Don't Let Winter Depression Get You Down

I thought this was an interesting post on seasonal depression for pets.  I know it sure bums Theo out when he won't go outside to pee because it's wet.  I know it sure bums me out when he tries to get into the garage to go instead.  Hehe.  I know that a nice healthy play session makes us both feel better.  According to these tips, Theo should be doing pretty good.

Now that our family room is back in order (and in use thanks to the new Wii Fit!), and now that the WOW expansion is out, Theo is definitely getting his stair workout running between our office upstairs and the family room downstairs.  Hehe.  I always rotate his diet a little bit based on what I have on hand (potatoes/rice/barley, pear/banana/apple, carrots/celery/green beans, etc.).  I'm still doing obedience with Theo, though admittedly not as much.  I need to keep it up if I don't want Mr. Troublemaker getting away with murder.  But sorry Theo, no indoor pool for you.

Have you noticed winter depression in your furkids?

Vets Agree: Buy Commercial Dog Food Or Your Dog Will Die

I found this article very interesting...and not in a good way. I find this to be a good example of why the attitude of "a vet said it, so it must be true" is dangerous. This vet claims that commercial dog foods are the only way to give your dog a balanced diet. Canine nutrition is so complicated the average person couldn't possiblly figure out how to handle it on their own.

So then how did wild dogs stay healthy before humans came along to overly process their food for them? How did they manage to perfectly balance their requirements for meat, carbohydrates, fats, and minerals? And if we can't keep a dog healthy with a nutritious diet, how do we keep ourselves healthy? Don't humans too have requirements for protein, carbs, minerals, vitamins, etc.? Maybe Iams should expand to people food as well.

I think the only thing in this article that makes any sense are the comments at the end calling this lady out for selling out to dog food companies.

The "Never feed your pets..." list mostly consists of food that give indigestion, nothing worse. In fact, the only things on there that cause anything worse than indigestion is chocolate, onions, and raisins, at least from what I've read. I've read dogs can't digest milk very well, but that cheese and yogurt are actually a good source of calcium for them. And while onion is bad for dogs, some garlic can be beneficial. This list is very misleading and I've found a ton of sources that contradict half of the items on it. My personal favorite is number 15: Moldy Foods. What does she think is in commercial dog food?

Check Out Your Library

When I started a list of all the books I want to read on dogs before I bring home my puppy, I was daunted by all the money I would have to spend to buy them all. Then a friend suggested I check out our local library to see if they had any of them. It was such a good idea! Not only did the library have a few of the books on my list, but they also had a couple of books that weren't, that I also decided to check out. My local branch didn't have much, but I was able to get the books I wanted by requesting them from another branch. It only took about a week to get them. Now I have a huge stack of books to read at home, another daunting task! It's a fun one though. I love reading up on puppies!

Right now I'm focusing my reading on behavior, development, training for puppies, and corgi specific books, sprinkled with a book or two of authors who have written about their overall personal experiences with their dogs. Next I'm going to start focusing heavily on nutrition, since I'm feeding my dog home-cooked food.

Here's the books I have at home right now:

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi: Family Friend and Farmhand
Puppy Kisses are Good for the Soul
Welsh Corgis: Pembroke and Cardigan
The Pembroke Welsh Corgi : An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet
The Dog Whisperer: A Compassionate, Nonviolent Approach to Training (not Cesar Millan)
Katz on Dogs: A Commonsense Guide to Training and Living with Dogs

It's quite a stack! I'll post most reviews as I trudge though them. Wish me luck!

The Dog Whisperer Is A Phony

Have you heard of the dog whisperer? Some guy named Cesar Millan has a dog training show by that name on the National Geographic Channel. I don't get that channel, so I've never seen it, but my friend Mouth swears by it. Millan also wrote a book titled Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everday Guide to Understanding & Correcting Common Dog Problems. Coincidentally, I saw this book when I was buying some dog training books a few weeks back. I thumbed through it pretty heavily, and it didn't look that great to me. As I recall, I didn't think there was enough emphasis on positive reinforcement, which is what I was looking for.

I found this review of Millan's book, and it's a pretty interesting read. The reviewer says that this supposed Dog Whisperer puts dog training back 20 years. Apparently, it doesn't even provide tangible training tips, but instead focuses on the calm, confident energy you should exude to get your dog to do what you want. I spoke to my co-worker about it, and she confirmed that his show is the same way, and she wasn't very impressed.

I'm sure he gives a lot of good tips on his show, but I think I'm no longer tempted to go out and buy his DVD. Besides, every message board about dog training has so many people that reference him, who needs the DVD?