AVIBLOG
The Top 10 Dog Breeding Supplies Dog Breeders Need In Their Freezers
Breeders and stud dog owners should have some unusual things stashed in their freezers besides meatloaf and frozen margaritas! Here are the 10 most important additions to a dog breeder’s freezer:
Puppy Vaccinations—The Rest of the Story
Last week, I heard that yet another young dog was diagnosed with parvovirus even though she had received a “complete” puppy series of vaccinations. How is this possible? How can you be sure that your young dogs are not at risk for parvo or distemper? In reality, many...
The Party’s Over: What to Do for Your Dam When You Send Your Puppies Home
Over the years, many novice breeders have asked me how dams feel when their puppies go to their new homes. As humans, we imagine emotional and possibly physical pain for her when her babies are gone. She cannot understand that we have found good homes for them and...
Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late!
Emergency Preparedness for Your Dogs Updated: Oct 2020 As much as we don't want to think about them, natural and manmade disasters that trigger evacuations are more common these days. If you are a dog owner or breeder, you must have a plan to evacuate your dogs, as...
Four Reasons Dog Breeders Need a Community of Practice
Dog Breeders As Part Of A Community Practice I’ve been pondering dog breeding lately and how we can improve our passion and breeding programs to produce better and better dogs. One of my fields is sociology and it tells us that human beings are social learners so...
Why We Use Checklists in Avidog
I’m Colonel Steve Watkins, a recently retired Army pilot and Avidog’s new chief of staff. As a military pilot for 30 years, I used checklists from Day 1 of my aviation career. Initially, I didn’t understand the importance of the checklists; I just knew I was required to use them. As I progressed through flight school, I quickly learned how vital checklists are.
Disinfecting For Dog Breeders: Beating Both Parvovirus and Coronavirus
What an interesting turn of events! Usually, dog breeders focus their biosecurity efforts on protecting their pups from viruses, like parvo and distemper, that might be brought in by other people or dogs.
Today breeders are also trying to protect themselves and other people from this the novel coronavirus that might be brought into their homes by visitors and buyers. Although we don’t know for sure, there is also the risk that it might be spread on our dogs’ coats.
Let’s talk about breeder biosecurity during this pandemic, specifically disinfecting our homes and kennels.
Safe Vet Care During the Coronavirus Pandemic
As more and more of society shuts down due to coronavirus, you may be wondering whether you should take your puppy, litters, or dogs to the veterinarian right now. As you make that decision, you must balance your animal's health with that of you and your vet team....
Puppy Socialization in the Age of Coronavirus
Holy cow! What do we do now? For decades, we've been told that to raise stable puppies we need to socialize them with many people of different genders, sizes, ages, races, etc. And, we were told that socialization had to be done before 16 weeks of age. That's...
Choosing The Right Veterinarian
Choosing the right veterinarian is one of the most important decisions that you make for your dog. This key member of your dog’s health-care team will play a role in your and your dog’s quality of life. An excellent vet will be your partner in keeping your dog healthy by assisting you in making important decisions. Although some people select a vet based on how close the office is to their house or how inexpensive the fees are, there are far more important things to consider. Here are some ideas on how to find the perfect vet for you and your dog!
Feed Your Dog People Food! Please!!
Why and How to Use People Food to Feed Your Dog Better! Dog owners often proudly tell me that they “never feed their dog people food.” They are surprised when I encourage them to change this practice and get some people food into their dogs! For years, they've been...