The Days of Johann, an agility dog!

If you read my blog, you know I have a sensitive tummy. Irritable Bowel Syndrome they call it.

Lucky for me and Mum, we found out early what triggers my tummy upset - nasty things like artificial flavorings and colors, and unnatural ingredients in some foods and treats.

The nice thing is that Mum never gives me that kind of stuff, but on occasion I'll pick up something off the ground that another pup left, or the nice retired guys down the street will sneak me something when we're on our walks and visit with them.

A few times, in past years my IBS got so bad I was sick for a week. One time it turned into gastroenteritis and I was out for over a week, missed an agility trial too. During that bout, we talked at length with our vet and she prescribed some Chinese Herbs that would help settle my tummy faster, so that I wouldn't have to go through the suffering and constant trips outside, or hopefully miss a coveted agility trial!

I have to say that this herb has been a lifesaver (well, at least a belly saver) many times over the past few years, not only for me, but for Gracie too when she get's into something she's not supposed to.

So what is this herb? It's called Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Wan. Kind of a weird name, but it is a Chinese Herb.

We looked it up and here are some of the ingredients: Agastache rugosa herb, Atractylodes macrocephala rhizome, Magnolia officinalis bark, Platycodon grandiflorum root, Citrus reticulata peel, Glycyrrhiza uralensis root, Pinellia ternata rhizome, Areca catechu peel, Angelica dahurica root, Perilla frutescens leaf, Poria cocos fungus, Ziziphus jujuba fruit, Zingiber officinale rhizome-fresh

At first we didn't know what all that ingredients was good for so we looked it all up. Here's a bit of a rundown:

Agastache rugosa herb - also known as Korean Mint, promotes sweating for the breaking of fevers. Improves digestion, and the highly potent anti-oxidants boost the immune system in the prevention of infection.

Atractylodes macrocephala rhizome - Atractylodes is thought to dry dampness, strengthen the Spleen or digestion, and promote diuresis, the formation and excretion of urine. It is used for diarrhea, generalized aching, mental fatigue, dizziness, lack of appetite, vomiting, edema (accumulation of fluids), and spontaneous sweating.

Magnolia officinalis bark - also known as Magnolia bark has been used to treat menstrual cramps, abdominal pain, abdominal bloating and gas, nausea, and indigestion.

Platycodon grandiflorum root - also known as the Balloon Flower (which we've seen around these parts) helps to treat skin swellings, including abscesses in the lungs and intestines.

Citrus reticulata peel - also known as tangerine peel helps to dry up mucous in the lungs and stomach. It helps regulate and strengthen digestion, and is a component used to treat diarrhea, nausea, dyspepsia, and cough.

It's not a natural acne treatment, but, you get the idea :).

The nice thing about using this herb for my tummy upsets is that it works quickly at the first sign of symptoms, and has kept me from progressively getting worse. If it's really bad, Mum of course takes me to my holistic vet to have me checked out.

At the first sign of troubles, Mum gives me two teapills (they are little round black/brown pills, Gracie gets three since she's bigger). Since we've been using these herbs, I've gotten over any tummy upset within 24 hours and kept the week bouts at bay.

And I don't have to use some of the usual things that vets prescribe and are given to dogs for tummy troubles, like Pepto (which has unnatural ingredients, and artificial flavors and colors, which would only make it worse for me).

It hasn't happened since we've been using these herbs, but if by chance my tummy is really screeming, Mum will give me the pills, fast me for about 12 or so hours, then start to intro me to a very bland diet for a few days with some boiled chicken, a little rice, low fat plain organic yogurt (to get the good bacteria going)...you get the idea. And then ease me into my regular food. But usually just one or two doses of the two teapills and I'm pretty much back to normal in a day.

Mum makes sure to keep me hydrated during the process with a little Emergen-C, which we get at the health food store, in addition to my regular filtered water. Much better than the Gatorade or Pedialyte that many times contains sugar (which would just make me worse).

So we just wanted to share this info with you, because the first time and every time since we've used the Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Wan they have worked so well for me!

Ok...I have to say that I've never been this excited about a dog coat before!

Usually Mum puts on my coat, I hang my head as she wraps the velcro around the belly. Oh the shame, I tell you! Then I get outside and I don't want to run. And zoomies aren't even a glint in my eye, because I'm just not comfortable, the coat doesn't give, I can't stretch out, and the worst part is that I fear the inevitable; the time she takes it off me and...ZAP!!!...static electricity.

So when Mum opened the box and took out one of the Ezy Dog Elements Jacket that the company sent us a week or so ago to test, I hung my head. But Mum persisted. She's been looking for a nice coat for me that would take the beating that I can give 'em, and be comfortable enough for me to run, and hopefully even get the zoomies, in.

She put it on, and I thought, hey I barely feel this because it was so light weight. I ran outside and thought, hey I can run in this. Immediately, I started getting my zoomies on. Mum was super impressed. I've never gotten my zoomies on in a coat before.

The EzyDog company says the Element Coat is windproof, waterproof and fleece lined. I thought it was warm, but not overly warm. It's easy on and easy off with two quick release buckles on the sides. There are two small zippered pockets on the size too for poo bags (guess now Gracie can carry her own, BOL!!) And this is the best part...the panels around the chest and neck are neoprene stretch that give when you walk/run, making for a great custom fit and no restrictions in movement!

Mum and I really like these coats and thought that you may too. So we got a few of the coats and added them the other day to our new section of my site - JohannTheDog Direct. Guess now Mum's gonna have to get a receipt printer, since we've been selling some of the cool stuff on our new section of the site!

We've got small, medium, and large sizes in the EzyDog Elements Coat for now, but can get more sizes if you'd like.

If you're interested in a great sturdy coat, that's lightweight, warm and gives with movement, check out the EzyDog. We love it! Take a look and tell us what you think!

This past weekend I ran with the Classic K9 Extreme Performance Team at the Great Indy Pet Expo.

I have to say it was kinda fun! So noisy with all the loud music and barking flyball dogs, but fun nonetheless!

Mum gave me a bath on Friday night, why I don't know. But truth be told, I hadn't had a bath in about a year. Mum doesn't give me baths very often, 'cause I just don't need them with her brushing me often and an occasional clean up after rolling in yucky stuff. But she liked it, she has her nose in my fur for days!!!

The little course was kinda odd (that's it above). They had lower jumps, because we were running on cement with a little carpet covering. The frame was very low, and there was this weird teeter/canon thing that I had to run through. Oh, and a window with no jump bar too, which I didn't get at first. But after a couple of practice runs we were good to go.

I waited in my crate before we ran. We started out with a parade of dogs, then it was time for the flyball dogs, then the disc dogs, and then the agility dogs.

Here's a video of one of my runs (but mostly you see Mum's butt, BOL!!)


Wadda ya think? Do I need to get a used rv for sale and take my show on the road? Bwwwaaahahahah!

We got home and Mum ran Gracie in a little agility in the backyard, since she had to stay home cooped up all day. She did great, worked on her dog walk a little, some distance jumps, she had some fun! But Mum twisted her back so that we couldn't go back to the Pet Expo on Sunday. But I didn't really mind, Mum didn't like it much that I was running and jumping on cement. So we watched Mum hobble around the house and work on Sunday.

During the event we went around and visited a lot of folks we know. We visited the booth where my shelter was featuring lots of pets for adoption. We love the folks at the Southside Animal Shelter.

And we got to visit with my friend Mary Marshall, she's an animal communicator. But we missed seeing my friends from Canines in Action, where I had my first obedience and clicker class. Would loved to have seen Laura.

In the middle of all the action, they had a petting zoo. Lots of goats, chickens, ducks and more. Oh...the herding potential there! I got a little crazy when we got near them.

All in all it was a fun day. Fun day to get out and do something different. Fun day to get out and see some old friends and meet some new ones.

This weekend is the Great Indy Pet Expo at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

At the event there will be lots of booths with great things for pets, rescue and shelter organizations, seminars, entertainment and more.

And wadda ya know? I'm going to be performing as part of the Classic K9 Extreme Team Performance Team in shows at 11 AM, 1 PM and 3:30 PM on Saturday, and Noon and 2 PM on Sunday.

I have absolutely no idea what exactly I'll be doing, but I think it may involve some jumps, tunnels, maybe a low a-frame, oh and Mum working on helping me through those things and loosing some lbs., so she doesn't have to look into effective weight loss pills, BOL!!! Just kidding.

The event will be held on Saturday, November 14th from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Sunday, November 15th 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Toyota Exposition Hall, Indiana State Fairgrounds. Admission is $6.00.

Mum's giving me a bath later today so I'll look nice and fluffy and smell good too :) Haven't had a bath in a loooonnnnggg while!

Stop on by and say hi to me if you're attending the event, I'd love to meet ya. Mum's taking the camera and video recorder, so hopefully we can get someone to take some pics and vids of us, being silly and making fools of ourselves :) so we can blog about it later!

Also you can follow the Great Indy Pet Expo on Twitter and Fan them on Facebook!

Should be a fun time!

You remember our pull of the socks trick, right? We'll Mum and Gracie were working on some tricks the other night and decided to surprise me!

They were out in the backyard doing something that was really bugging me, while I had to suffer as silently as possible (NOT!) inside in my crate until they were done.

So what were they doing?

Here's the goofy, surprise video of Mum and Gracie taking the 'pull of the socks' tricks to almost the extreme? Now, maybe they'll have to get las vegas nv hotel rooms and take that show on the road, BOL!!!

Don't worry you won't see anything you're not supposed to :) Hope you enjoy!