Jack Delrose

The old saying is that a dog is a man’s best friend. If this is true, and we believe it is, wouldn’t you want to give your canine companion the best life? Of course, you do! This is why today, we are going to discuss ways to help you make your dog’s life a happy and healthy one.

Banish Bad Breath

One of the most off-putting things that can happen to you is to be playing with your pet and get a whiff of ‘bin’ breath in your face. Just like you, your dog needs regular dental care to prevent plaque and tartar building up on their teeth. There are many solutions available to ensure that your dog has pleasant smelling breath; these include regular brushing with pet-friendly toothpaste, adding dental additives to their drinking water, and allowing them treats that are beneficial to their periodontal health. Some pet owners add parsley to their dog’s food.

Enough Exercise

We say ‘enough’ because over-exercising your pet will lead to adverse effects in their senior years. Young puppies’ joints are not usually fully developed into a hard bone by the time they leave their mother to their new forever home. Always consider your dog’s age and breed when planning an exercise regime. For example, a bulldog will have trouble running a long distance, because of its short, stocky stature, where a larger, slimmer breed, like a greyhound, will excel.

Health, Balanced Diets

There are many different pet foods available, both in-store, and online. Give your four-legged friend the healthiest nutrition you can, that’s not only formulated for its stage of life, but also in the correct portions. Overfeeding can lead to obesity, which can snowball into other, even more, hazardous health issues. If you’re not sure what brand of pet food is right for your dog, speak to your vet. Also, always remember that water is an integral part of a healthy diet because it contributes to regular bowel and bladder movements.

Grooming

We’ll concede that by the end of a bathing session, you’re likely to be almost as wet as your dog, but grooming is a fundamental building block in your dog’s best life. Not only does it keep their coat shiny, but it also allows you to bond with your pet, check them for parasites (don’t forget to look inside their ears), and other skin conditions.

Brushing your dog regularly, both after and in between bathing sessions, will remove old fur and stimulate the natural production of essential oils to keep your dog’s skin moist. When it comes to a grooming brush for dogs, there are many outlets that stock them, and they come in a selection of shapes and sizes. Speak to your local pet store, veterinarian, or groomer about which one is best suited to your dog.

Sleeping Spot

Depending on the breed, your dog may not be able to sleep inside the house. In such a case, invest in a sturdy kennel for your dog to protect them from the elements. Place something soft inside, such as a large pillow or a folded blanket for your dog to sleep on and keep them warm. If they are going to sleep indoors, it is advisable to have something similar inside for your dog, unless of course, they’re going to be sharing your bed. Don’t forget to launder your dog’s bedding regularly, using a pet-friendly detergent so as not to irritate their skin.

There are merely a few tips to oil the wheels on your train of thought; the most important factor in addition to the ones offered above is to love your pet as they do you: unconditionally.

Having a pet is widely supposed to calm anxieties and racing thoughts, by providing companionship, comfort and something to care for. Unfortunately, pets can be a source of worry in their own right! If your pet is sick, loses its appetite, shows destructive or upsetting behaviours then it’s easy to lose sleep worrying about them!

Today we’re taking a look at some of the things you can do when you’re worried about your pet to make sure they get the help they need and you get to relax and enjoy their company as usual once again.

Time for the Vet?

If you notice your pet is injured or behaving in a strange or worrying way, then your first instinct might be to make an emergency appointment and rush it to the vet. While this is a good, caring instinct, it might be counterproductive. If your pet doesn’t need the vet, if it just needs some quiet time to recuperate in safety at home, then you’ve subjected it to a lot of stress for no positive result, reinforcing the negative associations many animals have with vets and making it harder to get them there the next time you really need help!

As the months and years go by you’ll develop better instincts and more knowledge about what’s normal for your pet, what’s non-serious and what’s genuinely worrying, but if you ever need professional input without loading your pet into a carrier, then it’s worth researching the sort of online vet advice UK veterinarians are beginning to offer. An online vet can’t do blood tests, administer medication or touch your pet for a physical examination, but via a video call they can look at the symptoms, talk with you and suggest your next course of action. At the very least they can let you know if you really do need to make an emergency trip to the vet.

Behaviour Problems

Whether it’s unusual aggression, destructive chewing and clawing or obsessive grooming, our pets have many behaviours that can worry us – and cause damage to our homes! Being faced with some of these behaviour problems can be very concerning, but fortunately, a lot of the time there’s a lot you can do to help.

The best thing you can do is try to understand what’s motivating that behaviour: a lot of the time destruction, aggression and house training issues stem from boredom and anxiety: if you can understand the source of their anxiety and address it, or provide some more attention and stimulation the issues may well disappear.

If you’re at a loss and in need of help, it’s worth consulting a trainer or behaviour specialist. Ask local pet owners, or at your vet for recommendations and get the help you need!

A purebred puppy is one that has been bred for a specific purpose, whether that is herding sheep or keeping your family safe. Mixed breed puppies are a mix of two or more breeds, while mutts may have a truly mixed heritage. But which one is right for you? Here are a few tips on how to choose between a purebred and mixed breed puppy.

Know Your Goals

Do you just want a companion animal? A mixed breed puppy can be a viable choice, if the dog has the right personality. A purebred puppy could be a good companion, if it comes from a breed that was literally bed to be a companion. On the other hand, dogs bred to be hunting dogs or guard dogs are rarely good companions regardless of the individual dog’s personality. If you want a dog that will herd goats or play fetch really well, then a herding dog is probably the best choice. A mixed breed puppy probably won’t be able to learn this. If you want to breed the dog at some point, it must be purebred if you want their offspring to be registered and show-worthy.

This means you should create a list of the traits you want the dog to have. This list can include must haves and nice to have features. This list can be used to identify potential breeds and determine whether a mixed breed dog may be an option.

Compare the Breed to Your Lifestyle

Terriers and a few other breeds were bred to chase vermin and even dig them up. Dachshunds love to dig, too, because they’re bred to go after badgers and other burrowing vermin. This means you won’t want these dogs if you can’t stand the idea of them digging up the yard to go after a mole or gopher. Hunting dogs will want to chase everything that fits their definition of a target, and they typically require a lot of exercise. Retrievers like collies and golden retrievers need to be walked long distances or they’re going to tear up the house out of boredom. This is true regardless of their size. Dogs bred to be companion animals tend to have trouble being left home alone, though this can be mitigated by having two or more dogs in the household.

At this step, you should strike potential breeds off your list and know whether a mixed breed dog is a viable option. You should end up with a short list of potential breeds and / or mixed breeds. Know that you could get a dog that is half or three-quarters a given breed and get many of the same traits, though the dog may not have the same sharp instincts as the purebreds. That means you’d need to train it more than a purebred, regardless of your end goal.

Know What to Look for When Shopping for the Puppy

If you’re considering buying a mixed breed puppy, the dog is more likely to be free of genetic defects. However, you need to have the dog checked for general health problems and parasitic infections that can come from neglect if it came from a puppy mill. If you’re looking for purebred dogs, you’ll want to verify the dog’s pedigree and verify that it is free of genetic disease. You can use a website like this when looking for purebred puppies to find breeder who provide health clearance information, genetic test results and authentic pedigrees. Then you won’t pay a premium for a purebred animal with ongoing health problems. However, the dog should still be checked out by a vet.

All pet owners consider their pet to be a part of their family. They love them a lot and never ready part from them. Unfortunately, sometimes they need to take a drastic step when their pet dog or cat falls sick adversely. The steps involve putting their pet asleep forever. You need to control your emotions as well as be practical to decide on euthanasia.

How to cope up with pet euthanasia?

Euthanasia sounds to be an awful way to end any living being’s life. However, it is the most suitable way to end their sufferings. When you opt for the clinical method to put your pet asleep forever, there are many sad moments to experience.

Many cat owners prefer to put their pet to sleep if they are suffering a lot and their end is near. They cannot see their pain and don’t prefer to wait for their natural death. They prefer to contact the best experience veterinarian clinic like the most popular one in the New York City, the Zen Dog Veterinary Care PLLC. They consult the skilled vets and request them to do in home cat euthanasia as they want their pet to sleep forever in the same place where it lived.

Things you need to do before your pet is euthanized –

• You need to decide whether you want to watch the process of euthanized or not. It is a personal decision however many pet owners felt blissful to let their cat sleep forever in their arms.
• You need to decide whether you leave your cat in a vet’s clinic or take it home after the euthanasia process is fully over.

• The decision of burying or cremating is required to do as you have to perform the rituals as soon as your pet cat is asleep forever.
• You can take the ashes of cremation as a cherished memoir of your lovable cat or ask the cremating staff to spread it in the nearby fields.
• Most pet owners like to opt for the burial option. There are two ways to do it. You can ask your pet to be buried along with other animals in the burial ground. Otherwise, you can have your pet buried on your premises.
• There are chances of your cat’s inner fluids and gas leaking out. Blood may leak out from their nose and mouth as well. Hence, be prepared to carry some thick blankets to wrap your pet after the euthanasia process is over. You can even opt to have them lay down in a casket.
• You need to carry your pet carefully as their body will be stiff and cold.

It is really painful to part from your pet feline however there is a need to put them at rest forever to end their intense pain. You can opt to do at home cat euthanasia Westchester region, if you live there as it saves the trouble of transporting your severely ill cat to a vet clinic and bring it back after the euthanasia process ends.

Every dog owner has this idea of the perfect pet: friendly, cute, and well-behaved. That’s why many of us are so enthralled by dog trainers who can turn disobedient and untrained dogs into the perfect pets. Some of the most popular videos on the Internet are of dogs and their trainers. However, our expectations rarely match our realities. The vast majority of dogs today lack the training to do anything beyond a few basic tricks.

It’s perfectly normal to wonder why our own dogs can’t be like the dogs we see on YouTube or television. Just like any other intelligent being, dogs need to be trained and educated if you want them to become better versions of themselves. Even dog obedience training can go a long way in improving your dog’s behavior.

Of course, you can’t expect your dog to become better overnight. The training results also depend on a long list of factors like their welfare, pedigree, and genetics. It’s also better to get started while they’re young. With patience and training, you can turn your puppy into an obedient and well-trained dog. Let’s get started.

1. Pick a name early on

Puppies get confused easily, and if you can’t decide on one name, the training process will become more challenging. You have to be consistent in all facets of the training process. Start calling the puppy by one name and make sure everyone in the household follows suit. Even nicknames can be confusing, so everyone must be on the same page. If the puppy was given to you with a name, you need to use that.

You’re teaching your puppy to respond to their name. Eventually, they will approach anyone who calls them with their proper name. It’s important to avoid any other word or sound when calling the dog to prevent confusion.

2. Establish basic rules

Consistency is just as important as frequency and duration when it comes to dog training. If you want to establish positive behavior or suppress bad ones, you need to establish basic rules and be consistent when it comes to application. That way, your dog will understand which behaviors he should learn and unlearn. Make sure everyone in the household knows all the rules to minimize confusion.

Let’s say you want your puppy to stay off beds. You can be steadfast when it comes to applying that rule, but if anyone in your household allows dogs on any of the beds, it erases the progress you’ve made. Instead, your puppy will start following the person that allows them to do the things they want. Not only have you failed to establish positive behavior, but the puppy might also learn to stop following your commands.

Make sure everyone, including the children, knows what they can and cannot do. In particular, children have difficulty understanding the house rules, but if you explain them carefully, they might be able to help in the training.

3. Focus on small things first

Your puppy is not going to do any impressive tricks in the first few months. Before you can teach them anything complex, you need to gauge what they’re capable of by teaching them the basics. For instance, you can take this opportunity to house-train your puppy to minimize accidents. It’s important to be incredibly patient, as puppies don’t typically respond to verbal abuse. Just keep using positive and negative reinforcement.

Your puppy needs to learn early on where they need to sleep, eat, and go potty. You can’t just put their food and water bowl anywhere. Just choose one spot, and eventually, they’ll get the message. You also need to show them where they can poop or pee.

4. Dogs learn by association

Puppies and toddlers are alike in that they learn by positive and negative association. Use positive reinforcement to encourage good behavior and negative reinforcement to suppress bad ones.

You need to reward your puppy every time they do something you want to encourage. Your patience and kindness will be rewarded with good behavior. However, if you scold your dog often, they might regress and even grow fearful of you.

A final word

These four tips will help you turn your puppy into an obedient and well-trained partner. Dog training isn’t something that happens overnight, and you’ll need to be consistent and resolute if you want to see good results. But with planning and a bit of patience, you’ll start seeing good behavior.

Meta title: 4 Ways to Train a New Puppy
meta desc: Dog training doesn’t happen overnight, but with planning and patience, you can start seeing results soon enough.

If you are a first-time dog owner, you might not be fully aware of just how important it is to have your dog microchipped. If your dog (or cat) is properly microchipped, it can mean the difference between finding your pet after a few days apart and never seeing it again. Keep reading to learn more about why you should get your dog microchipped as soon as possible.

What is a microchip?

A microchip is a form of permanent, electronic identification. Microchips are tiny– they are about the size of a grain of rice – and they are implanted between the shoulder blades, underneath the skin. Each microchip has a unique number that is listed on a database.

When you microchip your dog, your name and contact information is then listed under your dog’s number in the database. If your dog becomes lost or runs away and is found away from your area, a veterinarian or vet tech can quickly scan the microchip, check the number, and then find your contact information and give you a call. If you happen to find a lost dog or cat, you can take them to a vet clinic or animal shelter, and they will be able to check to see if the animal is microchipped.

Getting your dog microchipped

To have your dog microchipped, you can visit any of the registered vets across Australia, such as Greencross Vets. A trained veterinarian will insert a microchip, and then you can log into a database for your pet and input your name and contact information. The process will only take a few minutes, and you can rest assured that it is a relatively painless procedure for your dog.

If your dog was previously owned or you have adopted your dog from a shelter, there is a chance that your pet has already been microchipped. That just means you will need to update your pet’s information in the database. If you move or change your email or phone number, you also need to update the database with your new contact information to ensure accuracy.

Why is microchipping important?

If your dog is microchipped, it is much easier for the two of you to be reunited following a separation. Checking a microchip and referencing the microchip database only takes a handful of minutes. On the other hand, if your dog is not microchipped, you will likely spend a lot of time leafletting your neighbourhood, calling around to every local clinic, and walking through your area calling out your dog’s name.

In Australia, microchipping for dogs is compulsory in Tasmania and is mandatory for both cats and dogs in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, and South Australia. However, regardless of whichstate you live in, microchipping your dog as soon as possible is the best way to ensure that you and your dog will be quickly and safely reunited should you ever be separated.