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Both Rough Collies and Smooth Collies can be quite picky about what they’ll deign to eat. This may be because many of them (like my big male Collie Gustav) have sensitive stomachs that are easily upset. In deference to his delicate GI tract, I tend to be very particular about what I give him.
So I was quite pleased to find that American Journey’s beef dog treats were both a big hit and caused NO digestive issues. It probably helped that they are made of all natural beef and cured in a freeze-drying process. My dogs are quite spoiled, so they receive both “good night” and “good morning” treats. (That started as a bribe/reward for good behavior when Yoshi was a rambunctious, naughty puppy.)
The American Journey treats are small and motivational enough to use as training treats also. Occasionally, my cat will even line up with the dogs if he feels that what they are receiving is worthy of his interest, so I think it speaks volumes that Bobcat magically appeared for his share every time the American Journey treats came out.
Here is what Chewy had to say about American Journey, which it produces as one of its own private label brands:
American Journey is committed to providing your dogs and cats with recipes that always start with real, deboned protein first, and add only nutrient-dense ingredients with never any corn, wheat or soy. Plus, they’re all made right here in the USA. With a range of… treats by American Journey, you can fuel their everyday adventures.
I received this product for free in exchange for my opinion, but the treats come in an affordable 3.5 ounce (99 gram) pack. If you and your pup are more into crunchy cookie type of treats, you might also want to try the even more cost-effective American Journey Peanut Butter Grain-Free Biscuits. And remember, once you reach Chewy’s purchase amount quota, your products ship free!
Gus, Freckles and Yoshi are ready for their treats
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Hi Emily,
I have 2 1 yr old Rough Collies.
Willow cries to go outside to potty twice a night.
The groomer said she was going into heat.
Now she is crying & wont calm down. She is crated next to a male Rough Collie who’s in tact. Is this why she is crying or dies she want out of the crate to be with our 2 yr old female Australian Shepherd whi May be in heat as well. We plan to neuter all our dogs, however the Vet wanted to wait unreal l the pups are 1 yr old, which they turn this week Now that she’s going oh heat we must wait 3 months before neutering her. The Vet clinic has limited availability to neuter due to being down 2 Vets.
Meanwhile, Willow shreds any bed if toy.
She has the gene that is sensitive to certain medications.
Any suggestions?
Thank you.
Linda
Hi Linda,
Willow is most likely reacting to raging hormones! When my female Collie has been in heat, we had to separate my intact male Rough Collie into an opposite side of the house just so we could get some sleep at night since he was whining so much. To avoid “oops” babies, we’ve even boarded him with a friend before so we wouldn’t have to deal with keeping them separated. I can confirm that while in heat, canine brains tend to get a little scrambled and they are absolutely not their normal selves! When Yoshi was having trouble sleeping, our veterinarian recommended giving her Benadryl, which did seem to help her. Instead of a stuffed bed, perhaps try a mat for now – even a rubber one. I’ve also found Nylabones to be very durable. Dogs are mentally still very much puppies at 1 year old. We were a bit crazy ourselves to have a 1 year old Aussie mix and a Rough Collie puppy at the same time, and Sir Gustav was practically a middle-aged man when we brought the girls home. Best of luck, and hang in there!
Emily
My Vet is recommending Frontline Gold this year instead of Frontline Plus which I have used for many years. She claims that ticks will not latch on with the Gold. Until the past few years I never had a problem, but have had three latched-on and enlarged but flat ticks already this year. My rough carries a huge beautiful coat, but finding ticks is really difficult. She also claims, and I have heard this from other Vets, that Frontline does not last a full 30 days. The Gold contains a third ingredient pyriproxyfen. I can’t find it written down that it is any better for ticks but kills fleas faster. I’m not one who wants to add any unnecessary ingredients and always space heartworm (Interceptor) away from flea/tick. Your opinion and anyone else who might have had experience with this would be appreciated. My rough is Mutant/Mutant.
Hi Ruth,
I read the product label for Frontline Gold and didn’t see anything about it repelling ticks either… Perhaps your vet was thinking of K9 Advantix? There are so many products that it’s easy to get confused! K9 Advantix II is a quite strong formulation of 3 ingredients (including pyriproxifen) that is very effective. However, I don’t recommend it for most Collies as many tend to have sensitive skin! If your Rough doesn’t have issues with skin sensitivities, it may be a good product to try.
If a topical that strong isn’t a good option for your Collie, you could try Natural Chemistry flea and tick spray. Since the goal is to keep ticks from attaching, that may be a safer alternative for you. I can’t guarantee it will be 100% effective, but I live in Florida where the ticks are awful and it’s worked for me. I use Frontline Plus and also apply that spray at least once a week. Before we walk trails through wooded or overgrown areas, I always make sure to spray down my dogs’ legs and underbellies. I haven’t seen a tick on them since! It’s a bit more work; but as I already apply bug spray myself before going on a hike I just got in the habit of spritzing the dogs down with their own spray, too. I’ve tried 2 other essential oil sprays on my dogs, but the Natural Chemistry seems to last the longest. And it smells the best in my opinion! Hope this helps.
My collie has a sensitive stomach. She loves to eat but can be picky ( spoiled mostly). She begs for scraps but we try to be careful because she gets stomach upset. And we can’t let her go too long without eating. She throws up bile usually in the am if she didn’t eat a later night snack or small meal. Any suggestions on food ? Ive seen kibble isn’t the best but I’m trying not to break the bank by using all fresh maybe used as a topper. Any brands or suggestions? Currently use Pro plan digestive health with a healthier topper or wet science diet and a probiotic sprinkled on top. Still has issues we can’t figure out occasionally with vomiting.