holistic Veterinarian who promotes the use of humane training tools  , his article on choke, prong, and shock collars can be read here.