Well, as every year my wife and I get the dogs a little something for Christmas. After all they are part of the family. So this year we got them matching peanut butter flavored candy cane bones. So, I was wondering what kind of gift did everyone get for their pets?
Please note: We are not veterinarians nor do we claim to be. Nothing here is meant to replace what your veterinarian says. Always consult with your veterinarian first. This list is provided as a guide only!
What to do in case of a pet emergency
Emergencies happen, and the unexpected could be right around the corner. When it comes to your pet you can never be to careful. An unprepared moment can prove to be fatal. So it is important to be proactive instead of reactive. Having over the counter medicine around is extremely useful. It is safe to give your pet certain medicines. Also inspect your dog. Make sure that your pet is not acting unusual or whinny. If they are and you fear that your dog is to sick to get better by itself, then take you mascot to a vet immediately. The best piece of advice I could give you is get a good vet and have an emergency backup. You should know the number and route to a 24 hour veterinary hospital. Emergencies don’t happen only during business hours. They can happen anytime and anywhere. So please, have that number and address handy. It will prove to be useful. In case of an emergency their is nothing worst than driving around unknowing what to do, where to go, and who to call. Having the information prior to an incident can save vital time. So be prepared.
Medicine safe for your pets
Why Dogs Chew.
For anyone who has ever had a young pup, you know the frustration they present when it comes to their destructive chewing. Countless pieces of furniture destroyed, shoes are chewed beyond recognition, newspapers and important documents are all casualties of the war puppies wage against your stuff. Yes, they can be a handful. Just remember that dogs are great companions and noble. They don’t do these things on purpose. Many times their is a perfectly logical explination to why they chew things up.
Many times puppies will chew on furniture because they are puppies. When a human baby is teething we give them a teething ring and do whatever we can do ease the pain. People tend to forget that puppy’s begin to teeth very quickly. They are in pain and discomfort. They need a chew toy. If nothing is provided they will begin to chew on other things. So beware.
After some time you might notice that your dog has already gone beyond the stage of infant chewing caused by teething. Yet they still chew. Now what? Well, their are other reason why your dog might chew. One of the most common reasons your dog will munch on your possesions is due to stress, boredom, loneliness and they just like it.
Don’t leave your dog unattended
Never leave your dog unattended. Dogs in many ways are like children. You wouldn’t leave a young child running around your house alone. Don’t give your dog the opportunity to destroy your home. If your dog is alone for long periods of time you should make sure they have chew toys to play with. Also leave them in a place where they can’t chew on items. A well ventilated garage is good. Just make sure to pick up any objects that may be lying around. If that is not possible, then the kitchen might be a good idea. Just block the area off so they have room to walk around. A bathroom, the backyard, anywhere safe is fine. Also remember they might chew because they are bored. So after you get home give them plenty of exercise.
Stop Chewing
The first step is to try to identify the source of the chewing. Then, try to come up with a solution. For example, if your dog is teething give them plenty of chew toys to occupy their time. Exercise is probably the best thing you can do. If you take your dog for a walk they will be less stressed and they will tend to chew less. As I am writing this I have two dogs in the house. One is a 6 month old Golden Retriever (loves to chew), the other is a Rott/Shepard mix. I just walked them and then threw a tennis ball around for a bit (maybe 30 minutes of my time). Now they are both sleeping and will probably remain pretty calm for the next couple of hours.
Keeping your dogs mind occupied is also important. Dogs are destructive by default. What kind of mischief do you think you’d get into if you were left alone and bored all day, every day? Fortunately, supermarkets and pet stores have solutions to this dilemma. Dog Kong’s and puzzles are available to keep your dog occupied for hours. Getting them trained will also help a great deal. Pet-Smart offers an 8 week obedience class for about $109.
Their is no easy solution here. Getting your dog to stop any behavior is not an exact science. Spending time with your dog is the best remedy. Remember to exercise patience and compassion. Your pet is not destructive due to malice. Their are reasons for what they do. Work with your dog and have fun. If you stick to it you will see results.
Before you begin you should know.
Teaching your dog how to sit is a relatively simple task. All it depends on is your approach. First off, certain dogs are easier to teach than others. Large breeds, such as Golden Retrievers will catch on to commands like sit or lay down faster than a small breed, such as a Maltese. Not to say it will be impossible to teach a toy dog breed, just more difficult.
Patience
To keep it simple trainging dogs is a difficult process. It takes time and above all, patience. Please do not get frustrated if your dog does not catch on right away. Do not yell at your dog. This will have a negative consequence and slow the learning process. Never hit your dog. Finally, have fun.
Teaching Your Dog to Sit
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First we need to get our dog to stand in front of us.
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Show your dog a treat by holding it in front of you at chin level, or giving a look command (if they know the command)
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Then simply grab the treat in your hand and put it above their nose (the treat has to be touching the nose).
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Then move the treat back slowly along the nose. Do not say “sit”. Most dogs don’t know the word “sit” and won’t respond to it. Your dog will learn to recognize you hand gesture when you put your hand on top of thier nose.
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Your dogs natural instick will be to lift his head and grab the treat. Make sure you hold the treat at the base of the nose where they can’t get it. Once done they will sit in an attempt to get the treat.
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Lastly, when completed give a high pitched good dog or click (with clicker) followed by a treat. Remeber the reward has to be given to the dog within five seconds of a successful sit. If not they will not associate the treat with a completed command.
This technique works well with both small and large breed dogs. Practice makes perfect. Training fifteen minutes a day will prove to be very usefull and will help solidify the sit command for life. Once your dog knows how to sit, putting your hand right above his nose or raising your hand (refer to picture above) will command the dog to sit. So now you know how to teach your dog to sit. Go on and train your pal.
Importance of walking.
Exercise is an important part of any-ones life. It keeps us healthy and helps with anxiety, over weight, stress, and other health risks. In-fact, people who exercise regularly will tell you they feel better. Well, the same goes for dogs.Without exercise dogs are prone to all sort of health risk. That is why it is imperative that we keep our dogs body in ship shape. One of the best ways to accomplish that is with regular walking.
For dogs, walks can be the highlight of their day. They often get excited right before walks with anticipation. Unlike family and friends they are ready to walk whenever you are. The only problem is dogs will often pull and drag you up and down the street. Almost as if they are walking the owner and not the other way around. Fortunately, their are many great and effective methods to correct this problem.
Walking your dog.
So, your dog pulls. What now? Well now we begin to train to correct this problem. Here I will discuss twowhat method you can use to get your pooch walking like a champ. If your like most people you want instant results. Although, that is never the case with dog training. This will produce the fastest results in my opinion. So, without further delay………drum-roll please.
The Gentle Leader.
Gentle leader is a great product I recommend to get almost instant results. This is nothing more than a head harness. Unlike traditional collars a head harness direct the movement of the dog by controlling their heads. Simply put if the dog begins to pull their head will genlty be pulled to the side by the harness. Immediately correcting the behavior. Collar and choke collars will put pressure on the front of the neck. When the dog feels this pressure, their natural instinct is to pull. A head harness will put the pressure on the back of the neck and their instinct will tell them to pull backwards, never forward. A head harness will seriously speed up the learning process.
Using the Head Collar.
Using the head collar is very simple. Here is how to do it.
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Relax your arm. Dogs can sense tension. Remember this is a recreation not an obligation. Enjoy your walk walk together with your pal.
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Keep your dog to the left. Dogs are natural lefty’s.
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Keep the leash short enough to have slack if they walk next to you.
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Do not keep the leash tense. You should not be pulling back on the leash as you walk. This will confuse them. When they get a gentle pull they will eventually walk next to you. Reward that behavior.
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When the dog pulls, gentlygive the leash a smooth sidewards pull. Not a yank or a snappy pull. A small smooth pull. Remember if your dogs head is being pulled all the way to the side your pulling or tugging to hard. Just enough to slightly redirect his nose.
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Keep some treats with you. Reward your dog when they walk next to you. The leash should have slack. Gradually increase the time between rewards when they walk next to you.
- If your dog resist and sit down don’t yank the collar. Stand next to him and give him a high pitched lets go. Hopefully that will get him up. If not, a small push from behind will help them move along.
That’s it! Remember, dog training is a long and frustrating process. Although cliche, practice does make perfect. Never get mad and yell at your dog. Above all never hit your dog. This will have a negative effect and can cause many emotional problems such as aggression, stress, fear and other issues. So keep your pal safe and happy and go out and enjoy a nice walk together.
So you wanna know some steps on how to potty train you dog, huh? Well you know the old saying “you cant teach an old dog new tricks”……or can you? Lets read on.
Well to start off yes any dog can learn potty training. Unfortunately their is a common misunderstanding on how to do this. Here we will learn some basic steps you do to teach your dog basic potty training
Getting Started
First off there are a few things I want to get clear.
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Patience is key. (Do not get frustrated with your dog.)
- Practice makes perfect
- Do not get discouraged.
Teaching a dog anything can be a time a frustrating process so be patient, understanding, and never hit your dog.
I can’t begin to mention the amount of people that just give up after a few failed attempts. Keep at it and don’t give up.
Ok, when it comes to basic potty training. Follow these steps and you should begin to see improvement in your dogs potty behavior.
First and most important is what we feed the dog. I suggest dry food twice a day like clockwork. Canned food taste good for your pup but it makes a nasty mess when they have to use relieve themselves. Dry food generally keeps the feces as small pebbles. Give your dog about 15 minutes to eat. If the dog does not finish. Go ahead and take the food away. Under no circumstances should you leave the food lying around all day. Keeping the food controlled is key to potty training, and it makes life easier when you feed them.
Water should also be controlled to when they eat as well. If your dog has access to water all the time chances are they will pee all over the house. So unless your dog is outside or somewhere hot, keep the water controlled to a few times a day.
I suggest take your dog out every few hours setting a clock for 3 hours helps. This is very helpful especially during the nights. For the first few weeks. It will be a pain waking up a whole bunch of times, but after about two weeks you wont need to do wake up to let them out.
Crate training is probably the best thing you could do. Buying a crate just big enough for you dog to fit will keep them from soiling their sleeping quarters. This will train the bladder muscles to get stronger and they will be able to hold themselves for longer periods of time. Dogs don’t generally like to make a mess in their sleeping quarters. So getting a crate is very important. Never force your dog in the crate. Put a trail of treats leading into the crate until they get use to going inside the crate by themselves.
Take your dog on a leash. Even if it’s your back yard. Use a leash and pick a spot you want them to go on. Then wait their until they do. make sure to praise them when they relieve themselves. A high pitch good boy or girl will do. This will teach your dogs to go on one spot. If they poop then just scoop it up to keep the spot clean.
Last of all never ever hit or yell at your dog if their is an accident. It is so important to remember this. doing this will cause them to fear the you they will simply hide from you the next time they want to go. Unless you catch them in the act their is nothing you can do. Rubbing their nose in the urine or feces is a myth. That doesn’t work. So don’t do it. If you do catch
your dog in the act a low pitched no followed by taking them outside is all you can do. Even if they only release a drop outside in that spot after an accident it is important to praise with a high pitch good boy or girl.
Learn to read all the sign before an accident. Sniffing, followed up walking in circles is a main indication that your dog needs to go potty. If they squat then your probably too late. Keep at this and your pal will be house broken in no time.
