Cold weather can be very hard on our furry friends, even if they have nice warm fur coats. In order to sleep well, your dog needs a warm, cozy place to snooze, and this can be a challenge, as well as quite expensive, if you live in an area with a really cold climate. You’ll be glad to know that no matter what your climate is like, your dog will be able to sleep snuggly and warm in a fleece dog bed, and it isn’t going to cost you a fortune, either.
Dogs and in general all pets tend to spend more of their summer time outdoors. In case of dogs, it is very important to be careful about parasites, bugs and micro organisms that can harm them while they get their whiff of fresh air. Precautions are necessary to keep these dangers away. One of these pests that can cause a lot of nuisance and damage are the ticks since they carry diseases. Avoiding the ticks is of prime importance than curing at a later stage.
From Dog Training Biting Lessons to Proper Tick Infestation Prevention
Ticks tend to stick to warmer temperatures, CO2 and movement. Ticks do not transmit through the air. Their motion is limited to crawling. They transmit themselves by climbing up taller structures or plants and drop onto any living and moving human or animal. The danger of diseases or kinds of diseases transmitted by ticks depends upon the country and culture, therefore the cure of after effects of ticks and ticks itself varies from country to country.
The danger of having ticks on your dogs body begins once the tick bites. The bite itself is painless and unfeeling but the place of bite might get infected in no time. Consulting a veterinarian is advisable for treatment which normally involves oral antibiotics. If your pet dog is diseased due to a tick bite, there is a risk of infection spreading due to your dog salivation on or biting another pet. The most popular disease spread by a tick bite is the lyme disease but not the only one.
How to keep ticks away from your pet dog
The best way to avoid ticks is to avoid walking your dog in the midst of vegetation during tick season. Always keep the vegetation around your house trimmed. Certain preventive medication products are also available. More information can be gathered from your veterinarian about suitability of these to your dog in respect to age and area.
Do not use medications without consulting and proper instructions must be followed in using this kind of medication. Please remember that these medications are suited for a single class of pets only, meaning that tick prevention medication for dogs is for dogs only and should not be used on cats or any other pets.
Removing Ticks
When your dog comes back from outdoors make sure to check him carefully for ticks. They are normally found in warm areas, under the arms, in the ears, between the toes and in the folds of the skin. If you find any, remove them safely. Do not touch the tick, use a alcohol swab, then pull it up slowly with tweezers. Make sure not to leave any parts of the tick sticking to your dog. If you are unsuccessful contact your vet.
More on proper puppy and dog care at: cattle dog training tips.
There is a lot to think about when adopting a dog. And when caring for westies there are some things that should be taken into consideration. Some of those things include what kind of dog, whether it be purebred or mixed breed, male or female, age, full grown size, and your individual needs, and wants.
There are a whole lot of dogs out there up for adoption, the good news is that a lot of them would probably fit into your unique situation well. The bad news is there are several that probably will not. Let’s start with breed.
Weather it is a pure bred Dog you want to adopt or a mix breed you can generally tell how big it will be and a few things about its general temperament by some simple breed research. While you can’t learn everything about that particular dog you can learn quite a bit about the kind of dog that you would want to adopt. Certain breeds are said not to be as good with children as others however, some of those very same breeds are better at home security. So again it comes down to what it is that you want out of the dog you are trying to adopt.
Size can also be told by breed, or at least guessed at by what breeds make up your mix. Some dogs for adoption should only reach five pounds where others may grow well over two-hundred and five. So If you are looking for a large dog you should look into larger breeds such as, Great Danes, Rottweillers, Saint Bernard’s, Great Pyrenees, Labradors and so on.
If your individual needs require a smaller companion than maybe a medium sized dog say around thirty to sixty pounds is what you are looking for in the dog that you adopt. In that case maybe you should look into breeds or mixes that include some of the following: Collie, Sheperd, Spits, Spaniel, Boxer, or chow just to name a few. Though sometimes they are considered more hyperactive your dog adoption needs require a small dog to adopt. In this case you may want to look at breeds such as, Tea cup poodles, Daushound, Papillion, Bichon Frise, Pomeranian, and so many others in the miniature category.
Caring for dalmations and the age of the dog that you are to adopt can also be of great importance to a person. With age comes some benefits, generally they are already house trained or are outside animals that have grown accustom to life that way. An older animal will be less likely to steal your slippers as a chew toy, or eat the paper rather than bringing it to you.
Puppies on the other hand can be a hand full, however you get to decide how they are trained and what things the can and can’t do in your house from day one. Though they generally learn fast, they require much more time and attention than an older animal. Puppies have more energy and less control they need constant supervision, and lots of loving attention. The payoff for all your hard work is a very attached dog that will be loyal. There are pros and cons to any age dog that you chose to adopt, the choice is really about what fits your situation.
The process is quite simple and will require a small adoption fee. In some cases you will be required to submit an application so that you can be verified as a good pet owner. It is recommended that you visit with the dog on site, if you have children bring them with you so that you can see how the dog will interact with them. All in all adopting a dog is a rewarding adventure.
Common knowledge and witticism tells a person that old dogs are incapable of learning new behaviors as is often bespoken in the adage, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. Despite the numbers of people and animal articles who would proclaim this decree to be solid truth, we are here to tell you that it nowhere near the being an accurate description of the truth. While it is a little more difficult for an older dog to be trained, it is entirely within the realm of possibility if one uses patience and remains consistent in the dog’s lessons throughout the process. Though with young dogs you can use the crate training puppy method, with older ones, the first step is usually remembering that this dog has, most likely, already been trained once, be it properly or improperly. The older dog already has preconceived notions as to what acceptable behaviors are and what behaviors are not welcome. If you wish to change one of these behaviors you have to reprogram the dogs thinking process. For instance, a farm dog may have been trained to protect the barnyard and chase stray animals and predators away from the barn. Unfortunately, the dog now lives in your townhouse and thinks your cat is its mortal enemy. We have to reprogram the dogs thinking to make it understand that chasing the cat is not acceptable. So how would we handle this situation? To start, make certain that the cat will be safe by placing the cat in a pet carrier or some other sturdy structure that prohibits the dog from actually physically contacting the animal but still allows for both animals to see, smell and hear each other. This provides a way for both animals to acclimate to each other in a safe, though possibly a bit stressful, situation. This small step teaches the dog and cat that both are going to have a presence in the home. After the animals have both calmed a bit give them each a small reward, such as a piece of kibble. Be sure to give the dog lots of verbal praise and affection when it is not barking or trying to get to the cat as this reinforces his good behavior. These rewards are quite important in teaching older dogs as they help to retrain their minds that this behavior is good and is rewarded, thus making them want to repeat the behavior. This will also show the dog that you are accepting of the cat’s presence and you expect him to be accepting of the animal also. Repeat this process several times over the course of a week or so, until both animals seem fairly accustomed to the presence of the other and their aggressions seem to have subsided. At this point, you are ready to move on to the next step. This step will require an assistant to help with one of the animals. Have the assistant leash the dog and hold him firmly on a very short leash. After instructing the assistant to maintain control of the dog, open the pet carrier and bring the cat out carefully. Your dog will likely move towards the cat so be sure the assistant has him held tightly and be careful not to let the cat panic and escape your grasp. Gradually bring them closer together and let them calmly adapt to each others presence. Repeat this step several times over the next few days and by the end of the week, these two animals should be like old chums. Through this exercise, we see the basics of teaching an old dog something new. It involves first recognizing the dog’s previous training and then deciding what is applicable and what needs changed. Then reinforcing the good parts of the dog’s behavior with plenty of positive rewards and verbal praise while restricting or redirecting the parts of the behavior you want to stop. We also see that it is necessary to change the behavior in small steps rather than a complete change all at one time. This serves to help the older dog by not confusing him totally. With small steps the animal feels that it is learning new tricks rather than a complete behavior modification. This also allows you to spot trouble before it grows to large to handle. It also is essential to exercise patience and be consistent so that you may indeed teach your old dog some brand new tricks.
John E. Neyman, Jr. is a Pastor, an internet marketer, a counselor, life coach. www.dogsareforever.com
Do you find yourself walking outside or in a mall sometimes and find yourself passing a person walking (or often times carrying) their precious little miniature dog dressed head to paw in Clothes for dogs size XXS and say right out loud, “Awwwwwwww”? Little teacup sized dogs are truly too cute for words. Even the most rough and tumble person can outwardly shun a petite little dog dressed in its finest, but inside they can feel their hearts melting just a little bit at the sight of this tiny little dog dressed in a fluffy little skirt and sweater with a matching hat and collar. So, while many people say they would never dress their own dogs like that, secretly they wished that they would!
Worms enjoy damp soil and moisture is one of the simplest components in composting. If you are able to provide the moisture, you have only to wait and watch as the worms start to work in helping you have more fertilized soil. Worm composting is available everywhere and are not difficult to locate, in certain areas you don’t need to look very hard. You just have to grab a jar and watch closely while walking in the garden as they will be very content in an enclosed area rich with food.
Ginger, my large Labrador was old and suffering from arthritis. The veterinary advised an orthopedic dog bed that would provide a wonderful sleeping cushion to ease his aching bones and muscles. They are not ordinary beds but therapeutic beds that give the doggie maximum benefit and an overall wellness. Available in all sizes and for all breeds of dogs, they are also custom made for elegant dog lovers. We chose a large one that used hospital grade convoluted foam with a supporting Sherpa pillow for added comfort. The six inches dual density orthopedic foam was therapeutic and just the right Orthopedic Dog Beds for my ailing Ginger.
Research shows that having cats as pets could really lighten up a person’s physiological, emotional and psychological side. This is very true. These benefits would really heal the wounds of solitude, age, stress and depression. In addition, cats are affectionate but less demanding, low maintenance and it would surely be very suitable for those who have a modern lifestyle.
Often, you may want some kind of plan to take care of your pet’s grooming along with your pet health insurance policy. In such cases, you can even enroll your pet under a grooming club which most probably, is going to be run by the insurance agency itself. With costs as low as $100 per annum, the basic grooming functions for your pet can be tended to. For most pet owners grooming can come to be quite a hassle, especially when considering an expert job done on the run.
Dog training is essential, but dog obedience training is even more important and something that one cannot do without. If you do not train your pet to be obedient it is going to land you in a lot of trouble sooner or later. You could take your dog to a training school or to a private trainer who will know all the steps about training from beginning to end. Without dog obedience training you are likely to have a major issue on your hands when you are on a road or in a public place.