Natural care
Our philosophy is to use as much natural remedies as possible. However, this does not mean we don't believe in scientifically proven medicins, our dogs get the best care possible, if that means antibiotics, painkillers etc, we will absolutely use it! Our dogs DO get vaccinations. For Distemper, Hepatitis and Parvo we use titer testing to see when the antibodies are worn out. After vaccinating, we always do another titer test to see if the vaccination actually worked.
As we live in an environment with LOTS of ticks, we also give the dogs anti-tick pipettes. We've been trying the natural way for years, nothing worked.
Boosting the immune system
The key element in preventing ANY disease is to keep the immune system of your dog healthy. But how do you do that?
Raw, species-specific nutrition.
Dogs are carnivores, they are not meant to eat (lots of) vegetables and grains. Proper nutrition is the most critical element for a healthy dog. Without the support of correct nutrition, every virus, parasite etc. are more dangerous. This is not because they are strengthened, but because the body's ability to fight the virus/parasite is decreased.
Carnivores have a low coefficient of fermentation, meaning they have low ability to extract nutrition from plant matter as the result of their ability to ferment it.
When dogs are fed grains or vegetables, the pancreas will bear the burden of breaking down these foods. The pancreas is forced to produce large amounts of amylase to deal with the starch, cellulose and carbohydrates in the grains and veggies.
When a carnivore eats cooked or processed foods, as well as grains and veggies, the stomach recognizes that there aren't any enzymes in the food and not enough enzymes in the stomach to break the food down. In an attempt to digest grains, veggies and cooked food, the stomach sends out messages to the brain that stimulates it to 'send' enzymes from other parts of the body to assist in digestion. As the food sits in the stomach undigested, enzymes are gathered from the heart, liver, kidneys and other organs of the body and transported to the stomach.
As you can understand, this isn't good for the canine body. It can result in dysfunction or disease in the organs from which the enzymes are robbed. This 'enzyme robbing' doesn't happen when you feed your dog a balanced raw meat, bone and organ diet.
There are a lot of sources that say Lundehunds shouldn't get red meat, but this has never been proven. Every dog needs a balanced diet, and to get a balanced diet, it's best to give at least 5 different protein sources, including red meat (meat of mammals) and white meat (meat of birds). Besides that, fish is a nice addition to your dog's diet, but try not to give more than once a week. Variation is the key element when it comes to raw food!
Lots of 'outdoor-time'.
Sunlight, fresh air and natural ground (dirt, grass, rocks etc.) are essential. Most dogs luckily are outdoors a lot, but not all dogs are that lucky.
No toxics and chemicals.
Vaccinations, deworming, anti flea and anti tick treatment, it's best to use them as little as possible. Do not give deworming if the dog doesn't have worms! Try to find a vet who can do a fecal flotation test to see if your dog has worms.
Vaccinations can also be best given as little as possible. Some vets do titer testing. Titer testing measures the level of antibodies in the blood. If there are still antibodies in the blood, there's NO NEED to give the dog a vaccination. Our puppies are titer tested, to pinpoint the ideal timing for a vaccination. Every puppy has their own schedule and we're very happy to have a vet who helps us finding out what the optimal timing for their first vaccination is.
Rest.
Adult dogs need around 18 hours a day of rest. Puppies and seniors need more.
Exercise.
Do nosework, agility, hide-and-seek, barn hunting, dock diving, obedience etc. with your dog. Keep the dog's feelings/desire in the first place. If your dog doesn't like to do agility, then simply don't do agility.
Sound conformation and good care.
This might sound silly, but a dog that is anatomically correct, will have less physical stress than an anatomically incorrect dog.
Try to keep the nails short, as long nails can change the posture of a dog. A dog with (too) long nails will walk differently, which can for example result in pressure on the spine.
Other things to keep in mind are clean teeth. The (raw!) bones in the diet of your dog, will usually keep the teeth clean. Otherwise you can give your dog yak cheese sticks or other chews to chew on.
Love/trust.
Love your dog as much as your dog loves you. Look at his/her body language to see if it's comfortable in the situations you're putting him/her in. Too much stress is bad for any dog.
Socialization.
Good socialization can make your dog less stressful in certain situations. Try to find a breeder who socializes the puppy in a responsible way, who looks at the individual puppy. Every breeder has their own way of socialization. We use "Early Neurological Stimulation" for our litters. Of course they should have more socialization besides that, but it is a great start for the puppies. It really makes a difference if the breeder of your puppy put some effort in socializing.