Roscoe n Stella

The post Bonding With a Dog Isn’t Always Easy: Lava’s Journey & Mine by Dr. Maja Platisa DVM MRCVS (Veterinarian) appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Hi, I’m Dr. Maja! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my two crossbreed dogs, Lava and Hela.

Puppies are cute and lovable. It’s impossible not to get attached to them. I’ve had several dogs so far, and besides Hela, who came to me as an adult, all were puppies. And all stole my heart so easily in the first few days. All except Lava. The strangest thing happened with this puppy, and it wasn’t love at first sight.

Emotional Confusion and the Cutest Puppy

If someone had told me that it would take me almost two years to start loving a dog profoundly, I would have laughed at them. Dogs have been my whole life, and my usual problem is that I get attached to them so easily. But then things were not easy with Lava, and some were out of my hands. After all, you can’t rush yourself into feeling something that isn’t there yet.

When Lava came into my life as the most adorable puppy ever, I was still grieving the loss of my previous dog. And the presence of this super cute but stubborn and energetic puppy reminded me of everything my old girl wasn’t. I tried finding ways to bond with her, but it felt strangely disappointing that she couldn’t fulfill any of my expectations. She was not cuddly but was obsessed with all dogs she encountered, being mischievous, and attempting to run off at first chance. Not run off as in to escape forever, just run off to have as much fun as possible, without being restricted by leads or commands. And I was used to my old girl following me around constantly and never letting me out of her sight.

Clash Of the Two Characters

Soon enough I realized that Lava and I are actually quite similar in character and temperament. And this was probably another big part of the problem. Both stubborn and wanting things to play out exactly how we want it, controlling the situation, and not easily taking on others’ views. At times it even felt as if Lava had the strong urge to openly contradict me by doing the very opposite of what I asked her to do. Don’t get me wrong, this is the puppy I spent a good part of two years doing recall and obedience training with. Using a long lead, treats of various flavors and textures (even frozen wet food snacks that would melt in my pockets), taking her on hiking trips, and trying dog park socialization. Until it suddenly hit me. It’s time to stop wanting to control her, and to start trusting her. This was a difficult thing to realize and is still something I struggle with.

When Things Slowly Started To Change

When Lava was two years old, I badly broke my wrist during one of our walks. It was solely my fault, but her long lead was involved. This was the most difficult time, and I didn’t even blame the dog, I just felt that our relationship was not meant to be joyous for me. It felt like I was being punished, and as if the two of us just couldn’t connect. And this was such a blow.

Soon after, Lava started to calm down, being able to pick up on my injury, meaning our walks and routine had changed significantly for the following 3 months. Instead of her running off having fun, and me trying to get her attention, she started to seek me out more. As if she finally understood that I felt like I failed at this attempt to form a bond with her and was almost ready to give up. I would never have given her away, as I was responsible for her happiness and well-being for as long as she lived, but it felt as if this relationship would be a one-sided one. However, slowly she stopped running away from me. Looking back at this period now, I remember how she began spending more time in my lap, although she is quite heavy, accepting cuddles and even requesting them with her big paws. Lying in awkward poses as if she knew it would put a smile on my face. And being very gentle around my arm cast.

Finally, Love

Now, things are very different. It feels like everything fell into place after the accident, and Lava and I have finally developed a bond that is the most special one I have experienced with a dog so far. We have this silent understanding, to the point that she knows exactly how I feel or what I want from just looking at me, and she knows how to get under my skin, even if she’s done something very naughty. Don’t get me wrong, she is still the most stubborn dog I have ever had, and very disobedient, trying to run off into the woods almost every day, with me worrying about her safety. But I know she will always come back to me, and she knows I am her home.

The post Bonding With a Dog Isn’t Always Easy: Lava’s Journey & Mine by Dr. Maja Platisa DVM MRCVS (Veterinarian) appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

The post Dr Karyn’s 10 Commandments For Successful Puppy Parenting (Part 1) by Dr. Karyn Kanowski, BVSc MRCVS (Vet) appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Hi, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my five funny dogs, Poppy, Bailey, Kodah, Ned, and Fred.

Bringing a new puppy into the home should be a happy and exciting time, but it’s also an important period of training and socialization. I believe that when it comes to raising puppies (and probably children, too), if you don’t feel mean some of the time, you’re probably doing it wrong. It’s easy to show your puppy love and affection; it’s not so easy to implement rules and discipline. But if you want to have a well-adjusted dog that you can take out with you or leave at home, and that won’t ruin your carpet, turn into a velociraptor when they need an ear clean, or try to bite anyone that gets in between them and their favorite toy or food, boundaries are essential.

I have created this list of dos and don’ts for raising puppies, based on my work with thousands of puppies and puppy owners, learning from behaviorists and dog trainers, as well as raising dogs of my own. This list is by no means exhaustive or foolproof, but it should give even the most inexperienced dog owners a good basis for early puppy training.

The First 5 Commandments for Successful Puppy Parenting:

1. Thou Shalt Not: Give in to crying

This is the number one mistake I see made time and time again.

Regardless of where you plan for your dog to sleep in the long term, unless you want to be imprisoned by a dog that cries every time you leave their sight, you cannot go running every time they make a sound during the night. I don’t care which school of thought you subscribe to when it comes to raising human babies, when it comes to puppies, they need to learn to be okay on their own. Unless, of course, you plan to stay by their side at ALL times for the next 15 years.

If you want to make sure your puppy is safe, point a baby monitor at their bed, but do not give in to their cries, no matter how tragic they sound. Once your pup has learned to settle on their own, they will realize that they are perfectly safe without having to be reassured by you. Crates (aka puppy bedrooms) are ideal for this.

If you weaken after an hour or two, all you will teach them is that perseverance will get them what they want. If you don’t teach them how to self-soothe when you are there, you can’t expect them to magically learn how to do it when you go out.

2. Thou Shalt Not: Leave the door open and call it toilet training

Telling me that your puppy never has an accident indoors because the door (or doggy door) is always open is not successful toilet training! You may have taught your puppy that the “outside room” is the preferred location for toileting, but:

• they haven’t learned to wait to be let out to go to the toilet, and
• there is no clear distinction between inside and outside.

What happens when that door is closed? That’s right, your dog has an accident inside, you’re annoyed, and they’re confused. When your puppy is older and you’re certain that they understand the difference between inside and outside, and that they need to wait to go outside to do their business, then you can start leaving doors open if that suits you, but not before.

3. Thou Shalt Not: Let puppies make the rules*

A phrase I hate hearing from owners is: “He/She doesn’t let me do that.”

Seriously? Who is the adult in this relationship?!

Whether your dog is large or small, you need to be the one in charge, and that starts when they are puppies. Here are things that you should be able to do with, to, or for your dog, so start practicing when they are puppies:

• open their mouth and check their teeth
• clean their ears using a cloth or tissue
• examine their paws and between their toes
• touch/feel them all over (keep it clean, please!)

9 times out of 10, when a puppy squeals in protest at any of these, it is a combination of surprise and “I don’t like it.” If it’s important, and provided you aren’t hurting them, it’s okay if they don’t like it! Once you’ve ignored their tantrums once or twice, and rewarded them once the task is complete, you’ll both realize that it’s not such a big deal after all.

4. Thou Shalt Not: Teach too many things at once

Dogs are very smart, but you can’t expect them to learn everything at once. Teach them commands in order of importance, then you can move on to fancy tricks, and don’t move on to the next command until they’ve mastered the current one. “Order of importance?” you ask? These are my recommendations:

1. Recall — the most important command so you can call your puppy back and get their attention.
2. Drop it/Leave it — if you’ve ever had to try to prise something out of a dog’s mouth, you will understand why this is number 2 on my list.
3. Sit — the first thing most people teach, but not as important as the first two.
4. Stay — this one will take time. Every time they move from their ‘stay’ spot, take them back and start again.
5. Off — this means get off me or off whatever it is they are jumping on.
6. Down — as in, lay down.
7. Other tricks — paw, shake, roll-over, etc.

You can use whichever command words you like, just make sure they are clear and consistent.

5. Thou Shalt Not: Keep repeating yourself

Another of my pet hates is hearing this:

“Sit…sit…sit, sit, sit….. SIT! Good boy!”

I will tell you this once, and once only: If you have their attention, they heard you the first time. Don’t keep repeating yourself; you are just teaching your dog to sit after 6, 7, or 10 commands.

The key to success here? Start by saying the command when your puppy is doing the action naturally, so they learn to associate the word with the action. Every time they sit down, say ‘sit’ and give them a treat; it won’t be long before they put two and two together and start to sit every time you say the word.

Check back next week for part two!

The post Dr Karyn’s 10 Commandments For Successful Puppy Parenting (Part 1) by Dr. Karyn Kanowski, BVSc MRCVS (Vet) appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

The post Know Your Pet DNA by Ancestry Review 2024: Our Experience Building Ragz’ Family Tree by Sara Seitz appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

If you’re looking for a better way to get to know your dog, the Know Your Pet DNA kit by Ancestry can help.

Like other pet DNA products on the market, this one can unlock the mystery of your dog’s breed makeup. This kit also offers unique insights into your dog’s physical and behavioral traits as well as important health markers. Unlike other products, this one can match your dog’s DNA to that of other dogs that share a familial relationship.

That’s right, with this DNA kit, you can start building your dog’s family tree!

I had a chance to try Know Your Pet DNA by Ancestry on my mystery mutt, Ragz. Below, I’ll share what I liked about this product, where I see room for improvement, and, most importantly, what insights it provided on my adopted furry family member.

Overview

Our Experience

I have wanted to use a DNA test on my mixed-breed dog, Ragz, since we first adopted her over thirteen years ago. When I got the opportunity to try out Ancestry’s Know Your Pet DNA test, I jumped on it. Not only was I excited to see her breed results, but I was interested in this test’s health insights as well.

On top of the standard offerings, I was also very curious about the DNA matching Ancestry offers for pets. I have taken an Ancestry DNA test myself and always love digging into the DNA matches they send me each week. Since Ragz came to us from another state where she was found as a stray, I was hopeful this feature could shed some light on her past.

Registering the test kit was super easy. All I had to do was scan the QR code and enter Ragz’s details and we were ready to get started.

Administering the test was nearly as easy. The testing tools come in one compact package, with the swab attached to the vile. All I had to do was swab the inside of Ragz’s cheek, then unscrew the swab and flip it around and screw it back into the vile.

After that, I popped it into the included prepaid mailer and put it in the mailbox. The actual mailing of the package took longer than any other step. But, after about a week, it arrived at the lab and just six days later, I received results.

I was updated each step of the way via email.

We adopted Ragz from a Dalmatian rescue when she was about a year old. Since then, I have been adamant that she is, in fact, a Dalmatian mix and not a Heeler mix as her spots might indicate. So you can imagine how relieved I was when I looked at the results and found Dalmatian listed among her breeds.

That part was expected. What came as a bit of a surprise was that she was mostly Labrador and had both Boxer and Cocker Spaniel in her.

Although, in hindsight, these make a lot of sense. She has a lot of Boxer personality traits and the Cocker explains her smaller stature.

Finding out her breeds was a lot of fun, but the more important insights this test provides are the health metrics. Luckily, Ragz only had one red-flag health marker and she is just a carrier for the gene and won’t be affected by it. I can see this aspect of the test being very useful for both breeders and owners of new puppies so they can take preventative measures if necessary.

Another great feature of this test that would be helpful for puppy owners is the traits aspect. The test covers dozens of physical and behavioral DNA-based traits. For the most part, these seemed accurate for Ragz. Although there were a few that didn’t quite match her personality, but this may just be the effects of nurture versus nature.

Of course, what most sets this test apart is the inclusion of DNA matches. I didn’t expect to see many matches simply because this is a newer offering and I didn’t think there would be much data to draw from. But already, Ragz has 197 matches, almost all of which come from the Labrador side of her family tree.

Overall, given how easy this test was to administer, how quickly I got the results, and how well-priced this test is for all you get, I would highly recommend it to any dog owner looking at pet DNA kits.

Pros & Cons

Key Features

Get Insights in Four Different Areas

Most pet DNA tests include insights into your dog’s breed makeup. In addition to that, this one also gives you trait insights so you can get a better understanding of the DNA that makes up your dog’s physical appearance as well as their behavioral tendencies.

This kit also provides health insights on over 200 health markers. You’ll find out if your dog carries any genes known to cause disease and whether they are likely to suffer from that disease or simply pass the genes on. This gives you valuable insights that you can use to start preventative measures or at least know what symptoms to look for.

Lastly, this test uses your dog’s DNA to find closely related dogs in their testing system. As with human DNA tests, this can help you build your dog’s family tree and may even find some closely related cousins and siblings.

Easy to Use

Getting all these insights is as simple as swabbing your dog’s cheek and dropping the return package in the mail. It took me less than five minutes to register my pup and get her DNA sample. The kit comes with clear instructions on how to collect the sample and even has links to video tutorials to ensure you do it right.

Fast Results

I received my dog’s DNA results thirteen days after I put the sample in the mail. And most of this time was spent on shipping, not analysis. Once the lab received the sample, I got my results in just six short days.

According to the website, it takes, on average, two to four weeks for DNA to be processed.

Easy to Navigate Dashboard

Ancestry makes it easy to review your dog’s results with their intuitive dashboard. You’ll see their breed results front-and-center with quick links to their traits, health information, and DNA matches. You can even quickly share your DNA results with your social media platforms from this fun and colorful dashboard.

About Ancestry

Is Know Your Pet DNA by Ancestry a Good Value?

Ancestry offers two pet DNA kits, one that includes health insights on top of breeds, traits, and DNA matches, and one that does not. The kit without health is priced about even with competitors offering the same insights. The kit that includes health costs less, on average, than similar offerings, making this kit an especially good value.

How We Tested

I received the kit, followed the instructions to collect the sample (a cheek swab), and mailed it to the lab.

I also tested the user dashboard Ancestry offers by thoroughly exploring all of the features.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How long does it take to get results?

According to the website, it can take two to four weeks to get results once the lab receives them. It took only six days for my results to be processed.

How many breeds are tested against?

Ancestry uses the DNA knowledge of hundreds of different dog breeds around the world to identify breed traits in your dog’s DNA.

How many health markers does the test look at?

The Know Your Pet DNA kit looks at over 200 health markers.

Are the results ever updated?

Yes, you will receive notifications as new health and trait markers are identified. You will also receive continuous updates as new DNA matches are identified.

Conclusion

If you’re curious about your dog’s DNA makeup, I highly recommend checking out the Know Your Pet DNA Kit by Ancestry.

This kit not only offers insight into your dog’s breed makeup and traits but also important health insights on over 200 health markers. Uniquely, this kit also links your pet to individual dogs who share their DNA, helping you to build your pup’s family tree.

Know Your Pet DNA by Ancestry is an easy-to-use and affordable option for dog owners who want to get to know their dog inside and out.

The post Know Your Pet DNA by Ancestry Review 2024: Our Experience Building Ragz’ Family Tree by Sara Seitz appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.