Pay Attention!

Do you know how many times you call your dog's name during the course of a day? A lot! And often, we are only addressing them by their names when we mean business! When we're loving them up, it's a sweet doggy nickname. When it's time to leave the park, it's the serious full-name!

No wonder dogs pick and choose when to listen to their names or simply don't listen at all! Change that response with a fun, simple game. Instead of ignoring you, we want your dog to whip around quickly and look right at you when you call their name. Name should = Pay Attention to me!

What you'll need:- A smile - A really, really yummy treat - A dog who pretends to not know his name

Keep the treat out of view of your dog. While you're doing dishes or watching TV or some other routine task, randomly call your dog's name, once. As soon as your dog looks at you, say "YES!" with a big smile and toss the yummy treat to them. Then, go back to what you were doing. A little while later, try it again. If you call your dog once and they don't respond, make a little noise to get their attention. Make sure to say "YES!" and offer the treat as soon as your dog looks your direction! 

Sounds simple, right? You'd be surprised how powerful a random reward is just for listening to their name! Go ahead...try it with your pup.

Happy Training!- Anna Bettina

Turkeys, Tennis Balls & Tinctures

Your holistic guide to surviving Thanksgiving with dogs!

Thanksgiving tends to be a holiday filled with family, friends and food. Along with this comes, crazy schedules, additional stress and, sometimes, doggy emergencies. Here's our favorite Holistic tips to help keep your Thanksgiving calm and Fido happy**!

Don't rock the routine

If possible, try to keep your dog's routine. Dogs thrive on structure. Sometimes, making drastic changes in this can lead to stress colitis (diarrhea) and anxious behavior. A walk, even if it's shorter than normal, can lower this stress in both you and your dog! So, don't forget to take Fido for that jaunt around the block and try to keep meals and playtime close to their normal times as well.

Flower Essences for Fido

Flower Essences are fabulous holistic remedies that can help with all sorts of emotional upsets during the holidays (and during daily life as well). Incorporating these essences are easy as you can add them to your pets water daily and they are safe to give with other remedies or prescriptions as well! These are some of our favorites for Thanksgiving:

- Bach Flower Aspen. This flower essence helps provide a sense of security for pets. Great if the pet has been ‘put out’ of their spot or regular routine by staying company.

- Bach Flower Vervain. This flower essence helps animals to calm, and allows them to relax even in stressful environments.

- Bach Flower Rescue Remedy. Every home should have this remedy on hand! This five flower essence is also called the emergency essence. It is PERFECT for any emergency situation. Whether your pet is injured, upset, or panicked this essence will help them pull through it (interesting note: this flower essence is not for calming as most people believe and is best used for distress in animals).

Aromatherapy for Family & Fido

Essential oils can provide everything from a sense of peace and calming, to soothing upset tummies and even killing germs! Here are some of our favorite oils and their uses for the Thanksgiving weekend:

- Peppermint is a great ‘pick me up’. Try it in a diffuser so everyone gets the benefits. For stressed out humans, it can also be used to treat headaches; massage a drop or two onto the temples (follow with a cool rag if needed). For canines with tummy troubles, it can be used to aid digestion! If your pup has gotten into something and has an upset tummy, put 2-3 drops peppermint oil in a teaspoon of olive oil (or coconut oil) and massage onto their tummy (don't worry, it's okay if they ingest some of it through licking)!

- Sweet Orange is great for anxiety. Try diffusing it into the air, or even putting a drop or two on a cotton ball and placing around the car or home. You can also place 10-20 drops of both sweet orange and lavender in 8oz. distilled water and spritz around the room for an instant calm. Great for spraying in or on a crate for a dog that needs to be away from the action for a bit or gets left home more than usual. 

- Cinnamon is also great for promoting happiness. Just smelling this oil can lift sad thoughts. Try 1-2 drops on a cotton ball in areas with lots of traffic. Can also be placed in the car or diffused into a room. This oil mixes very well, try blending with orange oil for a warm, uplifting Thanksgiving scent! Yum!

Herbal Remedies for Fido

Herbal remedies & tinctures can be lifesavers in certain situations and have a wide variety of uses**. These are some of our favorites:
- Slippery Elm Bark is known far and wide for it's use in helping to calm upset GI tracts. Great for diarrhea brought on by stress or other holiday induced tummy troubles.

- Calendula is the perfect herb to have on for everyday boo boos. Whether it's a cut, scrape or burn calendula with help calm and soothe the area (until you can get your pup proper medical care). You can also blend it with distilled water to flush eyes out or clean ears without causing irritation!

- Chamomile Flower is commonly used to help calm stressed animals. It can be given in a tincture form or even made into a fresh tea and served to your dog. This herb does not have the sedative properties of some meds and other herbs which makes it great for helping your dog feel calm without causing them further confusion or stress. A must have in any home!

Remember to Breathe

Holidays can be stressful for everyone. Try to take a moment everyday and breathe, nice deep breaths. Take some time to massage your dog for a few moments and focus on helping your dog to relax. These short, but thoughtful sessions will lower both your heart rates and help ensure you can handle the stress of the days ahead! 

Here's to a happy & calm Thanksgiving Holiday!

Anna Bettina

Certified Training & Nutrition Solutions

www.HappyHealthyPup.com

(*Remember, before trying something new with your dog, it's best to check with a practitioner or holistic vet in your area to make sure they are safe for your specific dog and his or her needs).

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