Boca Rocks a Thundershirt and Ruby Rolls in Her Travel Crate

Ready to rock thunderstorms and silly human holidays.

The Fourth of July was rough for us. I live just five minutes from the light rail station, and its large, empty parking lot is the ideal place for people to set off (illegal) fireworks. When we walk over there, the asphalt is littered with the remnants of things that go bang in the night. This has been going on since about the first of July, and even last night we heard some more pops and crackles. It's getting old. Ruby isn't as bothered by them, and in fact her thunderstorm phobia has been improving as well, but Boca is terrified of fireworks. I'm not sure if she has bad memories of them from her life on the street (I recently watched a video in which a camera is attached to a street dog in Mumbai, and children chase the dog with firecrackers) or just thinks the end of the world is coming, but she has grown increasingly worse and developed some unfortunate associations. Since some of the loudest explosions happened just after we went to bed several nights in a row, even after trying to stay up late watching loud TV, Boca is now afraid to sleep on the bed when the window is open (which is a necessity when you don't have AC on a 90 degree day).

Now that the fireworks should be winding down (except for a local display scheduled for the 25th celebrating the city's anniversary when we plan to skip town), I decided to purchase a Thundershirt for Boca, and I sure wish I had done so sooner. We were able to try it out on Thursday night when I arrived home from dinner with a friend in an impressive lightening storm, complete with sub-woofer thunder. There was a noticeable change in Boca as soon as she was swaddled in her pink polo. Rather than quaking and panting, she simply curled up in the bathroom with the fan running and seemed almost comfortable. She was able to fall asleep next to the bedroom door within minutes of going upstairs to bed. Last night I put it on again after we heard those firecrackers, and she curled up next to me on the sofa instead of hiding in corners. She even seemed to recognize that it helped her, because as soon as she saw me unfold it and say "Do you want your shirt?" she came over to be wrapped up. Ruby has a Thundershirt, too, but the difference it makes for Boca is much more dramatic. I am so glad to have it on hand now.

Ready to roll in calm, quiet style.

Boca wasn't the only one to try out something new this weekend. For a while now I've been looking at travel crates for Ruby. Her reactivity in the car is stressful for everyone, and not exactly safe if she sees a bike, motorcycle or dog before I can steel myself for her shrill and frantic barking. Counter-conditioning while driving isn't an option. Early on, I did transport Ruby in her crate, but she would get carsick and throw up every time. I related this to riding in a crate, but I now think that it was carsickness in general which she has outgrown. With an upcoming trip to the vet during rush hour for her annual wellness check, I decided it was time to implement a more peaceful commute. I ended up choosing this crate because it was inexpensive, I liked the size options and it had good reviews. It's lightweight, a cinch to assemble, and has adorable bone-shaped mesh windows. It has zip doors on the top and the front. I would not consider this crate for daily, unsupervised use, but for car travel I think it's perfect.

After setting it up with a comfy crate mat, I coaxed Ruby in with yellow cheese and set it up in the car. I can't tell you how wonderful it was not to hold my breath whenever I saw something Ruby would react to, or dread hitting a red light at an intersection where cyclists waited at the crosswalk. Ruby was a little nervous in the crate, but nothing like the overstimulated state she is in if we have the misfortune of being passed by a Harley tour or a dog barking in the back of a truck. Talk about a game-changer! I'll be much more apt to take Ruby more places now that the getting there isn't such an ordeal. It was poor planning to make her first trip in her travel den one to the vet, but she did great at her appointment and even did some of her tricks for the vet. Yesterday I improved the association by taking The Ginger Sisters to my barn for a hike on the property, and by the time I snapped the above photo she was loading up happily on her own. Another win for management of the reactive dog!

Have you ever had a dog product change your life?

Five Things I've Learned About Oil Supplements For Dogs

I've been giving The Ginger Sisters a rotation of supplemental oils for quite a while now. They get coconut oil with their breakfast and camelina oil or fish oil with their dinner. Only recently did I delve into researching the different oils more thoroughly, and I learned some surprising things...

Coconut oil is really versatile.
I found out that Ruby loves the taste of coconut oil, so it has helped with her picky eating as well as having other benefits. I've even used it topically for minor skin irritation/dry paw pads with good results, and I love the fact that it's safe if they lick it off. It's also great if you cook for your dog - I like to scramble eggs with coconut oil as a special treat on birthdays and gotcha days.

Coconut oil and fish oil are not interchangeable!
If you are feeding supplemental oil mainly for skin and coat benefits, either one is a good bet; however, it's important to know that coconut oil is a saturated fat containing medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs are known to have antibacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal properties. Coconut oil may also benefit the thyroid and digestive system and help to maintain a healthy weight. Coconut oil does not contain the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids found in fish oil.

Omega-3 oils found in fish oil are probably the most important.
Most experts agree that if you are going to give your dog any one supplement, it should be fish oil or krill oil. Omega-3 fatty acids have many proven benefits but are also very delicate and don't usually hold up when added to dog food or treats. I have read that animal sources are more available than plant sources to dogs, so I am switching The Ginger Sisters to sardine oil as soon as we finish our current bottle of camelina oil.

If you feed fish oil, you may need to supplement with vitamin E. 
Did you know that the omega oils found in fish oil deplete vitamin E reserves and can create a deficiency? I didn't either, and I kind of freaked out when I learned about it. We hear all the good things about fish oil and think we're doing the right thing by feeding it willy-nilly. Most dogs fed a commercial diet are getting added vitamin E already, but to be on the safe side, I give my dogs extra vitamin E along with their fish oil. This article explains why it's important and dosage guidelines.

Camelina oil can be an alternative to fish oil.
Although there is less information available about camelina oil and animal sources are probably best, like fish oil and unlike coconut oil, camelina oil does contain valuable omega-3 fatty acids. If your dog has a sensitivity to fish oil or simply won't eat it, camelina oil might be the answer. My dogs love it - it has an unusual, herbal smell. The brand I buy also contains vitamin E, though not as much as recommended above.

I hope this helped to clarify a few things about oil supplements for dogs. There is so much to learn about nutrition and feeding our dogs the very best. I am an information-seeker by nature and feel much better about the choices I make for The Ginger Sisters when I have it all in front of me. What about you? Do you give any oil supplements to your dogs? 

Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian or pet nutritionist, I'm simply sharing things I've picked up along the path of determining what works for my dogs. Please do your own research before adding supplements to your dog's diet. 

Why I'm a Bad Dog Trainer

What are you waiting for? Let me show you all the stuff I know!

This month for the Positive Pet Training Week Blog Hop we are talking about training failures and mistakes. I am fairly new to dog training, with most of my animal training experience relating to horses. There are more parallels than not, to be honest, especially when dealing with fearful dogs who act more like spooky prey animals than fierce predators; however, I think that I expect more from horses than from dogs, leading me to my biggest failure as a dog trainer.