Positively | Victoria Stilwell | Forum

I don't often check out the pictures, so really enjoyed this spread. It likes like your putting together a really fun team. Your choice in the X-back harness (I recognize the maker) is excellent. Perhaps a lighthearted word of warning, though. Once bitten by the mushing virus there is not cure - the...

I got the "five minutes per month of life" thing from here! So she's been going on two twenty/thirty minute walks per day. Do you think I could get away with doing more than that? Gosh, that sounds more like a minimum and maximum to me, but not knowing the source or rationale, I'm afraid ...

Hi all, She's already walked the maximum amount recommended for her age (which doesn't seem to tire her out!) and does lots of training and mental puzzles. I'll up the mental puzzles though, because she looks for mischief if she's bored. Keeping her occupied is a full time job though, she's very hi...

There are dog mushing outfitters that provide coats for racing sled dogs that are very similar to the photo posted by elisa that might do the trick. A good listing of such companies can be found on the Sled Dog Central website at http://www.sleddogcentral.com/equip_supplies.htm

I believe you will likely become a much better trainer, or at least be a more well rounded trainer and have a much more thorough understanding of canine behavior, if the program you decide upon teaches all four quadrants of operant conditioning. Thinking in terms of "operant conditioning" ...

I dehydrated some pork for Opal's treats, but I recall that pork can carry parasites. Should I freeze it for 30 days before I give any to her (or any of the dogs)? My dehydrator reaches 165F/73C, which is the temperature I set it for overnight - about 9 hours. I can't recall any recent case of para...

Whenever possible I try to avoid the Elizabethan collar (aka "cone"), but in some cases, especially with a very flexible dog, no other options readily available. One option I've used to prevent dogs from licking at incisions and picking at wounds is a jerry rigged cervical collar, made fro...

Thanks for posting the link. I thought I had done so but I was (sigh) once again, wrong.

How old is your dog? For practical purposes, of one compares nutrition labels, we quickly find that most reasonable quality puppy foods provide the same or nearly the same nutrient levels as high performance formulations for athletic or working dogs. The primary difference is simply the size of the ...

I see the general topic of spay/neuter has been a topic of discussion here before. This article was just brought to my attention. The study cited was done by the U.D. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, which has a very good reputation in the United States. There is a link to the published study wi...

I think it would vary widely between individual dogs. It can't hurt to experiment. Try him sometimes crated and sometimes on the leash, and see which results in the behavior you most prefer. Think of it as allowing him to decide for himself which is better. At my house, the dogs reactions to visitor...

Good advice, especially consulting with a vet. You might ask the vet to run a full thyroid panel, including T-4. I had a b*tch with an irregularly early cycle that turned out to be a case of early onset hypothyroid. After spaying she is easily managed with inexpensive medication - and a great sled d...

Two years ago one of my friends lost the Copper Basin 300 sled dog race by 1 minute because his leaders were freaked out by airbrakes releasing on a semi and trailer they HAD to pass to get onto the race trail, so I can understand your consternation. I think a semi-trailer is the same or similar to ...

Sounds like your puppy has a really good appetite, and is willing to experiment with various behaviors to earn some chow. From a training perspective that's truly wonderful, but yeah, we have to teach them to temper that enthusiasm if we want a well behaved house dog. As to why - until he came to yo...

I have no ethical issues providing salmon oil at all. :wink: I give my dogs a nice, quarter-pound (113 gram) snack of salmon every two to three hours on the trail. I have friends with fish wheel permits who sell me chum salmon (dog salmon) for one to three U.S. dollars per fish, depending on the str...