Bringing Up ZORRO

4 Leash Walking Tips - Eric Letendre

2009-04-20T13:13:00.000+04:00

Tip #1: Never try to walk a dog that has been cooped up all day.

If your dog has been lying around waiting for you, let him
burn off some of his energy before you take him for a walk.
Throw a ball, play tug-o-war, or do something to calm him down
before the walk.

Tip #2: Use a gentle leader.

One of the best collars on the market is the gentle leader
head collar. It works by controlling your dog's head. When
you control the head you can control the body, much the same
as a horse bridle is used. They really are great collars.

Tip #3: Teach him where you want him to be.

Your dog does not know that he is supposed to be walking on
your side. Spend some time using a lure. Put a little piece
of food in your left hand and hold it close to your dog's
nose. Have him follow the lure; reward him every five or
six feet. As he gets better, go for longer and longer periods.

Tip #4: Don't let your dog's opposition reflex kick in.

When you apply pressure, your dog will resist with counter-
pressure. If you pull back on the leash, he will resist and
pull harder...opposition reflex.

The secret to leash walking is always keeping the leash loose.
Don't allow the leash to become tight

What not to feed your Lab?

2009-04-05T16:13:00.003+04:00

Courtesy: www.blacklabrador.com

Your dog's food should NOT contain the following:

Chemical Preservatives - BHA, BHT, propyl gallate and Ethoxyquin (EQ) are found in many pet foods. Scientific studies have proven that these chemicals can be harmful. In fact, they have been shown to promote liver disease and other medical problems.

Poor Protein Sources - Corn, Wheat, Soybean Meal, Corn Glutens, Corn Meal, Whole Corn, Crushed Corn and Ground Corn are commonly used for their protein content in many pet foods. These ingredients are generally poor sources of protein vs. meat. They are known allergens and highly indigestible. Dogs lack the enzyme necessary to break down corn into a fuel their bodies can use. You will see the results of this inability to digest corn (and wheat) in the size and odor of your dog's stool.

By-Products - By-products can vary greatly. They can consist of the internal parts of animals such as necks, heads, noses, undeveloped eggs, feet, intestines, lungs, spleen and liver. By-products do not need to contain meat to be labled as "meat by-products" on pet food packages. Although by-products are used by many manufacturers, they are very low quality protein that will eventually harm the health of your best friend. Are these ingredients you would knowingly feed your pet?

Food Coloring - Food colorings are still commonly used in pet foods today despite the fact that they are not necessary and some have been linked to medical problems. Your dog does't care about the color of his food or treats. You should understand that any food coloring additives are aimed at you as a consumer, not at optimizing the health of your dog. Any food that contains false color should be suspect.

Animal Fat or Beef Tallow - Hard indigestible fat source, non-specific fat source. Animal fat used in low quality dog food is most often made up of rendered animal fat, restaurant grease (yes, its true), or other oils too rancid or deemed inedible for humans. These fats are sprayed directly onto extruded kibbles and pellets to make an otherwise bland or distasteful product palatable. Test the food by running it through your hand and feel for any residual grease.

Poultry Fat - A by-product of meat processing. The origin of the contributing animals is never known; the source can be any fowl (turkey, chicken, geese, buzzard, etc.) and the resulting oil is very low in linoleic acid -- an essential fatty acid that is important for skin and coat health.

Animal Digest - a material which results from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and undecomposed animal tissue. Animal digest is a palatability enhancer, which can contain unpredictable parts from animals of unknown origin.

Sweeteners (corn syrup, sugar, cane mallases, sucrose, ammoniated glycyrrhizin) are used to improve unappealing food. Do you know of dogs suffering from obesity, bad teeth and breath, out of control blood sugar, diabetes, mood swings? Sugar affects dogs in the same way if affects human beings and has no place in the diet of a dog you love.

Propylene glycol - a toxic substance when consumed in large amounts; added to some "chewy" foods to keep them moist.

Food fragments - Fragments are lower-cost by-products of another food manufacturing process such as wheat flour, and rice flour. Most foods contain at least one fragment as makers attempt to keep the food affordable. Beware of a product that contains several frag ments of a single food. Some food makers do this to disguise an excess of a low-value ingredient. Remember, the law dictates that each ingredient is listed separately by weight. So when you see a list of ingredients that begins "lamb, rice flour, rice bran, brewer's rice. . ." you should be aware that there is far more rice in the product than lamb. Flour is a cheap filler

Pentobarbital - from tainted meat sources. This chemical used in euthanizing animals.

Foods to Consider

* Innova Evo - High quality protein compatible with a raw diet
* Innova Regular - High quality protein with vegetables, fruit and whole grain
* Canidae
* Eagle Pack Holistic Select
* Flint River Ranch
* Hund-N-Flocken
* Natural Balance Ultra Premium
* Wellness
* Wysong Maintenance
* Royal Canin
* Nature's Variety

Foods to Avoid

* Purina - Any variety
* Alpo - Any variety
* Science Diet - Any variety
* Abady Stress & Maintenance Formula
* APD Lamb Meal & Rice
* Beneful (Nestle Purina Petcare)
* Bil-Jac
* Breeded's Choice Avo-Derm
* Cornucopia Super Life
* Diamond's Premium Adult
* Dr. Ballard's Growth & Performance
* Eagle Pack Natural Formula
* Eukanuba Adult Maintenance
* Iams Maintenance Adult
* Kibbles 'N Bits
* Natural Life Adult Formula
* Nature's Best (Hill's Science Diet)
* Nature's Recipe Maintenance Lamb & Rice
* Nutro Premium Nutrition (Iams Company)
* Pedigree Prime
* Perfect Health Diet G&M Formula
* Precise Foundation Formula
* Purina One
* Science Diet Maintenance
* Sensible Choice Lamb & Rice (Royal Canin)
* Waltham Lamb Meal & Rice

Labs are the most popular - 15 years in a row

2009-04-05T07:58:00.002+04:00

Email Below:

From: Black Labrador <admin@blacklabrador.com>
Date: Sun, Apr 5, 2009 at 1:53 AM
Subject: Lab # 1 dog in USA ( Black Labrador )
To: f1dotcom@gmail.com

Hello Labrador owners!
The Labrador does again the must popular dog is USA--that makes 15 years straight!
The American Kennell Club (AKC) breeds are listed below and ordered based on popularity. This list is based on AKC registrations for the year 2008.
1. Labrador Retriever
2. Golden Retriever
3. Yorkshire terriers
4. German shepherds
5. Beagles
6. Dachshunds
7. Boxers
8. Poodles
9. Shih Tzus
10. Miniature Schnauzer
11. Chihuahuas
12. Pug
13. Bull Dog
14. Pomeranian
15. Cocker Spaniel(American)
16. Rottweiler
17. Boston Terrier
18. Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie)
19. Maltese
20. German Shorthaired Pointer
21. Doberman Pinscher
22. Miniature Pinscher
23. Pembroke Welsh Corgi
24. Great Dane

www.blacklabrador.com

Weekend Update

2009-04-04T16:27:00.002+04:00

Yesterday, I took Zorro to Willis's house so that he can stretch his legs out a bit and run around as Willis has a huge backyard (courtesy of HM).

Zorro found a small puddle of water in the backyard and promptly plonked himself in the puddle.... In no time, he looked like a water buffalo, his entire body covered in mud. I had to give him a thorough wash to clean the mud away. Overall, he had a fun day and was dead tired by the end of the day.

Random Pics

2009-02-09T15:17:00.010+04:00

Zorro's Day Out - Sur

2009-02-09T14:59:00.003+04:00

Taking a break

At the beach on our way to Sur

New Year!

2009-02-01T14:43:00.003+04:00

The New Year has been lucky for Zorro as my mom came visiting on 9th Jan 2009 for about a month.

As he does with everyone, he welcomed her with open arms (paws) and went hyper for 30 mins when she got home. Mom though was not very confident of being able to handle a adrenaline junkie like Zorro - mainly because of his size and because his activity levels.

Zorro soon sensed that my mom would not dominate him and took it upon himself to show her who's boss. He wants to play with her 24x7, is constantly at her side asking for attention and being around her in general.

The past few weekends, I have taken mom around to show her around Muscat and Oman and being the priviledged (four legs are superior than two) one, he tagged along and had a blast during each of these trips.

Will be posting some of his mis-endeavours in the recent past.....

I am sure he will miss her more than me when she leaves the coming Thursday. Unlike me, he is happily oblivious to the fact that she will be leaving soon.

Trip to Jebel Shams

2008-12-14T16:32:00.002+04:00

During the Eid Holidays last week, we decided to go camping to Jebel Shams (the tallest peak in Oman)

On Wednesday afternoon we set off to Jebel Shams and reached by sunset. We immediately setup our tent which Zorro inspected and gave his approval. Later on, as the temperature dipped, I put on his jacket on him and this provided some respite from the cold. Even though Labs can handle sub zero temperatures, Zorro has been a dog who has been accustomed to the heat of the desert and I didnt want him to catch a cold or fever from the chill in the air. Anyway, since he didnt complain after I put on his jacket on him, I assumed that he was comfortable in it. He ate an early dinner and spent some time playing with a football that his friend Pawan brought along and later on sat by the bonfire with a stick in his mouth. He was quite content just lying down in front of the bonfire with a stick in his mouth and listening to all of us chatting. He also contributed once in a while.

We hit the sack just after midnight and I tucked him in in his crate. He slept along with me in the tent and was snoring away just a few minutes later. We woke up at 7 in the morning and after his walk, ate a gala breakfast and slept all through the trip back to Muscat. Once back in Muscat, he took a nap again in the afternoon and also went to bed early.

I am sure he is waiting to camping again soon! So am I!!

Zorro down with Diarhhea again

2008-12-14T16:28:00.002+04:00

About a fortnight after we got back from India, Zorro again fell sick with Diarhhea. I rushed him to Dr. Svetlana who said that he probably has a very sensitive stomach and his hyperactiveness is complicating his sensitivity.

We also ran a complete blood profile on him and most of the indicators were within limits with the exception of his liver. He was given a shot to give his stomach some relief and he has been advised Liv52D (Ayurvedic Tabs by Himalaya) for a couple of months.

He also has been asked to visit the vet every week to check on his progress.

Update: He has been doing good so far. Keeping my fingers crossed!!

Zorro's Trip to India

2008-12-14T16:10:00.002+04:00

When I decided to take my annual vacation in October 2008, it was decided that Zorro would be accompanying me to India.

We had some complications in his travel to India as the Quarantine Officer at New Delhi changed (the new Quarantine Officer is Dr. Vijay Kumar) and he was not willing to give us an Import Permit prior to our arrival in India inspite of providing him with all the required documentation. Thanks to Vijay (our contact in Delhi), he finally managed to convince the Doc to provide us with the Import Permit.

Getting an export permit from Muscat was a piece of cake...... I was asked to bring Zorro to the airport the night before our departure so that the vet could take a look at him and give us the certificate. The entire process took about 10 mins...

However, reserving space on the aircraft for Zorro was a problem. The flight on the 2nd of October was full and I was told that there was no way that they would be able to accomodate him. I had to postpone my ticket by a day and on 3rd Oct, we were able to take the flight (together) to New Delhi.

I noticed that Zorro had become very quiet during the days prior to our journey. He could sense that I was preparing to travel and I think he was worried deep down that I would leave him alone. The night before we were due to leave, he became very sad and was very lethargic in his movements. He spent the whole night lying down on the ground right next to my bed and moaning throughout. My efforts to tell him that he was travelling with me and that I would not leave him alone fell on "deaf" ears. In the morning, when I went to load the luggage in the car, he started barking like I have never heard him before. He stopped only when I took him downstairs and put him in his crate.

The flight to New Delhi was uneventful, but on landing in New Delhi I found that someone had scribbled "I like your Dog, Will you give it to me" on his crate. I thought to myself, "Yeah Right! You wish!!" The minute Zorro saw Curie at the airport, his joy knew no bounds. Once we reached Chandigarh, he spent an hour wagging his tail at supersonic speed and running to greet everyone including Hakuna (Mama & Papa's 13 yr old Pom). Hakuna was not very welcoming of the new arrival in the family and treated Zorro with some caution. Who wouldnt? Hakuna has been the Queen of the Apartment in Chandigarh and one fine day to find a dog twice your size demanding everyone's attention is bound to make anyone jealous.

However, both of them did manage to get along well with each other. Hakuna has a habit of running up to the main door and barking each time the door bell rang. Zorro immediately picked up on this and started giving back up to Hakuna. Hakuna would bare her teeth at Zorro at every opportunity she got and whenever she thought that none of us were looking, only to be admonished by one and all. Poor her! Zorro on the other hand would charge at her from behind, to prod her to come play with him and when she ignored him, he would peck at her back which would make her snarl at him. He used to derive great pleasure in doing this until he would get admonished by me.

Zorro also loved to interact with dogs and humans alike in India and got his yearly shots too.

He again fell sick on the day of his travel back to Muscat. The trip to New Delhi was eventful because we had to stop every 1 hour to walk him and he would try to "go" which resulted in blood stools. By God's grace, he didnt mess himself up in the flight back to Muscat. He was subdued the whole time until we reached home. He was back to his normal self in no time.

Overall, even though it was a hectic journey for Zorro, I am sure he had a blast during his trip to India and cant wait to do it again.

Zorro's First Birthday

2008-12-14T16:04:00.003+04:00

Zorro was not able to celebrate his First Birthday in the way that we would have expected because he was down sick with a bout of diarrhea.

This came as a bolt out of the blue especially because he has always been eating his regular diet of veggies with boiled chicken sprinkled with some "Royal Canin" readymade food. Also, he never ever eats anything off the ground.

So, it was more of a shock when he woke me up about 5 times on the eve of his Birthday to go down. He would sit by the main door and moan, wanting to go down.

I rushed him to the Doctor in the morning who gave him some medicine and advised that I change his diet to boiled rice and boiled chicken for a couple of days (boiled rice acts as a binding agent) and also to feed him just once a day for a couple of days (to give his tummy some rest).

Slowly, Zorro did come back to normal and got a belated Birthday Present - Lots of toys and a trip to the Aziaba beach where we played "Fetch the Frisbee" in the water.... He did have a blast albeit a delayed one.

Back after a Hiatus!

2008-11-23T16:25:00.002+04:00

My apologies for not blogging more regularly.... Its been months since I have blogged.

Got lots to tell you folks, will bring you up to speed soon.

Registered.... FINALLY!!!

2008-07-29T16:40:00.003+04:00

It is mandatory for all dogs in the Sultnate of Oman to be registered with the local Municipality. The office for registering a dog in Muscat is at the Seeb International Airport.

Zorro got registered yesterday (Finally...... after ages...... because his owner is sooooo lazy) and he is the proud owner of a Registration Card now.

Zorro's Registration Number is 3243

Bagheera the Panther.... from Jungle Book

2008-05-18T15:27:00.001+04:00

And then he rested...........

2008-05-18T15:21:00.003+04:00

Leg Grabbing

2008-05-18T15:20:00.000+04:00

Its a Bird, Its a Plane, Its..... Bugs Bunny

2008-05-18T15:16:00.003+04:00

Dog to Man -- From the Dog'smouth

2008-05-11T08:12:00.001+04:00

I am your dog, and I have a little something I'd like to whisper in your ear. I know that you humans lead busy lives. Some have to work, some have children to raise. It always seems like you are running here and there, often much too fast, often never noticing the truly grand things in life. Look down at me now, while you sit there at your computer. See the way my dark brown eyes look at yours? They are slightly cloudy now. That comes with age. The gray hairs are beginning to ring my soft muzzle.

You smile at me; I see love in your eyes. What do you see in mine? Do you see a spirit? A soul inside, who loves you as no other could in the world? A spirit that would forgive all trespasses of prior wrong doing for the just a simple moment of your time? That is all I ask. To slow down, if even for a few minutes to be with me. So many times you have been saddened by the words you read on that screen, of others of my kind, passing. Sometimes we die young and oh so quickly, sometimes so suddenly it wrenches your heart out of your throat. Sometimes, we age so slowly before your eyes that you may not even seem to know until the very end, when we look at you with grizzled muzzles and cataract clouded eyes. Still the love is always there, even when we must take that long sleep, to run free in a distant land.

I may not be here tomorrow; I may not be here next week. Someday you will shed the water from your eyes, that humans have when deep grief fills their souls, and you will be angry at yourself that you did not have just 'One more day' with me. Because I love you so, your sorrow touches my spirit and grieves me. We have NOW, together. So come, sit down here next to me on the floor, and look deep into my eyes. What do you see? If you look hard and deep enough we will talk, you and I, heart to heart. Come to me not as 'alpha' or as 'trainer' or even 'Mom or Dad', come to me as a living soul and stroke my fur and let us look deep into one another’s eyes, and talk.

I may tell you something about the fun of chasing a tennis ball, or I may tell you something profound about myself, or even life in general. You decided to have me in your life because you wanted a soul to share such things with. Someone very different from you, and here I am. I am a dog, but I am alive. I feel emotion, I feel physical senses, and I can revel in the differences of our spirits and souls. I do not think of you as a 'Dog on two feet'. I know what you are. You are human, in all your quirkiness, and I love you still.
Now come sit with me, on the floor. Enter my world, and let time slow down if only for 15 minutes. Look deep into my eyes, and whisper to my ears Speak with your heart, with your joy and I will know your true self. We may not have tomorrow, and life is oh so very short.

Love,
(on behalf of canines everywhere)

Excerpt from: I Am Your Dog -- Author Unknown

Microchipped

2008-04-15T09:23:00.003+04:00

Zorro got his KCI Registration papers along with his microchip and the same were sent to Muscat by the earliest flight.

More info regarding microchips can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microchip_implant_%28animal%29

The microchip has been inserted in Zorro during his regular health checkup at the friendly neighbourhood vet, Dr. Elke Heitz (http://www.muscat-vets.com/)

Dr. Elke gave him a clean chit of health and assured us that he was in the best of health.

Zorro's microchip # is: 356000000011146

Does Zorro like a nice bed?

2008-03-02T10:50:00.004+04:00

In my previous post, I mentioned that we bought Zorro a bed recently and he is still getting used to it. The reason why we decided to buy a mattress for Zorro to call his own is..... (see below)

P.S: Sorry about the low resolution pics.... They were taken from a mobile phone.

Zorro taking a nap with his head on the mattress.....

Watching TV.....

Mind if I lie down for a bit??

Bed

2008-03-02T10:43:00.002+04:00

We recently bought Zorro a small baby mattress so that he can rest his tired body after a long hard day's work (of eating, jumping, playing and sleeping) and placed it beside our bed.

We have started giving him treats whenever he goes to his bed and sits/lies down. He still needs to get used to his bed completely, however he likes his bed (probably because he gets treats whenever he sits or lies down on it).

We are keeping our fingers crossed and will post some pics of his once he starts using his bed regularly.

Teething...

2008-02-19T16:08:00.002+04:00

Good News & Bad News!!

Bad News..... Zorro has lost his milk teeth today (the last canine tooth fell off today while I was playing with him) and he is experiencing some pain. I guess his gums are also itching a lot, so he has started chewing on a lot of things

Good News..... Now that he has lost his milk teeth, half the battle is won. We now have to wait for a couple of months at the most and once his new teeth grow, we hope that his chewing habits will stop and all of us can breath a sigh of relief

P.S: The tooth fairy(yours truly) has a treat in store for Zorro. He will be receiving lots of goodies in a couple of days.

What does Zorro eat?

2008-02-14T09:41:00.004+04:00

Trying to find out which food is best suited for your dog / pup can be a harrowing experience for anyone, especially if they try searching on the net.
We read through numerous articles which told us atleast one of the following
- Dogs should be fed only raw meat
- Dogs should not be fed any vegetables as they do not have the capacity to digest vegetables
- Dogs should not be fed dog food as it is equivalent to feeding fertiliser
- Dogs should not be fed any food that humans eat

When we picked up Zorro from the Breeder, we were informed to feed him puppy food along with a boiled egg twice a day. We started feeding him "Royal Canin - Labrador Junior" along with a boiled egg twice a day.

Once he moved to Oman, we substituted boiled egg with shredded boiled chicken (with a pinch of turmeric.... and no salt).

Slowly, we started reducing the amount of dog food and substituted it with boiled veggies (carrot, beetroot, greens, cauliflower, and bottle gourd) mashed together into a paste.

Today, Zorro meal consists of:
- 50% portion of dog food
- 50% home cooked food - mashed veggies as mentioned above along with boiled wheat bhargoula and some rice added to the veggies
- a capsule of Cod Live Oil

Bon Appetit......

New Brand Ambassador for ?

2008-02-13T09:21:00.004+04:00

Mc Donalds - Im Loving It ?? or KFC - Lip Smacking Good ??

Send in your comments...

Sulking

2008-02-12T15:53:00.000+04:00

Who said Dogs arent expressive?
Check out Mr. Zorro sulking because he was reprimanded for being a naughty boy...

Growing Bigger and Bigger........

2008-02-12T15:04:00.000+04:00

When he joined our family..... 2 months of age

3 months and growing.....

4 months and growing....

Protection from the cold

2008-02-11T10:26:00.000+04:00

Winter was just setting in when we got Zorro and we were very worried that he would not be able to handle the cold and so we got him a jacket to keep him warm. But I guess he liked the cold floor better and he would ignore the "bed" we made for him and would prefer to sleep on the bare cold floor.

It took some time before he started sleeping on the makeshift bed that we bought for him.

How to transport a Dog to Oman

2008-02-11T10:12:00.000+04:00

Let me share with you the steps involved in bringing a dog from India to Oman

The Ministry of Fisheries & Agriculture located in Al-Khuwair issues permits to import dogs and cats into the Sultanate of Oman.
The pre-requisites are:
1. The pet should be atleast 4 months old
2. All vaccines should have been administered as per schedule
3. For dogs, the rabies vaccine should have been administered atleast 30 days prior to and less than 365 days of bringing the dog into Oman

You need to obtain a "Permit" before you can bring your dog into Oman.
You need the following documents for obtaining a Permit
a) The Health Record of the Dog showing the dates of administration of each of the vaccines
b) A certificate of health from a certified Vet for the pup

After you have received the Permit from the Ministry, you should carry the same along with documents a & b and apply for a "Health Certificate" from the Quarantine Officer in India.

You need to carry the following documents with you or they should accompany the dog while it is travelling from India to Oman
1. Document a mentioned above in original
2. Document b mentioned above in original
3. Permit from the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries in original
4. Certificate of Health from the respective Quarantine Officer in original

In order to book your dog on a flight to Oman, you need to put the dog in a crate (usually available at most pet shops) and you need to inform the airline in advance that you would be carrying "live cargo" along with you.

Check in atleast one hour early on the day of the flight to ensure that all paperwork is completed in time.

Do not feed the pup prior to the flight, and make sure that you walk the dog before checking in.

A special cargo hold is usually arranged for the pet. This cargo hold will pressurised and temperature controlled to ensure that the pet travels safely and in relative comfort.

Once you land at Oman, after you clear customs, the Quarantine Officer at the airport will check all the papers and will issue a "Clearance" for the dog to enter Oman.

It is advisable that you get your dog registered in Oman. This is done by the Quarantine Officer in Muscat International Airport. Please carry two color photographs of the dog to get it registered. It takes about a week to get the license tab for the dog.

The Master Enters

2008-02-11T09:38:00.001+04:00

It was on a cold Nov morning in New Delhi, India when we set out for Meerut, India to pick up our first pet after marriage.
Both my wife and me have grown up with dogs, so it was a natural choice to pick up a dog as a pet.

The first decision that we had to make was to choose the breed that we would go in for.
After short listing loads of breeds based on temperament, behaviour, maintainability and other factors, we zeroed in on a "Labrador Retriever" for the following reasons
1. Excellent Temperament
2. Lesser Shedding compared to other breeds
3. Very good with kids and babies - this was the most important part as we are planning a baby in the near future.
The second dillema was to choose the color....... We zeroed down in on Black and then decided to go in for a male pup.

The prices of pedigree pups are sky-rocketing in India, but that did not deter us from wanting to pick up a Pedigree pup as picking up a dog of mixed pedigree would alter the temperament of the dog.

After numerous searches online, communications via mail & telephone, we finally found that a breeder in Meerut did have a Black Lab male pup for sale through a breeder relative. After checking the lineage and the pedigree, we picked him and he became our Wedding Anniversary gift.
It was love at first sight for both of us........ Check out the picture above to find out why......