A new adventure at Thorndon Country Park.

Hi, it's me, Zeek. I just wanted to tell you about my new adventure with the hoomans today at Thorndon Country Park. We went in the car, I like car rides now and don't make weird laughing noises for the whole journey any more. It was huge and there was even a nice lake for me to take a swim in. We saw a few horses who I obviously had to say hello to and tried to find the rabbits in the holes but I guess they didn't want to come out and play. It was full of friendly dogs and their hoomans and they all wanted to play! I even made a few new friends. 



This is Molly. She's an 8 months old yellow Lab and loves everything I do. We hit it off right from the start! We had great fun chasing sticks and diving into the water. We even played a bit of tuggies in the water and I helped her carry her stick back to the edge. I could jump much further than her but she was much more graceful when climbing out than me. We both thought it'd be a good idea to shake next to our hoomans, they looked like they could do with cooling down to me! Molly had to go home after a little while so we set off to explore the park.

After a long walk round the park we got back to the start where there was a charity stool with a load of cakes for sale. They smelt yummy and I just couldn't resist getting a closer look! I resisted doing a taste test, I didn't think my hooman would be too happy if I did. That's when I made my next friend. He was helping out his humans on the stool and was taking a nap when I came over. He was quite a bit older than me so he couldn't run too fast. We just decided to walk around sniffing together, I was tired from all of the swimming anyway. I shared some of my treats with him and then it was time to head back home. I never did find out his name but he sure was a nice dog. My hooman thinks I'll look just like him when I'm older. 

I definitely want to go back there one day. Hopefully I'll make some more new friends on my next trip to Thorndon Country Park. 

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What and what not to feed your pooch.

Most of us like to give our dogs a little of what we eat from time to time, especially when they look at you with those big puppy eyes! This is fine in moderation and there are lots of foods that actually benefit your dog, however there are some foods you really should avoid giving your dog or leaving it in reach of doggy tongues. Here's a small list of both and why you should or shouldn't feed the foods to your dog.

Do

• Unsalted peanut butter - This is a good source of protein for dogs and contains heart healthy fats. I like to put it in Zeek's Kong with some banana and kibble. It's a great treat, especially frozen in the hot summer months.
• Baby carrots - These are great for teeth as well as being high in fibre and low in fat. 
• Salmon - Great for the coat and immune system. I like to give Zeek salmon and scrambled eggs as a dinner treat as scrambled eggs are a good source of protein.
• Some fruits - I give Zeek most fruits but first making sure he won't be eating the pits or inedible leaves. Apples are good for cleaning teeth. Bananas and strawberries are good to put in Kongs. 
• Yoghurt - It's great for the digestive system and again is a good source of protein. Be careful not to get one full of additives though. I also like to put yoghurt in Zeek's Kong with some strawberries. He loves it as a frozen treat! He also loves to lick the pot out after we have finished with the yoghurt. Trouble is he now sits there with his eyes fixed on the pot waiting for your to finish and leaning forward with every mouthful. 

Don't!

• Raisins & grapes - They are toxic for dogs and can actually cause renal failure in dogs, raisins more so than grapes. 
• Chocolate & caffeine - It is toxic for the heart and the nervous system. Giving your dog these can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Take it from me, if your dog just so happens to drink half of your coffee you left on your side it is likely to bark for three hours non stop.
• Any sugary foods -  These foods basically do to your dog what it does to us. It can lead to obesity, tooth decay and the onset of diabetes. 
• Fruits that have pits - These pits can obstruct the digestive system. They also contain cyanide which is poisonous to both us and dogs. 
• Macedamia nuts - These nuts can actually be fatal for dogs. They're poisonous and can cause increased heart rate, vomiting, muscle tremors, weakness of the hind legs and a temperature.

Most of these things can only be a problem if they are being fed to the dog often. However things like pits can cause problems straight away so it's good to have an emergency vet number ready for these situations. 

It's your turn! Please leave your thoughts and experiences on this topic in the comments section below.

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Tailor made dog food from tails.com.

About tails.com.

Tails.com is a dog food company that tailor makes your dogs food from a range of 40 different quality kibbles. They make it based on the breed, age, lifestyle, gender and health conditions your dog may have. By taking all of these things into consideration they work out what your dog does and doesn't need in their diet and then send you the amount you'll need for 31 days. They then send you more dog food every 31 days automatically unless you decide to cancel it or don't start feeding your dog the food within the first few days of it arriving. In theory you should never run out or have too much food. If you find that you have too much or too little you just have to contact them via the website and they will adapt the next batch to suit you.

Why I ordered from tails.com.

I am very fussy with what is in Zeek's food. The three main things I look at when choosing a type of food is ingredients, colour and smell. I don't like to feed give Zeek food that has less than 20% meat content and look for natural ingredients to bulk it up. The food I fed him before had 26% meat and I was very happy with that. I was amazed to find that Zeeks tailor made food would be containing 49% meat and a good amount of natural foods. I have not seen this in dogs food at this price before. Luckily for me I am still paying the same for tails.com dog food as I was on the previous dog food and with the added benefits of great ingredients. Obviously this will differ depending on what you already feed your dog. I don't like giving Zeek food that has all different vibrant colours added to it to make it look good. Your dog doesn't care what colour it's food is, the fancy colours are just for us humans to make it more eye catching. I feel more comfortable when it is a meaty brown colour. I also like his food to smell strong of what is meant to be in it. I feel if I can smell it well then he must be able to taste it. Filling in all of Zeeks information was quick and straight forward and the food arrived within 4 days of ordering. 

My first impressions.

So far I love everything about it and have no complaints at all. The package came in a neat box with Zeeks name on it aswell as on the bags of food and an info leaflet. I know this isn't relevant to what is in your dogs diet but I thought it was a nice touch. I also know lots of people that would like to see their beloved furry friend's name on their food. 

Inside the box was two resealable bags of dog food equating to 31 days worth of food, three different leaflets and a measuring cup that can be adapted depending on how much your dog needs. The cup was a great feature for me. It came flat and was super easy to assemble into a cup shape with handles. In the booklet it showed you what setting to put it on for your dogs needs and that was it. Up until now it's always been a bit of a guessing game. I love the fact I know how much to give Zeek now and it's so easy to measure out. They also give some tips on helping your dog adapt to the new food. It is a good idea to mix your dogs current food with the new food to make it easier on the stomach, especially if your dog has a particularly sensitive stomach. I was happy with the colour and size of the kibble. Zeek's consisted of kibble of all different sizes but mostly of large chunky kibble. I assume that the size of the kibble would be adapted to suit the size of the dog but I'm not sure on that. The colour is how I like it. No crazy oranges and reds that have absolutely no connection to what is in the food itself. The smell is strong and not that appealing to me which probably means all the better for Zeek.

Overall it ticks all of the boxes for me. Good ingredients, great packaging and information leaflets, good smell and colour and all for a reasonable price! As I said before I do not have any complaints on the food and I don't think Zeek does either. Zeek is certainly not a fussy dog but he will take a second look if he isn't impressed. No second looks here and clean bowls all round. A high five on that one from Zeek I believe. If you'd like to try it out go to tails.com. The first order is 50% off!

If  you are going to order or have already ordered from tails.com or if you have any more questions please leave your thoughts in the comments box below.

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The Importance of Socialising Your Pup.

Socialising should be a main part of your early training when you get a puppy. Ideally puppies should be well socialised by the time they are 3 months old. They should have regular contact with other dogs before this age.  Whilst they are young and everything is new meeting other dogs is just a part of the adventure. Dogs that aren't socialised in this 3 month period find it increasingly difficult to deal with new situations and meeting new dogs. This can make walks and trips to the vet very stressful for you and your dog. If you leave it until they get older they can become fearful of the unknown and then become aggressive and anxious when around other dogs. Your options on places to walk the dog are much higher if you don't have to worry about coming into contact with other dogs making your dog well exercised. After all a sleepy dog is a happy dog.

We socialised Zeek as soon as he was allowed out for walkies. We are fortunate to have a field about 5 minutes from my house with gate all around. We were even more lucky to have a group of friendly dogs over there to socialise Zeek with. Dogs of all different breeds and personalities. Because Zeek was able to meet up with so many different dogs he learnt very quickly how to behave around them and not to be scared or fearful of them. Zeek is now a very sociable dog and is happy around all types of dogs. This makes for pleasant walks and when we go to the vet the only problem we have is him wanting to say hello to each and every dog there.

Zeek still plays with the dogs that he wet in the park four years ago and now lots of other dogs have joined our little evening meet up. There are often people on dog forums that organise doggy meet ups if you're looking for someone to socialise with. We used Labrador Forums to get advice on what to do when we got Zeek. It's full of very friendly and helpful people. These forums are also great for other tips and advice. It's a great way to meet up with lots of friendly dogs and a great way to get advice on other training.

It's your turn! Please leave your thoughts and experiences on this topic in the comments section below.

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Keeping those teeth clean.

Keeping those pearly whites white!

Right from when Zeek was a pup I have struggled to clean his teeth. As soon as you go near his mouth, with or without a toothbrush in hand, he clamps his lips shut. I had no idea dogs could even do that but Zeek can! When I eventually manage to worm to toothbrush in he just tries to chew the plastic. It's hopeless and almost pointless as he just ends up with bits of plastic in his teeth and is more suspicious of me when I try to get in his moth now. Not wanting his teeth to be in bad condition or his breathe to smell I started looking for alternative ways to keep his teeth clean without brushing them. I also found out that pet insurance does not cover dental treatment. Another reason

to keep his teeth tartar free and pearly white.

I found that feeding them dry food rather than wet means that his teeth stay cleaner and his breathe is fresher. Much better than our old Yorkshire Terrier, Benny who would only eat wet food. He was a lovely dog but you couldn't put up with cuddles for too long in his old age. I have heard that Labradors do not tend to have bad breathe but there is a noticeable difference when I feed him wet food on the odd occasion. To stop tartar from building on his teeth we were advised to give him rawhide chews. He loves to chew so it is perfect for him and it really seems to work. When he is chewing I can see all of the soft bits getting into the nooks and crannies like a sponge. Although when he leaves the rawhide on the floor or decides to take it to the garden it gets dirty and hairs begin to collect on it. I have also heard of rawhide causing blockages so try to steer clear from them now. It's also hard to find a good rawhide. Some of them feel very plastic like and Zeek doesn't seem to like them.

When looking for an alternative to this a friend of mine (Bolt's Mum) told me about stag bars. I love these as they fall off dear naturally in the Autumn and have great nutritional value from the dry marrow inside the bone. I prefer them to bones as they don't splinter. They don't have any toxins like some chews and they are easier on a sensitive stomach and they don't smell . They are also low in fat and take longer to eat than regular bones so are great if you're keeping an eye on your dogs weight.  They don't cause blockages keeping my mind at ease. Zeek seems to enjoy chewing on these much more than rawhide. They are a little more expensive than your average bone or chew but he will spend a lot longer chewing on them and they still last at least 5 times longer for Zeek. He is 4 now and his teeth are still very white so feel like the things I am doing are keeping his teeth in good condition.

It's your turn! Please leave your thoughts and experiences on cleaning your pooch's teeth in the comments section below.

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Going for a dip!

Zeek loves water! Providing the water is not in a bath or coming from a hose. He isn't so keen on the clean water. Basically any water that means he is going to come out of it dirty and occasionally smelly is great! We always wanted him to go swimming, after all he is a Labrador. Plus it's great exercise for dogs that are on the larger side without putting pressure or strain on the joints. Just 1 minutes swimming equates to 4 minutes running so is also great for the cardiovascular side of things. Building up a dogs muscle tone by swimming also gives them a greater chance of avoiding injuries when on walks or running.

If you're not so comfortable letting your dog take the plunge then have them on a long lead so that you can pull them in if needed. If you do this make sure that you're somewhere that they are not going to get tangled up. I was nervous letting Zeek swim the first time, but with a little reassurance I let him go for a paddle in a shallow pond. There was no going back. He sprints to the water every time we see it now and loves swimming with the ducks or finding a nice soggy stick to carry home with him. Our favourite place to go is Belhus Woods Country Park. There is a nice clean lake there that is dog friendly and there is always lots of other dogs who love going for a swim. Great for socialising and exercise. Belhus Woods Country Park - Google Maps

Swimming is used as part of a recovery process for dogs that suffer from ailments such as, arthritis, hip & elbow dysplasia, ligament tears, muscle degeneration, orthopedic surgery or paralysis. Whether you want to take your pooch for a swim to help them recover or just because you want to fit it in to their exercise routine, I definitely recommend it. Once you take the plunge you won't look back.



It's your turn! Please leave your thoughts and experiences on this topic in the comments section below.

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Thanks for reading. Bye for now.

10 questions answered.

Hey, I thought I'd take the time out to answer some of the questions you have about the things us dogs do. 

1. Why do we spin before we poop?

We do it to trample the ground and plants beneath us down. It's a way to keep tall plants from touching our fur that might have muck on it. We just want to stay clean. We also do it as a way to signal that we are going to poop and it' our spot. So don't knick it, okay?

2. Why do we wipe our paws/ kick our feet after we have been to the toilet?

Well there is a couple reasons why do this. One is to clean the paws and cover the waste. Another is to further spread the scent. By rubbing the paws on the surrounding area the sweat from the paws is spread, further marking their territory. 

3.Why do we spin before we go to sleep?

Much like when we spin after pooping, we do it to trample the ground. Only this time it is to make it more comfortable. Spinning helps us determine a good spot to nap and get rid of any uncomfortable plants and critters. We also do it to mark our sleeping spot to others. Some dogs, such as the Husky, dig holes so sleep in to keep them sheltered from the cold wind. Even though our beds don't need to be flattened it's and instinct that we have so we do it anyway. 

4.Why do we run & twitch in our sleep?

We are simply dreaming. You know, those real good dreams about chasing cats and rabbits. Don't wake us from this sleep though. Some dogs can wake up disorientated and snap when they don't mean to. It's just that they are not really aware of what is going on. Best let sleeping dogs lie.

5. Why do we want to sleep next to you?

Well you're our pack. We want to be close to you and feel comforted by the safety of the pack. We also like to be there to protect you. We also do it to keep warm. If we are hot we like to be alone and stretched out in order to keep cool. On those cold nights it's best to be snuggled up with the humans for a toasty nights sleep. 

6. Why do we eat grass? 

Why most humans worry when their dogs start eating grass because they believe they're doing it because they're ill, don't worry. Sometimes we do it just because we're bored or because it tastes good. It doesn't matter if we eat it, the vet said it's fine. 

7. Why do we lick you?

Besides the fact that sometimes you have food on you? Oh okay. Well we do it to our leaders as a sign of modesty as well as to get your attention and show affection. But watch out. Some dogs lick you or random objects when they're not well. We do it as a way of comforting discomfort and pain. If you think this could be why your dog is licking then get him or her to the vet. 

8. Why do we sleep so much?

We sleep more than you do but wake up more frequently. We sleep during the day when there is nothing better to do and not through being tired. When we sleep at night it is more part of the routine because that is when you humans sleep most of the time. If you were to jiggle my lead during the day and with a quick stretch I am up and ready to go. During late hours or early hours of the morning i'll get out of bed slowly and have a good stretch before hand. 

9.Why do we wag our tails?

We wag our tails for a couple of different reasons. Most humans think it is a sign of happiness and excitement. While a lot of the time this is the case you need to read the other signals we are giving off to tell how we are feeling. If our body is tense and our ears are back with a ready to pounce stance it is likely that we are on edge and anxious about the situation we are in. It's a signal for the thing that is making them feel this way to back off. 

10. Why do we sniff other dogs?

We don't shake hands and ask questions like you do. We find out what we need to know by picking up the smells that come from the dog and their anal glands. We can tell things like the gender, what the dog had to eat last, if it is in heat and even if the dog is friendly or not. 

Hope this helped.

It's your turn! Please leave your thoughts and experiences on this topic in the comments section below along with any other questions you want the answers to.

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Thanks for reading. Bye for now.