If I can suggest one tip that makes a massive difference in your dog's comfort and mobility that is simple but overlooked by MANY owners is NAIL TRIM MAINTENANCE!
Nail length will affect the dog's quality of life. Long nails change the foot biomechanics as more weight is distributed off the toe pads and onto the larger central pad. During movement, long nails reduce the toe's range of motion in flexion while the paw is in contact with the ground. At the point of impact, there is a loss of shock-absorption in the foot since the toes are again forced into flexion due to the rotational force caused by the longer nails, causing pain and pressure.
I work at a facility that offers dog grooming and one thing we see on a DAILY basis is dogs suffering joint pain and mobility issues due to their nails being left untrimmed and overgrown.
When you have a dog that struggles with this service I completely understand how this happens. It can be very stressful and traumatic for both YOU and YOUR DOG if they are not 1) familiar with this being done routinely 2) have learned that poor behaviour, such as growling, avoiding or even biting gets them out of having this done and/or 3) have had a negative or traumatic experience with having their nails done before, but typically it's all of the above!
However, the solution to this problem is not just avoiding it and then having the nails done every few months (I have seen more unfortunately go even longer than months....) and there are some serious important reasons why!
Nails that are left to grow too long DO and WILL affect your dog's comfort, ability to hold their body weight, how they walk, run and stand and will cause pain, contribute to earlier onset and worse arthritis and can even change their muscle mass in parts of their body as they compensate trying to shift their weight in unnatural ways to ease the strain on the nails they are feeling. If your dog is struggling with extra weight, this is an even worse combination an
If I can change one person's mind about giving blind (or any disabled) dogs a chance then I've made my boy proud.
💛🌈 I've been missing him (Mayson) extra for the last two weeks and this summer I'll have been without him for 2 whole years.
⚠️ If you truly believe dogs like Steven are better off being put out of their (non-existent) misery then I suppose you're entitled to your ✨wrong✨ opinion but do know we won't be listening to it! ✌🏻
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#blinddog #blinddogs #blinddogsseewiththeirhearts #dogtrainer
Snow fall now also brings emotional heaviness because some of my favorite memories of my boy are from our winter walks. Every day was the best day of your life but you always had extra hops on the deep snow days!
One of those days I miss you so much it hurts out of the blue. I hope it snows somewhere in heaven for the snow-fiends like you. Miss you so much Mayson my wild all weather adventure boy 💛❄️
Audio "Can I see my dog?" - Roman Alexander
#dogsoffacebook #petloss #petlossgrief #petlosssupport #petlosshurts #grief #lifeafterloss #blinddogs #blinddogsseewiththeirhearts #CanadianDogs #happydogshappylife #rainbowbridge #rainbowbridgedogs #goldenretrievers #goldenretriever #goldenretrieverlove #goldensofinstagram
Did you get out with your Dog today???? 🐾
ↆ Caption from my recent TikTok ↆ
I am not feeling well, have way too much going on, work at an extremely busy dog facility during the week, have so many people to reply to, need to clean my house badly, have a cracked rib and have a 3 year old feral toddler.
It is almost 830pm.
It's cold, windy and dark outside
and it's my first chance to sit down on my only toddler-free night of the week.....
but do you know who doesn't care?
🤪STEVEN🤪
My 2 year old Blind and psychotic mastiff mix waiting for me at home!
Do *I* want to be spending 2 hours freezing running outside beyond my typical bed time with him when I could be lazy and cozy at home? NOPE 🙃
But let's talk about why that doesn't matter and why I'm out here anyway (and why you probably should be too!)
It is so common in my industry that
many dogs are deemed poorly behaved
and owners struggle when a HUGE part
of the puzzle is that they are just not
having their basic physical needs met.
Dogs like Stevie, that are insanely
energetic and while they are friendly,
they can and often do show negative
behaviours when exercise needs are
not being met such as...
- Excessive Barking
- Leash/Barrier (fence, gate, window) Reactivity
- Destruction of Household items
- Trouble Seeking
(seeking stimulation themselves such as digging)
- Separation Anxiety
- Depression
and unfortunately much much more!
When I make his needs a priority, Stevie is a great dog and easily manageable around my senior dogs and toddler on our acre property.
When I fall short on meeting his needs (which happens to all of us) he becomes destructive of my daughter's toys, constantly pesters my senior dogs, jumps up on doors and people and will excessively bark outside. It is easy to call him an annoying or misbehaving dog when in reality, he is seeking stimulation where he can because *I* have not kept my promise as an owner to meet his needs.
Remind yourself on the days tha
