Preventing Food Aggression In Your Multi-Pet Household

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

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© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Waiting Permission

Perhaps you have heard the term Resource Guarding? It's related to Food Aggression in that both behaviors involve a dog vigorously protecting what he wants to retain for himself. While this may sound like a normal behavior, it actually can lead to more serious aggressions and should be prevented.

Here are a few tips that can be used with both puppies and adults throughout their lives. Continuing a program such as this will help your dog to understand that you are in charge of the food, while also knowing that you will always share it with them when they behave appropriately. Trusting you as a benevolent caretaker that always has the dog's  interest at heart will help to build a bond over time. Bonding with your dog is the ultimate way to increase the loyalty that each of you have to one another, making memories as the years roll on. 

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Chowtime!

Here's how we make sure that Tanner, Oliver and Jacque never try to steal food, treats or toys from one another. Further, it's important that housemates enjoy the give and take of sharing a toy in play. 

• Start by introducing a toy or food by holding it yourself. Ask the dog to sit and wait until you are ready to offer the item to the dog. Wait until he's behaving as you have requested: sit, stay, down.
• When your dog is enjoying the toy or food appropriately, without any tendancy to guard it from retrieval by you or a fellow housemate, praise vigorously! This is your goal and you must assure that the dog knows when he is behaving appropriately.
• Practice sharing a toy among your dog housemates with supervision, praising each dog as they release the toy to another willingly.
  
• Continue and you'll see more and more sharing.
• To further prevent food aggression, feed each of your dogs together, waiting until they are calm. Release them to eat when you get the behavior you desire. Praise lavishly when your dogs behave accordingly.
• Continuing these practices will help build a closer bond among you and your dogs.
• Here's more!

Happy tails,

All Things Dog Blog likes to share tips for a happy pet family. While today's post links to our primary advertiser, Castor and Pollux Pet, we want you to know that we feed their food because it is the best. 

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Wiggle - Day 2,201

Wiggle and Sofy have been enjoying the good weather, spending lots of time out in the sunshine:

Sofy likes to lay belly-up:

They decided to 'help' while I did some gardening yesterday - Sofy by laying on the grass while I was mowing the lawn:

And Wiggle, selecting a toy:

And then also laying in the shade on the grass:

Today ends the two weeks of lead walks for Wiggle and Sofy.  Wiggle is still a little unsteady at times but after two weeks of short walks, Sofy hasn't had any more problems:  They were both happy to get in the field earlier, even though the grass had grown a lot since our last visit!

Wiggle enjoyed his freedom:

Sofy was also feeling perky:

Happy!

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Canine Camping Winners Hit the Woods!

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

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Camping Tent and Blanket

Let the camping begin! Our Petco giveaway of camping supplies for Fido has closed and today I have winner announcements. What a terrific way to start the Independence Day weekend, planning another fun Summer getaway. 

Tigers and Leopards for Playtime!

One lucky winner scores a pup tent and a bedding blanket that folds up to fit whatever space is available. In the photo above, Oliver is sitting on the blanket as it is folded in half. This blanket is large and has nice batting for comfort. The tent, pictured below, comes in a plastic carrying case to keep it clean and dry till next year's camping season.

Our best tip for a long tent life is to assure that the tent is wiped out and dry before rolling it up and storing. This will help to assure that you don't reopen it next year to mold or mildew. Prevent is key!

While you're out in the woods relaxing around the campfire, Fido will need some fun ways to enjoy his time. Two of our winners will receive a wild animal toy appropriate for most sizes of dogs, along with a surprise from Petco that is sure to delight every pup.

courtesy Petco.com

You can learn more about the tent and about Petco by referring to our review, linked above. On their website, you'll find other great supplies for camping, including the all important prevention for fleas, ticks and mosquito-born illnesses. Be sure to treat your pup with appropriate methods to prevent any problems from pests. We recommend you get your "pupatrician's" (aka veterinarian!) advice on this topic.  Be safe and have fun!

One final tip. Never leave home without an adequate supply of your dog's regular food. Changing food abruptly will often lead to digestive upset which could disrupt the camping fun. Shop Petco.com for our favorite: ORGANIX organic dog food. You'll find other travel tips appropriate to camping here and here.

Our winners are M. Tabora, S. Cole, and C. Joslyn. I'll be in touch via AllThingsDogBlog@gmail.com. Watch your inbox and your spam file for my message requesting your address for shipping, and other details.

Happy camping,

Petco has provided these products for promotional giveaway. I have not been compensated to tell you about them and the comments above are my own thoughts.

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#FidosFreebieFriday Celebrates Independence

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

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The All Things Dog Blog clan is off to the mountains for some cooler air as a great way to celebrate Independence Day. If you're here, I'm sure you're looking for some goodies to win for Fido or yourself. Enjoy a shopping expedition and watch for next week's version to open Thursday--same time, same site.

Now let's get to today's Fido's Freebie Friday. Bloggers are invited to list below 

their currently open giveaways, freebies, and prizes for pets and pet lovers so that readers may visit and explore items to win. You can help to get more awareness by sharing the badge you see in the top of my post. Feel free to put it in your sidebar, if you wish, but don't feel obligated.

Fido's Freebie Friday opens each Thursday afternoon for linkups at 4:00 PM ET, and renews each week at the same time with a new listing.  Link up anytime during the week--24/7. We make it easy to be seen here by keeping our rules simple:

•You have up to 45 characters to describe your prize and include an expiration date.

•Fido's Freebie Friday Blog Hop is open to posts with prizes for pet products or services, including pet-related or pet-themed items for owners. Use your specific post url to link up.You'll find assistance at our HELP PAGE, where there is other useful information for bloggers doing giveaways and reviews. Your hosts are All Things Dog Blog, DogTipper and To Dog With Love. Happy shopping! 

Individual rules of entry and guidelines for winning may apply to each listing. All Things Dog Blog, DogTipper, and To Dog With Love take no responsibility for the legality of the rules governing the listings on other sites and giveaways that are posted here. We simply provide this forum as a gathering place for pet product giveaways to be offered. Please consult All Things Dog Blog's Giveaway and Contest Rules for more detail. Fulfillment of each giveaway is done by the blog conducting the giveaway, not by the hosts of this giveaway hop; please contact the giveaway host with any questions regarding a giveaway or giveaway prize.

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PurOtic Ear Care Giveaway!

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

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Ready for Clean Ears, Tanner?

Caring for Tanner's water-loving ears has just gotten easier. Prone to ear problems, Retrievers require regular ear care to keep them clean and dry. This goes double for swimmers like Tanner who can't get enough of fetch in the lake or the pool. Fortunately for me, Tanner is an accommodating patient, but many dogs fight the application of ear washes and such. That's where PurOtic comes in. With a silicone applicator, there is no discomfort in spraying the solutions into the ear canal, making the whole process--cleaning and drying--much easier for pet parent and fido.

Today I'm announcing a giveaway of 3 sets of the two PurOtic solutions--cleaner and dryer. Check out the

Easy Application

review of this product here, and then you can enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter form below. If it's playing Hide-n-Seek again, simply click on the post title to get it to come and help you.

If you prefer the sure-thing method of getting your product, feel free to order direct at the link above. PurOtic will be happy to ship directly to you. Be sure to order the Extra Strength when ordering ear cleaner for your dog; the regular strength is better suited for kitties.

Meanwhile, you can visit PurOtic's social media pages to learn more:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Youtube

Entries will be accepted through Thursday, July 17, and winners will be announced here on Friday, July 18. Good luck to you all.

To your pup's clean ears,

This giveaway and the associated review of Innovet's PurOtic has been written completely from my own experience. I was not compensated to share my thoughts or to offer the giveaway of their products.a Rafflecopter giveaway

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PurOtic Gentle Ear Care for Dogs

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

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Who hasn't had to fight with Fido to put drops or ear wash in their ears? It's not only frustrating for the dog, but many owners feel that the directional spout is painful and doesn't properly dispense the spray into the dog's ear canal. The result--all the solution is expelled when the dog shakes his head, leaving you wet and worried that your dog's ear health may be at risk.

Now there's help for this problem: PurOtic's silicone directional spout is soft and painless. You won't have to worry about hurting your dog's ear when you insert it because the applicator is so soft that it can cause no harm. 

What sets PurOtic apart from the competition is that it is the only ear cleaner with a patented silicone applicator.  This soft flexible applicator bends and flexes when pets move during cleaning.  This ensures that the solution gets deep into the pet's inner ear where infections and odor begin. 

The PurOtic solutions are made of 99% natural ingredients and do not contain any alcohol or harsh chemicals. Active ingredients that you'll recognize as beneficial include Tea Tree Oil, Lavender Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Aloe Vera Gel, Chamomile, Clove Oil and Echinacea. 

The two-step system allows for superior cleaning. Step one: Apply the Ear Cleaner to break up wax buildup, prevent infection, eliminate odor and act as an anti-inflammatory. Follow with a gentle massage to the outside of your dog's ear. Step two: The natural ear dryer assures that your dog's ear dries completely, preventing fungal infections that cause many canine ear troubles.

To better understand the difference between using traditional delivery methods and the PurOtic silicone tip, watch this short video:

Do you have questions? I certainly did. It was helpful to see, feel and try the silicone tip on Tanner, my daily swimmer. Since many Retrievers are prone to fungal infections as a result of their love of water activities and their floppy ears that close in moisture, I like to assure that Tanner's ears are as dry as I can get them. The second step--Ear Dryer--in the PurOtic system is a nice addition to help assure complete total ear wellness. 

To purchase your set of the PurOtic solutions, visit their site for the best service. We recommend that you select the Extra Strength Ear Cleaner for your dog. According to the company's representative, the regular ear cleaner is better suited to cats, so please watch this detail carefully as you place your order.

If you're willing to take your chances at winning a set of the solutions, watch for an upcoming giveaway of PurOtic, provided right here on All Things Dog Blog. Meanwhile, you can visit PurOtic's social media pages to learn more:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Youtube

This review of Innovet's PurOtic has been written completely from my own experience. I was not compensated to share my thoughts or to offer the upcoming giveaway of their products.

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