Podcast – Vital Essentials Pet Food-Part 2-The Products-24JUL21

 

< Click to Listen to Podcast >

< Updated 18JUL21 >

< A short link for this page – https://bit.ly/WfMw-VE2-24JUL21 >

 

In this episode of The Woof Meow Show from July 24th, 2021, Kate and Don are again speaking with Joey Weichmann & Leslie Durocher about Vital Essentials pet food. Last week, we talked about the company. This week, we are looking at the many products available from Vital Essentials.

We start by discussing the  Vital Essentials Raw Bar, which is essentially a selection of freeze-dried appetizers and snacks for dogs and cats. Then we look at their comprehensive line of freeze-dried treats, including their number one seller, freeze-dried minnows. Lastly, we review Vital Essential’s complete meals for cats and dogs, the available proteins, and the formats available as frozen raw and freeze-dried.

If you want to learn more about the company behind Vital Essentials, checkout last week’s podcast.

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Contact Info

Joey Weichmann & Leslie Durocher
The Carnivore Meat Company – Vital Essentials
Address: P.O. Box 9227, Green Bay, WI 54308-9227
Phone: 800-743-0322
Email: customerservice@vitalessentialsraw.com
Website: https://www.vitalessentialsraw.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/VitalEssentialsRaw

Don Hanson & Kate Dutra
Green Acres Kennel Shop, ForceFreePets.com & The Woof Meow Show
Address: 1653 Union St, Bangor, ME 04401-2204
Phone: (207) 945-6841, x103
EmailEmail Don
Website-Green Acres: https://www.greenacreskennel.com/
Facebook-Green Acres: https://www.facebook.com/GreenAcresKennelShop/
Website-The Woof Meow Show: https://woofmeowshow.libsyn.com/
Facebook-The Woof Meow Show: https://www.facebook.com/WoofMeowShow/
Website-ForceFreePetshttps://forcefreepets.com/
Facebook-ForceFreePetshttps://www.facebook.com/ForceFreePets

Recommended Resources

Articles on Don’s Blog
( http://www.words-woofs-meows.com  )

 Green Acres Pet Nutrition Resources Page – http://bit.ly/GAKS_Nut_Home

GAKS Philosophy on Pet Nutrition – http://bit.ly/GAKS_Nut_Phil

Pet Nutrition –Vital Essentials® Pet Foodhttps://bit.ly/VitalEssAtGAKS

Video The Science and Dogma of Pet Nutrition with Dr. Richard Pattonhttp://bit.ly/Video-Dr-Richard-Patton

Book Review – Ruined by Excess, Perfected by Lack – The paradox of pet nutrition by Richard Pattonhttp://bit.ly/RuinedByExcess-BookReview

Podcasts from The Woof Meow Show
( http://bit.ly/WfMwPodcasts  )

 Vital Essentials Pet Food-Part 1-The Company-17JUL21 – https://bit.ly/WfMw-VE1-17JUL21

 Vital Essentials Pet Food-Part 2-The Company-24JUL21 – https://bit.ly/WfMw-VE2-24JUL21

Podcasts-Two Conversations with Animal Nutritionist Dr. Richard Pattonhttps://bit.ly/WfMw2wPattonAPR21

 

©18JUL21, Donald J. Hanson, All Rights Reserved
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Podcast – Vital Essentials Pet Food-Part 1-The Company-17JUL21

< Click to Listen to Podcast >

< Updated 18JUL21 >

< A short link for this page – https://bit.ly/WfMw-VE1-17JUL21  >

In this episode of The Woof Meow Show from July 17th, 2021, Kate and Don talk with Joey Weichmann & Leslie Durocher of the Carnivore Meat Company, the makers of Vital Essentials pet food. While the Vital Essentials brand launched in 2009, the company has been producing raw food for pets since 1968.

In this first of two episodes, we talk about:

  • the company,
  • its mission,
  • how they source its raw ingredients,
  • how diets are formulated and manufactured,
  • and the quality certifications they have received.

Be sure to tune in to our next show in this series when we discuss Vital Essentials wide variety of complete meals, snacks, and treats for cats and dogs.

You can listen to The Woof Meow Show on Z62 Retro Radio, AM620, and WKIT HD3 at 9 AM on Saturday. If you are not near a radio, listen on your computer at http://bit.ly/AM620-WZON or your smartphone or tablet with the free WZON 620 AM app. A podcast of the show is typically posted immediately after the show. You can download this show and others at http://bit.ly/WfMwPodcasts, at Don’s blog http://bit.ly/Words-Woofs-Meows and the Apple iTunes store.

< Click to Listen to Podcast >

Contact Info

Joey Weichmann & Leslie Durocher
The Carnivore Meat Company – Vital Essentials
Address: P.O. Box 9227, Green Bay, WI 54308-9227
Phone: 800-743-0322
Email: customerservice@vitalessentialsraw.com
Website: https://www.vitalessentialsraw.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/VitalEssentialsRaw

Don Hanson & Kate Dutra
Green Acres Kennel Shop, ForceFreePets.com & The Woof Meow Show
Address: 1653 Union St, Bangor, ME 04401-2204
Phone: (207) 945-6841, x103
EmailEmail Don
Website-Green Acres: https://www.greenacreskennel.com/
Facebook-Green Acres: https://www.facebook.com/GreenAcresKennelShop/
Website-The Woof Meow Show: https://woofmeowshow.libsyn.com/
Facebook-The Woof Meow Show: https://www.facebook.com/WoofMeowShow/
Website-ForceFreePetshttps://forcefreepets.com/
Facebook-ForceFreePetshttps://www.facebook.com/ForceFreePets

Recommended Resources

Articles on Don’s Blog
( http://www.words-woofs-meows.com  )

 Green Acres Pet Nutrition Resources Page – http://bit.ly/GAKS_Nut_Home

GAKS Philosophy on Pet Nutrition – http://bit.ly/GAKS_Nut_Phil

Pet Nutrition –Vital Essentials® Pet Foodhttps://bit.ly/VitalEssAtGAKS

Video The Science and Dogma of Pet Nutrition with Dr. Richard Pattonhttp://bit.ly/Video-Dr-Richard-Patton

Book Review – Ruined by Excess, Perfected by Lack – The paradox of pet nutrition by Richard Pattonhttp://bit.ly/RuinedByExcess-BookReview

Podcasts from The Woof Meow Show
( http://bit.ly/WfMwPodcasts  )

 Vital Essentials Pet Food-Part 1-The Company-17JUL21 – https://bit.ly/WfMw-VE1-17JUL21

 Vital Essentials Pet Food-Part 2-The Company-24JUL21 – https://bit.ly/WfMw-VE2-24JUL21

Podcasts-Two Conversations with Animal Nutritionist Dr. Richard Pattonhttps://bit.ly/WfMw2wPattonAPR21

 

©18JUL21, Donald J. Hanson, All Rights Reserved
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Puppy Essentials 101- Body Language & Socialization

< A version of this article was published in the Summer 2021 issue of Humanely Speaking, the newsletter of the Bangor Humane Society >

< Updated 11JUL21 >

< A short link for this page – https://bit.ly/BHS-SocBdyLang >

Every puppy has a critical socialization period that starts when we bring them home and ends between 12 and 16 weeks of age. After this period ends, a puppy will likely view anything new as a threat. Therefore, we must socialize our puppies by exposing them to new things in a planned and controlled manner while creating a positive association.

Before beginning socialization, you must first understand canine body language, so you recognize when your puppy is uncomfortable. Incidentally, we see the same signals in adult dogs. Signs of anxiety can be as subtle as; avoiding eye contact, licking their lips, a tightly closed mouth, yawning, and scratching. If these signals do not cause the scary thing to go away, the puppy may give more emphatic signs such as looking away, panting, and trying to hide. When a puppy is terrified, it may growl, bark, lunge, or they may freeze in terror. Unfortunately, many people misunderstand the “freeze.” Since the puppy is not reacting, they believe the puppy is “fine” when in reality, they are terrified. NEVER force a puppy to interact with a living thing or object if they show any hesitation or signs of fear.

Body language indicating your puppy is comfortable includes; a loose wiggly body, an open mouth with their tongue hanging out, and a desire to investigate and move towards a person or object. Unfortunately, most people do not understand how dogs communicate. It is your responsibility to teach family, friends, and all other people who will interact with your puppy how to do so.

The best way to greet a puppy is to squat sidewise at a distance from the puppy and allow the puppy and person to approach you at their own pace. Alternatively, you can slowly move towards the puppy, avoiding direct eye contact and keeping your arms still. At the same time, the person with the puppy will feed them tiny, high-value treats. If the puppy shows any hesitation, stop and try another day. The puppy ALWAYS gets to make a choice.

Between 8 and 12 weeks of age, you need to gently expose your puppy to everything you anticipate they will encounter during their lifetime in a planned and controlled manner. That includes people of all ages, sizes, races, smells, and wearing a wide variety of clothing. Socialization also includes exposing a puppy to other animals and non-living things such as; cars, lawnmowers, boats, snowmobiles, brooms, snow shovels, and more, all in a planned and controlled manner.

Recommended Resources

Articles on Don’s Blog
( http://www.words-woofs-meows.com  )

Essential Handouts On Body Language, and Canine and Human Behavior from Dr. Sophia YinPuppy – https://bit.ly/YinBodyLang

Socialization and Habituation – http://bit.ly/SocializationPuppy

How Can I Tell When My Dog Is Anxious or Fearful? – http://bit.ly/DogsSignsofFear

Especially for New Puppy Parentshttp://bit.ly/EspcNewPuppyParents

Alone Traininghttp://bit.ly/AloneTraining

Podcasts from The Woof Meow Show
( http://woofmeowshow.libsyn.com/ )

Podcast – Especially for New Puppy Parents – Part 1http://bit.ly/WfMw-Esp_Pups1

Podcast – Especially for New Puppy Parents – Part 2http://bit.ly/WfMw-Esp_Pups2

Podcast – Especially for New Puppy Parents – Part 3http://bit.ly/WfMw-Esp_Pups3

Don Hanson and Dr. Dave Cloutier on Puppy Socialization and Vaccinationhttp://traffic.libsyn.com/woofmeowshow/Pet_Tip_-Don_Hanson_and_Dr._Dave_Cloutier_on_Puppy_Socialization_and_Vaccinations.mp3

________________________________________________________________________
Don Hanson is the co-owner of the Green Acres Kennel Shop ( greenacreskennel.com ) in Bangor, Maine, where he has been helping people with their pets since 1995. He is also the founder of ForceFreePets.com, an online educational resource for people with dogs and cats. Don is a Bach Foundation Registered Animal Practitioner (BFRAP), Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC), Associate Certified Cat Behavior Consultant (ACCBC), and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA). He is a member of the Pet Professional Guild (PPG). Don is committed to PPG’s Guiding Principles and the Pain-Free, Force-Free, and Fear-Free training, management, and care of all pets. He serves on the PPG Steering Committee and Advocacy Committee and is the Chair of The Shock-Free Coalition ( shockfree.org ). Don produces and co-hosts a weekly radio show and podcast, The Woof Meow Show, that airs on Z62 Retro Radio WZON (AM620) and WKIT 103.3-HD3 streamed at http://bit.ly/AM620-WZON every Saturday at 9 AM. Podcasts of the show are available at http://bit.ly/WfMwPodcasts/, the Apple Podcast app, and Don’s blog: www.words-woofs-meows.com.  The opinions in this post are those of Don Hanson.

©11JUL21, Donald J. Hanson, All Rights Reserved
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Essential Handouts On Body Language, and Canine and Human Behavior from Dr. Sophia Yin

< Updated 05JUL21 >

< A short link for this page – https://bit.ly/YinBodyLang >

One of our most important responsibilities is to do everything we can to ensure that our puppy or adult dog feels safe. To do that successfully, we need to understand how dogs communicate. As humans, we like to vocalize; however, the dog prefers more subtle visual signals they make with various parts of their body. While a dog will bark and growl when excited or feeling threatened, they are already severely agitated by the time they do so. By learning your dog’s body language and watching them closely, you will be equipped to help them out of a frightening situation before it escalates out of control. Understanding body language is absolutely essential if you have a puppy that is in its critical socialization period (8 to 16 weeks of age) or an older puppy or adult dog that is fearful or anxious at any level.

The late Dr. Sophia Yin was an amazing veterinarian committed to helping people and dogs live in harmony. She created the following visual resources to aid adults and children. These handouts and posters can be downloaded at https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/free-downloads-posters-handouts-and-more/. Everyone with a dog or those that work with dogs will benefit from these resources.

Body Language of Fear in Dogs – A puppy’s critical socialization period ends somewhere between 12 and 16 weeks of age. During this period, it is up to you to gently expose your puppy to the world so that they do not live life in a state of fear. However, to do this effectively, you need to understand a dog’s subtle body language that indicates they are uncomfortable. These signals are equally important if you have an older dog that is fearful or anxious. To successfully rehabilitate your dog, you need to be able to recognize these signals. When you see one of these signals, you need to gently get your dog out of the situation causing their fear before they start barking, growling, and lunging. This handout is an excellent introduction to these signals.

How to Greet A Dog (And What to Avoid) – Humans and dogs are two separate species with very different understandings of one another’s body language. While most people have the best intentions, they often greet dogs with body language and behavior that the dog will interpret as threatening. A single, unintentional incident can lead to lifelong fears in some dogs. By learning what you see in this handout and ensuring people greet your puppy or adult dog appropriately, you are helping your dog and every other dog that person may interact with in the future. Before introducing your dog to your family, friends, neighbors, or anyone else, I encourage you to provide them with a copy of this handout. I have had students who have posted it on the door to their homes.

How Kids SHOULD Interact with Dogs – Children and dogs do NOT inherently know how to interact around one another. As a parent, it is your responsibility to teach your puppy and children how to live together happily without conflict. That requires time and active supervision. Remember, something can go wrong very quickly. This handout and its companion, How Kids SHOULD NOT Interact with Dogs, provide excellent guidance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Socialization with Other Dogs

How your dog interacts with other dogs will also be important. That is why socializing them with other puppies of the same age, size, and playstyle between 8 and 16 weeks of age is essential. Looking for those same subtle signals outlined in the handout Body Language of Fear in Dogs will be crucial. I recommend that such interactions occur in a puppy headstart class offered by a credentialed trainer committed to reward-based training free of force, fear, and pain.

Daycare facilities with staff experienced in canine body language and behavior may also be an excellent place to help your puppy make new friends in a safe, closely supervised environment. Just remember daycare facilities are not regulated and may not provide adequate training for staff or proper supervision of the dogs in their care.

If you arrange your puppy play sessions with friends, family, or neighbors, I suggest you follow the same guidelines. Ensure that the puppies are of the same approximate age, size, and playstyle. Limit the group to two puppies and make sure each of the puppies has one of their pet parents present. Both pet parents should be familiar with the handout Body Language of Fear in Dogs. They should have all of their attention focused on supervising the puppies. No sessions should last longer than 15 to 20 minutes. If either puppy is at all hesitant about interacting with the other, stop the session and talk to your trainer.

I do not recommend taking a puppy to the dog park until they are at least one year of age. Nor do I recommend taking an adult dog to a dog park if they have not been well socialized. For a dog park to be safe, ALL dogs playing must enjoy the company of ALL other dogs. The dogs also need to be well trained and responsive to their owners. Finally, each dog needs to be accompanied by a pet parent who will be focused entirely on watching their dog; dog parks are not places for people to socialize.

You can find more resources on socialization, canine and human communication, and more below.

Recommended Resources

Articles on Don’s Blog
( http://www.words-woofs-meows.com  )

Puppy Socialization and Habituationhttp://blog.greenacreskennel.com/2015/06/27/dog-behavior-puppy-socialization-and-habituation/
OR http://bit.ly/SocializationPuppy

Introduction to Canine Communicationhttp://blog.greenacreskennel.com/2016/01/16/dog-behavior-introduction-to-canine-communication/

Understanding, Identifying and Coping with Canine Stresshttp://bit.ly/Canine-Stress

________________________________________________________________________
Don Hanson is the co-owner of the Green Acres Kennel Shop ( greenacreskennel.com ) in Bangor, Maine, where he has been helping people with their pets since 1995. He is also the founder of ForceFreePets.com, an online educational resource for people with dogs and cats. Don is a Bach Foundation Registered Animal Practitioner (BFRAP), Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC), Associate Certified Cat Behavior Consultant (ACCBC), and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA). He is a member of the Pet Professional Guild (PPG). Don is committed to PPG’s Guiding Principles and the Pain-Free, Force-Free, and Fear-Free training, management, and care of all pets. He serves on the PPG Steering Committee and Advocacy Committee and is the Chair of The Shock-Free Coalition ( shockfree.org ). Don produces and co-hosts a weekly radio show and podcast, The Woof Meow Show, that airs on Z62 Retro Radio WZON (AM620) and WKIT 103.3-HD3 and is streamed at http://bit.ly/AM620-WZON every Saturday at 9 AM. Podcasts of the show are available at http://bit.ly/WfMwPodcasts/, the Apple Podcast app, and Don’s blog: www.words-woofs-meows.com.  The opinions in this post are those of Don Hanson.

©05JUL21, Donald J. Hanson, All Rights Reserved
< Click for Copyright and Use Policy >