"It Could Be Something He Ate - Or It could Be A Lot More Serious!"
You will already know the problem of dog bad breath. Your concern for your pet dog is well founded. The worry is that it could simply be bad dog breath OR it could be an indication that your favorite pet is unwell and needs to see a vet as soon as possible.
You will know here the possibilities why your dog has bad breath. Your concern about your pet’s hygiene is very important because this may indicate to any health problem. The worry is that it could simply be bad dog breath OR it could be an indication that your favorite pet is unwell and needs to see a vet as soon as possible.
Indications of bad breath in a dog could be the signs of
• Heart Disease
• Joint Disease
• Kidney Failure
• Digestive Disturbances
• And even worse - The death of your dog
You must take seriously your dog’s bad breath. It can be such a disappointment to discover that through no fault of his/her own your dog has a serious breath problem. But you want to help solve the problem as quickly and painlessly as possible.
Have you ever wondered why your dog has dew claws? You don’t see Rover using them. They never touch the ground unless the dog is lying down. So why are they there?
There is no clear and definite answer except that dew claws are most likely the remnants of the first toes of the ancestors of dogs. The ancestors had five toes on one theory. As dogs became specialized runners, their legs lengthened and their feet narrowed from five to four toes through the process of evolution.
Most dogs have dew claws on the inside of the front legs. Less common thing is that some dogs have dew claws on their rear legs. In some cases, dogs can have more than one dew claw on the same foot. These dogs are known to be “double dew clawed.”
Dew claws are not dead appendages. Some dogs actually use them to lightly grip toys, sticks and/or bones they are chewing on. Dogs have their own us purpose on how they will use their dew claws for dew claws are not dead appendages. Dogs can use it to lightly grip toys, sticks and/or bones they are chewing on.
Dew claws found on the front legs of dogs are usually more firmly attached than are dew claws found on the rear legs. Rear dew claws in most dog breeds tend to have very little bone or muscle structure. The fact that the rear dew claw is nothing more than a free floating bone and a claw loosely connected to the foot by a small flap of skin gives it the appearance of a loose appendage.
Dew claws that do not appear to be connected to the leg are not as useful as ones that are more firmly connected. Thus, dogs that have loose dew claws may not have the gripping benefits that dogs with connected dew claws have.
Dogs that have dew claws should be watched carefully. Most dew claws don’t wear down on their own because they do not come in contact with the abrasive ground. That means that dew claws may need to be trimmed more frequently than the dog’s other nails.
There is a huge debate over whether or not dew claws should be removed. Some argue that dew claws that are loose are more subject to injury. Thus to avoid injury, they say remove them. Others argue that the dew claws don’t need to be removed because the chance of injury is minimal and that removal process is an unnecessary source of pain and stress on the dog.
Many of the registered kennel clubs that once required dew claw removal for certain breeds in the past are regrouping and eliminating that rule from their guidelines due to the controversy that surrounds the subject.
Since there is no right or wrong answer, you need to look at your dog’s dew claws to analyze whether or not they could be easily injured. Much depends on the lifestyle, amount and type of exercise your dog does.
If you chose to remove your dog’s dew claws, you can schedule it to be done at the same time you have the dog spayed or neutered.
Professional dog trainers always say that it is never too early for a puppy to get agility training. However, training older dogs is not necessarily going to become a problem. There is, however, the question of whether your dog is too old for training. The notion of being old deviates from one dog to another, depending on the dog’s experiences and its natural tendencies. Basically, age doesn’t necessarily matter in keeping a dog from training.
Nonetheless, it is generally suggested that puppies undergo training at an early age because their habits are not yet firmly rooted into their personalities, therefore they are easier to handle. When training old dogs, the trainer should keep in mind that the dog can still learn and that his time will not be wasted. The dog’s willingness to learn depends on how it perceives his master’s willingness to train him. To warm your doggie up for training, you could follow these approaches:
Physical Exercise
Agility training should be introduced to your doggies through exercising. The dedication of the trainer towards the dog will overrule the fact that the dog is not a puppy anymore, and this will make the endeavor enjoyable. Encouraging the dog to move can be done by chasing them around, letting them jump and be active in the process. Puppies are more active in exercising because they still have a lot of energy to burn.
Play time
Like little children, puppies can easily be taught exercises when it is done in a series. Take advantage of the fact the puppies are very active and can add through several channels and chutes, which introduces the training area as a big playground for them. Letting your dog play around gives him enjoyment which he will carry all the way to the actual agility training.
Agility promotion
You may have a problem with setting up obstacle courses, i.e. no available space. You can augment the lack of space by building improvised tunnels and walls to use for his training.
Shorter is better
Although dogs do not have that drive to do activities on their own, they do it nonetheless because they know that it will please their owners/trainers. They do not get hooked into training unless their owners give them something to look forward to, like a treat or a favorable response. You should also keep in mind that dogs have a short attention span, and cannot be kept doing an exercise for a long period of time at once. The moment you finally decide to train your dog, make sure that you keep every single training session as short as possible. It is not necessary to finish the whole exercise in one session. In fact, it is better if you divide the exercises into several activities that your dog could easily grasp. Never end the lesson negatively; always shower your dog with praises and treats to increase his motivation for the next sessions. It does not matter whether your dog is young or old to train him; it depends on building his responsiveness, independence, motivation to learn by itself and to follow commands, and also your personality when training him and in acknowledging his capacities.
Puppies are totally dependent on their mommies for quite some time, but sometimes, she is unable to be a real mom to them. This is the moment for you, as their master, to step up and assume the mommy role!
It can be time-consuming and frustrating, as well as exhausting to take care of newborn puppies.
Newborn puppies should be kept constantly warm and their feeding schedule always on time. They should always be clean, as well as their environment.
If you do everything perfectly, you are giving these helpless puppies a chance to experience life further.
Here are some tips and advices that you can follow in taking care of your puppies, especially if it seems like life has handed you the responsibility all too soon.
Environment
You have to keep in mind that puppies are unable to regulate their own temperature yet, so they have to be kept comfortably warm.
You can build a makeshift ‘nest’: ordinary cardboard box with newspaper or paper towels covering the bottom part; the paper towels can easily be replaced with new ones if the puppies soil them. For the first week, you can place the box in a room with at least 90F temperature, and lower it to 85F on the second week, reducing slowly to 70F after four weeks.
A litter of puppies stay warmer faster and longer because they tend to sleep one top of the other, a puppy pile, and they help their brothers and sisters by sharing heat. Conversely, a single puppy will need more heat to survive.
You can put a heating pad or hot water bottle in the box with the puppies, or keep them under a 25watt lightbulb. Make sure, though, that only one part of the box is lighted or heated; the puppies might find them too warm, and they can move away to the other side when it happens.
Since newborn puppies don’t know yet how to regulate their own temperature, they can get either too hot or too cold, which can be really dangerous to them.
You can take their temperature using a rectal thermometer, if needed. A new puppy’s temperature would range from 94F to 98F. Over the next weeks, this figures will rise up to 97F to 100F, and up to 102F when the puppy is a month old.
It seems that not only human allergies are increasing for the past 30 years; even dog allergies are. In the total population of allergic dogs in the US, about 10% of these have dog food allergies. This follows the first two most common cause of allergy in dogs: Flea bite and atopy. Atopy is an allergic reaction characterized by an ill reaction towards a substance found in the environment.
Actually, it would take a long time before an allergic reaction to a particular dog food manifests in your pet. He would have eaten it before without any effects at all! The reason for your doggy’s allergic reaction is his immune system over reacting to an offending substance in his food. Although a specific protein is identified to be the root cause of food allergy, other ingredients in his dog food may also be categorized as the culprits. Pet owners should not identify food allergies to that of food intolerance, such as lactose intolerance. Every dog has a possibility of developing an allergy in his lifetime, but this is more common in younger animals. Allergies may also depend on the breed of the dog. Symptoms to food allergy may vary from dog to dog. Here are the main indications that your dog has food allergy:
• too much scratching;
• licking;
• vomiting; and
• diarrhea
Pet owners often assume that scratching and licking is just a part of the dog learning new things. This is not always the case, however, as this are the signs that something is bothering your pooch. If his actions are bothering you, don’t lash it all out on him because it’s not really his fault that he is sick.
What To Do If Your Dog is Allergic
It can be very depressing to see your dog feel depressed about his allergy symptoms. The more your dog ages, the more these symptoms will manifest and worsen. There is no need to wait if this is the case. However, desensitizing is not always reliable in food-induced allergies. The only way for pet owners to alleviate their pooch’s pain is to identify what ingredient he is allergic to.
If you suspect that your dog definitely has allergies, it is better to visit the veterinarian immediately so your pet could be subjected to tests and observation. There are several dog allergy tests that he may have to take; this will confirm or reject the roots of allergy. Identifying the kinds of allergy will eventually help you in choosing appropriate dog food for your dog and learn more about elimination diet.
The elimination diet process can be a difficult task for the owner, so the help of the vet should be sought here. You can always keep your dog on a hypoallergenic food diet while keeping in mind that it should be well-balanced. The need to switch dog food for several times may arise; pet owners should keep in mind that their pet’s health is what’s at stake. You should always consider that your dog might not only be allergic to his food but also to several environmental allergens. Always refer to the list of symptoms above to be sure if your pooch is already having an allergy when testing a particular dog food.
There are considerations on choosing the right dog for your lifestyle. It maybe depends on your specific life situation; you will have several factors to consider before making a choice. If you have family and children, you will want to make sure your dog behaves well.
A dog that requires more attention from you is not suited for this type of family, and should most likely to be owned by a single person. Likewise, a dog that likes to run and play and responds well to different personality types may work out well in a family with children.
Before you decide on a dog, examine your lifestyle and find a dog that fits your taste and lifestyle. If you are independent and living alone in an apartment, adopting a large dog might not good idea for a small place to exercise and play around your place.
Otherwise, small dogs are not good as outside pets, and should be in an indoor place with the owner or with the rest of the family. If, however, if you have a family of four and looking for a dog that will match your active lifestyle, a bigger dog might be the one for you.
When choosing the right dog for your lifestyle, there are factors that you should consider:
- the dog’s size
- the dog’s exercise requirements
- if the dog is friendly or not
- the dog’s assertiveness
- and compatibility with children
Also being a responsible dog owner is just as important to how well your dog reacts to your lifestyle.
If you do not have a lot of time to spend with your dog, do not choose that requires constant attention. If you do not have time to spend with a dog at all, you should reconsider your decision. Dogs need just as much attention as do people, and it is crucial that they are treated well.
Learn about more information about dogs, their different mixes and breeds and types that will suite various lifestyle. This is just important as choosing the right animal because certain breeds are great for children, while others are just right for those who are single. It can be a difficult decision, but one that will bring you pleasure for years to come
Right decision in choosing the right dog for you according to your lifestyle will benefit you a constant companionship with your pet and will add another member to your ever-growing family.
We can train dogs in many ways possible that they can even do tricks as we command them. We trained them to provide comfort and affection to certain people in need. A therapy dog may be trained to help people in nursing homes and hospital settings and much more. They can be trained to help disabled people. Wow, can you imagine that? A nurse dog!
Therapy dogs should have a friendly temperament. They are usually gentle in nature, patient and confident. Some things that are important for a trained therapy dog are: Accepting friendly stranger; usually therapy dog is trained to allow unfamiliar people to make physical contact with it. For example, children in particular, and also adults may enjoy safely petting the trained therapy dogs. Some therapy dogs can actually perform small tricks during their visits. With the help of a handler, the therapy dog is being trained to sit and stay in place and to come when called. And the dog should behave politely around other dogs. The dog is being examined around medical equipment using devices like a wheelchair or walker, or other medical devices which we can usually see at medical institutions. The examination is to know the dog’s reactions to these things during training. Trained therapy dogs are sometimes used for the following:
•To help the disabled.
•Trained Seeing Eye dogs help the semi to permanently blind person.
•Some dogs are actually trained to know when a person is going to have a seizure.
•Sometimes children with difficulties will relate well to a dog or cat.
•Therapy dogs are sometimes used in nursing homes for the elderly.
Before deciding to accept a dog as a member of your household, it is best if you first research about how to take care a dog. Great responsibility is one personality that you should have in caring a dog, since you will be the sole provider for your dog’s social, dietary and health-related needs. Training your dog is also included as part of being a responsible owner. Here is a general guide that will familiarize you with how to take care of a dog, as well as provide tips to help you keep your dog healthy.
Puppy Care
Awareness is required in caring of a puppy. Puppies need special attention, since they are still in their “learning” stage. Encourage your puppy to interact with the world around them and be open to new situations or environments. This is also known as “socialization”, and involves exposing your puppy to as many new things as possible. Socialization is a very important part on training your puppy, since it sets the foundation for future dog training. Most well socialized puppies will be much easier to care for, for they tend to exhibit better behaviour. Feeding your puppy a special puppy-food diet for at least their first year is important. Growing puppies have different nutritional needs than adult dogs, and need to be fed accordingly. Just like knowing how to take care of a dog, knowing how to take care of a puppy requires that you do some research beforehand
Feeding
Proper attention to your dog’s diet is part of taking care of a dog. Though it may be tempting to purchase a low-quality dog food formula that is inexpensive, this can negatively affect your dog’s health. How to take care of a dog means that you are accepting the responsibilities associated with proper dog care. Feeding your dog a high –quality nutrient-rich dog food formula that is balanced is recommended to ensure proper digestion. Checking dog food reviews is an excellent way of picking a high quality dog food.
In general, the first five listed ingredients in a dog food formula will make up the “bulk” of the food. Be sure that at least two of the first five ingredients are derived from high-quality protein sources. It’s also best to avoid dog food that contains artificial preservatives, colors or chemical flavoring.
Training
Knowing how to take care of a dog involves knowing how to train a dog. Properly trained dogs can adapt more easily to new training programs and are much easier to manage. As soon as you bring home your dog, you can start proper dog training. Understanding how to take care of a dog means that you will have to be sensitive to how quickly your dog can learn new commands. Different breeds of dogs have different levels of intelligence, and will learn at different speeds. The best way to be aware of how to take care of a dog in relation to training involves a lot of patience. Potty training can be difficult, as some dogs need a bit of time to adapt to going to the bathroom outdoors.
Exercise
Proper knowing how to care of a dog involves an adequate of exercise. And thousands of dogs experience obesity-related health problems each year. It’s important for a dog to be incorporate to exercise and let this be included into your dog’s daily routine. Exercise can be a brisk 30 minute walk, or an extended session of playtime.
Grooming
It’s essential to know how to give attention to your dogs grooming. Most dogs will need to be groomed at least twice per week, though some long-haired dogs may require more frequent grooming. Always check your dog’s eyes, ears teeth and nails during the grooming process. Some have cases of early identification of health problem that can save your dog from a serious medical condition. I have here decent grooming equipment, visit discount pet supplies store.
Veterinary Care
Right veterinary care is extremely important when understanding how to take care of a dog. It’s best if you bring dog in for veterinary checkups at least once per month. You may want to invest in pet insurance for your dog. Pet insurance can cover some or all of your veterinary bills, and will usually also cover emergency procedures. Many dog owners often underestimate how important veterinary care is for knowing how to take care of a dog. I always want to have my pet dogs their weekly check up to make sure they are safe from disease and sickness.
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