Tag Archives: K-9 Kraving

Weight Pull Saved My Dog-Life!

Kristina with Brutus & Argo

As a naive and amateur dog owner, I made the mistake of rescuing a second dog without really understanding the first. Within 4 months, I had two young, male dogs in my house with more energy than I could handle. Although feeling like I had made a huge mistake, I couldn’t imagine sending a pup back to the shelter.

Then comes in Mutt Magic….

Aja evaluated my crew and told me that I needed to gain control of my dogs and give them an outlet for their energy. I remember her saying, “that energy has to go somewhere and right now they are negatively directing it towards each other”. With Aja’s help, she taught me how gain control through obedience work and loose-leash walking.

However, once I had the basics, our regular exercise routine was not enough; my dogs still yearned for more.

Aja introduces weight pull…..What is weight pull, you ask?

It is a physical activity where a dog wears a full body harness to pull weight. The harness is crafted to fit across the dog’s chest which is a canine’s powerhouse for pulling. It also crosses along the back to distribute the weight evenly. The dog is not harmed in any way because the harness is supporting the dog’s natural strength. Any breed is capable of weight pull as long as they have a properly fitted harness. In fact, weight pull is an international competitive sport. However, I practice for conditioning.

What are the benefits and why do I say weight pull saved my dog-life?

1. Burn off the energy: Aja said I needed to see physical fatigue during our walks not just panting dogs. When we get home, my dogs sprawl out on the floor with a look of satisfaction. All their energy has been exerted leaving them calm and free from mental anxiety giving me more control in the house.

2. Walking with a purpose: my dogs know that when it comes time to pull we are on a mission and no one is stopping us! They walk looking straight ahead, they know our path and where we are going. They also know that they will be rewarded with K9 Kraving for dinner.

3. Fully body workout: dogs by nature are always on the move even though we’ve turned them into couch potatoes. My dogs pull 30 – 40lbs and walk between 2-3 miles. This is known as drag weight pull. By keeping them active with regular exercise it promotes good health and longevity.

4. More bonding time: Obviously, I get to spend GOOD QUALITY time with my dogs during their walk. In addition, my dogs stay separated from each other most of the day but after our training we all get to spend time together.

It’s been 9 months since we took in our second rescue and about 8 months since we started working with Aja. Had it not been for her help in obedience training in combination with adequate exercise, we might not have been able to keep both of our pups. So if you’re looking for a way to train, bond, or exercise, weight pull may be for you. Just make sure that you get the right equipment, learn the right way to start the training, and always use a leash when drag weight pulling!

Happy tails!

Food Recall!!

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As yet another food recall is being listed, this time by Diamond, it’s time to address the health and safety of your dog’s diet. This particular recall is regarding salmonella concerns. For those of us that feed a raw diet, our dogs could possibly be exposed to salmonella, and are not falling ill from it. So, why is salmonella such a concern in dry kibble dog food?

In order for kibble to be processed into it’s dry form, it must include fillers of some kind. Corn, or other grain, are the main fillers (also often highly allergenic!) Our dogs are officially classified as omnivores, but their large canine teeth and short digestive tract suggest that their diet is to be comprised of primarily meat. It’s true that dogs on a raw diet are typically not susceptible to suffering from a salmonella infection because food does not stay in the system long enough for the bacteria to form into a harmful state. However, because grains in dry kibbles are not well digested by dogs, the food stays in the system much longer. The length of time that dry food stays in the digestive tract can make bacteria that would normally not be an issue, cause severe infection!

So, the solution? Of course, I recommend getting your dog onto a healthy raw diet. Thankfully, here in Maryland we not only have a great locally made raw food, but are home to the ONLY dog food that is USDA certified: K-9 Kraving. What does this mean? The plant is inspected by the USDA on a daily basis, food is cold processed to prevent harmful bacteria, and all food is human grade and processed on human grade equipment. To learn more about the diet and the process, you may watch this YouTube video: http://youtu.be/FWu1U0_k2Uk

Be an educated consumer! Feed your dog the natural way to keep him or her safe.

For information on K-9 Kraving, or to place an order, please contact Aja: aja@muttmagic.com, 410-889-9352, www.muttmagic.com

Everyday dog needs

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Some dogs are content with simple provisions of food, shelter, and our affection. Of course, these are the basic necessities of pet ownership. However, most dogs need more than this, and failure to provide the other essentials can make for not only an unhappy and disobedient dog, but a sad owner, too! If you’re the lucky one whose dog waits patiently by the door for you to get home, feed him, and give him a pat on the head, kudos. If not, please read on for important tips on how to fulfill another three of your dog’s needs to keep him well balanced in the home.

The number one thing that many dogs could use more of is exercise. Aside from keeping your dog trim, healthy, and in good shape, the appropriate amount of exercise can also keep behavioral issues from surfacing. A great example of this is Star, a now 6-year-old rescue dog that came into my home when she was 1.5-years-old. When she arrived, I was heavy into biking the dogs using a Springer. Star would get several 4 mile runs along side of my bike per week. Somehow, she was arriving home from her runs just as energized as when we left, however. As she was settling into her home here, she developed sores on her feet from chewing on them. After ruling out anything medical, I bumped up her exercise routine. Now, after her runs, we would play ball in the yard until she was visibly tired. Her sores healed and she was now a relaxed, happy dog. The 4 mile runs weren’t enough for the 1.5-year-old Star!! Thankfully for all of us, most dogs don’t need this excessive amount of exercise. Thankfully for me, the 6-year-old Star doesn’t need that much anymore, either! The sores on her feet are a great example of how an unfulfilled exercise need can manifest into a behavioral problem, however. Behavioral problems aren’t all like Star’s. Some dogs may bark, whine, fuss with housemates, chew, or otherwise be destructive around the house. Many of these behaviors can be corrected by more exercise.

The next need that dogs benefit from, is discipline. This is not to be read “punishment,” because discipline has a very different meaning. Most dogs, like people, don’t desire to be the leader. They are much more happy and content with structure, and being given a clear role in the household. If they are forced to take on this leadership role (even if it’s not intentional!) many problems can develop. Anxiety is one great example of many behavioral issues that can benefit from additional discipline. Anxiety is something that is being seen more and more in our pet dogs. In fact, it is being seen to the extent that it is being medicated. Of course, there are dogs out there that are simply imbalanced. However, a lot of the anxiety cases that I see can be remedied with more discipline in the home! What exactly does this
mean? Beginning a “Nothing in life is free” (NILF) routine with your dog in the home is a great start. With this, your dog needs to earn everything that she gets. This means that in order to receive even the basics- food and affection, she must do something. The task and reward should be balanced. For example: sitting, waiting as a food bowl is placed on the ground, and giving attention, earns the ability to be released to eat a meal. Such strong discipline is not needed to earn a pat on the head. It is one of your dog’s basic needs, however, and discipline can fix certain behavioral issues.

The last need to be addressed (for now) is that of mental stimulation. Smart dogs get into trouble. It’s true!! If your dog is not being mentally challenged, he may decide to challenge himself, and that rarely ends with a happy owner. Some dogs need more stimulation than others. Thankfully, the range of options to entertain your dog is almost endless. A food or puzzle toy for your dog to work on while you’re away is a good idea for some, while other dogs may benefit more from the interaction they get with you in a training class. Some may need the interaction of a dog walker or daycare during the day. There are even dogs out there that will need to learn something new every week to keep them out of trouble. . .if you own one of these guys, you’ll know it! In these cases, you have the rare ability to get truly creative with entertaining your dog. If you run out of creative energy, picking up a “dog tricks” book can jump start you into a one-dog circus act that will surly keep your dog (and house guests) entertained.

As we all know, most of our relationships with our dogs are very complex in nature. I like to sum it up by my favorite quote, by an unknown author: “He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.” Often, it is a lack of one or more of the needs discussed that can lead to kinks in the relationship with our dogs. Thankfully, the fixes are within our abilities. Train safe, and be well.
Aja Harris

Owner/Trainer/Behaviorist

Mutt Magic Training

www.muttmagic.com

The Science of Nutrition. . .broken down!

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This is a book about the science of animal nutrition, as it has developed for over hundrds of throusands of years, but it is written for you and I. At this point, I’ve made it half way through, but have had several “ah-ha!” moments already, as they were described by another reader.

This is not simply your dog’s diet book. It is a book that breaks down all mammalian diet (yes, that means ours, too!) in an easy to understand way, that will simply make sense. This gives tha answers to all of the “Why?” questions in dieting. If you’re like me, you need those answers to take action! Although my dogs have been on a raw diet for the better part of 8-years now (yes, they eat better than me!) I’ve actually found some good advice for why I should be feeding them smaller more frequent meals.

If all of the above weren’t enough, this book is written by Dr. Richard Patton. Don’t know who that is? If you feed K-9 Kraving, you should! He is the Doctor that designed K-9 Kraving’s all natural, completely balanced raw diet. If you would like to purchase this book through Mutt Magic, you may do so by clicking on the link, below:

Esco’s last hoorah?

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I received a call on Thursday afternoon, the day before the WPBTCA National Championship was supposed to start. It’s a Friday-Sunday event, and I had been looking forward to it for a while- catching up with old friends, people involved in dog sports, meeting new people. The phone call was from the club’s president, stating that the Championship may be cancelled. Why? Because the flight with our main “open” competitor would not allow her dog. It was scheduled in advance, they knew the size of the dog and crate, but now, before boarding the plane, she was notified that her dog was “too big”. The only other flight out of her area was going to cost well over $1000 at this point, too.

Wow.

So, what now? I don’t think we can cancell- we have other people coming from out of town. Sure, we can inform the people that we know are coming, but we can’t possibly tell everybody. Setting up a weekend seminar is a possability. . .or. . .well, I was asked to promise to never make our club president watch my dog track again. Turns out he was willing to overlook it so that we could have some dogs show at the event. SO. . .without much in the form of preparation (we track and do obedience weekly), my 10-year-old retired dog is dusted off and entered. We have a couple other locals that are able to do the same. The show will go on!

Aja and Esco: High Tracking, High Obedience, High Protection. . . High in Trial!

Turns out Esco wasn’t too shabby. It was probably his best tracking and obedience performance I’ve seen in a while, and although we had a few control problems during protection (we hadn’t trained in over a year) he still gave us enough to earn another title, AWD3. Good boy! I can thank K-9 Kraving for his good health and agility at this age. Who else knows a 10-year-old dog that can jump a 1-meter jump without touching and scale a 6-foot wall with ease??! We were certainly thankful for a good showing and accomplishments for the weekend, even though we hadn’t planned an entry.

So, what happened to our competitor? She routed us on from California, and has decided to boycott Southwest! I would too, after that. As a matter of fact, I will.

Now, we didn’t enter in the events to qualify for the National Champion title this year. (As some of you may know, Esco was the WPBTCA National Champion for 2009.) He definitely didn’t have the juice for ALL that would have been required for that. Okye and Torque take the title for 2010. New competitors Noelle and Diesel take the Novice Champion title, and Will and Action take the Novice Vice Champion title. What a great showing! It was a pleasure to see everybody’s dogs in action. To view pictures of the event, please visit the club’s Facebook album, here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=281211&l=714ed62c8c&id=285509266881

Next year’s Championship should be in California. If you couldn’t make it this year, hopefully we’ll see you there!

Is it too soon?

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When is too soon to start a raw diet? Puppies can start to eat a raw diet as soon as they are weaned from thier mother. The natural enzymes present in raw meat help with digestion, and most will notice a smooth transition from mother’s milk to a balanced raw diet.

: Caddy and Buda share a duck neck

Caddy and Buda are two foster pups that have been with me for approximately three weeks; since they were six weeks of age. They are now 9-weeks old, and enjoy raw snacks from time to time. Were they both mine, I would have them on a 100% raw diet. They are currently provided with kibble from the rescue that they belong to, which is more cost-effective for thier situation.

Raw fed dogs typically have smaller, firmer stools, healthier coats, and overall better longevity and health than kibble fed dogs. Thier immune systems tend to be stronger, and food related allergies are minimized. My dogs have eaten a raw diet for the past 6 years now, with a preference for our local brand, USDA certified, K-9 Kraving. It is completely balanced, making feeding raw easy. My oldest, Esco, is currently 10 years old, and was the 2009 WPBTCA National Champion at 9 years of age. He is still running strong!

In addition to the health benefits, raw diet dog foods do not suffer from recalls like many commercial kibbles. Being USDA certified, K-9 Kraving is all human grade food. They offer a full line of food, with seven different flavors, and can process special orders in most cases. They also offer a full treat line of all natural nutritionally enhanced treats that may be raw, smoked, or cooked.

Have questions or are interested in feeding raw for the first time? Email Aja at aja@muttmagic.com for details!

DogFest again. . .already?!

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: Aja, Star, and Amber. . .in the Mutt Magic Booth!!

Somehow, I always manage to end up working very hard at the last minute to prepare for these events. It’s not that I procrastinate (well, maybe a little), it’s that I have SO much daily stuff to keep up with, that I don’t have the time until I MAKE the time. Maybe I’ll make the time earlier next year. Probably not! This year, like last, my main headache was printer troubles while trying to print brochures. At 2am the day of, I still had brochures that needed printing, but also had enough to make do. . .so off to bed I went!

The event itself was great. Once I sipped down some coffee, I was able to smile, greet, and answer questions all day. After the preparations the night before, I was a bit tired and stressed, but I was in a surprisingly good mood! Thankfully, Amber and Tony were around so I could take a break to go and teach a class mid-day. That was nice, too!

We were able to catch up with some clients and see how their dogs have progressed, and meet a LOT of new people as well. The shade was surprisingly pleasant, and the dogs were LOVING the doggie water park! Star especially- if you had the pleasure to watch her completely obsess over a hose, that was a site to see!

Anyway, we hope to stay in contact with the new faces we met at DogFest, and help both owners and their dogs meet their fullest potential! Hopefully everybody is having a great summer- stay cool out there!

Dogs everywhere! (. . .and I’m stuck in a booth!)

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Well, if you were at DogFest 2009, you would have known where to find me today. (And many people did!) Unfortunately I wasn’t able to see the whole Festival, but it was still a great time from our angle in the booth.

Bonnie, Aja, and Amber at the Mutt Magic booth.

The morning started off with some light rain, which drove many of our first visitors into the tent- for cover! Other than those few sprinkles in the morning, the weather held up very nicely, however. Our newest trainers, Amber and Bonnie, were there to assist, answer questions. . . and keep curious noses out of Esco and Star’s crates.

In addition to training advice and information, we offered our usual array of training equipment, as well as K-9 Kraving and Wag Worthy treats, which went over very well! The samples were a big hit, and kudos to K-9 Kraving and the new Bison Liver cookie flavor- the dogs were literally on top of each other to try some.

It seemed that each breed had a representation at DogFest. There was a wide array of both dogs. . .and their owners. There were packs of Pugs, Sheep Dogs, Afghan Hounds, massive Mastiffs, and even a Great Dane and Irish Wolfhound that were taller than some of the ponies walking around- now you’d have to see that to believe it!

Pearl- recent class graduate, and Canine Good Citizen!

Canine Good Citizen testing was held, and although we didn’t receive as good a turnout for this as last year, we did have one dog pass the test- big congratulations to Heather and Mascara! Nice work! A few dogs also stopped by that had earned their CGC Certification with us last year. Good news- they still seem to be good citizens! We also had many clients stop by to say hello. It’s always good to see familiar faces, and I’m glad that you all and your pooches are well.

As much as I would hate to admit it, I can’t do everything by myself. What I don’t hate to do, however, is give thanks to those that helped out throughout the day-

Mike's dog, Shula. . .relaxing!

Big thanks to Mike Butler for helping to set up and tear down, because there was no reason you had to, and it was much appreciated! I’m sorry that I only had treats to spare in return, but Miss. Shula really seemed to appreciate the Bison Liver cookies!

Bell Dawg Ink was able to print up our shirts at the last minute after preparing all of the DogFest-wear, and hand deliver to our booth in the morning- much thanks!

Tamara, with K-9 Kraving, donated cookie samples, which the dogs absolutely LOVED. That new Bison Liver flavor. . . the one with the molasses and garlic. . .definitely a crowd favorite. There were a few dogs that self-served some of the seasonal Beef and Pumpkin, too. Thanks!

Thanks also to Bonnie and Amber. It’s not often that I am able to work an event like this and am not totally drained by the end. You two were really great, and I was glad to have a few moments to break away with you there.

DOGFEST, 2009

(It’s funny how much I can write from being inside a booth!)