Canine Arthritis Proves Problematic for Older Dogs By Rex Magnum

Canine Arthritis Proves Problematic for Older Dogs By Rex Magnum
Family dogs are treasured members of the family. They are like trusting babies, and they are usually treated with great care. Suddenly, one day, you might ..

Getting Your Dog Ready for a Newborn
Preparing a dog for the arrival of a newborn into the family is done with the same care and attention that a parent gives to help children understand that a new sibling will be joining the family. Bringing a newborn into the home will be a major change for your dog and can result in the dog becoming quite stressed if he is not well prepared.

Dogs that are have a free run of your house will need re-educating before your newborn comes home. Changing your dogs habits before your baby arrives will avoid hassles in the long term. You will need a few months to prepare your dog for your baby s arrival so start as early as possible.

There are a number of ways to prepare your dog for your baby s arrival. Most importantly deal with any training or behavior problems. You will not have time to do this once your new baby comes home and you want to ensure the safety of your child. Train your dog to obey commands such as sit, come and stay and address any issues of fear or anxiety that your dog exhibits. A good idea is to train your dog to sit calmly on the floor beside you until you invite him onto your lap.

To get your dog familiar with the sounds and smells of a baby try and borrow a baby or invite friends over with infants to accustom your dog to the real sounds and smells of a baby. Make this experience positive for your dog by offering a treat or playtime.

Gradually introduce more sounds and smells of a baby into your home on a regular basis. You can do this by playing recordings of a baby crying or gurgling. You could also put some baby powder or oil on your hands to accustom your dog to the new smells. Do this gradually and regularly in the months preceding your newborn s arrival. You can also use a baby doll to help your dog get use to the real thing, carry it around, take it for a walk in a pram with your dog, pretend to change it and bath it.

Once the baby is born and before you bring the baby home, take home a blanket or clothing that the baby has been in for your dog to investigate. Try to speak positively to your dog when the baby is around, and avoid negative tones. This is to ensure that your dog connects happy feelings while being in the presence of the baby. Always supervise any interactions between your new baby and your dog.

Jen Hart is the author of the informative website www.baby-patch.com providing parenting information, baby gift advice and ideas of how to create the perfect baby shower.

Moving With Pets ” Take Care
Keep regular routines It may be difficult but try to keep your pets’ routine as regular as possible. Your pet may become upset on moving day when they see all of the unusual activity; you should confine your pet in its favorite room along with its favorite blanket and toys. You may also consider leaving your pet at a friend’s house on the day of the move. This way you won t have to worry about your pet getting in the way of the movers or running away. Visit your veterinarian before the move Before the move take your pet to the veterinarian for a thorough physical exam. If your pet is on any medication, be sure that you have enough to last at least a month. To make things easier for your new veterinarian take copies of your pets’ records with you. If you do not know of any veterinarians near your new home visit www.aahanet.org American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) they have an extensive list of veterinarians. Moving your pets by automobile If you re pet has never been in an automobile before, start to prepare for the trip well in advance. Start by simply having your pet go into the vehicle, investigate, than let them out. As they get more comfortable start to play with them in the vehicle and reward them for good behavior. Next take them for short rides and slowly increase the time of the trip each time out. If this is new experience for your pet I suggest you place them in a crate, or confine them in the back of the vehicle for theirs and your safety. As part of the routine for riding in vehicles take your pet for a walk before you get in the vehicle. This way they can relieve themselves and work off some energy and hopefully sleep a little better on the trip. Once you re in the vehicle make sure it is well ventilated and comfortable, if they do get a little stressed the fresh air will just help them feel better.

Randy Heslip is a regular contributor to House & Home Info Source http://www.househomeinfo.com/ the ultimate resource for both home buyers and homeowners. Containing information and resources to help you find, buy, move into, maintain and make safe for your family the home of your dreams. This article may be reproduced as long as it is kept intact including the resource box. Copyright. 2007 househomeinfo.com.

Why Dog Barks?

Dog lovers say that a house is not a home without a dog, which is often justified for the loyalty and devotions dog demonstrates to its master. Dogs are naturally territorial and curious, that makes them the perfect pet for those who want to protect their properties from burglars and other intruders.

Barking is a natural behavior for all dogs. Among the several ways dogs show their emotion, barking is the most useful. Though there are times that barking is a problem both for the dog s master and the master s neighbor as well. Especially for those dogs that has a separation anxiety problem, that keeps on barking at night or whenever its master cannot be with them. As a responsible dog owner you cannot let your dog become a nuisance to others. Dog s chronic barking puts both the dog and you as their master at risk of complaints and even lawsuits from disturbed neighbors. With chronic barking your dog which is considered a part of your family might be taken away by animal control or police officers in charged with upholding anti-barking ordinances.

There are no bark collar devices that can help you train you dog from chronic barking and howling. But before you train your dog with a no bark collar, you should first understand why your dog barks. Every dog is naturally curious and territorial, they bark when they are perceived or hear sounds that are not familiar to them and more often when seeing something that dogs doesn t expect to be there. There are several books and websites which explain why your dog barks chronically, many of those references mentions that dog s chronic barking and howling is actually a cry for help. Dogs generally see their master as the leader of the pack, which is why they always want to be with their master that is also the reason why some dogs barks heavily at night when they are not with their master. Other reason why dogs developed chronic barking is when they are not given proper care and attention that they tend to be more aggressive and wild.

Dogs are social animals, and they need exercise and interaction with their human companions - and sometimes other dogs. Dogs cannot expect to sit quietly or entertain himself while his owner is away, it will definitely bark on by passers that will disturbed the neighbors nearby. Though there are several devices invented to train your dog from chronic barking, its success still depends on proper use.

<a href="http://nobarkcollar-4less.com">No Bark Collar</a>, <a href="http://dogbarkcollars-4less.com">Dog Bark Collars</a>, <a href="http://dogstrollers-4less.com/">Dog Strollers</a>

Akita attacking children and strangers
This breed is prone to being teased by children and what makes things difficult is that they are not sporting about it and end up attacking the children in retaliation. If an Akita bites, the most likely target would be a child visitor. The Akita is not used to interacting with outsiders, nor is it friendly with people who are strangers or irregular visitors.

The Akita is a very private dog, and as has been observed by an expert on Japanese breeds, he owes this trait to his upbringing in the typical Japanese setup.

There s further explanation that says that the Oriental homes in which the Akitas are generally brought up, are much smaller by Occidental standards, and thus social gatherings are always held in public places. This explains the wary attitude of the dog where visitors, especially children are concerned.

Although famous for being trusted by Japanese mothers, who often leave them alone with their children, the Akita can often be very aggressive towards unfamiliar children and might even bite them when driven wild thanks to their incessant teasing. Children should be taught to treat these dogs with patience and kindness.

One positive aspect to their temperament, however, is the fact that they can eventually be made to grow tolerant towards strangers. They often make the first move towards a visitor if they are used to seeing him on a regular basis. This holds true, especially if the stranger happens to have something with him, some tidbit that might be of interest to the dog.

Their reticence comes from an innate dignity, which is quite rare in other dogs and thus they can be tamed with reason and proper tutelage.

One major flaw in these dogs is that they are extremely unfriendly towards non-family children. They cherish their own family kids but visiting children and adults lie in the danger zone and face the brunt of their tantrums. These dogs often ignore indifferent strangers, which is in a way better than their hostility.

The Akita is very food-possessive but with patient training, they can be fine pets, otherwise they tend to get bored easily and often end up going untrained.

A plausible solution to this breed s hostility towards unpleasant strangers is training them outside of home or taking them to training classes to socialize them with unknown children and adults. One cannot expect each and every individual that happens to drop in, to be friendly with the household dog and in such a situation it is best to train the dog to be adaptable with different people.

There could, however, be a worst-case scenario when the dog does not really appreciate the training procedure and may growl at the trainer. In such a case, the trainer may even try to discipline him with a smack or a jerk of the collar.

If visiting children don t go down too well with the dog, which is majority of the time, there should be someone to monitor his attitude towards the former. He should be made to sit and watch the family kid play with that of the neighbor s, and thus, eventually made to get accustomed to all strangers in general.

This process is referred to as desensitization. It should be done repeatedly and with different children. The dog gradually tries to be at home with non-family kids and even when left alone without any supervision, learns to behave.

This should, however, not ideally be the scene. An Akita should not be left to be with a stranger, kid or adult, without an overseer. This would not only decelerate the training procedure, it might even backfire. The presence of the owner always makes things easier, both for the owner as well as the dog.

The bottom line is that if one happens to own a typically private Akita that does not really gel with strangers, especially child visitors, and reacts to teasing with a bite, like most Akitas do, he should take measures to train him into obedience.

All said and done, the final responsibility lies with the owner, who should make sure that the training process turns out to be successful. He should not merely impose rules upon the dog but make sure that the children and adults visiting are on their best behavior, or at least neutral towards the dog, if not overtly friendly.

Learn all about Dog
Adoption from the unique e-book Super Dogs and
Puppies.

If you are searching for dog breeders, learn how to choose the right dog breeder.

Nancy Richards has been a dog lover for the past 12 years. She has owned and handled dogs of different ages and have helped many fellow owners in training their dog

5 Tips To Successful Puppy Potty Training
The sooner you potty train your puppy the better. You want to establish good habits from the start. And, a dog who has never gone potty in the house will never consider the house a place *to* go potty. I ve always found the puppies we purchased from actual working farms (NOT puppy farms) were the easiest to house-train. They only ever wanted to go potty on grass or hay ” as they had only ever gone in the barn or outside. They frequently wouldn t even go potty in a parking lot ” we d need to find grassy areas on the way home for them to go potty.

Here are some house training tips that will help ” as long as you follow them consistently:

1. Closely supervise your pup while potty training. Do not let your puppy out of your sight while he is loose in your house! Watch him as though you were babysitting a very young child who could/would get in trouble if you didn’t watch them. A puppy is the same as a toddler in this respect. Keep your puppy in a crate to keep him out of trouble when you can t attentively watch him.

If you see your puppy starting to sniff around, take him outside (or to the selected potty area) right away. If you d like the potty area to be outside ” try to make the area outside from the start; and if for any reason you can t make the area outside from the start at least make the area near the door. This way when you are ready to house train to outside you can bring your pup outside whenever you see him beginning to sniff around near the door. *When you can’t supervise your un-trained dog, keep him in a crate*. Be sure you have the proper size crate too. Your pup should be able to stand up and turn around ” but no larger. If you bring your pup with you to purchase the crate, the store personnel should be able to help you select the correct size. Some people have tied their dog’s leash to their waist while potty training - but you still need to *pay attention*. (I once told my daughter that her puppy potty training problem was that she wasn t paying enough attention. She phoned one day to tell me that I must be right ” her puppy had two accidents that day ” both on her foot!)

2. If you find your puppy going potty in the wrong place interrupt him by saying “NO!” in a sharp tone of voice- then immediately take him to the proper place to finish. (If you don t catch him ” you aren t watching closely enough.) It could help to put the paper towel you clean the mess with where you want him to potty- so that he will have the scent there. Be sure to *thoroughly* clean and de-odorize the area where he pottied in the house. Use special products made for this purpose - or he will go there again. In fact, watch him *extra closely* and/or take him to his potty place when he starts sniffing around those areas.


3. Pick a potty place that is free of distractions. No playing of any kind until the pup has gone potty. Do NOT turn potty time into play time until after he goes potty. When he does go potty give him a treat and then PLAY with him. Reward him lavishly and immediately!

4. Set a schedule. Keeping a routine will help to establish good habits. Control when your puppy eats and drinks. Feed your puppy 3 times a day when you first bring him home (or as your breeder recommends). You can decrease this to one or two times a day as he gets older. Be sure he always has fresh water to drink. Take your puppy to his potty area about once an hour ” and always take him to his potty area within 10 minutes after he eats or drinks, wakes up, and after exercise or play. Permit absolutely no playing or distractions until he has done his business . Once he has gone potty you can begin to take him outside about once an hour for a very young puppy ” and extend the time between potty breaks as your pup gets older and firmly forms good house training habits. But be sure to *watch your pup carefully* whenever he isn t either confined or in an OK to potty area.

5. Reward your puppy as soon as he does go potty in the appropriate location. Give him a bit of a very tasty special treat. Tell him, Yes! Good boy! And play with him! Make the moment he goes potty the moment the fun and good stuff begin. Dogs love good stuff; and they will usually do whatever they need to do to get it. So all you really need to do is to make sure your dog knows what you expect of him ” what it takes to get the good stuff .

This is a lot of work at first until the habits are formed. But really, it is the most effective ” and sometimes the only- way that it can be done. Be sure to take your puppy outside as much as possible to increase his opportunity to eliminate outdoors. If he doesn’t go outside do NOT take your eyes off him when you bring him in. Most importantly: lavishly praise, reward, and play with him when he does go outside. With the use of patience, persistence, consistence, and lavish reward - you will both succeed! For more free dog training information, advice, and tips, as well as free information on dog care, puppy care, dog health & nutrition, and free canine cuisine recipes visit: http://www.e-dog-training.com.

Please visit our site for FREE helpful tips, information, and advice on dog and puppy training, puppy potty training, dog care, dog health and nutrition, and more. General Puppy Training Tips available at: http://www.e-dog-training.com/Top10PuppyTrainingTips.html Also see our article on 5 Steps to Easy Puppy Potty Training at: http://www.e-dog-training.com/5TipsToEasyPuppyPottyTraining.html - Copyright 2007 - May be reprinted and distributed with credit/link to: <http://www.e-dog-training.com>

You Can Laugh At Dog And Allergies — If You Follow This Simple Plan
Author Michael Silvester explains: Finding out about Dog and Allergies is easier than you think…check out my tips and tricks about Dog and Allergies. Without pulling your hair out!

Bob
Bob is the name of our dog. When we went to pick a dog out, we took my granddaughter with us because it was important to us that the granddaughter and the dog be compatible. Bob looked like a perfect fit. She was gentle, obedient, and seemed genuinely to want to go with us. At that time Bob was three years old. After we got through with all the formalities, we took Bob to the car, put her in the back seat with the granddaughter and headed home. About half way home, I turned in my seat and told my granddaughter, We don t have to call her Bob anymore. We can give her a girl s name, like Misty or Bonnie or Sally. My granddaughter looked me right in the eye and said that Bob was a perfectly fine name. So Bob it is.

Once we got Bob home and over the ten years that we ve had her, she has proven not to be the brightest puppy in the litter. But that s okay with us because we really don t expect much from her. My mother-in-law gets upset when we talk about Bob s intelligence level. She is always asking why we would suggest that Bob is not very smart. We tell her because when the Domino ad comes on the TV, Bob goes to the door. When it rains, she sits out in the rain and gets wet and miserable. After ten years of my going to work at least 8 hours a day, Monday through Friday, Bob still runs all over the house looking for me when my husband gets home from dropping me off at work.

Now that she is 13 years old, she is getting a little deaf and doesn t hear as well as she use to. So now every time we go out somewhere and come home, Bob gets busted lying on the sofa. The sofa is actually two rocking recliners and we always knew that Bob was laying on it when we left the house, because quite often when we returned from going out and walked into the house, one side of the sofa would still be rocking. Now I can walk right up to the back of the sofa after returning home and there s Bob, lying there listening intently for some noise. But I really don t mind, because Bob has been a loving, loyal, gentle companion for us and I am glad that we rescued her.

I am a wife, mother of two and grandmother of three. I like rock and roll, candles, rainy weather and being a grammy.

Filed under Pets |