Dog Care 101

If you are anything like the dog owners at Best Bully Sticks, your dog is a part of the family. In most cases, your dog might even be your “baby.” So, when your furry child gets a bump, scrape, upset tummy or other minor “boo-boo” you immediately want to comfort your pup. Before you rush off to the vet, just know that in most minor around the house slip-ups and sicknesses, you can treat your dog at home.

Today we’ll take you through some simple remedies for your dog’s ailments with treatments that come from your cupboards. We’ll even cover how to curb some unwanted behaviors in the home.

Rehydrate An Upset Stomach with Electrolyte Drinks
A troubled tummy is no good for you or your dog. The first thing to do when your pup has an upset stomach is make sure they’re getting enough fluids. Simply giving flavorless, pediatric electrolyte drinks to your dog will ensure he’s rehydrating.

A Dry or Itchy Dog:
If your dog is itchy all over, try an oatmeal bath. Use baby oatmeal cereal or use a food processor to finely grind oats and mix into a lukewarm bath. Let your dog soak in this mixture and it will give them immediate relief. For another take on a beneficial bath, use Vitamin E oil in a warm bath. You can also massage Vitamin E directly into your dog’s fur or give them capsules. Be sure to talk to your vet about the weight and breed specific dosages for your dog.

Itchy Paws might be another problem for your dog. This is simply solved by drawing 1-2 inches of warm water in a bath and dissolving Epsom salts into the water. Let your dog stand in the water for 5 to 10 minutes. Don’t let your dog drink the water! After soaking, pat dry your dog’s feet.  An Epsom salt bath can also reduce healing time of swelling and scrapes.

If dandruff is your dog’s problem, make an easy dandruff shampoo with aspirin and baby shampoo. Crush 6 Aspirin into a fine powder then add to a bottle of baby shampoo. When washing your dog with this mixture, lather your dog with the shampoo and let sit for 5 minutes. This waiting period helps the aspirin’s salicylic acid to exfoliate the dead skins cells away. Rinse and you’ll have a dandruff-free dog! Read more

Are you a meat and potatoes kind of person? Maybe your dog is a meat and potatoes kind of dog! Best Bully Sticks isn’t saying you should give your dog steak and potatoes, but that there are a good many protein sources and grains that your dog can benefit from. A good meal is a balanced meal, so take our Fruits To Share & Veggies To Share and now our Proteins & Grains To Share and create a great supplements for your dog. These boosts to your dog’s regular food diet can fine-tune your dog’s health and well-being. Talk with your vet about any major food changes or questions you have about supplementing your dog’s diet.

Protein Sources
Your dog does need protein to maintain a healthy diet. Learn about ways you can supplement your dog’s diet with protein sources, sometimes from unexpected sources. 

Peanut Butter
If you haven’t figured it out by now, dogs love peanut butter. This creamy treat is high in protein and it’s always fun to watch your dog lick it out of the inside of a toy, off the end of his nose or right out of an empty jar!

Lean Meat
Chicken, beef and pork without visible fat, sauces or seasonings are great for your dog’s diet. Used as a training treat or food supplements, lean meats are full of B Vitamins, which provide the energy for metabolism and amino acids, which help keep your dog’s muscles healthy.

Salmon/Tuna
Fish are tasty treats for your dog that also have a lot of great health benefits. Fatty fish like Salmon and Tuna are full of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are amazing for your dog’s skin, coat and even brain functions! It’s even been suggested these fish can help with arthritis, allergies and other chronic dog ailments. When feeding fish, make sure it’s cooked. You can even pick canned tuna or salmon; just make the fish is packed in water without salt added. You can add this directly to your dogs food, or if your grilling tuna or salmon, make a piece for your pup! Read more

Vegetable patches all over the country are producing wonderfully tasty food this summer. We at Best Bully Sticks could not be more excited about the array of vegetables and herbs this time of year! Tomatoes, squash, zucchini and cucumber are just some of the wholesome food that you can grow in your own back yard, or find fresh in farmer’s markets! If you enjoy these summer eats, then include your dog, too!

Remember, your dog’s ancestors were wild animals who scavenged and ate fruits and vegetables readily. Sharing vegetables with your dog is a great way to add healthy, nutritious vitamins and minerals to his diet. Read more to find out which vegetables you can share with your dog.

Pumpkin
Not just for Halloween and Thanksgiving anymore, pumpkin is a great source of vitamins and minerals for your dog. Beta-carotene, which is a great source of Vitamin A, and fiber are two of the biggest benefits pumpkin provides your pup. Just like humans, dogs need a healthy amount of fiber in their diet to keep their digestive system “regular.” Boiling fresh pumpkin and adding to your dog’s food is a great way to bring this vegetable into your dog’s diet.

Sweet Potato
These orange root vegetables are another great source of beta-carotene, Vitamin A and dietary fiber. Sweet Potatoes are also full of Vitamin C, K, manganese and potassium. Dogs love sweet potato and whether it’s dried into jerky or mashed into their food, your dog will be getting a tasty treat with tons of nutrients! Best Bully Sticks has a full line of Sweet Potato dog treats that your pooch will drool over!

Squash/Zucchini
Squash is similar to pumpkin in its digestive benefits, but is also great as a raw crunchy snack too. This gourd veggie is full of beta-carotene as well.

Zucchini is full of beta-carotene, calcium, potassium and folates. Give zucchini slices to your dog raw or frozen for a great green snack!

Green Beans & Peas
Frozen or thawed, dogs love green beans and peas! Your dog will benefit from the plant fiber, Vitamin C & K and manganese in green beans.  If your dog is overweight or constantly seems hungry, green beans are a great food replacement and snack. These empty calorie beans are a great all-purpose, round the clock food for your dog.

Peas are similarly nutritious for your pup and can be added straight to your dog’s food as well. Peas are a great source of B vitamin Thiamin, phosphorous and potassium.

Cucumber
Instead of sneaking a crunchy chip to your dog, sneak him a crunchy cucumber! These great dog snacks are low in calories and have lots of good calcium, potassium and beta-carotene.

Baby Carrots
Like cucumber, baby carrots are a great crunchy snack for your dog. Carrots are chock-full of beta-carotene! Raw, cooked or cut into carrot chips are great ways to give carrots to your dog. An added health benefit of feeding your dog carrots is the breath freshening property! Read more

Best Bully Sticks knows it’s easy to forget that our dogs were once wild animals. They didn’t sleep half the day, they didn’t chase after plastic bouncy balls, and they didn’t wear clothes, go to the groomer or get their toenails painted. Your sweet pooch is a descendant of wild dogs and before that, wolves! You have to remember that trapped somewhere inside that cute, cuddly exterior is a wild animal! You live with a wild animal! Isn’t that more than a little strange to think about?

That being said, your dog’s descendants definitely didn’t eat that dry brown food that comes out of a bag. Not that bagged dog food isn’t good. A good food provides all the necessary vitamins, minerals and proteins your dog needs. However, owners forget that dogs are natural hunters and scavengers and ate as much vegetation and roughage as they did meat.  Dog owners sometimes have a stigma of offering their dogs human food, thinking that it isn’t good for them. The fact is, there are some very nutritional and wholesome foods that are great for your dog and you shouldn’t be afraid to share. Over the next three weeks Best Bully Sticks will take you through some natural, “human” foods that will feed your dog and his wild side. Today we’re talking about fruit!

Banana
Most families have bananas on hand in their house for a healthy and quick snack. Your dog can benefit from the same high potassium levels, fiber, magnesium B6 and C vitamins as well as all the good antioxidants in bananas that you will when eating this berry. In a pinch, bananas can help remedy a troubled doggy stomach and you can easily mix banana in with your dog’s dry food to make it more appealing. However, some dogs don’t like bananas because of the compounds that make this berry smell, well, like a banana.

Cantaloupe
This great summer melon is cool and refreshing, so give your pup the benefits of vitamin C, potassium, antioxidants and fiber that cantaloupe offers. Make sure you remove all seeds when serving to your dog. You can serve fresh or even mix it with other fruit, freeze and serve as a doggy popsicle. You might even join in on that! Read more

You just got a new dog. Congratulations! He’s so cuddly, cute and he’s got that funny but strangely wonderful puppy breath. You just can’t get enough of him. It’s Puppy Love.

Best Bully Sticks knows that this beautiful beginning is full of “Aww, how cute!” moments. However, the unspoken danger is that cuteness can also lead to oversights in development. Those, “Aww, how cute! He’s trying to put my shoe in his mouth!” moments soon become, “Aww! Why does he always chew up my shoes?”  New dog owners can’t forget that the first years of a dog’s life are developmentally important to train and teach your dog. Many dog owners overlook important training opportunities, or train incorrectly. Read about these common dog training mistakes below.

Procrastination & Inattention
Of course you don’t think of it as procrastination at the time, but as we said before, if you don’t introduce positive behaviors to your dog immediately, it could be too late. Walking on a leash, basic commands, house training and socialization all need to be a part of your pup’s life from day one.

It also needs to be said that behaviors you think are cute now, may not be so cute later. It’s important to always think ahead to when you dog is full grown. For instance, if you have a large dog, you don’t want to allow certain habits to form, such as sitting in your lap, or jumping up on people.

One Eye On The Puppy
When you have a new dog, it’s very important to keep an eye on him at all times. Young dogs are full of energy and curiosity and you have to remember, they don’t come preloaded with a sense of what items in your house are off limits. Zero boundaries are set, so you have to set them. Thus, the importance of having your eyes on him at all times.

The best way to correct a dog is while he is in the act, and not after. If a dog is chewing on a shoe and you only find it after the fact and scold him for it, that dog has no idea why he’s getting in trouble. You can only positively set boundaries if you correct mistakes as they happen. Your dog doesn’t “grow out” of chewing and jumping. They’re bad behaviors, not a life stage. Read more