Feeding Raw Food to Manchester Terriers

I have been experimenting with feeding raw foods to my two Toy Manchesters and thought I would share some of the information I've learned.

1. Dogs love it. It can take them a little time to get accustomed to manipulating a whole piece of meat and trying to eat it but with a little time the lesson is learned. This is, after all, yummy food!

2. It's not an exact science. The normally accepted ratio of meat/bone/organ meat is 80:10:10. This can vary widely between different dogs. Usually, if a dog is having very loose bowel movements then more bone is needed. If the dog is having very hard movements, the bone quantity should be reduced. The quantity to feed daily which is generally accepted is 2 - 3% of the dog's ideal adult body weight. For example, if your dog weighs 20 lbs and is a little heavy, you may wish to begin at 2% of her body weight (0.4 lb) and reassess her weight in a few weeks. If she's doing well, you can adjust to meet her activity level and body condition.

3. There are many types of "schools of thought" with regards to feeding raw. Some are based on prey models (simulating the consistency and makeup of typical prey animals) and other people feed ground meats with or without ground bone and some even feed vegetables. There are some people who will lightly cook their dog's food before serving, as well.

4. It can be messy. Especially in the beginning, my dogs were pushing their pieces of meat all over the kitchen floor with their noses and sliding around while standing on the pieces while they tried to tear off a piece. So I purchased a used ex-pen off Craigslist and put a gate between the two sides. Now they stay put in their corners and I don't have a lot of mopping to do afterwards.

5. It's not a fast way to feed your dogs. The chewing, ripping and gnawing action the dogs perform takes a bit of time. There is no gobbling if the pieces are large enough. If you have a dog who scarfs their food, it's better to feed a bigger, awkward piece to slow them down. But I have never fed a meal to my dogs that didn't last at least 40 minutes. This extra time is great for digestion since the stomach has lots of time to digest and process the bits as they come down "the pipe". Also, the gastric fluids have time to work on the food and break it down more efficiently.

6. It's better than any toothbrush on the market. The knawing and grinding the dogs do on the bony pieces effectively clean their teeth and the best part is that they did it all by themselves!

7. Raw bones are not as dangerous as cooked ones. Some people shy away from feeding raw because they believe bones can splinter and cause punctures within the intestines. While it's very important to always supervise your dogs while they are eating, raw bones do not splinter or chip off like cooked ones do and are consumed much more easily than you'd expect. I was very careful the first time I fed raw and was pleased to see that the uncooked bones were not difficult on my dog's systems. It's important to remember that weight-bearing bones of animals (leg bones) can be very hard on dog's teeth since they're so dense so it's best to steer clear of those.

8. Raw diets do not cause dogs to become ill. Quite the contrary. Raw diets eliminate all the unwanted processing and fillers so common in dog foods today. As long as the raw meat is human grade and not spiced or enhanced, it is safe to feed. If a wild type of meat is considered (deer, boar, bear, moose, fish) then freezing it solid for two weeks will eliminate any possibility of parasites being transmitted. Spoiled meats are not something you'd want to take chances with, either.

9. Raw diets can offer a lot of variety. If you can imagine it, it can be done. Remembering the 80:10:10 ratio, most of the meat fed will be, well, meat. A small quantity should be bone and organ meats. In the beginning, just use your eye to estimate the amount of meat:bone ratio and leave out the organ meat to give your dog time to acclimate to the change. Add in organ meat when your dog is eating well and eliminating regularly. Many people begin with chicken (fat removed) because it is very accessible and cheap. If your grocery store has a sale on duck, lamb, pork, beef, turkey, fish or mutton then stock up.

10. You need a freezer to efficiently feed raw. A chest freezer (or two) are absolutely necessary to be able to take advantage of sales and bulk purchases. Since I don't have the room for a chest freezer, I only feed raw a few times per week and make my purchases each week on grocery day. If you have multiple dogs to feed, the necessity for a large freezer is obvious.

If you're interested in learning more about raw feeding, here are a few links to get you started.

http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:http://www.rawfed.com/

http://www.rawlearning.com/

There are many people on the internet that are happy to share their knowledge of raw feeding. With a little research you can see if this option is right for your dog.

Submitted by: Jennifer Legere

Excessive Barking

How should we react to the problem of excessive barking? How can we avoid complaints from neighbours? And how can we understand this behavior and prevent it?

The number one complaint from neighbours of all dog owners is excessive barking. Some dogs spend their lives vocalizing, others are rather silent. We all want to stop our dogs from barking and breaking our ears!

How do we avoid, prevent and help change this behaviour that is so natural for the dog?

The most common advice you will receive might include dropping a can full of pennies, spraying the dog with water, or using a gadget like a collar with a jet of citronnella, one that produces a particular sound or even electric shocks. The results will vary, most of the time it will have some effect but not for long, it may not work at all (Ha! You may discover that some dogs love to be sprayed with water!), or it may cause other problems . Using such methods is like shooting in the dark as they try to modify a result regardless of the cause.

Gadgets can occasionally help to temporarily reduce complaints while you are working through the real problem. However, you must work on this problem if you want reliable results in the long term. To do this, we need to understand why a dog barks.

Boredom

There are several reasons that cause barking. Some people will say that their dog ''barks at nothing''. This is absolutely false. A dog always vocalizes for a reason. We may not understand this reason or we may not find it worthy of all that noise, but it exists and finding it is the first step towards treatment and prevention.

Some breeds are more likely to express themselves by vocalizing than others. but even dogs of those breeds need a reason to vocalize! The dog may bark because he is bored. He would like something to happens and each stimulus, however small it is, drives him to bark in the hope of producing some reaction. It can happen that a dog accused of barking 'for nothing' is actually barking because he saw a bird through the window or because a leaf fell from a tree... he barks because he is bored and has absolutely nothing else to do. This is not only true for the poor dogs tied outside all day but also for spoiled lapdogs within our homes. It may be that this dog has all the care, love and walks, but he has a potential and intelligence far beyond his role as a stuffed doggie.

We could deter the bored dog from barking by putting an electric shock collar on him. If this doesn’t traumatize him too much, he may simply find another activity like destroying stuff, chasing shadows or digging to relieve his boredom. It would be more effective to keep this puppy busy instead of trying to silence him. Some stimulating activities that are physically and mentally interesting will satisfy him. A tired dog is a good dog!

Attention

Linked to boredom, is barking to get attention. Again, the dog has little else to do to amuse himself other than to make us react. He quickly learns that when he makes noises, we jump, shout at him (we bark too!), or even chase him—in short, we leave whatever we are doing and our attention ois 100% on him! It's a super game!

If you start to throw him cans or spray him with water when he vocalizes, unless he is very frightened he may well love this change in the rules of the game. He'll find you very inventive and interesting as you try every trick imaginable to make him silent. Unless you really scare or hurt him (which will have unfortunate consequences on your relationship with him), these approaches will rarely silence him. The best solution is to take proper care of the dog and ignore his vocalizations so as to not reward him with your attention.

Distrust

A very common and serious cause of excessive barking is distrust. In this case, a dog vocalizes to sound the alarm when he is afraid. He wants to warn his family of the great danger he thinks is approaching. The easiest way to prevent this problem is by exposing the puppy to many people, other dogs, cats, horses, trucks, elevators, roller skates and buses at a young age. The period between 2 and 5 months is the best period for socialization.

Without traumatizing the puppy, we want to expose him to all kinds of new people, animals, objects and sounds so he can get used to them. This will help him become a dog with not too much fear who loves everyone. He will not need to bark at everyone who passes by the window and each bag of trash that moves in the wind because it will not make him suspicious, just curious.

Many small breeds of dogs bark for this reason, and it’s easy to see why. Many of them spend too much time at home, always see the same things and are too overprotected in your arms. While prevention at a young age is the best solution, it is possible with some effort and patience to reduce the fear of older timid dogs by gradually getting him use to new things.

One thing to keep in mind is that a dog that barks at things he thinks are suspicious may also be more likely to decide to defend the territory. Some distrustful dogs bark but are fairly easy to stop. Some others vocalize ardently at the window and it is impossible to silence them—you may even be bitten in the process! The dog who is impossible to stop is a dog who thinks he is responsible for the territory, home, garden, and his people. In vocalizing in view of a suspected intruder, he is not only trying to sound the alert but also to intimidate “the enemy”, hoping that they will go away (as the mailman does each day).

This dog really believes he's responsible for us and our safety and if we try to silence him he may even bite, thinking "Come on, don't bother me, I'm trying to protect you!!" This dog will need to be ‘de-responsibilitalized’ with a global approach and coaching that will make him understand that it is humans that protects dogs and not the opposite. It is not his job to be on guard if we are present. By removing this big job from him, he will only warn us if he see something suspicious and will then let us take care of it. This is what is expected of a companion dog: to warn us by two-three barks and stop when requested.

But what if we’re not home? For a suspicious or territorial dog that causes complaints when you're absent, you may start with restricting his view by blocking the outside window, or by keeping the dog in a cage and letting the radio play to disguise the noise outside during our absence. This type of barking often happens for the first time between 6 months and 2 years, and if we do not work to solve the problem immediately it will grow.

Frustration

A final cause of barking is quite frequent and not always easy to resolve, it is frustration. A dog that barks at a game may just be excited, but often there is some element of frustration in the situation. This happens commonly to older dogs who begin to bark a lot while playing or going for a walk to the park because they do not see as well or cannot run like before. It is also possible that your dog sees two other dogs play and would love to get involved but the other dogs ignore him or he does not dare let himself get in the game. The best thing to do in these situations is to redirect his attention, perhaps with a stick or other toy that he can hold in his mouth (he can't bark with his mouth full!) You can also initiate games he can easily manage and that will let off steam and tire him out.

Sometimes, the frustration is much more global and advanced. Many dogs suffer from a lack of direction, supervision, clear rules and interesting stimuli. This is the trouble for today’s modern dog. Though he has the potential, intelligence and need to work for long hours of working dogs, we ask him to be at home, to be caressed and be content with his two walks per day. Compare this life to that of a shepherd dog for example, who, under the clear direction of his human can do a job that will keep him busy all day. The frustration of not knowing what to do with himself can be manifested in different ways, including excessive vocalization.

Though we can silence these dogs with gadgets, this will likely only worsen the problem. The dog could start running in circles all day, chasing his tail, licking his paws and legs to excess, destroying things, digging ... in such a context, taking care of the dog and coaching him is the only real solution. Training is not the only answer either here—consider also getting involved with activities like agility, freestyle, Skijoring, tracking etc. This will certainly help to entertain both the dog and his human!

Prevention is the Best Medicine

So, there you have it: the main reasons why a dog barks, no matter what the breed. Prevention is the easiest way to deal with barking. It starts with choosing a puppy from a stable background, socializing it well and coaching him from the beginning. If you have an older dog who barks, start by figuring out why he is barking and remember that he may be barking for a mixture of the reasons above. The reasons why he barks determine your next steps, because we certainly can’t proceed the same way with a dog barking to alert the neighbourhood as with a dog barking because it occupies him.

And remember: be silent when you are working with barking issues. Too many people start to scream to silence the dog which causes the opposite effect because the dog is encouraged by his human who now vocalizes as much as him!

Submitted by: Linda Richard

Ten Training Maxims

As a professional dog trainer, I watch clients struggling with the same things when trying to get their dogs to communicate with them. Unfortunately, our society has encouraged dog owners to treat their pets as little furry humans rather than a completely distinct species. That's not to say that dogs don't experience similar "emotions" or "states" as humans do. But when walking down the aisles of the pet store these days, products are specifically geared to ascribe human qualities to our dogs. Tshirts for dogs bearing phrases like "bad to the bone" or "princess" encourage people to ascribe human attributes where they don't exist. No wonder we don't understand our dogs!





Below are ten tips that I give as a handout to all my clients on their first training session.

1. Dogs only do what works for them. Period. If it has no immediate benefit for them (that they can determine) then they will not do it. A dog will not wash the dishes or do the laundry because there is no payoff for a dog to do these things. A dog will sit if he understands what you want and gets a reward afterwards for doing it. A dog can learn to run an entire agility course just for the chance to play a game of tug afterwards. If you stop rewarding, however, the dog will stop working. If you put money into a vending machine and press the button you expect something to come out. If nothing comes out, do you put money in it again? Of course not. You stop trying.


2. Your dog has impeccable hearing skills. He heard you the first time. Do not chant commands at your dog. Do not repeat yourself. A command is given once in a sensible tone of voice. If your dog doesn’t do as you asked there can only be two reasons why:
   · He doesn’t understand what you want yet. Explain what you want again and be kind, deliberate and understanding. Maybe go a little slower this time.
   · He’s decided you aren’t serious. Get serious. If he truly understands what you’re asking then he’s lost faith in you. Don’t wait for the mood to strike him. If you want him to sit and he doesn’t sit, go to him, quietly get him to sit and praise lavishly. If you’re not prepared to back up your command with action, don’t give the command.


3. Your dog does not speak English (or any verbal language for that matter). He just doesn’t understand the concept of spoken language. He can only associate certain sounds with consequences, actions and behaviours. He doesn’t understand the cost of his chewing on your Herman Miller leather chaise or the angst you feel from his peeing on the antique Iranian Safavid Period carpet. The more you talk during training the more he will learn to tune out your voice. That’s a terrible mistake to make when one day you need your dog to STOP before he runs into traffic. By all means, talk to your dog during your day-to-day life with him. He loves your voice! Just be aware that during training and when working for you, he requires a lot less noise to be able to concentrate.


4. Dogs learn cause and effect very, very quickly. If your dog doesn’t seem to be learning something, you are not being clear enough to your dog. Consistency is the cornerstone to dog training. That means the same thing happens EVERY SINGLE TIME something else happens. If your dog jumps on you and you want to discourage it, show the dog that his jumping makes you turn your back and leave the room. Crystal clear. Every time. No exceptions. He will learn not to jump on you if you can be consistent. If you cannot be consistent, rethink your expectations of your dog. He’s not a mind reader.


5. Don’t forget to praise your dog! If he only hears about how he did something wrong how will he possibly know when he got it right? Give him a hint, spell it out: this is wrong and this is right! Be delighted and animated when he pleases you. He’ll want to repeat it!


6. Control the head of the dog and you control the whole dog. This principle is aptly demonstrated with a Gentle Leader head collar and lure-reward training. If your dog is not looking at you he is not going to listen to you. Eye contact is critical to training. Get your dog looking at you and then give a command for greater success.


7. Know when to train and when not to train. Dogs cannot learn when they are in pain, need to eliminate, when they’re afraid or in an overly distracting environment. A hungry dog, however, will be eager to focus on you if you are delivering treat rewards. If something seems to be hampering your dog’s concentration, check the environment for distractions, make sure he doesn’t need to eliminate, change your location to a more familiar one or make sure he isn’t too wound up or too tired to focus.


8. Ideally, your dog’s name should only be paired with good news and happy situations. Growling your dog’s name in a fierce voice is not going to leave a great impression in his mind. Try your best to use, “Hey! AAAH! No! Stop it! Whoa!” or some other words to signal your displeasure.


9. Dogs don’t exercise themselves. Ten acres of land will not tire a dog out. Throwing a ball will.


10. A 10 lb. puppy that bites will grow into a 70 lb. dog that bites even harder. Teeth and skin should never meet. Ever.

Every time you interact with your dog you are training. How you behave around your dog has a tremendous impact on how your dog behaves. If there's something your dog's doing that doesn't please you, try to look at yourself first to see if you might be causing it. If we can learn to watch ourselves, our dogs will learn more quickly.

Submitted by: Jennifer Legere

Early Socialization = A Healthy Dog

You’ve probably heard the same story from every corner of dogdom: early, positive, vigorous and ongoing socialization is critical for your puppy’s good development. So just what exactly is meant by socialization?


While a puppy is riding the rollercoaster of learning and growing it becomes increasingly important to expose her to situations, people and objects that she is likely to encounter in her lifetime. It’s not as difficult as you may think, really. We can assume that most dogs will experience many of the same things: the vet, the groomer, Aunt Zelda and her walker, little kids with cookies in their hands squealing, “Puppy!”, men in hats, women in flowing dresses, cars, plastic bags, recycle bins, skateboards, wheelchairs, bicycles and so on. That’s just the variety of life in a human’s world.

Once a puppy leaves for a new home at 8 weeks of age the momentum of socialization can slow down while the new owner struggles to get a grip on toileting, puppy teething and all the day-to-day things that raising a puppy entails. But this is the worst time to become complacent! Physiologically a puppy is perfectly designed to learn new things before the age of 12 weeks. Her natural curiosity coupled with soft jaws and undeveloped motor skills offer a window of time where new experiences, good and bad, are easily learned and often last a lifetime. With a little planning, owners can set up safe and positive situations where a puppy can learn about the world around her.

Years ago vets discouraged owners from taking young puppies outside at all in the misguided view of protecting them from transmissible diseases. New research indicates that as long as the puppy has received its first set of vaccinations, the benefit of socialization outweighs the chance of infection if certain precautions are taken. Keeping the puppy away from areas used by many dogs, inviting guests and safe dogs to socialize in your home and yard and toting your pup in your arms are ways to minimize the dangers of infection and still accomplish your socialization goals.


Certain dogs need more practice at socializing than others while some dogs benefit from occasional “tune ups” from time to time. So just how bad can it be if socialization is allowed to slide? Well, that depends upon the “plasticity” of the dog. A dog’s plasticity, or bounce-back-ability, is dependant upon many factors including breed, age, health, previous experiences, temperament and history of socialization. For example, a dog which was bred to be an independent thinker with quick reflexes and a natural wariness may not as easily adapt to varying environmental conditions as, say, a dog which was bred to accompany his master for hours at a time on a hunt or while fishing. It should come as no surprise that a Manchester Terrier is a breed that will likely require more intense, careful and ongoing socialization than your average Labrador Retriever.

What happens if you’ve adopted an adult dog who hasn’t received adequate socialization as a puppy? This is very often the case with puppies that have been removed from the litter too early in life or that have grown up in a kennel environment. Often these dogs will respond with barking, lunging and biting when surprised, pressured, cornered or while on lead. When a dog’s “plasticity” is very low, even a seemingly small event can trigger an outburst. Sadly, this is the fate of many dogs surrendered to shelters throughout North America. Dogs that cannot tolerate people have far worse outcomes than dogs that dislike the company of other dogs or animals since too many “mistakes” with people can label a dog “dangerous”. In this very litigious society of ours, that label can be a death sentence for the dog. For an under-socialized adult dog, improving her opinion of the world can be difficult and, in some cases, very little can be done. With the guidance of a qualified trainer, desensitization and counter-conditioning of the feared stimuli can help a dog learn to relax and trust that she’s safe. Although painstakingly repetitive and slow, remedial socialization is possible with a carefully thought-out plan.

A dog’s health can affect her behaviour and ability to cope with the rigors of modern life. Painful skin conditions, joint, dental or muscle pain, thyroid and other hormone disorders and wounds can make a dog very touchy and unlike her normal self. Often it is a behaviour change that signals a decline in health so watching your dog for signs of out-of-character behaviour can often lead to an early diagnosis.

Sometimes, despite our best intentions, something comes along and scares a puppy during the socialization phase and we find ourselves dealing with a dog that’s scared of the strangest things. I really don’t know when or how but I have a beautifully socialized, athletic, healthy four year old Toy Manchester Terrier who shrieks if he sees the bottom of a foot. He certainly wasn’t intentionally kicked but somewhere along the way he generalized the sight of a lifted foot with a frightening situation. Although he is always going to struggle with formal obedience heeling exercises he never runs away from us or bolts at the door.

Socialization ideally will continue for the life of the dog. If you stop taking your dog to places and exposing her positively to a variety of situations you risk losing ground. By making the most of that first year, your dog will reward you with great behaviour for years to come. Living a life rich with variety, companionship and security are basic rights that every dog deserves.

Submitted by: Jennifer Legere

Summertime with the Manchesters

Well, summer is (finally) here! Many of us are out and about much more with our MTs enjoying the fine weather. Here are a few tips to make your summer adventures a bit more fun for you and your MT:

• remember to bring along fresh water when out for lengthy walks or adventures. Be careful not to allow your dog to drink out of stagnant pools of water. These often contain unhealthy bacteria or parasites. Some lake water may also contain harmful algae growth which can actually be fatal to dogs. It is much safer to provide your dog with water you know is clean.
  
• try to find a dog-safe bug spray when out in areas where dogs will come in contact with mosquitoes, black fly, or other biting bugs. We use all-natural sprays which use lemongrass, ginger and other extracts. We try to avoid those with heavy chemicals.
  
• some Manchesters react to certain bug bites. If you MT has an allergic reaction to a bug bite or a bee sting you can give him/her a dose of antihistamine, such as Bendryl at a dosage of 1mg/lb. We carry Bendryl with us whenever we go out with the dogs in the summer.
  
• if you are in an area with ticks, make sure you check your MT on a regular basis for unwelcome "visitors". For instructions on how to remove a tick, click here.
• if you are in a high-risk area for heartworm (in Canada that includes southern Ontario, southern Quebec, Manitoba and the Okanagan in British Columbia) you should consider using medication to prevent heartworm. This condition is transmitted via infected mosquitoes. If you are planning to travel to a high-risk area this summer be sure to discuss this with your vet before travelling.
  
• when planting your garden, keep your MT in mind. There are a number of plants that are safe for humans but not for dogs. Some of these plants may only cause minor upsets if ingested, while others may have more tragic results. For a listing of some plants to avoid, click here.
• keep an eye on dogs near swimming pools and other bodies of water. Unfortunately there are still too many incidents of accidental drownings of dogs. Sometimes dogs that fall into pools or other bodies of water panic and can't find the a way out.
• watch out for overheating. Our MTs are black and tan...they absorb heat. And although our guys LOVE to sunbathe they still need access to shade and cooler places. In the heat of the summer make sure there are cool places for your MT to relax out of the sun.

So, take some time with your MT and enjoy the summer! And, for your viewing pleasure...here is Tillie enjoying her summer dress (and yes, she truly LOVES dressing up)!

Submitted by: Jennifer Tomes