I should have known better...

I spend a ton of time being concerned with Jazz's well-being.  I spend a ton of money on harnesses, collars, and leashes.  Today, I gave Jazz a bath.  She does really well with them so that wasn't a problem.  She dried off and I thought it would be a good time to brush her out since she has been shedding so much.  I decided to put her on just a collar to make it easier to brush. I grab the brush, put her on the leash, and head outside.  We walk over to my Adirondack chair and I sit down.  I go to brush Jazz and she is not at the end of the leash.  Her collar is, but she isn't.  Jazz is walking along the driveway being all frisky.  She has on no collar, no leash, nothing.  I immediately get up and run toward the door saying a word that means go to a specific space in the house.  She trots right behind me and to her spot.  I put on a harness and take her back out for brushing.  All's well that ends well, I guess.  Needless to say, I was a little freaked.  Neighbors will be wondering when I got a second job shearing sheep as there are little balls of fluff everywhere.

Thunderstorms, Lightning, and Shakes, oh my!

Jazz has issues with three loud noises - thunderstorms, fireworks, and guns.  We've been working on de-sensitizing her on this, but the biggest problem arises due to the inability to predict thunderstorms and hunters.  Fireworks are relatively easy to prepare for - usually the 4th of July & New Year's Eve.  It's easy to dose Jazz with melatonin on those days.  Hunting is easier than thunderstorms and I make sure she's dosed on opening & closing weekends.  Living in the South means unpredictable thunderstorms.  It also means you can have a little bit of thunder everyday. 

 

Last night, we had a loud thunderstorm come through.  Jazz crawled up into my bed, just trembling.  With most dogs, I'd recommend never to cuddle as it only reinforces the behaviour you are trying to get rid of - but with Jazz, it's different.  In about 3 minutes, she'd stopped trembling completely.  The thunder was still rolling on and about - she was calmly curled up next to me and didn't jump once.  She had no melatonin in her whatsoever.  2.5 years ago - Jazz would have trembled at every roll of thunder and kept trembling for an hour or so after.  Now, she trembles at the start - I equate to a human jumping at being startled, but then she calms down.  She calms quicker if I am home, but as long as there is a human in the house - she's good.  Luckily for her, she is very rarely left alone.

She slept the entire night curled up next to me - a rarity of sorts.  She tends to start off adjacent to me and move to the foot of the bed or onto her ottoman.  While my desensitization to loud stimuli isn't complete, we have definitely made improvements!

Grooming...

Jazz is relatively easy to groom.  Every two weeks, we go to PetSmart to get her nails ground.  Jazz doesn't walk on much asphalt or concrete to naturally file them down.  In fact, when we lived on a road where we could walk on it, Jazz walked in the grass.  She would walk on the road if there was mud or water on the side of the road, but then quickly get back off the road.

 

Shedding is pretty easy.  We vacuum a lot.  When it is her time to molt, we use the Furminator.  We get enough hair to create another dog.  One has to be careful with the Furminator because it is easy to over-brush and thin the hair too much.  The moment I finish vacuuming, additional dust balls of hair show up – I don't know where they hide until after I finish vacuuming, but they are really good at it.

Summer is here!

Well, summer is here - but that doesn't change much when it comes to schedules. The Queen sleeps in a little more during the week. I wish that I was independently wealthy and could be home more. Our electric bill rises dramatically to keep the indoors at the temperature that Jazz likes. Other than that, time keeps marching on and we keep chugging along.

We had a great trip to NC and a wonderful visit with friends. Jazz's photo shoot with Angie Wheeler was awesome! The pics were wonderful and I am still trying to figure out which ones to print. I hear there are plans for a forum NY meetup (http://www.shibainuforum.org/) soon - already trying to figure out how I can meet as many forum members as possible and see a bit of the area. It's been a long time since I was in NY.

Travelling with the Queen...

Travelling with Queen Jazz is easier than one might think. She curls up and sleeps the whole way - only waking when the car has come to a complete stop. This pic was taken on our return from Raeford as we made a quick stop at Wal-mart to pick up a few essentials. This weekend, we'll be putting on some miles - 370 to Raeford, NC, 162 to York, SC and then back home to the ATL. We have crates, pillows, blankets, food, water, treats, bowls, leashes, collars, harnesses, poo bags, and more. Always take more than you'll need when it comes to your pet - especially food & water. There's no guarantee that you'll find the specialty food you feed in a small town.

The internet & Jazz…

Years ago when I first got on the information super-highway, I never thought it would be what it is right now. A resource for finding information - sure, keeping in touch with email - great, making friends with people I’d never met because we had the same kind of dog - umm, no. In fact, until a couple of years ago, I would have thought you a little crazy to suggest it. I had a beautiful husky that passed away in 2003 and I was looking for another dog. I found the Shiba and was in love. After I found Jazz, I heard about a site called meetup.com and found out that there were groups of people with the same type dog that met at local dog parks….so, I tried it out. From there, a couple of friends introduced me to a forum that was just about Japanese dogs. I found hundreds of people willing to share their experiences about their dog and to help out other people just getting involved in the breeds.

This forum has helped me with food choices, training choices, and behavior choices. They’ve consoled me when things didn’t work out and encouraged me to keep trying. They’ve helped a member get a great start on her business. In 10 days, I’m going to be meeting up with several of them after a drive of 6 hours to get there. Last year, I drove to PA for a meetup. Several of my friends drove to WI (some 20 hours for a couple) to meetup with other forum members. I’m thankful for the people God has placed in my life…even if it is through the internet. Jazz has benefitted from it, too - without the internet, I never would have found her breeder and been able to bring her home.

My challenge for dog owners is to look for those forums - they can help out, but be aware, not all forums are created equal. Find those meetup groups, get to know people…after all, we only have a short time on this little planet.

Rotating Food

I have found that many people do not consider the ingredients in the dog food that they buy for their dog. In fact, many look for the cheapest food out there. I’m hoping I can help convince you to look a little closer at the food you feed your pet.

Jazz has issues with grain - specifically, corn. When I got her, she had very little fur on her front paws. She came to me on Eukanuba Sensitive Skin. I began talking with many of my Shiba friends about the fact that her feet weren’t getting any better. The first thing mentioned to me was that Jazz might have a corn allergy. I began doing some research and found out that there are several lines of Shibas that have developed this allergy. I looked at the ingredients of what I had been feeding and while there was not any corn, she was still scratching and her feet looked awful. The formulation might work for dogs just diagnosed, but Jazz’s paws were callused.

I wanted something with a bit more protein.
Eukanuba Sensitive Skin (www.eukanuba.com) :
Nutrient (percent)
Crude Protein not less than 23.00 %
Crude Fat not less than 13.00 %
Crude Fiber not more than 5.00 %
Moisture not more than 10.00 %
Vitamin E not less than 140 IU/kg
Omega-6 Fatty Acids not less than 2.0 %*
Omega-3 Fatty Acids not less than 0.4 %*

After research & recommendations, I decided to try Solid Gold, Barking at the Moon (www.solidgoldhealth.com)
Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein, min 41%
Crude Fat, min 20%
Crude Fiber, max 4%
Moisture, max 10%

The first thing I noticed was Jazz ate her food so fast! She really, really liked it. Based on recommendations from some great shiba pals, I also decided to begin a food rotation. The main reason is because of protein levels. I’ve also noticed that most dogs get “bored” eating the same thing day in and day out.

The next on the rotation was Innova Evo, Small Red Bites.
www.evopet.com
Crude Protein (min) 42%
Crude Fat (min) 22%
Crude Fiber (max) 2.5%
Moisture (max) 10%
Linoleic Acid (Omega-6 Fatty Acids) (min) 1.2%
Carbohydrates NFE (max) 15%
Vitamin E (min) 300 IU/kg
Vitamin C (min) 500 mg/kg
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (min) 0.4%
Docosahexaenoic Acid (min) 0.1%
Total Microorganisms (min) 90,000,000 CFU/lb

Calorie Content: 4,370 kcal/kg 527 kcal/cup

Small Red Bites are a staple on our rotation for a couple of reasons: Jazz always eats her Evo and it is easy to find local to me. We now rotate one bag of Evo in-between every other bag.

In the early days of rotation, I also picked up Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance. This was predominately due to it being a lot more accessible. At the publication of this blogpost, I could not get the website to come up so that I could provide the nutrition information.
www.naturalbalanceinc.com

Jazz was not as fond of the Natural Balance Dry Food, so I took it off of rotation. She loves the rolls and we use those as training treats because we can cut them up into smaller pieces.

The next brand that we use sparingly is Merrick’s Before Grain Buffalo. Jazz adores this, but it is not easy for me to find it local. When I drive into the city, I swing by one of the places that sells it.
www.merrickpetcare.com/store/before_grain.php
Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (Not Less Than) 32.0%
Crude Fat (Not Less Than) 15.0%
Crude Fiber (Not More Than) 3.0%
Moisture (Not More Than) 11.0%
Calorie Content:3581 kcal/kg (calculated)
One pound provides 1625 kcal of metabolizable energy (calculated). One cup (100 grams) provides 383 calories. (Caloric content calculated using Modified Atwater Method).

Our most recent addition to Jazz’s rotation is Earthborn Holistic’s Primitive Natural. This is carried by my closest supply store, so I am thrilled Jazz likes this. In addition, if you send your UPC’s to them, they plant trees. It’s a neat marketing gimmick and I send in my UPC’s - currently, they’ve planted 32,800 trees. Everytime, I have going in to my local store to buy this brand, there’s been a coupon attached to it.
www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com

Crude Protein, not less than 38.00%
Crude Fat, not less than 20.00%
Crude Fiber, not more than 2.50%
Moisture, not more than 10.00%
Vitamin E, not less than 200 IU/kg
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA), not less than 0.10%*
Omega-6 Fatty Acids, not less than 3.30%*
Omega-3 Fatty Acids, not less than 0.55%*
L-Carnitine, not less than 15 mg/kg*
*Not recognized as an essential ingredient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.
5184 kilo-calories per kg 717 kilo-calories per cup

We have also tried out Acana’s Pacifica - Jazz liked it, but I haven’t found a great local provider yet. We are still on the lookout for a consistent provider. http://www.championpetfoods.com/acana/show-product.php?formulation=pfd

We tried Jazz on Orijen 6-fish, but chose not to continue because of the gaseous emissions from Jazz. It was unbearable and since she sleeps in my bedroom, it was simply easier to stop feeding her this than wear a gas mask to bed every night during the rotation. http://www.orijen.ca/orijen/products/6fishdogAnalysis.aspx
Crude Protein (min) 40.0%
Crude Fat (min) 18.0%
Crude Fiber (max) 3.0%
Moisture (max.) 10.0%
Calcium (min.) 1.5%
Calcium (max.) 1.7%
Phosphorus (min.) 1.2%
Phosphorus (max.) 1.4%
*Omega-6 (min.) 3.0%
*Omega-3 (min.) 1.2%
*DHA 0.7%
*EPA 0.3%
*Carbohydrate (max.) 20.0%
*Glucosamine (min.) 1200 mg/kg
*Chondroitin (min.) 900 mg/kg
Microorganisms (min.) 120M cfu/kg


Well, this is what makes up Jazz’s rotation - what do you do?