Debunking The Dominance Theory

'PR' Grnlf''s Whirlwind, Bounce, Owned By Whitney Weston
Photo Credit: Memories Photography By Holly

Every dog owner has heard it at least once, "You need to be the Alpha of your pack." Now, let's start with that. What is an Alpha exactly? Well, let me start by telling you, you can't be one. When L. David Mech originally wrote his book, The Wolf: Ecology and Behavior of An Endangered Species, it greatly started the spread of the Dominance (or otherwise known, Alpha) Theory. Mech has since been trying to keep the book from being published because even he himself has realized the fault in his writing, he was observing captive, not wild, wolves. The wolves that Mech was observing were all adult wolves forced to live together as a pack and was very different from naturally formed wolf packs. It wasn't surprising to find out that they fought often as this wasn't a natural way of living for them. So what is a natural wolf pack like? A natural wolf pack is formed when a male seeks out a female, they mate and have pups. The pups grow up as part of a pack, but once they mature, the males go out and find other females and start packs of their own. So all in all, there are no Alphas in wolf packs, just parents and pups.

Border Collie Owned By Hazel Fernandez

Shorty Bull and Poodle-Chihuahua Mix, Photo Credit: Zoey Carter

Now, let's throw that aside to talk about the main issue with this theory. Dogs are NOT wolves. Yes, it's true, they aren't wolves. So when did wolf behavior have anything to do with dog training? In all truth, they don't go together at all. A better place to look for dog behavior in nature would be feral dog groups. I'm going to start by saying there isn't much information currently available about feral dogs, as they have only become recently interesting to wildlife biologists. However, I will provide you with the information that is currently known. So let's start with what exactly a feral dog is. A feral dog isn't your neighbors dog that has been missing for a few months, that dog would still be considered domestic.

Mixed Breed, Photo Credit: Tyfanee Fortuna

A feral dog would be the offspring and any generations afterwards that grew up without humans. Feral dogs, just like the Domestic Dog, are social animals. They enjoy interacting with others in their species. However, what has recently been noted is that they are not pack animals. They do not stay in organized groups, nor do they have an organized hierarchy. Often times they travel individually, spending time with a certain group of dogs before moving on to the next. It is also important to note that feral dogs are more scavengers than hunters, and do not hunt in groups even when they do hunt. It's much more likely for an individual to catch a squirrel or rabbit as it's own meal than for it to share with the other feral dogs, very much unlike wolves.

If dogs when let loose do not form hierarchy on their own and do not try to attain a status by dominating other dogs, then why would we assume that we would need to dominate our dogs to gain respect? In feral dog packs respect is everywhere, the dogs do not dominate each other but rather give each other their space and socialize on occasion

So what should this say to us as dog owners? Are the alpha rolls really necessary or are we just scaring our dogs for no reason? The dominance theory is an outdated theory based on incredible amounts of misinformation and can cause fear and aggression issues in dogs that had otherwise been fine. If you are having behavioral issues with your dog contact your local trainer or behaviorist, but keep in mind the problem is most likely not that your dog is trying to dominate you.  

"A good dog never dies, he always stays, he walks beside you on crisp autumn days when frost is on the fields and
winter's drawing near, his head within our hand in his old way." --Anonymous

Prey Model Raw: What You Should Know

German Shepherd Dog Ready For Some Chicken Feet, Owned By Carrie Wright

I woke up this morning and went straight to my usual routine. This morning it consisted of throwing some raw venison, a chicken leg and beef liver into a bowl for Whiskey's morning meal. Whiskey eats a prey model raw diet. Prey Model Raw is a diet consisting of completely raw meat. When at first hearing this, it throws a lot of people off. There are a lot of myths involved in the diet and I will cover some of the most common ones in this article! 

Before I go any further into explaining the benefits of a Prey Model Raw diet, I am going to address some of the most common concerns, after all, isn't raw meat riddled with bacteria? There are usually two main concerns people have when it comes to the bacteria in raw meat. The first being, won't the bacteria in raw meat harm my dog? The short answer is no, as long as your dog doesn't already have an immunocompromised system. Dogs are made to process raw meat. Their mouths contain lysozyme, an enzyme that lyses and destroys any harmful bacteria that raw meat contains, not to mention their incredibly strong stomach acid. Dogs are carnivores, and I can promise, if your dogs were out in the wild, they wouldn't skin and cook their food!

Whiskey Chowing Down On A Venison Ribcage, Owned By Me! 

The next question people usually ask me is: Won't the bacteria spread to humans? Either by licks to the face or shed in their feces? My first recommendation is treating their meals like you would prepping meat for dinner. Keep the area clean. As for licks to the face, as stated before, their mouths do contain lysozyme so any bacteria that is in their mouth is destroyed. That being said, I personally don't allow Whiskey to lick me for 30 minutes after she eats, but I'm a germaphobe. That's right, I'm a germaphobe, so if I can do it, you can too! As for being shed in the feces use proper hygiene, wash your hands after picking up the poop and you have nothing to worry about! Simple hygiene is the secret to keeping any bacteria at bay!

American Bully Eating A Whole Rabbit, Owned By Ashley Faison 

One of the most common arguments I hear from people against a raw diet is that feeding dogs raw meat will make them bloodthirsty. I can confidently sweep this myth under the rug from personal experience alone, but I'll give you guys a little more information than that! Let's start by talking about what a dog is. A dog is a carnivore, a predator by nature, they are meant to go out and hunt. I know quite a few dogs that are fed kibble but still have gotten out and caught and killed a squirrel, while I also know raw fed dogs who would go and play with a rabbit they befriended in the backyard. As humans domesticated the dog, they bred them for a multitude of purposes. Some of those purposes being to watch and protect other animals from other carnivores, while others to go out and hunt. Thus, hunting instincts boil down to genetics, not diet. Some dogs are more genetically prone to want to hunt, while others are not. If you want to make sure Fluffy doesn't bring you a dead bird as a present, then keep an eye on her, but trust me feeding her kibble isn't going to keep her from going out hunting!

Border Collie Working On A Lamb Leg, Owned By Emily Renaud

Now that I've gotten those concerns out of your head, let's move on to the next biggest misunderstanding with Prey Model Raw Diets. People often argue that dogs are omnivores and a common argument they use towards that point is that wolves eat the stomach contents of their prey, but do they really? The answer is no. In small animals like a rabbit, wolves would eat the stomach contents because the animal is so small, however on larger animals they shake out the stomach contents of their prey. L. David Mech writes about it in his 2003 book: Wolves: Behavior, Ecology and Conservation. As can be read on pg. 123:

"Wolves usually tear into the body cavity of large prey and consume the larger internal organs, such as lungs, heart, and liver. The large ruman [which is one of the main stomach chambers in large ruminant herbivores] is usually punctured during removal and its contents spilled. The vegetation in the interstinal tract is of no interest to wolves, but the stomach lining and intestinal wall are consumed, and their contents further strewn about the kill site."

Further along on pg. 124, it will also read, "To grow and maintain their own bodies, wolves need to ingest all the major parts of their herbivorous prey, except the plants in the digestive system." 

German Shepherd Dog Puppies Weaned Onto Raw, Owner Danielle Steenkamp

Now that I've covered some of the more common myths involving prey model raw, let's talk about the benefits of raw feeding! Feeding raw has a lot of health benefits, one of the most notable starting right in their mouths. Kibble fed dogs often have teeth riddled with plaque, which can cause a multitude of issues including leading to heart, kidney and liver disease. Since raw fed dogs eat meaty bones, it keeps their teeth clean, greatly decreasing the risk to any of those diseases. Another thing that raw feeders tend to notice when they switch their dogs to raw is their coat. It becomes lush, thick and shiny. Often times, dogs with skin issues have them clear up just a couple months after switching to raw. The benefits of raw are many, including a lot less vet bills as raw fed dogs tend to be much healthier individuals. In senior dogs I've seen an increase in activity levels, often times owners remarking that they are acting like puppies again. We are what we eat, so why wouldn't it apply to dogs also?

Pork Shoulder, Chicken Feet and Garlic (A Natural Flea Prevention) 

Dogs of all ages can be fed a raw diet, even puppies! Puppies can be weaned right off of their mother's milk straight onto raw. It's a great way to start off their life!

So where can you start? A raw diet should usually consist of 80% muscle meat, 10% bones and 10% Organ Meat, at least 5% of which being Liver. Now remember, these are basic guidelines, some dogs need more bone or organ than others, you will be able to tell that by the solidity of their stool (I'll get to that in a little bit!). You can balance it out by the day, week or month, so don't freak out if you don't use the 80:10:10 guideline every day. This also varies dog to dog, but on average, a good guideline is to feed 2-3% of their weight (if puppies, feed 2-3% of their estimated adult weight). Watch your dog's weight and add or subtract as needed. 

Bull Terrier, Owned By Courtenay Morgan

I always recommend switching cold turkey when switching to a raw diet, usually with a bland meat like chicken or lamb. My usual recommendation is feeding chicken quarters (chicken necks for smaller breeds) for your first week on raw. Bones help to solidify the stool, so it is important to make sure that you use meats high in bone content for the first couple weeks while getting your dog used to the raw diet. I usually don't recommend adding organ meat, which will loosen the stool, until at least two weeks into the raw diet. The first month you want to stick to one protein (Chicken, in this case). As you go along further into the raw diet you can add new proteins, one at a time. After the first two weeks of feeding meat with high bone content you can start to add more muscle meat and gradually introduce organ. As I said before, organ will soften the stool, so don't add too much when you first introduce it to avoid cannon butt! I know that all this information can seem a little intimidating, but don't worry it is a lot easier once you get used to it, and it is well worth it! I will warn you though, most people that start raw will admit that it can be quite a bit of an addiction! There are also plenty of sources on the Internet with lots of information on starting on a raw diet as well as plenty of Facebook Groups with experienced raw feeders who would love to answer any questions that you might have!

I'm going to end this by leaving you some great sources to check out:

http://rawfed.com/myths/index.html

http://preymodelraw.com/page/articles.html/_/raw-chat/how-to-get-started-feeding-a-prey-model-raw-diet-r19

https://www.facebook.com/groups/preymodeldiet/

Doberman Puppies Eating Ground Elk and Chicken Feet, Owned by Connie Morgan

A Fit Dog Is A Happy Dog

American Pit Bull Terrier, Pictures at 4 Years Old, Owned By Billy Vaughan

Today I was browsing through Facebook (a horribly addicting past time) and I came upon a post with a picture of an overweight dog. Browsing through the comments, one person pointed out the problem, only to be shot down by every other poster saying that her comments were rude, uncalled for and that the dog was loved and spoiled. This was of great concern to me, as I know that if the dog had been deemed underweight, everyone would have jumped on the bandwagon to call out the owner on the issue. So why is it that an underweight dog will have everyone running and screaming but an overweight dog won't? Sadly, people don't realize how unhealthy it is for a dog to be overweight. Overweight dogs are often seen by the general public as cute, spoiled or "very loved". While the dog itself might be cute, and the weight might be due to "being spoiled or loved" it is also incredibly unhealthy for the dog. It is estimated that 52.6% of dogs in the United States are overweight or obese (For more info regarding statistics refer to: http://www.petobesityprevention.org/). That's more than half, so it wouldn't come as a surprise that people think an overweight dog is the norm.

Doberman Pinscher, 5 Years Old, Owned By Jamie Fincher

Granted, we all know the average pet isn't going to look like Bruce Lee, but as a dog owner, it is our responsibility to keep them at a healthy weight, though it is always recommended to go the extra mile. 

Great Dane, Pictured at Two Years Old, Owned By Jon Atwood

So, what can you as a dog owner do to help make sure your dog is healthy as can be? Let's start by talking about free feeding. It's a common practice and I have known quite a few people in my life that free fed their dogs. Free fed dogs are very likely to become overweight. Constant snacking throughout the day, especially with the combination of lack of exercise, is often times the equivalent to sitting down, watching TV and eating buttered up popcorn most of the day.  So go pick up that bowl and put Max on a feeding schedule. Once on the schedule watch his weight to see if you need to decrease or increase the amount of food.

American Bully, 3 Years Old, Owned By Julia Schwartz

Step 2 is exercise, and no, don't tell me that you have a backyard that he runs and plays in, because most of the time that isn't enough exercise for the average dog! Going out for a walk during the day is good for you, and it is great for your dog also. So go grab the leash and go smell the roses. A nice walk is great bonding time for you and your dog! If you don't have time to walk your dog during the day it is also good to look into a dog walker/runner!


Bike rides with your dog are also a great way to get some exercise in for the two of you! It can be a little difficult to hold onto the leash and the handle bars at first but it's easy to master and there are plenty of products out there to make it an even easier and more pleasant experience for the two of you!

Rottweiler (Torch von Den Dreibergen -- BH, BST, IPO1), 3 Years Old
Owned By Alyssa Larson 

Another great exercise is going for a hike. Plenty of local reservations allow leashed (some places, off leash) dogs. Hiking is especially great because there are always new smells to get your dogs nose working! I've taught my dog, Whiskey, to pull me up hills while hiking in a harness, great work out for her and she loves getting a chance to pull! We usually go off trail for our hikes, makes for a better work out and more privacy while out hiking. There is nothing Whiskey loves more than going hiking, though, she does have a close second favorite!

Olde English Bulldogge, 1.5 years old, Owned By Eddie Salas

I would now like to take a moment to discuss Whiskey's second favorite, flirt poles. Flirt Poles have to be one of my favorite (on a very, VERY long list) doggie work out tools. Most everyone I know makes their own flirt poles at home, I use a cat toy myself. Flirt Poles can be bought for very reasonable prices online, but if you feel like doing a little project, they are very easy to make! All you'll need is PVC Pipe (4-6 feet long, 3/4"), 10 feet of rope and a dog toy. Take the rope and thread it through the pipe, tie a knot on both ends so the rope doesn't slide out and tie the dog toy to the other end of the rope. Once the flirt pole has been made, it's even easier to use. Drag it on the floor for the dog to chase it, Whiskey gets excited and likes it when I wave the flirt pole in the air so she can jump for it. We only do jumping on soft surfaces, I would recommend avoiding concrete or hard surfaces that would put stress on the joints if your dog is a jumper!

American Bulldog, 17 months, Owned By Brigitte Van Der Meijde

Another great way to get some exercise in on the less than pleasant days is a treadmill. A lot people have these already for themselves, so if it's a rainy day they are absolutely great for some exercise time! There are also slat mills and carpet mills that you can purchase that are designed exclusively for dogs! Always supervise your dogs while using a treadmill, accidents can happen so safety should always be kept in mind!

Last, but not least, make sure to have fun with your dog. Exercise time is a great time to bond with your dog, teach tricks and, well, just have a good time. The more you bond with your dog the easier life will be for the two of you. Make up an exercise routine and incorporate you and your dog's favorite activities. Play fetch up and down the stairs, go for a swim or just a nice walk around the block and it will help keep you and your dog happy and healthy.

I would like to thank all the amazing dog owners who allowed me to use their pictures for this post. Some amazingly fit dogs!

American Pit Bull Terrier, 4 Years Old
Owned By Frank Dijkstra

English Setter, 3 Years Old, Owned by Hiliary Shelton
(Gotta Love That Tail!)

For The Love Of Puppies

Golden Retrievers

Bringing a new puppy home is always an exciting day. The cute wet noses, infamous puppy breath, not to mention that adorable little face. However, a lot of people often forget that that cute little bundle of energy and wrinkles is no easy task. There is a lot of work involved when bringing a puppy home, but let's go a few steps back and examine the important, and often overlooked, steps that need to be taken before getting a puppy.

So it's been decided, you and your family are ready to get a dog. There are so many cute little faces walking down the street, you have no idea where to start looking. Where should you start? The first step should always be to examine your family lifestyle and ask yourself a few questions:

How many hours a day will the puppy be left home alone?
How much exercise will you be willing to give the puppy a day? Are you a high energy household or more stay at home?
Is this your first dog or are you an experienced dog owner?
How much effort are you willing to put into grooming?
Does your city/state/landlord have any breed restrictions? What laws does your city have about dogs?
What kind of home do you have(Single Family House, Apartment, Townhome, etc.)?
What size dog do you want?
How much do you know about dog training?
Do you have any other pets? If so, do you need the puppy to be able to adapt to them?
Does anyone in the household have any sensitivities to dog dander?
Do you have any children?
How would you feel about tumbleweeds of dog fur floating around the house?
What about drool?

English Bulldogs

Dogs come in all shapes and sizes, but you should never base decisions on looks alone. In order to find the perfect fit for your family you need to go for personality first, looks later. Once you've asked yourself these questions (and any others you might think up!) it's time to find the perfect dog breed. Don't be shy! Find local breed clubs, attend dog shows, join breed specific Facebook groups. Ask lots and lots of questions! The best way to find which breed is an ideal match for you is to ask people who have had years of experience with the dog breeds you're interested in. They'll be able to give you the best advice regarding whether or not the breed is a good match for you.

After doing your research on breeds and making a decision, it is time to decide where you'll be getting your puppy. Hopefully, you'll have made a lot of connections in the breed of your choice by this time and will already know of a few responsible breeders, however, if this isn't the case, that is step 2! It is also important to note that there are a lot of breed specific rescues with pure bred adult dogs who have already been evaluated and have known temperaments. It is always recommended that you look into them! If you decide to go with a breeder, ask around. Local breed clubs will often have a list of breeders in your area. When contacting a breeder don't be shy, the more questions you ask the better! No responsible breeder will mind you asking questions!

Does the breeder health test?
What about temperament test?
Are they willing to provide you with the documents confirming that?
How long do they keep the puppies for before sending them off to their new homes? Is it at least eight weeks?
Do they attend local breed shows, compete in sports with their dogs? Do they have working dogs bred to do a specific job?
Are they willing to provide you with references? Provide you with their vets information?
Do they require a puppy application?
How concerned do they seem to be about their pup's new homes?
Do they have a health guarantee and puppy contract?
Is the breeder willing to let you contact them for any questions you may have for the life of the dog?

St. Bernards 

It's always important to take your time deciding on a breeder. Remember, a dog is a 10+ year commitment, you want to make sure that you find the perfect match! Once, you've found a good breeder, it's time to plan for when your new arrival will come home! Time to make up a puppy check list! Here is a basic one to get you started:

Collar
Leash
ID Tag
Dog Toys
Quality Puppy Food
Training Treats
Food and Water Bowls
Dog Crate/Baby Gates
Dog Bed

As the day gets closer it's time to puppy proof the house. Puppies are very curious and often get themselves into a lot of trouble! In order to make puppyhood safer for them and easier for you, puppy proofing the house is essential! Make sure all cables and cords are out of reach, any small toys are picked up off the floor and put away. Is that indoor plant poisonous? If so, pick it up and place it elsewhere. Get down on your hands and knees, down to your puppy's level so you can find anything your puppy might get it's mouth on that you might have otherwise not seen from your level. Once your house is completely puppy proofed, make sure to keep it up! It's easy to get lazy after a month or two, but it's never a fun reminder when you're spending a few hundred dollars in surgery to get a Lego out of Fido's stomach!

Puppies are a lot of fun, but they are also a great responsibility. You must care for, train, socialize, exercise and spend time with your dog, even when he or she is no longer the cute puppy that you fell in love with. They are commitment and not something that can be bought and thrown away, so before looking into getting a puppy, think about it. Are you okay with a 10, 15, or 20 years of commitment? If the answer is no, you still have things you want to do in your life and can't spend a decent amount of time with your dog, then it's time to look into a fish. Dogs need human interaction and it isn't easy, so even though that puppy in the window is really, really cute, make sure to ask yourself if it's a good choice for you. Even if you don't get a puppy, you can always get a puppy fix by volunteering at your local animal shelter, I can promise, those pups would love you for it!