Archive for January, 2010
Puppy Energy Burn Off
Energy Burn Off
Most all puppies have big bursts of energy at one time of the day or another.
These energy burn off times can be a positive or negative expe-rience. Lets analyze the positive first. If an energy burn off comes up when you are at home with your pup, it can provide you with an excellent opportunity to structure some really fun and educational use of a playtime. The results of this type of session are easy training, fun learning plus the added bonus of a tired out pup at the end of it all.
A tired pup is a quieter and less destruc-tive pet in the house. For this reason, I recom-mend working owners or busy families, to try at all costs to have an energy burn off session with the puppy before leaving for the day. Even 5 to 10 minutes will make a tremendous difference. Then place your puppy in the most puppy-proof room or spot available in your home. A garage is OK if it has been completely puppy proofed and the temperature is reasonable for your particular breed. Provide lots of chewy things, and an old blanket or towel. (OLD so that when you come home and find it shredded you can laugh as you sweep it into the garbage and replace it with another old one).
Dog Training Equipment
Dog Training Equipment
In order to determine the proper equipment needed to help train a dog, you first must have a clear idea of just exactly what is going to be the goal of the training. To train a dog simply to be a good household pet is not going to require an excessive amount of special equipment, but to train the dog to be a K-9 attack dog or seeing-eye dog is going to require quite a bit more. The basics for training include the collar and the leash. Most novice pet owners do not take this as serious as they should and tend to select a collar more for its visual appeal than for its training potential.
There are several varieties of collars designed for training. They range from simple snap-on collars to sophisticated electric collars. A general rule of thumb for training collar selection is to select the gentlest collar that accomplishes the goal. Several types of collars, including choke collars and prong collars can cause harm to the dog if not used properly and by an experienced trainer. The leash is another basic equipment item that is often carelessly selected. The leash is the connection between you and your animal and a little investment in the proper size and style of leash for your particular training needs will pay off handsomely.
Grooming your Dog
GROOMING YOUR DOG
You take your own personal hygiene very serious, isn’t that iit ? The same should apply to your dog, he also needs to be attended to.
Grooming your dog does two things:
a) It keeps your dog looking trim and cute
b) It solidifies the bond between you and your dog.
Equipment necessary for grooming your dogs
They include:- hair clippers, brushes (different types of brushes may be required for different purposes), and combs. Some breeds of dog such as long-coated ones demand a lot of time and patience and the owner has to be prepared to go through with this to get the dog in a dandy shape.
Suitable methods of grooming for different coats
a) Rough coated Dogs- these usually require more time and effort for grooming. Usually the rough coats cast about every six months and a lot of hair is lost. It is important that you brush and comb the hair daily to prevent it from getting matted. A stiff brush in combination with a comb will do this job well and you should make sure you get to the root of the hair when doing this. If you feel all this is too much of stress, you just want to take your dog to the vet.
b) Short-coated dogs – these ones usually take less time and effort to groom. They should be groomed daily using a slightly stiff brush. Example of a short -coated dog is the Bull Terrier.
Dog Feeding and Nutrition
DOG FEEDING AND NUTRITION
When it comes to pet keeping, nutrition is a very important subject the health (or life) of your dog depend on the quality and acceptability whatever it is your feed to him. It is used to be claimed that dogs were strictly carnivores and all they needed was meat and bones in their diet. This is false!
Recent findings have it that the dog is better termed an omnivore, because he his able to survive on a diet that is mostly vegetable with some meat. However, a complete lack of meat in his diet will probably lead to nutritional deficiencies.
Dog food should contain a balanced mixture of the major nutrients including carbohydrates, proteins, and fat. They should also have adequate quantity of minerals and vitamins.
Carbohydrates supply the body with energy and excess amounts are stored as fat. Fats also supply the body with energy (though about twice that of carbohydrates). Proteins are involved in tissue growth and repairs and a greater percentage of vital organs in the body are made up of proteins.
Dog Health Management
DOG HEALTH MANAGEMENT
From the time you purchase your puppy. You invariably signed a contract with the veterinarian. And as far as your pet’s health is concerned, he is your best friend.
Once you get the puppy, take him over to the vet of your choice and have him registered. The vet would go over him thoroughly, taking note of those things you have missed while purchasing your pet. He will also get to meet your doggy. From here, you will be given a schedule of vaccination he would need to take, and routine check ups may also be scheduled.
Vaccinations your dog would need at his early age taken care of four major diseases – Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parvovirus and para influenza (DHLPP). After the initial two inoculations of the vaccine, he is required to come for yearly boosters.
Other vaccination include;- Rabies vaccine (but this depend on the country you live in), because the disease has been totally eradicated in some countries.