Edie MacKenzie On Dogs

Posts Tagged ‘Pet Dogs’

There are many advantages to owning a dog. It gives you loyalty and love. Yet so many people neglect its health as a way to return that love and affection.

Preventative dog health care goes a long way to ensuring that your friend stays healthy for years to come. If you decide to get one, then do him a favor and become educated on how to protect his health.

Dog health begins the very minute you take ownership of your canine companion. Before you even think about beginning puppy training you must make sure that you know what type of medication it takes to ensure its health.

Shots such as Distemper, Rabies, and Parvo are absolutely essential to a long and healthy life for your pet. There are other medications such as heart worm medicine and flea medicines that are important as well.

If you are unsure as to what is involved in dog health, check out dog forums for answers on some common questions. The best advice before buying or getting a pet is to do a thorough research to determine if having one is right for you.

There are some questions to ask yourself before you commit to owning a dog or any animal. The first is how much time do you have to devote to the pet? Do you have enough space to accommodate one? Is its health absolutely important to you? Do you have the money to devote to puppy training and to making sure that he or she receives regular veterinarian visits to ensure its proper health?

A dog is a big responsibility. If you are unsure of any of the above questions then now is the time to carefully ponder whether or not you are ready for a pet. Dogs cost money and this responsibility lies with the pet owner.

The puppy or dog is dependent on you for everything they need. This includes their emotional well-being as well. Humans and dogs are alike in that they need love and support. You, as the owner, must be that network of love and support for them.

Dog health is important to having a fully functioning family. Dog’s can bring many things to their owner. They bring love and unfailing loyalty. They deserve to have that returned to them by an owner that truly wants what is best for them.

Before you go collect your new pet, take the time to become educated. You should talk to other pet owners and then make that life altering decision.

Mike Selvon has some great puppy training for the pet lover, where you can find out more about looking after the dog health. We appreciate your feedback at our pet training blog.

Article Source: Dog Health and Your Responsibility

A useful dog health tip is that most dogs love avocados. They taste good, and they are an excellent source of fat. Fat is responsible for providing dogs with extra amount of energy and gives them healthy skin as well as an extra glow in their coat.

Strangely enough, it was the dogs themselves who led us to the idea of using the avocado as a supplement to the canine diet. It seems that avocado growers’ pet dogs were competing with the growers for any fallen fruit. The growers became curious and decided to compare the nutrients that this amazing fruit contained with those needed by canines.

According to a Veterinary professor at Iowa State University, this fruit enhances hair quality as well as skin tone, with which avocado growers have reported in their dogs is most likely due to the amount of linoleic acid of the fruit when added to the dog’s diet.

Of course, this fruit alone could not be recommended as the only nutrient source for dogs. But an avocado, in small quantities as a supplement, might be helpful if adequate amount of fat were not available from other sources.

A dog’s requirement of fat depends mostly on the amount of activity he engages in. For instance, an active working dog needs up to twenty percent fat in his diet, while the average household dog that walks a few blocks everyday needs only five to eight percent of fat in his diet. The very thin dog should get a diet rich in fat until his weight and health improve. The pregnant and nursing female dog also needs greater amounts of fat in her diet.

The majority of canine canned foods contain adequate fat to satisfy the need of an average household dog. However, if the dog is fed a diet strictly of dry meal, it might be moistened with additional sources of fat.

Avocados are an excellent source of fat for this purpose. And for canines that get most of their fat from canned foods, this tasty fruit also serves as an occasional treat. Avocados might be alternated with other occasional food supplements to add variety to the dog’s regular diet. Simply put, dogs love avocados and they are good for them!

Word Of Warning:  Documented evidence suggests that some dogs, as well as other domestic animals like cats and cattle, can be severely harmed and prove fatal when they eat the avocado pit, skin, leaves, and bark of the avocado tree. Therefore, when supplementing your dog’s health and diet with avocados, make sure to only give him the meat of the fruit.

Every culture that allows domestic pets teaches its members ways to relate physically with those pets. In some countries, dogs live a dog’s life, and are rarely held or petted. We’ve noticed that some German dogs that we import do not seem to like our “American” way of petting. After investigation with our German contacts, we have learned that Germans have a slightly different approach to their dogs. They pet and stroke them in a different way and in different places than do many Americans. In our culture, petting a dog is very important. Most people tend to pet dogs around the head and shoulder regions and stop there. Others literally trounce their dogs, pounding their sides and ruffling their fur.

Sometimes there is little method to the physical display. The dog is expected to “take it” whether or not it is the kind of physical affection it enjoys. Few dog owners stop to read their dog’s needs and desires. A dog owner may find that the dog does not enjoy being petted – if by petting we mean rough jostling or pounding. Instead, like many humans, they greatly
enjoy a more extended type of body contact – a kind of massage.

Massage can be a beneficial technique when used as an aid to relaxation. The first principle of dog massage is to stop thinking of your dog solely from the shoulders up. Contact can be made with almost any part of the dog’s body if it is sensitive contact. Skilled veterinarians know this from treating unapproachable patients. They often have to devise creative ways of lifting the animal up onto an examination table, or treating injuries all over a pet’s body.

To begin a dog massage, make a list of all the areas where a given dog likes body contact. If you are the dog’s owner, you know. If you are not, ask the owner. Then list the areas where
the dog is sensitive to touch. Begin your first massage with the areas on your first list, but include one area on the second. Gradually include more “forbidden” areas as you give massages.

It’s best to begin on the head, gently massaging the eyelids, muzzle, and nose. Always keep one hand in contact with the dog during the entire massage. It’s best to have the dog in the sitting position. From the head area, work down the neck to the chest and pectoral muscle. Some dogs will automatically offer a paw. Take hold of it, but gently place it down if the dog seems to be losing balance.

Choose a leg and work up and down on it very gently. If your dog decides to lie down, you will have better access to its rear legs. Try to avoid forcing the dog down. If your dog knows the command for down, you can use it in massage work, but don’t force the issue. Make your
strokes long and firm. Try to distinguish massage from regular petting. The massage should be more extended and pliable in its movement than regular petting. Avoid all slapping, pinching, and pulling motions. These will break the mood of the massage. Many dogs will communicate quite clearly what they like and dislike.

Dogs can be trained to be a dangerous threat and they can be trained to bark bite and attack. Some breeds adapt more readily to such dog protection training than others, but all dogs with vocal chords and teeth have the potential for threatening behavior.

First of all, it is not advocated to administer protection dog training a family pet. There have been too many unfortunate incidents involving people who have been talked into this type of training by the local guard dog trainer. Veterinarians have encountered an endless number of dogs who had to be euthanized because they had become vicious. Not all of these dogs had protection training, but a great many had. Some guard dog trainers will argue that if the right dog is properly protection trained, he will never become vicious and randomly bite.

While this may be true, the bottom line is that the average family cannot handle an attack trained dog. Most people find it difficult enough to get their dog to come when called and not drag them down the street at the end of the leash. Attack-trained dogs are very useful; to the police and military, and in most cases that’s where they belong. The average family certainly does not need a dog who has been conditioned to attack and bite on command.

Most dogs are instinctively protective. Rarely does a dog need protection training to be wary of intruders. This is particularly true of dogs who have been selectively bred to guard, herd, or protect.

Examples of such breeds are the German shepherd, border collie, and Rottweiler. In the wild, canines naturally protect territory and fellow pack members. The protective instinct is further strengthened when the individual feels that he is an integral part of the pack.

Keep in mind that your domestic dog views your family as his pack. If he lives in your home and is part of your family, chances are good that his protective instincts will emerge.

The instinct to protect territory and fellow pack members develops with age. Many people are dismayed that their five-month-old dog is not the least bit protective.

It is not a puppy’s job to be protective! A well-adjusted puppy of any breed should be friendly and love everybody. It is the role of adult pack members to be protective. The puppy instinctively expects you to protect him.

With most dogs, the sense of responsibility for being protective of the pack begins at around one year old, give or take a couple of months depending on the breed and the individual dog. At maturity – eighteen months to two years old – the dog should show even stronger signs of the protective instinct and not need any protection training.

Dog training collars are obviously necessary and very effective tools in dog training. The dog’s collar is the point of physical control that the trainer uses to make contact with the dog.

There are many different training methods and styles used by professional trainers and as a result there are many different types of training collars.

A quick check of on line pet supply retailers will find even more collars available in the market. You will find that each one has its own unique set of features that makes them ideal for specific types of training.

The standard variety, like leather or strong nylon is most advisable when simply training a dog to do basic stuff such as sit, jump, or stay.

This is dependent of course on the size of the dog. Nylon collars are ideal for smaller dogs. Leather collars are ideal for bigger dog breeds.

Nowadays, those who want to train their pet dogs for simple everyday commands even have the option to choose embellished collars. But for dog training, high quality collars should be given more preference.

Basic choke collars are one of the best dog training collars around. Choke collars give the trainer instant correction and control by tightening the collar around the dog’s neck.

During the training session when the dog is behaving in the proper manner, or obedient in following commands, the collar stays loose and comfortable around the dog’s neck. In the event however that the dog starts misbehaving or commits a training mistake, the trainer can easily tighten the collar as a way of correction.

This technique communicates to the dog the proper response to a command.

Prong collars, or pinch collars are another widely used dog training collars by professional trainers. This kind of collar has dulled tips on the collar surface touching the dog’s neck.

Like the choke collar, the trainer can control the tightening and loosening of the collar.

As a way of correction, the trainer will pull the collar and the blunted tips will tighten around the dog’s neck, without piercing his skin. It is important however to maintain caution in using these collars. There is a thin line between constructive correction and animal abuse.

This type of collar should really be left to the professional trainer or handler.

Electronic and citronella training collars are very popular with many dog trainers. They are especially useful in correcting dog behavior when the dog is not on a lead.

It is also very effective in aversion training like that used to train hunting dogs to avoid rattlesnakes and porcupines.

The remote controls on this type of collar has the ability to make corrections from as far away as one mile. Correction is accomplished through either electronic stimulation or a spray of citronella once the command is given via the remote control.

These collars also have a tone feature where the handler can communicate with the dog by sending a set of tone commands to either approve of a behavior or to warn the dog to correct its behavior prior to receiving stimulation.

No matter what training methods are employed by the trainer a quality dog training collar will be required to achieve the training goals.

isdom and discernment should always be used when using any training collar. Failure to do so may result in unwanted behaviors or even physical damage to the dog’s health.

James Kesel, MS is the publisher of Career in dog training website. Providing information on dog training, dog training career opportunities and training accessories such as dog training collars.

Article Source: ArticleSpan