Ever wonder if you wanted to breed a dog and what a breeder goes through? I'd bred dogs before but not Border Terriers. And not in the last 25 years or so! So I boned up about breeding and whelping and all the possible problems you might encounter. I read books, attended seminars and watched DVDs. Come the big day I was as prepared as I could be. But the whelping was the easy part, and, in retrospect, maybe not the most important part. Sure, you need to get the pups out and everyone stable and nursing. The first week is nerve racking. Dewclaw removal can be traumatic. If someone gets sick, what should you do now? But I believe that the real work begins with the rearing and socialization that starts around week four.
I have seen Borders that bark at just about everything and everyone; there are many web sites that say BTs are "barky". I have even seen "aggressive" BTs. Thus I was determined to do everything I possibly could to socialize and introduce my pups to the world as best as possible.
I made a list and started checking things off:
Pee and poop on papers. Intro them to crates. Don't jump up when I approach; calmly (somewhat) sit while I come closer.
This is your food- enjoy it, but do not play IN it (too much!).
This is a broom; you do NOT eat it or chase it! Here's what a vacuum cleaner sounds like and the doorbell, the telephone and the microwave.
Come on out and watch TV with us (in your crates) and BTW, please behave; i.e do NOT cry and whine. I am impervious (I hope!) to that and will not let you out until you behave.
This is how to eat treats from my hand; you do NOT go into my pockets yourself even if I am laying down next to you! And you do not jump up and put your teeth anywhere near me, especially on my ears or face!
This is what a hardwood floor feels like, while this other thing is carpet. Yes, its soft! No, you don't get to pee here either! This is what grass feels like underfoot; isn't that neat? This is sunshine and THAT is your shadow!!! Yes, it is following you!
This is how we ride in the car. This is a vet and her office- no, you don't treat her like a sibling! Yes, she has some treats too, but you have to earn them!
This is the grooming and show table. Yes, that "other" dog there IS YOU- that is a mirror!
This is a collar and this is a leash. We go to nifty places when these come out! No, the collar does NOT go in your mouth and you do not get to EAT the leash!
This may taste terrible but it's necessary. Please "Enjoy!" Would you rather have worms? Here, have a treat! See? I'm not SO BAD!
Oops, we just poo'ed off the papers. Too bad! Now let's go outside and see if you have anything else to do. WAIT! Don't STEP in it! Let ME clean it up!
This neat, new toy is a cardboard box! See I have put some holes in it so you can play house and hide 'n'seek! And THIS is a PVC pipe! (Think Earthdog!) No, you do not EAT the box!
These are the "older" dogs. Treat them with SOME respect, please. That is, if you value your lives! Though they have seen ALL this before, (and done it themselves), even their patience is limited.
And these are "little people" - they are the SAME AS ME. Don't ever forget that, even if they forget who you are and how to treat you correctly.
When all that (and more) is done, then you can start to believe that you have prepared your puppies for their new homes. And maybe, just maybe, you have started down the road to becoming a true breeder!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Carbohydrates, Grains and Your Dog's Diet
I wrote this article as part of a series on dog nutrition for our local club newsletter. I will post more from this series later.
Last time, we talked about reading parts of the label on dog food packages and we casually referred to carbohydrates as something whose amounts in food can sneak up on you. Let’s examine how carbs and grains pertain your dog’s diet.
First of all, it’s important to recognize that the importance of carbohydrates in the canine diet is still widely debated. Carbs are almost impossible to avoid even in home-prepared foods and there are situations where carbs have been thought to provide an advantage to the dog(pregnant and lactating bitches for example). Nearly all dog food contains some carbohydrates with dry foods (kibble) possessing the most, on average. As we stated last time, kibble needs binding agents, and grains and plant-based food derivatives fill this requirement nicely. When you use grains, starches and plant-based ingredients, you get carbohydrates galore. Even in “wet” foods (canned) there are typically 15% to 20 % carbohydrates depending on whether the food is grain-free or not, and which types of grain or starch it utilizes.
Second, while dogs do not need carbohydrates in their diet, they do need sources of glucose (which the body converts to glycogen) to fuel their energy requirements. If a dog had a zero-carbohydrate diet, they would have to get the glucose needed from food proteins or fats (from the glycerol in fat). If the glucose in the diet is insufficient to meet the energy needs of the dog, their bodies will “steal” glucose from amino acids in proteins in lieu of building muscle or bone. Minimizing amino acid conversion is why lactating bitches and puppies should have some carbohydrates in their diets.
“Feeding Your Dog for Life” (Diane Morgan, 2002) gives four uses for carbs in a dog’s diet. Ominously the third reason listed is to create a store of glycogen but excess ends up being converted to fat. It is that last phrase that unfortunately is the most common result of high carb diets. Note that proteins and fats can also perform the four things in a dog's diet just as well as carbs. (Also remember that proteins and carbs have the eaxact same caloric content- 4 calories per gram). Another use for carbs in dog food is as an inexpensive protein source. The book “K9 Kitchen” (Monica Segal, 2002) lists several grains along with their carbohydrate, protein and mineral content. Most grains possess 2% to 4 % protein and 20% to 30% carbohydrate. Since grains are cheap relative to meat and fish, and since dry foods need binding agents anyway, plant-based foods are an inexpensive way to augment the protein content of a food while providing teh binding agents necessary for it's production. Lastly, cheap foods use sugars to improve taste; something that all owners should try to minimize. Even good, highly rated foods sometimes use beet pulp and other plant sources as a binder. Others use berries and fruits as a source of anti-oxidants (this is GOOD!- albeit these are sugar rich). And low-end foods utilize a lot of corn which contains significant sugars. If a dog food contains 40% or more carbohydrate (from grains and sugars), the amount of glucose the dog could potentially derive from that much carbohydrate far exceeds their daily need. Thus the excess carbohydrate is turned to fat. Interestingly, if the protein content of a food far exceeds the needs of the dog, the excess can be removed from the body through urination although at some strain on the kidneys.
Grains are problematical because many dogs have allergies to certain grains. Wheat and corn are the most common allergens. Grains must be cooked or processed to be digested by the dog. Well, I say that tongue in cheek because my dogs eat the raw wheat kernels from the horse hay that falls on the driveways here. They enjoy the crunchiness I guess! Mostly the grain kernels pass right through undigested but they must get some carbs from eating the raw grain because their weight is harder to control when they eat a lot of grain kernels!
Another issue with grains is that some grains bind certain minerals and prevent their assimilation. Grains, like carbs, are difficult to avoid in food, although today there are more “grain-free” foods available. However, many of these foods include other starches like potatoes and tapioca. Starches, like grains, must be cooked for a dog to assimilate them and they are less digestible than grains like rice and corn. By the way, rice is the most digestible of the common grains and is one reason why a “bland” diet (chicken broth and rice- with their respective protein and glucose sources) is often used to feed a dog with an upset digestive system.
I have had good success in managing my dogs’ weight (apart from the hay issue above!) with daily exercise and diets that minimize carbs and grain. Their diets consist of about 25% (by weight- possibly 40% by kilocalories of energy provided) high-quality, grain-free, low-carb kibble. Raw and cooked protein sources such as meat, green tripe, fish and chicken make up the remainder of my dogs’ diets.
Last time, we talked about reading parts of the label on dog food packages and we casually referred to carbohydrates as something whose amounts in food can sneak up on you. Let’s examine how carbs and grains pertain your dog’s diet.
First of all, it’s important to recognize that the importance of carbohydrates in the canine diet is still widely debated. Carbs are almost impossible to avoid even in home-prepared foods and there are situations where carbs have been thought to provide an advantage to the dog(pregnant and lactating bitches for example). Nearly all dog food contains some carbohydrates with dry foods (kibble) possessing the most, on average. As we stated last time, kibble needs binding agents, and grains and plant-based food derivatives fill this requirement nicely. When you use grains, starches and plant-based ingredients, you get carbohydrates galore. Even in “wet” foods (canned) there are typically 15% to 20 % carbohydrates depending on whether the food is grain-free or not, and which types of grain or starch it utilizes.
Second, while dogs do not need carbohydrates in their diet, they do need sources of glucose (which the body converts to glycogen) to fuel their energy requirements. If a dog had a zero-carbohydrate diet, they would have to get the glucose needed from food proteins or fats (from the glycerol in fat). If the glucose in the diet is insufficient to meet the energy needs of the dog, their bodies will “steal” glucose from amino acids in proteins in lieu of building muscle or bone. Minimizing amino acid conversion is why lactating bitches and puppies should have some carbohydrates in their diets.
“Feeding Your Dog for Life” (Diane Morgan, 2002) gives four uses for carbs in a dog’s diet. Ominously the third reason listed is to create a store of glycogen but excess ends up being converted to fat. It is that last phrase that unfortunately is the most common result of high carb diets. Note that proteins and fats can also perform the four things in a dog's diet just as well as carbs. (Also remember that proteins and carbs have the eaxact same caloric content- 4 calories per gram). Another use for carbs in dog food is as an inexpensive protein source. The book “K9 Kitchen” (Monica Segal, 2002) lists several grains along with their carbohydrate, protein and mineral content. Most grains possess 2% to 4 % protein and 20% to 30% carbohydrate. Since grains are cheap relative to meat and fish, and since dry foods need binding agents anyway, plant-based foods are an inexpensive way to augment the protein content of a food while providing teh binding agents necessary for it's production. Lastly, cheap foods use sugars to improve taste; something that all owners should try to minimize. Even good, highly rated foods sometimes use beet pulp and other plant sources as a binder. Others use berries and fruits as a source of anti-oxidants (this is GOOD!- albeit these are sugar rich). And low-end foods utilize a lot of corn which contains significant sugars. If a dog food contains 40% or more carbohydrate (from grains and sugars), the amount of glucose the dog could potentially derive from that much carbohydrate far exceeds their daily need. Thus the excess carbohydrate is turned to fat. Interestingly, if the protein content of a food far exceeds the needs of the dog, the excess can be removed from the body through urination although at some strain on the kidneys.
Grains are problematical because many dogs have allergies to certain grains. Wheat and corn are the most common allergens. Grains must be cooked or processed to be digested by the dog. Well, I say that tongue in cheek because my dogs eat the raw wheat kernels from the horse hay that falls on the driveways here. They enjoy the crunchiness I guess! Mostly the grain kernels pass right through undigested but they must get some carbs from eating the raw grain because their weight is harder to control when they eat a lot of grain kernels!
Another issue with grains is that some grains bind certain minerals and prevent their assimilation. Grains, like carbs, are difficult to avoid in food, although today there are more “grain-free” foods available. However, many of these foods include other starches like potatoes and tapioca. Starches, like grains, must be cooked for a dog to assimilate them and they are less digestible than grains like rice and corn. By the way, rice is the most digestible of the common grains and is one reason why a “bland” diet (chicken broth and rice- with their respective protein and glucose sources) is often used to feed a dog with an upset digestive system.
I have had good success in managing my dogs’ weight (apart from the hay issue above!) with daily exercise and diets that minimize carbs and grain. Their diets consist of about 25% (by weight- possibly 40% by kilocalories of energy provided) high-quality, grain-free, low-carb kibble. Raw and cooked protein sources such as meat, green tripe, fish and chicken make up the remainder of my dogs’ diets.
The Puppies Are Almost "Grown"!
It is one of the most unimaginable things! I cannot believe tomorrow will be 8 weeks since our puppies were born! Where has the time gone? From blind little "moles" to "real dogs" in just eight weeks! Unbelievable!
In a couple more weeks most of them will have new homes and those people will be thrilled. I think the pups will be also as we have tried valiantly to find good homes and I think the pups are ready for "people bonding". But it is going to be pretty hard to see them go. The saving grace is that (hopefully) we will keep in touch and follow them throughout their lives while hearing about and enjoying all their adventures!
I have tried to socialize and acclimate them to a variety of different experiences. They have been such beautiful "blank slates" - ready for learning and such happy, willing students. What precious little gems they are!
When the dust settles I will have more "reflections" about this experience. For now I am amazed every day how they grow and how vital the role of the breeder is in their development. It would be easy to just let them sit around in a pen and when they are old enough, send them out into the world. But it is infinitely more important to them and their new families (and to me!) to do all I can to start their lives on a solid and loving footing. They didn't ask to be born.... I, as a breeder, made a decision to bring these puppies into the world and it is my obligation to make their existence as happy and productive as I can through the limited time I have with them. AND IT IS SO MUCH MORE FUN!!
In a couple more weeks most of them will have new homes and those people will be thrilled. I think the pups will be also as we have tried valiantly to find good homes and I think the pups are ready for "people bonding". But it is going to be pretty hard to see them go. The saving grace is that (hopefully) we will keep in touch and follow them throughout their lives while hearing about and enjoying all their adventures!
I have tried to socialize and acclimate them to a variety of different experiences. They have been such beautiful "blank slates" - ready for learning and such happy, willing students. What precious little gems they are!
When the dust settles I will have more "reflections" about this experience. For now I am amazed every day how they grow and how vital the role of the breeder is in their development. It would be easy to just let them sit around in a pen and when they are old enough, send them out into the world. But it is infinitely more important to them and their new families (and to me!) to do all I can to start their lives on a solid and loving footing. They didn't ask to be born.... I, as a breeder, made a decision to bring these puppies into the world and it is my obligation to make their existence as happy and productive as I can through the limited time I have with them. AND IT IS SO MUCH MORE FUN!!
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