Archive for December, 2019

• 3 Steps for Training your Puppy to go to bed

  This is a very easy concept to teach a dog. It’s just a matter of consistency on the owner’s part.
  

  Step #1: Give the command “go to your bed.”
  

  If your dog actually does go to her bed, make sure to give her treats and praise. Most likely, she’ll need you to guide her. Once there, place her in a down position and give her treats and praise. Then release her. “Good girl!” Repeat that five times or so and quit.
  

  At this point, the dog doesn’t stay on the bed for more than a second or so. You’re just encouraging her to go to her bed and giving her rewards for it. Remember to have some sort of word to release your dog from her bed such as “free!” or “ok!
  

  Step #2: Begin increasing the distance.
  

  Increase the difficulty very gradually so the dog is successful. At this point, you could tell your dog to go to her bed when she is about six feet away from it. Once she is successful from that distance, work from 10 feet away and then across the room.
  

  Step #3: Increase the time.

  You’ll most likely be practicing this step along with step two. Basically, you want to teach your dog that “go to your bed” means “go to your bed and stay there until I release you.”
  

  Ideally your dog would then stay on her bed for up to a half-hour or more while you’re doing something else but you need to gradually work up to that point.
  

  If your dog knows the command “stay” then it’s OK to use that to encourage your dog to stay. Personally, I don’t like to use “go to your bed” and “stay” because “go to your bed” implies the dog should stay.
  

  At first, you’ll only expect your dog to remain on her bed for five seconds while you’re sitting right next to her. Give her treats and praise. Then release her with – “free!”
  

• Tips for Caring for Older Dogs

  If you have an older dog, you may not want to leave them in a kennel when you’re away from home. Instead, you might want to look at some of your options for elderly dog care. Here’s how you can make sure your senior dog receives the level of care that it needs.

  1.       Search For Care Providers That Specialize In Senior Dog Care

  While some dog kennels just provide basic care, there are providers that offer more specialized services. If you find a provider that specifically offers care for elder dogs, you can assume that they’ll be able to properly care for your pet. Take the time to see if there are options like this near you. You may also want to call dog kennels and ask them about their experience with elderly dogs.

  2.       Look At In-Home Care Services

  Your dog may not be comfortable staying in a kennel, especially if you’re going to be gone for an extended period of time. Thankfully, there are care providers that will take care of your dog in your own home. Your dog will be able to stay in a comfortable environment while still getting care from a professional.

  3.       Read Plenty Of Reviews

  You should always be careful when you’re leaving your pet in someone else’s care, but you should be especially cautious if your dog is older. Take the time to read through a number of reviews so that you can see what people have to say about various local care providers. Try to find some of the best options in your area.

  Focus on finding the best options for elderly dog care. Senior dogs are more prone to health problems, which means they need more from a care provider. Your pet is an important part of your life, and you should make sure your animal is properly cared for when you aren’t there.
  

• How to keep working breeds active and happy

  While some dogs are content to sit on your lap and look cute, working breeds have a different agenda. These are the dogs that are bred to hunt, herd, retrieve, and detect. They were born with an urge to work, and when they’re bored they tend to be mischievous and destructive. Working dogs like Siberian Huskies, German Shepherds, Border Collies, Newfoundlands, and all the others thrive on farms and ranches where there’s never a shortage of things to do. But what about the dogs that live in the suburbs or city? Their families have 9-5 jobs; they’re not farmers or ranchers.  So what’s an average dog to do? If your active dog is getting bored of life not on the farm, try these simple jobs for working breeds that they can do almost anywhere.

  1. Scent Games

  Your dog doesn’t need to be a professionally trained scent detection dog to put his powerful sniffer to good use. K9 Nose Work is a dog sport based on the same training those drug-busting and ivory-finding working dogs undergo. But instead of sniffing out illegal objects, you teach your dog to recognize and detect the smell of birch, anise, and clove. There are competitions where dogs earn titles and awards, but you and your pup can enjoy the game right in your home, in the yard, or on the trail. It works your dog’s mind and body while giving him a satisfying job.

  2. Find it Games

  In addition to scent, dogs use all their senses to track down items and even people. Think of search and rescue dogs but without all the peril. Teaching the “find” or “go get” cue will be your first step. Once your dog understands the basis of the game, you can teach him to find and fetch all kinds of useful objects. Teach him to bring you your shoes before a walk or carry over his own leash. You can even teach him to seek out specific people and pets. Retrieving breeds love this game because it’s based on their natural instinct to find things and bring them back.

  3 Trick Training

  Once your dog has mastered basic obedience, it’s time to move on to trick training. It’s not one of the most useful jobs for working breed dogs, but learning and performing tricks gives a dog a purpose and sense of accomplishment. The best part is, tricks are fun for both ends of the leash. There’s no end to the list of potential tricks you can teach your dog. Start with the easy stuff, like roll over and spin. With these types of tricks, you can lead your dog into it by luring him with a treat. From there, try teaching him to open and close the kitchen cabinets, weave through your legs, or jump through a hoop. Once he has a nice repertoire of impressive tricks, put them all together to make a routine that’ll impress all your friends and family.
  

• Know When It’s Too Cold to Go Out

  The easiest way to know how to keep dogs warm in the winter is to learn when it’s too cold for dogs to go outside. This means knowing what the temperature outside is with the wind chill factor AND knowing whether other serious conditions are expected.

  When it’s 20˚ F outside, it’s too cold for any dog to be walking. Above 20˚ F it may still be too cold to walk if conditions are icy, very windy, or if your dog is very young, old, or has a compromised immune system. If it is safe to go out, make sure to keep walks short and keep your pup wrapped up warm with their feet protected.
  

  Invest in a Winter Jacket or Sweater for Your Dog

  Not all dogs will benefit from a sweater or jacket, but many dogs can. Hairless breeds should always wear some type of winter dog clothing in cold climates. Short-haired and small breeds should also always wear a sweater or jacket to help keep them insulated during winter.

  You should also always consider getting a jacket or sweater for your elderly dog, sick dog, a young puppy, or immune-compromised dog. We’ve published some great articles that can help you find the right jacket or sweater for your pet:

  · Top 10 Best Winter Dog Clothes

  · Top 5 Best Dog Coats for Winter

  · Top 5 Best Dog Sweaters for Winter
  

  Protect Your Dog’s Paws

  While this isn’t really a tip about how to keep dogs warm in the winter, it is a tip on keeping them safe. When winter arrives it often means chemicals being spread on sidewalks to prevent icing. These chemicals can absorb into your dog’s paws and end up being ingested if your dog licks their paws when they get home.

  Even if chemicals aren’t spread to prevent icing, sharp ice pieces or objects are hidden under snow can be dangerous to your dog’s paws. You can protect your dog’s feet by purchasing hard sole booties for walking or purchasing protective paw wax to protect against chemicals. If you rely on paw wax, it’s important to clean your dog’s paws when you get back home every time you go walking.
  

  DON’T Make Your Dog Sleep Outdoors

  A dog should never be made to sleep outdoors. As social animals, dogs want to be close to their family and the isolation of being an “outside dog” is torturous to them. It is particularly important to have dogs sleep indoors during winter months to keep them protected against the cold. Even with outdoor shelter and housing, it’s possible for dogs to succumb to the cold or become ill. The best advice on how to keep dogs warm in the winter is to keep them out of the cold and weather as much as possible, meaning invite them inside. As an alternative, you can always provide your cold pet with a dog house with a heater.

  Limit Outdoor Playtime

  Some dogs just love to play in the snow, but you should monitor and limit outdoor playtime during the winter. Just like human children, dogs can get caught up in playing and forget to monitor their body temperature.
  

  It’s up to you to monitor your pup and make sure that they aren’t spending too much time out in the cold. Ideally, your dog should spend just 30 minutes or less playing outdoors at a time, according to veterinarians. Of course, if temperatures are dangerously low, they shouldn’t be outdoors at all!
  

• Get the facts about Diabetes in Dogs

  Let’s face it, when you buy a dog, the thought of any illnesses further down the line is something that most of us don’t anticipate. To discover that our pooch has a disease can be heartbreaking and traumatic. But fear not, the effects of diabetes in dogs are very similar to those of an adult and are much easier to manage than you first think.

  If you have recently discovered that your dog has diabetes, know that lots of dogs live a normal and active life.

  Although Diabetes is incurable, depending on the severity of the condition, diabetes in dogs is easily managed through time, commitment, medication and the managing of your dog’s diet.

  Diabetes is the most common form of diabetes in dogs and it occurs when the body fails to respond to the hormone insulin.

  The organ held responsible for not doing its job properly is the pancreas – the small organ near the stomach.  When a normal dog eats her food is broken down into tiny components, one of those components is carbohydrates.

  When the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin, the glucose fails to get into your dog’s cells and builds up to a dangerous unhealthy level, this can lead to other conditions in your dog health such as cataracts.

  Symptoms of Diabetes in Dogs

  Luckily, there are lots of signs that might point you in the right direction when diagnosing your dog with Diabetes. Bear in mind that these symptoms won’t necessarily occur at the same time.

  If you are concerned about your dog’s health and notice any of the below signs, take her to a vet straight away.

  •Increased urination

  •Excessive thirst

  •Weight loss

  Increased appetite If left untreated, diabetes can advance and you may notice these symptoms:

  •Sweet smelling breath

  •Kidney failure

  •Cataracts

  •Skin infections

  Although the first few weeks after your dog diagnosed with diabetes may incur some disruption in your life, your vet will set about creating a management plan for you both, and things will settle down rather quickly.