Owning a Cattle Dog
September 22, 2025
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Well as I see it, a cattle dog can be the best dog in the world if you put in a lot of time with them up front, but if you don’t, they can live
Resources
Although the primary focus of this website is about having fun with our dog(s), I’ve created this page as a place to list information and resources for dog owners that I find useful. Feel free to fill out the form below with any suggestions of additional resourses to add.
Dog Sports' Resources
When it comes to information on canine sports, the information below is just the tip of the iceburg. There’s more to come.
Puppies are typically very active, but despite their own attempts at acrobatics, experts tell us to hold off on many aspects of agility training until a pup is full grown (12+ months). This is due to the risk of permanent injury while puppies’ growth plates are still open. But there are agility exercises that you can work on with your puppy.
The two biggest canine agility leagues in Florida are the American Kennel Club (AKC) and Canine Performance Events (CPE). You can find the AKC Agility rules here, and the CPE agility rulebook here.
The sport of scentwork was created to mimic the activity of working search dogs, but in a trial setting. But in the sport of scentwork, dogs aren’t searching for drugs, weapons or people, they are searching for specific essential oils which are hidden from view. The sport is quite new, with the first Canine Scentwork League (NACSW) being formed in 2006. But the AKC didn’t start its scentwork league until 2017. There are currently 3 major scentwork leagues in the United States: USCSS, AKC and NACSW. I’ve personally competed only in AKC and USCSS since the NACSW doesn’t seem to be very active here in Florida. AKC and USCSS are both easy to get into, it’s my understanding that NACSW is more cumbersome. And between AKC and USCSS, AKC tends to have more dogs entered at any given event, while USCSS tends to be more laid-back.
Canine Health-related Links
We all want to keep our dogs healthy, so please use the form below to send me your suggestions of what to include here.
► What to Do If Your Dog is Choking
If you don’t already know, take a few minutes to learn how to do the heimlich maneuver on your dog. It could save their life.
► Learn to Keep Your Senior Dog Healthy
If you have a large dog that is 7+ years old or a small dog of 10+ years, your furry companion may be considered a senior. It’s time to start thinking about what you might need to do differently to maintain your senior dog’s health as they age.
► Beware of Heartgard if You Own a Collie
Did you know that some dog breeds carry a gene mutation (MDR1) that makes the common heartworm drug invermectin (in Heartgard) toxic to them? Collies are at the greatest risk, because 70% have the mutation, but the list of the breeds affected by MDR1 includes a lot of herding dogs as well as others. From what I’ve read, invermectin is considered safe to these dogs at low doses (like that found in heartworm medication), but not at higher does or in combination with some other medications. Personally, I do want to take the chance of slowly poisoning my dog, so I’m using Interceptor now.
Training Tips
I’m sure there are a few million training resources to list here, but I’ll start with just a handful.
If you are new to dog training, you might want to start with this article that gives general tips and guidance.
Our dog, Jaxon, is 20% labrador retriever, and it shows through his obsession with food. When Jaxon was younger he stole and ate some crazy things off of our kitchen counters, including 2 raw sweet potatoes, and hot baked brie right out of a glass dish without knocking it on the floor. There were a lot more instances but those are two of my personal favorities. He’s not quite as bad as he used to be, but we’re still careful to push everything away from the counter’s edge when we have to leave the room. If you have a dog like this, check out this article on how to stop your dog from counter surfing.
Dealing with a dog that barks incessently can be very stressful, and can cause complaints from neighbors if you live in an apartment or attached home. Here are some tips from AKC on how to stop, or at least minimize the barking.
Below is a link to various training videos from one of the dog trainers that I use. There are videos here on teaching recall, loose lease walking, and potty training to name just a few.
Food for Dogs
Years ago, dogs lived off table scraps before kibble became popular in the second half of the 20th century. Now in the 21st century, people are questioning whether kibble is the best option for dogs. The debate is ongoing as to whether we should feed our dogs dry commercial dog food, human-grade dog food such as “Farmer’s Dog”, home-cooked food, or raw meat. I really don’t know what to think, but my husband and I feed our dogs kibble in the morning and home-cooked food for their evening meal. Below are some resources, but please fill out the form below with any suggestions on additional resources to include.
If you plan to feed your pup people food, probably the most important thing to know before you start is which human foods are toxic to dogs.
When preparing homemade food for your dog, consider including herbs and spices to improve taste and nutrition. Just be sure to learn which seasonings are good for dogs.
Many vets recommend using the site balance.it to help you make healthy home-cooked food for your pup. The site has a recipe generator where you can choose ingredients or have them chosen for you. Just keep in mind that this site sells supplements for dogs, so those will be part of the recipes.
I’ve attached a link for anyone who needs to access the FDA’s official list of recalls on pet food and treats.
Send Me Your Comments or Content Suggestions in the Form Below
Our Recent Articles
Have a Blast at this Annual Florida Agility Event!
August 19, 2025
3 Comments
What’s more fun than doing agility with your dog? Doing agility with your dog as part of a team! Every year in June, the Dog Agility Competition of Florida (DACOF) holds a team agility competition
Fostering a Dog for the First Time
October 31, 2023
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It was fun, rewarding, exhausting, and sometimes a little stressful! I felt a mixture of sadness and relief as I sent my foster dog off with his furrever family.
Dog Agility
August 26, 2023
1 Comment
More than anything, dog agility is about communicating and having fun with your dog.
The Herding Test
May 13, 2021
2 Comments
From my point-of-view during the test, it looked like Josie was running amuk and I was expecting the judge to put a halt to it at any moment.
The Girls’ Roadtrip
September 14, 2020
4 Comments
So Josie and I are off on a 10 day adventure! I’ve never taken her anywhere overnight before, so 10 days is quite a commitment. Day 1 We headed north for Gainesville. Out first stop