5 Simple Ways to Evaluate Your Dog’s Nutrition

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 10:05:20 +0000

Supplements for dogs – are they even needed? Ryan O'Meara offers his take on the quickest way to evaluate your dog's nutrition plan…

5- Supplement supporters aren't usually thinking along behavioural lines and, since they themselves rarely have difficulty house-training their dogs, don't realize that not everyone is so knowledgeable and over-supplementation can easily produce loose stools and make good control difficult for the dog. Coat conditioners, for instance, can easily be withheld from the diet until the puppy is house-trained. The puppy doesn't need them if he or she is eating a good quality food, and (in most breeds) the puppy coat has to grow out naturally anyway. Oils and people foods, especially those high in fat (like steak trimmings) easily "oil up" the intestines and in many cases cause stools to "slide out" quite unexpectedly.

4- Don't overdo too much of one nutrient. Too much protein, too much fat = bad. Giving your dog the right balance in their diet, matching their age, weight, breed and lifestyle is essential.

3- Unlike cats, dogs can thrive with a very varied diet. Vegetables and fish are particularly valuable as your dog ages and their nutritional requirements evolve. Be careful not to over tax your dog's kidneys by feeding too much protein.

2- Go easy on the carbs! Dr Atkins might have been on to something. Carbohydrates come in two forms, simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates come from grains such as wheat, corn, rice, oats, soy and millet. They break down into starches and sugar when properly cooked. Complex carbohydrates come in the form of various fibers such as brans, hulls and peanut shells from the outside of plants. A small amount is needed for proper digestion and stool formation. Nutrients are obtained from both sources, but most come from simple carbohydrates. Too many carbs can make your dog fat, lethargic or even hyper-active. Be aware.

1- Monitor your dog's weight. Fat dogs die young, fact. As adult dogs become elderly, a number of factors limit their exercise – including their physical and physiological condition (and perhaps that of their owners as well, if the owners are also slowing down a bit). So, lack of exercise coupled with the same amount of treats as they had when they were younger can lead to obese pets. Female dogs are more likely to be obese than male dogs and cats, and spayed animals are more likely to be obese than reproductively intact ones. Keep a close eye on your dog's weight and mobility and be careful that you are not over feeding.

Pick up more valuable dog nutrition tips like these at http://www.dognutritionguide.co.uk/feed/

6 Easy Ways to Introduce a Puppy to Other Pets

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:06:36 +0000

Introducing a puppy to the existing pets in a household is accomplished positively if the established house-pet is acknowledged before the puppy is acknowledged.

1. Before bringing puppy home, feed your established pet a partial meal.

2. When you bring the puppy home, bring your pet outside to greet the puppy. If you have a particularly dominant-type pet, arrange this meeting a block or so from your home.

3. Walk the pet with the puppy (however well you can get the puppy to walk!) and let the existing pet sniff the puppy all he wants. Stay outside for forty-five minutes to an hour.

4. Take the pet and puppy into the house and just walk around the house for ten to fifteen minutes, letting everyone get adjusted to a new body in the house.

5. Feed the established pet another partial meal and let puppy watch.

6. Feed the established pet again, and this time put a bowl down for puppy. If the other pet comes to the puppy's bowl, tell him "No." Whenever you feed your animals, feed the older ones first, but make them respect the puppy's bowl.

I Found Blood in my Dog’s Urine, What Should I Do?

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:56:17 +0000

To find blood in your dog’s urine can be alarming. In reality, so it should be. Blood in the urine is an early warning system that, without exception, should prompt you to take your dog to the vet for tests.

In this guide we’ll explain what some of the potential problems blood in the urine can be an indicator of.

• Urinary Tract Infection or UTI – These are the effects related to urinary tract infection in the dog. When a urinary tract infection already exists, it can get worse because it spreads to different areas of your dog’s urinary system. The infection can spread and can cause inflammation to the dog’s kidneys, bladder, prostate, and urethra.

• Bladder Infections or Bladder Stones.

• Kidney Stones. This is caused by the minerals and crystal increase which affects the dog’s urethra.

• Urinary Tract Tumours. A urinary tumour can cause blood discharges through the urine.

• Swallowing Toxic or Poisonous Materials. Blood in the dog’s urine can be caused by poisoning. Chemicals found in insects and rodent’s poisons are a few known causes of such poisoning.

• Internal Bleeding.

• External Injury or Trauma. A dog that has suffered a physical injury can be affected by trauma. Trauma can very be often almost unnoticeable to the eye. If your dog is suffering with trauma, though physically well to the naked eye, blood in the dog’s urine can be an indicator that all is not well.

• Diseases transmitted from Ticks. Babesiosis, Lyme, and other diseases causes by ticks can result in bloody urine in your dog.

• Prostate Gland Infection. This infection only exists in male dogs. Frequent or difficulty in urinating or pain when urinating are some of the known symptoms.

• Uterine Infection. This infection commonly happens in female dogs. If your female dog’s urine is mixed with blood, she may have a uterine infection. It can also exist when your dog is currently on her heat cycle or if the dog has recently given birth.

Physical examination of your dog’s stomach and kidney’s health history are the primary steps your vet will undertake when diagnosing the problem. A urine test is also essential in identifying if your dog’s kidney and bladder are working properly.

If you suspect that your dog has kidney stones, it needs to be treated as soon as possible.

Other diagnostic tests such x-rays and ultrasound may be carried out by the vet when checking the health of your dog’s urinary system.

Possible Treatments

Antibiotics – Kidney stones and urinary tract infections in dogs can be treated with antibiotics.

Surgical Operation – Performing surgery is generally the last option in most situations, but blood in the urine is often serious enough that surgical intervention may be required if the condition your dog is suffering with has progressed.

In all cases, should you spot blood in your dog’s urine you must get him or her examined by a vet as soon as possible.

How Can I Get My Dog to Calm Down?

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 05:17:49 +0000

Calmness means the appropriate response in any given situation. It is a quality we must completely understand in order to properly train our dogs. For many dog owners, there is a degree of stress involved in caring for a dog that is ‘always on’! In today’s tip we’ll examine the process of encouraging calm behaviour from our dog.

A dog gains calmness by focusing on an objective and then attaining it through action. He can’t think his way to calmness nor can he learn it through the example of another. A dog learns to be calm by doing. If a dog’s action leads him to fulfilment, patience becomes a learned skill. And if a dog gets enough practice in a variety of endeavours, he can develop an overall character trait of calmness.

The biggest mistake is made by attempting to calm a dog by trying to train him to be still. Whether the owner yells, pleads, nags, grabs the dog in some way, or stares, he is only going to make the dog nervous.

The most effective way to train a dog to be patient and focused is through the most active of his instincts: the prey instinct. Calmness and patience in the face of denial are built into the prey instinct. Through the prey instinct the dog can learn that a condition of denial is not only temporary but is positive, as it is a predictor of eventual success.

A 12 Second Insight in to How Dogs Learn

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 07:58:39 +0000

All dogs learn through experience. However, the number of times a particular action must be repeated for a dog to learn and to commit it to memory varies. If the dog perceives the action as being particularly advantageous to him, he may learn it on the basis of one experience.

Similarly, the dog learns to avoid particularly disadvantageous situations on the basis of one experience. Like the child who touches the hot stove, the dog will shy from activities that have previously produced discomfort or fear.

The actions and exercises that we teach our dogs in training are not, in themselves, viewed by the dog as either advantageous or disadvantageous. For training to succeed, we must clearly distinguish in terms understandable to the dog what is to his advantage and what is not. Once the dog perceives that it is to his benefit both to refrain from conduct we consider objectionable and to adopt those actions we consider desirable, he learns very quickly.

Do Dogs Enjoy Long Walks / Hikes?

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:37:25 +0000

If you like the outdoors, then some of the best times you can have with your dogs is by wandering around on roads and trails. Curious, full of wonder and excitement, dogs are sometimes the best companions. They're not self-sufficient, however, so you need to keep some things in mind when it comes to hiking, backpacking canine style, and some hazards to watch out for on the trail.

First of all, have your veterinarian check your dog to ensure she's healthy enough for these demanding excursions! Dogs should be conditioned (every day walks will do) before taking them out for a hike.

To me there is no more relaxing activity in the world than hiking in nature. Hiking, however, is a strenuous activity and not without risks, so if you're going to take a hike with your dog, you need to follow a few guidelines:

* The first priority is to determine if your dog is healthy enough to hit the trail. If you're not sure, go to your vet. Ask the vet to check your dog's heart, blood, and respiration. If all is well and your dog is game, take him on a short hike near your home. Does he run out of energy? You need to do some conditioning: Jogging, tennis-ball fetch, and swimming are great ways to get your dog in shape.

* Aside from conditioning her heart, you need to toughen up those toes. But watch those pads! If your dog is out of shape, her pads will wear quickly and might even bleed.

* Before you go out on the trail, make sure your dog's ID tags, rabies inoculation, and license are up-to-date. For extra precaution, you can have your veterinarian embed a microchip in your dog's shoulders that can be used to track them if they're ever lost or stolen.

* Respect all trail restrictions. If an area is blocked off, don't go there. If the trail requires all dogs to be on leash, comply. Even if it doesn't, leash your dog if she won't stay with you. And always have a pooper-scooper of some sort to pick up after your dog if he goes to the bathroom on a trail other people will be using.

When You Arrive At Your Hiking Site

You may get to an area and find a "No Dogs Allowed" sign. Quite a disappointment, but it's there for a reason. Sometimes the reason is that other dog owners didn't follow the rules and ruined it for everybody. We don't make the rules, but we should follow them.

Most dog-friendly parks will allow dogs that are under voice control to hike off leash. Polish up the Let's Go, Come, and Down commands reviewed in Chapter 2, and never let your dog off leash if you have the slightest doubt that she will obey.

If you have a puppy, introduce her to short trail hikes after she's had all her inoculations. Keep her on a 10-foot leash and call her back to you for a treat every few minutes. Also, introduce the command "Wait" to mean "stop in your tracks."

Why Do Dogs Need Protein?

admin — Sun, 13 May 2012 08:07:22 +0000

Protein is the most expensive ingredient in dog foods. Its source often determines the quality of the food. Animal sources are superior. Unfortunately, there’s not enough meat around to satisfy all the pet dogs in the world, so the producers substitute vegetable protein.

The difference between vegetable and animal protein? Vegetable is often harder to digest, and more of it has to be consumed to meet the dog’s needs. More food equals more stool. The best advice is to find a food that uses more animal protein than vegetable protein and requires smaller rations to meet the MDR.

More protein is not always better. High protein diets are used for show or working dogs. If your dog’s mellow or spends many hours alone, feeding a high protein diet will make her jittery and hyper. When reading the label, watch for key words like gluten meal and animal protein. These indicate animal protein sources. Words like corn, soy, and rice all tell you the protein is from vegetable sources.

Why is my Dog Shaking Her Head?

admin — Sat, 12 May 2012 10:58:02 +0000

“Could you please tell me how I can overcome a problem that I am having with my two-year-old dog. She is a cross of some sort, looks like a Border Collie. When she falls asleep she will wake up shaking her head violently about six times. What causes this and what can I do to help her overcome this?”

Answer:

The problem could very well be something logged in your dog’s ears. The best advice is to schedule an appointment with your veterinarian and have him or her check the dog’s ears. It could be hair or wax in the ears, or worse yet, ear mites.

For Better Dog Training Results: Understand Your Dog’s Hearing Ability

admin — Fri, 11 May 2012 07:24:21 +0000

A dog’s keen sensitivity to low-volume sound is often troublesome. They can hear a faint sound at 75 feet, while most humans could only detect it at 17 feet. This indicates that a dog must learn to ignore myriad sounds that do not affect him, and accommodate to a veritable avalanche of sounds in a family household, such as television, radio, stereos, etc.

However, when this sensitivity is translated to phobic behaviour relative to, say, thunderstorms, it indicates that dogs may hear the thunder of an approaching storm over 50 miles away, while the sky is still clear. If a dog has a history of becoming upset by thunder or other explosive sounds, he may become increasingly anxious as the storm nears, salivating, pacing, hiding, seeking comfort if the owner is home, or escaping.

This sensitivity may also explain why “desensitizing” techniques, such as playing recordings of thunder at low levels, rarely succeed. Audio speakers are not designed to produce volumes softer than humans can perceive. Also, storm activity is generally preceded by elements to which dogs and some other mammals appear to be sensitive. Merely producing low-volume thunder claps may not fulfill the total stimulus complex required to achieve desensitization.

But such programs are usually more successful with dogs than fear gunshots or other loud noises. However, even with storm phobias, if we can change their emotional interpretation of such stimuli by providing a behavioural example, rehabilitation is generally quite successful.

An important auditory/learning tendency in dogs is to quickly develop a motor movement response to a sound stimulus when the sound is accompanied by a visual signal. In other words, dogs tend to move their head, ears, eyes or other body part in response to sound accompanied by movement. This leads to some problems if owners are not aware of this mechanism, but it facilitates training for those who use it properly.

Two examples typify common problems. The first is the owner’s tendency to raise his hands while telling a jumping dog, “Down!” Raising the hands not only causes reflex movement upward, but also encourages the dog to continue jumping. The usual outcome of this sort of mis-teaching is an owner who resorts to punishment, such as kneeing the dog in the chest or pushing him down, and a fully confused dog.

Effective use of this learning tendency involves moving the hands abruptly down and/or toward the dog while saying “Down.” Even more effective is to apply the movements without speaking, and to praise the dog’s downward response. In this way the situation itself becomes the conditioned stimulus to stop or not start jumping.

The second problem occurs when owners try to teach their pet to “Come” as they lean or move toward the pet. Both movements visually instruct the pet to stay or retreat. Most owners end up approaching the pet and often punishing him, or giving up. A better method is to abruptly lean or move away or crouch down with one side of the body toward the dog and praise the first signs of approach by the dog.

This method facilitates initial learning, even in adult dogs that are resistant due to improper training. This type of initial training, in which the dog actively performs the proper motor responses, is much faster than those that force passive movements through physical manipulation by the hands or leashes.

My Dog is Nervous, What Can I Do?

admin — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:28:44 +0000

Owning a dog with a predisposition toward nervousness is not an insurmountable obstacle. These top tips should help.

5) In situations where your dog shows fear towards strangers or visitors to them home, try and explain to visitors that you would prefer if simply ignored the dog completely, not even looking at the dog once or paying them the slightest bit of attention. Very often visitors feel the need to try and ‘comfort’ the dog and this can lead to the dog feeling even more threatened.

Once the dog has learned not to react at all to visitors, ask the occasional ‘dog-knowledgeable’ guest to nonchalantly and without any ceremony, simply drop a treat by the dog and then walk off in another direction. It is important they don’t try and make a fuss of the dog or offer the treat from the hand. Doing this regularly with different guests will accustom the dog to the idea that all visitors are not intruders to the ‘den’ and they are not intent on causing harm to the dog or his pack.

4) Complimentary therapies and treatments can be very helpful for aiding nerves. Diet also plays an important role. If a dog is unusually nervous, listless, depressed or lacking coat condition a change of food may be in order. There are specialist dieticians and holistic vets who may be able to greatly increase your dog’s physical and psychological well-being, thus improving the dog’s confidence and reducing nervousness. Try the Internet or Yellow pages and look for holistic vets and animal dieticians.

3) Keep in your mind at all times how your body language impacts the shy or nervous dog. You are a very large creature with an ability to make all sorts of frightening noises (hoovers, washing machines, shouting at the TV). Imagine another creature that was the equivalent distance in size to what you are to a dog and you will have an appreciation of how the shy or nervous dog may see you.

Now imagine that creature ‘bearing’ down on you with wide eyes, a booming voice and hands the size of saucepans on their way to touch your face. Frightening isn’t it? Well, to a shy or nervous dog that can be how they see the world of humans and your body language can be interpreted wrongly by the dog.

The fact that you are so much bigger than him and the fact that people at large generally have a tendency to approach dogs from a standing position thus bearing down on them can make the world a scary place. Always try and narrow the size difference with a nervy dog by getting down to their level. Avoid direct eye contact at all times, don’t wear sunglasses (to a dog, they look like a pair of wide, staring eyes that never go away) and remember how the dog sees the world from different angles than you. Body language is vital in helping nervous dogs overcome their fears.

2) Make use of other dogs. Dogs, as a rule, will copy and emulate their canine counterparts. If you have a nervous dog it can be a wonderful experience for him or her to meet a carefully selected friend. Just one other dog to begin with. Let them play, let the explore and the nervous dog will very soon begin to absorb the confidence of their bolder playmate and mimic their behaviour around people. It may take a while but regular ‘play sessions’ with other dogs can be the ultimate technique for curing many of the nervousness dog’s hang-ups about life.

Ensure the play mate is well selected, is playful but not boisterous and has no aggressive tendencies. Don’t, under any circumstances try and help a nervous dog by introducing them to an equally nervous playmate, it will double the problem. Meeting other dogs is a pastime best done socially where a ‘screening’ process can take place. Taking a nervous dog somewhere where there are likely to be lots of other dogs can be problematic. Explain your problems to friends, family, co-workers and be honest about your need to find a well-mannered, confident dog for yours to play with from time to time.

1) Consistency is a word used by all dog trainers and behaviour experts on a, well, consistent basis. Never is it more pertinent than in the case of the nervous or shy dog. You may be an erratic person, disorganised, impulsive, loud, prone to bad moods or shouting with none of these characteristics meant for the dog’s consumption. However even the most ebullient of pooches will catch the vibes if something’s ‘up’ in the household.

Ensuring stability, calm and an even tempered approach to home life will not only allow you to live longer and avoid an ulcer it will, above any other training tip or technique, help the more nervous of dogs to adjust to the world. Be patient, be calm, be understanding and be empathetic towards the dog’s disposition. Even if he or she has done something particularly naughty you must accept that there are certain ways to correct the problem that may work on 99.9% of dogs, even on dogs you have previous owned, but on THIS nervous or shy pet, the wrong response from you could literally kill their spirit.