Behind the Breed: The Siberian Husky

Behind the Breed: Siberian Husky
By Michele Forto

Behind the breed is an ongoing series to assist in you choosing the right breed for yourself and family.

The Siberian Husky – Is a strong medium-sized dog that loves to work and is loyal to his family. According to the American Kennel Club; The Siberian Husky was originated by the Chukchi people of northeastern Asia as an endurance sled dog. The Siberian Husky took notice by Americans in Alaska right around 1900. The first team of Siberian Huskies made its appearance in the All-Alaska Sweepstakes Race of 1909. The All-Alaska Sweepstakes Race was a grueling 400-mile race. Charles Fox Maule Ramsey imported the Siberian Husky into Alaska and John “Iron Man” Johnson won the All-Alaska Sweepstakes Race of 1910 with this stout hearty nordic breed. In the following decade Siberian Huskies were bred and raced by Leonhard Seppala, who captured most of the racing titles in Alaska.

In 1925, the city of Nome was stricken with diphtheria, sled dog drivers in Alaska including Seppala, were called upon to deliver the antitoxin to Nome. This brought a lot of attention to Seppala and his little huskies. Seppala was invited to tour and compete in sled dog races in New England and was able to showcase the superior racing ability of his Siberian Huskies. In 1930, the American Kennel Club recognized the Siberian Husky.

Siberian Huskies have played many roles in the history of expeditions for the United States. They were on several Byrd Antarctic Expeditions as well as the Army’s Arctic Search and Rescue Unit during World War II.

The Siberian Husky is naturally friendly and gentle in temperament. He possess at times an independent nature, and although very alert, in many cases lacks the aggressive or protective tendencies of a watchdog. He is by nature fastidiously clean and free from the body odors that many dense coated breeds have. Although remarkable for his adaptability to all kinds of living conditions, his natural desire to roam makes a measure of control necessary at all times. The understanding owner will find the Siberian Husky an enjoyable companion in country or city. He has endeared himself to dog fanciers everywhere by his versatility, striking beauty, and amiable disposition.

As an owner, breeder, and musher of Siberian Huskies I have found them to be independent in their trainability but always by my side. Siberian Huskies make great companions to people who lead active lifestyles and like doing things with their pets. Huskies love to work and will pull just about anything for you. They are wonderful around children. I recommend this breed to people who are active but I also recommend this breed to people who aren’t as active. A Siberian Husky will be the best friend you ever had as long as you remember to guide him and train him well.

Tags: Robert Forto | Michele Forto | Denver Dog Training Examiner | Iditarod | Team Ineka | Dog Training Denver | Dog Doctor Radio | Denver Dog Works | Mushing Radio | Duluth Dog Works | Minnesota Dog Works | Siberian Husky | Behind the Breed
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Michele Forto is the Denver Dog Training Examiner and the business manager for Denver Dog Works. Michele can be reached through her website at http://www.denverdogworks.com

The Science Behind Raw Diets for Dogs

The Science Behind a Raw Diet for Dogs
By Leah Morse

This is a part of a series of blogs that I want to share my experience with learning to feed raw diet to my dogs. It is a controversial way of providing nutrition for your dogs. I am not suggesting that anyone follow these guidelines that I have chosen to do for my own dogs. I am just simply sharing the information that I have found and where I found it. I am simply sharing my experiences. I am not a veterinarian; I am also not a health care professional. This theory of feeding raw species appropriate diet can have serious health risks associated with incorrect handling, preparing and feeding. NEVER EVER FEED COOKED BONES! Cooking bones changes the molecular structure, they become brittle and may splinter which would injure or kill your dog! Do not feed bones that are frozen either, as they can and will ruin your pet’s teeth. All bones must be thoroughly thawed before feeding as frozen bones can severely damage teeth. Mixing raw meat with cooked meat can cause digestive problems. If feeding raw diet is your goal read as many books and literature as possible. Find people who are already feeding and have experience to have as mentors. Use your own good judgment, when in doubt, don’t do it. The ideas and opinions in this blog are my own and come from feeding my dogs this way since 2008, unless otherwise credited. I am by no means an expert, just sharing my own acquisition of information and observations from my own dogs. Take any ideas that I present here at your own risk and discretion. I, for one, have found it worth it.

So why should I feed raw diet? I want to dig a little deeper and look past the fact that my dogs look like they were dipped in clear coat, they aren’t getting sick, my puppy has really never gotten diarrhea, it costs less for the nutrition it provides and my dogs truly enjoy eating it. I want to know about the science of why this is working. I have read several books, watched a DVD and have spent hours upon hours on the internet. Here are some interesting things that I have found.

The enzymes that exist in the raw food are a huge part of why this has been so good for my dogs. In “Living Enzymes, The World’s Best Kept Pet Food Secret” by Robert Mueller, BSc, Pharm. It is explained that the enzymes are the key to everything. Robert Mueller has had plenty of experience with feeding raw food as he worked with racing greyhounds that were fed raw diet to enhance their performance. He also was involved with providing correct raw food for exotic animals. Robert Mueller states “Enzymes are the life forces that activate and then participate in all the body’s digestive and metabolic processes. “
There are enzymes that are produced inside a dog’s body by various organs but when supplemented by naturally occurring enzymes from raw food, it takes away the strain of production on the body. According to Robert Mueller a pets enzyme reserve is exhausted in several years of feeding foods that do not supply enzymes. All enzymes are completely cooked out of kibble by the high temperatures, as well as all the nutrients that are later added back in.

In Whole Health for Happy Dogs, by Jill Elliot D.V.M and Kim Bloomer, they state that meat that has been cooked beyond 180 degrees F, no longer contains the beneficial fats and enzymes which are the most valuable ingredients that your dog needs for optimal health. You can bet that dog food has been cooked beyond this. Another interesting fact that this book points out is that there are storage mites that are in the grains used in dog food. These mites apparently secrete deadly mycotoxins (mycotoxins are chemical secreted by toxic mold) and when the grain is processed these toxins end up in the kibble. The food and Drug Administration allows certain levels of mycotoxins in the food so pet food manufacturers get around this my mixing grains with higher levels of mycotoxins with grains of lesser levels; hopefully to reduce the higher levels. (page 100-107)

In Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats (Dr. Richard H. Pitcairn, DVM, PhD) goes to great lengths to discuss the good of raw diet and the bad and ugly of processed kibble. He breaks the ingredients down to preservatives and color. Dr. Pitcairn meticulously breaks down the additives such as fillers and color and flavors.

I highly recommend this book as a complete guide to anyone just starting to feed raw diet. I am currently following his recommendation for feeding a pregnant dog as we have followed through with a planned breeding. He even provides exact recipes of supplementation and meals that you can make. It has been an awesome resource for me with having both a growing boxer puppy and a pregnant boxer in my house.

For more information on our upcoming litters please visit: My Watch Boxers

In conclusion, all of my sources of information all agree on the fact that the nutrition and enzymes provided by the raw food is invaluable. They all agree that a dog’s digestive system is designed to handle raw food. They all agree that raw food is digested so much quicker than cooked and therefore prevents bacteria to thrive.

It is my hope that sharing my experiences of converting to and feeding raw diet is beneficial. I will never go back to kibble.
We would love to hear your comments and concerns about feeding a raw diet to dogs. You can reach us by email at live@dogdoctoradio.com

Tags: Raw Diet for Dogs | Leah Morse | Robert Forto | Dog Training Careers | Colorado Dog Trainer | Iditarod | Team Ineka | Dog Training Denver | Dog Doctor Radio | Denver Dog Works
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Leah Morse is a certified canine trainer and the owner of Rocky Mountain Classic Canine in Colorado. Leah writes a weekly blog for Denver Dog Works. Leah can be reached through our website at http://www.denverdogworks.com

The Last of the List but Not the Worst

The Last of the List but Not the Worst
By Robert Forto, PhD

Recently, the American Kennel Club (AKC) issued its list of the top ten dogs in the United States for 2009 (tabulated by registration numbers. I wrote a quick article about this last week and this week I am going to talk about the list ten dog breeds registered with the AKC.

As the owner and training director of Denver Dog Works we see all kinds of dogs come into our training center and I can safely say that all of the dogs on the bottom ten we hardly ever see. It is just like anything else, including canine behavior problems, quantity in numbers.

I urge all of you to do your homework when searching for the newest member of your family and do not automatically choose the dog based on popularity.

Least Popular Pure Bred Dogs

Skye Terrier
Canaan Dog
Sealyham Terrier
Glen of Imaal Terrier
Sussex Spaniel
Finnish Spitz
Otterhound
American Foxhound
Harrier
English Foxhound

At Denver Dog Works we provide breed referrals to help owners choose the dog that is best suited to the family’s lifestyle. If you have any questions please feel free to call us anytime at 303-578-9881.

Citation: http://www.akc.org

Tags: Robert Forto | Michele Forto | Iditarod | Team Ineka | Dog Training Denver | Dog Doctor Radio | Denver Dog Works | Mushing Radio | Duluth Dog Works | Minnesota Dog Works | AKC
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Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and the host of a weekly radio program, The DogDoctor Radio Show. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com

Raw Food Diet for Dogs

Learning to Feed Bones and Raw Food to Boxers
By Leah Morse

This will be the first of a series of blogs that I want to share my experience with learning to feed raw diet to my dogs. It is a controversial way of providing nutrition for your dogs. I am not suggesting that anyone follow these guidelines that I have chosen to do for my own dogs. I am just simply sharing the information that I have found and where I found it. I have seen some amazing changes in the health of my dogs but this is, by any means, a simple way to feed your dog. It takes planning and work. The days that you are tired and don’t feel like preparing an extra meal, or paying for it, for that matter, you still have to do it. Your dogs can’t feed themselves. I have gotten creative at saving on the cost but again this creates more work. I am thankful to own a Vita-mix blender (http://www.vitamix.com) which saves me time and blends down the veggies, raw eggs and shells to liquid if needed. I am simply sharing my experiences. I am not a veterinarian; I am also not a health care professional. This theory of feeding raw species appropriate diet can have serious health risks associated with incorrect handling, preparing and feeding. NEVER EVER FEED COOKED BONES! Cooking bones changes the molecular structure, they become brittle and may splinter which would injure or kill your dog! Do not feed bones that are frozen either, as they can and will ruin your pet’s teeth. All bones must be thoroughly thawed before feeding. Mixing raw meat with cooked meat can cause digestive problems. If feeding raw diet is your goal read as many books and literature as possible. Find people who are already feeding and have experience to have as mentors. Use your own good judgment, when in doubt, don’t do it. The ideas and opinions in this blog are my own and come from feeding my dogs this way since 2008, unless otherwise credited. I am by no means an expert, just sharing my own acquisition of information and observations from my own dogs. Take any ideas that I present here at your own risk and discretion. I, for one, have found it worth it.

After suffering through the agonizing cancer and liver disease deaths of my late great boxers Bohdi and Leelu, I vowed to dedicate myself to being part of finding a solution rather than just a victim of diseases that plague boxers and many other breeds for that matter. I have tried many different top brand highly nutritious dog foods only to be somewhat satisfied. I have gone to many dog food nutrition seminars put on by Iams, NutroMax, Science Diet and others. I experimented with adding supplements and veggies to these great foods. Then the great dog food recall of 2007 happened and Melamine (http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/petfoodrecall/) seemed to be the main problem. In my opinion it seemed that outsourcing their manufacturing to other countries (or at least procuring ingredients from them), quality control is not the same as in the United States to save on their bottom line. I spent thousands of dollars on drugs and medications for a variety of ailments. Though there are many theories out there I, for one, believe that environment and nutrition quality play a huge role in keeping our furry children happy and healthy. I know that when my husband and I started eating healthier and incorporating more fresh nutritious choices into our everyday meals, we began to feel much better and we did not have trouble with as many ailments.

So I made my decision and decided to experiment with raw diet, B.A.R.F diet (Bones and Raw Foods) with my dogs. I was terrified at first. After being a veterinary assistant for 10 years, 20 years in pet retail and now as a professional dog trainer, where I preached to never feed people food, I was going to go against everything I had once believed. Although the bird nutrition classes have always pushed to feed fresh as it was the best. Still grieving from the loss of Leelu (just shy of 10 years when we lost her to the horror of hemangiosarcoma) I wanted to do everything that I could for the eight year old rescued boxer and the eight month old boxer puppy that we had left. I had noticed that Bohdi’s health was starting to go downhill. So I did due diligence and scoured the internet, I ordered books (Dr. Billinghurst’s book “Give Your Dog a Bone” and “Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats the Ultimate Diet” by Kymythy R. Schultze C.C.N., A.H.I. I joined B.A.R.F chat networks and groups on Facebook. I found these to be quite informative.

I had read that I should keep track of the health of my dogs. In the beginning, both had moderately shiny coats. Bohdi’s energy level seemed to be declining and Story had a normal puppy energy level. Bohdi was on a thyroid maintenance prescription drug, a Glucosamine supplement, pepcid (prescribed for his daily struggle with a sour stomach) and a daily pain relief prescription drug. Both dogs, as many boxers do, suffered us with their flatulence. Bohdi had stained teeth but had just had a dental cleaning done. Much to my surprise the puppy started to show signs of a small amount of tarter building up on her Carnasal molars. I was feeding Blue Buffalo brand food to both, one of the better and more expensive processed dog foods. One of the things that really bothered me about feeding such expensive processed food was that I seemed to feed the same amount that I was picking up afterward in the dog run. I thought that feeding premium foods was supposed to give you less to pick up. I seemed to feed 40lbs of dog food and then I seemed to pick up the same 40lbs in stool.

I finally broke down and purchased chicken wings with the purpose of feeding them to my dogs. I had found that non wait bearing bones were the best and that chicken wings backs and necks had just about the right ratio of bone to meat. I split the dogs up and gave them each a raw chicken wing. It was a strange experience to feel both the excited anticipation of healthier dogs and also the pit in my stomach that said “What did I just do?” I intently watched as the older dog, Bohdi, cautiously sniffed the wing picked it up and gave it a little shake only to drop it again. He then picked it back up and started to chomp through it. A couple of cracks and smacks and the chicken wing disappeared down his throat as he licked his lips. Bohdi looked at me as if to say “Is that it?” I wasn’t comfortable with giving more until I saw how he handled it. Meanwhile, out in the dog run, Story, the puppy, was shaking and licking her chicken wing. It took her much longer to figure out that it was something she could touch and then that it was more than just a toy but she finally got the job done. I kept my eye on both of them the rest of the evening and as gross as it may seem I kept a close eye on their bathroom habits. The morning after my initial feeding of the chicken wings I was anxious to see what the end result would be. I was terrified and had a rough night of sleep, envisioning a quick trip to the local veterinary hospital to extract the bones from my poor dogs. On the contrary, both dogs were fine and had normal stool, yet smaller amounts and much to my surprise I could actually see the digested bone. White dog stool that literally disintegrated as you tried to shovel it up. Another added bonus was that it did not smell nearly as bad. Third bonus was that Bohdi, who usually has an easily upset stomach, was having no digestive issues that I could see, at all. Last but not least, our dogs did not seem to have foul smelling gas. Day one of feeding Raw Diet appeared to go well. Their next meal would, again, be chicken wings with the addition of pureed celery. Now I would start planning meals and start keeping track of the cost. Research where to get the ingredients cost effectively. I wanted to come up with a system that lowered my risk of contamination in the kitchen and that would be the most sanitary for our dogs. I was also going to really educate myself about supplementation. My experiences will follow in future blogs.

If you have any questions for Leah or would like to learn more about feeding a raw diet to your dogs from someone that has first hand experience, please give us a call at Denver Dog Works at 303-578-9881.

Tags: Denver Dog Works, Dog Training Denver, Colorado Dog Trainers, Leah Morse, Canine Nutrition, Raw Diet for Dogs, Robert Forto, Dog Works Training Centers, Rocky Mountain Classic Canine, Your Brand Plan
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Leah Morse is a canine trainer and the owner of Rocky Mountain Classic Canine in Colorado. Leah also is a contract trainer for Denver Dog Works and a former student. Leah can be reached through Denver Dog Works at http://www.denevrdogworks.com

Dog Sledding Prehistory

Dog Sledding Prehistory
By Robert Forto, PhD

The art of dog driving started with early man. The area in northern Asia known as Siberia, is the location of some of the most brutal weather conditions on the face of the planet. The bone chilling temperatures produce almost frictionless snow and ice that covers everything for the majority of the year.

The next natural step from dogs pulling firewood along the beaches, or dragging home spoils from the hunt across the frozen, snow covered tundra, was to pulling toboggans and sleds. From ancient bone runners dug up at Savoonga on Saint Lawrence Island, we know that the sled was used between four and five thousand years ago. The dog sledding that these prehistoric people started became a crucial tool for the tribes of the north in the fight against Mother Nature for survival.

The Chukchi and Samoyed tribes of Siberia developed dog driving into an art over the centuries. The Chukchi, according to experts, are the first people that depended seriously on the dogs in order to survive. The Russian scholar, Dr. Robert Crane, wrote, “climatic changes and displacement of the Chukchi by a more powerful southern people combined to force the Chukchi to base their economy on sled dog transportation in order to survive.”

In the long winters of the northern region the sled dog’s contributions were the most prevalent. Time and time again the Chukchi people suffered from the scarcity of

food that continually threatened their very survival. This reality was the catalyst that drove the tribe to develop the sled dog. With this development, the Chukchi had trumped the other arctic tribes who competed fiercely for the limited resources. The native people of the north were able to extend their hunting ranges in direct correlation to the added mobility that their dogs enabled them to achieve by pulling sleds of supplies

The original canines that the Chukchi used were likely descended from the domesticated dogs of their competitors from the southern latitudes. The dog of the north scarcely resembled its southern ancestors a few generations later. They were larger, more rigorous, wolf–like and of course very furry. Their thick outer coats were supplemented with a life sustaining undercoat that helped the canine to retain heat, and fight off the bitter cold of the arctic regions.

These early dogs did more than pull sleds; they were hunters, protectors and companions. The sled dog was to become an important part of history, figuring predominantly in a plethora of history changing events. Most assuredly, without the sled dog many things would be different.