Responsible Dog Ownership

Responsible Dog Ownership

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With all the companionship and love that our dogs give so freely, it's hard to imagine that some owners just don't take responsibility for their dogs. But it's true. Millions of dogs—healthy dogs—are euthanized every year. Whether through owner neglect or owner ignorance, millions of healthy dogs will endure the same fate this year. So what's a responsible dog owner to do? The best thing you can do, as a dog owner, is to ensure that your dog doesn't become a statistic, and you do that through responsible pet ownership.

Welcoming a new dog into your house means taking on additional long-term responsibility. Many new dog owners find something cute or romantic about bringing that puppy in the window home until they realize that there's a modicum of work involved in caring for that cute, adorable little face, and a price to pay for those wet, slobbering kisses. You wouldn't expect to return a baby. Its' no less wrong to return a dog when the novelty wears off, and it ought to be criminal to leave a dog somewhere on its own. In many ways, dogs are as vulnerable as newborn infants are, but dogs are dependent upon their owners for their entire lives.

Listed below you'll find basic steps to responsible dog ownership, and many of them are just common-sense rules of the road.

1. Selecting Your Dog – Turn to a local animal shelter or rescue operation to select a puppy or dog. Remember that older dogs need loving owners too. Refuse to purchase a puppy or dog that started life in a puppy mill.

2. Test Your Dog – Contact a veterinarian and ask him to run the usual series of tests on your new companion.

3. Spay or Neuter Your Dog – Responsible pet owners always spay and neuter their dogs and cats. There are far more dogs waiting for adoption than there are owners to adopt them.

4. Provide Medical Care – Aside from the annual physical examination and vaccinations, protect your dog from heartworm, ticks and fleas. Talk with your vet about the many options available today. Contact your vet at the first sign that something is wrong with your dog.

5. Provide Adequate Food and Water – Provide food suited to your dog's age, size and condition.

6. Walk Your Dog – Your dog will let you know when it needs to be walked.

7. Provide Exercise and Recreation – Provide ample space, dog toys and opportunity for your pet to exercise. If you haven't thrown a Frisbee in twenty years, you'll be surprised at how much fun it is to try to outsmart your dog—unlikely!

8. Protect Your Dog from Abuse – Animal cruelty is serious business, and in some states, it's a felony. Even the FBI acknowledged that animal cruelty is a known marker (future indicator) of violence against humans. If anyone in your house intentionally mistreats your dog, seek help immediately. You could thwart the next school shooting.

9. Discourage Aggressive Behavior – You'll know the difference between hearty play and aggressive behavior. Contact your vet at the first sign of aggressive behavior to discuss your options.

10. Coping with Serious Illness and Geriatric Dogs –Geriatric dogs are prone to many of the same illnesses that plague geriatric humans. You'll want to do everything in your power to keep your dog comfortable at the end, but at some point, it may become necessary to end the suffering. If you've been a responsible dog owner throughout the dog's life, you'll want to end that life just as responsibly as you cared for it.

3 Essential Tips To Successfully House Train Older Dogs

3 Essential Tips To Successfully House Train Older Dogs

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House training older dogs is a more delicate process than with younger dogs. If you are looking to adopt an older dog that was not previously exposed to any house training at a young age, it is going to bring along its bad habits such as chewing, excessive barking, making holes in the yard or "marking" the territory.

Furthermore, you will also experience more difficulties in house training older dogs as they tend to respond and progress much slower to most training methods and commands than younger dogs.

Here are 3 useful tips that can help you in house training older dogs successfully.

* First and foremost, a complete check-up at the vet is necessary in order to eliminate any existing health problems or complications such as urinary tract or flea infections. Older dogs may also experience some form of diarrhea if there is a sudden change from their previous dietary habits. Do not punish him for these "mistakes". Instead be patient and allow your dog a week to adapt to the changes gradually. If conditions did not improve, consult your vet.

* Always establish a routine schedule for eating and drinking for your dog. This helps you to easily monitor your dog's toilet habits and decide when to bring your pet out for a walk every time he or she finishes its meals. Most adult dogs tend to eliminate 30 - 45 minutes after eating or drinking. Learn the signs and watch out for clues of circling and sniffing the floor.

* Older dogs have shorter attention spans therefore more repetitions are needed during the house training process to reinforce the desired habits. Never use violence on them if they make a mess in the house. Scolding the dog is pointless unless you actually see it eliminating indoors. Use a firm voice command "No" and guide the dog to its designated spot. Praise or reward your dog when it relieves itself outdoors.

Therefore, house training an older dog successfully depend a lot on your consistency, discipline and perseverance. Treating the dog with patience and understanding, using the appropriate house training methods are the main ingredients to developing a well behaved adult dog with good toilet habits.

Canine Training Tricks And Tips You Need To Use

Canine Training Tricks And Tips You Need To Use

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If you are thinking you wish to get started training your dog correctly, but may not be sure how, well then, your in the right location. One thing about proper dog training is the more knowledge you have, the more you might use when it comes to dog training. Take note with this article and find out precisely what info is applicable to both you and your canine.

Give your puppy dog time to be okay using a dog crate by taking the training just one little step at a time. First, place them on the inside with the actual gate still opened. Once they get accustomed to that, close up the entrance and give the dog a goody they enjoy. Keep the gateway closed for short time periods, and work your way up to lengthier periods. If your dog shows indications of distress, you might be progressing too rapidly.

When you are walking the dog using a leash, under no circumstances keep your lead too tight. A snug leash makes a counter pressure reaction and may cause the dog to grow uneasy or even irritated. Your canine might pull, and not walk correctly on your leash. Remaining significantly less limiting with your leash hold allows a far more pleasurable walking encounter. In case your canine really does seek to pull you, just stop as well as change directions. Your canine will quickly learn that pulling will get it nowhere.

Be consistent in your role as being pack leader together with your pet dog. Without the proper direction by you, the dog sees this as an chance to establish themselves as the pack leader. Everything you could actually do with regard to teaching your dog will need to stick to this concept. To be the pack leader to your four-legged friend is definitely a change in lifestyle that'll be rewarding for your family pet.

A training clicker plus some doggie snacks could be an extremely effective method of dog training. Because a dog clicker could be much easier for a canine to understand when compared to a voice command word, instruction could be rapid and effective. Training sessions really should not be in excess of roughly 15 minutes, considering that pet dogs do have shorter attention spans.

In case your canine is misbehaving, make an attempt to determine the reason why. It is essential to come up with the reason the dog does exactly what it actually does. Being aware of the actual cause for negative behavior will make training sessions substantially less difficult. It really is a lot more challenging to correct an action that you do not understand fully the reasons behind.

An essential command which virtually any dog should be aware of is actually 'stay'. Not only can this specific command word stop the dog from engaging in something risky like running directly into the road, it could possibly calm him down in a unusual location. To begin with, tell him to 'sit'. Keep your pet in the sitting position, saying the term 'stay'. Praise him by using a dog treat, at all times making certain he stays sitting.

Be sure you and your loved ones are constant using your commands. If one particular individual makes use of "down" to tell the pet dog to get off the couch when yet another says "off" plus a third is actually letting your pet lie down there, the dog is going to receive varying signals. This makes it far more challenging for him to learn the actual instructions.

Establish a solid plan with regard to what you need to complete with the k9 training. When you have objectives marked on your calendar it could offer you a technique to measure how you are progressing with the dog training, and offer you clues about whether or not you would need to adjust anything in the regime.

Next time your pet dog leaps on you in excitement, tell them "Off" with a firm (but not angry) tone of voice, gently shove the dog off, as well as turn your own back. The particular oral order as well as action involving moving the dog reinforces just what the command word would mean, and also turning eliminates their own having access to you. This does a couple of things: a) your canine is unable to jump up on you any more, b) the dog can feel that he loses your attention, which is the exact opposite of what your dog wants. This will teach your pet promptly not to jump up on you.

Ideally, after studying this article, you are feeling like you can begin forming some terrific procedures toward dog training. Keep in mind that the knowledge in this article is not all you should know concerning training your dog, and so be sure to regularly be looking for new information and facts to apply when it comes to your own training routine.

Great Ideas About Dogs That Anyone Can Use

Great Ideas About Dogs That Anyone Can Use

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Whether you already have a dog or are just looking for one, it is likely that you are aware of the care required by dog ownership. This is not something you can just jump into with no information. The tips presented here will help you be a better owner to your dog.

You may know that chocolate is dangerous for dogs, but you may not know the specifics. Chocolate is dangerous because of the stimulants caffeine and theobromine. Baking chocolate is the most dangerous, with a high amount of stimulants. White chocolate contains the least amount of stimulants. Take you dog to vet if he ingests chocolate.

Keep on top of fleas. Not only can fleas cause infection in your dog, if one is swallowed, your pet can get tapeworms as well. Speak to your veterinarian about the best prevention method, but remember that this is not a one shot deal. You will have to continue your efforts over the life of your pet.

If your dog is very rowdy or easily excitable, experts recommend that you don't bring them along on vacation. Many times the thrill and confusion of a new area filled with strangers is too much for the hyper dog and unpleasant incidents may occur. Find a great kennel to care for your pooch instead.

If you are interested in providing your dog with the healthiest of diets and making positive contributions to the earth's environment, make his food from scratch. You can buy locally grown organic ingredients and provide him all the proteins, carbs and fats he needs with no preservatives while reducing the waste from packaging as well.

Pick and choose when you are going to groom your dog. You do not want to attempt grooming when your pet is in a particularly frisky mood, because the process will not go well. Instead, do so only when your dog is calm and tired, like after you have taken him for an especially long walk.

Genuine meat bones may be tempting, but it's best to stick to rawhide. Bones can chip and hurt your dog if sharp fragments are ingested. Rawhide is completely healthy and improves the teeth, and therefore is preferable to animal bones.

It should be easy to take good care of your dog if you follow the tips presented here. With a lot of love and patience your dog will be happy and healthy. Keep educating yourself to discover more ways to improve your dog's life and make your time together more enjoyable.

Finding the Right Dog Food Online

Finding the Right Dog Food Online

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Dogs are great pets which are emotionally bonded to its master and to keep it fit and healthy it is important to keep an eye on their food and activity to maintain their vigor and stance. You can find dog food online from different brands offering in different compositions to choose one that best suits to the appetite of your dog. As branded food for dogs maintain a balance in the nutrients and minerals essential for the dog it is in fact the best choice compared to the home food that you may think of giving to your dog. You can also keep changing the flavors of this dog food over a period of time as the dog grows by slowly adapting them to the new taste with small portions to give them a change in diet based on its weight and age.

The branded foods on the online store also don't require any prescription from the vets but in case you need specific diet for any condition you can have a prescription and can find the right brand and specialist diet like organic, working, grain free or prescription food on the stores suitable for your dog's condition. By visiting the pet food online stores you can come across many brands on the same platform offering quality and genuine diet to dogs for you to compare the tasty ingredients that satisfy your dog's appetite and keep them energetic. You can check out brands like Acana, Alpha, Country kibble, Natures menu, Pedigree and many more for you to pick up.

There are hypoallergenic dog foods specially made for sensitive dogs with single protein source meat that is highly digestible by the dogs. Such foods avoid beef, wheat, pork, dairy, egg and wheat gluten without any artificial source of colors, preservatives or flavors that is very much for working dogs. There are is also special food offered by pedigree for senior active dogs, complete dog food with rich and chicken, food chicken for larger breeds, beef and veg combination and so on with added minerals and nutrients that keep your dogs healthy and jumping with energy. The amount of dog food to be given daily depends on the age and activity of the dog which you can check out with your veterinary.

By buying dog food online you can definitely cut costs by comparing prices and ingredients offered by different brands and also avail free delivery of the bags to your door steps on placing an order and making the payments online.

Keep Kids Safe Around Your Dogs

Keep Kids Safe Around Your Dogs

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Small children and dogs seem to go hand in hand. Boys and girls see puppies as huggable friends that are wonderfully cute plus furry. The truth, nevertheless, is that not all dogs are safe close to children. Children should be taught ways to respect puppies, and also to know that each dog is unique, with his or her own personality plus temperament. Educating children to respect dogs for who they are will greatly lower the number of dog attacks on children, which will probably bring peace of mind, and peaceful living, to all children and also parents.

Each time discussing puppies, "temperament" means that the normal attitude as well as personality traits. Breeds of dogs are proven to have certain temperaments, which usually allows people to understand each breed, however it does not stop there. Each individual dog will also have his or her own temperament, which dog owners will get to understand as they get to know their puppies.

For example, puppies that are working canines are known for their working temperaments. They will probably be active, and not like to be still or quiet, mainly because their work demands these actions from them.

In the event that you are picking a dog for your family, you must look beyond a dog's size, as well as whatever grooming requirements it may have. It is very important also take into account the temperament of the dog. Have you got younger children? In that case you will probably want a calm, peaceful dog that will not accidentally harm your children when they are playing together. Have you got older children? Then you may find that an active dog is a better fit for your family, considering that older children can deal with the higher-level of play which an active dog will have.

Consider also a dog's possible need for dominance. Dogs which want to be dominant will never be suitable for families with young kids or babies. However, dogs that are too submissive may be frightened of noisy children of any age, and nip at them in defense.

You will also want to consider how trainable a dog's temperament is. Generally speaking, the more clever a dog is, the easier he is going to be to train. On the other hand, remember that an intelligent dog will also get bored if not presented with enough mental stimulation. This kind of boredom will bring about destructive behavior, as the dog tries to find the mental stimulation in his environment that his family is not offering him.

When it comes to picking out a dog, it is usually much simpler to predict the temperament of pureblood dogs, for the reason that their breed's general personality traits are known. Excellent dog breeders will be able to help choose a puppy dog for a family by matching up the demands of each and every family with the personalities of their pet dogs.

Looking for your dog is just the start. The moment you bring your puppy home, you need to start schooling your children good behavior close to your new dog.

You should not let your kids wake a sleeping dog, simply because this will probably take your dog by big surprise, what may end up in a bite. The phrase, "Let sleeping dogs lie" ought to be known and respected by all members of your family.

Any time your dog eats, he needs to be left alone. Dogs are very protective of their food. If perhaps your boy or girl tries to take his food, he may aggressively attempt to protect it. That is true of dog food, however especially of bones. Educate your children to never approach a dog which is chewing a bone, whether it is your dog or someone else's.

With regards to someone else's dog, it is far more important which you remind your children to behave and react respectfully. They ought to know that certain dogs are suspicious or perhaps fearful of strangers, and may bite anyone they do not know that gets near them.

Adolescent kids might not have an innate fear of dogs, yet quite a few young children do. Whenever dogs run at children, they may fully freak out, causing them to run from the dogs whilst screaming. This is totally the wrong thing to do, and also may cause an otherwise friendly approaching dog to all of a sudden become aggressive simply because the child is acting just as frightened prey.

Teach kids of all ages the way to react to an approaching dog: To stand still, stay calm ( do not scream! ), as well as to not look the dog in the eyes. They additionally have to know what to do in case a dog knocks them over. They ought to roll into a ball, just like a pill bug, plus stay quiet and still. They need to stay in this way till the dog losses interest in them and leaves. They need to continue to stay quiet as they stand up, to avoid getting the dog's interest back to them.

Undoubtedly you already know that your dog ought to go through dog training. It is also essential to include children in this training, in case they are old enough to participate. The reason this is significant is due to the fact it can help your dog to view your children as ranking above him in his pack (your family). This will lead to your dog treating your children with much more respect than he would treat anyone he views as beneath him in rank.

If perhaps you have kids and you take some time to think about a dog's temperament just before choosing one, you are going a long way to making sure that your dog and young children will live safely as well as happily for a long time to come.