Ben Writes

Will Dexter Eat It: Apples

This week is a tip of the hat to a former family pet, Duke. Duke was a giant heinz 57 mutt. He was big, dumb, friendly, and probably one of the easiest going dogs I have ever met. Duke was a giant surrounded by much smaller dogs, 2 dachos and a min-pin, but he was a gentle giant. Near the end of his life, we would spend summer afternoons in the backyard playing catch with small apples that fell off a tree. Inevitably he would end up eating more than a few which would cause some serious gas later. Unfortunately ol Duke passed away a few years ago, but those memories of him eating apples and memories like it will stay with me always.

In case you are wondering, apples are perfectly fine for dogs to eat - in fact it’s quite common to find them on the label of your dog’s food. Eating too much apple at once will do what too much fiber would do to anyone - give them some serious gas. Beyond that, there’s nothing to worry about.

Now - will Dexter eat it? We’re about to find out. I personally don’t think so, but what do I know, I’m taking a big 0fer right now. This has to be my chance to turn it around, c’mon Dex, work with me on this one.

I win! Finally! I don’t feel so bad anymore!

No animals were hurt during the filming of this video, but Dexter may have an apple tree growing in his stomach

Answering Questions

Hi Everyone, just getting back into the swing of things. My significant other and I are settling into a new house, finishing up some renovations, and finally getting back into a regular routine. I’ll be back with regular updates starting today and Friday I’ll have a new “Will Dexter Eat It”. In the meantime, I want to address some questions I frequently receive:

Q - What kind of dog is Dexter? How old is he? Etc.

A - Dexter is a long-haired miniature Dachshund, though we suspect he may actually be a mix between short and long-haired since his hair length is somewhere in between. He is a year and 8 months old, we have owned him since July of last year.

Q - Is feeding you dog scraps bad for them?

A - I don’t pretend to be a vet or a trained professional but I have done quite a bit of research on Dogs since I have started this to make sure I never feed Dex anything that could be potentially hazardous to his health. What I know is that, unlike our diets, Dogs’ diets needs to relatively consistent. With that said, rewarding them with treats or scraps is fine in moderation. Dexter doesn’t eat scraps or treats everyday, we have him and Gertie (our new dog) on pretty strict diets in terms of brand and quantity of food and what we do show you is a weekly treat. My dogs are my best friends, I would never do anything to hurt them and if I thought I was, I would stop immediately.

Q - What kind of food do you give Dexter?

A - Blue Buffalo, we moved both of our dogs over to it after our new dog had problems when we first got her. Dogs poop a lot but she was going every hour, so we cut her diet down to a measured amount of high quality food. In terms of treats, our dogs like Waggin Train dog treats.

Q - Do you kennel Dexter?

A - Yes -And it was tough, he still doesn’t like staying in his kennel. Now that he is house trained we only leave his kennel open for him to sleep in and if he gets too rowdy with Gertie. He mostly views it as his personal space that he can get away into, when we bring him to my parents for the night he will sleep in it and be protective to the point he growls when you take him out. Gertie is being kennel trained still, she spends any time we aren’t home in the kennel. I highly suggest everyone at least kennel train their dog to start. Then if you find your dog is easy to trust when you aren’t home, ease up on the restrictions but fall back on them if you need. Dexter had issues with house training after we moved, back in the kennel he went until he learned.

Q - Do you breed Dexter? I would like to buy a pup like him.

A - No, Dexter is fixed. He was intensely aggressive with other dogs, when we fixed him he mellowed out. Not only that, but there are so many dogs out there at shelters that breeding dogs seems a little silly. Gertie, our second dog, is a rescue and she is great. After seeing her reaction coming into our home, any dog we get from here on out will likely be one as well.

—————————-

Keep questions coming, we love our dogs and are glad to share our experiences.

Will My Dog Eat It? Pepper Rings

Last week Dexter killed an Altoid and since then he has been getting in my face whenever I break a tin out. I think we have created a monster … and they still don’t make his breath any better. This week we move to the other end of the spectrum, we are taking a request and moving onto something spicier.

The original suggestion I received was of jalapeno … not bad but I couldn’t help feel like that might be a little too much. I like the idea, but I had the feeling we needed to go a little less hot. So I thought and thought, and then I got a great idea. One of my favorites salad accoutrements, banana peppers. They allow us to to go spicy without being cruel.

The Challenger: Pepper Rings

My initial reaction is there isn’t a chance in the world he’s going to touch these things for one reason, they’re green. Dogs don’t eat things that are green. Then there’s the fact that scent will probably turn him off as well. That’s why my prediction is a resounding “No, Dexter will not eat it”. I predict a lick or two at best. But enough talk, let’s get down to business.

Let’s Ask Dexter

And Dexter surprises me more and more every day. The only drawback is I might be waking up to dog farts. Believe me, I will keep you all updated.

No dogs were injured in the making of this blog, but I can’t promise he won’t have a sting ring later

Will My Dog Eat It? Altoids

Meet Dexter.

He’s my one year old miniature long haired Dachshund. He enjoys chasing his tail, dry humping his favorite pillow, sleeping, licking your face, and peeing on you if he’s excited. In short, he’s the best dog ever.

We’ve all the heard the rumor, dogs will eat anything … but is it true? Why don’t you help me find out. I love science, it’s so straightforward and like any experiment we have to lay down some guidelines to preserve the integrity of our work.

1. Nothing that will harm Dexter, he is my best non-human friend. That and my soon to be wife would destroy me if anything happened to him. This includes anything that will make him puke, act funny, or have bad gas.

2. It has to be food. I don’t want my dog pooping balloons or robo-tripping.

3. No meat. He’s a dog, of course he’ll eat meat.

4. There is a 30 second time limit. I mean hell, after 2 seconds if he hasn’t ate it, he won’t.

5. No hiding the item in cheese or anything else that we know he’ll eat. I could get him to eat his own poop … well he already does that.

6. Any irregularities with his bowel movements will be documented.

With that decided, leeeeeeet’s begin.

Week One: ALTOIDS

Note: Dogs cannot eat sugar free Altoids, the sugar substitute is poisonous and could make them very sick.

I know some people who won’t eat Altoids. To be more specific, the classic red can Peppermint Altoids. Me? I love them, pop them like candy. But what about a dog?

Let’s ask Dexter:

YES!!!!!! Dexter likes altoids, apparently a lot. He didn’t just eat it, he destroyed it and then tried to get the can.

No dogs were injured in the making of this blog, and his breath still smells