Tasty Tuesday

Piper's bag of dog food was running out and I believe that it is a good idea to switch proteins so I bought a new bag of Fromm Surf and Turf. She was on Fromm Duck and Sweet potato.

Well, let the below pictures show you which ones she liked better.

Before mixed together in the dog food bin: Bigger kibble is the duck, smaller is the surf and truf.


What is left in her bowl-- big kibble only.
I think I know which ones she likes better :)

Tasty Tuesday

This week's topic is how you feed your dog. Do you free feed or do scheduled feedings?

When you first bring your new dog or puppy home, this is one thing you may not think about, but is actually very important. There are pros and cons to each option and it eventually comes down to your needs and your dog's needs.

Free Feeding:

Free feeding is when you leave the bowl out at all times for your dog with food in it. This way they can eat when they want.

Pros: Your dog can eat when they want too. You will not be "gently reminded" to feed your dog when you are a few minutes late.

Cons: It is harder to potty train a dog because you do not know when they eat. Harder to control how much your dog eats.

Scheduled Feeding:

Scheduled feeding is when you have a scheduled time that you feed your dog, whether it is 1, 2, 0r 3 times a day. The food is either left until the dog eats it or it is taken up after a certain period of time.

Pros: Very easy to control how much and when your dog eats. Much easier for potty training as you know when they eat. Food is more valuable and it may be easier to use for training.

Cons: If you have a picky dog they may not eat when you let them. Your dog can become very schedule orientated and let you know when you don't feed them. May be hard to travel if you are during feeding time.

It all comes down to a personal preference and what works best for you and your dog. There may be medical reasons as well, so consult with your vet.

How do you feed your dog?

Tasty Tuesday

Dogs and Peanut Butter

I love peanut butter (both for me to eat and for my dogs!). It has many uses I think when raising a dog.

How I use peanut butter:

1. I use it to either fill kongs or to top kongs off filled with kibble. I then freeze it and let the dogs enjoy. It takes them much longer to eat/lick frozen peanut butter and keeps them busier longer than if it was just regular peanut butter.

2. To give medicine. I will just coat the pill in peanut butter and give it to the dog. They don't know even know that the pill is in there. No more fighting with them to take their medicine!

3. After I have used almost all of the peanut butter out of a jar, I give the jar to Duke and let him try to get it out for a while. Keeps him busy and cleans out the jar.

Another place that you can add peanut butter is to marrow bones or any other of the interactive dog toys out there to make them work and keep them busy!

Peanut butter can also be added to many treat recipes for those that have interest in baking their treats at home.

Things to note:

1. The peanut butter may make them thirsty, so make sure water is easily available.

2. If your dog is on a diet, keep the peanut butter to a minimum due to the calories. It is also high in protein and fat (but the good kind).

Finally, it is best to go with an all natural, organic peanut butter- especially if your dog gets lot of it.

Tasty Tuesday

This week's Tasty Tuesday will talk about The Wholistic Pet supplements. The Wholistic Pet offers a wide variety of supplements to keep your dog healthy.

• Wholistic Canine Complete
• Wholistic Run Free
• Salmon Oil
• WholeCran Intense
• Diatomaceous Earth

Those are just a few of the many different types of The Wholistic Pet supplements we carry at Poochieheaven. We got to talk to the owners of The Wholistic Pet at a trade show and were very impressed by both the knowledge of the owners and the products they make. The Wholistic Pet is used by many dogs in the show ring to look their very best. The owners have been involved in the show world for 30 years and they were sick of feeding chemical laden supplements to their dog and wanted to use more all-natural, made in the USA items.

They have a wide variety of items that can help with any aliment your dog may have.

Tasty Tuesday

This week's Tasty Tuesday feature is Cocotheraphy chips and oil!

These are not only healthy treats, but loved by dogs and cats.

Cocotherapy Coconut Chips are made from dehydrated organic coconut meat. There is no added sugars, salt, preservatives, or chemicals. They are raw and dehydrated slowly for an excellent taste that pets can't resist! The low temperature dehydration keeps the nutrients intact, it is also an excellent source of dietary fiber. They can be given as a treat or sprinkled into your dog or cat's food. They come in a 3oz pouch that is vacuum sealed for freshness.
Cocotherapy Coconut Oil for Dogs is made from the pure, fresh organically grown coconuts. It is 100% pure and natural. It has no trans fat and no hydrogenated fat. is also cold pressed, unrefined, and non-bleached. The coconut oil can be given to dogs or cats! It is recommended to give 1 tsp per 10 lbs of body weight or 1 tbsp per 30lbs. As an added benefit, the coconut oil can be rubbed into your own skin for soft, silky skin.

Want to find out more? Go to the Cocotherapy home page or read about Cocotherapy Coconut Oil & Coconut Chips on Poochieheaven.

Do you give your dog or cat Cocotherapy?

Tasty Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday is a feature on Poochieheaven's blog that will discuss tasty things for your dog.

What does your dog eat?

I am no where near an expert when it comes to food, but because of the line of work I am in, I get to read about dog nutrition a lot! When I got Duke over 5 years ago, I knew a little bit about dog food and I knew that feeding him Ol' Roy from Wal-Mart was not a good thing. I didn't know a lot, so I went into the local dog food store and picked out a brand that wasn't something I had heard of before (no Purina, Iams, Eukanuba, etc), assuming that because it was a little more expensive, it was better. I ended up choosing Canidae, which really wasn't that bad of a choice. As I got into Poochieheaven and learning more about dog nutrition- I switched brands a few times. One of the problems I had with Duke is the fact that he is an EXTREMELY picky eater. He really doesn't like food or treats.

As the years went by, I finally got him to like a variety of the Fromm foods and a variety of the EVO from Natura foods. During this time, I also learned more and more about the raw diet and was really interested in it, but do to space issues and freezer it just wasn't possible.

After hearing about the Natura buyout to Proctor and Gamble, I decided that I was going to make the leap to a raw diet. Since Duke eats a little over 2lbs of food a day, I knew that feeding a pre-packaged raw diet would get to be too expensive, so I looked into a prey model raw (basically make your own).

I currently feed him a prey model raw diet and am extremely happy with it.

I will discuss more about it as the posts come.

See picture of Duke eating a buffalo tongue.

Tasty Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday is a new feature at Poochieheaven. Tasty Tuesday will cover tasty things for your dogs. It will cover treats, food, chew items, and more. If you have something you would like covered during Tasty Tuesday, please email us at info@poochieheaven.com

Himalayan Dog Chews

Many people realize that rawhide is bad for dogs, but they are tired of giving their dogs bully sticks and deer antler chews. Another option that your dog can use are Himalayan dog chews.

What are Himalayan Dog Chews?

They come from an ancient recipe of the people of the Himalayas. The people used them as a snack while working in the fields. They are 100% natural and contain yak and cow milk, salt, and lime juice. There are no chemical or preservatives. They are long lasting and offer the prefect alternative to bully sticks and deer antler chews. They come in three different sizes, so all dogs can enjoy them.

Frequently asked questions about Himalayan Dog Chews.

Isn't milk bad for dogs? At time raw milk can be difficult for dogs to digest, but once it is made into cheese, the proteins are altered and make it more easily digested. Many times people are encouraged to use small pieces of cheese for training. Additional because these are long lasting chews, the amount digested at one time is minimal. About 10% of dogs experience loose stools or gas the first time they use this product.

Isn't salt bad for dogs? The amount of salt is very small and is used as a flavor enhancer, not as the flavor itself.

What happens if my dog swallows a large piece? These chews are fully digestible, so there should not be any issues.

Where are they made? They are bought directly from framers in rural community co-ops of the Himalayas.

What size should I give my dog? No size is too large, you can always give larger chews to smaller dogs without any problems. The small Himalayan Chews are good for dogs under 20lbs, the medium Himalayan Chews are for dogs 20-55lbs, and the large Himalayan Chews are for dogs bigger than 55lbs. For those dogs are that very aggressive chewers, they should be given the largest size and observed when first given the chew.

Visit Poochieheaven for Himalayan Dog Chews!