Today I came across the website PetMD- they have a lot of helpful information on dog health and a vet dictionary. http://petmd.com/.
One article that was interesting was about Auto Insurance companies extending coverage now to dogs- http://petmd.com/dog/care/nws_multi_pet_auto_insurance.
Frozen treats are great for keeping dogs cool in the summer, and they can be used to soothe teething pain in puppies.
Recipe
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Makes: about 16 treats
4 cups (32 fl oz/900 ml) plain, whole milk yogourt
2 tbsp peanut butter
3 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
Blend all the ingredients to a purée in a food processor.
Pour into 4-oz/115-g plastic cups. Freeze until firm.
Pop the treat out of the cup and watch your dog enjoy!
Nutritional Information – Per CubeCalories – 71
Protein – 3 g
Carbohydrates – 8.5 g
Dietary fiber – 2.9 g
Fat – 3.1 g
Dogs just love the crunch of ice cubes, and here the rewards are made healthy and delicious. Perfect for a hot summer’s day.
Recipe
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Makes: 24 ice cubes
1 qt/1.13 litres fruit juice (not grape juice)
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup (4 fl oz/125 ml) plain, whole milk yogurt
Blend the fruit juice with the mashed banana and mix in the yogurt.
Pour into ice cube trays and put in the freezer.
When frozen, pop out of tray and serve one at a time.
Note: the Pops will keep for up to 1 month in the freezer.
Nutritional Information – Per cube
Calories – 71
Calories – 31
Protein – 0.2 g
Carbohydrates – 7.2 g
Dietary fiber – 0.1 g
Fat – 0.2 g
Article from Modern Dog Magazine-http://www.moderndogmagazine.com/articles/diy-sweet-treats/1923
Brain Boosting Games
Keep your dog mentally sharp By Jennifer Messer
Are you a crossword addict? Sudoko fan? Or maybe a bridge fiend? If so, you’ll be happy to hear that brain games—activities that demand mental problem solving—aren’t only fun, they are also good for the mind… both human AND canine.
Memory and learning ability tend to decline with age, in both people and dogs. In fact, the types of brain changes, from normal aging to diseases like Alzheimer’s, are so similar between dogs and people that dogs are used as a model to study mental decline in human aging. The good news is that brain games help reduce some age-related brain changes. While it isn’t clear yet which specific cognitive exercises work best, the general consensus is that “use it or lose it” holds as true for human and canine minds as it does for our bodies, so Fido better perk up his ears if he wants to keep track of where the bones are buried in his sunset years. To help you keep those canine cognitive wheels well greased, here are a few awesome brain boosters that most dogs rate with two paws up and a big wag of approval.
ABCs
How many toys does your dog know the names of? Increase his vocabulary by teaching him to retrieve each toy by name. Start with his two favourites, and teach him to fetch them by name one at a time, in a room with no other toys to choose from. If he isn’t a naturally motivated retriever, use lots of praise, tug, or treats to reward the good fetches. Once he knows the names of two toys, put both on the floor and ask him to fetch them one at a time. Reward correct choices with whatever turns his crank, and by continuing the game. Respond to incorrect choices by repeating the request, and eventually guiding him toward the right toy if he really needs help. If he can succeed with two, try three or more. This is really tough brain work, so expect to build up his vocabulary very gradually. If you think you might have a doggie Einstein on your hands, check out Rico, the world-famous Border Collie with a 200-word vocabulary, for ideas on how to crank it up a notch (http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2004/0610rico.shtml).
One, two, threes
Get some small healthy treats, or kibble. Hold six pieces in one closed hand, and two in the other. Ask your dog to sit, hold your hands shoulder width apart, about arm’s length from your dog, and then open your palms and say “small.” Only let him chow down if he picks the smaller group—just close your palms and start over if he picks the bigger one. You can hand him the six after he gobbles the two—as an added bonus for choosing correctly. Randomly switch up which hand has the smaller number so he isn’t just learning to choose “right” or “left.” If he’s SUCH a chowhound that he just beelines for either hand willy-nilly, make him wait a few seconds before you say “small” so he takes the time to think. The closer the quantities, the tougher the task: if he can choose correctly between four and five you may need to enroll him in a doggie PhD!
Hot-Cold
This is a top pick for lazy owners with brilliant dogs. Sit back on the couch with your choice beverage in one hand, and a handful of small healthy treats in the other. Ignore any attempts by your dog to approach you directly for food. Think of a doggie action, like walking over to the bookshelf and making contact with it. Watch her for ANY movement in the right direction, and when you spot it say “HOT!” in an excited tone, and toss her a treat, but not too close to you OR the bookshelf. Gradually hold out for movement that is closer and closer to the action on your mind, and see how she reacts. If she’s a quick giver-upper you’ll need to make it easy for her so she doesn’t quit on you. If she’s a real tryer, you can let her get frustrated and rack her brains a bit harder. If you stumble on an action that will make a neat party trick, just throw in a command once she’s good at it, and you’re set.
Earning the kibble
Do you waste time and get aggravated searching for your misplaced purse or keys? Let your dog earn some of her kibble by helping you out. Dab these items with the tiniest drop of her favourite essential oil—so little that you don’t even notice it—and teach her to find them by scent, on request. Rewarding successful search missions with a stuffed chewtoy will keep her content as you head out the door, and motivate speedy and reliable retrieves. Ever find yourself half asleep in bed, only to realize you didn’t close the bedroom door or turn off the light? Hop online or pick up a book on “targeting and clicker training” and teach your dog to use his snout to shut the door, and his paw to flick off the light switch. If you aren’t a morning person, you may want to put him in charge of turning the lights on to get you going. And no, you cannot safely teach him to make you a coffee!
The shell game
Have your dog sit, and let him see you hide one piece of kibble under a cup on the floor. Tell him to “take it,” and when he noses or knocks over the cup let him eat the kibble it was hiding. Once he’s good at this he is ready for the shell game. Rub kibble on your fingers and along the inside of three mugs lined up in a row, so the smell of it is everywhere—this is a visual tracking game and we don’t want him cheating with his talented nose! Let him see you hide a piece of kibble under one of the mugs. Tell him to “take it” and give him the kibble when he makes the right choice, no matter how long it takes him, and no matter how many mistakes he makes. Do this many times, hiding kibble under each of the three mugs, one at a time. When he’s good at this step, slide just the kibble-hiding mug to a different spot before telling him to “take it.” This is pretty tough, and not all dogs can do it. Finally, if your dog seems gifted, try swapping two mugs and see if he can track the kibble-hiding one. This game is EXTREMELY challenging, so don’t start out working him like a grifter or you won’t get anywhere! Success at any level means he is no Forest Gump!
Interactive brain games are a fun way to socialize with your dog, while encouraging healthy intellectual exercise at the same time. If you and your pooch enjoy physical activity as much as brainwork, there are also oodles of organized dog sports—agility, tracking, and flyball, to name a few—that work your minds and bodies together. Learning to engage your dog in these activities at just the right skill level is hard brain work for you, too, so now you have lots of activities to choose from that will help keep you BOTH mentally sharp!
http://www.moderndogmagazine.com/articles/brain-boosting-games/1721
Below are some recent photos we took of our Lily’s puppies, they are chocolate large medium/ small standard Australian Labradoodle puppies. They are all so very cute as you can see from the photos. The puppies’ eyes are now open and they are almost four weeks old. If you would like more information on Lily’s puppies go to- http://manorlakelabradoodles.com/available-puppies or contact us at kim@manorlakelabradoodles.com or mollie@manorlakelabradoodles.com. Enjoy the pictures!
I recommend positive training for all our Australian Labradoodle puppies and think that the best way to train one of our Australian Labradoodle puppies is to use lots of encouragement, praise and rewards (small puppy treats – I like Wellness Well Bites) with your training. You can start training your Australian Labradoodle puppy as early as 9 weeks. Our Australian Labradoodle puppies are eager to please and make great training candidates. With their sharp minds and keen interest, you will find they learn rapidly. You will want to make sure that you set your Australian Labradoodle puppy up to succeed by concentrating on developing desirable habits and also preventing undesirable behavior from the start. It is much easier to start your Australian Labradoodle puppy on the right track than to go back later and try and correct problem behaviors. Start with easy, basic commands – my favorite to start with is the “sit” command. Keeping your training sessions short, fun and consistent is the key – you may want to start with 4 to 5 minutes with lots of repetition and praising each small success. If your puppy learns to love his/her training sessions, you will find his/her confidence growing with each session. Do not worry about small setbacks or mistakes, your puppy is young and immature and will certainly have a few slip ups. Remember to be kind, caring and patient and you will be rewarded with a special bond for life.
Kim Kochman
Owner/Breeder
Manor Lake Australian Labradoodles
www.manorlakelabradoodles.com
Hi Kim!
I just wanted to let you know that we think things are going to work out great with Wolfie and Oreo. Oreo is the most WELL behaved dog ever! She is adorable, cute, fun and such a cuddler! Wolfie (aka Oz, we renamed him because we think he has a wizard like beard, so he is “The Wizard of OZ” or Oz/Ozzie for short )) is doing great. He has a fun and energetic spirit but LOVES to cuddle too! They are the best mix of cuddly, loving and playful dogs. Oreo is such a loyal dog, she is so well behaved that we can let her off leash and she will never go farther then we can see. Its like she wants to be able to know where we are as much as we want to know where she is! Ozzie has really started to look up to Oreo and he follows her everywhere, its really cute! I have attached a few pictures of Oreo, we don’t have any of Oz yet, but we will send some over your way here soon. We do quite a bit of camping during the summer (almost every weekend) and Oreo has done great! She loves hiking around and playing on the river. We will send you some pictures soon of the two of them camping with us. Thank you SOOOO much, we LOVE LOVE LOVE the dogs, they are the best dogs we could ever ask for!
Sincerely,
Kimberly and Matt
Washington
One day a posting came into one of the canine rescue listservers I belong to. “Senior Bullmastiff mix. Kennel aggression. Must go or will be PTS [put to sleep].”
“Oh man,” I thought. “This poor old gal. Nobody is going to want her.” Feeling that the dog stood little hope of being adopted and would likely die in the shelter, I responded.
When I saw her my first thought was, “What an ugly old gal!” Thirteen-and a half years old, Jessie didn’t look like a Bullmastiff as much as a clunky old German Shepherd mix, and she had great, hanging udders that seemed full of milk. But despite her appearance, there was something endearing about her.
However something seemed wrong, too. “This isn’t right,” I said to my husband, Jim, staring at her swollen mammary glands. “Will you take her to the vet?”
I found out about Jessie’s story. One year earlier, her owner had become unable to care for her because of debilitating diabetes. He gave her to friends. They put her out in the yard and, presumably, broke her heart. With little human contact she barked. And barked. And barked. The “friends” then placed Jessie in a shelter, unable to control her barking and unwilling to let her be a part of their family. At the shelter she continued to bark. By this time her bark included flying spit and sideways glances. No trust, perhaps. Desperate loneliness, for sure.
When Jim brought Jessie home from the vet the next day, he told me that she had cancer. “Well,” I said, “she’s our dog now,” and Jim understood.
Our other dogs immediately accepted Jessie. We bought her a big pillow and placed it next to the kitchen table. That became her spot and she would lie there whether a pillow was there or not.
It was early springtime. We hoped that she would make it until summer. We wanted her to sit under the apple trees while we worked in our gardens, to hear the sounds of summer and to enjoy the sun’s warmth one last time.
Jessie quickly became a member of our family. Our daughter would snuggle with her and tell her that she loved her. We gave her treats and took her on car rides. She adored Jim and would follow him everywhere she could. We informed the releasing shelter of her diagnosis, and asked that they inform the original owner and also let him know that Jessie would spend her final days with us. He was heartbroken, but thankful.
Within just a few days Jessie began to labour. The vet gave us medication to help her cope, but the cancer was winning more quickly than we had imagined. We comforted her as much as we could. Nine days after we took her in, I asked Jim to pose for some photos with her. The very next day we were at friends’ for Sunday dinner and when we arrived home, she had passed on. The few photos from the day before are the only ones we have of her.
“Good girl,” we told her. We all cried. She was our dog for only ten days, but we all loved her. The following day Jim buried her by our big Red Delicious apple tree. We planted a flower garden there with roses, trailing sapphires, hollyhocks and pansies.
Although sad, Jessie’s story does have a happier ending than it could have. She passed in love and not on a shelter floor. She died in a true home.
What happens to a dog when her owner becomes unable to care for her? If friends, family or rescuers don’t step in and take responsibility for the dog’s care, a shelter is often the only alternative. And if the dog is not especially young or attractive or happens to have a hard time adjusting to the new environment, the “solution” is often what Jessie’s would have been: PTS.
Right around that time, my friend Kitty called to ask if Jim and I would become godparents to her two champion Rhodesian Ridgebacks. She then told me about estate planning for canine companions. This protects them from ending up with family members who may not really want them- or worse, neglected in a shelter.
For many dog owners, the decision about what to do with canine companions in the event of illness or death comes too late. Relying on strangers or hoping that family will know to do the right thing is sometimes, sadly, not enough.
There are many online resources for creating a will. People can talk to their lawyers or estate planners about how to create a plan that includes care for dependent canines. Estate funds can be set aside for the dogs’ care, and custodians (consenting ones, of course) will be undisputed.
Creating a trust for your dog can be as simple as earmarking a portion of your will for custodians/godparents. However some pet owners elect to leave their entire home as well as a trust to the custodian for the time that the pet is living. Once the pet has passed, the home then reverts to the named beneficiary, such as a family member.
My family and I were able to enjoy Jessie and to give her much comfort during her final days. We are now entrusted with the potential care of two champion dogs. It is a testament to what enduring friendships are all about. But it is also matter of making loving choices for the long-term care of the pets who love and depend on us.
For more information on creating a trust for your dog, talk to your lawyer or estate planner. ■
Barbara McClarty, based in Langley, B.C., breeds and shows champion Rhodesian Ridgebacks. A third-generation breeder at Of Course kennels, widely known for its Whippets, Barb has ten years’ communications and public relations experience. Her writing has appeared in a variety of popular and trade publications distributed throughout the U.S. and Canada.
http://www.moderndogmagazine.com/articles/estate-planning-your-dog/281
Ahhh— yeahhh— that’s the right spot. What’s that? No, it doesn’t hurt, it’s divine! Don’t stop now… Who doesn’t love a massage? You can’t beat something that feels so good and is good for you, too. Massage lowers blood pressure and reduces stress for both the giver and receiver and takes only minutes a day. Better yet, learning how to give your dog a massage is easy. And if you believe in karmic retribution, just think of all those massages waiting for you down the road!
In just ten minutes a day, you can give your dog a “maintenance” massage. Use a flat palm to slowly touch all the parts of your dog’s body. Really focus on what you are feeling and pay attention to all the layers, from hair through skin, fat, muscle, and down to bone. Meanwhile, Liverlover is basking in the attention and loving the extra “petting.” However, there is more to these massages than just quality time together. After a few days, you will have a clear picture of what is normal for your dog’s body. In future sessions, you will be quick to notice any differences in surface temperature, sensitivity to touch, localized swelling or muscle tension, poor coat quality or tight skin. Left undetected, these things can lead to problems requiring medical care, medications, or even surgery. Knowing what feels normal for your dog can also help you provide better information for your veterinarian, trainer, or massage practitioner. This is one way that regular massage can add to the length and quality of your pet’s life.
Oh, oh. The distant sound of thunder is rolling through your neighbourhood. Your dog begins to whine, roll his eyes, and pant. He dives under your bed. Is there anything you can do to reduce his stress? Massage may be the answer. Massage therapists use a stroke similar to petting to relax the nervous system. Lightly rest the flat palm of your hand on top of your dog’s head or neck. Make long, sweeping passes along the length of the spine and down the tail. Repeat this several times slowly. You can gradually increase your pressure if your dog likes it. Do not press straight down on the lower part of the back. To finish, allow one hand to rest at the base of your pet’s head and the other hand to rest over the area of the pelvis (the high point over your dog’s hips). These two areas correspond to the part of the spinal cord that controls the rest and relaxation responses of the body (for example, sleep, digestion, and tissue repair). This technique is useful any time your dog is nervous or fearful, such as during nail trimming or vaccinations, or when he is hyperactive or restless.
If you work out or play a sport, you’ve likely been told many a time that warming up your body is a vital part of your fitness routine. Active dogs that compete, run, hike with their owners, or just play hard also deserve a good warm-up, and it may even prevent injury. Start with several minutes of petting strokes over your dog’s entire body. Briskly rub the large muscles (neck, shoulders, buttocks, and thighs) with the heel of your hand. Gently lift and squeeze the muscles. The technique is a lot like kneading bread dough. Wrap your fingers around each lower leg and squeeze gently. Relax your grip and move up Warm-up for active dogs the leg gradually, squeezing as you go. Finish with more petting over the entire body to stimulate the nerves.
The weekend was great—on Saturday, Tex ran with the gang for hours at the dog park. Then, on Sunday, you two hiked all day. But Monday doesn’t look so good. Tex is limping from couch to water dish, and declining your invitations to play. Ouch! Recent exertion, aging, or inactivity can lead to soreness and stiffness in joints and muscles. To help, start by petting the area around the joint to warm the tissue. Then place your hand(s) over the area and apply gentle compressions over the area. You can use your breathing or count slowly to establish a rhythm as you press and release the muscles. The pumping motion moves fluids through the muscles and takes tension off the tendons surrounding the joint. Never use sudden or direct force over a bone. Finish with more petting over the area to soothe the nerves. Keep in mind that regular massage throughout the life of your pet may help prevent the stiffness and pain that contributes to arthritis. Readers should note that massage is not a substitute for veterinary care. Severe conditions require diagnosis and treatment by your veterinarian.
Lola Michelin has been massaging animals for over 18 years. She learned her trade while working as a veterinarian technician, a zookeeper, an animal trainer, and massage practitioner. She founded the Northwest School of Animal Massage and teaches animal massage around the world. For more information on animal massage, visit www.nwsam.com
http://www.moderndogmagazine.com/articles/how-massage-your-dog/2028
Here is a fun and healthy recipe for your Manor Lake Australian Labradoodle courtesy Rachael Ray from Every Day with Rachael Ray.
Prep Time- 10 minutes
Level- easy
Yield- 4 servings
Process all ingredients in a blender at high speed until smooth. Pour pooch smoothies into small bowls and freeze. Remove from the freezer, set on the floor and let your pooch lick the treat.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-specials/power-pooch-smoothies-recipe/index.html
Dallas, TX
Manor Lake Australian Labradoodles Blog 
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