Canned or Dry Dog Food? What to feed your dogs

I get asked a lot on what kind of food I give to my dogs. My answer varies depending on which dog I have on mind at that particular time. You see, not all my dogs eat the same kind of food due to various reasons, including allergy and difficulty in digesting. I had to observe my dogs everytime I introduce new food or doggie snack. I remember starting them out with cooked food - mix of rice, water, and minced meat. It was a good combination but there was little nutrition and the preparation is taking so much of my time. So, I switched to the canned dog food which the dogs love but it was getting pretty expensive and I found out about the dangers of feeding too much processed canned food. I have to emphasize here that not all canned dog food are bad, you just have to find the one that gives nutritional value to your dog. After the short stint with canned dog food, I switched to Dry Food. There are those that are being sold in supermarkets and those sold exclusively in specialty store. It turns out this is the best match for my dogs, albeit two of my dogs are on different diet plan.

I am rather partial to the dry food sold in pet shops because they have a more balanced mix of ingredients. This means that every batch has uniform content, which ensures that the nutritional value is not lost. Unlike in the commercial version, where there is a big possibility that the mix of ingredients can be erratic since makers only make use of the available raw materials at a particular time. In that aspect, the nutritional intake can fluctuate. Those sold in pet shops and specialty shops can be a little more expensive but it can be worth it.

My dogs are on dry food diet, but they also get home-cooked meals once a week. It's a treat that they look forward to each week.

Training Toby, the hyperactive mixed breed

Our dog Toby can be classified as a mixed breed as his mother is a golden retriever and the father is of an unknown heritage. Knowing that he is part retriever is a big help since we can determine the characteristics that may become apparent as he grows up. True enough, he has acquired the playfulness and the seemingly tireless nature of a retriever, to the detriment of his regular handler. Since he is always in overdrive, training was a little slow because he gets easily distracted by just about anything. The only thing that calms him down is when he gets thirsty. It took a while for him to learn the command "sit" because he just won't stay put. His handler found a way to make him obey by using dog biscuits. This is perhaps unconventional but it did work for Toby. When the handler raises the biscuit, he sits and behaves. Of course, it was only done in the first few attempts because we didn't want Toby to think that he will get food everytime he sits.

Many people might not approve of the method because the dog would think that he will be rewarded for a simple command as "sit". The thing to consider here is that each dog has certain traits that conventional methods may have to be tweaked a bit to cater to the needs of a particular dog. In short, it's a case to case basis. One method may work for some dogs but it might not work for others. It gets a little tricky with mixed breeds, but it certainly is not impossible to train them.

We all know how helpful these dog training methods are, but if you feel that you can handle the training by experimenting on various methods, by all means, do so. It's a great way to bond with your dogs.

Even a broken camera can capture Dog love

It's nearly end of the road for my trusted Canon Ixus. It still works fine in macro settings but for normal point and shoot moments, it no longer works as intended. Horizontal lines appear in the photo and I've tried all possible manual settings combination to address the issue, to no avail. The cost of the repair might be on the high side so getting a new one is the most viable option at this point. What's interesting though is that a half-broken camera was still able to capture this:

The camera is set in sepia with no flash. They do get along pretty well in this picture. Feeding time can be a totally different scenario. The mongrel on the left is Cha-cha and the mixed breed on the right is Fudgee. They live in the Happy Mongrels shelter (aka, our home).

Raw Food Diet for Mixed Breeds

I am in the middle of doing research on dog food. One thing that caught my eye is feeding dogs with raw meat. This is nothing new because many dog owners have been doing this practice for the longest time. Being a trained chef and all, I'd rather cook food for my dogs; however, I'm all for giving my dogs the daily nutritional requirement. Based on my research so far, raw food is far better than commercial dog food because the latter has so many suspicious ingredients that can be harmful to dogs. What's more, since raw food already contains vitamins and minerals, there is little need for supplements. In the long run, this will not only be very beneficial to the dog, it will also be cheaper across the board.

If you are keen on subjecting your mixed breed on raw food diet, you might want to try the GoingRawr Dog Compendium. It has everything you need to know about raw food diet for dogs -whether purebred or mixed breed. I will be trying this raw food diet next week on my dog Almond. He is a bit sickly and the vet suggested a different diet which was in line with the raw food diet. I was a little concerned at first but I think this can be beneficial to my dog given that he will be consuming food that has no preservatives. The way I see it, he's not too keen on the brand we are using right now. Perhaps it would be a good move to switch him to raw food diet as early as now. Of course, I will have more updates on how he is getting on with the new diet. I bet he'll be one happy mongrel next week.

A Cat in Happy Mongrels Kingdom

We don't know who owns this cat and we have no idea why it keeps paying us a visit knowing full well that the house of Happy Mongrels is a dog country. I, for one, am not a cat person and if I were a cat I would wise up and avoid my house because it is far too dangerous for a cat to be roaming around a place known to have dogs. While our dogs are nice, we can't assure that a cat will come out unscathe. We have one dog that becomes highly excitable at the sight of a cat so we are glad that he didn't see this cat.

Since we are generally animal lovers, we prepared food for this cat, who seemed to love it so much. I guess we'll have a regular visitor from now on...

Mixed Breed Dog Temperament

Dog temperament is one of the primary characteristics to consider when looking for a pet. Sometimes, would-be owners tend to overlook this important aspect because they fall in love with the appearance of the dog right there and then. It should not be much of a problem for purebreds because their apparent characteristics are already known. With mixed breed dogs, it can be a little tricky. This is because at first look, it might be quite difficult to determine the heritage of the mixed breed dog. While some mixed breeds possess the prominent features of one parent, it's hard to tell if it would also show the characteristic of that parent.

There's a little bit of guesswork and a whole lot of spending time with the dog. The getting to know stage is rather tricky but there will be signs if the mixed breed dog has the tendency to become aggressive, moody, or overly shy. Clearly, if you have kids, temperament of the dog should be considered and be treated with utmost importance.

Mild-mannered dogs such as Collies, Labradors, and Golden Retrievers, among others, are favorite pets. It would appear that their offspring would possess the same temperament, however, not knowing the other half of the mix can lead to wrong conclusions. That's why dog training becomes important in situations like this. It would put an end to behavioral problems that some overly aggressive mixed breed dogs exhibit.

We have a handful of mongrels in our stead and back when they were just puppies, some showed extreme mood changes and they were difficult to handle. Dog obedience training was a real pain for us back then but with a little help, we were able to train them to obey. The overly aggressive dog we have (Borgy) has become such a sweetheart and the kids don't fear him anymore. Of course, it's an on-going process with the other dogs we take care.

Underdog mixed breeds are made of awesome!

Thought I'd share this video just because I like Underdog and mongrels are usually the underdogs when it comes to the order of the dog universe. Let's face it, mixed breeds and mongrels are not on top of the list of pets to own. But that doesn't worry me one bit because I know that there are people who think that mixed breeds are great pets. And as I keep saying: Mixed breeds are made of Awesome!

I wasn't born yet when Underdog made its first appearance in 1964, but since I love cartoons, it was easy to find Underdog amidst the over abundance of cartoon shows through the years. For some reason, it reminds me so much of Danger Mouse, even though the latter came almost 2 decades later.

Enjoy the cartoon!

The downside of owning a Mixed Breed (Mongrel)

I have been harping about the advantages of owning a mixed breed (or mongrel) but that doesn't mean it's all bed of roses. There will always be some disadvantages especially if you end up with a dog that does not fully mesh with the family. It happens in some cases but owners and their families can usually meet halfway to make the relationship work.

Perhaps the main reason why a lot of would-be dog owners are put off by mixed breeds is the unknown heritage of the dogs. There are those with apparent features from a certain breed, but it still does not guarantee that the dogs will act or behave in the same manner. As such, taking care of the mongrels will be a hit and miss or trial by error. The thing to remember is you can make it work with understanding and a whole lot of patience.

The Downside

1. Unlike purebreds, mongrels or mixed breeds do not readily show their true nature; that is, it's very difficult for the owners to determine their size, color, coat type, characteristics, and temperament, among others.
2. While it's very easy to acquire mixed breeds because they are cheaper, the maintenance cost will more or less be the same with that of purebreds. Let's face it, regardless of breed, dogs need to undergo regular check ups, eat nutritious food, take a bath, and get enough exercise. The efforts and costs will be the same, so others would prefer a purebred instead of some mongrel with questionable heritage.
3. Mixed breeds are a little more tough to train for certain functions. This can be true in certain cases. As it's difficult to predict the behavior pattern and characteristics of a mixed breed (since we don't know which of the traits of the parents will become more apparent), training the dogs for specific can be a little tricky. Unlike purebreds, mixed breeds are not bred with a specific function in mind.
4. Given the uncertainty surrounding the heritage of the mongrel, the physical defects or medical conditions may only become apparent later on in life. They can potentially inherit the diseases that their parents have (or may be more susceptible to getting such diseases).

The point of this article is that mixed breeds are not for everyone, but it doesn't mean that they should be completely ignored. It's important to weigh the pros and cons of owning a mixed breed. The decision will primarily depend on the function you want the dog to fulfill as part of the family. Those who do not like mixed breeds may be looking at the extreme and rare cases wherein mongrels are depicted as a bane to society. In general, mixed breeds can be great pets, it just takes a little more effort to train them.

Why Mixed Breeds? Why Not?

I personally do not have anything against purebreds. I think they look great and they are fantastic pets. Kids love them, adults adore them, and celebrities treat them like royalty. I can't overemphasize the fact that it's all about preference. The only problem is that preference is highly influenced by so many factors, including that dog stereotyping I was ranting about. With so many mixed breed dogs left in the shelter, it would be nice to find new homes for them. However, would-be owners are hesitant to bring home dogs of unknown origin just because somebody told them that mixed breeds are temperamental, violent, and prone to sickness, among other preconceived notions.

With such notions, it really is difficult to see mixed breeds in a positive light. My job at this point is to show the good side of mixed breeds and mongrels. Yes, there are advantages to owning one; it's just that not many people are aware of these good stuff.

Advantages:

1. Mixed breed dogs are cheap. This is a no-brainer. If you intend to buy one from a shelter, expect to pay between $80 and $100 or even less. In most cases, the fee already includes vaccination and general physical check up. Sometimes, you can get dogs for free, just ask your friendly neighborhood dog lovers and they might be able to hook you up with a puppy.
   
2. Mixed breed dogs can do what purebreds can. Mixed breed dogs can get involved in so many activities, both competitive and non-competitive. They can be entered in purebred-dominated competitions. There really is no restriction to what activities mixed breeds can do. Of course, some kennel clubs would prohibit mixed breeds from joining certain events, but with good reasons.
3. Mixed breed dogs are highly trainable. Contrary to popular belief, mixed breeds can be trained without much problem. You can enroll them in dog training schools or dog obedience school. You can also easily train them by yourself.
4. Mixed breed dogs can be good search and rescue dogs. On top of this, they can become therapy dogs for patients undergoing medical treatments. They are very versatile and can fulfil several functions.
5. Mixed breed dogs are not as high maintenance as purebreds. Acquiring them is cheap. That's a given. Let's face it, regardless of breed, the dogs have to undergo regular check ups with the vet. In that aspect, the cost of maintenance for mixed breeds and purebreds would be the same. However, mixed breed owners are not pressured, nor are they inclined to subject their dogs to fashionable accessories or pet luxuries that purebreds are accustomed to. So overall, the cost will be significantly lower.

These are the main advantages of owning mixed breed dogs. We at Happy Mongrels hope that more people are educated about mixed breeds and mongrels. They are made of awesome!

Dog Stereotyping

A number of people have this belief that there is some sort of hierarchy in the dog kingdom, and we're not talking about the scientific aspect, but rather the "class" structure; pretty much similar to the human social strata. They view the order this way:

1. Purebreed
2. Crossbreed (crossbreeding 2 purebreds)
3. Mixed breed (mixed heritage where 1 parent is purebred)
4. Mongrel (unknown heritage)

This hierarchy is pretty much the standard order. Number 4 on the list of 4 is such a sad sad situation (and they say 1 is a lonely number!). It does give mongrels the automatic heave-ho even in the first stage of the family caucus, when deciding to buy a dog.

In certain cases, a mongrel or a mixed breed can pass up as crossbreed if it has a very recognizable feature of a purebred. Unfortunately, mongrels tend to have no prominent purebreed feature, hence, they end up in the lowest wrung of the doggie ladder. With that said, it's tough to make people see mongrels in a different light because there's this dog social caste system hovering around their minds like a dark cloud bursting and spewing negative (and often inaccurate) perceptions.

What needs to be realized here is that mongrels and mixed breeds can be awesome pets and may even be better companions compared to their counterparts in some respects. The key is to break the dog stereotype and see the potential of the dog as a family pet, a companion, a guard dog, or whatever function it has to fulfill as part of the family.

Happy Mongrels

Welcome to Happy Mongrels!

We love dogs regardless of breed; however, we have this certain fondness for crossbreeds or mongrels. This is somewhat a stepback from the perceived norm that purebreds are the way to go when it comes to owning dogs. We still maintain that the choice of the type of dog (or pet for that matter) all boils down to preference. Unfortunately, mongrels or mixed breeds don't end up in the list. This is because their exalted counterparts have hogged the spotlight for so long that the general public has developed certain prejudice towards mongrels. There are myths about mongrels that put them in bad light, but the truth is that in most cases, mixed breeds can beat pedigrees in a lot of aspects.

This blog aims to shed light on the plight of mongrels and the owners who love them to pieces. We have 8 mongrels in our stead and yes they are a handful, but they are fun pets with varying personalities. They are our happy mongrels!