Dogs items useful for dog training, health tips, puppy care, K9 travel information and helpful hints, as well as dogs related news bytes and miscellany.
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Rescue Dog Training Help
A rescue dog has just arrived home with you and you’re really pumped up about the good deed you’ve done for this lifelong companion you’ve adopted.
Sure, you’re a little short of canine experience and training knowledge, still you expect “Lucky” to be a model citizen by next week . After all, the folks running the shelter said he was a very good and lovable dog. So he must automatically know how to behave. Right?
Wrong! Like a majority of rescue dogs, “Lucky” may well have a completely unknown history. His ancestry (unless he’s a purebred owner surrender from a breed club) as well as his age is something just guessed at. Chances are he’s between two and five years old, may have been neglected or even mistreated and has picked up some bad habits.
All of which means you’ll have to invest time, understanding and patience in educating him to your home life routine.
An older dog’s problematic behavior must be examined and then undone by substituting good habits for bad ones. Repetition is a major key in all training so, once you begin the swap of a specific behavior for a new one, it must be reinforced continually.
You can simplify this training by using a psychological ploy …trick your dog into believing that each command you’re teaching is his own idea. Take the “Sit” command, for example. Whenever he sits, say the word and immediately praise and reward him with a tidbit, such as a Charlee Bear (www.charleebear.com). Over time this training will work. Be realistic, though, like any training, it will take time, so keep at it. and don’t become discouraged.
Dog Barking In Your Cell Phone
Dog fanciers with a passion for K9s can now use a bow-wow ring tone to alert them to an incoming call on their cell phone. It’ll probably scare heck out of any nearby shoppers in the supermarket, certainly in a crowded elevator, and very likely any kitty cat in the vicinity, too.
But, most cell phone addicts, being what they are, really could care less.
Anyway, if a dog barking cell phone appeals to you, Nestle-Purina’s website www.purina.com will oblige. Just click the
"United States" link, then go to "Purina On the Go" on the left panel to download the barking dog ring tone. Don’t be too surprised, though, if somebody would really love to
"muzzle" and "curb" your cell phone.
Dogs Do Sweat
Yes, dogs do sweat, just differently from us. Whereas we have sweat glands in our skin and under our armpits, dogs are not so well equipped. Their major heat elimination is primarily accomplished by panting and to lesser degree through sweat glands in their paws and feet.
Due to dogs' different sweating methods, it's important for owners to carefully guard against heat stroke in their dogs. It's especially crucial with breeds like pugs and bulldogs, which, because their very short muzzles prevent them from panting efficiently become more susceptible to rapid overheating. When this occurs, place the dog in full shade and provide frequent laps of cool water.
Dog Friendly Vacations
Dog friendly vacations have soared to new heights of popularity. And why not? After all, dog owners have always considered “Bo” or “Belle” as full-fledged family members, part and parcel of virtually all clan activities. So, why exclude their dogs from joining the summer holiday hiatus?
Dogs Welcome Mat Out
Probably the primary deterrent to taking your dog along has been finding dog friendly vacation resorts, hotels or cabins. But not to worry, today that problem is almost nil, with a spate of dog friendly places springing up across the USA and Canada to satisfy this building trend. The welcome mat for dogs, and cats, too, is featured at a wide variety of vacation destinations ranging from exclusive to average, and priced from deep pockets to paltry purses.
Dog Friendly Places An Easy Find
Targeting your ideal vacation resort is an easy assignment on the internet. Literally swarming with listings for all sorts of dog friendly holiday lodgings, like bed-and-breakfasts, cottages, motels and lakeshore cabins that cater to dog owners, choosing exactly what you want presents no problem. Just make sure to start your search well in advance of your vacation dates.
Dogs Damaging Chow
Dogs love snacks, especially of “people food.”
But, beware of the no-no foods that can place your dog’s health at risk,
sometimes serious risk. Many of the culprit “people foods” are usually given
dogs innocently, without thinking.
Say, you’re enjoying a summer salad featuring
the fruits of your gardening labors. While you’re slicing up those plump red
tomatoes, Rover is giving you his best begging look…but do not succumb, tomatoes
can create tremors and heart arrhythmias in dogs.
Onions, too, can demolish red blood cells and lead to anemia in K-9s.
Dogs No-No Foods
Becoming familiar with some of the worst offending foods is
the best insurance to protect your dog’s wellbeing. Here are some to be avoided:
Grapes; Raisins; Chocolate; Coffee Grounds Tea Leaves; Chicken Bones; Apple
Cores With Pitts; Avocados; Nutmeg; Macadamia Nuts.
Just make sure you're alert
to the dangerous foods at all times.
And, of
course, don't ever let Poochie counter surf or garbage can prowl if you've used
any of these No-No foods!
The Weimaraner—A Dog For Home And Field
The fabled Gray Ghost, aka The Weimaraner, came to the U.S. in a firestorm of publicity, much of it pure hype. The breed was described in glowing prose as the perfect “all purpose hunting dog,” the do-it-all gun dog for every man.
Though explosively exciting to contemplate, eventually the bloom faded from the rose. Only when common sense and experience prevailed, did the Weimaraner’s true virtue emerge. A jack-of-all-trades, he was not. But, trained as a specialist in field work, he showed his real talent.
Originated early in the19th Century in Germany, the Weimaraner’s ancestry is reputed to be heavy in Bloodhound stock. He was often used to hunt wolves and bears and also saw service as a bird and retriever.
A medium sized, short-haired dog with solid colored coat of silvery-grey or
mousy-grey, he sports a docked tail, usually carried upright. Dogs 25 to 27 inches at the withers , while bitches shave off a couple of inches, the breed weighs between 70 and 80 pounds.
Since his importation to the U.S., the Weimaraner has become a well accepted family dog, much better adapted to indoor, rather than kennel life. Good with children, he demonstrates
a friendly, yet protective, personality, and makes an excellent watchdog. Very intelligent and willing to please his owners, he’s a quick learner, a real standout at obedience.
Dog Tails Tolls
Dogs tails can exact hefty tolls on coffee table brick-a-brack, sweeping valuable decorations to destruction on uncarpeted hardwood floors.
But dogs sporting those full, undocked waggers can often suffer equally unhappy consequences from careless folks.
Imagine your son’s 220 lb. football coach inadvertently stepping squarely on Fido’s tail as heads out after his visit. Serious ouch!
Car and house doors also can wreak havoc on a dog’s posterior appendage if unthinkingly slammed on it.
And Rover himself embodies a painful threat to his constant overenthusiastically wagging tail, causing an often chronic bleeding split-end problem that’s difficult to cure.
Gun dogs’ whipping tails in heavy brush are especially vulnerable victims.
In such serious, chronic cases, a veterinarian’s help should be sought, and often, even then, medical assistance may dictate surgery as the only option.
Staying alert at all times to your dog’s tail and its many possible injuries is the best way to avoid trouble.
