Archive for February, 2010
Our dog has to take three different medications every day. We have tried every trick under the sun to get her to take her pills. She now knows what a treat of peanut butter or cheese means. Giving her the pills by pushing them over the back of her tongue is not an option.
As it turns out Greenies Pill Pockets is the best dog treat to give our dog her daily meds. We buy the large pill pockets and split them into two pieces. One piece holds two of the smaller pills while the over half holds the larger pill. She just gobbles these down and the best part, her breath smells better as well.
One of the issues we have with our older Labrador is getting in and out the car. We drive one SUV and one crossover using either car to travel with our dog. After he had hip surgery we needed to make this process easier so we looked into dog ramps to solve our problem.
This turned out to be one the best things we could have done. Dog ramps can hold up 400 lbs, and this model folds up easy as well as has a non-skid surface. Since it can fit on to either car our dog can get in out unassisted easily preventing him from having to jump down risking reinjuring his hip.
If you need to separate your dog from the rest of the house, the best choice to accomplish this goal is investing in a dog gate. The issue most pet owners run into is the matching the size of the opening is especially in new open floor plan homes.
Our living room is off the kitchen and with a new born in the house we needed to keep the dog in the kitchen. The type of dog gates we needed had to close off a six foot opening. We settled on a free-standing dog gate that could accommodate an opening from three feet to six feet allowing us to relocate the gate throughout the house.
Finding a convenient dog food storage container has always seemed to be an issue. We have two dogs and each has their own special diet. We were looking for a container that could fit in a small space and accommodate both types of dog food.
We came across a dog food storage bin that fit the bill perfectly. It is made from heavy duty plastic with a door in the front and is made to stack. Each container holds a large bag of dog food and since they can stack, they do not take up very much room.
There are two types of non-powered dog nail clippers on the market today, the guillotine and scissor clippers. The most difficult to use for the novice dog owner is the guillotine type of dog nail clippers as they can be awkward to use and should your dog be a wiggler it is easy to cut into the quick.
The Scissor type of dog nail clippers is much simpler to use and some come with a safety guard to prevent you from cutting to short. If you are the dog owner, whose dog has white nails it is easy to see the pink area or quick but if your dog has black nails it is almost impossible to see the quick.
Dog owners whether new or experienced plan for the goal of having the most well behaved dog in the neighborhood. To achieve this goal, obedience training is the answer and that begins with the right tools. The first tool you need to embark on successful obedience training is the appropriate dog leashes.
Dog leashes come in all shapes and sizes from leather dog leashes to retractable dog leashes. Sizes vary from four feet to over 100 feet and depending the training session will determine the correct length and style. Leather dog leashes of either four feet or six feet are the right choice if training your dog to walk. While for most breeds a six-foot dog leash, works the best but for taller breeds the four-foot length is the better choice. The shorter length gives you more control as you walk with your dog.
When teaching the “come” command long dog leashes of 20 to 100 feet is the tool you need. Most of these dog leashes are made of nylon and can be attached to your dogs training collar. This is one the most important commands to teach your dog as it could save his/her life one day. When it comes to training your dog the basic commands choosing nylon or leather dog leashes is left to personal preference as either will achieve your goal.
If you’re like most people finding the time and patience to brush your dog’s teeth can be challenging. On the market today, you can find several choices to help offset a brushing regiment. Dog treats like Greenies®, which are marketed as dental treats, are a great way for you to accomplish this task.
These dog treats can be given daily or in between brushings. Although the cost for these dental chew dog treats can seem a little pricey, in the long run they are far less expensive than a visit to vet for an all day treatment of Pyorrhea.
There is a misconception among dog owners that says when your dog completes a training secession successfully give them a dog treat first and then the “at-a-boy” pat on the head. While giving a dog treat for a job well done is a good idea, it should never be the first thing they receive.
When your dog learns a new command, the first thing they should receive is your affection followed by the dog treats. The reason this order of reward is best is to ensure your dog has executed the command because he/she wants to please you and not that there is a tasty dog treat involved.
Should your dog become bored with the treats or decide, “I don’t like that dog treat anymore” then they will not follow your direction. Therefore, always associate a job well done with your affection first and then follow up with their favorite dog treat.
Handlers and owners who have used the martingale collar site the primary benefit as controlling your dog without choking or damaging their neck. Standard choke dog collars are by far the most popular collar purchased by dog owners. The issue is that most people do not fit the collar properly on the dog leading to neck and throat problems.
The martingale collar has a small chain fitted with a control loop. This chain connects the sides of the collar; when you attach a leash to the control loop and tug the collar, it closes on your dog’s neck. The result is even pressure placed on the neck stopping short of actually choking the dog.
When fitting your dog with a martingale collar measure your dog’s neck just behind the ears and purchase a collar that when the control loop is pulled tight the sides almost touch. The difference between the standard choke and the martingale collar is that if your dog pulls and tugs while walking the choke continues to pull tight where the sides of the martingale collar will stop.
How often should you bathe your dog? For Hound dogs no more than twice a year and for most others about quarterly. There are dog shampoos and dog hair conditioners mild enough and are formulated to help sensitive skin that you can use more often but, still no more than every eight weeks.
The best solution for reducing dog odor are dog wipes and dry dog shampoo; perfect for those people that feel they cannot wait that long to give their dog a bath. Both of these dog grooming supplies have ingredients that will moisturize your dog’s coat and skin while relieving hot spots. Hot spots are those areas where your dog continually scratches without seemingly any relief.