I need some google help (dog question)...

[Lynette]

Uh, well, the move to Houston is coming closer and closer

So I felt like checking what opportunities there are to have fun with my dog in the US. Here I went to a dog club where once a week a group of people met and trained their dogs together with the help of a teacher.

I tried to google but the only results I got were dog training, but that's not what I am looking for. My dog is very well-behaved and we do not need personal training at the moment, but I would like to meet with other people once a week or so and train something together, agility for example.

What do I need to google? Maybe I used the wrong expressions or does a structure like that -an association of "dog people" where you pay an annual membership and help at some events and in exchange get training and the possibility to train- exist at all?

 

[fallon]

try dog parks, we have quite a few here in MI.

 

[HappyMomma]

try googling the breed of dog... I do know of some Am Pit Bull Terrier groups in Texas (I belong to the one locally in fact.)

 

[Lynette]

Thanks for the inputs, Ladies

I tried to look with the breed, but it seems there is no Irish Terrier club in Texas.

In The Woodlands, were we'll live, there is a dog park club. It seems to be a nice thing, but they rather do fundraising and rescue than obedience training.

I've found this Home of the Houston Obedience Training (HOT) Dog Club. It seems to be quite what I am looking for, but is an hour drive away. If I do not find anything else, it may be that I'll end up there anyway.


Another dog-related question:

I feed my dog with raw food (BARF). Do you know where fresh/frozen meat/bones a.s.o. to be used as dog food are sold? In regular per stores?

 

[SammiD]

Hi I am new to the forum, so its kinda funny that my first post be about dogs.

I live in the Sacramento Area and I use meetup. They have all kinds of activities/groups for any kind of hobby nationwide. You might want to check it out. You can also get raw dog food/bones ect at local pet stores like petsmart or petco. I have even seen it in the dog food isle at my local grocery store. I know a few people that get some of their stuff from the butcher. I hope this helps and good luck.

 

[HappyMomma]

I feed my dog a raw prey diet. I usually get the big bag of chicken leg quarters at walmart and then I just watch for the beef, pork and turkey when on sale. There is lots of good fishing in Texas, so I try to catch her fish... but when I don't I use canned fish.

 

[Lynette]

SammiD, thanks for the meetup tip -this seems to be a great thing! I have never heard of that before, but I'll read the site more exactly as soon as possible and I am probably going to sign up

Thanks also for the information about the raw food. It's very helpful

HappyMomma, thanks for the Walmart-idea -I can go there as well. I do not "worry" so much about the meat -even the one for humans is much cheaper in the U.S. than in Switzerland anyway- than about the disgusting stuff like rumen -I really was not easy first to find a place where to get it.

 

[fallon]

someone tell me about raw food?????

 

[Lynette]

Sure. Instead of buying ready to serve dry or moist food, you try to imitate what a dog naturally would eat: whole prey animals. As most of the people are not able to feed whole animals to their dogs, they try to imitate the diet by feeding meat, bones, skin, entrails, some veggies...

Many of the raw feeders I know and read about start feeding like this because there was a problem with the dog when he was eating conventional dog food and most of them do not entirely trust the dog food industry and prefer to know what they are feeding their dog.

I hope answered your question. If not, continue asking

 

[fallon]

so the meat is served raw? I know people who cook food for their dogs but the raw part is new to me. I think I could handle feeding her raw beef but I'm not sure I have the stomach to watch her eat raw chicken...LOL

 

[Lynette]

Yes, it's raw

Actually the dogs have no problems with raw chicken as their stomach juices are far more aggressive than ours and kill the germs that would harm us.

But you have to have the stomach to feed raw food. -In order not to endanger my marriage, some ingredients I only feed when DH is not at home

 

[fallon]

thanks lynette

 

[HappyMomma]

Cooked meats do not contain all of the nutrient and enzymes needed for a dog's diet. In a addition, bones that are cooked are brittle and can cause choking and intestinal blockages.

Bones in a raw diet are important because they provide calcium as well as they help keep your dog's teeth clean and strong.

Maggie's typical diet is this:

Morning: one chicken leg quarter

Evening: one piece of either pork, turkey or beef plus one chicken gizzard.

Twice a week she gets fish (the fish oil is needed in their diet but shouldn't be fed everyday.)

Their diet should contain only 10% organ meat.

 

[fallon]

so how do you serve it to her, ground or diced or just whole?

 

[Lynette]

It depends on what it is:

beef, lamb: ground -that's the way I can buy it in the affordable dog-quality

chicken parts, turkey necks: in pieces (I have a rather small dog -a whole turkey neck is too much for her at one time)

meaty bones: in pieces

As the pieces are sometimes too big when I buy them, from time to time my neighbours get a nice love having the opportunity to observe me in my yard chopping frozen bones with my ax....lol

 

[HappyMomma]

I usually feed to Maggie in whole chunks... but I will typically buy the beef in a large brisket or pork in a large roast (whatever is on sale) and cut into meal size pieces. Turkey I will buy whole and have the butcher cut into meal size pieces for me.

If you do decide to feed raw, it is highly recommended to do research on it first as you are trying to accomplish a solid balanced diet. When I started I had a mentor from my dog club that has been feeding raw prey diet for many years. We went through a month and half of introducting new meats slowly... kind of like beginning solids with baby ;-)

Believe it or not, I've found the raw diet less expensive than kibble. Not to mention, Maggie is looking awesome!

 

[fallon]

wonderful...sounds like a much healthier approach. My dog doesn't love to eat, it takes her about 3 days to eat a bowl of food. I think the fact that she's a grazer would discourage me from something like this but I will be researching for the next pup for sure. actually maybe she wouldn't be such a grazer on a diet like this...worth looking into for sure. Thanks Ladies

 

[Lynette]

What HappyMomma said is very important. One has to get informed and know which food is needed in which proportions and if you need some additives or not.

Everybody I know who is feeding raw, is very happy with it. What you could do, next time you prepare a chicken or burgers (or whatever) just give your (if possible hungry) dog a piece of the raw meet to try. Who knows, maybe it's what she has been waiting for or maybe not, but you lose nothing by trying.

My dog is having fun with a chicken back in the garden right now

 

[HappyMomma]

That's what I was thinking too Lynette LOL

When I first started Maggie on raw, she was getting to where she really just wasn't eating her kibble with much zest. (and she is a VERY food driven dog)

Now she can't wait for her meals.

 

[Lynette]

I made my first steps trying to give her some chicken necks. Snoopy was standing there in front of them, looking at the food, looking at me, looking at the food, looking at me... giving me that look: "are you serious about that?!" lol Now she obviously loves it