Vipers Choice Raw Pet Food And Training

09/01/2026

TIP TUESDAY: A quick safety check for your pantry! 🚨🐕

There’s a good chance a hidden pet poison is sitting in your home right now: Xylitol. Found in hundreds of everyday products—from sugar-free gum and mints to certain medications and peanut butter—this sweetener is harmless to us, but extremely dangerous for dogs.

Even a tiny amount can cause an immediate drop in blood sugar (hypoglycemia), leading to seizures, severe illness, or liver failure within hours or days.

💡 The Safety Habit: Make it a routine to scan labels for xylitol (which can also be listed as birch sugar, wood sugar, or E967) on any human foods before using them as training rewards or stuffed toy fillers! Keeping these items completely out of reach is the best way to protect our four-legged teammates. 🐾❤️

Found in hundreds of everyday products, there's a good chance this pet poison is in your home right now. While it won't harm you, if your dog ingests it, she can experience a sharp drop in blood sugar that can lead to unconsciousness and seizures, liver failure, and even death within hours or days.

08/27/2026

Years of dedication, patience, and persistence just paid off in the best way possible! 🥳✨

A MASSIVE congratulations to Angela and Haggard, who officially got his full upright weave poles last night! 🏆🐾 Anyone in the dog world knows that mastering the weaves is no easy feat—it takes incredible teamwork, trust, and countless hours of practice to make it all come together.

Watching this team conquer such a huge milestone after years of hard work is what dog training is all about.

We could not be prouder of you two! ❤️🎉

08/26/2026

TIP TUESDAY: Want more speed and distance on course? Go back to the basics! 🏃‍♂️💨🐾

When building speed and working on handler distance, one of the best techniques to pull out of the toolbox is backchaining! 🧩✨

How it works:
1️⃣ Start close to the target: Set up a high-value reward (a toy, target plate, or treat) at the end of the line. Get your pup excited, then release!
2️⃣ Build backward: Gradually move further back and send your dog over the sequence toward the target.

As you see in this clip, backchaining three jumps together toward a high-reward target encourages the dogs to open up their stride, drive forward independently, and rocket through the line with incredible speed and confidence! 🚀💥

The best part? You can use this exact exercise with all sorts of obstacles across the field! 🎯🏆

08/20/2026

🐾 Adventure-ready 🏔️✨

healthy joints help your pup stay active and comfortable! 💪🐶

Thank you .maggie.alf for this incredible adventure photo ❤️

08/11/2026

TIP TUESDAY: Agility 101—Understanding Contact Obstacles! 🧠🐕

Watching a sequence featuring a jump, A-frame, two jumps, and a tunnel looks like pure fun, but obstacles like the A-frame require specific rules and precision training! 📐⚡️

What are the rules in the ring?

In competition, obstacles like the A-frame, Dog Walk, and Teeter have a painted “contact zone” at the bottom. For a run to qualify in the ring, a dog must make physical contact with that zone—if they leap over it completely, it’s a missed contact error!

Building success on the practice field:
Because the excitement of trial day makes dogs want to jump off early, taking time during practice runs to stop and reward the dog directly in their two-on-two-off position keeps the value of that target zone sky-high. 🎯

Teaching the dog that the contact zone itself is a source of reward builds the patience, clear criteria, and muscle memory needed to hold those contacts cleanly when stepping into the ring! 🏆✨

08/01/2026

07/31/2026

Sending the biggest GOOD LUCK vibes to all our incredible handlers and pups competing at the Alberta Kennel Club Summer Classic trial this weekend! 🇨🇦☀️🏆

Trial weekends are all about celebrating the hard work, the bond built in training, fast runs, clean lines, and—most importantly—having an absolute blast out on the dirt with your best friend! 💨🐕✨

Whether you’re chasing those final Qs, debuting in a new class, or just out there enjoying every second on course: run fast, trust your training, and make some great memories! 🥳🐾

07/28/2026

TIP TUESDAY: The science of dog cooling & field traction! 🧬☀️🐾

Ever wonder why dogs instinctively seek out cool tile or dig down into damp dirt on hot days? It comes down to basic canine anatomy and heat transfer! 🧊🐶

Unlike humans, dogs don’t sweat through their skin—they rely heavily on their belly and paw pads to regulate body temperature!

The Science Behind It:
🔬 The Belly Radiator: The belly (inguinal area) has minimal hair density and major blood vessels running close to the skin surface. Placing a damp towel underneath creates direct conductive cooling, dropping their core temperature quickly.
🔬 Paw Pad Heat Release: A dog’s paw pads contain merocrine sweat glands—their only true sweat glands! Dampening their feet supports this natural heat release mechanism.

How to Use This On the Field:
🌊 The Wet Towel Rest Stop: Laying out a cool, damp towel in the shade gives dogs a direct cooling mat for their tummy and paws between reps or play sessions.
🏃‍♂️ Bonus Field Traction: Dampening dry, dusty paws on that towel slightly softens the pads, restoring natural grip on dry summer grass so they don’t slide during fast turns!
🎽 Cooling Vests & Bandanas: For short-haired dogs, evaporative cooling vests and neck wraps sit close to these high-vascular areas, aiding constant heat dissipation while they’re active.

Keeping those bellies cool and paws grippy means more safe, fun memories all season long! 🏆❤️

07/28/2026

Happy 13th Birthday to sweet Sophie! 🎂🎉 Wishing this girl a wonderful day filled with extra love, treats, and belly rubs! 🐾❤️

07/25/2026