With the holidays coming up, many of you will be traveling to visit family and friends, and quite a few of you will be bringing your dogs with you on your travels. Unfortunately, just like people, dogs can suffer from car sickness. I've had several clients come to a training session and ask for paper towels to clean up a mess in their car. Luckily, there is something you can do about it. Approximately thirty minutes before you put Fido in the car, give him/her ginger. Ginger has anti-nausea properties which will help with any tummy trouble. You must know your dog's weight and for every thirty pounds, give your dog a half teaspoon of fresh, chopped ginger. Therefore, if Fido is sixty pounds, you'll give him/her one teaspoon. How do you get Fido to eat it you ask? That's the trick.
You fold the ginger into a small ball of meat, cream cheese, or peanut butter (that does not contain xylitol), ask Fido to sit, and treat away.
If your dog gets carsick and you try this trick, please send me some feedback. I'd love to hear how it worked for your dog.
Tip of the Month
So, Let's just put it out there; is your dog a poop eater? If you just made a disgusted face as you said, "Uh, yes!", you're not alone. This behavior is called coprophagia and many dogs do it for various reasons. The most common reason is he/she is not getting enough vitamins and/or minerals from his/her every day food. This can happen whether the food you're serving is a lower quality or a high quality dog food. I suggest giving your dog supplements. There are many great varieties on the market. Ask your veterinarian what he/she thinks is a good choice. If giving your dog supplements doesn't help alleviate your dog's coprophagia, feel free to contact me and we can discuss other reasons why dog dog feels compelled to eat poop and options you can try to stop the behavior.
Quote of the Month
"Outside of a dog, a book is probably man's best friend and inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." Grouch Marx
