The Most Difficult Decision a Dog Lover Must Make by Joann Henry

When you adopt a puppy, you are inviting him to share your life and you get the privilege of sharing his. As his owner, you are responsible for making sure he behaves, providing him plenty of healthy food, and giving him plenty of love and attention. He repays you with unconditional love and anyone who's had a happy doggy face to meet them after a long hard day at work knows that what he asks for is little enough for the joy that he so happily offers. Part of being a responsible and loving dog owner, however, is knowing when you need to say good bye.

There are unfortunately several situations in which you may be called upon to make one of the most heart breaking decisions of a dog owner's life. Your dog might have been in accident, or he might have developed a life-threatening illness. In the middle of his situation, you might be called upon by your vet to decide whether it would be more merciful to continue treatment or to simply let your beloved pet go. Times like this are extraordinarily difficult, but as the person who has always been responsible for your dog, you need to make the right decision for both his sake and yours.

When placed in this position, you need to evaluate all the facts as logically as you can. What is the vet proposing? What are the chances of success? Even if the operation or treatment does succeed, what is your precious pup's quality of life going to be like? These are all questions that your vet can help answer for you, but you are the one that knows your dog the best. You know better than anyone else what will make him happy and content, and you know what situations will make him miserable.

If you ever have to make this difficult decision, it will be difficult to avoid being swayed by sentiment. You should never think of euthanasia as having your beloved dog killed; in many cases it is a mercy, though a heartbreaking one for the ones left behind. Your dog doesn't have your powerful reasoning abilities; he will never understand why he is in pain from continual treatment or diseases. All he will know is that every day is difficult and he cannot do the things that used to make him happy. You are the one who is responsible for your dog's continued happiness and contentment, so seriously think about how your dog will live out his life. If you feel that he can come out of treatment as a healthier dog who can enjoy his life, that's one thing, but if all it means is continued survival by scraping by, you need to consider your dog's happiness.

The big question to ask yourself is whether your beloved canine companion is still enjoying his life. Think about all the things that he loves to do. Is he still able to do them? If your dog can't muster up the energy to even enjoy the snacks you bring, or even gentle petting can make him uncomfortable, it might be time to say goodbye.

First Aid Items for Dogs by John Grimes

If you have a pup, you probably take them with you whenever you head out doors. While you have probably thought about first aid for yourself, what about your best pup friend?

Your approach to first aid for dogs should be similar to the approach you take for yourself. The point of the first aid should be to treat the pup for immediate problems with the goal being to get them to a vet for more serious issues.

The first step with first aid for you dog is to know your pup. A dog that sits down and doesn't want to move is a pup that is having a problem. From a practical standpoint, you may want to check the pups heart beat. The accepted rate differs by the size of the dog. Small dogs tend to have a resting heart rate of 90 to 120 beats a minute. Medium dogs range from 70 to 110 with large dogs dropping to 60 to 90 beats a minute.

So, how do you check the pulse of you pup? The best location is on the femoral artery. This can be located on the inside of a hind leg where the leg meets the abdomen. The artery is easy to find, so just run your fingers over the area till you feel beating. Once you've found it, count the number of beats in 15 seconds. Multiply this number by four and you have the rate per minute.
As with any first aid kit, there are some basic items you should pack. Instant cold pack, gauze, bandage rolls, thermometer, hydrogen peroxide, tweezers, antibiotic ointment, q-tips, material for a tourniquet, and a small first aid book for your dog are common.

It is vitally important that you remember an injured dog is often a nervous and scared pup. They may not react the way you expect and may not even acknowledge they recognize you. Don't make any sudden movements. Talk to them in a calm, reassuring voice and do your best to comfort them. Taking this approach can help avoid problems.

If you are taking your pup out camping with you for the weekend, remember things can happen to them just as much as they can to you. Pack first aid supplies for your pup and you should be able to avoid any major problems.

Potty Training Your Puppy - Effective Tips and Guide - Part 2 by Moses Wright

Making mistakes is part of a puppy's learning cycle while being house-trained. It is a learning cycle for the new owner as well. It is vital that somebody stays with the puppy to supervise his potty training. The longer a puppy is left on his own, the greater the chance for him to make mistakes unknowingly, so do try to spend as much time with the puppy as possible. It takes approximately 4 weeks to fully train a puppy, and the puppy passes the training if he doesn't soil the house after a period of 4 weeks. Longer training periods will be needed to teach older dogs though.

Monitor him constantly, and baby gates can be used to restrict his wanderings within the house and crates can be use to constrain him when there is no supervision. If you notice your puppy squats to urinate or relieve himself while greeting you, he could be afflicted with submissive urination. These types of dogs are very high-strung and you should refrain from reprimanding his actions as such scoldings exacerbates the issue. This will not persist with his maturity if you maintain a sense of calm. Alternatively, you can try asking him to sit and stay still for a yummy snack until someone acknowledges his presence.

Try to get rid of the smell of urine or defecation to reduce the chances of your puppy going back to the exact spot to conduct his business and this will reduce the occurrence of committing the same mistake. They have an innate tendency to go back to a spot they visited earlier.
A good deodorizer is key to ridding the home of pungent doggy smells. If he urinated on a carpet, saturate it with a cleaning agent. Shut off all those rooms in your house where your puppy has made frequent mistakes. Only allow him permission to pass if he is in the presence of a family member and has approval.

A useful way to spot and remove urine stains from carpets and furniture is to utilize black lights as stains will show up, a;;owing for more efficient cleaning. You can use commercial or create a homemade deodorizer by mixing 50% water and 50% white vinegar. Do bear in mind that ammonia should not be used on a spot of urine. It will encourage your dog to return to the same spot.

Remember, dogs will make mistakes during the period of house-training and it is part of the learning process. This is the reason for being prepared to deal with such issues.
a. Punishing him only after a mistake has been committed will slow down the speed of training.
b. Be patient. Like any training endeavor, potty training requires a lot of patience. Don't rub his nose into his mess. Instead of getting him to stop committing the same mistake, it futher aggravates the situation by instilling the fear of you in him.

c. If you catch him in the act of soiling the home, grab his collar quickly and pull him up, saying "No" with a strict tone. Do this only when you catch him red-handed, but be sure not to be too loud or he will eliminate in front of you or perhaps even outdoors.

d. Then, take him outside and let him finish what he is doing. Lastly, pat him on his head while saying "Good boy!" or praising him. Remember to shower your dog with encouragement and praises when he is displaying the desired behavior. Giving him food as a reward when he does his business in the appropriate spot can help too.

Common sense is indispensable when you are starting to housebreak your puppy. Use your common sense to determine the amount of water given to the dog before his bedtime especially if he is prone to urinating in the middle of the night. It will be useful to try to suit his timing initially before trying to get the dog to adjust to your timing.

Aside from patience and common sense, consistency is also one of the important factors of this dog training activity. If you suddenly forget about the routines yourself, don't blame if your dog if he starts committing accidents more often.

The risk is great - a filthy and smelly home. If you would like to succeed in this potty training feat or just about in any other training drills, don't treat it as a game. You need to be responsible and spend enough time on your side.

A Happy Dog - How To Avoid Behavioural Difficulties In Dogs by Kit Marsters

With dogs frequently in the media, most often in a bad light, it is easy to think of them as dangerous animals. When they bare their teeth and growl, it takes a brave person to not feel intimidated. Why did these dogs make the news for bad behaviour? Is it still safe to add a dog to the family? And what about the kids?

It is common knowledge that dogs are pack animals. As such, dogs need companionship and this helps make them such wonderful pets. They are sociable beings, perhaps even more so than the humans they easily accept as family.

If you have just adopted a dog, or are thinking of doing so, there are a few things to consider.
When you adopt a dog, you become the dog's family, his pack. Your dog will feel the need to be included in pack activities. One of the worst things you can do to a dog is to keep him away from human companionship. This will make the dog feel anxious and stressed, perhaps even jealous, which will make him more likely to bark and, in extreme cases, lash out.

Don't turn your dog into an outside pet. Keeping him chained in the backyard does not allow him to socialise. He won't learn what acceptable behaviour is, and he will feel lonely and excluded. This again can lead to frustration and even aggression.

You do not have to spend all day interacting with your dog but experts recommend allowing him access to at least the living space and a sleeping space in the house at night. It is easy enough to allow him near you when you are relaxing in front of the television, or working on the computer. Talk to him when you can, pet him, and let him know he is behaving well.

Train your dog. If you can, take him to a training and socialisation class. The best time to do this is when your dog is a puppy. This will help avoid undesirable behaviour early on. It also helps the pup to understand that you are the leader of the pack, which is important. If you have adopted an older dog, training him as soon as possible will help him fit in.

Take your time introducing the dog to each member of his new family. Instruct your children on how best to approach their new friend, and make sure that they know not to pull his tail or his ears. Most dogs are very tolerant of children. It seems that they know children are the human equivalent of puppies, and therefore they can get away with more. However, it is important to supervise any playtime between your children and your dog, allowing you to step in when needed.

A dog is constantly looking for cues as to how to behave and how to please you. Reward positive behaviour and discourage inappropriate behaviour. Avoid physical punishments - they will do more harm than good. If your dog is scared of you and becomes scared of humans, he is more likely to feel defensive. If you treat him with love and encourage him to be kind and happy, he will feel accepted and pleased with his place in the household. He will not have reason to be stressed and anxious.

Your dog needs exercise. The amount of exercise needed will depend on the breed. It is advisable to do a search online to find out as much about the breed as possible. Do take your dog for walks, and do allow for proper playing time. Most dogs will love you forever if you just throw that ball, or stick and allow him to fetch it a good few times. Other toys, such as squeaky bones, may seem annoying to you but can make for hours of fun for your pet.

Above all, allow your dog to be your friend. This is what he wants more than anything. Give him a chance, and together you will build many happy memories.

A True Bestfriend by fris arbes

Most dogs, because of their wonderful characteristics, never fail to attract attention wherever they go. With their soft, fluffy hair, kind round eyes, cute little noses, and joyful strutting, it is not hard to understand why a lot of people easily fall in love with them. What makes them really amazing, though, is their seeming ability to show unconditional love and loyalty to the people they live with. Also, they usually project so much liveliness and playfulness that any person cannot help but feel the same way. On the other hand, their calm disposition when they are lying on their owners' lap or anywhere nearby can also cause a certain feeling of comfort and peacefulness. These are actually the same characteristics that make it so easy for dogs to create strong bonds between them and their keepers.

Dogs are observed to bring out a lot of positive feelings and reactions from people. Because of this, a lot of recent studies had been conducted regarding their effectiveness in being instruments for relieving stress, anxiety, and depression. One study stated that having dogs can actually lessen people's stress and anxiety through improving people's moods, improving their social support, encouraging them to exercise, and eliminating their feeling of loneliness. Another study showed that men with AIDS had a lesser tendency to experience depression by keeping dogs as pets. Also, dogs had been noted to provide a sense of companionship to people and are even said to improve a person's self-esteem. They prevent people from experiencing and thinking about negative feelings and ideas, thus, lessening the possibility of those people to feel stressed, anxious, and depressed.

Among the most stressful and, possibly, depressing professions there are, considering the pressure imposed upon them by other people, are probably those of Hollywood stars. Aside from the load of work that they have to handle, they also have to watch out for possible reasons that people can find and use to criticize them. Hollywood actors and actresses are actually forced to do certain things such as to constantly show happiness, to always dress well, or to lose more weight, especially when they need to appear in public, even if that is not how they really feel or what they really like. This must be the reason why a lot of Hollywood stars keep dogs as pets. They probably need these canines to relieve them from all the stress, anxiety, and depression that comes with celebrity fame and fortune. Famous actors and actresses such as Will Smith and Courtney Cox have been noted to say that their dogs help them to become more happy aside from the companionship and sense of security that these canines provide. Another article about celebrities and their dogs reported that people in Hollywood choose to have pet dogs because "they need the unconditional love and support man's best friend provides." Among the Hollywood stars who are known as dog lovers are Paris Hilton, Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Aniston, Orlando Bloom, and Jessica Alba.

Aside from Hollywood stars, other famous and powerful people such as politicians, a dictator, and monarchs, surprisingly, have pet dogs. Among those personalities are George W. Bush who has a Scottish terrier named Miss Beazley. Bill Clinton has a cocker spaniel and a Labrador retriever. Adolf Hitler had a dog named Blondi. Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Koningin of the Netherlands are also dog lovers. Dogs must have made so much difference in their owners' lives that some of them are even given large amounts of inheritance after their owners die. Luxury-hotel queen Leona Helmsley and tobacco heiress Doris Duke have been reported to have left their dogs at least 12 million dollars and one hundred thousand dollars, respectively.

House Pets And Your Family by Pertic Brendon

If you're a serious animal lover like me then there's a good chance that you have a number of various house pets around your house. You'll also probably have an intriguing number of other house guests roaming around your house as well. You know what I mean, all the strays and hurt little birds and four legged creatures that you just couldn't desert.

That probably makes you a soft touch where all the extra house guests and your house pets are concerned but you don't really care. You're doing what you love to do, looking after animals. So it's probably a good thing that you went into a veterinary practice early on in your life. That hasn't stopped you from collecting as many house pets as you can though. In fact you probably have more house pets than you otherwise normally would have, but since your house is adjoined by your practice it doesn't pose a big problem for you at all.

Having such a large number of house pets, you need to be careful about hygiene and spread of disease amongst them. You'll need to keep a few litter baskets for the cats who deign to call you their pet, and you'll need to keep enough food on hand to keep them from going hungry.
Both your cat and dog variety of house pets should have their own separate feeding stations, as well as their own types of food. Both these type of house pets will also need to be kept entertained and fit so you will need to provide a few toys which they can play with in your absence. If you have a large garden all the more better as they can then be free to roam around as much as they please and tire themselves out.

If you don't have a large garden though and you don't have too much time to spend on giving your house pets the right exercise then I would suggest you look into how to remedy that situation as soon as possible. All animals need exercise and if they don't get it they will just become fat and sedentary which is really bad for them, as much as it is bad for you and I.
Another thing that you'll need to consider if you have a variety of house pets and house guests of the non-human variety is whether they're compatible. Otherwise you might end up with a situation on your hands that resembles the popular cartoon shows, with Sylvester and Tweety. Throw the dog into the mix and what you have is a kind of cyclic chaos. Dog likes cat, cat likes bird, bird has no where to go in tiny cage. And when I say "like" I don't necessarily mean it in a good way! So take care that your house pets are happy and healthy, and that they don't eat each other for lack of anything else to do.

How To Deal With Dog Health Problems? by Pertic Brendon

If you're the proud owner of a dog health problems are no stranger to your household. They need not only be of the doggy variety either. By the very fact of owning a dog you open up your home to be bombarded by a myriad of different little health problems. Some of them might not be so bad, but for the most part if you have a dog health problems will also abound. You just can't stop that.

It's as natural as breathing, and although you might take steps to prevent this, there's really only so much that you can do, and so much germs and bacteria that you can fight. And for the most part you would be successful but there will still be unseen germs lingering around biding their time until they can strike. You might not even realize this, and you might not even realize when they do strike at you but rest assured that it will happen.

And that's not all, if you have a dog health problems of the canine variety will also abound as your dog will also get sick from time to time and you will need to take care of him as well. The best way is to start as you mean to go on, and getting the right shots for your dog as soon you get him, and giving him a thorough check-up at the same time is always good. You can't stop there however and will need to keep up the shots and the check-ups on a regular basis. Your vet can tell you how often you will need to bring in your dog. And your vet can also tell you what you need to do to keep your dog healthy.

Brushing his coat daily is a good way to get a silky and shiny coat. If your dog's coat starts to lose its luster then you know there's something wrong with your dog health problems shouldn't be left alone too long without treatment. You should make an appointment with the vet as soon as possible to see about proper treatment.

Then there's always doggy biscuits that are like toothbrushes and will keep your dog's mouth clean and fresh. Regular bathing will also help to ward off whatever dog health problems that may occur otherwise. Feeding him a balanced diet will be the best way to keep him healthy. Don't give your dog any of the junk food that's so bad for you, and definitely stay away from the chocolates, they're toxic to your dog health problems will abound if you ignore this.
If you own a dog health problems will arise, you can't get away from that fact, but there are a few things that you can do to avert mishaps. As long as you realize there's nothing you can do to completely eradicate the germs and bacteria that are sure to abound, and take action accordingly, you and your dog should get along like a house on fire.