Archive for September, 2009
Sep
30
How to Remove Dog Ticks
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Ticks are a nasty little arachnid pest that attach to your dog and can be very irritating and soar for your pet. They carry many different diseases that can be mildly dangerous to your dog and other members of your household. Some diseases take up to twenty four hours to pass on to their host so getting rid of the pests easily and quickly is essential.
There are a lot of ways that you may have been taught as a child to get rid of ticks from the skin, the most popular is probably to burn the tick into releasing his grip of his own accord so no further problems can arise of having the jaws still stuck into the skin.
The second way often taught to get rid of ticks is to smother them in oil based liquids of Vaseline to help take the tick out in a similar fashion to the way noted above.
These ways are both wrong and can be very dangerous, the first is dangerous, can be painful for your dog and will more than likely scare your dog into behaving in a bad manner. The second is also dangerous and unneeded, the idea is to keep your skin and around the area of the tick as clean as possible to avoid further infection or disease.
The way to remove the tick properly and with little damage or pain is to use sterilised tweezers to dislodge the critter, it takes patience if the tick is stubborn and doesn’t want to move but it is the safest way to remove the pests.
Be careful not to pull on the ticks body wile pulling him out, if you pull too hard on the body it will come off separate to the jaws and mouth of the tick causing it to be harder to dislodge.
Start by cleaning the tweezers with alcohol or burning over a flame if alcohol is not available. You may want to also put alcohol around the area in question to keep it clean. Once this is done try to get as close to the skin of the dog and grab the tick at the jaws, to do this you will need to place the tweezers from the side into position. If the tick refuses to budge, try moving from side to side to unhook the jaws wile pulling away from the skin. Doing this and keeping constant pressure on the tick will cause him to tire and give in, releasing the tick in one go.
Finnish off by cleaning the area with alcohol or soapy water and you job is complete.
Sep
29
Dog Training – Overweight Dogs
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An overweight dog is something many owners should be very aware of especially after the middle age of about 7 years of age (depending on dogs’ size). A dogs weight can seriously put your dogs health at risk and cut their life short as well as causing a unnecessary painful ending.
Dogs tend to be able to eat as much as we choose to feed them at times and feeding your dog till he/she is full is a bad idea at the best of times. A set amount should be given to your dog each day and some notification next to your dogs bowl might help the confusion of who’s fed the dog and who hasn’t.
As your dog becomes older, you will need to check their weight more often as their metabolism will slow down and overeating will become out of control and a problem for your dog. Obviously dogs come in different sizes and shapes so there is not set amount of food that has to be given to your particular breed of dog and a small amount of research or a trip to the vets will be needed to see how much your dog should eat.
Determine the weight of your dog is correct by checking that your dogs’ ribs can be easily felt with little pressure, and are not visibly noticeable. Your dogs’ hips should be easily felt and not are surrounded by too much flesh and fat, and from looking down on your dog the body curves inwards after the rib cage slightly.
If these are all in place then your dog appears to be a healthy weight and this should be maintained throughout their life. Always ensure your dog has plenty of exercise and play time to maintain a healthy dog. If your dog becomes too thin then a vet should be contacted for advice and support as well as if your dog is very overweight.
Sep
26
Dogs in Hot Cars
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There has been a lot of publicity in the last few years and even recently about dogs being left in hot overheating cars in the hot summers, by now most people know that hot cars are a real danger for dogs but there are still some of you out there that don’t seem to take the situation serious enough, or don’t realise how quickly the situation can change.
Every year dogs die because they are trapped in a heated car while their owners go into a shop, store, or any other situation when the dog will be left for long periods of time.
Dogs do not have the ability to sweat in heated conditions causing them to overheat a lot quicker than humans, along with the dog’s big fur coat; this makes a recipe for disaster on a hot day. As the heat rises outside it can be less than 10 minutes before your dog is screaming to get out in the agonising heat of the car.
You may think that your car windows being slightly open will help your dog and keep them cool, but this is not the case. If your car windows are slightly open then there will not be enough fresh air coming in to cool your dog quickly enough and if you have your windows fully open you risk loosing your dog in an unfamiliar place or even get stolen.
When a dog overheats it causes a very agonising death, if you have to rescue or treat an over heated dog you should cool them down with cool water ( not cold, this could cause to much shock to the system), or use a wet towel and wrap them in it, feed them cool water or a nice ice cube to lick and then proceed to consult a vet about the situation and get a full examination for your dog.
Sep
24
Dog Training – Best Dog Leads and Leashes
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Dog leashes or leads are an extremely essential training tool or even just for general care and wellbeing for your dog. Whether you use your leash for taking you dog for long walks or only use it for teaching your dog right from wrong in the comfort of your back garden, a lead is always an important buy for you and your dog.
As a dog owner and a consumer, your choice of dog leads/leashes is as you might expect, huge. With so much choice and variations, choosing which lead or leash to use can be a bigger challenge than the actual training of your dog.
So what are the different kinds of leads and leashes? Well trust me there are thousands out there to choose from, I will only go through a few of the more popular types of leash as I’m sure there are many different types of leads being brought onto the market every week and it would be an impossible task to keep track of all of them.
In the next part of this article I will first go through the different types of lead then finish off with my personal views and preferences.
Extending leads
These do exactly what is says, they ‘extend’ away from the owner for a certain distance before running out of slack. With these leashes the owner has control of when to stop the lead extending further and can be used just like a normal leash if needs be.
Slip leads
These leads are a simple type of lead with a loop on both sides normally with and adjustable clip at the end that tightens when pulled or loosens around the dog’s neck for comfort when there is no pulling. Used by many for dog training.
Nylon leads
This is the cheaper option of dog lead, the simplest form of dog leash available, often causes rubbing and digging into your dog’s skin. Nylon leashes are best avoided.
Bungee leads
These leads help to eliminate the slack that other leads cause so that your dog does not trip over the leash and there is less pulling on your arm from a dog in the training process.
Leather leads
This is a popular type of lead that is comfortable for your dog and gives you full control of how far your dog can wonder. A good lead for training but can be tiring on your arm if your dog tends to try and pull you around.
My Conclusion
It is the preference of the trainer in hand at the end of the day but I feel leather leads are best for me and show your dog sum gentle authority when starting to train. Letting your dog wonder too far on walks can give your dog too much freedom and chance to misbehave.
If you are interested in training then I would go for a leather lead to begin, if you just like going for walks in the park or your dog is well behaved then you could maybe opt for an extendable leash.
Sep
04
Removing Dog Fleas – Dog Training
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So you have discovered evidence that your dog has these annoying little pests they call fleas, and now you have no idea how to get them out of your house and home, this article will talk your through the main ways to get rid of these fleas from your dogs coat and from your home.
Getting rid of fleas is no easy task as many other dog owners will tell you, but the chances are that fleas will happen through either another dog coming to play with yours or just picking them up from playing amongst damp fine gravel or sand where fleas like to live and breed.
So let’s take you through the easiest and best ways to rid of theses pests.
The first step is to take your dog or pet to the vet and have the fleas professionally identified to avoid giving your dog the wrong treatment, and get professional advice on possible new products that are on the market.
After this, the vacuum cleaner should come out. This is a very effective way of getting rid of many of the pupae, larvae or eggs that may be lurking beneath the surface of your carpet. Do this often and it will reduce the number of fleas quickly and easily.
The next step is to use household insecticide to clear your house of any flea related growths that your vacuum cleaner may have missed. Although I do not encourage insecticide and other chemicals near your dog or family this is one case where it is vital for getting rid of fleas. Always read the labels carefully and get a well known or professionally recommended product.
After the initial insecticide process and being careful to reach every possible area and corner you may want to insecticide your garden to ensure full removal of fleas, the garden could be more of a problem than the house, and could be where the flea problem began so be sure to target fine gravel or sandy areas where fleas may be living.
Your dog is the next obvious step and there are hundreds of products perfectly safe for your dog that will rid him/her of the annoying itchiness. Go to your nearest pet shop or vet and they should have sufficient products that will help.
After all this, you may think that the flea problem has gone forever but there may still be pupae that has survived the insecticide due to their protective cocoon, taking the same measurements as noted above two weeks later, should help the full removal of all things flea related and your dog will be able to sleep again.
If the problem persists, please contact your vet or other professional advice.
Sep
01
Dog Training With Deadly Parasites
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We as dog owners need to be aware of the deadly parasites that walk our earth. Our dogs stand a chance of being introduced to more of them than we may know. Even though most stages of problems to external parasites are only minor, they still need to be looked into. Dogs that hold a large infestation can sometimes bit and scratch parts of their bodies. Corresponding with that, usually dogs that bite themselves harm their own body in someway.
The myth that dog fleas do not bite humans is very much false. This is a scary thought, but it is in fact entirely true. They do prefer the company of dogs more, but that does not stop them from what they do. Most families ignore dog fleas and it is a serious problem of infestation. Taking care of fleas is very simple and usually cost productive.
The most common parasite that gets into the canine body is roundworms. The name roundworms gives a good explanation as to what they actually are. Roundworms pass from dog to dog through touching of the saliva and noses and such, but can also be passed from simply being in the dirt for an amount of time before they die.
The main parasite that sticks to the outside of the canine skin is called the tick. This is a common fear of humans due to their very ugly spider like appearance. The tick is not really the dangerous part, but what the tick spreads is. What they do is jump from dog to dog ******* the different blood types of the canine and mixing them at times. As you can imagine, the mixing of blood is always dangerous with disease.