Archive for April 2012

Teaching a puppy to “go potty” outside is a normal part of raising a dog. However, what happens when your full-grown, older dog goes back into puppy-mode and decides it’s okay to go in the house again? Best Bully Sticks is going to address some ways you can deal with the behavioral issues that could be causing this puppy relapse.

Potential Medical Issues
Before you address behavioral issues, you’ll want to rule out any potential medical causes. Some of these could include: gastrointestinal upset, change in diet, incontinence, medications, old age or cognitive dysfunction. If your vet rules out these, mostly likely the cause is a behavioral issue you can deal with first hand.

Steps To Take
1. Have A Regular Schedule: Keeping your dog on a regular schedule will help create a time table when certain things happen throughout the day. Food should be given at particular times and be picked up between meals. Taking your dog outside to eliminate should happen at strict times as well such as right when you wake up, when you get home from work and before you go to bed.

2. Keep Tabs on Your Dog: Knowing where your dog is 24/7 is important because you’ll want to be looking for warning signs of your dogs potential to eliminate. If you see your dog whining, circling or pacing, take your dog out immediately.

3. A Pat On The Back: Every time your dog eliminates outside successfully give him a treat and speak kind words to your dog.

4. When You’re Away: When you can’t be around to watch your dog, confine them in an area, like a crate or gated off area, that gives them just enough room to stand up comfortably, lie down and turn around. Dogs eliminate away from the place where they create their den, or home. If your dog is confined comfortably like this, he most likely won’t have any accidents.

5. When Accidents Happen: You have to expect accidents to happen in the house as this training process progresses. If you ever see your dog in the act, make a loud noise, like clapping your hands, to startle your dog, but not scare them. This should cause them to stop long enough to get them outside.

6. Clean Up: You’ll want to very thoroughly clean your home and everything in it to prevent this behavior. Also, steer clear of ammonia-based cleaners. Urine contains ammonia and will just further the behavior. An enzyme cleaner works best. Read more

Tenacious. Historic. Loveable. And just darn cute. Best Bully Sticks brings you the Rat Terrier this week in our Breed Spotlight! This dog is 100% American, with a can-do American attitude. We hope you’ll enjoy reading about this feisty little pup!

History & Background: If you haven’t guessed yet, this terrier’s name is derived from its earliest occupation, hunting “varmits,” which is sometimes referred to as “ratting.”  This dog is distinctly an American breed that English immigrants created by mixing breeds like the English White Terrier, Manchester Terrier, Smooth Fox Terrier, and Whippet. A staple “farm dog” during the Dust Bowl era, this dog hunted small game that included squirrels, rabbits and other small creatures.  One of these tenacious little dogs is said to once have killed 2,500 rats in an infested barn in 7 hours.

This dog was a very cherished dog on farms across the United States. The Rat Terrier’s more famous owners include Shirley MacLaine, Eleanor Powell, John Sandford & William Faulkner. A Rat Terrier was even mentioned in Harper Lee’s famous 1960 work, To Kill A Mockingbird. Needless to say, over the years the loving companionship this of this dog may have won out over its utility.

Height: 10-13 inches (toy), 13-18 inches (standard)

Weight: 10-25 pounds

Coat: This dog has a short, close coat that is very soft and shiny. Some Rat Terriers might have a bit of a wave in their fur on their back. Read more

Every time you bake up delectable dishes, you can usually expect your dog will want a little too. Best Bully Sticks thinks it's time to indulge them! We're not suggesting giving your dog your human meals,but Best Bully Sticks figures it's time to turns the tables. Today we're giving you a muffin recipe for you dog that you might be begging for by the time you’re done! These easy muffins are perfect for a Spring Saturday morning and most of the ingredients you probably already have on hand.  Just imagine a breeze coming through an open window on a sunny spring morning while your pup and you enjoy baking time together!

Ingredients

1 egg
2 tablespoons honey
2 bananas, mashed with a fork
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees .

2. In a bowl, whisk together the egg, honey, bananas and peanut butter. Stir in 3 cups water; whisk until smooth.

3. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and cinnamon; add to the egg mixture.

4. Spray two 12-cup muffin pans with cooking spray; fill each cup three quarters full. Bake until browned, about 30 minutes. Let cool.

Recipe Note:
You can also use a mini muffin pan for bite-sized treats. Bake these for about 20 minutes. 

(recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray)

If you didn’t know already, Best Bully Sticks is all about using the fewest, yet highest quality ingredients possible for all of our treats, chews, toys and supplies.  A wonderful side effect of having all-natural conscious customers, is knowing that most of those customers also care about the environment, and so do we. Best Bully Sticks has made a continued effort to be as environmentally responsible with the way we run our company. In honor of Earth Day and the events surrounding the “green” weeks around the nation, we decided to tell our readers and customers about the “Green” Best Bully Sticks.com. 

1. We recycle all our cardboard boxes! In all honesty, Richmond, Virginia is a city that hasn’t had the best recycling track record, but new initiatives in the city are making recycling easier for all individuals. One of these includes an expanded Waste Management team. A truck comes by our warehouse every week pick up all of our discarded cardboard. And we go through A LOT of cardboard every week.  On Earth Day, this past Sunday the 22^nd, we pledged we would recycle 90% of all our cardboard boxes!

2. We recycle office paper, bottles, and cans! Our office staff recycles all our scrap paper that would otherwise fill our trashcans. We also recycle our soda cans, juice bottles and any other aluminums and plastics. Every Friday we take the bins the recycling center down the street to responsibly dispose of our waste products.

3. Our work pods are made from recyclable materials! Best Bully Sticks employees work at Herman Miller workstations that are 59% recyclable.  Our workstations weigh 1/3 less than a traditional workstation system and contain 27% pre-recycled materials. The workstations even break down to small parts, which make it easier to recycle down the road. Our desk systems can even earn LEED credits.

Best Bully Sticks values environmental responsibility and we are always trying to think of new ways to reduce, reuse and recycle in our offices. We want to help make the earth a cleaner, healthier place so we and our dogs can enjoy the earth longer!

What do you do to support the environment? Comment below and tell us how!

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