Overall Dog Info

It can be difficult for an owner to take their dog to manners class with a professional trainer both in terms of cost and time.  In addition, hiring a trainer to come to the home can also be a hassle.  For dog owners who don’t have a lot of free time, dog training videos and books tend to be the best options.  While there isn’t the same sense of receiving hands-on training with a professional, most dog training videos and books provide the same lessons and tips as the professionals.  The best part of these videos and books is that owners can learn at their own pace.  The best time to start teaching a dog is while they’re still puppies, but it’s possible to train a dog of any age.  It’s important to practice patience when training because dogs will learn at a much slower pace than people, and it doesn’t make sense to get frustrated. 

While some dogs are more intelligent than others, all dogs can learn the basics with just a little love and effort on the behalf of their owners.  Make sure to keep ample treats on hand for rewards!

An important step, before the actual bathing of your dog, is the combing and dematting your dog’s fur.  It is necessary that the dog be thoroughly brushed, removing all tangles and mats before bathing your dog.  There are many types of dog combs and brushes available that are developed specifically for dogs with thick undercoats, short sleek coats and the long flowing fur.  If your dog’s fur tangles and matts easily then brushing at regular intervals such as weekly, or every other day, to daily is recommended.  You don’t generally want to wait until it is bath time to be the only time they get brushed, waiting that long only makes the job more time consuming and at times, painful for the dog when dealing with those nasty, down-to-skin matts.

If you bathe your dog and have not removed the matts, the water only seems to cement the matt together making it even harder to comb out when dry.  And when the matts are right next to the skin it’s very difficult to thoroughly clean the skin that lies under the matted area and it’s diffcult for the shampoo to penetrate the matt so the fur in the matt is still dirty, oil coated and clogged with pet dander and dirt.

Keep your dog grooming brushes handy so that you can give your dog a good brushing, preferably at least once a week, removing those matts and tangles.  The brushing time is also a good time to check your dog for fleas or ticks, it’s better to find them before your dog is completely infested.

So remember, before bathing your dog be sure all the matts and tangles are removed.

I want to give my readers an update on a post published on March 22, 2009 regarding the Schnauzer crud and whether it can be treated by changing your dog’s nutritional diet.  Two to three weeks prior to that post I had changed my Schnauzer’s  diet to Wysong Dog Food, a natural dog food, and so far it has been a wise decision.  I want to update you on the results I have had and the overall condition of my dog.

I was feeding him a food from the health food store and thought he was getting a balanced diet and he was probably getting far more nutrition than what most of the products on the market provide, but it apparently was still lacking some vital nutrients.  Even with this food, I was supplementing with Omega 3 fatty acids and a powdered vitamin supplement, and he didn’t thrive then as he is now.    He, first of all, has not developed any more ingrown hairs that have festered with puss.  He no longer has dry scaly skin that flakes on his rump.  His teeth and gums are really healthy.  The tarter he had is more than 50% gone from his back teeth, and I haven’t been brushing his teeth as much.  I have been using Wysong’s DentaTreat that is sprinkled over his food, which is a dentifrice that removes tarter and I’m extremely impressed with it.  His breath isn’t as bad.  He no longer has flatulence (gas), which used to run us out of the room!  And, even within just a couple of days, I noticed he no longer had that somewhat bloated look in the belly.

I have to give this food and the company several thumbs up!  I have followed Wysong’s advice and use a number of different products to give my dog a variety of flavors.  Not only does the variety of flavors spice up meal time for him but they provide a variety of nutrients based on the food that is in that particular meal.  We would literally die if we ate the same food every meal every day of our lives, which I think would be short lived because we would not be getting the whole gamut of nutrients that our bodies need.  I do believe this also applies to our dogs.

He is revisiting his youth, he has so much energy now, I can hardly keep up with him.  I have carefully watched him and this energy is not the hyper type of energy, you can just tell he feels good, wants to play more and is more alert.

I know that the food is on the expensive side, but in my book, well worth every penny!  I still use the kibble from the health food store that I had a huge bag of and wasn’t going to throw it out.  So, I split his meal with half of Wysong’s Archetype Raw Dog Food, Archetype Buffet or the UnCanny variety pack with half the kibble.  And with only half of his ration of daily food being Wysong I have witnessed the above changes.

Wysong also has all natural dog treats, which are made with whole foods without the additives or sugars.  Yummy treats for him and I can give him all the treats I want without feeling guilty about what he is eating or afraid he will gain weight.

While not a predictable trait of a breed, some dogs have sensitive skin or skin allergies.  For dogs that do have skin issues, it’s important to be aware of what products are okay and what products to avoid.  Dogs with skin issues often require special dog food.  The ingredients in regular dog food can cause skin irritation including flaking, redness, and itching.  For the most part, organic food is a safe bet, but it’s best to consult a veterinarian beforehand on which foods are okay to purchase.  When it comes to baths, dogs with sensitive skin also need special dog shampoo.  There are numerous dog shampoos that contain fewer harsh chemicals and cleansing agents, and also contain moisturizers to enrich the skin.  There are several dog shampoo products that feature actual labels stating “for dogs with sensitive skin” so choosing the right dog shampoo is a cinch.

Dogs with sensitive skin should also avoid extensive exposure to the water, and should be washed off after swimming.  If the dog starts biting or scratching at the sensitive area of the skin often, consult a veterinarian.

Surprising somebody with a puppy can be a very exciting and spontaneous gift. It can also be rewarding, but only if you’ve given the gift a lot of thought. If you buy a puppy on a whim, it’s a dangerous endeavor. You must make sure you have the time, energy, and money necessary to give a puppy a loving home. If you haven’t thought about the purchase beforehand, you run the risk of the recipient losing interest or simply being unable to provide what that young puppy deserves.

With that in mind, before you give anybody a puppy as a surprise, make sure you also consider purchasing the immediately necessary dog products. With the puppy itself, provide the lucky recipient with a supply of dog food, a dog dish, a comfy dog bed, and a couple of dog collars. The most important thing to consider is that the puppy needs love and attention right away. Put the new dog owner in a position to start feeding and walking the puppy right away. Just provide enough to get through the first week or so. This gives them enough time to make all the secondary purchases for their new best friend.

Dog furniture!  Yes, there is luxurious dog sofas, dog chaise lounges, dog chairs and raised designer dog beds that look just like the furniture in our homes, only smaller.  You can have a dog sofa in a predominant place in your living room that blends right in with your color scheme and style of furniture.  It doesn’t matter whether you have Contemporary, Early American, or Colonial, there’s that special dog chair or sofa to blend right in.  I say blend right in, but it may very well add to the overall appearance of your decorating scheme.  In fact, it may be viewed by visitors as an attractive addition to the room.  And we who love and pamper our dogs would do almost anything for them.

In searching for accommodations for our dogs, we take into consideration several factors such as; shape, size, comfort, color, and price.  And when considering these factors sometimes we end up spending a fair amount of money on something that is tossed in a remote corner of the room, out of the way and usually out of sight.  But, with a stylish dog chair or sofa you won’t want it in a remote corner or out of sight.  And the part your dog loves the most is that they can relax and nap on their furniture, be right there in the midst all the action and right there with those they love the most, you and your family.  As a matter a fact, a dog sofa or chair only costs a little more than one of those large round or oval cushy beds that lay on the floor and for the most part wind up being an eyesore.

With dog furniture you can add some decorating flair to your dog’s favorite place in the room with styles and colors that complement  instead of detract.  Not only would you be contributing to the bonding between you and your dog, by having a dog chaise lounge for them in the room where you spend most of your time, but you have gained an attractive piece of furniture.

Our dogs deserve the best, for they love us unconditionally when , even at our best, we are unloveable at times.  Let your “best friend” know how much you love them.

I know from personal experience, how important dog training really is and how it comes into play in every day life.  When your dog has no training and doesn’t know the basic commands you have potential accidents just waiting to happen.  Not only the danger it presents to your dog but it could also mean an expensive trip to the vet.  When your dog is told to “stay” and they don’t, it can lead to a very unfavorable or serious ending depending on the situation.

As an example, you have dropped a pill, a prescribed medication, on the floor and the dog comes running after it, you tell them to “stay” but they don’t and they lap up the pill before you can get to it … what do you do now?  Depending on the medication it probably means a trip the veterinary doctor.  Your dog is now at risk because they were not properly trained in the basic commands.  And you may have a very expensive veterinarian bill waiting for you.

I can personally tell you that I have had to extract, an open safety pin, a sewing needle, a whole chocolate candy bar that was thrown over our fence, and numerous other dangerous items out of my dog’s mouth.  No matter how diligent we are about keeping dangerous items such as sewing needles, safety pins, small parts of children’s toys, cleaning agents, or inappropriate foods out of their reach sometimes they just seem to “zone” in on the things they shouldn’t have.  Even with the dog being trained in the basic commands they can and probably will find something of interest to chew on that they shouldn’t have.  So it is a good idea to get your dog used to having your fingers in his mouth in case you need to extract a potentially dangerous object.

The basic dog training commands such as; sit, stay, and the recall (come to you) commands are at the very least what your dog should know and respond to without question.

When my Schnauzer was just a pup he was familiar with sit and stay and responded to those commands but, he often found dangerous items without me being aware of it at the time.  He also learned the “out” command right away because he was like a mini vacuum cleaner and found everything that was on the floor or in the yard that I had no idea was there.  It was at this time, when he was very young, that I had to fish the open safety pin, the sewing needle and the whole candy bar out of his mouth.  And since that time, he has learned to release his jaws when he is told “out” and he allows me to dig in his mouth to remove the foreign object that he shouldn’t have.  That’s not the most pleasant thing to do, but it is important, that you prevent your dog from swallowing  these types of things.

If your dog knows the sit, stay and recall commands,when something lands on the floor you can have the assurance that when you tell them to sit or stay they respond, you can retrieve the object before they get it in their mouth.  Then life is good because the potential accident was prevented.  Another aspect to consider is pet insurance because you never know when that time will come when you weren’t able to prevent the accident or your dog becomes ill, and treatment can be very expensive.  You can read more about pet insurance in my January 31, 2009 article.

My advice, especially to new dog owners, is to train them immediately in the sit, stay and recall commands as soon as you get them home. Use treats to reinforce the positive responses when they are young and just learning.  And if you don’t know how to train your dog in the basic commands and want advice on good methods of  training, we have two dog training programs that provide you with easy to follow techniques of  teaching your dog these and many other commands.  Having a well trained dog is for their welfare and your peace of mind.

It’s Spring time, the time of the year when it’s raining quite a bit and many of our dogs just don’t like going out in the rain to go potty.   If your dog is like mine, he doesn’t mind his bath at all so I don’t understand why he won’t go outside to do his business when it’s raining.

When it’s raining, I have a large golf umbrella that I use and as long as I can keep the umbrella over him, he’s ok with it, but if he wanders out from underneath the umbrella and gets rained on, he wants to go back inside, even if he hasn’t finished taking care of what he is supposed to.  So, this leads me to talk about some things we can do to remedy this, because I know that many of you have the same situation with your dog.  A quick remedy for this is a dog raincoat and this is a good solution unless your dog doesn’t like wearing clothes.

I’m going to veer off the subject just a little bit and tell you that my Schnauzer is ok with wearing his winter dog coat but he wouldn’t hike his leg or squat for a BM because the coat hung down around his hind legs and I guess he felt his movement was being hindered.  One winter day, I arrived home from work, and would usually let him out right away.  But on this day, I dressed him up with his dog coat and dog boots, which took a little time, then we went for a walk.  He had to go potty so bad that the binding of the clothing didn’t prevent him from taking care of what he needed to do.  He realized that the clothing didn’t have any hindrance on his movement so from that time on he was fine with the dog coat.  Dogs need to be gently introduced to new things and sometimes you may need to get creative or find the right situation to solve a problem, just as above.

If your dog won’t wear dog clothing he probably won’t wear a raincoat but there is a wonderful alternative to the problem, if your dog is small.  And that is the dog umbrella, pictured here.  The umbrella has a clear, see-through vinyl so you can see if they have completed the business at hand.  I think this is a wonderful invention.  You have your umbrella and your dog has their umbrella, so you both stay nice and dry.  Besides, the umbrellas are quite fashionable.

Now, with the umbrella, there’s no reason they can’t go outside when it’s raining.  Although, if our dogs could talk, I’m sure they would still have several reasons for not wanting to go out in the rain?!  What do you think?

For people who don’t have the security and peace of mind offered by insurance, it can be pretty scary. If something serious were to happen, it could very likely result in serious fees or even bankruptcy. And while many people give this kind of insurance serious thought and consideration, not as many people acknowledge the need for pet insurance.  But your pet is just as likely to need surgery or emergency care.  And vet bills are never small. If you don’t want to be paying out of pocket, consider looking into pet insurance.

The kind of insurance you need depends on the kind of animal you have. If you have a dog, for example, you can purchase dog health insurance, which offers coverage specifically tailored to dogs. There is also horse, cat, and other types of animal insurance. No matter what you need, there’s something available to offer you increased peace of mind. Sadly, some people are forced to put an animal down because they simply can’t afford a necessary surgery or medication. Make sure you furry family friend can live the long life he deserves by having his more costly procedures covered.

I love this time of year when everything is sprouting, growing and blooming.  Unfortunately, the fleas and ticks are doing the same!  They are just waiting for the right time to emerge, grow and invade every unsuspecting animal that comes their way.  And everyone of those fleas and ticks is looking for food.  Don’t let your dog be their next meal!  These nasty critters not only feed on our pets and leave sores they also deposit diseases as they feed.  The infected ticks can transfer Lyme Disease to our dogs when they attach and feed on them.

To protect your dog there are a variety of  products on the market such as: dog flea and tick collars, flea and tick shampoos, flea and tick powders and probably the most popular is the dog flea and tick drops that are placed between the shoulders of the dog.  This is a personal preference of mine because of the ease of application, the lasting protection it provides and it is waterproof.  The dog flea collars and powders are good, but I would consider another method if you have children.  Especially, if you have very young children, with the flea collar and the powders the chemical that kills the fleas can transfer to their hands when handling the dog.  And they don’t know not to rub their faces, eyes, nose or mouth before washing their hands.  The flea and tick shampoo also works good, but it lacks the long term protection.  If your dog is infested with these pests your dog has already been bitten many times over before they are bathed with the shampoo to kill them.  So, unless you shampoo them all the time the flea infestation can occur again and your dog is at risk of being bitten by infected ticks.

The flea drops is very easy to use, a once a month application will protect against flea and tick infestation for the month and  the product is waterproof, so no need to re-apply after grooming.   With this method your dog is protected before the pests can begin to feed, and thus it prevents the transfer of  Lyme Disease and prevents the infestation of fleas on your dog and in your home.