Basset Hound - Laid Back And Loving
Basset Hound - Laid Back And Loving
The Basset Hound is a Medium/Large dog that typically weighs between 45-75 pounds. Their height averages between 11″ to 15″. It is long and low and their height/weight ratio makes their already short legs look even shorter. In fact, their name comes from the French word “bas” which means low. Their gentle, loving, patient nature makes them an excellent companion dog for the home while their keen sense of smell and hunting instincts continue to make them excellent hunting companions. Recognized by the AKC in 1885, the acceptable colors for the Basset Hound are a variety of hound colors, but they are typically white with chestnut or sand colored markings. The fairly dense coat is short, straight, hard and smooth. Their coat is easy to groom and only requires an occasional brushing and shampooing. This loving, gentle dog is perfect for family life. They are excellent and patient with small children, even when they are not socialized with them. They are affectionate with their family and love to be around their family. They are great with other dogs and pets as well, although early socialization is good for non-canine pets because they might chase them due to their hunting instincts. They are easy going and fairly inactive when they are inside, making them great for apartment life as they enjoy relaxing and laying around inside. They are more active outdoors and require regular play, exercise and time to run. If you don’t have a yard, you should plan to at least take them on a daily walk. They are fairly easy to train, but if they are on the trail of a scent, they will not pay any attention to you. For this reason, a fenced in yard is best. They have a tendency to gain weight, so monitoring their food intake and giving them ample exercise is important. The Basset Hound originated in France and dates back hundreds of years. Their ancestry can be traced back to the Bloodhound. Originally used as hunting dogs, the Basset Hound uses its excellent sense of smell to track animals. Even though they can still be used for hunting, they are seen more as companion dogs today. Few breeds equal the Basset Hound’s gentle, forgiving, laid back nature. They are perfect for active families and for those that just enjoy an occasional walk provided their Basset Hound can have daily outside time. Whether you have small children or other pets or dogs, the Basset Hound can fit into just about any type of family dynamic with little to no adjustment problems. Learn more about the <a href="http://www.deardoggy.com/dog_breeds/basset_hound/">Basset Hound</a> or discuss <a href="http://www.deardoggy.com/">dogs</a> with other dog lovers at http://www.deardoggy.com/
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Submissive urination in cocker spaniel
Why and When do Cocker Spaniels Urinate? Many Cocker Spaniels have a tendency to urinate (pee) when excited or scared, which can happen to other breeds as well, particularly when they are puppies. Excitement urination happens when infant muscles in puppies cannot hold urine if the puppy gets excited, and it pees. The puppy gets so excited when he sees his owner that he loses control of his bladder. The puppy is not aware of or able to control this and punishment will confuse him and is not fair to him. Often dogs outgrow this problem as they mature and gain control of the muscles that control peeing. Sometimes Cocker Spaniels do not outgrow the problem. Common situations in which Cocker Spaniels get excited or fearful and urinate are: Over-affectionate and boisterous greetings when you arrive home Guests entering your home Arguments between people Scolding Loud noises Playing indoors Angry behavior In order to understand submissive urination, you must understand dominance and submissiveness. Young puppies learn this from their mothers. Averting their eyes, rolling on their backs, and urinating, are all used to express submissiveness. In situations where a dog feels intimidated, their response is to give a submissive signal to show the person or other dog that they recognize their dominance. The most important thing is to never scold or punish your dog for excitement urination; it makes the situation worse as the puppy will then start to pee out of fear! Excitement or submissive urination is part of this breed s specific instincts. It is not a behavior ; it is instinctual. The dog is not doing it to be disobedient or punish you! He is excited, scared, or showing submissiveness to a person or animal he perceives as dominant. Excitement urination that causes an owner to get angry can easily become submissive urination. The dog does not understand why you are angry and, in a dog s mind, peeing is his attempt to calm and appease you. Cocker Spaniels often see other animals and people as dominant, so submissive urination occurs. Even a housetrained Cocker Spaniel may show excitement or submissive urination when greeting you or when in an exciting or scary situation. How to Prevent and Handle Excitement or Submissive Urination? The first thing to do is have your veterinarian examine your dog for possible physical problems causing this problem. Sickness and disease can make it difficult for your pet to control their peeing muscles. If physical problems are the cause, discuss options regarding your dog’s situation with your veterinarian, such as surgery, drugs, and coping mechanisms. Dog owners who are too dominant and strict will reinforce submissive urinating. So, calm down and be gentle and kind with your Cocker Spaniel. Get your temper under control! Never scold or punish for excitement or submissive urination. One way to handle the problem is to make sure your Cocker Spaniel is outdoors while you are gone (in a fenced and safe area naturally) so that when you come home, if he urinates, your floors are not damaged. But this does not solve the problem. It is a good idea to do more to help the puppy stay dry. All indoor activities should take place only after taking the dog out for a pee or poop. If a dog is almost ready to pee or poop, but hasn’t gotten around to doing it, any physical activity will trigger the urge to go. So, if your dog wakes up and you start playing with her, you’re asking for trouble! Take a potty break first, have play time second. Play time outdoors is the best idea, especially for the puppies that have small bladders. Don t hover over your Cocker Spaniel when you come home. She will see this as dominance and will become intimidated. Don t look her directly in the eyes. Dogs assume that direct eye contact is a challenge. For a submissive dog, even a moment’s eye contact can be intolerable. Eye contact from above heightens the reaction. Another behavior that challenges a dog is bending over or touching the dog’s head, neck, or shoulders. Dominant dogs often control by placing the neck or a paw over another dog’s neck or shoulders. When a human pats a dog on the head, a submissive dog sees it as a display of dominance and finds it intimidating, leading to peeing. A goal in controlling excitement urination is to prevent your dog from becoming so excited in the first place. Do this by exposing your dog to whatever excites him, over and over until it no longer excites him. If your dog gets excited and wets when you return home, ignore him; don’t even look at him. Then take him outside to pee. Then leave again for a few minutes, return and ignore, leave, return and ignore. Keep doing this until you can see that your dog is actually bored with the whole thing. If excitement urination is a problem when visitors arrive, have them do this too. It may take many sessions to get your dog calmed down. When your dog stays calm and no longer gets excited when you come in, then very quietly and gently say hello. If any signs of excitement appear, repeat the coming in-and-leaving routine. A rapid sequence of heel-sits will capture your dog’s attention to the game of heeling and sitting instead of urinating. Then, take him outdoors. Praise him when he pees outside; this builds self-confidence. Remember to ignore all excitement urination and never scold or get angry at your dog. As the dog matures, he can learn to sit and shake hands when visitors arrive. Use a small food treat as a reward for not peeing in the house when you arrive home or guests enter. It s difficult for a dog to eat and pee at the same time. Take the dog outdoors quickly thereafter. If your Cocker Spaniel pees while being trained, be especially careful not to yell or scold him. Be firm and use a confident-sounding, but kind, No when the dog misbehaves. If your dog’s problem doesn t improve with the above suggestions, there may be other options. For example, drugs can sometimes be prescribed by a vet for excitable dogs to calm them down. But, remember, this kind of training can take weeks or months before 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
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How to Sex Your Flower Horn Fish.
How to Sex Your Flower Horn Fish. For most hobbyists, the male Flowerhorn is preferable to the female because of the different traits and behaviors they exhibit. For example, the male has big nuchal humps. In Chinese Fengshui, these are believed to bring good luck. Moreover, the males are more attractive. They have more vibrant colors, and their bodies are much broader. Females tend to be much smaller, and their features are far less attractive. However, if you’re interested in breeding your fish, you must have both sexes in your tank. In order to get the Flowerhorn sex you really want, hobbyists are advised to purchase a fish of 4-6 months of age. This way, the sex of the fish is able to be determined. There are, though, various sexing methods at any age. The table below summarizes the these methods according to different life stages of Flowerhorns. Sexing of Flowerhorn fish at different stages Age and length Characteristic Sexing Method 2 months (1mm - 30mm) . Juvenile stage.. Colors and body patterns are not noticeable. . No known method. . Observations shows larger sized fish within the same batch tend to be males. 2 - 5 months ( 30 mm - 150 mm) . Colors and body patterns are becoming more distinctive. . Distinctive black marking on the dorsal fin indicates that it is a female. However, this is not foolproof. The same pattern does exist on some male Flowerhorns. . Observations on the shape of the genital papillae. V-shaped papilla indicates a male fish, while a U-shaped papilla indicates a female fish. Gently squeezing the abdominal region may reveal the papillae. . Male Flowerhorns will have broader body with higher dorsal, anal and caudal fins. It is also observed that male Flowerhorns will have thicker jawline and more distinctive body color. 5 months and above(150 mm - 600 mm) . Flowerhorns begin to mature. Distinctive and rather prominent head humps are visible on the male fish. .Female will start to lay eggs even without the presence of a male. Copyright 2000-2007 Flowerfish.com. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way and give the author name credit. More Articles..FlowerFish.com is the complete Flower Horn Fish Resource center. We are also one of the world's biggest and most recognised Flower Horn breeder, exporter and wholesaler.Please visit us at http://www.FlowerFish.com for more articles and Flower Horn fish picture galleries.
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