Friday, December 3, 2010

The Basics of Dog Care


Owning a dog brings with it the responsibility of taking care of the dog also. In return for the loyalty and security that the dog provides your home with you have to take care of its health and well-being - an unspoken contract that has to be understood by every owner. Now, the actual task of dog care can be broadly divided into five headings.

Food and Water

Although most owners do not realize it, the health and well-being of a puppy is crucially dependent on its diet. Simply stuffing the dog with lots of food and meat (as some do) will not ensure its good health. Different breeds of dog have different food requirements. Hence, it is the first task in dog care to consult a vet about the diet that is best for the dog you own, and stick to it.

Furthermore, you should make it a point to stick to a strict schedule of meal timings, and reduce snacking for the dog to a minimum. In the case of water, always make sure that there is water kept in a trough at any point of the day - teach your dog to drink water from it. Drinking lots of water is good for dogs also.

Shelter

The kind of shelter you give your dog is also important part of care. In case you decide to keep your dog indoors, it is important that you give it a proper place to sleep and ensure that is clean, cozy and comfortable. Make sure that your dog sleeps on its own bed regularly.

If you build a doghouse for your dog, then you have to take care that it is clean, dry, well ventilated, protected from the elements, and that it remains warm in winters. Try and not keep the dog holed up in the dog house at all times - they love company and become morose and thin when they are kept in isolation.

Visits to the Vet

This too is vital in dog care, especially in the puppy stage. Get your dog all the immunization shots required and don't hesitate to go to the vet on noticing any irregularities in behavior. It might be an infection that is causing the dog discomfort.

Grooming

You also have to groom your dog properly for it to remain healthy. This involves regular baths, nail clipping, regular brushing of the coat, ear care, teeth and gum care. A well-groomed dog is a pleasure to have around the house.

Exercise: Walks and Runs

Taking your dog out for a walk and/or a run daily can have a great positive impact on its health. It will increase its appetite, regularize bowel movements, and keep your dog fit. Therefore, you can't afford to ignore this in the context of dog care.

Dog care might be tedious and a lot of hard work, but it is a small price to pay if you really cherish the company of your dog. Taking care of it should be as important, if not more, as taking care of your own health.








Author of nioxin reviews and ultrasonic pest repellent.


Thursday, December 2, 2010

Dog Care Tips - Simple Ways to Care For Your Pet Dog


Ensuring that your dog is healthy and safe is one way to build good relationships with your dogs. Knowing some dog care tips to help you care for them and give them their needs could also be your way of reciprocating the companionship and joy they have brought into your life.

 

Below are some dog care tips you may have forgotten to give your dog. Check and find out if you have missed something in the list.

 

* Teach your dog some tricks. You can also train them to behave properly. These activities can also be fun for both of you. When doing this, don't forget to always reward your dog for every good job they do.

 

* Let your dog exercise and play. Walking or playing with your dog is not only a great exercise for you and for your pet, but it is also a good way to bond with them. A frisbee or ball would be great toys for your pets. Just be sure it is too big for them to swallow.

 

* Bring your dog to a veterinarian for regular check ups.

 

* Give your pets a good shelter. A doghouse would be good for your dog but do not keep you pet in his doghouse for the rest of his life. Play with him and spend time with him as dogs love to have company around.

 

* Keep your pet healthy and free him from ticks, fleas and other parasites. Also keep your house free from these parasites especially if you have kids around.

 

* Do not overfeed your dog. You are definitely putting your his health in danger and you are shortening your pet's life with overfeeding.

 

* Have your dog neutered or spayed. Neutering your male dog and spaying your female dog are important dog care tips that you should follow, and are necessary. This will make the male dog less aggressive and spaying a female dog will also allow her to be free from the stress of being in heat and from noisy male dogs following her around. These will also help your pet live a healthier life.

 

* Watch what they eat. Whether you are giving your pet commercial dog food or some table scraps, make sure you are giving him the right food that gives him the proper nutrition. Also watch out for food that may harm your pet. Chocolates for example have substances that can be toxic to dogs.

 

* Do not forget to update their vaccination.

 

* Keep household products that can harm your dog away from their reach. Bleach, mothballs, fabric softeners, mouthwash and many others could be harmful if ingested by dogs. Pits and seeds of fruits can also be harmful to dogs as it can block their digestive tract. Keep all these far from your dog's food or from their reach for their safety.

 

* Give your dog a good collar and tag with your home address and telephone number. You surely would want to have your pet returned to you easier when he is lost.

 

Learning some good dog care tips and taking good care of your dogs will certainly make you more lovable to your pets and a good way to make a healthier and happy relationship with your pets.








Carolyn Anderson is a freelance author who loves to take care of her pet dogs. If you want to learn how to make business out of your passion for pets, check out Bake A Dog A Bone. Also check out dog lovers universe, where you will find out everything you need to know to have a healthy and well-behaved dog.


Finding Dog Care Resources Online


We all love our dogs, and this alone is a good enough reason to care for our dog, but there are many other reasons that we should all offer dog care to our pets, for example the health and happiness of our dog is the first thing to be noticed, and secondly learning how to provide this dog care yourself will increase your relationship and bond no end.

There are many online resources for dog care available, but I would like to show you a few extracts from a book that has everything rolled into one on the way of dog grooming and explain how to´s, techniques, tips and an explanation of the benefits for you and you dog that can be obtained through correct dog care at home.

We all know that there is more to dog care than a brush through there coat - although this is an important part of dog care I would like to drawer your attention to other areas and activities that can result in the mentioned benefits and play a great part in dog care;

Eyes and Ears -

Once you have mastered grooming the coat you can move on to the next stage of grooming, caring for the eyes and ears - again this is not a difficult task, but requires a little more care than the coat. As with humans the eyes, and especially the ears are delicate organs in a dog and we have to be sure we can help our dog benefit, minimize the risks, and at the same time ensure we are not creating any danger for our pet.

Eye Care

The importance of eye care is something that many dog owners do not take into consideration as much as should be, the general eye infections suffered by dogs are caused by bacteria which has been allowed to seep into the eye, so regular cleaning is a must - also whilst cleaning will be the best opportunity to identify the most common eye problem for our pets, Conjunctivitis, this can be noticed by a redness around the eye and a greenish, or yellowish discharge...

Dental Hygiene - A part of dog care many owners omit!

Much of the dental hygiene crosses from grooming into health care, I have tried to separate the two but parts go hand in hand, however there will be another book in the series shortly that will cover health care and mouth issues in your pet deeper, for now we will try to keep with the grooming topic, and base this section around dental hygiene for a healthier, and better looking dog without too much consideration for the health issues - although these are a main factor in dental and mouth care.








And also the nails and paws are a main part of grooming when you look to dog care to show your pet you love them. Learn more about all these topics and much more with the help of 'The Perfect Dog Grooming Guide' which can be seen at http://www.perfect-dog-grooming.com.


Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Steps for Proper Dog Care


While walking in the street you found a stray dog. What is the first thing that you will do? Are you going to scream because it could bite you or bring the puppy to your home? You have two options. But what if you happen to be generous enough and took it along with you?How you will take good care of a newly found dog? Well, you are going to consider two important things: to take care of the dog and return it to the owner or make its own shelter...Any type of dog breed whether you just found it somewhere or you bought it from a friend needs proper care. In the first place, it will already become your own pet sooner.Taking care of a dog is not as easy as it is told. It requires maintenance particularly when it comes to the dog food, shelter, medicine and the payment for the veterinary if in case it gets sick and a lot more.Allergy particularly for the stray dog is a big problem. It is important that you know how to take care of a dog if in case it has allergy. Here are some tips that can help you:o Check for some allergy symptoms in your dog. The common signs are sneezing, coughing, and watery eyes just like the allergy in humans. Rashes can also be major signs of allergy.o Consider the season as well. Most often there is also a flea season for the dogs. Avoid exposing your dogs to allergens.o Bring your dog to a veterinarian after seeing all the symptoms. o Follow the instructions given by the veterinarians including the application of the medicines prescribed for the dogs.o Minimize its contact to the possible allergens that could worsen the medical condition of your dog. Consider switching to other dog food if the doctor identified that the food is also the cause of allergy.If you really want your dog to become healthy you should do all the necessary precautions for preventing diseases that could attack them. Proper food and a comfortable shelter will help.Remember that your dog is also your company that can protect you from harm. In return, it should also be given enough care. Like human beings your dog has also its need that must be satisfied. Take the necessary steps for proper dog care.








Khieng 'Ken' Chho is author and owner of Online Dog Care Resources. For related articles and other resources, visit Ken's website: http://dog-care.onew3b.net


Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Dog Care Tips For Winter Months


There are three highly common things that threaten your dogs health in the

winter months. The good news is that by taking a preventive measures and

following the dog care tips below, you can keep your dog happy and healthy all

winter long.

Avoid Dog Poisoning

Antifreeze kills dogs. It is reported that antifreeze has a taste that

dogs like so they are naturally attracted to it. As a responsible dog

owner, this dog care tips is one of the most important dog health care

tips that I can give you. Make sure that antifreeze is stored in a sealed

container and when flushing your radiator that you are quick to thoroughly wash

away any spills that may occur.

Protect Your Dogs Paws

Protect your dogs paws from harmful irritants such as salt when walking your dog

in the winter. You should know that both ice and salt can be harmful to

the pads on your dogs paws. Both can damage the skin leading to tears or

possible infections on the pad of the paw. Also, most dogs will lick the

salt off of their paws thus digesting the chemicals found in the road salt. pet

supply store. Your dog may resist wearing the booties at first but you

should be persistent in order to protect their sensitive paw pads. Play it safe

and train your dog to wear dog booties.

Provide Dry Bedding and Check Water Sources Regularly

If your dog spends any amount of time outdoors in the winter months

their are two things that you must be aware of. The first is providing

proper bedding and replacing it regularly so that it does not get wet and

freeze. Straw is great to use for bedding because it can easily be

replaced and it is a great insulator.

The second thing that you must pay careful attention to if your dog stays

outside in the winter months is their water bowl. A dogs water bowl will

quickly freeze in winter months so you must keep a close eye on it to assure

that your dog has access to fresh water.

By following these dog care tips for winter, you can assure that your dog

will be happy and healthy when warmer months roll around.








For free dog health care tips for every season, I highly recommend the Dog Health Care Blog.


When anxiety attacks

Anxiety disorders are probably the most common complaint from owners of dog in the world. An anxious dog show his fear in many respects. It is up to you, as a responsible, to recognize the stress of your dog and take measures to desensitize your dog, or her dog owner protect stressful situations.

Signs of stress and anxiety can often be excessive drooling, shivering, soliloquising, panting, geindre or reluctance to move.

Separation anxiety is by far the most common.Owners come from furniture chewed, Sali floors and can hear the barking and crying three houses away.

Noise anxiety disorders thousands of dogs .the animals who are afraid of noises often try to run a shelter, and sometimes this desire for security leads them in the opposite direction to dangerous positions.


View the original article here

Monday, November 29, 2010

Therapy Dogs

Animal assisted therapy (AAT) is the use of animal therapy certified of a therapeutic plan. Delta society described the animal assisted therapy as "an important part of treatment for many people who are challenged physical, social, emotional or cognitively. Hospitals or nursing homes often enjoy Laos, especially children and the elderly. Whereas animals such as horses and cats can make excellent therapy animals, dogs are by far the most common type. It is perhaps because of the unique link that canine and human beings humans share. Dog therapy really make a difference in the lives of the people that they meet.Animals, especially dogs, helped humans since the beginning of recorded history. They helped us work and was provided with the company and lifted our spirits. However, it is only in the 20th century that animals have been officially recognized for their therapeutic capacity.

In 1976, Elaine Smith founded therapy dogs international, the first register for therapy dogs to the United States.A year later, the Delta Foundation (later called Delta Society) was formed to research the effects that animals have on the lives of people today, these groups with many others, help to provide treatment for persons in need of AAT animals.

Therapy dogs are working with a dedicated event handler. It is often, but not always, owner of the dog. If you want to become a team with your dog therapy, you must fill them in-depth training.An excellent way to begin is to participate in the program on the Citizen Canine Good AKC (GCC) .This certification shows that your dog is socialized, user-friendly and adequate basic training. The CGC certification is a prerequisite for many programs of therapy dogs.

The next step is to contact an official animal assisted therapy Organization (such as Delta Society or TDI) each group has its own set of standards and before compulsory courses one dog and Manager can become a registered therapy team.Therapy Dogs must also meet specific requirements for health.Once the dog and handler to fulfil all the requirements they must pass a final assessment, or a series of evaluations, to become official.

Once you and your dog become a treatment team, you can begin the visit of the installations.visites and schedules are usually arranged by your organisation.Une time you get out there and start making a difference, you'll be glad you took the time to go through the processus.Une team animal assisted therapy can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.


View the original article here