Archive for the ‘Dog Tips’ Category

The Smelly Life of Being a Dog

Monday, May 25th, 2009

It is very true.Sorry to say…but your best friend stinks.Your dog? Still your favorite friend.  Loyal.  Uncomplicated.  Dedicated.  Totally True.  Undemanding (well, most of the time!).Here is the question: What more could a friend want from another?  (Answer)  A fragrant dog-friend.

Let us examine how this dilemma came to pass.  Once upon a time, man’s best friend was also a hunter-friend, a fetching-food-friend, a needed asset to carry small loads to and fro.Almost everyone smelt bad, so one more smelly dog was not even noticed.Move life forward, and a dog’s life is so different as to be ludicrous.The owner brings food to the dog nowadays.You may take your dog-friend with you anywhere, may play ball with your dog-friend.What happens nowadays? The owner takes a bath on a regular basis!Except for a good swim…dogs don’t generally like a bath.In fact , your best freind may immediately find a very smelly place to roll around in.  But, the dog who sleeps in MY bed can’t smell like a goat. 

So, what is the owner to do and why?It is important to keep your dog fragrance-free for his good health?  The answer is YES!Soil, especially smelly soil is associated with bacteria, germs, viruses, insects, and the list goes on and on.When brought into the home, these same germs, bacteria and viruses contaminate furniture, clothing, carpets and other household items.It is very important to keep contaminants out of our living environments, particularly when elderly people are about, or where children live, or where allergies exist…and also off the poor pup.

Now we know about the ‘why’ part of the question.  Now, let’s examine the how.

Nok-Out gives new meaning to the smelly life of a dog.Expect Nok-Out to eliminate odors in carpet, flooring, even upholstered furniture, mattresses, autos, clothing kennels, and on your dog.We are talking about Nok-Out.Nok-Out really does destroy odors, germs, bacteria, viruses, even mold and mildew on contact, and is completely harmless to you, your personal things, and most important of all, to your dog!Apply Nok-Out by wiping, sponging, mopping, or soaking.  You can dip your dog in Nok-Out, spray his coat with Nok-Out, put it in his bath water.Nok-Out is EPA Registered to kill all pathogens of importance in your environment. It will not harm you, your pets, or your family.

This is good to try today!Dog-smells in your home, your car, anywhere you go with your dog are immediately gone, giving you a sense of relief.

 

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Useful and Easy Tips To Follow When Choosing Great Looking Dog Beds

Sunday, May 24th, 2009

It can be a little overwhelming to try and buy the best dog beds. Usually we do not have the ability to take our dog out shopping for the perfect dog bed. This leaving the decision as to what your dog would like best in your hands. There are some things that it is important to consider when selecting a bed for your dog.

Getting the right size bed is vital to your dog’s comfort. You want a dog bed that is a good match for the size of your dog. The only way to get a good fit is to measure your dog. You will first need to take measurements of your dog while it is standing up. Measure from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail and the shoulder blades to the floor. You also want to measure your dog while he is sleeping. When selecting a dog mattress add around a foot to the dogs standing measurements to get a proper fit. If you are looking for a nest and ball type bed add approximately nine inches to your dog’s sleeping measurements. A bed that is too small will not be comfortable for your dog. Look for a bed your dog can grow into if you are buying a bed for your puppy.

The best shape of dog bed for your dog will depend upon your dog’s size and sleeping habits. Think about where your dog does most of its sleeping. Most dog’s sleep in the same couple of places all the time. If your dog sleeps one place during the day and another at night think about buying a bed that can be easily moved.

Choose a dog bed with the appropriate height for your dog to get on and off it. There is a wide variety of dog beds on the market today when it comes to materials and styles. The right choice for your dog will depend on the individual needs of your dog such as how it likes to sleep, the climate in your area, and the dog’s size.

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Preventative Tick Applications, Do You Use Them?

Sunday, May 24th, 2009

Recently I’ve had people ask me why I am promoting the Frontline and Advantix, etc. anti-tick products when I don’t use them on my own dogs. Well, there are a couple of reasons.

First, my dogs don’t seem to need them. We check our dogs every day for ticks, and only occasionally find one burrowed into the dog’s skin; when we do, we just pull it out.  Our dogs are very involved in our family life and we are always touching their coats, so we can easily find anything that shouldn’t be there.  I am also lucky because all of our dogs have short hair. It is obviously easier to spot and/or feel a tick when you don’t have to sift through a thick coat. Finally, and in my experience the most important reason, is that we are not afraid to take the ticks off the dogs.  As a groomer, I’ve found that  75 percent of people are afraid to yank a tick out of their dog, cat, child, whatever.  For this reason alone, many people use tick medicine. (As a side note, I am going to make some instructional videos on nail clipping,etc… and one of these videos will be “how to take a tick off.”)
My reluctance to use chemicals on animals is this: If I am supposed to put gloves on before I apply it to my pet, why is it OK to be applied to my pet’s skin, where it is absorbed into his/her body..( It works by its active ingredient, fipronil. Fipronil is absorbed through your pet’s skin and into its oil glands. This allows Frontline to be released to your pet’s hair follicles and skin every time the oil glands are activated.)   Just on principle this does not sound safe to me, so, since I don’t have to use it, I don’t.

That said, I totally understand why some people do use the tick products.  If your dog is going out and getting 20 ticks a day and depositing some in your house, on your kids , and in your bed, your dog needs something to deter the ticks. The last thing you want is a tick infestation.  Also, obviously, it is not good for the dog and the humans to be exposed to ticks and the diseases that they can carry. Lyme disease can be transmitted to humans and dogs, as can Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichiosis, and Basesiosis.  The results of having these diseases can be quite devastating, so ticks are not pests to be taken lightly.

I guess it is up to each pet owner to balance the benefits and the risks of using preventive tick/flea chemicals.

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Vet Care: How To Take Good Care Of Your Dog Without Going Broke

Monday, April 20th, 2009

If you are living in the metro city, it is very expensive to have a pet. Dog food, vet care and grooming supplies all these cost a good deal of money. Dogs make lovely pets but they also need vet care more often compared to cats. Since your dog’s health is very important, you need to make sure that you get the best vet care for your pet. You need to find a good vet that you can trust with your pet’s life. Yes, the best vet care will cost you some money but if you get pet insurance coverage, you do not have to worry about paying for emergency vet care for your pet. By investing a few dollars in monthly premiums, you can render your dog with the best vet care.

Choosing The Right Pet Insurance Coverage

Choosing the right pet insurance coverage is very important. There are a number of things that you need to look into before you get an insurance policy for your pet. First, you need to make sure that the pet insurance policy gives comprehensive coverage for you pet. Note that different breeds of dogs have different needs. Before you get an insurance policy for your pet, study the vet care needs of your pet. Read literatures about the common health care problems of certain breeds of dogs. Pure breed dogs often need more intensive vet care compared to mongrels so if you have a pure breed at home, consider getting a comprehensive insurance coverage for your dog.

The second thing that you need to consider when buying insurance policy for your pet is the cost. Some types of pet insurance policies are more expensive than the others. However, just because an insurance policy is expensive, that does not mean that such policy can cover for all the medical needs of your dog. Some expensive insurance policies are loaded with useless features that are only designed to increase the price of the policy. To make sure that you are getting the finest value out from your money, read the fine lines first before you sign on the insurance policy. You may also ask the insurance underwriter to explain to you in full the fine print provisions on the insurance policy. Unless you are satisfied with the explanations given to you by the insurance underwriter, do not sign the policy first. You do not really want to end up paying for something that does not give your dog the right coverage.

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It is Important to do Puppy Obedience

Monday, April 20th, 2009

Puppy obedience is something that starts suprisingly early in their development. The amount of respect and puppy obedience in training is determined by the actual owner you purchased from.

Puppies, according to studies, are not ready for any training until at least three weeks of age. When puppies are born they know only of their mom, that they are hungry and that they need frequent naps. During this period, puppy elimination is done by reflex, but they change around the 21st to 28th day of puppy life as they begin to leave the blanket and search for a place to eliminate. At this period, puppies become more aware of their surroundings and are growing more sensitive to stimuli. Any experiences they have will have a more profound effect on the puppy, so this is the most probable time for shaping up the puppy’s manners and behavior – in short, the perfect time for them to learn puppy obedience.

Getting Puppies Started with Encouragement

While training puppies to obey, you need not use punishment to induce their readiness to please and do the right thing. A great solution is to use positive treats and reinforcements. Negative stimuli should well be limited to saying ‘no’ and blocking any negative actions from your puppy with your hands. Striking a puppy or injuring it in any way is cruel and should not be used as a form of punishment.

Whenever a puppy does what you ask it to do be sure to shower him with a reward of affection and praise to reinforce this behavior. If not praised, puppies will lose enthusiasm and interest in obeying you. Alternatively, when given praise and caressed soon after a command is correctly executed, your pet will learn that following these things are fun and rewarding. Puppy obedience will also be developed as he learns that repeating proper actions will reap rewards. Using a positive reinforcement and a treat will strengthen the dog’s understanding and increase’s the dog’s willingness to follow commands.

Persistence Mixed with Great Timing

The timing is more important than anything when you puppy training and that should be kept in mind. Your movements, actions, and corrections are related to the puppy’s ability to understand the lessons and trainings taught to him. It is important for puppies to learn that corrections are given for the action or behavior that is expected from him.

For instance, a puppy who’s chewing on a bone or toy in another room is unlikely to act in response to the command “come,” and if no one brings him to the trainer, he will learn that the command is the same as “ignore.He will find out that “come” means that he should head for the trainer and that it will also bring in the goodies if the puppy is told to “come” under controlled situations, like when he’s on a leash and is gently pulled toward the trainer then praised.

Teaching puppy obedience training can be done at home if you focus on one exercise at a time and keep your instructions simple. This will be a much simpler concept for the puppy rather than trying to teach them the whole exercise in a single session. Bring your patience with you when you are training and use positive reinforcement.  Slowly your puppy will learn to obey.

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