BarkSpot, another website for which I am a contributor, just published my listicle:

The Four Best Books for Every Dog Person

There are so many books written about how to have the perfect puppy, but what about how to be the perfect person for your dog? Here are THE four consummate books to help you become the perfect human for the dog you love.

Animals In Translation by Temple Grandin

The study of autism spectrum disorder is ongoing, as evidenced by new research in March 2023. Many dogs and other animals share similarities with autistic people.

Animal facilities worldwide are improved due to the work of Temple Grandin, who is a person with autism, in reforming the quality of life and humaneness of death for animals that Americans eat.

Grandin has redefined society's perception of what is possible for autistics and, by extension, for dogs. She argues that language is not a requirement for consciousness and that autism is a depot on the road from animals to humans.

She explains how dogs use emotions, even to predict the future.

Animals In Translation is so different from every other dog book ever written because of Grandin's unique perspective as a person with autism. She holds a Ph.D. in animal science from the University of Illinois and has dedicated her life to studying animals.

For anyone sharing their life with a dog, this is must-read material for understanding how animals learn and respond to teaching.

Before and After Getting Your Puppy, The Positive Approach to Raising a Happy, Healthy and Well-Behaved Dog by Dr. Ian Dunbar

If there were only one book for every dog owner to own, this is it. It's one of those volumes you return to time and again as a great reference source.

Every time a new dog is adopted into the family over the years, out comes Before and After Getting Your Puppy for a refresher on the best way to acclimate a new dog into your home.

Covering topics from error-free potty training (yes, it can be done), to crate training and socialization, this book hits all the must-have topics necessary when you adopt a new dog. Dr. Ian Dunbar is a foremost authority on puppy socialization and teaches how to create bite inhibition that saves dogs' lives.

Using all positive-based reward luring and teaching, this book describes in succinct and easy-to-follow detail how to teach your puppy or adult dog all the basic life skills necessary for a dog that shares their life with humans.

Chaser, Unlocking the Genius of the Dog Who Knows a Thousand Words by Dr. John W. Pilley, Jr.

Based on peer-reviewed scholarly research done by Dr. John Pilley and his border collie Chaser at Wofford College, this book revolutionizes how dogs learn new behaviors. Pilley's groundbreaking research in canine cognition gives us empirical confirmation that dogs are not only as smart as their owners have always believed them to be, but are capable of much more.

Pilley's dog teaching methods are based on play and positively rewarding your dog's training by playing games with your dog.

Chaser has the largest tested vocabulary of any animal in the world, but this book argues that all dogs can learn just as much with the right teaching methods. Chaser's research shows that dogs are much smarter than they have previously been given credit for by scientists.

In his book about Chaser the border collie, Pilley gives hope and healing for anyone suffering loss. He says, "The relatively short life spans of our pets cause us a lot of grief, but they also ground us in a natural life cycle of life and death, and, if we accept it, renewal. The spirit of our relationship with one pet lives on in and shapes the spirit of our relationship with another pet, even years later."

Chaser is an excellent resource on how to unlock the genius of your own dog.

This article's author's copy and Chaser's beloved "Blue" toy signed by Dr. Pilley

The Other End of The Leash, Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs by Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D.

You are likely to never be the same again after reading this life-changing book. Insightful, fascinating, and captivating, this book connects you and your dog like never before.

This book teaches you how to teach your own dog in a way that your dog understands from their perspective.

McConnell tells you how to communicate less like the primate you are and more like a dog. This book is all about using teaching methods that uplift your relationship with your dog rather than harming it.

The Other End of The Leash describes that often intangible idea of why we love our dogs so much yet we often are at odds on the best way to teach them what we want them to know.

Adult primates (aka dog owners!) and dogs both love to play, but we express affection and intention in vastly different ways. Using easily understandable science-based research, McConnell offers a whole new angle on the human-dog connection.

Follow AnimalAccolades for more information about fun ways to learn from dogs. 

*Please note, in their version of this article some sentences were changed by BarkSpot's editors after I completed my writing and submitted it.*

Another website for which I write, BarkSpot, just published my editorial article:

Geriatric Years Done Right: How I've Gotten Multiple Dogs to Live Healthy, Active Lives Past 16 Years

Key Points

• Facing an incurable illness causes reflection on what to do better to increase our dog's life span.

• Healthspan is not just the length of time that someone is alive but also healthy.

• A fresh, minimally processed diet combined with controlled weight and more movement often leads to a longer healthspan for dogs.

• This editorial provides additional pearls that are successful in providing healthy longevity to multiple dogs.

There has been a time in the recent past I have been desperate to keep a beloved dog that has been diagnosed with a terminal disease alive and healthy. You may relate to that horrible feeling of desperation and helplessness in the face of the impending doom of an incurable illness.

Sharing our lives with pets inevitably includes loss. What if there were a way, a formula even, to help our dogs live as long as possible while being healthy and active?

I'll share what is working and has previously worked for me in the pursuit of long-lived, mobile, and healthy dogs past 16 years of age.

As reported by the University of Adelaide Newsroom in May 2023, cancer is the leading cause of death among dogs. Obesity is a close second followed by organ malfunction, autoimmune disease, and diabetes. What then is the magical panacea to providing dogs with long life?

Unfortunately, there is none. If there were, it would surely include a fresh, whole-food, minimally processed diet combined with controlled weight and more movement more often.

There are a few additional pearls to share that I offer my dogs regularly that I believe aid their ability to live full enjoyable lifetimes.

Healthspan

We all want our dogs to live long, but also healthy, lives. The length of time someone is healthy -- not just alive -- is their "healthspan."

The first step in the formula to increase healthspan for our dogs is a fresh, minimally or non-processed diet. I feed my dogs a gently processed raw diet that includes ground raw bones and eggshells, reliably-sourced human food-grade meat, green tripe, and seafood including green-lipped mussels and organic kelp.

Their daily meals are topped with pumpkin for antioxidants and to aid digestion, a rotation of raw mushroom varieties known to decrease cancer risk and stimulate a healthy gut microbiome, fresh blueberries to fight the effects of oxidative stress, wild salmon oil to support eye and brain health and fight inflammation, and ground turmeric for decreasing joint pain and its anti-inflammatory properties.

With every meal I also provide a commercially prepared supplement that includes collagen, glucosamine, methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), omega 3 fatty acids, fructo- and mannan-oligosaccharides, yeast, chondroitin, yucca extract, devil's claw extract, pancrelipase, vitamins C and E, hyaluronic acid, resveratrol, biotin, and two different strains of probiotics.

A very wise veterinarian friend once told me the best thing to do for your old dog is to take great care of them while they're young. Starting joint supplementation early in life prevents and repairs nano-tears and tiny breakdowns that occur in active dogs, even when (maybe especially when) they are still young and rambunctious.

Staying Active

Staying active in the golden years is vital, and it begins while your dog is still young. One of the very best activities for your dog is regular and frequent "sniffaris."

A sniffari is a walk where you allow your dog to follow their nose wherever they choose, letting them sniff as much as possible in different environments. The sniffari allows your dog's nose to lead them where they want to go.

There are so many forms of exercising and playing together with dogs, the choices are almost limitless. If I had to choose just one best way to exercise my dog, the glorious sniffari is it.

Exercise is critical in maintaining brain function. As with humans, exercising helps dogs think, learn, problem-solve, and enjoy emotional balance. Adequate exercise reduces insulin resistance and inflammation.

When it is safe to do so, allowing regular freedom to explore off-leash without constraints is, I believe, a minimum requirement for a happy and well-lived life for my dog. I don't mean a dog park or backyard, but true freedom where your dog expresses their natural behavior.

I realize this requires a mountain of preparation and education for the dog and their person. Allowing my geriatric dogs a choice about how they use their own mind and muscles out in the greater world has been life-changing.

Controlled Weight

Low body weight is a definite predictor of healthspan. Veterinarian researchers led by Dr. Johanna Christina Penell. found that "even rather late-life control efforts on body weight influence survival in dogs." They discovered that controlling weight, even later in a dog's life, promotes an increased healthspan.

Ideal body condition for my dogs is when their ribs are easily palpable with minimal fat covering, their waist is easily seen when viewed from above, and their abdominal tuck is visible from the side. Low levels of exercise are associated with increased obesity, and obesity leads to cancer and instantaneous risk of death in dogs.

It's that simple. Controlling our dog's weight reduces their risk for morbidity and disease, leading to greater healthspan.

Pearls

Surely there must be something else? While each dog is an individual, here are a few pearls I've discovered to improve the lives of my geriatric dogs.

Access to fresh water at all times. Water is vital for regulating a dog's body temperature, digestion, and hydration. The bowl they drink from and when the water was last changed matters, especially to our senior citizens.

American-made stainless steel dog bowls are the best dish for your dog because they resist bacterial growth. I water my dogs from non-porous ceramic bowls but I wash each bowl daily so there is never a buildup of bacteria.

Keeping their nails trimmed very short -- almost back to the quick -- is crucial for older dogs. Nails that are too long change a dog's gait which damages their musculoskeletal system. Clipped nails prevent excessive force on the foot and leg that leads to arthritis and pain.

I teach my dogs early in our relationship to consent to nail clipping for a lifetime of healthy posture and comfortable ambulation.

Groom well and often. Brushing your elderly dog is a wonderful activity to share. Regular grooming sessions are great opportunities to keep up with or discover any progressive changes in a geriatric dog's body.

Maintaining your dog's coat and cleanliness is a basic way to care for your dog. It is also a sweet way to spend time together as your older dog gradually retires from sports or other high-volume activities.

When It's Time to Say Goodbye

Even when luck is on our side and life has been good, eventually we have to say goodbye to our beloved friend. It is a final gift to give our dog a gentle and graceful end when the hard decision of euthanasia must be made.

This is a deeply personal moment, but a guideline I follow is better two weeks early than 10 minutes too late. We have the gift of choice for them to prevent suffering and end their pain.

There were incredibly special moments I shared with my treasured border collie Prissy, who lived into her 16th year, during her hospice care. There were instants in time so tender and intimate during the final days of her life that I cherish.

If you have the heartbreaking privilege of giving palliative care to your precious dog, I gently propose you stay present with them each moment. These are some of the dearest tempos, and when you look back on these memories with pain there is also joy in knowing the gift you shared with a very good dog.

Prissy, the author's border collie

The pain of losing a best friend feels unbearable. What comforted me is talking out my loss in a stream of consciousness with a trusted friend. It also helped to journal out my feelings, just letting flow all the memories and feelings as they came.

If you need the assistance of a caring, non-judgmental person, Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine has a pet loss support hotline at 508-839-7966.

The Gift of a Lucky Dog

My merry and beloved little red spaniel has been at my side for 15 years. I adopted Rosco as a fully grown adult dog from the wonderful folks at the Cocker Spaniel Rescue of East Texas. There is no denying an element of luck is on my side, but I believe in stacking the cards in my favor. I'm grateful to be able to offer Rosco the benefit of all I've learned from the dogs that have gone before him.

Rosco stays slim on a specially prepared diet with lots of raw, fresh food toppers. He has been on a joint and health supplement for years.

Though he retired some years ago from assisting me all day at the horse farm, to the extent possible I give him the freedom to wander and sniff in as many different environments as we can find. I keep him well-groomed and his nails trimmed.

Other than monthly parasite control, he is not taking any medication. He sees his veterinarian on a regular, every-sixth-month schedule and I follow the veterinarian's advice about vaccines and other veterinary necessities.

Rosco is a strong swimmer and loves to retrieve his ball from the water. Rosco is thriving, active, and boisterous, and I aim to keep it that way for as long as I possibly can.

Rosco, the author's spaniel

Consider replacing some of your dog's kibble with fresh, whole food. Try going for a sniffari with your best buddy. Feel your dog's ribs to see if they're easy to find. Enjoy a regular grooming session together.

No matter what, know that your dog loves you.

Further Reading

There is a vast array of studies directly linking diet to preventing disease and providing a longer healthspan. One of the best resources that reveals the relationship between diet and disease is The China Study.

Based on collaborative research between Cornell University, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Oxford University, and other scientists, this comprehensive resource is written by T. Colin Campbell and his son, Thomas M. Campbell II.

For a more dog-specific look into the effects of chronic disease due to diet, I highly recommend The Forever Dog written by Karen Shaw Becker and Rodney Habib. This book highlights medical breakthroughs that lead to longer healthspans for dogs.

The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University faculty produced the book Good Old Dog edited by Dr. Nicholas Dodman. Their empathetic and cutting-edge science approach to caring for aging dogs is this essential-advice book.

Follow AnimalAccolades for more about happy, healthy dogs.

Barkspot, a website for which I write, published my article Ziwi Peak Raw Alternative Gently Processed Dog Food. 

Ziwi Peak Raw Alternative Gently Processed Dog Food

Pearls:

• Feeding a whole, minimally processed diet is important to maintain a dog's longevity and health span.
• Raw diets are often messy and always require refrigeration, making them a difficult choice when traveling or convenience is a high priority.
• Here is a personal review of how Ziwi Peak Original Series Dog Food, a fresh, gently air-dried alternative to feeding a raw diet, supports a wide range of needs.

Ziwi Peak is a minimally processed, mess-free raw food alternative that travels easily without requiring refrigeration or freezing and offers the absolute highest level of nutrition for my dogs. Because I have multiple dogs with a full training schedule and traveling to agility and rally trials, I need a premium dog food that provides the best possible health advantage for my dogs and travels well.

Ziwi Peak premium dog food allows me the flexibility to feed very different ages and activity levels. My geriatric, semi-retired rally dog with heart disease is thriving on the complete and balanced heart-healthy nutrition Ziwi Peak offers. At the other end of the spectrum, my young, high-drive agility competitor border collie's demanding nutritional and energy needs are being met with the same nutrient-dense Ziwi Peak diet.

Fresh, Minimally Processed Diet

There are many reasons why fresh, minimally processed whole foods are beneficial to our dog's health. Feeding natural, gently processed ingredients prevents sickness and chronic disease. Raw, homemade diets are a great way to provide these health benefits to your dog. In certain situations, it is difficult or impossible to provide home-prepared meals, and I want the convenience of shelf-stable food.

Raw meat requires constant refrigeration and is cumbersome and messy. Ziwi Peak offers the optimum nutrition of a raw diet with the convenience of dry food at home and while traveling. Because Ziwi Peak is nutrient-dense, I feed less of it compared to traditional kibble. My agility dog is a very finicky eater, and she loves the taste and texture of Ziwi Peak.

Ziwi Peak's stated freedom principles are of particular personal value to me. The company takes animal well-being seriously and follows ethical guidelines in producing their food. This means they provide their farmed animals: freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain, injury, or disease, freedom to express natural behavior, and freedom from fear and distress.

What's So Great About Whole, Minimally Processed Food?

According to researchers Dr. Brian Davis and Dr. Elain Ostrander, "Cancer is the leading cause of death" in older dogs. Obesity comes second, followed by organ degeneration, autoimmune disease, and diabetes right behind. In the past, I personally have been desperate for ideas to keep my dog, who was diagnosed with a terminal disease, alive and healthy for as long as possible. 

Unfortunately, there is no magical panacea to keep all dogs healthy for 20 or more years. But if there were, it would most certainly be a fresh, whole-food, minimally processed diet combined with controlled weight and more movement more often.

Just making a small change in their diet makes a difference for our dogs. As reported in May 2023 by NPR Shots health news, humans also share the risks of eating ultra-processed food. Replacing even ten percent of their kibble with whole-food, low-processed toppers like Ziwi Peak on top of their daily meals improves your dog's health.

So What's In There?

Providing a fresh, minimally processed diet is pivotal in delaying aging and keeping our beloved dogs healthy and free of complications from diseases. Certain foods are nutritionally dense and contain antioxidants and beneficial vitamins and minerals, the so-called superfoods. 

Ziwi Peak includes superfood ingredients to support brain, skin, and coat health, like green-lipped mussels, organic kelp that helps regulate thyroid function with trace vitamins and minerals, and green tripe that is a highly palatable source of probiotics and fatty acids that help sensitive stomachs and supports healthy digestion. Taurine supports brain and heart health, both important to me for my active sport dogs and to reduce the effects of aging.

There are several recipes to choose including chicken, beef, venison, and tripe. My dogs' favorite is the lamb recipe, and I like it because of the healthy ingredients it contains, like lamb tripe that assists a healthy gut microbiome, lamb heart that is good for my dog's heart condition, lamb cartilage that supports joints and tissue of my sport dogs and eases the aging process of my geriatric dog, and New Zealand green mussels that provides excellent maintenance for joint wellness for all ages of dogs. 

How Much Do Dogs Eat?

Because Ziwi Peak is a high-grade food I give my active sport border collies each one-half cup twice per day. It is a healthy, nutrient-dense food that is slowly air-dried so the nutritional integrity of the ingredients is maintained. This means you feed less than traditional types of food like kibble.

Both my active border collies stay in optimum shape on one cup each total per day of Ziwi Peak lamb recipe. Including using it for training treats (and we do a great amount of training), an 8.8-pound bag of Ziwi Peak lasts both my border collies for about one month.

To support the health benefits of feeding fresher, less processed Ziwi Peak, I rotate whole food toppers, including fresh blueberries, a rotating variety of raw mushrooms, canned pumpkin, a dash or two of ground turmeric, wild salmon oil, and a multi-functioning joint and probiotic supplement.

Adding Ziwi Peak as a food topper is a great way to provide a healthy boost to your dog's regular diet. The convenient size and cohesive, non-crumbling texture make it a perfect training treat. I use Ziwi Peak every day to reinforce the behaviors I want while providing a healthy snack and preventing weight gain.

Any Drawbacks?

Ziwi Peak is admittedly one of the more expensive commercially prepared diets available. Fresh, high-quality ingredients simply cost more to use and produce than junk food fillers and poor-quality pet food-grade ingredients. The good news is that since Ziwi Peak is nutrient-dense you are able to offer less or even use it as a topper to replace a small amount of your dog's regular kibble.

Because of his heart condition, I need to feed my older border collie a controlled sodium diet. In order to provide the right sodium range, our veterinarian cardiologist wants to know how many milligrams (mg) of sodium per 100 kilocalories (kcal) or any diet I feed my dog.

This sodium level is typically not listed on any dog food labels, so I wrote to the Ziwi Peak company to as them to provide these values. Their air-dried tripe and lamb recipe for dogs contains 120.6 mg of sodium per 100 kcal.

According to my dog's cardiologist veterinarian, you should restrict a dog in early heart failure to less than 80 mg per 100 kcal or sodium, whereas advanced heart failure should have severely restricted sodium of less than 50 mg per 100 kcal. 

If my dog goes into heart failure or when he nears the advanced stages of heart disease, I must take him off Ziwi Peak and go back to a homemade raw diet. For now, the sodium level of Ziwi Peak is sufficient, but it would be great if the company offered a lower sodium option.

Benefits and Convenience

Access to a shelf-stable, air-dried raw food diet that travels easily without refrigeration is important to me. The convenience of clean, scoopable food that provides the highest possible nutritional quality is a must-have for my very different but extremely active sport dogs.

Making homemade food with raw or gently-cooked ingredients is a good option for many dogs. If, like me, you prefer the convenience of a commercially prepared diet that still provides all the benefits of feeding meat, organs, seafood, and bone without the mess, Ziwi Peak air-dried food is a great option.

Because of its chewy, high-moisture content, Ziwi Peak makes a great training reward. Using it as a food topper to replace some of your dog's current diet is a great way to provide the benefits of a whole foods diet or entice picky eaters to want to eat their food. Ziwi Peak provides a feeding calculator, and for my dogs, it takes much less per day than what they recommended by the Ziwi Peak guide.

While you have to pay up for high-grade ingredients and gentle processing, there is value in feeding less of this nutrient-intense diet. The sodium content of 120 mg per 100 kcal is on the high side of acceptable for healthy dogs and is not the best choice for dogs with advanced heart disease. I wish the company put less sodium into their otherwise stellar product.

Ziwi Peak air-dried dog food is a good alternative to feeding a raw diet. It is gently prepared to lock in the nutrients of superfood ingredients. It has an enticing texture and smell to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. Ziwi Peak's complete and balanced nutrition supports all life stages, including young agility competitors to geriatric pups with specific nutritional needs.

Follow AnimalAccolades for more positive reinforcement, cognition, and dog accolades.