Unlike most canine massage books which usually filled with long text and/or illustrations, this book is rather thin—109 pages long but not in any way lack of quality or pertinent content. Personally, I think manual book such as canine massage should be concise with easy-to-follow steps and explanations, and that’s what the authors did. It is a no fluff book and can be put to immediate use after an hour read.

Although the book clearly states it is a guide book, it’s more than that—a quarter of it is workbook, consists about two to six questions each related to the topic that just covered. Some of the questions are not targeted to the massage experience with your dog per se, rather it questions your massage experience on yourself. For example on the chapter on strokes: vibration,

Practice on your thigh by starting with a compression stroke. Hold briefly and then begin to let your hand tremble. Imagine that you are tricking the muscle into relaxation! How did it feel?

For most of us, inexperience dog owners/therapists, may not know how much pressure should be employed when working on our dogs; so by doing on ourselves we have the first-hand experience of our own “medicine” and also to gauge the comfortability of different pressure and stroke.

One of my favorite sections of the book is chapter eight: Common Dog Group: Their history, stress areas and massage emphasis (seen on the right). It a brief overview of what are the common injuries (stress areas) of 77 dog breeds and the antidotes (massage emphasis) to decrease the chances of injury should the dog perform more intense and strenuous activities than his normal routines.

I understand perfectly why this section may not be of a greater value to owners with only one dog—or a few dogs of the same breed—where the dog’s daily routine is confined to four-walls activities with bare minimum physical exertion. The least you could get out of this 7-pages is a better understanding of your dog breed’s stress areas (that if you haven’t know it yet) and the massage emphasis for him to enjoy the many benefits of massage therapy even if he is a couch potato.

As to why I like this section isn’t because I have two different breeds under my care rather I see it as an added benefit for my clients. Of course, not all the dogs that come for their regular grooming session are performance dogs but I’m certain 60% of them are doing some sort of moderate exercises daily. So it wouldn’t hurt to give all of them (almost…as some of dogs aren’t accustomed to being touched in a structured and rhythmic movement) a 3-minutes massage therapy as a thank-you service.

Regardless, this book is a must-have for any dog owner (be it canine performance enthusiast or laid back pet parent) who is into holistic therapeutic treatment of a stressed or “sick” dog.

I would like to leave you with this beautiful phrase extracted from Linda’s bio.

The truth is, my dogs don’t know the meaning of petting because all touch has become massage. My dogs continue to teach me about temperament, strokes, timing, ambience and scents as well as when or where to stretch them.

I couldn’t agree more, the true teacher is our dogs. This book is the fundamental guide to canine massage. With regular practices and attentive awareness to our dogs’ responses, only then we can fully appreciate the art of canine massage.

On the same note, Linda has an audio book (Giving Back: A Guided Canine Massage) that is pretty much similar to the book. When I received the complimentary copies of the book and CD, both were sold in Amazon. The CD was sold in a downloaded MP3 format at $0.99 (which I think it was a steal), lasts about 27 minutes.

I don’t know what is the deal now, Amazon carries only the book.

Updates: For more information about the book and CD or even courses on canine massage conducted by Linda Jackson, please visit her websites: http://www.centreforacupuncture.com and http://www.caninemassagebook.com

I’m not a big fan of dressing up dogs but for Halloween and other important festivals, I make it an exception.

I know some of you may think I’m way too early to be promoting Halloween costumes; you might want to rethink for all I know Halloween starts early this year. And if you have small dogs under 6lbs, you’d better start your Halloween costume shopping now. Don’t be a fool like me; last year I waited until the week before Halloween to get costume for my dogs and they all ended up wearing the same kind of costume—the puppy wings, (friends and relatives already had a hard time differentiating my seven Maltese and to see all of them wearing the same costume made it even harder for them to give extra treats to their favorites) because this was the only small-sized costume left unsold. I can’t never understand why pet costume manufacturers don’t make enough variety of costume for small dogs (neck size 9″ or smaller).

Costume Discounters and Halloween Mart

There are two online pet costume stores which I patronize; they are Costume Discounters and HalloweenMart. Almost all the prices for pet costumes (except for two) at CostumeDiscounters are slightly lower as compare to HalloweenMart.

When comes to maneuvering around the sites, HalloweenMart categorizes the costumes better—general dogs, holiday dogs, spooky dogs, storybook dogs, superhero dogs. If you haven’t decided on the theme or type of costume you are going to get for your dog, then CostumeDiscounters would be a easier as you get to view all their pet costumes on one web page (FYI, when comes to viewing individual costume, avoid using Safari browser as the size selection texts go out of the page alignment, best view them in Firefox and Window browsers).

In terms of varieties, HalloweenMart has 57 pet costumes while CostumeDiscounters has 54 as of this writing. There are only 8 pet costumes that are repeated on both stores—Daisy Bee, School Puppy, Zelda Prisoner, Rockstar, Zelda Queen, Pom Pom Pup, Rider Jockey Harness, Witch Hat with Hair. Therefore there are
103 varieties of pet costume for you to choose from.

Of the 103 varieties, you will notice both stores carry quite a few similar pet costumes and yet not identical. One example is the Doggie Devil from CostumeDiscounters (top 3 popular pet costume) and Red Devil from HalloweenMart (which I got for my Silky, Kiki). Basically, they are from different designers.

If you intend to get Daisy Bee (one of most popular pet costumes) and Rockstar, you might want to get it from HalloweenMart. Daisy Bee is priced at $14.99 at HalloweenMart whereas CostumeDiscounters is selling at $15.99. For the Rockstar costume, there’s a $3 difference. You could, however, get Daisy Bee for $11.99 from CostumeDiscounters if you would to purchase from them. It’s stated on their website…(The lowest costume prices…guaranteed! If you find the identical costume elsewhere on the internet, we will match the costume price plus take off an additional 20%, details here.).

As I was saying about the costume variety for smaller dogs, they are quite limited; so it would be wise to start shopping now in order to avoid disappointment. I’m only going to list those costumes for small dogs with neck size between 5″ to 10″ that are available as of this writing. Happy Shopping!

My Picks for 2009 Halloween Dog Costumes are:

• Lil Ballerina, $17.97
• Giraffe, $17.97
• Rider Jockey, $18.97 (currently out of stock at both stores)
• Rider Mailman, $18.97
• Hound of Hell, $11.97
• Dogula, $16.99
• Ghost Boppers, $7.97 (currently out of stock)

Update: Just found another cheap (especially for those x-small sizes, good news to small dogs) Halloween dog costume online store—OhMyDogSupplies. FYI, there’s additional 10% off or $10 off discount, please check out my coupon page for details.

Though they have only 32ish dog costumes, but there are a few unique ones and other old-time favorites (e.g. Dinosaur and Hot Doggy). Prices ranging from $14.95 to $25ish. Most of the costumes are pretty “wrapped up,” I think they are more suitable for dogs living in cooler climates during this Halloween season.

Since piglet as pet is so in now, but you don’t intend to adopt one, I highly recommend the pig costume as a way to disguise it. This costume costs only $16.46 for all sizes.

My other favorite costumes for this store are:

• the Skunk, $16.45
• the Spider, $16.45
• the Pumpkin, $17.95
• the Chimp, $17.95
• the Shark Attack, $14.95 out of stock

For those of you who have trouble getting your dog to wear the costume for more than 2 minutes but don’t want to miss out the fun, here’s an alternative. Get the Halloween Doggies 4 Pack ($29.65), and have it attached to the leash or collar. So if any of your neighbor refuses to give treats to your dog because he’s not wearing a costume, show them anyone of these Halloween Doggies and say that this is passive participation under special circumstance!

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Got Rid of PC and Got an iMac

I had always wanted to switch to a Mac for almost two years but I kept holding on to PC OS because of some software I use. Having said, I had enough of reformatting my PC every six to nine months which took up quite considerably amount of my time, hence I got a iMac.

I thought my problems (computer hiccups) would be solved once I made that switch (I’ve high expectations for Mac) but no, it didn’t, at least for the first 6 six days I have my iMac. Too many Mac voodoos especially after I installed the Snow Leopard. I practically had to call Mac support everyday (some days twice) to solve some mysterious OS hangs and hardware malfunction. There was no work done at all last week, and I got to the point of pulling my hair out. Finally, I told the Apple reseller to replace me a new iMac, which they agreed; thankfully. However, I have to wait about a week or two for my replacement because mine comes with a numeric keyboard instead of the standard (short) one.

This pretty much explains one of the reasons why the quietness around here for the past 13 days. Hopefully by later this week I would have my new iMac and get my Adobe Creative Suite 4 installed, I should be up and running early next week. Meanwhile, I’ll work on what I have currently and hope to get one or two short posts written and answer as many emails as I can.

Thanks for your understanding and patience.

I could further explain my points but you’ll get the most benefit by reading these articles (including critiques on industry propaganda) here. As you weave through their 100 over articles you will notice one core principle, that’s Wysong makes no claim of any kind (despite many mass marketed pet food companies firmly making such a claim) indicating theirs is a 100% complete diet. To further illustrate, here’s an excerpt from one of Wysong’s lits on feeding ideas for our pets in obtaining optimal health.

• Begin today giving your pet fresh foods in variety. Introduce small amounts of meat chunks, organ meats, raw bones, cheese, yogurt, grated veggies and fruits…the possibilities are endless and very exciting for your pet. (Every nutrient in the universe does not have to be in every meal.) Healthy table scrapes are fine too provided they are not scraps from junk food. (More complete details are found in Dr. Wysong’s popular book, The Truth About Pet Foods.)
• As an alternative and for variety you can purchase frozen foods and dried non-thermally processed foods. Wysong Archetype is a good choice.
• Canned and dried processed foods can be rotated into the diet. Choose products based on the credibility and motives of the company since every manner of misleading claim can be made.
• Supplement heat-processed foods with appropriately designed products that add life back to the food. Fresh and raw foods can be also benefit from the appropriately designed supplements. Wysong Biotics (AddLife, C-Biotic, Biotic pH+, Biotic pH-) are a good choice.
• Give your pet fun exercise, pure water, fresh air and sun every day plus big doses of that most important of all life ingredients…love.

I do not know of any other pet food company would not to promote their line of products given such opportunity. Clearly, you can see Wysong is in the business for healthy reasons—very well excogitate philosophy, not just mere profit gains considering how lucrative the pet industry is.

Wysong Dog Introductory Pack

When Wysong stated that they would send samples of their products and information to their affiliates, I gladly grab the opportunity. Never did I expect to receive such a generous sample pack—Dog Introductory Pack. Keep in mind, I’m not under any obligation to write positive review, or any review for that matter, if their products don’t warren one. I chose to write because I personally try them on my dogs, even tasted a few meals myself, and saw the many health benefits my dogs gain from eating the foods and supplements.

A brief introductory for those who are new to Wysong pet products: Wysong dog foods are not meant to be fed as a singular source of nutrition, they are meant to be rotated, not just in favor but in different types—dry food for example, rotating Maintenance with Senior, Synorgon, Anergen or even rotating Growth with Senior, Vegan and so on—as well as canned food and Archetype range. But since this review is on the introductory pack I would only review what it contains. Without further ado, here’s my review:

• Retail Price: $17.99
• Shipping cost: $9.99
• Coupon Code: SMALLDOG18
• Price after 18% off: $14.75

Wysong Dog Introductory Pack Contains:

4 lb. bag of Maintenance ($7.59): It’s a base kibble for adult dogs. Main ingredient is chicken. Unlike other brand kibbles, Wysong’s kibbles are rather small, approximately 0.6cm in diameter. I tasted many brands of kibbles before (seriously!) and rarely do I find one (maybe a couple competitive brands) that is as yummy as Wsyong’s. The smell is pleasantly piquant on its own, and when I slightly streamed the kibbles, it made it even more inviting. My dogs are moderate finicky eaters, they usually don’t ask for second servings but for Wysong’s, they do; unfortunately their requests are turn down! What I like most about feeding Wysong’s kibbles to my dogs is their “end result”—my dogs’ feces—they’re nicely formed, are neither too hard nor too soft, and most importantly, they don’t have funky smell. When my dogs eat well, poop well, I’m a very happy mom!
1 Small Bag of Dream Treats TNT ($2.89): These treats are 99% meat base. Although it’s meant to be given as treats, I personally find it a little bit too indulgence; reason being that it’s a rather big treat (1¾” in diameter and ½” thick) to be given to small dogs. I could spread over a few days, still it’s a bit cumbersome to break into small pieces; not to mention it’s a hard “biscuit.” Whatever I could break into bite-sizes, I gave as treats, the crumbs I use as supplement toppings.
2 Single Dream Treats TNT ($1.38/0.69ea.): If you would to rate base on appearance like many other dog treats in the market, Dream Treats will probably rank the lowest. But if you to base on the nutritional values, it’s rather unbeatable. Just looking at the ingredients used, it’s as good as any supplement for pets. Dream Treats comes in 3 sizes (single, small, and large) and three different favors (chicken, beef, and pheasant); the pheasant is the yummiest.
2 Pouches of UnCanny TNT ($4.18/2.09ea.): Part of the reasons I don’t go full-fledged on BARF because of its lack of accessibility, storage space required, and cost. But with UnCanny, it’s different. UnCanny is basically a canned food without the can and without the heat processing. Similar to any instant meal, but contains all the critical food components (prebiotics, probiotics, enzymes, omega-3, vitamins, and minerals) needed for your dog, just tear open and add water (may be warm but not above 118°F).  Although it states that one packet is a meal for one small dog, I find it a little too much for my Maltese and Silky. So the remaining I use as toppings for the following meal. Not surprising, both my dogs and I love the Seafood and the Beef & Egg. This is probably my one of my favorites, it’s very economical and will be ordering in cartons…for my dogs, of course!
1 Au Jus Turkey 5.5 oz can ($1.79): 95% meat, 5% organ diet. It comes in 6 flavors: beef, chicken, rabbit, duck, venison, and turkey. As you can see from the image, it doesn’t contain too much water which it is good. Many other brands of canned dog food are loaded with so much water or curvy that leaves little room for real meat. Can you imagine how shortchanged we are when we pay for the liquid instead of meat?

Although the total value added is $0.16 less than the actually amount you’d paid for (assuming you didn’t use my coupon code), however, you are more than compensated by their free samples and an copy of CD which is worth about $15.59 not including health and product literature. Except for the CD (The Master Key to Health) which is the actual retail price, the prices for the samples are derived from my calculation base on their retail price on ounce/milliliter basis—it’s just my guesstimate.

Free Samples and One CD:

1 Sample of Archetype TNT (3/4oz – $1.53): Archetype, unheated at any stage of production, is extreme concentrated (99+%) with meat protein (beef, chicken, livers, ground bone, etc.) and fresh, unadulterated “living” nutrients (organic quinoa sprouts, apples, wheat grass, dried kelp, collagen, proteoglycans, vitamins, chelated minerals, etc.). It’s hard to categorize Archetype because it can be used in many ways, as a singular meal, added mixture over regular meal, supplement, or treat. What I do is use the larger chunks as treats and the crumbles ones over the kibbles. What’s even more interesting is that Archetype can be fed in dry or soaked format, making it more versatile in preparing the meal. Because of its extreme palatability and super rich content, it’s idea for convalescing dogs who need a little weight gain or to restore appetite. For healthy dogs, I think it’s best to feed at least twice weekly which my dogs are currently on two-singular-meal per week.
1 Sample of DentaTreat (5ml – $0.48): A natural dentifrice which can be used to sprinkle over food, or be fed directly, or applied to the teeth. Since I have only 5ml of DentaTreat, I can’t test the effectiveness of it; however, I have to say it’s very tasty.
1 Sample of AddLife (10ml – $0.63): It’s a power supplement (contains whole, raw meat, and antioxidant properties of blueberries); its main function is to restore living food elements to any heat-processed dog food.
1 CD of The Master Key to Health (value of $12.95): An entertaining and thought-provoking relook at how health should be approached. Dr. Wysong wipes away all the modern assumptions on nutrition and health and with a clean slate logically rebuilds proper thinking. Duration: 52:25 minutes.

Free Health Information and Product Literature: Many of which can be found on their website.

• Rationale For Probiotics Supplementation: A 9-page article, pdf format at Wysong’s website
• Rationale For Enzyme Supplementation: A 8-page article, pdf format at Wysong’s website
• The Wysong Optimal Health Program – Wysong Prevent/Therapy Guide: A 2-page chart and diagram
• 22 Pet Food Fallacies: A 2-page article
• Does Your Pet Need a % of Something?: A 2-page article
• “I’m Confused”: A 2-page article
• How To Apologize To Your Pet: A small 25-page booklet, guide to using whole food for pets, recipes, and FAQs which can’t be found on their website
• Nutrition For Companion Animals: A 31-page product catalog
• Wysong Resource Book: A 31-page of human/animal product catalog
• Does American Owe An Apology To Its Pets?: A 6-page literature brochure

To say I’m a convert is an understatement. When I saw the improved health (especially my almost 16 years old Maltese, Zody), I couldn’t wait for my next order which I think it will be a huge one.

The only regret I have was not knowing about Wysong while I was exhibiting my show dogs. Sure, my dogs won a few championship titles during their prime years; but if they were on Wysong then I believe they could go much farther into their “senior” years.

You don’t have to believe what I’ve said or what you’ve read at Wysong’s website; what you could do is simply invest $14.75 and get your dog to verify the “claims”—by carefully watching and monitoring your dog’s health (coat, eyes, behavior, stool etc.). You already had invested a lot of money in dog food, supplements, and treats, so what’s another $14.75 for your dog to begin gaining great health.

If you are a fanatic on raw dog and cat food and want to save enough more bucks, I highly recommend Wsyong Raw Introductory Pack. Retail price is $47.99 (actual value $52.26{food} + $27.90: {Lits}) but with my 18% off coupon code you pay only $39.35.

Secrets To  Preparing Kibble-Meals for Finicky Dogs

I prepare the meals slightly differently. My secret is in the coat; specifically, the meat that coats the kibbles. It’s not that difficult as you think just a little more effort, that’s all. As you will notice in my recipes below, most call for some sort of liquid—be it soup, sauce, or paste.

Another secret I use is that I steam the meat-coated kibbles lightly. This allows the paste, soup, or sauce to work its way into the kibbles. To lightly steam the dish is to pre-steam the pot/wok/streamer, turn off the stove/streamer, and then put in the dish for a minute or 90 seconds. For some kibbles that are as hard as pebbles, you might want to leave it a longer in the streamer. To know if you’ve got the right texture for the streamed kibbles is to test it using your index finger and thumb. You should be able to make a slight indentation; and if you could easily squash them, it’s too soft. Most dogs hate mushy kibbles! Give it a final stir; add in supplement, if any, before you serve.

• Added Tip For Smart Super Finicky Dogs: In most cases, the two secrets are more than enough to trick you dog into eating his kibbles, however, there may come a time when you need to upgrade your scheming skill. If it’s called for, prepare as per suggested, garnish few shredded meat over the meat-coated kibbles, leave some shredded meat behind just in case your dog didn’t finish all the kibbles. If he does finish, good on him then reward him the remaining shredded meat for his good behavior.

How Should the Meat Be Shredded?

Most kibbles for small dogs are usually no bigger than a dime. In order to get the kibbles evenly coated, I shred it finely using a spoon to chop them up or manually shred them into thinly pieces.

As for the toppings, be more generous with the size. Microscopic pieces will be less appealing to your dog.

Please be warned, there is no turning back when these tips are implemented. Once your dog tasted real meat, getting to eat his plain kibbles is practically impossible. The only option is to turn to BARF diet or home cooked meals.

Ways Of Cooking for For Finicky Eaters

Dogs love food with piquant flavor, the more piquant it is, the better it works up your dog’s appetite. Some food maybe fetid to us but to dogs it’s a heavenly scent. So work up a strong piquant meal whenever you can.

Avoid Stew: I’m don’t fancy cooking stew for my dogs. Stew is meant to have curvy, and I don’t like kibbles soaking in it making them very soggy; unless you have a senior dog with no teeth otherwise avoid stew. It’s also a messy meal especially when you have dog with fairly long mustache. Like soup, the most nutritious values lies in the sauce, and it’s waste to throw away the excess curvy.

Chicken: You can have it boiled or stir-fried or grilled. Boiled will be the most easiest and convenient method.

• Boiled Chicken: The amount of water should be just enough to boil the chicken and vegetable (i.e. carrot, pumpkin, potato) with. If there is excess soup left, don’t throw it away as it can be used for the next cooking. If your dog likes it as it is, don’t change; if not, add a tiny pinch of sea salt to the soup (salt stimulate appetite).
• Stir-fried Chicken: It can be a little challenging to work out a decent sauce or paste for the stir-fried chicken if you have no broth to cook it with. I usually cook stir-fry chicken if I’m certain I have leftover chicken soup or sauce.
• Steamed Chicken: It’s not the most appealing dish to dogs, especially very finicky dogs. I rarely cook steamed chicken unless I incorporate it with Chinese herbs to bring the aroma or I need some tonic boost.
• Roasted Chicken: Dog loves roasted chicken because it’s juicy and tender, but it’s very unhealthy to eat it on a daily basis. Of course, you can treat your dogs on certain occasions. Just make sure you don’t coat the chicken with much oil or butter just as you would do for grilled chicken.

Fish: Both my dogs and I love fish. We could have it in every meal and never get sick of eating. Since there are so many types of fish available and many ways of preparing them, it’s rarely a problem to cook up delicious fish dish for your dog. Most dogs love fish because of its smell, all the more it’s easier to cook. Most of times I use sea bass, dory, pomfret (silver and black), sardine, eel, mackerel, red snapper, tuna, anchovy, and some other local fish. If my schedule is tight (which usually the case) or I’m too tired, I serve my dogs steamed sea bass or silver pomfret. The oil that used to steam the fish with makes the best “sauce” to coat the kibbles. But do so sparingly, you don’t want your dog consuming too much fats.

For sardine and tuna, I usually buy them in can (in water or oil) as backups. Anchovies are best eaten when they are deep-fried, however, they don’t coat the kibbles well. Or you can add anchovies (fried or raw) into the vegetable soup.

Beef: Dogs love beef, however, I don’t cook beef much mainly due to environmental factors. I would suggest use beef as your backup meat or special occasion.

Pork: This is one ingredient that you will never find in any dog food and yet many owners would occasionally give bits and pieces of pork to their dogs; me too. The one important thing is that you must thoroughly cook the meat (however way it is cooked) before giving it to your dog otherwise you can place them at greater risk for trichinosis. Please, no barbecue sauce over the pork chop! Pork without any spice or herbs is already very tasty for your dog; but if you want to enhance the flavor use a good premium cooking oil.

Liver: Most commonly used is pig liver because it’s one of the “tastiest” liver dogs love. The best way to cook pig liver is to stir-fry them as it emits the most pungent aroma. Slice it thinly, add some finely chopped garlic prior cooking the liver, and some water between stirs; and you have the best dog food in the world. What you want is to work a slight paste not gravy or sauce as this will retain the strong aroma you dog love. Make sure they are well-cooked but still remain tender.

Broccoli and Cauliflower: They are best eaten when stir-fry. My dogs love broccoli because of its crunchy feel and I believe your dog will love them too.

Carrot and Sweet Potato: Dogs have sweet tooth and most love carrots especially if they’re cooked as part of the soup or stew.

Pumpkin: Since pumpkin are easily cooked, don’t cut them too small when use in soup. Try stir-fry them with chicken, it makes a very delicious meal. Also add them in just a few minutes before everything else in the soup is done.

Potato: However you cook the potato avoid mash potato, very messy job after eating; mostly likely you have to do a thoroughly teeth brushing for your dog.

Special Note: If your dog has hypothyroidism, it’s best to avoid feeding him broccoli, cauliflower, and sweet potato. It’s been known that consuming goitrogenic foods can cause the enlargement of the thyroid gland in human. No study has been done on dogs yet, but never hurts to be too conscientious.

I have many more recipes to entice your dog into eating his kibbles but these tips are more than enough to last a very long while, if not a lifetime. If you need more inspirations, check out my dog food recipes and dog treat recipes categories.

In my honest opinion, I believe every owner is capable of coming up creative ways to prepare his/her dog’s meals given more practice. And who knows, you may come up with your own concoction that is so powerful and in return I have to ask you to share your secret ammunition.

Finally, I would like to leave you this note which my mom once shared, “What makes a great chief great isn’t so much on his culinary skills but also his attention to details and love.” Although we may not be eating every dish we cook for our dogs, it doesn’t mean we should cook substandard meals for them. Cook it just like you would cook to impress your in-laws or dates. When we cook it with love and details, we replace worries (i.e. my dog might not eat this) with absolute certainty that our dogs will enjoy and finish their meal.

Series Posts on Finicky Dogs:

• How To Deal With Dogs Who Are Finicky Eaters?
• How To Coax Your Finicky Dog To Eat His Kibbles? – 1
• How To Coax Your Finicky Dog To Eat His Kibbles? – 2
• How To Coax Your Finicky Dog To Eat His Kibbles? – 3

Now that we have got the fundamental requirements and rules iron out, the next thing is getting you to the presentation and preparation of your dog’s meal.

Basic Rules To Feeding and Cooking For Your Finicky Dog

Meat to Kibbles Ratio: How much meat should be added to the kibbles depends how picky your dog is. You could start with 1/4 to 3/4 ratio and slowly work the way up to 1/3 of meat to 2/3 of kibbles when your dog doesn’t buy into your scheme anymore, however, avoid going up to the 50:50 ratio. If you really must, do it very sparingly. Once you start giving in too often, sooner or later your dog wants nothing to do with kibbles. You either have to cook homemade meals daily or switch to BARF diet.

Pick One: Unless you have all the time in the world to create different recipe for your dog daily, then this advice may not be your fancy. Having said, I strongly advise you stick with one main meat. More varieties, more work for you, hence more finicky your dog will be. It’s a vicious cycle. As you see later in the following post, my main meat is either chicken or fish as they are easily accessible to me and very economical. So decide which main meat is the most comfortable budget for you to lavish your dog, but mostly important he must love it!

No More Than Three: Ideally, one meat and one vegetable! Dog don’t have exquisite palate like we have so avoid introducing too many meat and taste in one meal. Doing so will only result in more finicky behavior in turn jeopardizing your time and effort.

Keep It Fresh: If you have the time and effort, cook daily. If not, cook no more than two-day meals. Overnight foods lack freshness and aroma even when you heat them up well. Less fussy or not-at-all fussy dogs can gobble them up in no time but finicky dogs like their meals “fresh-out-of-the-oven.” The strong aroma that emitted during cooking tantalizes their appetite; as you know digestion begins from smell.

• Storage: This is very much personal preference but I shall say it anyway. I don’t fancy storing leftover in plastic ware (i.e. Tupperware); even if I let it cool completely before the transfer. If you decide to cook for two-day meal, please put the leftover in an aluminum or porcelain container and have it properly covered up before putting in the fridge. You don’t want other food smell travel into your dog’s food.
• Heating It Up: I donated my microwave almost four years ago, and I never regretted a moment of it.  Yes, it’s about personal preference again, however, for health and nutritional reasons, try using the old-fashion way of heating up—steam or reheat through pot.

Supplementation: If your dog loves his daily supplement (especially those tablets form) like he loves his treats, then this can be an easy remedy. Instead of giving him the tablet as it is, crash them and sprinkle onto the kibble-and-meat meal. I’ve written extensively on the importance of supplementing our dogs, here are some of them:

• Dog Supplements: The Importance of Giving Supplements To Our Dogs
• Dog Supplements: Fat-soluble Vitamins
• Dog Supplements: Water-soluble Vitamins
• Dog Supplements: Minerals – Macrominerals
• Dog Supplements: Minerals – Microminerals

This is a rather short post but what’s next is just as long as the first post of this series. The next post is where I revealed my secret ammunition to coaxing finicky dogs to eat their kibbles. Keep your eyes peeled!

There are many possible reasons why some dogs are finicky eaters while others aren’t. Lack of palatability, undesirable feeding methods, and too many options and varieties of foods given; these are some of the common causes. Instead of dwelling of the causes and hate yourself for creating them, it’s best to tackle this behavior with effective tips that you can easily implement.

I could just give you straight my secret ammunition in coaxing your finicky dog to eat his kibbles but I won’t do you great service if I don’t share the principles behind the secrets. Metaphorically, it’s like giving you a bicycle with tires that are almost flat. You will, no doubt, reach the destination but how many destinations can that vehicle take you is very much in question.

It’s almost three years since I last wrote on this topic: How To Deal With Dogs Who Are Finicky Eaters?, and I thought it’s a good time to revise a couple points and add a few more tips and requirements. For the completeness of this subject, I divided them into 3 sections/posts: basic requirements, presentation and preparation, and action (this is where my secret ammunition revealed). So bear with me, folks.

Basic Requirements For Eliminating Your Dog’s Finicky Eating Behavior

High Quality Premium Dog Food: I can’t stress enough the importance and benefits of feeding our companion dogs high quality dog food. When we feed our dogs less quality food or food that isn’t agreeable to his stomach, dogs will display all those finicky eating behaviors.

• Quality Ingredients: Ever since the massive dog food recall in 2007, many dog food manufacturers have taken proactive steps to ensure the ingredients used are closely monitored. With this in mind, we still have to be selective given the wide range of food available. I’m not going into details on how to select premium dog food, but the primary rules are 1) Two meat listed in the first two ingredients. 2) Crude proteins should be no less than 22%. Some examples can be found in these brands: Taste of the Wild, Sigma, and Wysong (will be reviewing their product line soon Wysong Introductory Dog Pack reviewed , just received their complimentary Introductory package yesterday) are ones that I highly recommend.
• Stick Too Long: Another common overlook is owners sticking to one brand for way too long (two to five years); and if they do change, they change only the flavor but not the brand. Although I said this before, variety is not as crucial to your dog as it may seem to you, nevertheless, sticking to one brand for years (even if it’s the best of the best dog food in world) will only deprive your dog from many other nutritional values which other brands can offer that the current one lacks.
• Keep Them Fresh: Without question, it’s cheaper when you buy in bigger bulk, but if your dog is not going finish the kibbles within a month then it’s not at all economical just by saving the few bucks because the kibbles already lack freshness. Not forgetting all dog food do travel quite a bit between states or countries, container to truck, and warehouse to retails before the bag of kibbles arrived at your door step. The food is already exposed to various temperatures hence it would be best to buy just enough to feed your dog for three to four weeks.
• Rotate: My philosophy is to rotate two different brands (from different manufacturing plant), not at the same time but one after the other. Should I need to introduce a third brand, one of the current would have to be replaced. You may be quite skeptical on this approach which it’s very understandable because not many owners practice this. I shall leave this option open to you but heed the first three suggestions.

5/8 Filled: One of the best health advices I got during my 6-month stay in Japan, if not thus far, was from an elderly lady. “Always leave 3/8 of the stomach empty after every meal.” She then went on to add, “This will keep your mind alert, less taxing on your digestive tract, and always ready to appreciate your next meal.” I think she missed out two important benefits, trim and longevity! Obaasan died at age 98 at almost the same weight she had during her prime years. Pardon for the tangent.

• Longevity and Trim: Two decades later, I still heed her advice, not just for myself but also use this cardinal rule to feed my dogs—past and present ones. Maybe this is one of the reasons why all my dogs are always at the right weight and live pass their average life span.
• Change of Lifestyle: Unlike wild dogs, our domestic dogs never have to hunt and their meals are always presented in timely manner, so why the need to feed them to the brim like there’s no certainty when their next kill would be.
• Breaking the Rule: This cardinal rule isn’t just for finicky dogs but applicable to all domesticated dogs. The only time you can break this rule is when your dog is in some sort of strenuous activities (i.e. agility class, flyball). Even so, you only need to fill 7/8 of the stomach, a meal before and a meal after the activity.

Skipping A Meal: I’m neutral on the concept of fasting for dogs. I don’t conform to the idea whether it must be done religiously or not at all, to do so will only contradict my points above. Having said, I think it’s a good idea to fast once in awhile (i.e. fortnightly) during warmer months and after a great feast (e.g. dog’s birthday party, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day). The health benefit behind this concept is to give the digestive system a break.

Unlike humans, all healthy dogs can cope very well when fasting without much fuss or any withdrawal syndrome. If your dog is under the weather or ate irregular small amount for past few meals, do not implement this. Otherwise, your dog might vomit yellow foamy liquid just before his next meal is served. There’s no need to be overly concern, it’s the digestive fluid. Should this happen, continue as per normal using the 5/8 filled rule. One common mistake owners make is feeding the dog more than usual as a way of compensation. Just like insufficient amount of sleep, you can’t compensate what was lost during the week. Doing so will only mess up your sleeping pattern and create undesirable behaviors or illness. In addition, you are also making your dog’s digestive system work much harder when you feed more than normal.

To keep my promise, I won’t rehash all the points written in the previous article. If you haven’t read it yet, please do so as there are 9 more tips on eliminating your dog’s finicky behaviors.

Next posts, I will be giving you more tips on how to prepare, present, and incorporate meat into your dog’s kibbles.

TheUltimateGreenPet: If you are into green products, here are some great essentials to consider for your dog.

English Retreads Small Dog Collar in Blue & White Rhinestones is selling at $39.00.
The collar is made of rubber from reclaimed truck inner tubes, 100% vegan, and are available in any color you want—as long as it’s black! It comes in three sizes—small (13.5″ x W .75″), medium, and large. It is designed specifically for conscientious consumers and savvy fashionistas.

Earthbath. If I have to narrow down my choices of dog shampoo, Earthbath is one of my top 3. I can’t recommend highly enough on Earthbath grooming products, specifically their Oatmeal & Aloe Pet Shampoo is a must-have for my dogs. Most of the Earthbath shampoos are selling at $11.95 except for Oatmeal which is priced at $13.95. Overall, TheUltimateGreenStore are selling the Earthbath product line much cheaper than Amazon except for Oatmeal. At the time of writing this, Amazon is selling the Oatmeal & Aloe shampoo at $5.98. So catch this ridiculous price if you can, rarely such great deal come along.

NaturalVetBlends. Pretty new in the market, founded by a team of holistic veterinarians, so I have yet to test out their products. As far as support is concern, it’s quite efficient; they answered my queries within 36 hours. My only comment for now if they would list the quantity amount of each product (especially the chewables and wafers) somewhere on the page rather having to click on individual large image just to see the tiny print. Price wise, quite reasonable. Of course, you get better deal when you buy two as the third one is FREE. Here’s a thought, you might want to check if you could combine different item and get the third item of your choice for free (usually of the same price or lower). Currently, they have seven products, namely:

• Hip & Joint Chewables (75 tablets), $39.95 or Wafers (quantity unknown), $19.95.
• 2-in1 Shampoo (12 fl oz), $19.95.
• Sensitive Skin & Allergy Shampoo (12 fl oz), $19.95.
• Odour Eliminating Shampoo (12 fl oz), $19.95 (Pic left) Has got rave reviews, I might get one to try it out on my furry clients.
• Skin Coat & Joint Daily Dietary Supplement (8.45 fl.oz), $14.95.
• Ear Cleanser (3.78 fl oz); $14.95.

Just worked out a special deal with NaturalVetBlends, in addition to the 3 for the price of 2 deal there is a further 10% discount on all products (no minimum purchase required) . Code: SMALLDOGSPARADISE. (ain’t that obvious )

Stay tune for the second September’s pick. Meanwhile, please do remember to check out my pet coupon and exclusive coupon pages regularly for more discounts and deals.

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While we can only do so much to reduce the noise level produced by the clippers and dryers without over-compromising our productive, it’s almost impossible to reduce the noise made by our furry customers—barking, howling, and whining.

Most days, even during peak hours, we are able to keep the noise level within acceptable range as we try not to schedule more than two new or “special” dogs—who are unaccustomed to other machinery sounds, humans, and canines—together but, sometimes circumstances don’t always comply. And when this happens, situation can get a bit tense not just for my groomers’ concentration but even cause those well-mannered dogs to misbehave. If we just keep tolerating it and allow the noise level to escalate things can get very dangerous for every beings as many sharp, hot, and electrical objects are within close range.

Now you’re wondering why my grooming salon drama has anything to do with this book review. In every sense, it does. Just this last month, my co-partner and I decided to look for creative ways to help ease our furry customers’ anxiety problems.

Having read Joshua Leed’s The Power of Sound and listen to Sound Body, Sound Mind, I’m quite familiar with his work—topnotch sound quality—and we decided to get Through a Dog’s Ear with a starter CD to test it out on our four-legged customers. Lo and behold, it worked miraculously, within minutes all “problematic” dogs became less fidgety be it they were on the grooming table or in the kennel or in the dryer, or in the tub.

I’m not saying that the music completely eliminated all anxiety behaviors at a touch of turning the CD on. As the book clearly states…

This music is specifically designed to calm your dog and help abate behavioral issues.

I always knew certain classical music work wonders for dogs base on my personal experience. Whenever I need to rejuvenate from my hectic work schedule, I play the piano. Unquestionably, I would have my faithful audience lying near enjoying my piece and before long I would have Kiki and Zody in a sedated state. Having said and to paraphrase from the book, not all classical music is the same.

Dog needs simple sound spectrum that requires the least amount of neurological processing. The more complexity in the music, the more energy required to decipher it. Likewise, the simpler the sound, the greater the relaxation response.

In the starter CD, there are two tracks. The first track consists of four selections from Through a Dog’s Ear Vol. 1 & 2. While second track also consists of four selections from the Music for the Canine Household and Driving Edition. The total duration is about 44 minutes.

To better understand how to incorporate the music into working with your dog’s behavior issues, the book is a must-have before you buy the standalone CDs. Just on chapter 9 alone, Leeds lists the necessary guidelines to tackle common behavior issues like separation anxiety, aggression, thunderstorm anxiety, fireworks, excitement with visitors, house guest, boarding, driving with your dog, stressful time from the humans in the family. He also gives suggestions on how to use the music as part of integrative modality when dog/human on recovery from illness or surgery, and euthanasia and hospice.

Through a Dog’s Ear is a very well-written short literature, only 125-pages, comprehensible, engaging, and light (wish I could say the same for The Power of Sound).

To say we were impressed by result is an understatement. Our salon has always been known to use holistic approach to pamper (so as this blog’s tag line, if you haven’t notice ) our furry clients, so without much consideration we went ahead and ordered all 4 CDs series. We play vol. 1 & 2, household, and a few other simple classical music throughout the day or as often as my groomers could bear. Our pet taxi driver plays the driving edition CD when fetching our customers. So when they arrived at the salon, they would be calm and hopefully look forward to be groomed. In addition, all our furry customers are “treated” to 10 minutes of pure listening before they are taken to the grooming area.

It’s been three weeks since and it’s still working miraculously. We even have pet parents complimenting our choice of music play in the salon and how welcoming the ambiance feels. When told how the decision came about, that’s when they begin to piece together the change of their dog’s behavior when in our salon. Upon recommendation, most all of them bought the combo set. We’re planning to sell these CDs in our salon.

Give Through a Dog’s Ear a try even if your dog doesn’t have any anxiety issues. Who knows, you may even enjoy the music just as much as your dog does.

OnlyNaturalPet is offering 10% off on all grooming products for the month of August. Code: GROOMING

Grooming Products:

PetzLife and Leba: If you’ve read my review on oral care dental cleaning products, without a double PetzLife and Leba (especially so due to its hefty price tag) are value for money. I stock these items up to a year supply, which is about 4 of each.

ONP Pure Salmon Oil: This is one excellent (one of the most effective and fastest result achieved thus far) fish oil supplement for dogs with skin and coat problems. Although it is stored in finest quality aluminum bottle with a safe epoxy coating that protects the purity of the oil inside, I personally don’t think you should stock this product up. At most, buy no more than thrice the amount your dog needs (no, I don’t mean overdosing!). Refrigerate the one that is in use. For small dogs, I suggest giving 1/3 of a tsp (1 pump) for a start. Slowing adjust to the suggested dose once your dog is accustomed to the smell (yes, it states odor-free but still…) and taste—it shouldn’t take long!

New Product:

Shoo!Tag Natural Pest Repellent: This is the latest flea and tick repellent gadget. One tag is to keep away fleas and one tag is to keep away ticks. Collar not included! Shoo!TAG utilizes the power of the bio-energetic field which surrounds all living things to create a frequency barrier which repels targeted pests for up to four months. Sale price is $27.49 (both tags).

Remedies, Food, and Gears

Prices on these items below seen on the site are already discounted. In additional you could get further 5% discount if this is your first order. Code: SS15

Newton Homeopathics: 10% off all remedies. There are 13 remedies aiding from nervousness & fear to asthma. Each costs $14.99 except for Thuja. Only five of them are worth buying base on their effectiveness. They are:

• NH Detoxifier
• NH Eye Care
• NH Cough – Asthma
• NH Thuja – Vaccinosis
• NH Diarrhea & Gas

Wellness Simple Solutions: 15% off on dog food. Created for dogs who thrive on a limited ingredient diet due to food allergies or intolerance. A Simple Solution to a difficult problem! Available in dry and canned foods. Comes in duck, venison, salmon, and lamb favors. Sizes for dry food are in 10.5lb and 26lb and their prices range from $24.29 to $59.89.

Natural Balance Dog Food: 15% off on new formula dog food—Sweet Potato & Chicken Dry and Allergy Formula Canned Dog Food. You’ve been a regular reader of mine, you surely know that Natural Balance is one of the five premium dog food I highly endorse and recommend. Sizes for the dry food are in 5lb, 15lb, and 28lb and prices range from $12.59 to $43.29. Canned (sweet potato and chicken favor) comes in 13oz. for $1.69 each or $18.89 for a case of 12 cans.

Ruff Wear Gear: 10% off on all Ruff Wear Gear. Items include dog gear, boots, coat, life jacket, backpack, leash and collar, bowl, toys, bed, and even first aid kit! These are designed for dogs who love outdoor activities. Be it summer or winter, dog boots is one gear your active dog can’t do without. Expires: Aug 31, 09.

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