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Hey, Katie K-9!KatieK9@readthecitizen.comwww.KTK9.com 651-429-5433 |
Hey, Katie K-9!
I have three dogs, all mutts, and at times I love them more than my husband. Th ey are 1-1/2, 4 and 11 years old. Th is winter,their coats seem to be very dull. Do you have any suggestions on how to perk up their coats again?
Thanks you in advance, Mary Anne
Hey, Mary Anne!
During the winter months, dogs' coats can get very dry, just like our skin does. When the furnace goes on, their skin dries out. Other things that can cause a dull coat are parasites or a thyroid problem. First, try this recipe to get their coats shiny again. If in three weeks you do not see much diff erence, then you need to check out the other two things. For a medium-size dog, 55 pounds: Mix together:
. Up to 1 cup of canned pumpkin (be sure it is not the new spiced kind, but just plain 100% pumpkin). Pumpkin is great fiber for dogs and cats! You can not give them too much pumpkin, it's a matter of how much pumpkin you want to go through in a week!
. 1000 mg capsule of fish oil
. 1 Tablespoon of plain yogurt
. "The Missing Link" powder supplement, administered according to directions on package. This ingredient is available at most pet stores.
Once you open it, store it in the refrigerator. A one-pound bag will last a 55-pound dog at least two months.
Give this once a day. I do it as a snack during the day, it is something for Benn to look forward to.
You will notice a big difference in their coats with in two weeks and it only gets better from there! With bigger or smaller dogs, just adjust the pumpkin and the yogurt; the fish oil can stay the same. Here's to a nice, sassy coat! Katie K-9!
P.S. "The Missing Link" works wonders on cats and horses, too! It helps a lot with over-shedding With cats, mix it with some good canned cat food; with horses, just put it in their grain. There are product formulas for dogs, cats, horses, humans and even birds! It is an unbelievable product!
Hey, Katie K-9!
I have not had a dog in years! I adopted a Lab mix five months ago.
"Lambo" is doing fairly well, but our biggest problem is he sits in front of me or my family and barks at us. He will not stop until we do something with him, like throw the ball, take him for a walk, or play with him. The barking is really wearing on us. We tried the spray bottle in the face and he just laps it up. Now what? Help!
Trae
Hey, Trae and family!
Aren't you lucky to have such a smart dog who can train you to do things for him when he asks for it!
He barks.you all jump to his attention. Dogs are always after our attention: "Hey, look at me! Me, Me, Me!" Similar to two-legged kids, they never need anything from us until our attention is diverted to something else: a phone call, or a visit with a friend. Then they pull out all the stops to get our attention. Dogs learn this trick well, too, if you let them
.Next time your pupper starts in for your attention, just get up, do not look at him or say anything and go into another room and close the door. Count to ten, come back out and go back to what you were doing. At first you are going to get a lot of exercise. After 3 days of doing this, your dog will figure out: "Hey, I bark, they leave! I do not want them to leave."
You have to start rewarding good behavior. When he is being good, being still or just hanging out, call him over and pet him (of course, you ask him to sit first, then pet him) or call him over and throw the ball, but this time you decide when to play! Some dogs are very persistent, you just have to be more so. It will all work out if you stick to your guns! Here's to a calmer home.
Katie K-9!
Send in your dog questions to "Hey, Katie K-9!" by mailing them to The Citizen, P. O. Box 393, Hugo, MN 55038 or e-mailing them to Katie at KatieK-9@ReadTheCitizen.com. Visit Katie's dog obedience school website at www.ktk9.com.