Your Golden will woof down these delicious sweet treats!

What you will need:

• A large mixing bowl
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/8 cup of honey
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1/4 cup carob powder (This can be found at your local whole foods/health market.)
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup carb chips (These can also be found at your local whole foods/health market.)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a greased baking sheet, 9″ x 13″ should do the trick.

In your mixing bowl, combine the shortening and honey and mix well. Once well mixed, add eggs, vanilla, carob powder and chips, flour and baking powder and beat well. Spread mixture on the greased baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes.

While the brownies are baking, you can make the frosting.

What you will need:

• A medium sized mixing bowl
• An 8 ounce package of low-fat cream cheese
• 3 teaspoons of carob powder
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Combine all frosting ingredients in mixing bowl and mix until smooth. Once the brownies have cooled, spread the frosting over the top. Store your Golden’s Bow-WOW Brownies in an airtight container in the refridgerator.

Sometimes a you may find that your Golden Retriever is feeling under the weather. He may be experiencing diarrhea, vomiting or maybe itching or allergies. There are some common over-the-counter medications that are safe to give to your dog in proper doses. It is important to understand that the suggested medications below only be given to your Golden for minor cases, or if recommended by your veterinarian.

Medicine: Buffered Asprin Amount to Give: 8 to 12 mg per pound Reason: Pain Relief How Often: Every 12 Hours

Medicine: Benadryl Amount to Give: 1/2 mg per pound Reason: Allergies or Itching How Often: Every 8 Hours

Medicine: Hydrogen Peroxide Amount to Give: 10 mL by Mouth Reason: Induce Vomiting How Often: Every15 Minutes

Medicine: Pepto-Bismal Amount to Give: 1 t per 5 pounds Reason: Diarrhea or Vomiting How Often: Every 6 Hours

Medicine: Kaopectate Amount to Give: 1 mL per pound Reason: Diarrhea How Often: Every 2 Hours

Giving your dog medication doesn’t have to be a difficult task if you follow a few easy tips. And always remember, Tylenol and Ibuprofen are never safe to give to your dog. If symptoms continue or worsen with any condition, be sure to make an appointment with your veterinarian.

There are many different opinions on the best way to give a Golden Retriever medicines. You may be one of the lucky owners who has a Golden that simply eats his medicines like they are a special treat, good for you. On the other hand, there are many owners out there who have gone to great lengths to administer medication to their Golden. Just as soon as you think it’s down the hatch, his mouth opens and on the floor the pill drops. Here are some tips to help you get through this routine smoothly. Remember you need to be firm yet gentle and follow these easy steps.

• Tilt your Golden’s head back to a 45 degree angle while standing behind him.
• Hold the top of his muzzle and using one hand place your thumb and fingers on each side of his canines.
• Carefully squeeze while pulling the top of his muzzle upward to open his mouth.
• Using your free hand, hold the pill between your thumb and index finger.
• With your three remaining free fingers, grasp his bottom jaw opening his mouth wide.
• Place the pill as far back in his mouth as you can on his tongue pushing it back towards his throat.
• Once the pill is in, close his mouth and keep it closed.
• Tilt your Golden’s head back slightly and stroke his throat downward to provoke him to swallow. You may even try blowing lightly into his nose.
• When the pill is swallowed, praise your Golden!

You can follow these same steps with liquid medicines, too. Simply use a plastic turkey baster, or something of the likes, and put it at the back of your Golden’s throat. Once you have given him the medicine, close his mouth and stroke his throat.

A sure bet and a time saver to to get your Golden Retriever to take his medicine, hide it in a dollop of peanut butter. It will be gone down the hatch in a matter of seconds and he’ll look to you for more.

Golden Retriever puppies love to chew, they are little chewing machines. As a breed Goldens tend to be a very oral and possess a manic desire to have something in there mouths. It is in there job description. It’s a natural and health canine habit that goes way back to their wolf ancestors who gnawed their way around the den. Chewing on bones and toys will satisfy your dog’s emotional needs as well as certain physical needs that are important to his health.

In puppies , chewing on hard objects stimulates the growth of their adult teeth. Chewing hard bones helps scrape away the plaque, which causes bad breath and serious dental problems. Mouthing and chewing are the most common Golden Retriever problems that you hear about. These actions should not be treated as a major issue. By mouthing and chewing on things is how Golden Pups learn about their enviroment. It is also a stress reliever.

Read the rest of this entry »

In the world of dogs, the Golden Retriever is one of the most favored dog breeds for its versatility. They are quite possibly one of the friendliest animals on the planet when it comes to dog breeds. They excel in obedience and are popular therapy and service dogs. This breed is known for being friendly, calm, compliant and compatible with people and other dogs. Even though Golden Retrievers are a large breed they are known to be wonderful with children and are very usable for both teachers and students as service dogs. A service dog can even lessen embarrassment. Libraries and schools across the country are using Golden Retrievers to help children with their reading skills. A child who is having trouble with their reading amongst a group of other children will read aloud much more comfortably to a dog. This is because the dog accepts the child for who they are and don’t embarrass the child in any way so they child gains confidence as they learn better reading skills.

Read the rest of this entry »

It may be a mouthful to say, but Jack can’t wait for his birthday each year to enjoy this yummy delight!

What you will need:

• 2 large mixing bowls
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup mashed banana
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 3 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup dried bananas
• 1/2 tablespoon baking powder

Frosting:

• 1 medium mixing bowl
• 8 ounce package lowfat cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon all natural peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In one of the large bowls, mix the water, mashed banana, vanilla, egg and honey. In the other bowl, mix up the whole-wheat flour, dried bananas and bakin powder. Now, combine the wet and dry ingredients into one bowl.

Pour batter into a greased cake pan about 8″ round and back for 45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

As the cake cools, you can make the frosting. Open the package of lowfat cream cheese and place in the bowl. With a fork soften the cream cheese. Now add in the all natural peanut butter and mix together well.

Once the cake is cool, spread the frosting all over.

Store finished cake in an airtight container. This all natural cake will be good for about 3 days. Refridgeration is recommended.

One thing many people can agree on is nobody likes stinky dog breath. To keep your Golden Retriever’s breath fresh and his pearly whites shining there are a few things you should do on a regular basis. You already to a quick check of your Golden’s teeth regularly with the five minute check up, now it’s time to go to the next step. As with all grooming it is a good idea to start caring for your Golden Retriever’s teeth at an early age. This gets him used to you placing your hand in his mouth which is also helpful to the vet. Because if you have practiced with your pup, he’ll be more likely to let the vet take a look at his teeth without whaling his head around.

Now, to begin teeth cleaning, you will need a soft toothbrush and special toothpaste available for dogs. There are also finger brushes you can use, all of these items can be found at your local pet store. When you begin brushing your Golden Retriever’s teeth he is sure to be more interested in the flavored toothpaste than anything else you are doing. Just like with human toothpaste, you don’t want to let him eat/swallow it, so be sure to only use a small amount. Brushing regularly is a very beneficial for maintaining healthy teeth and gums.

Read the rest of this entry »

These peanut butter cookies are Kolby’s favorite treat! They are great anytime and make wonderful holiday gifts for all the furry friends!

What you will need:

• 1 cup all natural peanut butter
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 cup skim milk (If you don’t drink skim milk buy the powder kind and make it as you need it!)
• 2 mixing bowls
• a large mixing spoon
• cookie cutters

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

In one bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients. In the other bowl, mix together all of the wet ingredients. After these are mixed well, combine the two into one bowl and mix well.

Knead the dough on a lightly flowered surface and then roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thick and cut out shapes.

Place cut outs on a greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes until lightly brown. Take the cookies out of the oven and cool on a rack. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container.

The most recognizable thing about a Golden Retriever is their remarkably beautiful coat. To keep that beautiful coat looking it’s best it takes a bit of work on the owners’ part. Grooming is more than just for looks, it also is necessary to prevent serious health problems. And there’s a lot more to grooming than just brushing it’s also important to keep up with a Golden’s nails, teeth, eyes and ears.

To start, brushing is something a Golden Retriever needs one to three times a week. Brushing is needed even more than that during the heavy shedding seasons. It is a good idea to begin a brushing routine when your Golden Retriever is just a pup to get them used to being brushed and checked over. When you set aside time for brushing, take a minute to also check out your Golden’s nails to see if they need trimming and look at his teeth for loose teeth or plaque buildup. You may also work with brushing your Golden’s teeth with specially made toothbrushes for dogs. Go ahead and gaze into his eyes and flip up the ears to check for waxy build-up. It’s a good idea to do this along with the five minute check-up any time you can, the more you work with your Golden the easier the tasks become.

Read the rest of this entry »

So after much thought, you have decided you would like to add a Golden Retriever to your family. What a wonderful addition he will be! You’ve probably already worked out the role of your new additional whether as a hunting companion, show competitor or just a healthy, personable family companion. Finding a Golden Retriever to purchase is not going to be difficult at all. However, if you want one that really represents the breed, you better start doing your homework so you are sure to find a good breeder.

A good breeder is not hard to find but you need to know the right questions to ask. And your being knowledgeable and asking the following questions will show to the breeder your strong interest in the well being of your new Golden Retriever.

Read the rest of this entry »