Posts filed under 'Animal Care'
Dog tick removal isn’t hard, but there are certain steps you
should take to ensure your dog’s well being. If you happen to
find a tick feeding on your dog, it is imperative that you
remove it immediately. The longer a tick has to feed on your
dog, the more likely it will transmit Lyme disease or other
types of illnesses.
When removing a tick, never use a match or anything that can
burn your dog. Not only is this not effective, but the potential
danger for you and your pet just isn’t worth it. The most
effective method of dog tick removal is to use a pair of
tweezers and aim for the tick’s head, while gently pulling it
out. This way the tick comes out in one piece and leaves no mess
on your pet. For additional protection, you should rub the
infected area with an antibiotic ointment or topical antiseptic
suitable for dogs after removing the tick.
To protect your pet from further tick infestations, you should
consult with your pet’s vet about spray on insecticides that
kill ticks on contact. This will ensure that you don’t have to
deal with dog tick removal all that often.
May 27th, 2008
How easy or hard it is to train a dog not to bite will vary with the breed, age and individual disposition of the dog. But there are some basic methods that will typically hold off biting and nipping behavior.
Wherever possible, begin young. Puppies have a born inclination to mouth and nip. Though it’s often encouraged by owners who understandably see the behavior as cute, human control is a prerequisite to dog control. Good - and bad - habits begin young.
Beyond about the age of 4 weeks, puppies can start to acquire basic commands. When the puppy moves his mouth to bite, a gentle, but firm ‘No!’ Accompanied by a little squeeze of the muzzle can help.
Be careful not to cause the puppy to bite its tongue, though. Be particularly careful not to squeeze heavily or too high up on the muzzle. Dogs have sensitive and delicate odour receptors high up inside the nose. You never want to harm a dog’s power to smell.
The squeeze Is not to punish, but to inform. The aim is to help the young dog connect the verbal order with something it can interpret at that age - discomfort. Most dogs naturally dislike having their muzzles squeezed at any age.
Along with verbal discouragement and gentle physical restraint or reminders, socializing your dog - as young and frequently as possible - can help train calm and self-assured dogs. Fearful dogs, not used to strangers (whether human or animal), are a great deal more inclined to biting behavior. When I say as young as possible I mean as soon as they are OK to meet other dogs. Most puppies should have various immune jabs to protect them - so don’t take them out until after they’ve had them all and are protected against common dog illnesses. Ask your vet or breeder if unsure.
More on this subject at your dog land
April 8th, 2008
Have you ever bought a car that was an ongoing problem - always breaking down? Faults that just never seem to get fixed or keep coming back as if by some sort of dark magic? Facing problem after problem robs you of the pleasure of enjoying your new car. Regrettably, there are dogs that are stinkers, too (and I don’t just mean the farts they do!).
A dog with ongoing ill health for example can lead to heartache and an empty bank account. A good dog breeder will stand behind health guarantees and do everything in their ability to set affairs right if you end up with a dog that has a difficult health defect.
There are a few types of dog breeders you need to be aware of. The first type is a type who shows dogs and works hard to uphold the breed quality. The puppies this breeder produces will often be more expensive than other puppies, but there are several advantages to buying one. These breeders test their dogs for common genetic diseases and they only breed their best dogs, because they are breeding dogs to acquire a new generation of champions. This means that the resulting puppies that are not show quality are usually still quite nice.
The 2d type of dog breeder is often called a backyard breeder. These breeders seldom show dogs and usually have a litter of puppies just because they want other people to have a dog just like theirs. Unfortunately, few backyard breeders test for diseases or know how to look for traits that match the breed standard.
The last type of dog breeder is frequently called a puppy mill breeder. These breeders have several different breeds of dogs and frequently breed their females until the dogs become decrepit and die. Puppies are frequently very poor examples of the breed and may have genetic health problems as well as diseases such as Kennel Cough.
Obviously, you want to find a good dog breeder. However, knowing the importance of finding a good dog breeder does not always make it easy to locate one. Luckily, if you look for signs of an expert breeder and ask the breeder the right questions, you should be able to decide if you’ve found a good breeder.
First, have a look at how the breeder is advertising….read the rest at cool dog land
April 8th, 2008
Most dogs jump up at people at times. How often varies by breed and individual. We think that some are trying to get closer “face to face” to “pack interact” smell or explore - Not attack. This is something dogs to do each other all the time.
A good way to deal with this type of dog is to remove the need. Kneel and interact with the dog at its level. Let it explore safely while guarding against over assertiveness. Very rarely will a dog bite its owner this way, especially if the human is the the ‘alpha’ (pack leader).
If you’ve recently adopted an older dog, take more care when using this technique. Put a collar on the dog and keep a thumb inserted under it behind the dog’s neck ready to jerk sideways.
Sideways is preferable to back or iup as while dogs neck muscles are strong their throats can be easily bruised. Sideways jerks protect you both and teach - not punish - the dog.
Off-leash training is another way. Wear tough pants and have the dog stand in front of you. Training a ’sit’ is a good defense against jumping. But as jumping usually follows standing or running start the exercise with the dog standing.
Watch for the body tension that precedes jumping. When you see it order a ’sit’. If the dog jumps lift your leg slightly and bump the dog’s chest with your knee or thigh. Simultaneously, push a palm near the dog’s face away from you and give a sharp command: ‘off!’. (’Down’ is a separate behavior)
The raised knee helps to keep the dog off and puts it off balance. The hand near the face obscures its vision and discourages a repeat jump. Working with a partner can be very useful with this approach.
Positive reinforcement techniques can be used, too. With a treat or toy in one hand hold out the treat or toy above and slightly behind the dog’s head as it jumps. This distracts the dog and puts it slightly off balance. It also encourages a sit when the impulse was to jump.
Repetition and consistency are, as with any training essential. Be patient, firm, never angry. With time, most dogs will suppress this natural behavior unless they receive permission to jump.
More info? See Nicks dog land
April 8th, 2008
Key Facts:
Size: Large
Height: 54 - 57 cm (21.5 - 22.5 inches)
Weight: 25 - 35 kg (55 - 77 lb)
Life Span: 15 years
Grooming: Easy
Exercise: Demanding
Feeding: Reasonable
Temperament: Friendly & intelligent
Country of Origin: England
AKC Group: Sporting
Physical Characteristics:
General Appearance: Solid, strongly built and friendly.
Colour: Black, yellow or liver/chocolate.
Coat: Straight, dense, short, hard and weather resistant.
Tail: Tapering and carried fairly high in action but should never curl over the back.
Ears: Set far back, pendant and hanging close to the cheek.
Body: The chest is deep and wide with well sprung ribs. The back is long and level with a wide loin. And the shoulders are long and oblique.
Temperament:
Active, gentle, easy-going, bold and intelligent. Labrador Retrievers are very popular household pets as they are people-orientated and extremely devoted to their family. They get on well with children, strangers and other dogs. Their intelligence makes them very trainable and obedient. These dogs are capable of taking all the knocks of a rough-and-tumble family and their even-temperament means they never take offence at any insult.
Grooming:
The coat of the Labrador Retriever is easily maintained with an occasional brush. More attention is needed when the coat is moulting.
Exercise:
These retrievers adapt themselves to their family, but they also need additional exercise such as long walks or playing and retrieving in the water. They need regular exercise to prevent them from becoming too boisterous and exuberant.
Feeding:
Labrador Retrievers can consume any quantity of food and need rationing to avoid them becoming overweight.
History:
The labrador comes from Newfoundland and is thought to have evolved from the St. Johns dog and a water spaniel. It was in the 1800s that these dogs were used by fisherman for retrieving hooked fish from the water. Eventually some of these Labradors arrived in Britain and their qualities were retained through crossing them with other retrievers. This cross-breeding stopped once the breed was high in numbers and quality to maintain the desired breed type.
Additional Comments:
Labrador Retrievers are multi-talented dogs as they are used as guide dogs and also for drug searching.
A distinct characteristic of this breed is the tail. It is often called the ‘otter tail’ with its relatively short length and thick covering of hair.
About the Author
This article provided courtesy of http://www.dooziedog.com/dog_breeds/labrador_retriever/
April 8th, 2008
Here’s a good piece of important information to solving cat behavior problems , cats take care of a lot of their shedding on their own. They are fastidiously clean animals. You’ll discover they are constantly cleaning themselves with their rough, sandpaper-like tongues. The very mechanism, though, that helps them to control shedding also contributes to one of their health problems, hairballs. Hairballs are a very real threat to your cat’s digestion. They can block the food that’s already been digested from traveling through his intestines.
March 27th, 2008
Cats are clean animals. They prefer to “do their business” in sand or dirt . . . just about any substance they can paw at and cover their wastes up with. So don’t worry. You’re dealing with an animal that “wants” to use some device.
That’s half the battle. But there’s a little more to housetraining a cat than simply plopping a litter box in a random room. This may sound a bit strange to you, but cats like to use the litter box in private. Yes, if they were people, they would be the type that would not only close the bathroom door completely, they would probably lock the door as well.
Armed with this knowledge, find a place in your home where the box is easily accessible to your cat, but far enough away from the heavy traffic. Tuck the litter box away in a corner of a room or in a small alcove that’s not used much. Your cat will certainly appreciate it.
read more on “>Solving Cat Behavior Problems
March 26th, 2008
If a friend of family member has just lost a pet, it’s natural to want to send them a sympathy gift. The hard part isn’t pulling out your credit card to buy though - it’s deciding what to send. It’s a sensitive time and you don’t want to upset someone who’s close to you. That’s why we’re here. We’ve been on both sides of this terrible time and can guide you in terms of what to send.
If you have a tight budget, for less than $50 you can get the following items:
- A book that helps the pet owner through their grieving.
- A memorial stone for the backyard, engraved with the pet’s name, date of birth or a nice poem.
- A figurine of the pet’s breed is always nice.
- A necklace with a bone or a dog pendant.
- A picture frame and put a picture of the pet in it.
If you have a little more to play with, for under $100 you could get:
- A granite pet marker with the text of your choice.
- A portrait frame urn for a keepsake or cremains.
- A memorial stone with a beautiful saying: “If tears could build a stairway and memories a lane, I’d walk right up to Heaven and bring you Home again”
If money is not the issue, and you don’t mind going over $100, you might like:
- A Rock Urn. Urns don’t necessarily have to hold ashes; this beautiful rock urn that is designed to withstand the weather could hold a favorite toy instead, or whatever your friend would like.
- A River Rock memorial, engravable with 2-4 lines of text. These are just gorgeous and perfect for the garden.
- If you have picture of the pet, consider an artistic rendition (quite realistic) on an ostrich or emu egg. It’s breathtaking, I can assure you.
I hope this has given you some ideas, and that the grieving pet owner in your life enjoys your sympathy gift. To buy any of the products mentioned, please visit our Pet Loss Gifts & Cards page.
About the Author
Tara Pearce is the author and webmaster of http://www.pet-memorials-info.com/pet-loss-gifts.htm
Visit our site for information on pet memorial, pet urns, pet caskets and pet loss sympathy gifts.
http://www.pet-memorials-info.com
March 3rd, 2008
Cats are almost always depicted as loners, the lords of their realm, snobbish and downright stubborn. This is a type of animal that is quite proud, going their own way and rarely following orders. Think Garfield.
While this could be quite unfair to the cat, they are almost always compared to the loyalty and obedience of a dog, qualities which make them a popular pet all over the world.
That is why it is recommended to all cat owners or those who do plan to get a cat to train them immediately. This establishes the role of each person in the household. Cat training allows for the cat owner to train his or her cat and eventually leading up to a long lasting loving relationship between owner and pet.
Just like having a child, a pet cat that knows how to follow orders and is a source of pride and joy will be given great attention and love as well as more rewards.
But, before you start training your cat, you must know first its natural instincts and behaviours. As cat owners, we must respect what is but natural to every cat so we don’t encroach into those natural instincts.
It is not uncommon for some cats to feel depression and stress, so do not mistake this for stubbornness or hard-headedness. This may cause a rift between you and your cat. The more you scream at it and the more you hurt it, the more the wedge and rift grows, making it harder to do cat training.
Have your cat checked out by a vet first before any cat training. There are many factors to consider first. If the vet gives the thumbs-up sign then your good to go. Cat training will provide for a happier and healthier cat-owner relationship.
Article written by Hector Milla, editor of cat-training.win-10.com/ , they have recently published a free online guide to :: Cat Training :: visit his weblog for daily news about cat health and training at cat-training.win-10.com/cat-health-news/ , thanks for publish this article in your website or ezine keeping a live link.
February 20th, 2008
There are many excellent training devices that can be used when
training your Shih Tzu. The most basic piece of equipment that
every Shih Tzu owner should own is a quality training collar.
There are many different types of training collars, and these
devices go by a variety of different names, including choke
collar, choke chain, correction collar, slip collar and of
course training collar. Training collars are favorite tools
among both amateur and professional dog trainers.
When used properly, a training collar is a valuable, effective
tool. However, like any tool it must be used properly in order
to be effective. Despite its simple appearance and design, a
training collar is a piece of precision equipment, and it must
be treated with respect.
An improperly used training collar will do no good, and it can
harm your training program by causing the Shih Tzu to become
confused and frightened. There are several important things to
consider when choosing and fitting a training collar.
The first consideration when choosing a training collar is how
the collar fits the Shih Tzu. It is vital that the training
collar be fitted properly to the Shih Tzu. Only a properly
fitted training collar will be effective for the Shih Tzu.
The training collar must also be put on the Shih Tzu the right
way. Unlike a normal buckle collar, there is a definite right
way and wrong way to put on a training collar, and putting it on
the wrong way can make the collar ineffective or even dangerous.
In addition to being fitted and sized properly, the training
collar must be used properly as well. The training collar is
designed to provide a reminder, not a punishment. It is very
important to never use steady pressure with a training collar. A
training collar works by providing a sharp pressure, followed by
an immediate release of pressure.
The weight of the chain and the size of the links on the
training collar are very important when choosing a training
collar. The weight of the chain should be appropriate for the
size and weight of the Shih Tzu. For instance, you would not use
a heavy chain on a 10 pound Shih Tzu, just as you would not use
a very light chain on a 100 pound dog.
When using a training collar, it is very important to place the
collar on the Shih Tzu properly. The collar must be placed on
the Shih Tzu properly in order to be effective.
It is relatively easy to determine the length of training collar
your Shih Tzu needs. The appropriate size of the collar is the
distance around the animal’s neck, plus 2-3 inches. Since
training collars are usually made in even sizes, it may be
necessary to round up to find the right size. When measuring, be
sure to not make the tape measure too tight. The training collar
will need to fit snugly, but not too tight. It is important that
the pressure on the training collar be instantly relieved when
the leash is slackened.
If the training collar is too tight, the pressure will not be
relieved when you loosen the leash. If the collar is too loose,
on the other hand, it could accidentally slip off the Shih Tzu
when he lowers his head.
When putting the training collar on the Shih Tzu, it is
important that the end of the chain that attaches to the leash
is on the top of the Shih Tzu’s neck. This is important in order
for the collar to function as intended. It is important that the
training collar loosen properly when the leash is slackened, and
that it tighten instantly to provide the sharp correction when
needed.
If the connecting piece of the training collar is placed
anywhere except on the top of the Shih Tzu’s head, the training
collar will not loosen properly when the leash is slackened.
This constant pressure on the training collar will be
counterproductive, since the Shih Tzu will not understand what
is being asked of it or why the pressure is not being relieved
when it does as it is asked.
January 30th, 2008
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