Addressing problem behaviors in dogs....and an update to the reading list.

As I am progressively working my way through my dog training certification, I am now starting a series of articles that will involve addressing problem behaviors in dogs.

Obedience is of course necessary, but problem behaviors are often more of a deal breaker for owners and their pets.

This first one will talk a little about dogs that jump on people in greeting:

http://www.examiner.com/article/addressing-problem-behaviors-jumping


I updated my dog training page so that the links are more organized and easy to read. Remember...with examiner I get paid 1 cent every time someone clicks on an article. Let's make me rich!

I also updated my book page- I recently just finished Unwind by Neil Shusterman, and Paper Towns  by John Green. Both were good reads!

Lemon Ginger Muffins, Butternut Squash Bisque, Eggplant Spaghetti: A few recipes that need to be shared.

Alright so I have a couple of recipes to share today that I have tried out this week.

 But first of all....

The fleas are gone! Yay!

They absolutely sucked. I (and the dogs) still have a couple bites that itch once in a while, but the nasty little jerks are dead. My kitty is the only who seemed to escape it for the most part but she still got treated (we ended up using Advantage II since its not toxic to cats. It was effective!)

So that's a great thing.

Anyway...a few good recipes to share.

Lemon Ginger Muffins

I'm having these for breakfast and they turned out fantastic. I got it from Taste of Home Lighter Sides:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/lemon-ginger-muffins

Although I'm not sure how light they ended up being... I really hate replacement sugar so I just used sugar and then ended up using Fage yogurt (made it delicious and creamy! The non fat yogurt I have belongs to the dogs and I really didn't want to mix that into the recipe...Unknown chicken bits and/or supplements from their treats would find a way in.) 

They're light and fluffy! I also added some chopped nuts and cinnamon. They would be absolutely perfect with some type of delicious glaze... but then again that would probably add a few thousand calories. (maybe a yogurt based icing would work?) 

They're only about 170 calories per muffin. Not too bad.





Next, these are two recipes I tried off my Pinterest searches. 

The spicy eggplant spaghetti is amazing and I'm super addicted to it....in fact I'm making it later.

http://food52.com/recipes/24001-spicy-eggplant-pasta






Then...if you're in the mood for soup give this a try. Its very simple, filling, and delicious. It has a tendency to be very thick so make sure you process it for a good 5-10 min (unlike what I did.)

Butternut Squash Bisque:

http://www.allysonkramer.com/2012/10/sundried-tomato-and-butternut-squash-bisque/

Starbucks and Summertime Fleas

Don't worry...these are two totally separate topics.

First of all, I had to share my new obsession at Starbucks. It's the chocolate chip raspberry scone- all of my favorite things combined into one!
Light and fluffy with a little crisp...gooey chocolate and raspberry....yum. Normally I accompany it with my cinnamon steamed soy chai, but this morning I decided to try something new. Last week a lady in front of me ordered this beautiful pink and white drink; Passion Tea with Sweet condensed milk.

I tried it this morning and it is really amazing. The barista said that its great with soy too so I'll have to try that (that may make it slightly healthier.)

Obviously this is not the healthiest breakfast, but I've been doing great lately with nutrition, workouts, and my new fitbit (I'll be doing a fitness post soon. Lots of info to share.)

Anyway....Now that that's aside we can talk about the dogs again. Riko's feet have cleared up beautifully thanks to coconut oil! Now I have a new nemesis....
The dogs and I have been going walking early every morning and on our way back we stop at the dog park. Bella took several good flops in the dirt and grass (both by herself and mid wrestling session) Sure enough by the next morning she was scratching herself like crazy. I rolled her over to get a look at her belly and saw a couple dark little bugs scatter around.

Great.

Riko doesn't seem to be scratching much yet (he was chewing on his legs earlier in the week but a bath fixed that.) So I popped by the Nex Petstore and grabbed some Hartz Ultra plus topical medication and put it on both of them. And then promptly washed their beds and blankets, as well as my own bedding.

They had the medication on for about two hours and I googled flea and tick preventatives to see how they work (I was curious how fleas on her belly would get killed by something on her back.) and to my dismay, about 99% of the internet warned about Hartz products and how deadly they can be.

Now it's never a good idea to google things because the internet is always going to jump to doomsday conclusions, but I really had a hard time finding any good reviews about Hartz products. There was everything from allergic reactions, chemical burns, poisoning, kidney failure, neurological problems, etc. showing up immediately-two days after treatment.

I'm sure there are a number of factors that could have been involved with these cases, but it looks like the product has been recalled in the past, and a poison story was posted only two days ago- so safe to say I panicked and the dogs immediately had the application scrubbed off with Dawn dish soap. (and I got too much on Bella and that was a whole thing....now shes all crusty and soapy still.)
The dogs are fine, but it's still nothing I wanted to risk, and they will be under close watch for a couple of days. (we walked this morning and they have been running like crazy, eating, etc.) Since I can't give them any more medicine of a different type for 45 days (risk of overdosing them) I decided to search more natural approaches.
We all know I'm a huge fan of natural remedies, and although necessary, putting poison on your dog doesn't seem like a great idea. So! I'm cooking up this:

Boiling lemons in water and adding a little bit of distilled white vinegar. Let simmer for a bit, then use it dip a comb in and brush in onto the dogs.

Not sure if it works yet....but at least its worth a try. The good news is while I was scrubbing Bella there was a dead flea that came off.

They were treated for fleas before we moved here in January, as part of quarantines requirements, but six months later we are in the dead heat of summer (and it has been ungodly humid.) The perfect environment for fleas and yeast! 

At least its pretty here though.

Dog Training Article

As always...Here's another dog training article about teaching the "leave it" cue.

I find this one to be especially useful and important- whether its playing with an item they shouldn't be or trying to bring you a dead squirrel.

(Yes...Riko did do that once several years ago. He was quite proud of his prize and was very offended that I took it out to the field for the coyotes.)

Anyway...Here's how to teach it in parts.

http://www.examiner.com/article/fundamentals-of-training-teaching-the-leave-it-cue