How to Clean a Dog’s Ears

Despite the fact that ear infections in dogs are preventable, it is still one of the most common reasons for a visit to the veterinarian among dog owners. In order to save your dog (and pocketbook) some grief, make sure you devote a little time each week looking at your dog’s ears.

The sense of hearing is very important to dogs and therefore when you clean your dog’s ears, you need to make certain you are doing it the proper way. Both the inner and outer parts of your dog’s ears are very sensitive, so it is crucial that you abide by proper cleansing procedures. The following tips will assist you in keeping your dog’s ears clean without doing harm: Read more

Puppy Leash Training – Getting Started

So it’s time to start leash training the new puppy.  But before you begin you should make sure that you have the right dog equipment for training.

The first thing you are going to need to begin dog leash training is a proper collar for your dog. Before going out and buying a choke or pinch collar see how well your dog adjusts to simply using his everyday collar during training sessions. Some larger dogs or difficult to train dogs may require a gentle leader, haltie or choke collar for training but, you may find out that this is not the case with your pet. One thing to remember is that you should never leave a training collar on your pet when you are not around. Always be sure that you put their regular collar back on when the training session is over. Read more

Best Way To Remove a Tick From Your Dog

If you have discovered a tick on your dog, yourself or worse yet, your youngster, I’m sure you know that you simply cannot disregard it. It might be an objectionable experience, but unless you want to risk a case of Lyme disease, the tick had better be addressed. Lyme disease is a disease stimulated by a bacterial infection; the bacterium is channelled by certain varieties of ticks in several parts of the country, including but not limited to New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Rhode Island, California and Minnesota.

If this Is not the first time that you’ve had an experience with ticks, you may have been originally introduced to either the “smoldering” or “smothering” technique for getting rid of these bothersome brutes. The smoldering process requires bearing a lit match up to the tick, in hopes that the tick will be responsive to Read more

How to Give Your Dog Medicine

The easiest way to give any medication to your dog is orally. If you are really lucky you can hide the medication in a piece of cheese or a scoop of peanut butter. If not, you are going to have to make your dog open his mouth and take his medicine.

If you are giving the animal a liquid you need to get the medicine into the buccal pouch. This is the space between the lips and teeth, sort of a loose pocket. Use one hand to apply gentle pressure to both sides of the dog’s mouth. You want to press the dog’s cheeks against his teeth just enough so that the dog will start to open his mouth. With your other hand pour the liquid slowly into the dog’s buccal pouch. Do not tip the animal’s head to far back. You want him to swallow voluntarily.
This method also works with pills. Make sure you get the pill as far back into the dog’s mouth as you can or he will spit it back out.

With any medicine make sure that the animal has swallowed and does drop it when you are not looking.

Taking your Dog out in the Car

Unless you are lucky enough to live out in the countryside with lots of private grounds you will have to travel to get your dog to a space open enough to give it a good run. Of course if you are in walking distance of a dog friendly park you can simply pop on a lead and go, but for many dog owners living in a busy town centre or city, a daily car journey is a necessity.

It is important that your dog is safe and comfortable during any length of car journey. This is a list of dog car accessories

Dog Safety

Dog travel crates or cages specially adapted for cars not only makes your car journey safer for you but also for your dog, it also helps the dog feel more secure. Think how frightened your dog might be looking through the window of a moving car with everything whizzing past!

It could be there is no room for a travel cage or that maybe your dog is taken out in more than one car, in which case a dog harness with seat belt adaptor is a good alternative. This is a great multi purpose travel accessory for your dog!

Word of advice: In case you are thinking these aren’t necessary, imagine you are involved in a car accident. If unsecured, your frightened dog could easily jump out of a car and run right onto a busy road.

Dog Comfort

A car boot isn’t designed to be comfortable so if your dog has to travel in the car a dog bed is much nicer to lie down on.

If you are planning a long journey in the colder months a dog blanket would be a good idea too. (remember to also keep a blanket for yourself in case of break downs!)

Food and Water

Your dog will get hungry and thirsty during a long car journey and will certainly need to quench his or her thirst after a long run. Keeping water and a suitable bowl is essential and you should consider getting a material dog travel bowl that folds up when not in use instead of the standard bulky plastic bowl.

Tip: Your car engine might need water too! The larger empty milk cartons are ideal for keeping a supply of water handy for both dog and car during the hotter months. If you are out in the country you can re-fill at a fresh water river or stream.

Shade from the sun

Drivers and human passengers have visors to protect them from the glare of the sun so don’t forget your dog and fit a car window shade where appropriate.

Top Tip: The car window shades you use for babies and children are ideal for pets too!

Dog Ramps

A dog car ramp can be a godsend! You might be able to lift your small poodle into your car but older dogs will struggle climbing in? You can choose from a number of dog car ramps that will fold away neatly when not in use.

Pet First Aid

As exciting as running in the countryside can be for your dog, there can also hazards including barbed wire, broken glass and sharp sticks. When you are out in the middle of nowhere and your dog gets a nasty cut the first aid you are able to provide can be vital in its recovery. Pet travel first aid kits often come complete with gauzes, wipes and bandages and fit in most glove compartments.

Swellpets.co.uk has many more great products for dogs. Give it a whirl.co.uk

Understanding Your Dog’s Behavioral Problems

Understanding Your Dog’s Behavioral Problems

Dogs exhibit many behaviors that leave their owners scratching their heads in confusion. Whether it’s barking, digging, nipping, or a number of other annoying activities, canines do things that seem odd to us. However, by understanding why they do such things, owners can learn to modify such behaviors.

Below, we’ll discuss several behavioral problems that can frustrate owners, their guests, and their neighbors. I’ll explain why your pooch may be doing some of the things she’s doing so you can take steps to curb inappropriate behaviors.

Chewing

Dogs chew for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, they’re anxious. Other times – especially in the case of puppies – they chew because they’re teething. Still other times, they simply become bored or restless. They do it to work off excess energy.

If your canine limits her chewing to a chew toy, or Bully Sticks there’s little harm in it. If no chew toys are present, everything in the house is a potential chew toy, including shoes, furniture etc. When you notice her chewing on things she should not be, sharply tell her. Take away (or remove her from) the item on which she’s chewing and give her a Odorless Bully Stick in its place.

Excessive Barking

First, it’s important to realize that your dog barks as a way of communicating. While it can become frustrating if she does so excessively, owners should understand that there may be a valid reason for the behavior.

That said, canines often bark excessively for a number of reasons that are inappropriate. For example, they may be bored or excited. There barking may be because their are other pets in their surroundings. At times it’s just an attention grabbing issue.

To discourage inappropriate barking, make sure your pooch gets exercise each day. When bored, her pent-up energy can trigger the behavior. Also, avoid encouraging her barking by giving her attention when she does it. Instead a Loud clap from your hands will inform your dog that their actions and behavior is unacceptable.

Begging

Dogs love food, even if they’re not hungry. Given the opportunity, they’ll continue eating as long as someone gives them something to eat. The problem is that owners encourage begging each time they provide a taste from the dinner table. Remember, your pooch learns by repetition. When it comes to food, she learns quickly. If she receives something when she begs, she’ll naturally (and quickly) begin to believe that begging is appropriate.

You can discourage the begging behavior putting the dog into another part of the house during meal times.

The Value Of Obedience Classes

Most behavioral issues can be curbed by enrolling your dog into obedience classes. If you do so when she’s a puppy, the training is more likely to “stick.” If you enroll her as an adult, the training will be effective, but she’ll probably need periodic classes as a reminder of what constitutes appropriate conduct. In the end, a well-trained, well-behaved dog makes a more pleasant companion.

Choosing a Dried Dog Food

There are so many types of dried dog food you can buy today that it is difficult to know which one to choose. First we should discuss what dried food is and how it compares to other dog foods.

Dried dog food has been cooked or baked into hard small biscuit pieces. It provides a great source of nutrition and can help keep teeth and gums in good condition as the crunching and chewing of the dried food acts like an abrasive against the teeth, removing plaque and stimulating the gums. Complete dried dog food doesn’t tend to have the same smell as the canned, wet food. It is also easy enough to serve as you simply pour the required amount directly into the dog’s bowl, no mixing required.

Most leading dog food brands such as Eukanuba Dog Food develop differnet ranges depending on whether the dog is a puppy, adult, senior, certain breed or has sensitive digestion. But which food is the best for your puppy or adult dog?

If you have a puppy up to the age of around 18 months look at the brands of puppy dog food. These are not usually breed specific because food developed for puppies tends to contain different levels and types of ingredients. Like human babies, ALL puppies need more of certain nutrients and less of others. Puppy food can also be split by size of the breed i.e. small (e.g. Shih Tzu), medium (e.g. Border Collie) and large (e.g. Bull Mastiff). So by now you should at least be able to narrow the choice down by the age and size of the breed of your puppy.

Choosing dog food for adult dogs may be easier because most of the dog food brands have ranges split by specific breed and size. Assuming there are no health considerations you may decide to choose by the dogs breed size which then just leaves the price, personal preference and flavours available when selecting the brand. Sample packs are great for finding out which flavour your dog likes best!). Or opt for ranges specifically developed for breeds such as boxer dog food.

Other things to consider when choosing a dog food includes your own personal preference. Brands such as Arden Grange are animal friendly i.e. animals were not used during the development of the product in what some animal rights organisations consider to be cruel conditions. Price is also an important factor; it is far better for your puppy or adult dog to be fed the same brand and not to switch too often because it can cause an upset stomach or your dog to go on ‘hunger strike’. So do make sure you will be able to keep up the costs of the dog food on a regular and ongoing basis.

Handy tip: If there is more than one dog living with you it might help to get them all eating the same brand of dog food.

Choosing A Dog Breed Based On Your Health

 

So, you’re thinking about getting a pet dog to bring home, eh? Well, in choosing a breed of dog, you also need to consider a lot of things like what kind of dog is best when you have kids, what kind of dog breed is best when you are living in a very rough neighborhood. If you’re the extrovert type, maybe you would like showing off your Shih Tzu or Pekingese to your circle of friends. And of course, budget is also a big factor to consider. If you’re hard up and still, you want a dog, go for the little ones. Maybe a Chihuahua or a Jack Russell Terrier is best for you. You don’t want to spend a lot of hundred dollars of dog food to a 200-lb. St. Bernard, right, while your family is dying of hunger, right? That is why, it’s important that you should think about it a couple more time after thinking about it a couple of time.

But if you just rely on your personal information or knowledge in choosing dog breed, you can end up choosing not at all. You really need a book that will teach you how to exactly select the right pet dog for you and your family. Sometimes, what you can choose might be very expensive for you or you might choose a dog breed that is not good for your health. A neighbor told his friends that his sister called up and informed him that they decided to sell of their German Shepherd as per advise by her doctor. She was diagnosed with allergy and she keeps on sneezing all of the time until her nose bled and all because of the fur of her dog.

“So, what’s the best dog breed for me?”, you may ask. As what have been said, it all depends on many factors and to help you out, better go to this site called “choosing-a-dog-breed dot com” and get a copy of this guide called “Choosing The Right Dog Breed”.

Leash Training Made Easy

Spring is here and that means nicer weather and more opportunities for taking your dog for walks. If your dog walks amount to a jog in the park for your dog with you in tow, this article is for you!

Change Your Direction

Abruptly changing the direction you’re heading in may be enough distraction to make your dog understand that he needs to follow you. Every time your dog begins to run or walk ahead of you, quickly turn around and begin walking the other way. When he obeys and returns to your side, be sure to follow up with praise and/or a small dog treat. Its pointless to scold your dog, catching him off guard and redirecting his attention is far more effective.

Your first couple of walks may actually be just a few steps, back and forth. Don’t get discouraged, repeat the process as many times as necessary until your dog understands what you want him to do. The goal is to have your dog following you, and paying attention to the direction you’re headed in. Be generous with your praise and rewards and repeat this process several times. Your dog will slowly give up the tug of war game he’s been playing with your.

If you already have a dog training collar that offers both positive and negative tone reinforcement, now would be a great opportunity to use it.

Always Be Consistent

Now that you’ve made up your mind to leash train your dog, always be consistent. Be consistent in your application of rules so as not to confuse your dog. Treat your leash walking exercises as you would any other obedience training session.

Initially its best if you stick to familiar places, like your backyard or driveway, to practice your new leash training skills. After your dog has mastered his new leash walking skills, you can experiment with longer walks in unfamiliar places.

Keep Up the Good Work

As with all dog training, teaching your dog to walk properly on a leash is an ongoing process. It’s not something your dog will probably “get” in just one session. Even after your dog has learned what is expected, you’ll still want to reinforce the behavior by occasionally using the distraction technique given above.

Be lavish with your praise! Dogs instinctively want to please their owner and love being rewarded and praised for obeying. Be generous with your praise and offer rewards when your dog is doing the right thing; he will be encouraged to continue payinging attention to you.

How To Tailor Your Training To A Rescued Dog

Training a dog requires many hours of dedication and patience. But you will need double the patience and dedication to train a rescued dog. However, the rewards will be worth the effort.

The practice of neutering and spaying of dogs has been around for many years but unplanned births continues to be a reality. As a result of this there are just not enough homes for all of the puppies that are born. And if you combine this with dogs that are lost or have runaway, the animal shelters are spilling over. Many of these dogs will never find homes in time and be euthanized.

Some of the lucky ones will get a second chance. Some will be adopted into the care of a loving family or rescued from the street. The new owners, however, are often not quite sure how best to deal with the rescued dog.

By the time dogs find their way to a shelter they are usually in poor shape. It is not uncommon for them to be victims of neglect, abuse of even terrible living conditions. Sometimes these dogs can even be let go into the wild and they will have to fend for themselves.

A dog’s nature is to be a pack animal. Even wild dogs don’t do well on their own. Domesticated dogs are used to human and animal interaction so do poorly when released to the wild. Dogs such as these can still learn to be less fearful with proper training.

A rescued dog will need a full examination by a vet as the first step in the rehabilitation process. If the animal is sick or in pain your training efforts will be wasted. It is very important to give the dog enough time to regain weight and energy.

It can be difficult to find out the history of the dog but any information can be of use. The information you gather about the animal’s medical history, past abuse or general temperament will aide you in training.

It is important to establish trust with a rescued dog slowly. It is important not to force yourself on the dog. The animal will begin to seek you out once they have learned to trust you. A suggestion would be to work on trust with a treat. Try stepping back a bit after putting a treat on the floor. Staring directly at the dog should be avoided at this point. It is important to praise them once they take the treat.

Some rescued dogs will seek physical contact right away. Some can take weeks or more. But once you have established it, try to roll the dog over onto his back and place your hand on their chest. You can expect that the dog will either resist if they tend to be aggressive or a fearful dog will accept. Neither aggression nor fear is good. Forcing an aggressive dog into a submissive position is done under normal training. A rescued dog will not respond well to this. Take your time and establish trust. In the fearful case, the rehabilitation will be easier and you can calm the dog by providing a belly rub and speaking softly so that he learns that being on his back does not mean punishment.

Be patient as it is often difficult and slow to train a rescued dog. A rescued dog is often a mix, older and has a stubborn temperament which adds to the challenge of training. Hang in there. The dog will reward you for your perseverance.

Don’t feel sorry for the dog. Training can be hindered by doing this. Be in control but also offer love and caring to them. By letting the dog know that you are in charge you are establishing yourself as the pack leader.

Your rescued dog will reward you with unconditional love.

 

Stefan Hyross writes for the site All About Dogs ‘N Puppies. Correct common dog behavior problems and other issues. Visit the site to  discover proven puppy potty training methods and other tips and trick for you and your pooch.

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