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Realizing there is a lot of wisdom and love on this board when it comes to border collies, I was wondering if there was a general consensus on what most of you believe is best and what to avoid in the various areas of basic care for border collies.

 

I know there could be some differing opinions in some areas but I also know how much you all love your dogs and would only do what you feel is best for them and we can all learn from each other some things maybe we simply were not aware of before.

 

(I know there are many questions, if you just want to answer one or a few that's fine, I figure between all the people on this forum all the questions should be answered fairly soon :-)

 

 

1.) What type of food do you think is best - dry, can, moist packets, homemade, adding any people food to dog food, ect., also if there are preferred brands of dog food to use as well as brands to avoid ?

 

2.) What "treats" are preferred, and what treats to avoid ?

 

3.) Toys - preferred toys as well as any toys to avoid, especially wondering about rawhide type stuff (rawhide bones, strips, sticks, ect.) as I have heard both pro and con on rawhide stuff.

 

4.) Do you prefer to use a regular collar or a harness when using a leash ?

 

5.) What is your preferred method of tick and flea avoidance, (flea/tick collars or spray, pills, ect.) or is there a preferred more natural approach that avoids man-made chemicals ?

 

6.) What is your preferred and most safe and effective methods for avoiding or eliminating ear mites ?

 

7.) What do you feel is best to use for shampooing your dog at bath time and how often should we gives our dogs a bath, we all like our in house dogs to be fresh and clean smelling (and they seem to prefer it too :-) but what should be the average normal frequency of baths ? (barring of course the exceptions when they find a mud puddle or otherwise get messy and need bathed immediately ;-)

 

 

(If there are other areas I didn't think of at the moment please feel free to cover those areas also, if I think of other questions I'll add them as I think of them)

 

Thanks in advance for your input, I thought it would be good to learn how most of you prefer to handle care in the basic areas of care all in one thread.

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I know there could be some differing opinions in some areas . . .

 

Yes, there surely will be!!

 

Here are my responses:

 

1.) What type of food do you think is best - dry, can, moist packets, homemade, adding any people food to dog food, ect., also if there are preferred brands of dog food to use as well as brands to avoid ?

 

Raw.

 

I will supplement with grain free kibble, as needed, but raw is my preference.

 

2.) What "treats" are preferred, and what treats to avoid ?

 

I tend to use actual food as treats for training. Cut up chicken, cheese, meatball, etc.

 

I do occasionally use Zukes treats, as well.

 

3.) Toys - preferred toys as well as any toys to avoid, especially wondering about rawhide type stuff (rawhide bones, strips, sticks, ect.) as I have heard both pro and con on rawhide stuff.

 

I don't use rawhides. I get actual bones for my dogs to chew on. I also provide young dogs with strong rubber toys to chew on and play with (Kong, etc.)

 

4.) Do you prefer to use a regular collar or a harness when using a leash ?

 

Regular buckle collar, but for a dog who pulls, I will use a front clip harness to manage that until I get the training done to teach the dog to walk without pulling.

 

5.) What is your preferred method of tick and flea avoidance, (flea/tick collars or spray, pills, ect.) or is there a preferred more natural approach that avoids man-made chemicals ?

 

I would prefer to use nothing, but I do Frontline. The fleas were so bad this year, I had no real choice.

 

6.) What is your preferred and most safe and effective methods for avoiding or eliminating ear mites ?

 

Haven't had a problem with this at all.

 

7.) What do you feel is best to use for shampooing your dog at bath time and how often should we gives our dogs a bath, we all like our in house dogs to be fresh and clean smelling (and they seem to prefer it too :-) but what should be the average normal frequency of baths ? (barring of course the exceptions when they find a mud puddle or otherwise get messy and need bathed immediately ;-)

 

I only bathe when the dog rolls in something unpleasant, or a shower is needed for some other reason.

 

They just stopped making my favorite dog shampoo, so I have no advice there.

 

I wish you all the best!!

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1.) What type of food do you think is best - dry, can, moist packets, homemade, adding any people food to dog food, ect., also if there are preferred brands of dog food to use as well as brands to avoid ?

 

You'll get as many opinions on this as there are members on this board. My standard advice is to feed the best quality food you can afford. This means generally staying away from grocery store brands. Learn to read ingredient lists. I generally aim for a protein:fat content of 3:2, but that's not always easy to find. Home cooked and raw are great if you want to go that route, but if you choose to do that you should educate yourself so that you can be sure you are meeting all of your dog's nutritional needs. What choices you make will also depend on your own economics and what's available in your area. And remember that your dog will be the best indicator that you've made an appropriate food choice. A healthy, energetic dog with a good coat, good breath, etc., is probably on a food that's appropriate for it.

 

2.) What "treats" are preferred, and what treats to avoid ?

 

Avoid anything produced in China. If you can make your own from human grade food, you'd probably be better off, but treats made by the same folks whose food you'd buy are likely suitable. Again, read ingredients. I have a dog I'm trying to keep off poultry products, and it's amazing the number of treats, even super premium ones, that contain chicken or other poultry products. I like freeze dried liver treats.

 

 

3.) Toys - preferred toys as well as any toys to avoid, especially wondering about rawhide type stuff (rawhide bones, strips, sticks, ect.) as I have heard both pro and con on rawhide stuff.

 

Again, this depends on the dog. I don't bother with stuffed toys because my dogs just disembowel them instantly. My dogs love Cuz balls and most any squeaky ball. Of course, the "toy" of choice outside is a pine cone. My dogs have never been impressed by Kongs, but they love cow hooves and deer antlers for chewing. You have to watch with splintering with cow hooves, but I just pick up the pieces that break off. People who know me will laugh at the number of cow hooves around this house. Mine also like to play with things that make crunchy noises, like plastic water bottles. I will let them play with those under supervision because I don't want them chewing off and swallowing bits of plastic. Outside, the favorite toys are jolly balls (horse and dog sized), and they also like to play with soccer balls, basket balls, etc., and they don't care if they puncture and deflate them. Toy choice, like food, sort of depends on your and your dog's preferences.

 

4.) Do you prefer to use a regular collar or a harness when using a leash ?

Flat buckle collar (actually the center ring hunt collars from Gun Dog Supply). Mine are rarely on leash, but I would use these collars pretty much no matter what.

 

5.) What is your preferred method of tick and flea avoidance, (flea/tick collars or spray, pills, ect.) or is there a preferred more natural approach that avoids man-made chemicals ?

 

I hate to sound like a broken record, but what you use in this regard will also depend on your dog and your personal situation. Frontline works for some folks, but stopped working for me long ago. I understand that part of the problem I've had could be related to the use of similar agricultural chemicals in the rural farming areas in which I've lived--such use can increase the rate of resistance development to fleas/ticks compared to more urban areas. I have heard on Tick-L that some folks have had success with Comfortis, which is not labeled for ticks. For me, I quit walking my dogs back in the 50 acres of woods behind my house because the ticks were so bad there. I also plan to add guineas to my chicken flock. When we avoid the woods, I haven't had much of an issue with ticks (I think the chickens keep them down in the yard). But anyway, I am using Comfortis for fleas right now (with Revolution for the cats) because I had a bad flea problem this year, but not much trouble with ticks. So again, you'll have to find what works for you.

 

 

6.) What is your preferred and most safe and effective methods for avoiding or eliminating ear mites ?

 

The only issue I've had with ear mites was with the kitten I acquired recently. Treating her with Revolution (which takes care of fleas, HW prevention) took care of the mites. I use ivermectin as HW preventive for my dogs, and also use ivermectin if any of my chickens get mites, so obviously the ivermectin family of chemicals (Revolution is selamectin) works well for mites. (Caveat: some herding breeds, among others, can have a sensitivity to ivermectin as a result of a genetic mutation. Generally at the heartworm prophylactic dose, the chemical is safe even for dogs who are homozygous for the mutation, BUT when you start using it for other things and doses get higher, then the sensitivity is a risk that needs to be considered. There's a pretty good margin of safety, but if I'm recommnending ivermectin, then I feel that I should mention the slight risk associated with it. You can check the UC Davis or Washington State University CVM websites for more information: search on mdr1 genetic test.)

 

7.) What do you feel is best to use for shampooing your dog at bath time and how often should we gives our dogs a bath, we all like our in house dogs to be fresh and clean smelling (and they seem to prefer it too :-) but what should be the average normal frequency of baths ? (barring of course the exceptions when they find a mud puddle or otherwise get messy and need bathed immediately ;-)

 

I rarely bathe mine, and you have to be careful of too-frequent bathing because it can strip the oils from the dog's skin and make them itchy. I would avoid strongly scented shampoos--a dog's nose is much more sensitive than ours and I can just imagine what some of those strong scents must be like for a dog. I would use a mild shampoo, such as an oatmeal based one, unless there was a medical reason to use something else. (Actually I have a bar of dog soap my sister made--she makes soaps and they are the only soaps I use for myself as well--the people version, that is.)

 

Sometimes just hosing a dog off is sufficient. Border collies seem to have "teflon" coats, and generally stuff will just fall off. The only time mine get bathed (or hosed) is if they have rolled in something nasty.

 

J.

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Food: grain-free kibble topped with some Honest Kitchen or canned food

 

Treats: Human food tidbits (cheese, chicken, meatballs, etc.) or grain-free purchased treats (which can often be more, per pound, than human food) or I make my own (look on the internet for recipes).

 

Toys: There are chew toys that I can leave with the dog without supervision (Kongs and antlers) and just about everything else (fleece tugs, stuffed squeaky toys, etc.) are only for supervised play since Torque will destroy/eat them. I don't like rawhides. Nothing from China.

 

Collars: Flat collar preferred. I have trained my dog to pull against a harness (for tracking, for rehab of an iliopsoas strain, for restrained recalls) so I do not use a harness for loose-leash walking.

 

Flea and tick control will depend on your geographic area. Talk to your vet and other dog owners to find out what is working for them.

 

Ear Mites: none so far. I have a vet friend who tries to use natural treatments when possible, and she swears by Apinol (a pine extract).

 

Bathing: What's that? Seriously, only when they have rolled in something, and I use a gentle shampoo. A local person makes goat milk soap and dog shampoo which I buy - so fairly 'natural'.

 

Jovi

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I will just answer what I do/give:

 

1. Dry kibble, science plan, for practical reasons.

 

2. Sheep, as I only train herding, oops stock work I mean.

Oh yeah I seldom use food treats, I use homemade dried liver treats.

 

3. I don´t give my dogs toys, they play with whatever they find.

 

4. Nylon flat collar

 

5. Happy to report I never encountered them, I´d just hand over the dog to my wife.

 

6. As little as possible, which means almost never. My dogs don´t live in the house, but yeah I wash them in case of extreme nastiness, I have an age old bottle of generic dog shampoo for that purpose. Owned the same bottle for at least ten years...

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Food: the best quality that your budget can support.

Treats: tiny bits of human food is what I usually use - cheese, chicken, etc.

Toys: whatever they like best --but if it is something they will eat or destroy then I control all access to the toys at all times, and they only come out when I am playing with them.

Chews: never, ever rawhide. That is awful stuff. Instead I give large bones purchased at places like PetSmart. The outside delicious stuff is gone very fast but the dogs will continue to chew these bones for months.

And Never anything at all made in China!!

Flat buckle collar. Harness with front leash attachment (such as EasyWalk) for dogs who pull on the leash.

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Food: Combination of Wellness kibble & raw

 

Treats: Greenies, milk bones, tidbits form my plate

 

Toys: Squeaky stuffies, frisbee, any kind of ball

 

Collar: Flat buckle alone or with steel choke "on safety" (for scary situations)

 

Fleas/Ticks: Alternate Frontline and Advantix

 

Never had ear mites.

 

Bathing: When she gets into something foul. Actual frequency - once or twice a year. Mud doesn't warrant a bath. It brushes out completely when dry. Shampoo: Whatever I'm using.

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Food: Fromm's (but I add other brands when on sale. Whatever works for your dog and your budget!)

 

Treats: cheese is favorite in this house. Along with any other treats from quality brands.

 

Toys: Unsupervised toys include Kongs, Nylabones, Chuck-It balls. Supervised toys include stuffies, USA made beef hide rawhide from time to time (it's like a special treat in my house), antlers/bones, jolly balls. Outside jolly balls and kong frisbees are the favorites.

 

Collars: Flat break away buckle collars. I use easy walk harnesses on 2 of the 3 for morning walks.

 

Fleas/Ticks: Frontline

 

Ear Mites: None here

 

Bathing: Never really. If they get muddy the mud falls right off once dried. If they got stinky then I would give a bath.

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You'll get as many opinions on this as there are members on this board. My standard advice is to feed the best quality food you can afford. This means generally staying away from grocery store brands. Learn to read ingredient lists. I generally aim for a protein:fat content of 3:2, but that's not always easy to find. Home cooked and raw are great if you want to go that route, but if you choose to do that you should educate yourself so that you can be sure you are meeting all of your dog's nutritional needs. What choices you make will also depend on your own economics and what's available in your area. And remember that your dog will be the best indicator that you've made an appropriate food choice. A healthy, energetic dog with a good coat, good breath, etc., is probably on a food that's appropriate for it.

 

 

 

Avoid anything produced in China. If you can make your own from human grade food, you'd probably be better off, but treats made by the same folks whose food you'd buy are likely suitable. Again, read ingredients. I have a dog I'm trying to keep off poultry products, and it's amazing the number of treats, even super premium ones, that contain chicken or other poultry products. I like freeze dried liver treats.

 

 

 

 

Again, this depends on the dog. I don't bother with stuffed toys because my dogs just disembowel them instantly. My dogs love Cuz balls and most any squeaky ball. Of course, the "toy" of choice outside is a pine cone. My dogs have never been impressed by Kongs, but they love cow hooves and deer antlers for chewing. You have to watch with splintering with cow hooves, but I just pick up the pieces that break off. People who know me will laugh at the number of cow hooves around this house. Mine also like to play with things that make crunchy noises, like plastic water bottles. I will let them play with those under supervision because I don't want them chewing off and swallowing bits of plastic. Outside, the favorite toys are jolly balls (horse and dog sized), and they also like to play with soccer balls, basket balls, etc., and they don't care if they puncture and deflate them. Toy choice, like food, sort of depends on your and your dog's preferences.

 

 

Flat buckle collar (actually the center ring hunt collars from Gun Dog Supply). Mine are rarely on leash, but I would use these collars pretty much no matter what.

 

 

 

I hate to sound like a broken record, but what you use in this regard will also depend on your dog and your personal situation. Frontline works for some folks, but stopped working for me long ago. I understand that part of the problem I've had could be related to the use of similar agricultural chemicals in the rural farming areas in which I've lived--such use can increase the rate of resistance development to fleas/ticks compared to more urban areas. I have heard on Tick-L that some folks have had success with Comfortis, which is not labeled for ticks. For me, I quit walking my dogs back in the 50 acres of woods behind my house because the ticks were so bad there. I also plan to add guineas to my chicken flock. When we avoid the woods, I haven't had much of an issue with ticks (I think the chickens keep them down in the yard). But anyway, I am using Comfortis for fleas right now (with Revolution for the cats) because I had a bad flea problem this year, but not much trouble with ticks. So again, you'll have to find what works for you.

 

 

 

 

The only issue I've had with ear mites was with the kitten I acquired recently. Treating her with Revolution (which takes care of fleas, HW prevention) took care of the mites. I use ivermectin as HW preventive for my dogs, and also use ivermectin if any of my chickens get mites, so obviously the ivermectin family of chemicals (Revolution is selamectin) works well for mites. (Caveat: some herding breeds, among others, can have a sensitivity to ivermectin as a result of a genetic mutation. Generally at the heartworm prophylactic dose, the chemical is safe even for dogs who are homozygous for the mutation, BUT when you start using it for other things and doses get higher, then the sensitivity is a risk that needs to be considered. There's a pretty good margin of safety, but if I'm recommnending ivermectin, then I feel that I should mention the slight risk associated with it. You can check the UC Davis or Washington State University CVM websites for more information: search on mdr1 genetic test.)

 

 

 

I rarely bathe mine, and you have to be careful of too-frequent bathing because it can strip the oils from the dog's skin and make them itchy. I would avoid strongly scented shampoos--a dog's nose is much more sensitive than ours and I can just imagine what some of those strong scents must be like for a dog. I would use a mild shampoo, such as an oatmeal based one, unless there was a medical reason to use something else. (Actually I have a bar of dog soap my sister made--she makes soaps and they are the only soaps I use for myself as well--the people version, that is.)

 

Sometimes just hosing a dog off is sufficient. Border collies seem to have "teflon" coats, and generally stuff will just fall off. The only time mine get bathed (or hosed) is if they have rolled in something nasty.

 

J.

 

 

Thanks for ALL of the replies from EVERYONE - all the info is sincerely appreciated !

(I did not want to overwhelm the thread with multiple seperate replies for this general topic)

 

I will defintely consider all the various info based on everyone's experience.

 

The one thing that did somewhat surprise me is the general view of it being extremely rare to bathe a dog. We needed to bathe Angel usually about every 3 months and sometimes sooner because she would start having a noticeable strong dog odor after about 2 - 3 months, but it was probally because she was a border collie mix and looked like a border collie but with noticeably shorter legs than a non-mix border collie, .....and having those short legs made it easier for her hair underneath to slightly rub the top of the grass where she would pee at when the grass got longer and needed mowed again.

 

I was definitely looking for any info on what foods and treats to absolutely avoid, "anything from China" was mentioned and I definitely agree having heard about that before.

 

I would prefer to be able to make all natural homemade food all the time but I would probally need to use some store bought food a majority of the time (and add chicken, ect. some days) but want to be sure it does not have fillers, ect. that should be avoided.

 

Also, is it ok to sometimes use treats like "Milk Bone", "Pupperoni", ect., or should those be totally avoided ?

 

I'll see about using some of the treats others already mentioned, but just wanted to see IF there were any specific foods / treats to absolutely avoid all the time, or if they were not really harmful but simply not all that nutritious either.

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I don't think the occasional milk bone or other similar treat will hurt on occasion. I think they fall into the not really harmful but not terribly nutritious. I really think the main thing you need to look for is that it's made in the US, and definitely not made in China. My dogs get Milk Bones and similar treats on occasion and no one has keeled over yet!

 

J.

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Food: one eats kibble usually Taste of the Wild as it agrees with him, sometimes if a more expensive food is on sale for the same price he gets that, the other has a home cooked diet due to digestion issues, but I worked with a nutrionist to make sure he was getting a balanced meal

 

Toys: rubber, plastic water bottles, soft ones, soccer balls, it is a long list.

 

Treats: human food unless someone gave us a bag. Cheese, and deli meat ends which I am lucky enough to be given. I used to make treats but have found that cheese really works wonders. For most of my training which is agility focused I use toys though. They get raw beef bones to chew on.

 

Collars: like Julie center ring collars from gun dog supply, we use the faux leather ones as the never smell after swimming. I run with one of my dogs and he wears a harness then.

 

Fleas/ticks: k9 advantix plus as frontline stopped working in my part of New England

 

Ear mites: never experienced them

 

Bathing: not often, they swim a lot in the summer, never roll in smelly stuff, a bath is usually a consequence of an upset stomach.

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Hi there!

 

Oh, goodness yes, you'll get lots of opinions! :P But variety is good to learn from, so here goes my two cents.

 

1.) What type of food do you think is best - dry, can, moist packets, homemade, adding any people food to dog food, ect., also if there are preferred brands of dog food to use as well as brands to avoid ?

 

For myself, I feed dry kibble with a little warm water and a dab of canned food on top. Our old guy (14 in February) gets a dollop of plain yogurt with every meal, along with a 1/4 teaspoon of probiotics. If anyone has an upset tummy, we use yogurt, pumpkin and/or dried coconut, and cooked chicken with rice if it's a really upset tummy. Powdered probiotics and acidophilus can also help with that.

 

I haven't seen any moist packets that I feel are worth anything but maybe a topper.

 

Brand-wise, there are SO many brands of dog food to choose from, and they seem to vary by region, as well. However, I totally avoid any dry dog food from the grocery store! Any kibble that lists "corn" or "poultry by-product" or "meat and bone meal" or "animal fat" as first ingredients aren't optimal for dog health. I much prefer to know what, exactly, my dog is eating, and vague labels like that suggest it's just whatever was left on the slaughterhouse floor.

 

There are some really nice, expensive dry brands out there, and some folks prefer to go totally grain-free. Taste of the Wild is one, and that's what my old dog gets. There are also some very nice 4-star dry foods out there that won't break your pocketbook. I personally feed "Premium Edge Skin and Coat" and "Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul" adult kibble. It's up to what you want to spend, but I use this website to double-check ratings on dog food:

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

 

2.) What "treats" are preferred, and what treats to avoid ?

I avoid any treats that do not list the country in which they are manufactured, or any treats that list "China" as the country of origin. There have been some bad reports of dog treats made overseas.

 

3.) Toys - preferred toys as well as any toys to avoid, especially wondering about rawhide type stuff (rawhide bones, strips, sticks, ect.) as I have heard both pro and con on rawhide stuff.

I don't mind rawhide chewies, but what I don't give them are the chews that have knots on the end. Many, many years ago, we had a 4 month old pup chew that knot off, gulp it down whole, and then she stopped eating and couldn't poop! Naturally this was in the middle of a blizzard, so we could only call our vet for long distance help. He prescribed chicken soup and Peptobismo! :P A day later, the pup puked out one end and pooped nasty goo out the other, and was almost immediately fine! But never again will I give my dogs a rawhide piece with chunks they can worry loose and swallow whole.

 

That goes for any toy - I don't give my dogs anything they can chew off chunks and swallow, and pick up any little bits they may gnaw loose. They do get hard toys like Kongs, Nyla-bones, hard rubber balls and also rope toys.

 

4.) Do you prefer to use a regular collar or a harness when using a leash?

I've only ever used a regular collar. I feel that a harness only teaches a dog to pull, so unless you have an escape artist who shrugs out of collars, I don't see the point.

 

5.) What is your preferred method of tick and flea avoidance, (flea/tick collars or spray, pills, ect.) or is there a preferred more natural approach that avoids man-made chemicals ?

I live in northern Nevada, so fleas aren't a problem and only rarely have my dogs encountered ticks, but if I know I'm going into an infested area, I use Frontline. I just don't trust the "natural" stuff to really do the job.

 

6.) What is your preferred and most safe and effective methods for avoiding or eliminating ear mites ?

Gosh, I've never had ear mites in a dog! Maybe it's a regional thing? I've only ever had a cat with them, once, and the vet cleaned the little guy's ears, gave me some ointment or other, and that was it. So, probably I'm no help, there. ;)

 

7.) What do you feel is best to use for shampooing your dog at bath time and how often should we gives our dogs a bath, we all like our in house dogs to be fresh and clean smelling (and they seem to prefer it too :-) but what should be the average normal frequency of baths ? (barring of course the exceptions when they find a mud puddle or otherwise get messy and need bathed immediately ;-)

I only shampoo my dogs if I feel they need it. Simple brushing is generally enough to keep them tidy, so I only bathe when I see they are looking dirty or if they are shedding a lot, or if they've gotten into something nasty. I just don't like the idea of stripping a dog's coat and skin of the natural oils, unless it's necessary. So, my dogs get bathed maybe 3 or 4 times a year. I generally look for a very mild, oatmeal-type shampoo that isn't heavily perfumey and is gentle to the skin.

 

 

Hope this helps! :)

 

~ Gloria

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1.) What type of food do you think is best - dry, can, moist packets, homemade, adding any people food to dog food, ect., also if there are preferred brands of dog food to use as well as brands to avoid?

I think this is really going to depend on where you live, when talking dog food brands. Personally, I think raw food may be the best food, but I feed dry kibble. Any dog foods that don't have real meat (no by-product) and have grain as the top ingredient are not for me. I choose to avoid dog food with corn because many people in my family have an allergy to it, including myself, and would like to keep it out of the house when possible.

 

2.) What "treats" are preferred, and what treats to avoid?

I like to stick to uncomplicated things like cheese, hot dogs, and chicken. Also, I use Realmeat dog food, Natural Balance rolls, and a couple others. My dog goes nuts for watermelon! Also *sigh* sometimes Snausages. ;)

 

3.) Toys - preferred toys as well as any toys to avoid, especially wondering about rawhide type stuff (rawhide bones, strips, sticks, ect.) as I have heard both pro and con on rawhide stuff.

I don't like rawhide because when chewed on, it gets really nasty and gooey and is a choking hazard. I like giving bully sticks and raw meaty bones, we pick them up from the Whole Foods butcher counter. I really like nylabone, kong, and busy buddy as toy companies.

 

4.) Do you prefer to use a regular collar or a harness when using a leash ?

For hanging out inside the home, a regular collar or bare. When on walks, a harness (easy walk or otherwise) and leash.

 

5.) What is your preferred method of tick and flea avoidance, (flea/tick collars or spray, pills, ect.) or is there a preferred more natural approach that avoids man-made chemicals ?

I use Frontline.

 

7.) What do you feel is best to use for shampooing your dog at bath time and how often should we gives our dogs a bath, we all like our in house dogs to be fresh and clean smelling (and they seem to prefer it too :-) but what should be the average normal frequency of baths ? (barring of course the exceptions when they find a mud puddle or otherwise get messy and need bathed immediately ;-)

Throw a ball into the ocean, he gets it and comes out vaguely clean. I only have a poodle right now, so he has hair. I like it when he smells like the sea, haha. Really, I don't believe you should bathe a dog unless it does get into something awful. You can do damage to the skin by bathing them too much-they're not meant to get scrubbed down frequently.

 

 

Hope this helped some. :)

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food-grain free or raw, I have no issue with grain inclusive for most oof my dogs but I dont want grains within the first 3 ingredients

 

treats- I just use kibble for training treats, otherwise I just buy random cheap cookies and my dogs each get 1 at bedtime. usually its the ol roy gravy bones(oddly decent inhredients lol)

 

toys-depends on the dog lol, I buy all kinds of differnt toys based on what my dogs preferences are.

 

collars-5 of the 8 dogs are walks on ragular flat collars or martingales(only because I jhave a thing for fancy martingales lol), the other 3 are walked on harnesses for differing reasons.

 

flea and tick- I used monthly drops, but I use them for dog lice, not fleas and ticks which are not a big issue here(well we have tocks galore and pulling 100 ticks off your dog is not even slightly uncommon, but our ticks dont carry anything so its no biggy)

 

ear mites-never had then in my dogs, but when our small pets got them, we ceaned their ears with vit E oil, I have used this with other peoples dogs as well and it worked great for them too.

 

I bath my dogs when I feel like it, and before I take them to a compitition(sports, not stock work) but my dogs comes to work with me and get REALLY muddy, most of it teflons off, but not always lol

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1.) What type of food do you think is best - dry, can, moist packets, homemade, adding any people food to dog food, ect., also if there are preferred brands of dog food to use as well as brands to avoid ?

 

There is no one perfect food and each dog has different needs. I personally feed Red Paw and am thrilled with the results. My dogs look good, have energy to spare and love the taste. I like that it is formulated for a working dog, proven in the field at many working kennels and that the primary protein source is fish. Other foods I like include Acana, Orijen, Evo, Pro Plan, Royal Canin and a few others.

 

I avoid anything made by Diamond. Sorry folks. I know there are a lot of fans on here, but after reading about the factory conditions that led to the recall problem, you couldn't pay me to feed my dogs anything made by that company. Diamond manufactures a long list of brands, including Taste of the Wild. I am also not a fan of Science Diet, Iams, Nutro and a number of other brands.

 

I can't get behind the raw diet movement because I have seen to many problems with serious deficiencies or food born illness.

 

Dry kibble is the most affordable option for most people. I do like to supplement with table scraps (mostly fresh meat and fish, some fruits and veges) for the nutrient content. Canned food is expensive for anything but a toy breed dog.

 

2.) What "treats" are preferred, and what treats to avoid ?

 

I don't use many treats. Puppies generally earn their kibble for each meal as treats. Sometimes puppy class requires more tempting rewards than just kibble. For people food I like string cheese. For actual dog treats I like simple (short list of ingredients) treats like salmon jerky and freeze dried liver. If it wasn't made in a country I trust (USA, Canada, Europe, etc) I don't give it to my dogs.

 

3.) Toys - preferred toys as well as any toys to avoid, especially wondering about rawhide type stuff (rawhide bones, strips, sticks, ect.) as I have heard both pro and con on rawhide stuff.

 

Again, make sure the toys are not made in a country like China. I do NOT give those tennis balls made for pets (many are contaminated with lead). My dogs' favorite toy ever is the Meteorlight ball, but they also like most of the toys made by Chuckit.

 

I do give rawhide (made in the USA). My dogs are smart about it and don't try to swallow big chunks. If they did, rawhide wouldn't be safe. I buy the larger rolled pieces that don't have knots on the end.

 

4.) Do you prefer to use a regular collar or a harness when using a leash ?

 

Center ring collar for adult dogs that know how to walk on a leash. Pups are on a harness until they learn proper leash walking, which isn't long (a few weeks). The no pull harness made by Premier isn't bad.

 

5.) What is your preferred method of tick and flea avoidance, (flea/tick collars or spray, pills, ect.) or is there a preferred more natural approach that avoids man-made chemicals ?

 

The right product/s will depend on your pet, lifestyle and preferences. I personally use a private label Vectra3D and have used Advantix. Some friends have had success with natural products made with clove oil.

 

6.) What is your preferred and most safe and effective methods for avoiding or eliminating ear mites ?

 

I've never seen ear mites in a Border Collie. They are quite rare in the USA, and when found are generally in pet store (puppy mill) pups. If you do encounter them, there is a topical parasite prevention medication that kills them.

 

7.) What do you feel is best to use for shampooing your dog at bath time and how often should we gives our dogs a bath, we all like our in house dogs to be fresh and clean smelling (and they seem to prefer it too :-) but what should be the average normal frequency of baths ? (barring of course the exceptions when they find a mud puddle or otherwise get messy and need bathed immediately ;-)

 

Baby shampoo, maybe once or twice a year. The more you bathe, the more you will strip off your dog's natural oils. That increases your chances of dry skin.

 

For in between touch ups I sometimes use a children's detangler spray, apple scented.

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Lots of great advice here and, as warned, different opinions.

 

1 - As Julie said, READ THE LABEL. Also avoid anything that's "Made in China" with regards to dog treats.

 

I feed the kibble that I find seems to agree best with my dogs and you may find you have to experiment to find the right one(s) for your dog. Avoid kibble/canned/treats that you find in the grocery store. Things like Puperoni, soft foods, etc., are just full of additives and (pardon my french) junk. I do feed occasional Milk Bones because while they are not "good food" they are pretty innocuous in terms of ingredients. They are "treats" not a "diet".

 

I give some raw beef bones (because we have them) and raw chicken backs for chewing and dental reasons - they help keep teeth clean and reduce tartar build-up. And the dogs love them!

 

In terms of food, it's going to be what works for your dog and your budget, coupled with availability - and it's not "one size fits all".

 

2 - The best treats are quality treats, like cheese, chicken, freeze-dried liver, etc. I love string cheese because I can put a string between my thumb and forefinger, and portion out tiny bits with my nail or let the pup/dog lick at the stub of the string. Soft treats are preferable for training treats (especially for pups) and you can make them very tiny - it's the taste that counts, not the size.

 

3 - Raw bones for chewing are (IMO) best. Lots of folks stuff Kongs and freeze them for great treats that take time to consume. I don't leave out any toys that can be destroyed/swallowed like stuffed toys, rope toys, etc. I don't use conventional tennis balls but rather Chuck-It balls or something similar that is less wearing on the teeth (less abrasive). Rotate toys because old toys become boring for self-play.

 

4 - I'm like Julie and use the center-ring collars from hunting dog supply companies. Long-lasting, easy care and cleaning, and come with riveted name plates with plenty of room for information, and no dangly tags.

 

5 - Use what works in your area for you. Neither Frontline nor Advantage products work for fleas for me so I use Comfortis (and you can get it in a combo tablet that also does heartworm for a lower total cost) and Preventix tick collars. Fortunately, I rarely need flea control here (knock on wood) and don't seem to have ticks here, so I only use them when traveling to areas where I feel we need protection.

 

6 - Haven't had ear mites in these dogs. When I have had them in other locations in the past, I've taken the animal to the vet for care and medication.

 

7 - I don't bathe my dogs. They are often hosed off (year-round) if they are muddy or have gotten into something stinky. If the something stinky doesn't hose off, then I may spot shampoo with a dog shampoo. These dogs tend to have coats that readily shed dirt and don't have the oily coats that tend to get really smelly.

 

Enjoy!

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1) Food: I feed a more or less local produced kibble. No wheat, no corn, no soy. I do supplement TOTW Pacific Stream for the protein source to just a few of my guys.

 

2) Treats: Others than the already mentioned string cheese and liver treats, I also use chicken liver boiled with a tiny bit or garlic, chicken and at times regular liver. One of my favorites though is using a air dried food called Real Meat. A 2lbs bag goes for around $29 and the dogs love it. It is the high value treat for most of mine. Still much cheaper than actual small packages of treats. Oh, and dried salmon or anything natural fish. They love the smell...me...not so much! :)

 

3) Toys: Almost none. There are a few rubber toys around here as well as some tug toys for training and some balls. But for the most part they are part of training and not accessible for unsupervised play. Sticks and old plastic bottles are favorites anyway.

 

4) Collars: Flat buckle collars. I also have the Gun Supply ones with the name plate. And some home made leather collars.

 

5) Fleas: Used all of them seems like. Got a lot of traction out of ProMeris (I think it is off the market now), Comfortis and Frontline still works somewhat. Bigger concerns than fleas are ticks around here. And for that, the PetArmor from Walmart seems to do just as well as Frontline.

 

6) Mites: NO issue here.

 

7) Baths???????? :unsure: Ok, so IF i bathe, it will most likely be for a reason like pests, bad smell or a photo shoot (yes, it is true!) and I will use whatever I happen to have hand or is advised for the problem at hand.

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I feed natural balance with raw goats milk/yogurt and raw lamb, goat or beef with organ meat and bones I save.

 

no treats- I suppose If I am eating something and my dogs give the please look I'll share what I got.

 

no toys

 

(Although Jan brought some toys over for my young dogs who destroyed them.)

 

regular don't shoot me orange collars

 

Only if I need it flea spray

 

never had mites

 

Never bathe but sometimes rinse off with hose or in trough if alot of manure stuck on.

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I feed 7 dogs and 3 cats a raw diet, and have fed raw for going on 15 years now. Once in a while when I forget to thaw something, I give them kibble, or a dehydrated raw I have kicking around in the cupboard.

 

For treats I feed anything I have at hand. When I have free time I make 'liver brownies' but otherwise I will feed them anything from high quality no-grain liver treats to Snausages or whatever. I feel like treats for dogs are like treats for me - sometimes they are good for me, sometimes they are crap. As I reward with food a lot, I always have something in my pocket. It makes me popular with the dogs at work too ;-)

 

They eat raw pork bones or beef bones once or twice a week when the weather is crappy and I don't feel like going outside. I never feed rawhide, cow hooves or pigs' ears unless it's too watch Mr. Woo bury his outside, as he doesn't like them either.

 

My dogs have boatloads of toys in a couple of baskets in the living room, of pretty much every variety. They either mostly shred them, or play tug with them. They are not prone to playing much if I am not involved. Outside we play ball, usually with a road hockey ball, though now that it's dark morning and night I have one that lights up so I can see it/find it. We also play with a soft frisbee, or a Kong-on-a-rope, or a soccer ball.

 

Collars are strictly fashion statements for my dogs. I acquire collars that are pretty, and compliment their coat colours ;-) My dogs are never outside without me, and never walked on a leash except at trials, when they wear padded slip leads with their names on them. Dexter wears pink exclusively, for the sole reason that it drives the owner of his sister insane. Two of my dogs have Haltis if I have to venture out in public with them, as one is dog aggressive and the other is just nuts.

 

We rarely have a problem with fleas, but I use whatever is handy if I feel I need to give them some flea control. Usually Revolution.

 

My dogs have never had ear mites.

 

Bathing is strictly for post-rolling-in-something-stinky. I do spray them down with a baby powder deodorizer after they come in wet and I have toweled them off, because I have a small house and a lot of dogs, and prefer the smell of baby powder to eau de wet pooch.

 

RDM

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1. Food

 

I try to feed the best food I can afford. Most of the time this is dry kibble, plus occasional fresh foods (which may include raw, fish, eggs, cottage cheese, crock-potted stuff, whatever). When I can afford to I'll feed raw or home cook. But most of the time it's kibble. These days due to my work schedule I try hard to NOT mix it up too much so that there aren't any bathroom emergencies while I'm at work.

 

2. Treats

 

I don't do much in the way of treats. I usually have a bag of biscuits up on top of the fridge - something locally made is my preference. I usually also have a bag of soft treats, like the Wellness ones. Sometimes I make my own fishy treats. I give them when I think of it.

 

3. Toys

 

I prefer nylabones for chewing, and there are always a hand-full of these down on the floor (one for each dog PLUS one for the traders). The DOGS prefer cow hooves, but after a couple of years of cleaning up cow hoof chunk barf (even though I try to take away the chunks when I see them get a piece off) I mostly only give those occasionally. I don't give rawhide chews because they turn Ginger into Gozira. It's a real situation, and one I just prefer to avoid. They also have hard rubber toys like a hard rubber bone, busy buddies, and this jack looking thing. Oh, and a holee roller.

 

There is no *free* access to balls as June is a nutbar and cannot concentrate on anything else if a ball is within eyesight.

 

Otherwise, stuffed toys, rope toys, etc., get kept put away. I get these out for occasional play. If I left them down all of the time they'd get disemboweled in a hurry. As it is now, I let them disembowel them, and then stuff the stuffing back in and sometimes even sew them back up for the next time. It works for us.

 

4. Collars/etc.

 

Flat buckle collars (rubber coated) with the riveted plates from gunddog supply for all of mine. I also have a collection of nylon collars with boomerang tags, but they mostly wear the rubber ones. I have a few martinagle collars laying around but only use them if I have a pinhead dog that tries to slip a collar.

 

5. Flea/tick

 

I use either advantix or frontline. I usually do half of my dogs with one, and half with the other. Next month switch. I try to use them as sparingly as possible.

 

6. Ear Mites

 

I've not had any ear mites in my current dogs. My fuzzy memory seems to recall that maybe Bree (who lives with my ex-husband) had some ear mites when we brought her home. I think we applied something topically, but I just don't remember.

 

7. Bathing

 

I don't have anything against bathing, really, but in effort to not strip the oils from my dogs' coats I only do it as needed. I will say that my purebred border collies' coats are very different from the BC Mix I had (Bree), and are very different from my one non-BC, Ginger. I bathe em if they need it. It pretty much works out to a bath once a year for each of them. Ginger, however, gets bathed about once a month in the warmer times (or every other month), and usually not at all during the winter.

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1.) What type of food do you think is best - dry, can, moist packets, homemade, adding any people food to dog food, ect., also if there are preferred brands of dog food to use as well as brands to avoid ?

Dry kibble -- currently the Costco Nature's Domain Salmon formula. Raw is not an option if I want to keep on good terms with my wife (and I do!).

 

2.) What "treats" are preferred, and what treats to avoid ?

For training treats I use Natural Balance lamb roll cut into very small pieces. Usually I mix in a little braunschweiger (liver paste) to make them more attractive. I fade out treats very fast and only use them when I need to get a new dog started. We have a "after dinner treats" session every day and freeze dried liver and small, grain free biscuits are the usual fare. Like many others, I rigorously avoid anything made in China. I have a dog with a wheat allergy, so I also avoid any treats containing wheat.

 

3.) Toys - preferred toys as well as any toys to avoid, especially wondering about rawhide type stuff (rawhide bones, strips, sticks, ect.) as I have heard both pro and con on rawhide stuff.

Stuffed toys don't last long here, so I just don't buy them anymore. I do give rawhide -- under supervision -- on occasions.

 

 

4.) Do you prefer to use a regular collar or a harness when using a leash ?

I normally fit a martingale collar. Right now I have a foster whose head is big and neck is narrow so she has a plain nylon buckle collar. If the dog pulls, I will use a front clip harness (e.g. easy walk).

 

5.) What is your preferred method of tick and flea avoidance, (flea/tick collars or spray, pills, ect.) or is there a preferred more natural approach that avoids man-made chemicals ?

I would love to use a natural approach, but so far the only stuff that really works on ticks is Frontline plus. I use it only as and when required.

 

 

6.) What is your preferred and most safe and effective methods for avoiding or eliminating ear mites ?

Never had any ear mites.

 

7.) What do you feel is best to use for shampooing your dog at bath time and how often should we gives our dogs a bath, we all like our in house dogs to be fresh and clean smelling (and they seem to prefer it too :-) but what should be the average normal frequency of baths ? (barring of course the exceptions when they find a mud puddle or otherwise get messy and need bathed immediately ;-)

When required, I hose a dog down with plain water. In really extreme cases, I will reach for shampoo, but a one bottle will last me for years and years. I do give them a daily fish oil capsule and that helps them to develop that famous teflon coat.I only had one foster, Taff half ear, who initially, when wet, really did smell like something dredged out of the lake. Once he lost his dry, sun bleached, coat and grew a nice glossy new one, he smelled sweet and fresh -- even after swimming in the dog park lake there was only a hint of "wet dog" until he dried out.

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Dry kibble -- currently the Costco Nature's Domain Salmon formula. Raw is not an option if I want to keep on good terms with my wife (and I do!).

 

 

For training treats I use Natural Balance lamb roll cut into very small pieces. Usually I mix in a little braunschweiger (liver paste) to make them more attractive. I fade out treats very fast and only use them when I need to get a new dog started. We have a "after dinner treats" session every day and freeze dried liver and small, grain free biscuits are the usual fare. Like many others, I rigorously avoid anything made in China. I have a dog with a wheat allergy, so I also avoid any treats containing wheat.

 

 

Stuffed toys don't last long here, so I just don't buy them anymore. I do give rawhide -- under supervision -- on occasions.

 

 

 

I normally fit a martingale collar. Right now I have a foster whose head is big and neck is narrow so she has a plain nylon buckle collar. If the dog pulls, I will use a front clip harness (e.g. easy walk).

 

 

I would love to use a natural approach, but so far the only stuff that really works on ticks is Frontline plus. I use it only as and when required.

 

 

 

Never had any ear mites.

 

 

When required, I hose a dog down with plain water. In really extreme cases, I will reach for shampoo, but a one bottle will last me for years and years. I do give them a daily fish oil capsule and that helps them to develop that famous teflon coat.I only had one foster, Taff half ear, who initially, when wet, really did smell like something dredged out of the lake. Once he lost his dry, sun bleached, coat and grew a nice glossy new one, he smelled sweet and fresh -- even after swimming in the dog park lake there was only a hint of "wet dog" until he dried out.

 

Thanks again to everyone for all their various replies - it is appreciated !

 

There is a lot of info to sort thru, but I'll see about referring back to this thread to help me be ready to do the best I can.

 

I live in a fairly small town and there are no major "pet stores" close by, just Walmart, a grocery store, CVS store, dollar stores, and a several various stores. There are some "feed and seed" places but not sure if they sell any quality kibble or other quality dog food. I might just have to find out what kibble or other food suits my dog best and then stock up on it when I get out to where there is a major "pet store".

 

I am learning some things I was not aware of before - like for example - how someone said that tennis balls made for dogs had "lead" (if I remember correctly) and also about regular tennis balls being too rough on teeth.

 

There are some differing opinions in some areas, but I believe everyone really loves their dogs and is trying what they feel is best for their dogs, and the more we learn the better we can do, that is why I am trying to learn what most people have found to be best based on their experience.

 

Also - thanks for the link someone shared about dog food -

 

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

 

Again - all the ideas are appreciated, thanks !

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If you do not live near a pet store that stocks higher quality foods, you can easily obtain them by ordering on-line. Try Amazon. Another supplier is petfooddirect.com, but wait for their sales (which they have quite often) where the 15-17% discount often cancels out the shipping charges. There are multiple other on-line merchants for high quality dog food.

 

I would not buy more than a month or two worth of food since some of the higher quality foods try to stay away from the hard-core, more toxic preservatives - instead relying on Vit E, etc. as a preservative. Also, check the 'sell by' date on any kibble you buy since I have found that even the higher quality pet store can forget to clear expired food off their shelves.

 

Jovi

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I buy my food from doggiefood.com, they have free shipping over $50.00 and often have %15 of coupons they email out. The food is also cheaper than I would pay at petco. I also get the food the next day, but I only live 12 miles away :D but I have to make the effort to cross 2 bridges, and spend a couple of dollars on tolls.

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Food: Nature's Recipe Fish and Potato (I have a golden retriever that is highly allergic to corn and chicken)

Treats: Homemade liver or tuna treats, sweet potato fries, cheese

Toys: Rubber balls, Kong Frisbee, tugs, squeeky toys

Collars: Flat

Fleas: Comortis (Frontline stopped working for us!)

Mites: Not a problem

Bath: Only when absolutely necessary!

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