There’s nothing quite like loving a dog- no matter what kind of day you’ve had, if you’re greeted at the door by a wagging tail and a wet nose, you’re sure to smile! The special bond between you and your dog is one of the greatest parts of your life, and you want to be sure you do everything you can to make their days as happy as they make yours.

Giving treats to your dog is an excellent way to show him or her how much you care. Not only that, but treating your dog helps to motivate him or her to learn new tricks and behaviors, and act as a positive reinforcement when you are working with him or her on training skills, such as leash manners, obedience, and potty training.

By giving your dog frequent treats, you are helping to solidify your bond and reassure him or her that they are doing a great job at being your companion! Instead of punitive training methods, like choke collars, professional dog trainers now almost exclusively rely on a positive, reward-based method to teach dogs and puppies obedience training skills, and you can too! By administering treats when your dog correctly sits, goes potty, or lays down on command, you are making a connection in their brains between good behavior and delicious treats. Dogs aim to please, and a little incentive treat here and there can go a long way toward helping your furry friend become a well-trained, joyful companion for many happy years.

Here are a few fun, innovative ways to treat your dog, so that he or she always has a fun surprise to look forward to when you’re spending time together or while you’re away.

Hide and Seek– Dogs are inquisitive, curious animals by nature, and they love to use their instincts, particularly their keen sense of smell, to hunt for food…in this case, a delicious, well-hidden treat! Many pet stores and online retailers sell “hide-a-treat” toys, which are great for keeping dogs interested and engaged, sometimes for hours! These little puzzles with a sweet reward at the end are perfect for keeping your four-legged pal entertained while you are away from home.

Freeze!– This fun treating method is perfect for a hot summer day, or anytime you can’t be with your pup for several hours. Freezing treats and then giving them to your dog can not only keep him or her busy and happy for an extended period of time, but can also help them to savor their tasty prize, rather than just wolfing it down. Try freezing peanut butter in a hollow dog toy, like a Kong, before giving it to your dog. You’ll be amazed at how long it keeps him or her occupied! As an added bonus, frozen treats are a great way to keep your pup cool in the summer months, as well as an excellent way to keep teething puppies from chewing on shoes, furniture, or other things around the house. They’ll have a blast licking and chewing the toy to thaw it out, and you’ll have peace of mind that they aren’t bored. It’s a win-win!

Now You See It…– Though dogs have a demonstrated ability for object permanence, it isn’t as developed in them as it is in humans. That means that simply by covering an object, like a treat, with a blanket or washcloth, you’re performing a dazzling magic trick that your dog can’t quite figure out right away! Try taking a small treat and putting it in front of your dog, and then quickly covering it up, It’s entertaining to see your dog try to figure out where it went, and fun for them when they make it re-appear. Your dog will think you’re more amazing and magical than they already do- and that’s saying something!

Scavenger Hunt– Just like an Easter egg hunt, you can place several treats around your home, and then let your dog sniff his or her way to finding them all! This fun little game is great for helping your dog get in touch with his or her natural instincts while getting them up and moving around. If your dog is something of a couch potato, or is aging and slowing down, a treat scavenger hunt is a fun way to get them off the couch or dog bed for a little light exercise. Since multiple treats are involved for this one, try to choose small, healthy treats made from natural ingredients, so that your pup doesn’t wind up getting sick from too much overindulgence.

Trick or Treat– Of course, the most classic method of treating your dog is having him or her perform a trick first to get a reward. This is still one of the most fun ways for both of you to enjoy treat time. Use healthy, beneficial treats- like hemp treats for dogs– to teach your best buddy to sit, shake hands, roll over, or even play dead! Not only does this make for a terrific party trick the next time your dog is meeting new people, but it also helps him or her to associate treats with positive rewards for good behavior- something that can go a long way when you’re training him or her for socialization, potty and leash manners, and other essential dog obedience skills. Learning new tricks stimulates your dog’s brain and keeps him or her engaged and interested, which can lead to a happier, healthier life. Much like in people, a dog who keeps his or her mind active can stay sharp well into the golden years!

The most important thing to remember about giving your dog a treat is that it’s all about love. Your dog loves treats, no doubt about it, but his or her real joy comes from seeing and spending time with their favorite person in the world- YOU! Make sure to take time every day to show your dog how much you love them with a fun, interesting treat.

“Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really.” -Agnes Sligh Turnbull

Your dog means more to you than almost anything. A faithful friend, trusted companion, and bottomless source of comfort, he or she is there for you through thick and thin to lift your spirits and enhance your life every day. While we all wish our dogs could live forever, it is unfortunately impossible to stop the march of time. However, by knowing and understanding the common health problems that dogs face as they age, we can do our best to keep them living a healthy, happy life for as long as possible. Here are some of the health conditions that senior dogs most commonly experience, as well as tips for helping to prevent and treat them.

Hearing and Vision Loss
Like humans, dogs’ senses can become less sharp as they age. Vision and hearing loss are quite common among senior dogs, and are caused by deterioration of tissue in the eyes and ears. Eye problems such as cataracts, a cloudy membrane that forms over the lens of the eye can partially or completely obstruct an aging dog’s vision, leading to blindness. Regular checkups by your veterinarian can help detect vision and hearing problems early to help prevent them from worsening. Additionally, hearing loss can be mitigated by regularly cleaning out your dog’s ears to remove earwax and other blockages.

Joint Problems
Dogs love to run, jump, and play in their youth, but as they age, their joints can become stiff, making walking or even standing up difficult and painful. You can purchase supplements to help improve your dog’s joint health at any veterinary office or pet food store. It has recently become a trend to administer CBD hemp oil to dogs in order to alleviate joint pain and improve mobility. CBD oil contains cannabinoids that help with muscle relaxation and increased flexibility, and many owners of senior dogs swear by its highly beneficial properties. Thanks to advances like CBD oil and other joint care supplements for dogs, it is possible to grant your dog a better quality of life as he or she heads into the golden years.

Heart Disease
As dogs age, their risk of developing heart disease increases. One common type of heart disease in dogs is congestive heart failure, which is the result of fluid buildup in the heart, lungs, and chest when the heart isn’t able to pump blood properly. By taking your senior dogs for regular veterinary checkups and monitoring him or her for symptoms of heart disease, such as coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing, and unexplained vomiting, you may be able to help your dog live a longer, healthier life.

When you love a dog, you would do anything to keep him or her around for as long as possible. By paying attention to unusual behavior or symptoms, feeding your dog a healthy, balanced, vitamin-rich diet, and administering supplements to improve joint health, you are helping your best friend live to a ripe old age!

CBD hemp oil has become something of a hot health trend in recent years for people suffering from a number of medical conditions. From arthritis to anxiety, Parkinson’s disease to heart disease, countless people are attributing their improved health and decreased symptoms to CBD. For decades, hemp oil was stigmatized due to its cannabinoid properties; people associate hemp with marijuana, which is still not legal in all 50 states. However, CBD hemp oil does not produce the same psychoactive effects as THC, the active ingredient in marijuana products, despite being derived from the same plant. People who have tried CBD hemp oil can’t rave enough about its highly beneficial natural healing properties, and credit it with helping make them feel better.

CBD hemp oil has gained an abundance of popularity recently among the human population, and it’s no surprise that people have begun to administer CBD-infused supplements and oils to their pets in order to help improve their quality of life as well. CBD for dogs, cats, and other common household pets provides people with a natural solution to help lessen their pets’ symptoms of anxiety, relieve joint pain, and generally improve their overall health and well-being. CBD hemp oil has also become something of a trend among horse owners to help their majestic and beautiful horses maintain their lifestyles well into their golden years.

One of the most common questions that horse owners have before administering CBD hemp oil for the first time is how long it takes to begin working. In truth, a number of factors determine when a horse will feel and fully benefit from the effects of the oil. For starters, the manner in which the CBD oil is ingested can play a significant role in the length of time it takes to begin working. Humans have a choice of taking CBD oil by “vaping,” or inhaling vapors, as well as via ingestible supplements such as foods, chews, and candies, or sublingual (under-the-tongue) drops. Most CBD supplements for horses, however, are in oil form and are administered via drops that can either be placed under the tongue or added to feed.

If you choose to administer CBD hemp oil to your horse sublingually, you can expect him or her to feel the full effects after approximately half an hour, depending upon how much of a dose you give, as well as whether your horse received the drops on an empty or full stomach. Adding the drops to your horse’s feed may cause the oil to work more slowly, with your horse benefiting from the effects after about an hour.

How much of a dose you should give your horse is largely dependent upon its size. It is best to consult with your veterinarian before administering any medication or supplements to your horse.

CBD hemp oil has been instrumental in helping millions of individuals feel better, with some people reporting amazing results including reduced or eliminated pain and relief from chronic symptoms associated with an underlying medical condition. By choosing to give your horse CBD hemp oil, you can be sure that you’re doing all you can to preserve its quality of life and allow him or her to reach old age with dignity.

When you are a horse owner, you want to make their health a top priority. Since good nutrition is one of the primary building blocks of your horse’s overall health and wellness, it is essential that you understand the unique dietary needs of a horse, including the elements of nutrition that must be in their food to keep them feeling their best. Here are some of the most important things to keep in mind about horses’ dietary needs when shopping for supplies for your stable.

Digestive Considerations
Horses are non-ruminant herbivores, meaning that they are biologically inclined to graze throughout the day. Their stomachs are relatively small in relationship to their size, with a capacity of approximately 2 to 4 gallons. Because of this, the majority of a horse’s digestion takes place in the hind gut. This unique digestive process works quite well for horses, as long as they are permitted to graze throughout the day; however, domesticated horses whose owners feed them on a schedule may be prone to overeating, which leads to poor digestion and a host of other health problems. To keep your horse in the best of health, try to follow his or her natural tendency to graze, and make sure that all of the nutrition you are providing for your horse falls into one of the six classes of nutrients that they need to remain healthy:
* Water
* Vitamins
* Minerals
* Protein
* Fats
* Carbohydrates

Class 1: Water
As with humans, water is one of the most important nutrients, not to mention a basic necessity for survival! Your horse requires about 10 gallons of water per day to remain properly hydrated and to digest his or her feed and hay properly. For each pound of hay consumed, your horse should be drinking approximately two quarts of water in order to promote healthy digestion. This amount can be tripled or even quadrupled under special circumstances such as hot weather, exceptionally hard work, or if a mare is lactating. Make sure that your horse always has access to a fresh supply of water, and allow your horse to drink as much as he or she wants at all times, except immediately following exercise- in that case, it’s necessary to allow your horse to cool down prior to drinking.

Class 2: Vitamins
In order to preserve your horse’s normal body metabolism, it’s critical that you make sure he or she is getting the right amount of essential vitamins in his or her diet. Horse feed is fortified with nearly all the vitamins your horse requires; however, vitamin A is often missing from most horse feed. This vitamin is necessary for your horse’s eye functionality, and a deficiency of vitamin A could lead to night blindness or excessive tearing. You can purchase vitamin A supplements for your horse at all feed stores, or you may request an injection of vitamin A, which lasts for about three months, from your veterinarian. Perhaps the best source of vitamin A for your horse can be found naturally in spring and early summer grasses. These grasses contain high amounts of carotene, which the body naturally converts to vitamin A.

Horses with little to no access to fresh green feed may also be at risk of a vitamin E deficiency, which has been linked to neurologic, muscle, and reproductive problems. You can help your horse get the vitamin E he or she needs by including wheat germ oil or alfalfa meal in his or her diet.

Class 3: Minerals
Your horse’s diet should contain at least 21 required minerals, which can all be found in most high-quality feeds. Because of this, horses rarely suffer from mineral deficiencies. However, horses naturally crave salt, and an adult horse at pasture can go through about half a pound of salt per week, while mares and horses in training can consume even more. Be sure to provide plenty of salt for your horse in order to maintain a healthy weight and appetite.

Class 4: Protein
Most adult horses only require about 8 to 12 percent protein in their regular diet; however, protein is an important part of your horse’s daily nutrition. Since protein is responsible for healthy muscle development, it is vital that your horse receives the recommended amount of protein in his or her diet. Some natural sources of protein that can be incorporated into your horse’s diet include alfalfa and soybean meal. Protein supplements can also be found at any feed store, and are rated according to quality. If your horse is deficient in protein, he or she may become lethargic, and his or her coat may become dull and rough. By making sure your horse has enough protein in his or her diet, you can help them to stay strong and healthy throughout their lives.

Class 5: Fats
Since horses do not have a gallbladder, as humans do, they are unable to process high levels of fat in their diet. Most horse feeds on the market contain less than 6 percent fat, which appears to be a sufficient amount to meet your horse’s nutritional needs. Few, if any, fatty acid deficiency cases have been reported in horses, so as long as you give your horse a quality feed, you need not worry about supplementing his or her fat intake. However, if your horse participates in shows where a glossy coat is necessary, adding an ounce or two of polyunsaturated plant or vegetable oil to his or her feed twice a day can help keep your horse’s coat show-quality, improving its natural luster and sheen.

Class 6: Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy in your horse’s diet. Most quality feeds contain an adequate amount of soluble carbohydrates such as starches and sugars, which are easily broken down by your horse’s digestive system, as well as insoluble carbohydrates, such as fiber, which are fermented by intestinal bacteria to produce energy. As long as you use a good quality horse feed, your horse is likely receiving the recommended daily amount of carbohydrates.

Making sure your horse receives proper nutrition is the most important part of horse ownership. By ensuring that the quality of your horse’s diet meets daily nutritional requirements, you are setting your horse up for a long, healthy life, and helping him or her to stay with you and performing at his or her peak for years to come. Want to support your Horse’s emotional and physical well being with the many benefits of our CBD infused products? Check out one our new Equine formulas: Certified Organic Olive Oil Infused with Organically Grown Colorado CBD Hemp Extract.