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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Puppies Do Get Big Eventually
Ever wonder how long it will take your cute, bouncy little puppy to reach maturity? Although individuals may vary a bit, the following are reliable indicators of how many months it will take for your puppy to reach his/her adult weight:- Small-breed puppies reach adult weight at 9-12 months
- Medium-breed puppies reach adult weight at 12 months
- Large-breed puppies reach adult weight at 18-24 months.
- Keep my bowl filled with fresh, cool water, changed often each day.
- Feed me good quality food, formulated to provide me the best ingredients for a healthy life.
- Groom me at least three times a week to make me proud to look good for you.
- Play with me a few minutes every day to keep me from boredom and mischief.
- Exercise me daily, either with a brisk 15-minute walk or a game of fetch.
- Brush up on my training with frequent 10-minute sessions to keep me mentally sharp.
- Make sure I visit my veterinarian twice a year and whenever I have a health problem.
- Keep my nails trimmed and my ears clean with regular examination.
- Take me for car rides as often as possible; I really love them a lot, but don't let me ride with my head out the window cause that risks eye and ear injuries.
- Please pet me often to show you really love me. I'll return that love and affection tenfold.
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. Rescue Dog Training Takes Time 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.
If you're a veteran dog owner, chances are you've always tried to provide Fido with good care. But. over time, it's easy to let some slippage creep in. Little things can get overlooked. Like what, you might ask? Well, suppose we let your dog answer that with what could be his own "wish list."
It might go into such things as:
Puppies Need Grooming, Too!
Keeping your dog’s skin and coat healthy and clean is one of the most often neglected facets of ownership. Yet, all it takes you is a few minutes, three or four times a week, to devote to brushing and grooming your “Best Pal.” The regular grooming routine (brushing, for short coats; combing for longhaired pooches) removes snarls, knots and dead hair and gives the coat a clean, glossy look, reflecting an owner who cares.
At the same time, the procedure provides opportunity to thoroughly inspect your dog’s skin, revealing any otherwise unobserved problems, like lumps, sores, ticks or fleas. Then, once spotted, these troubles can be properly cared for. Make it a point to resolve regular grooming sessions for your dog. He’ll be happier, and so will you.
Rescue Your Dog From Boredom
Just like us humans, dogs can become bored with everyday life. Think about how you'd feel if you spent days on end languishing on the couch. Boredom personified!Well, that's what can befall your "Best Friend" unless you resolve to rescue him from house or kennel ennui. All dogs and puppies need some regular mental stimulation to keep them happy and healthy. While it's true of all breeds, it's particularly significant for the working breeds, such as collies, border collies,boxers and herding dogs.
Given a job to perform will keep most dogs sharply attentive and eager to please. The type of task is relatively unimportant as long as it's something the dog can feel confident in doing. Regularity, in other words, daily or at least three times weekly, provides the best formula.
Each time your pooch performs his job properly, giving him profuse praise and perhaps an occasional treat puts the icing on the cake. Never scold him for a mistake, simply withhold praise and a reward.
Your commitment to his rescue from boredom will pay big dividends both for you and your loyal companion. Just do it.
What Your Dog's Nose Knows
Of course, you've been aware of how much your dog uses his nose in almost everything he does every day. But, have you sometimes wondered just what that sensitive nose really tells him? What information do those canine olfactories process so effectively for him? They can let him know who or what left scent on a path or driveway and even how recently something happened. Boy, how much better is the dog's nose than our own? Some scientists say it's perhaps a million times better. They also say that the longer the dog's snout, the better, or more sensitive, his nose. This because his nostrils have more scent receptors-those areas that collect minute scent molecules-sending information to the dog's brain, where it's translated for him. When your dog sniffs, he's actually rousing up scent particles he can suck in and send to his built-in translator to identify. If you leave the house for awhile, then return, he'll sniff you thoroughly after his initial joyous greeting. This nose inspection tells him where you've been, what you've been doing, what you may have had to eat and what took you so long getting home. Just think about it and shake your head in wonderment.
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.
A Scandinavian Adventure
Enjoy a life-changing experience with your dog in Scandinavia.Your lead guide, Stefan Forsman, is renowned for his work and contribution to the field of humane animal care and behavioural development. To learn more, go to http://www.getlostinthewild.com
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.
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.