Feeding:
We are currently primarily feeding kibble but supplement with raw as well. The chart below is great for raw beginners. I fed Pro Plan Sport 30/20 for years and loved it but recently had issues with 3 dogs in kidney failure. Since then I have been trying various foods. Currently we are using Strive Endurance. My dogs are very active and the lower protein foods just did not cut it. We do not recommend grain free as it has been linked to heart issues.
Skincare
Puppy pimples are common in young dogs and should resolve as they age.
The AHT is born with hair and after a couple of weeks the hair starts to fall out. Researchers say they lack the stem cells to regenerate the hair follicle. The bumps are the hair follicle dying. It is best to bathe your AHT with Dial antibacterial soap or a medicated shampoo like MiconaHex+Triz.
Watch for any secondary skin infections. If they get bad, your puppy many need some antibiotics from the vet.
Other Popular Shampoos:
Peace & Kindness
Tropiclean
Dove Baby
Aveeno Baby
Chubbz Bar Soap
St. Ives Apricot Scrub
My normal skin care is minimal. I typically use Soft Soap Coconut Scrub and I make my own sugar scrub. I bath as needed when they are stinky or just very dirty or before a show.
Other breeder/owners recommend Peace & Kindness Shampoo and sprays. I would only use on active flare ups and not as a maintenance shampoo. I worry about using too much Colloidal Silver.
Popular Lotions:
Coconut Oil
Eucerin Skin Calming Lotion
Cetaphil Lotion
See below for pictures and recipe.
The AHT is born with hair and after a couple of weeks the hair starts to fall out. Researchers say they lack the stem cells to regenerate the hair follicle. The bumps are the hair follicle dying. It is best to bathe your AHT with Dial antibacterial soap or a medicated shampoo like MiconaHex+Triz.
Watch for any secondary skin infections. If they get bad, your puppy many need some antibiotics from the vet.
Other Popular Shampoos:
Peace & Kindness
Tropiclean
Dove Baby
Aveeno Baby
Chubbz Bar Soap
St. Ives Apricot Scrub
My normal skin care is minimal. I typically use Soft Soap Coconut Scrub and I make my own sugar scrub. I bath as needed when they are stinky or just very dirty or before a show.
Other breeder/owners recommend Peace & Kindness Shampoo and sprays. I would only use on active flare ups and not as a maintenance shampoo. I worry about using too much Colloidal Silver.
Popular Lotions:
Coconut Oil
Eucerin Skin Calming Lotion
Cetaphil Lotion
See below for pictures and recipe.
What about the Sun?
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The AHT will tan (or burn) just like a person. It is extremely important that you use sunscreen or clothing to protect their skin. They will also loose their tan in the winter time or if wearing clothes all of the time. You should use a kid safe SPF 50 that does not contain Zinc Oxide. Zinc Oxide is toxic if ingested. Popular sunscreens: Epi-Pet No-Ad Sunscreen SPF 50 Coppertone Water Babies Natura-Patte Eucerin SFP 50 Sensitive Protect If you prefer to buy clothes you will still need to put sunscreen on your AHT's head and tail. Dogs with pink skin should wear clothes as the pink will not tan, it will just burn. If you are trying to tan your dog, apply the sunscreen and limit the amount of time in the sun. Just like people it is better to tan slowly. If you want to try your hand at making your own dog clothes we recommend the Simplicity 3939 pattern. Places to buy Clothing: Exclusive For Dogs Fitwarm Fur Buddy Products or Image Event Site Montana Stitchless Gold Paw Series Spoiled Bratz Wear California Dog |
We buy our beds from Far More Shade. They are quilted and last longer than foam filled beds.
Donut Beds Crated Pads |
Examples of Skin Issues
As AHT age their skin changes just like ours. They can develop freckles or sun spots. These are generally not an issues. Just like in people you need to watch for signs of skin cancer.
One thing I want to note is Piebald dogs will get what looks like dirty pores or bruising as they age. I have not found anything that will reverse it once it shows up. Keeping them from burning an from playing in the dirt is the only preventative that seems to work. The consensus is this is pigment spreading as they age.
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Piebald blue dog with blotchy skin. You can also see the discoloring of the pores on the white skin. This is from sun damage. Like people get sun spots over time.
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This is a 1 year old that is getting the dark looking pores. These are not black heads. You can try rubbing vitamin E oil on the skin to see if it helps. There is also a bit of residual hair that should fall out from 2-3 years of age. This can be hormonal hair also.
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This is a common type of outbreak that should resolve with medicated shampoo.
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This type of break out can be hormonal. It may require a steroid shot to help is clear up if not responding to medicated shampoos.
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Above is an example of Ringworm on a AHT. You can treat with an anti fungal cream or lotion. (Athletes foot or Jock itch.)
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This type of rash is not normal and needs to be checked out by a vet. It could be allergies or staph infection. Her owner treated her with CBD Oil for 3-4 days and it cleared up.
This girl was treated with a steroid shot and monthly allergy shots. She only reacted to the grass at her home. When she stayed at other places she never had an issue.
The Battle of the E@rs!
Many people will say to leave them alone but after having issues with mismatched ears I tape my show dogs if they don’t seem to be going up. For pet only puppies I do not worry about it. If a dog really hates the tape and scratches or otherwise damages the ear then I won’t continue to tape.
I like to use Breathe Right strips. I buy the name brands because they stick better. If you have issues with them staying you can use Osto-bond to help them stay. I clean the ears with alcohol to remove oil and dirt before applying. Some dogs prefer them inside the ear and some out. You just need to experiment. After applying the Strips you can wrap with athletic tape or KT tape. If you have other puppies you can’t let them out to play together or they will eat it off.
Recently I tried the Nexcare clear tape for ears and like it better than the breathe right strips. I put a strip of tape vertically on the inside and outside of the ear. Don't forget to clean the ears with alcohol first. If you need to your can double up on the strips. This seems to cause less irritation to the pups.
I like to use Breathe Right strips. I buy the name brands because they stick better. If you have issues with them staying you can use Osto-bond to help them stay. I clean the ears with alcohol to remove oil and dirt before applying. Some dogs prefer them inside the ear and some out. You just need to experiment. After applying the Strips you can wrap with athletic tape or KT tape. If you have other puppies you can’t let them out to play together or they will eat it off.
Recently I tried the Nexcare clear tape for ears and like it better than the breathe right strips. I put a strip of tape vertically on the inside and outside of the ear. Don't forget to clean the ears with alcohol first. If you need to your can double up on the strips. This seems to cause less irritation to the pups.
Supplements for Ears
I give my puppies Ester C, Calcium and Gelatin to help with ears. I use a pet calcium since it has the correct amount of phosphorus needed.
I prefer Osteo-form as this is what I keep on hand for my nursing mothers. I usually have to break them in half for them to want to eat it. I have been told that other breeders swear by Sure Grow. Most of my puppies refuse to eat the Sure Grow so I will wrap it in sliced cheese when that happens. I use one or the other, not both at the same time.
I put a 1 Oz packet of Gelatin on their food bowel a day. (My AHTs eat much more than my Aussies.) I give them 2 cups of Purina Pro Plan 30/20 Sport in their crate in the morning and then in the evening we have supervised community feeding. Most of them like the competition for food. I will add Wheat Germ Oil or warm water and a splash of milk or raw eggs in the evening. For dogs that really have a hard time maintaining weight I give a chicken quarter a day to their morning meal. I used to feed complete raw but I have a hard time getting a balance variety of meat lately.
I get Nupro Joint & Immunity Support Supplement (Silver label) and mix 2-3 cups per 50 pound bag of food.
I prefer Osteo-form as this is what I keep on hand for my nursing mothers. I usually have to break them in half for them to want to eat it. I have been told that other breeders swear by Sure Grow. Most of my puppies refuse to eat the Sure Grow so I will wrap it in sliced cheese when that happens. I use one or the other, not both at the same time.
I put a 1 Oz packet of Gelatin on their food bowel a day. (My AHTs eat much more than my Aussies.) I give them 2 cups of Purina Pro Plan 30/20 Sport in their crate in the morning and then in the evening we have supervised community feeding. Most of them like the competition for food. I will add Wheat Germ Oil or warm water and a splash of milk or raw eggs in the evening. For dogs that really have a hard time maintaining weight I give a chicken quarter a day to their morning meal. I used to feed complete raw but I have a hard time getting a balance variety of meat lately.
I get Nupro Joint & Immunity Support Supplement (Silver label) and mix 2-3 cups per 50 pound bag of food.
This is how I treat AHT with sores on ear tips. The hoodie keeps the ears from smacking the skull.
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Here is another idea to keep a hoodie on a stubborn pup.
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Dealing with biting puppies
As a breeder I try to teach my puppies that it is not acceptable to bite. Sometimes that can be very hard since they originated as a varment hunter. If you are having issues with your puppy biting there needs to be swift deterrent/correction for it. At first I will try to distract with a toy and redirect that energy into retrieving a toy. If that does not work I usually yelp in a high pitch and stop all play and interacting. If they persist in biting after that i will try a verbal no or ack. If it continues to escalates I will grab a check and sternly grumble at them while giving a stern look or I may put them in time out for 5 minutes. For the extremely stubborn biters I stick a finger in their mouth and may squeeze the roof of the mouth or bottom jaw just enough to make them uncomfortable. They will them usually lick my hand. (There is a risk of getting scratched by a sharp puppy tooth so be a careful as possible.) As a breeder I start this type of training when they are tiny babies so they are not so terrible when they go. This is a great example why pups should stay with mom and siblings until 10 weeks. They learn bite inhibition from each other. When one bites too hard, the other will scream and snark back or stop playing with that particular puppy. I try to imitate that puppy scream so the bite inhibition is transferred to people.
I love positive reinforcement when training but I feel in some cases it does not work. If you have tried all positive methods and your puppy still bites then it is time for a correction. Sometimes one sharp correction is all that is needed.
If none of these options work please message me and send video of the puppy and I will do my best to help.
I love positive reinforcement when training but I feel in some cases it does not work. If you have tried all positive methods and your puppy still bites then it is time for a correction. Sometimes one sharp correction is all that is needed.
If none of these options work please message me and send video of the puppy and I will do my best to help.
To Crate or not
Most of mine have slept with me from day one. I usually just put a belly band or diaper just in case but have rarely have one have an accident at night. All of mine like to snuggle up under the covers with me.
Crating is important and every dog should be used to one in case it is needed. In the event of an emergency it is safer for all. I always keep soft fuzzy inexpensive blankets for them to snuggle in. They are Champion bed destuffers so I don’t by expensive beds. If you can put in an old T-shirt that smells like you it can help. We usually send home a small blanket that smells like the dam and pups to help new puppies transition easier.
Crating is important and every dog should be used to one in case it is needed. In the event of an emergency it is safer for all. I always keep soft fuzzy inexpensive blankets for them to snuggle in. They are Champion bed destuffers so I don’t by expensive beds. If you can put in an old T-shirt that smells like you it can help. We usually send home a small blanket that smells like the dam and pups to help new puppies transition easier.
Show leads
I prefer to use flat deer slip collars.
You can purchase at Paws And Tails.
You can purchase at Paws And Tails.
