Pack drive and why it’s important

In the dog training space, trainers often talk about a dog's pack drive. Many dog trainers believe that dogs with a low pack drive are more likely to have behavioral issues later in their life. However, this concept is not often understood by many dog parents. This is why I wanted to dive deeper into this subject to help better bridge the gap between behavioral theory and how it affects and benefits your everyday life. 

Dogs are social animals that thrive on positive social interactions with both humans and dogs. Pack drive refers to a dog's desire to be with and function as a unit with other dogs and people. Like humans, dogs learn so much about the world through their social interactions. If your dog has limited social interactions this can affect their behavior towards new people and dogs. Behavioralists and dog trainers alike highly encourage activities and settings that help foster a natural pack drive in your dog. 

Every dog has many different drives including pack drive. Dogs also have prey drive, fight drive, and flight drive. These different drives are embedded in your dogs' DNA and have helped them survive for thousands of years. A dog's pack drive is a strong social bond with its family, a desire to listen to and protect their family, the accusation of resources, and attention to their humans. 

A dog with a healthy pack drive would behave like preferring to be with its human, are attentive to its humans and notice when they exit a room, and also prefer to sleep in the same room as its human. It is important to note, that noticing when their human leaves the room, is not the same as following their human from room to room. When a dog follows their human from room to room this is often an indicator of an insecure dog that may develop separation anxiety. Your dog should be able to notice when you enter or exit an area as well as be able to control the need to be next to you every minute of the day. Many dog behaviorists correlate a healthy pack drive with a dog that is confident, balanced, and focused. Dogs with low pack drive tend to not be concerned with being near their humans and are described as independent or even cat-like. 

To foster your dogs' pack drive while at home you must first add structure into your daily routine. This can look like utilizing your dog's crate or limiting access to areas of your home, having a feeding and exercise schedule, and making sure that you enforce what you ask of your dog. By doing these things inside your home you are adding predictability as well as making yourself an essential part of their daily lives. 

Outside of the home, there are 3 things you can do to help build a good pack drive in your dog. 

1. Make sure they do not pull on the leash. If your dog is walking in front of you and dragging you with them, you are no longer relevant to your dog. They are more interested in the outside world than in you. Teaching your dog to walk next to you on a loose leash helps to make you more important on the walk and helps them develop a healthy pack drive.

2. Invest in some obedience training with your dog. Dogs with a healthy pack drive want to listen to their humans and enjoy earning their food, toys, etc. Taking the time to teach your dog the desired way you want them to behave. For example, if you want your dog to be calm and wait for their food, then you must train them to “Sit” and “Stay”. Another example would be if you want your dog to walk next to you on a leash and not pull you, then you will need to train them how to “Heel”.

3. Make plans with friends to do a neighborhood pack walk. If your dog has some friends in your neighborhood, use that as an opportunity to walk them together. If your dog is reactive towards other dogs, I would recommend speaking with a dog trainer or behavioralist. Your dog will need to learn how to be able to walk past or even look at other dogs without barking and lunging. Teaching your dog this skill will make both your dog's life and yours so much happier. 

Walking your Puppy

Having a puppy in your home is a fun and exciting time! It can also be frustrating and tiresome. Puppies have so much energy; until they get all their vaccinations, it's hard to give them a productive outlet to be physically active. Many new puppy parents have envisioned taking their puppy on long walks or hikes for months while they wait to get the all-clear by their veterinarian. While it's great to have these goals for you and your puppy to one day do together, it's also important to start by going slow.

Your puppy begins to learn from the minute you bring them into your home, and hopefully, while they have been getting acclimated to their new environment; you have developed a way for you two to understand each other. Training is essential in maturing your puppy into the best dog they can be. Through training, you also develop a dialogue with your puppy to help them better understand this very new and strange environment they are in.

Once your puppy has had all their vaccinations, the inclination for helping them release their energy is to go for long walks. However, your puppy should only be going on 15 to 20 minute walks at a time. This is because your puppy's body is still growing and hard physical exercise can cause damage to their bones. If you have a larger breed dog that is prone to hip or bone issues this is especially useful information. If your dog has a flatter muzzle (brachycephalic dogs) it is harder for your dog to take in oxygen so they have a lower tolerance for strenuous exercise.

You also want to consider the temperature outside and on the sidewalks when taking your puppy for a walk. If you live in an area with warmer temperatures; the sidewalks and asphalt can become extremely hot. Your puppy's pads on their feet are sensitive and should not be walking on asphalt during the hottest part of the day.

A puppy's first venture outside on a walk can become chaotic if you have not done some leash training inside your home. Puppies have no frame of reference for what a leash is, so they will try to bite and chew the leash. Introducing the leash to your puppy over the first three months of their life while they are inside is ideal to help with their leash walking later. Your puppy will want to pull, so introducing what "Heel" means will also help you have a calmer walk. Having a good "Heel" cue with your dog doesn't mean that your puppy isn't allowed to sniff during the walk. Allow your puppy to sniff and explore their neighborhood, you can teach them a release cue like "OK" or "Go Sniff" so your puppy knows they don't have to be in the "Heel" position.

If your puppy still has a lot of energy after your short walk this would be a good time to play games like fetch or tug inside your home. Both those games work to release physical energy and can be used as training tools for learning recall and to drop objects from their mouths. Working your puppy's mind will also help with their extra energy. Giving them a Kong or playing "Find it" are good enrichment toys for mental stimulation.

Over time your puppy will build endurance and you will be able to take them on the long walks and hikes you envisioned taking them on when you first got them. Taking these steps of training before the walk, and taking shorter walks during the first 6 months of their lives will set them up to be healthy and well-mannered on walks.

The Forever Dog book review

One of the most anticipated books for 2021 in the Pet industry was The Forever Dog by Rodney Habib and Dr. Karen Shaw Becker DVM. Dr. Karen Shaw Becker is a Veterinarian that has dedicated her career to finding ways, through nutrition, to increase the longevity of her patients. Rodney Habib is the founder of Paws for Change which funds research into animal nutrition and lifespan. These two authors came together over their mutual passion for animals living longer, healthier lives. The Forever Dog is a culmination of their research in both Dr. Becker’s veterinary expertise as well as Habib’s pet nutrition experience. 

After reading this book, I found it was packed with fact-based information about nutrition, supplements, and the hazards inside our home that can be harmful to our pets. Dr. Becker and Habib cite several research studies from all over the world that inform their recommendations in this book. In this article, I will be going over the information that I found from The Forever Dog to be the most important or eye-opening for pet parents. Overall, I highly recommend The Forever Dog to any pet parent. The information available to pet parents currently about dog’s health and nutrition is marketing directly from pet food companies, so that information is biased. The Forever Dog offers the most current information through scientific studies to help any pet parent make the best decisions for their pet on how to nourish and provide healthy homes for their pets. 

It’s no surprise that one of the biggest longevity factors in dogs, is the same in humans; weight. Food and weight are the highest factors to determine the health and long life of your dog. One study The Forever Dog cited found that the humans and dogs that were cohabitating, tend to have the same medical conditions such as obesity and allergies. Food and nutrition are heavily discussed in the book, and you will learn how the entire pet food industry began. It’s not a happy or wholesome way to start an industry that feeds the animals we share our heart and home with. We also find out that several of the Veterinary hospitals such as VCA are owned by the parent company of Purina. Another troubling fact is that prescription dog food is not prescription. Pet food companies label it as a prescription to increase the price and exclusively sell them at Veterinary practices to further the image of prescription, but there is no medicine in those foods. The most important message in The Forever Dog is to read your dog's food label. And research the ingredients labeled on the food. 

A study conducted at Cornell tested 18 different pet foods, even those labeled non-GMO. That study found that 16 of the 18 pet foods tested positive for glyphosate, which is the main herbicide in Roundup. Glyphosate is a known carcinogen and has been linked to seizures, cancer, kidney failure, gastrointestinal disease, and liver disease in dogs. 

Environmental VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) are another area that is often overlooked to extend your dog's life. These are caused by paints, carpets, upholstery, air fresheners, and other cleaning products. The effects of VOCs in dogs have been known to cause eye and nose irritations, also nausea, dizziness, and in some cases cancer. It would be impossible to remove all VOCs from your home, so Dr. Becker and Habib recommend some simple swap-outs for household cleaners as well as draping organic blankets over your couches and even their beds. Our furniture and dog beds, more often than not, have flame retardants that are high in VOCs. However, draping them with organic cotton or fabric creates a barrier to block them. 

The Forever Dog does give solutions to help you give your dog the healthiest life possible. Here are some of my favorite ones from the book.

• Swap out 10% of your dog's food for whole food, like blueberries, carrots, and unprocessed meat. This small change can help reduce weight in your dog and increase their longevity.

• Take out processed treats from your dog's diet.

• Rotating fresh foods and proteins, as well as your dog's food brands, is the best way to get bio-diverse foods to your dog.

• Diversify your dog's foods. Do this slowly, however. This will help support your dog's immune system.

• Fasting once a week is healthy and beneficial for dogs.

• Respect your dog's circadian rhythm by feeding them within an 8-12 hour window. Also, make sure to open your blinds during the day to help support their circadian rhythm.

• Use treats with a single ingredient. Like an all-meat treat.

• Research suggests that eating once a day is ideal for dogs' longevity.

• Contact your dog's pet food company, if you have any questions about the ingredients or their manufacturing process.

• Adding tea or bone broth to your dog's food helps their gut health. Spermidine mushrooms and Chaga tea have all been shown to increase lifespan in dogs.

• Have a dog diary, where you record your dog's reactions to different foods.

• If you had a stressful day, take a shower right when you get home. Your dog will pick up on your stress through its heightened sense of smell. This will help reduce the stress your dog is exposed to.

I would highly recommend every pet parent go out and get a copy of The Forever Dog. It was informative and eye-opening to the simple ways we can help our furry best friends live long healthier lives. 

12 Days of Christmas Gift-Giving Guide

Every year we compile a list of 12 different companies or products for the first 12 days of December, that also donate to animal charities. We’ve been doing this list for over 5 years now and every year we introduce a variety of new companies that offer so many great products that also help our furry friends. I love researching and finding these companies that also share the same values we have here, at Doggie Dreamz.

Day 1: To kick off our list, we chose Grounds and Hounds. We love this coffee company and they have some kick-ass apparel too. What’s even better than their dog-themed coffee; is that they donate a portion of their profits to animal welfare charities. And now through the end of 2021, 100% of the profits from Rescue Roast will go to The Sato Project and will be used to fund the transfer of homeless pups from Puerto Rico to families looking to give them a happy home.

Day 2: Glad Dog is an online marketplace that recycles unwanted children's stuffed toys and makes them into pet toys. They sanitize them, remove hard eyes and noses and they offer the toys at a discounted price. For some of the toys, they even remove the stuffing if your dog likes to tear it open. They then donate 100% of their profits to fund initiatives to help pet overpopulation, provide food and medical care for dogs.

Day 3: Bird Dog coffee offers a variety of coffee blends all featuring your favorite hunting dog. And they have a Boykin Spaniel Rescue Roast which they donate 10% of the proceeds go to the Boykin Spaniel Rescue. The Boykin Spaniel Rescue raises funds to help every Boykin Spaniel with the medical and emotional assistance they need and help in finding their forever homes.

Day 4: Furever Home Friends makes adorable books about shelter dogs and matching stuffed animals for any child who loves dogs. They also donate 10% of our profits to no-kill animal shelters in Chicago. Currently, their main beneficiary is ALIVE Rescue.

Day 5: Puppies make me happy; The perfect name for a company that is all about clothing the stylish dog mom. And they donate a portion of their sales to a new animal rescue every quarter.

Day 6: Shop Dog Threads; is another clothing company that makes adorable matching outfits for you and your dog! 2% of all sales are donated to non-profit animal rescues to assist in their life-saving efforts. They choose a new rescue organization every quarter and this quarter they are donating to Pet Haven MN.

Day 7: Petit Vour, which is an ethical beauty and fashion company. Through the end of December 2021, they are donating 15% of every curated box to Austin Dog Rescue when you use code DONATE15.

Day 8: Wicks for Wags, makes candles, and donates a portion of the proceeds to animal shelters and rescue groups around the United States to help and protect animals in need.

Day 9: Fit 4 a Pit, designs apparel for dogs with a stocky upper body, which is characteristic of the pitbull breed and harder to find at other retailers. They also donate at least 15% of their profits each month to pit bull-friendly rescues, advocacy groups, and other non-profits. They also donate all of their sample products, overstock, and irregular items.

Day 10: Rescued Dog Wines are a great company that makes award-winning wines that use certified green sustainable grapes. The best part is that 50% of their profits go to animal rescue organizations. As their website says "their business is producing fine wine and their passion is to help animals find forever homes."

Day 11: Heartbarks make beautiful custom cutting boards. And with every purchase, they directly donate funds to a rescue in need. Currently, the animal rescue they are donating to is Lucky Dog in Arlington Virginia. Lucky Dog Rescue routinely rescues dogs who are facing imminent euthanasia due to overcrowded high-kill shelters. They transport these dogs to adoptive and foster homes across the US.

Day 12: Perkie Prints; We adore this company. They have excellent customer service and the quality of their products is top-notch. They take cute photos of your pet and transform them into art! And they donate a portion of every purchase to animal charities. They currently are donating to D.A.S.H, a local no-kill, volunteer-run organization that rescues and rehomes animals in need. Perkie Prints helps sponsor animals rescued by D.A.S.H. to raise awareness, support adoption and spread the word about a pet in need of a home.

We hope you have enjoyed our gift-giving guide, and that your 2021 holiday season is filled with love and belly rubs!!

CBD products and your Pet

Back in April of 2019, I wrote an article titled CBD Products and your Pet. Since then several companies and pet influencers have jumped on this growing trend in the pet health industry. Being that it has been over 3 years since I researched this topic and there have been numerous studies done in that time to examine the efficacy of CBD’s effectiveness on dogs and cats. I wanted to update my previous article with the newest information to help anyone reading this make a more informed decision about using CBD. I will link all the studies I reference as well as the veterinarian that helped me in my research, Dr. Robert Silver.

Dr. Robert Silver is a veterinarian with over 38 years of experience and he established the first holistic veterinary practice in Boulder Colorado. Dr. Silver’s first tip is to look for CBD products that companies have provided a certificate of analysis. A certificate of analysis is given to a CBD product that has been tested by a third-party laboratory and examined for quality. When looking at a products certificate of analysis make sure you look for the name of the laboratory that ran the tests, ensure the batch number is the same as the products batch number, look at the cannabinoid and terpene profile, look at the heavy metal analysis as well as the pesticide analysis. Click here for more information about a products certificate of analysis.

Several studies have shown the efficacy of CBD in pain management for epilepsy, cancer, and arthritis within canines. Anxiety in dogs is another area that studies have shown improved with the use of CBD. Dr. Silver says hemp or CBD products should not be a stand-alone treatment they are meant to be a part of a regimen in conjunction with other therapies and medicine to help these issues. CBD and hemp are not a cure by any means they aid in health issues without the possible exposure to toxins that may be in further medical protocols. 

Since CBD is an anti-inflammatory it has also been shown to help dogs with IBS or IBD and chronic diarrhea. It’s important to keep in mind that every dog is different. Dr. Silva recommends that you use a lower dosage 2x a day. He also recommends taking the dosage right before a meal. Studies have shown it is 4x as effective when consumed this way. 

When figuring out what dosage to give your dog you have to think about if your dog is overweight and since over 90 percent of pet owners with obese animals don’t know their animal is obese, please consult your veterinarian. Also, he says veterinarians are finding lower dosages of CBD for anxiety are more effective than higher dosages. Start with a 1/4 mg per pound twice daily. Give this dosage for 7-10 days and see if you notice any improvement.

As with any holistic or alternative medication source, always consult your veterinarian and monitor your dog's behavior carefully. This article is just to provide information and always speak with your veterinarian when thinking about adding any treatment to your dog's health regimen.