While not usually as critical a problem as housetraining, grooming is quite frequently another area that is sorely neglected or improperly handled. A young animal should be groomed thoroughly on a regular basis. Thorough grooming includes brushing and combing out all mats and tangles, inspecting for external parasites, cleaning ears, and clipping the puppy’s nails.
Expect The First Few Months To Get Messy
Nobody expects an infant puppy to stand perfectly still while all this is going on. In fact, it will take months before all of these ministrations can be accomplished at one grooming session. Start slowly, making the puppy stand for a few moments while you gently brush and comb him.
Teach him to lie quietly while you inspect his ears, check out his paws, and look over the anal area. Talk to him constantly, reassuring him that you know you’re doing and it’s all for his own good. He may not understand what you are saying, but just the soothing sounds of your voice as you speak will do wonders for comforting his nervousness and help keep the dog as still as possible.
Ask your veterinarian to show you how to clip his nails, clean his ears and, if he is a long-haired dog, how to clip the hair away from under his tail to prevent fecal material from adhering to the area and causing irritation. Matted hair, long nails, and dirty ears are worse than unsightly; they are breeding grounds for disease and parasites which can cause great discomfort and lead to physical harm to your little puppy.
Although both long-haired and smooth-coated dogs require regular care, the truly difficult dogs (such as Poodles, Afghans, Collies, Old English Sheepdogs, etc) generally require daily grooming to keep them looking and feeling their best.
He May Be Small Now, But Early Grooming Is Best When Practiced Young
Don’t think that the puppy who will not tolerate being brushed at eight weeks will outgrow it. This is rarely the case. More likely, he will grow into the type of dog that requires sedation in order to be professionally de-matted and/or stripped to the skin. This can easily be avoided by beginning with gentle, short grooming sessions when your dog is very young.
In the long run, you will find that a few minutes daily spent caring for your dog will result in long-term savings from expensive veterinary bills, professional grooming costs, and less aggravation when your dog grows into adulthood.
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So, you have brought that cute little puppy home, and you weren’t really ready for the gross part of having a pet. Your dog may be the joy of your life, but there are things you have to do to keep them healthy and clean – and doing it might get you dirty.
Expressing the anal glands in a dog is a job that most pet owners leave to the vet or the groomer, but even they will tell you it’s not the highlight of their jobs. It’s a smelly job, but since someone has to do it, you might as well understand what goes on with the process.
The anal glands are found around the rectum of your dog. Every dog has a pair located on either side of the anal opening. The anal glands are actually pouches, and can be found in approximately the 8 and 4 o’clock position.
These glands secrete a substance that is kept inside until a bowel movement. This liquid substance is normally expressed during regular bowel movements, and some dogs will also secrete it when they get nervous or excited. If you have noticed a dark liquid substance with a foul odor, it is liquid from the anal gland.
Sometimes dogs will not express the liquid in their anal glands, and this can eventually lead to an abscess and rupture; that is why it is so important to stay conscientious of your dog’s health.
So how do you know if your dog is expressing the liquid from his anal glands? The biggest tell-tale sign is the dog “scooting” across the floor. If the glands have filled with fluid and haven’t drained, the consistency changes and it becomes even more uncomfortable. The dog will scrape the glands across the floor.
Other signs may be biting or licking the anal area or keeping the tail tucked under their legs. Inflamed anal glands are uncomfortable for a pet, and the signs are usually pretty clear.
In order to give your dog relief, you must learn how to express the anal glands, unless you take them to a groomer regularly. You can attempt to manually express the area on both sides of the anus, basically “milking” the glands. The liquid will be visible when it comes out the opening.
Some dogs, especially those a little overweight, may need some extra help. Internal expression involves the owner or groomer inserting a finger in the rectum and milking the glands from the in and outside.
Either method involves the foul smelling liquid, so be careful to avoid having it get on you when expressing the anal glands; it is not an easy smell to get rid of.
Keeping your dog safe and healthy is an ongoing process, and it’s worth the dirty work for such a rewarding relationship. Expressing the anal glands aren’t the only dirty job you are going to have to learn, but by becoming a little less squeamish, you can save money on visits to the vet and make sure that you are being a good pet owner.
This article was written by Kelly Marshall of Oh My Dog Supplies – the leader in dog beds for sale and supplies.Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/the-dirty-side-of-keeping-your-dog-healthy-1352226.html
One of the biggest problems that dog owners face is when their dogs jump on visiting guests. You know the scenario. The doorbell rings and your dog goes CRAZY, jumping on top of whoever enters. In this article you’ll learn how to combat this problem and stop your dog from jumping on people once and for all.
Your problem is way more common than you may realize. Nearly 85% of dog owners face the obnoxious dog jumping at some point in their dog’s life (usually when they’re young). If the problem goes untreated, jumping puppies grow up into overwhelming, jumping dogs. Hopefully, you’re trying to catch the behavior problem early. Either way, the tips below should help.
The root behavior isn’t so hard to understand. Dogs jump for a few different reasons…
First and foremost, dogs are extremely social animals. Most of the time, they’re jumping to greet the person.
The second reason your dog may jump is to establish social dominance. This is common in dogs that have aggressive tendencies. Hopefully, this isn’t the case for you.
Thirdly, dogs often jump out of conditioned habit. From the time that they’re puppies, owners and visitors can’t help but invite the cute little guys to jump up on their lap for some attention and petting.
How many times have you said to your little puppy:
“Awww…cute little puppy…come here! Come here!”
The puppy jumps up and you pet him and PRAISE him, positively reinforcing the negative behavior trait. In your puppy’s mind he’s thinking “Hey, these humans want us to jump up on them.”
It’s not your fault. Really, most dog owners don’t know they’re creating this pattern at the time. It’s hard to think that sharing affection for your dog can do any harm, right?
Anyway…
Over time, as the puppies get bigger, they don’t understand that the earlier invitations to jump up were based on their smaller size. The habit is already formed and your dog continues to jump up for attention. This scenario is the most common – especially for first time dog owners.
So, what’s the solution?
- So here’s the tactic that over time actually stops his jumping…
When your dog jumps up on you, simply take hold of his paws and squeeze them. You don’t have to crush them. Just gently squeeze them with a firm grip. The idea here isn’t to hurt your dog. It’s to make him feel vulnerable.
Dogs don’t enjoy having their paws held for an extended period of time. They’re very sensitive about having their paws exposed, touched or held out of their control. After a few seconds of holding your dog’s paws, he’ll begin to pull away.
IMPORTANT: You need to hold on to your dog’s paws until he begins to struggle away. Don’t just touch his paws and let go (he’ll think you’re playing with him). You need to make sure he’s uncomfortable and struggling to get his paws back.
While he’s struggling, you want to use the command “OFF”. Be stern with your tone. Let him know with your voice that this is disapproved behavior. Do not use the command “Down”. “Down” should be used when you want your dog to lay down. If you use the same command for two different purposes, he’ll just get confused. Say “OFF” when you want your dog to stop jumping up.
After doing this for a couple of weeks, your dog will definitely get the message. I recommend when you enter the house, if your dog is staying calm, give him a treat to positively reinforce his calm behavior. Don’t do it every time. Only positively reinforce the behavior if you can tell that he’s consciously restraining his jumping.
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There are many products which are specially designed for the pets. The pet strollers are some of them. The pet strollers are very easy to use and they come in variety of colors and designs. All are fabulous and exclusive. If you need to give the comfort to your darling puppy, then you will obviously want to buy a pet stroller for him/her so that he/she can escort you wherever you would like him/her to. Putting the puppy in the stroller you can even make your selves comfortable and even the puppy and above all this is in fact the safest method to move around with the puppy. Where ever you may go, either in the park, or in the shopping mall, you can see that people around you will also like to see the cute little puppy peeping from inside the stroller. This will give you a new feel and also the puppy will feel himself/herself safe in the stroller. Some of the dogs may be the victims of arthritis or they may be victims of some other pain who cannot walk on himself/herself, so this is the best solution for such dogs. Or if you have a small furry and a cute dog and your daughter or your son wants it to be with them, so you can put the baby dog in the stroller and ask your child to pull the stroller but very cautiously.
There are some tips to how to use the strollers for your pets. Here are a few of them.
1) Before putting the pet in the stroller see that your pet does not get frightened in it.
2) See that your pet feels comfortable in it and try to keep a good blanket in it so that the puppy can hide him/herself in it when he/she feels afraid.
3) Try to put some eatables in it so that the puppy will get attracted towards it.
4) Ensure that the wheels are properly locked before you move the stroller.
5) If you child is moving the stroller tell him/her to be very cautious to prevent any accident.
6) Once your pet gets used to sitting in the pet then you do not have to worry but until and unless he/ she gets frightened try to avoid putting him/her in the stroller. Give him/her some time to adjust in the new surrounding.
Once all these tips are followed then you will see how you and your pet will enjoy the ride in the new stroller. The puppy will enjoy going out with you in the open air which is very important for him/her also. You can make a point that when ever you are going in the walk for your morning or an evening walk, your puppy will also accompany you so that even he/she will get some fresh air and feel very good and comfortable. When I wanted something new for my puppy then I bought the Ultra light pet stroller which was blue in color because somehow I felt that my puppy likes the blue color as it always jumped whenever he saw the blue color. This was made with the water proof material which had the entry from the front side. There was a storage basket also with it. There was maximum space for the ventilation also. This was a fabulous stroller.
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Puppy training help for when you bring your new puppy into your household. This is a very exciting time and your cute little puppy will immediately command your full attention. They are totally dependent on you to help him/her to fit into your domesticated life. Your guidance and leadership will determine what path their life takes and what type of dog they become. With the right training you will have a better behaving and healthier dog. We have all seen it, the puppy that never strays from it’s owner, the dog that remains calm in a crowd. We all can have a dog like this with a little work.
One of the things that you need to purchase is a dog crate. Crates are an essential training tool for house training and a control for destructive behavior. More importantly, crates actually help calm your puppy by giving them a quiet, private place of their own.
You need to exercise your puppy daily to keep them active and alert. Exercise is critical to your dogs physical health. In addition, the sights and sounds of the outdoors stimulate your puppies mind. Best of all, exercise also helps release energy and may make the difference between a mellow or hyperactive dog. Walks through the neighborhood or a trip to the park are also a great way to work on obedience commands and help socialize your puppy while people, other dogs, and other distractions are present.
You will need to socialize your them as often as you can. Unfamiliar situations can excite even the best behaved dog. Different sights, sounds, places, or activities will officiously get their curiosity and open the door for unwanted behavior. Therefore, it is important to gradually, yet safely, expose your dog to as many different people, situations, and events as possible.
Now that you have some puppy training help, it’s time to start obedience training. At the end of the article you will find a link to a web sit for a obedience course like know other. This course will help you train your puppy to respond to both verbal and visual commands no matter the situation.
This puppy training help was just a few tips to help you start your puppy on the right training. The training habits that you have taught your puppy will carry throughout his or her life, this is in your hands.
The happiness and safety of you, your pet, and the people around you is important. By responsibly taking care of your puppy and educating your puppy, you can have a happy and safe dog throughout their lifes. Follow this link to a great training course. http://R-Rdogtraining.blogspot.com
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