Taking your Family to the Shelter

Your kids have been whining and begging you to get them a dog. They haven’t had a pet yet and you’re thinking it might be nice to have a little furball for them to play with. Having a dog will teach them responsibility, right? And surely the kids will take care of walking, feeding, and cleaning for the new dog.

Take your kids to the shelter to get a look at the kinds of dogs up for adoptions. They, and you even, may have a vision of the perfect little fluffy dog, who is well-groomed, well-behaved, and just waiting to be loved. What you will see at the shelter can be an important reality check. Row upon row of large, barking dogs and scruffy looking little mutts, some of whom were abused and neglected – the sights aren’t always pretty. They may not fit your perfect vision, but they need you and looks can be deceiving.

You walk the rows of homeless dogs and you all fall for little Daisy. She peers at you shyly from behind her kennel gate and you fall in love. The kids are ready to fill out the form and take Daisy home today. Go ahead and fill out the form, but go home and have a serious discussion before going through with the adoption.

The Commitment

Bringing Daisy home as a companion for your kids can be a wonderful thing. You will be saving the life of a dog and freeing up space for another dog to be rescued. However, it is not a choice to be made lightly. Kids especially don’t realize the responsibility of dog ownership before they have one. Make sure they understand that Daisy is not a toy and that it takes a lot of work to care for her.

You may also need to have a long think about the care Daisy will need and how she will affect your life. When you adopt a dog from the shelter, it is a commitment you make for the duration of her life. She could live for fifteen years, especially if she is small and a mutt. She will need good food, veterinary care, daily walks, training, discipline, grooming, and someone to pick up her messes.

Consider all the ways in which Daisy will impact your family’s life. Having a dog can be expensive. You may need to cut back in other areas. Basic vet care can run into the range of hundreds per year. If she gets ill or has an accident, you could be facing a bill of over a thousand dollars. She will also require you to rearrange your time. She needs to be walked at least two times per day. Even if you have a fenced in yard, Daisy needs the mental and physical stimulation of a stroll around the neighborhood. Your family vacations will change as well. You will need to find places that will allow you to bring a dog or find other arrangements for Daisy when you travel. This may include the expense of boarding her or hiring a pet sitter. Daisy may be a chewer. From visiting her in the shelter, you cannot tell if she will destroy your favorite shoes or gnaw on your table legs. She may need a trainer to help her learn good behaviors.

Think of all of these things before making the huge commitment of bringing Daisy home. Have a conversation with the kids about their responsibilities when it comes to Daisy and make sure they are willing to make sacrifices and that they understand the serious nature of caring for a dog.

As much as Daisy needs a home, and who knows what mess of a situation she came from, but the worst thing would be to get her home and then start thinking about the seriousness of owning a dog.

Poor Nutrition

Feeding Eubie a low-quality food can cause skin allergies. Missing hair and scaly spots that make Eubie itch are two signs of a canine food allergy. If food allergies are the cause of Eubie’s skin problems, you should work with the veterinarian to discover what the best food option is for Eubie. The food shouldn’t include soy, wheat, corn or other fillers. Generally, a holistic food or a raw food diet is the best option to feed Eubie since neither of these options are likely to contain allergens that will make her skin allergy flare up.

Frequent Washing

Washing Eubie a lot keeps her smelling good, and it keeps her clean. For some dogs, frequent washing can cause dry skin and scaly skin. Your dog’s skin produces an oil called sebum, which helps keep her skin and coat shiny. When you bathe Eubie, you wash the sebum away. This makes Eubie’s skin and coat dry and dull. To prevent skin issues from frequent washing, brush her often instead. As you brush her, you distribute the sebum through her hair and along her skin. At the same time, you brush away dust and dander. Only bathe Eubie when she is smelly or obviously dirty. If even occasional baths give Eubie the itchies, try using a sulfate-free shampoo as they are detergent-free.

Seborrhea

Seborrhea is the dog version of dandruff. The dandruff may be dry and scaly or it may be greasy and flaky. Pimples and bumps are also common. The treatment for seborrhea is washing Eubie with a medicated shampoo. The type of shampoo you need depends on the type of seborrhea. If Eubie has dry and scaly skin, you need a shampoo that contains salicylic acid. If Eubie’s skin is greasy and flaky, you need a shampoo that contains coal tar, selenium sulfide or benzoyl peroxide. 

Pemphigus

Pemphigus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the skin cells. Pemphigus has four subtypes: pemphigus vulgaris, pemphigus vegetans, pemphigus, erythematosus and pemphigus foliaceus. The subtype is based on the layer of skin affected by the disease. Regardless of the subtype, the treatment consists of topical corticosteroids to treat the lesions and ulcers caused by the condition and systemic medications to suppress the immune system.

Hot Spots

If you see raw round spots on Eubie, she may be suffering from hot spots. The lesions are moist, red, painful and inflamed. Eubie’s hair will likely be missing from the area. In most cases, hot spots are caused by incessant licking or biting at the area. Hot spots are commonly associated with other issues, such as biting fly bites or flea bites. Ear infections and anal gland infections are common if the hot spots are near the ears or by the anus. If Eubie is diagnosed with hot spots, the treatment consists mainly of allowing the hot spots to heal. Clipping the air around the lesions to allow air to flow around the inflamed area, cleaning the lesion and applying a topical medication are usually necessary. If the area is inflamed, oral antibiotics are needed.

Regardless of what Eubie’s skin looks like, a trip to the vet is a must to rule out conditions like mange and to ensure that she is treated properly for the problem.

So what will you do when you take your Alaskan cruise next month? He can’t come with you, unfortunately, but you do have a couple of options. In the past, you would have had one choice: leaving Chewy at a kennel. Boarding facilities have been around for many years. You pay a nightly fee and Chewy stays in his very own doggy hotel room.

Today, there is a second choice. Pet sitting is a relatively new part of the forty billion dollar pet industry in the United States, but a fast-growing one. What makes pet sitting different from boarding is that Chewy stays at home and a sitter comes in to check on him, walk him, feed him, and give him love and affection.

Which is the best choice? Both can be great ways for Chewy to be cared for while you travel. The decision will depend upon cost, Chewy’s temperament and needs, the businesses available near you, and your comfort.

Cost

The costs of boarding and pet sitting are highly variable. It depends greatly upon location. Within one geographical area, pet sitting rates will be fairly constant and could be anywhere from $30 to $60 per day. Boarding rates, on the other hand, can vary more because of the different types of kennels. A typical, bare-bones kennel may charge around $25 per night, while a swanky pet hotel could charge twice as much as that. Keep in mind that a simple, inexpensive kennel is not necessarily a bad thing. They just may not offer spa services or rooms with televisions.

Chewy’s Needs

Many dog owners who choose pet sitting over boarding do so because they believe their dog will be happier staying at home. Some animals are anxious in new settings and are more comfortable at home in familiar surroundings. If Chewy gets nervous when you take him to a friend’s house or a new dog park, he may prefer pet sitting. If he is relaxed around others and loves to meet and play with new dogs, then he may enjoy a kennel. Of course, if he is aggressive towards other dogs, he needs to stay at home and have a sitter visit him.

Your Needs

Chewy’s needs come first, but you should also consider your own needs when choosing his accommodations. If you will be a nervous wreck leaving him at home and worrying about him being alone for so many hours, boarding may be for you. If boarding makes you nervous, however, maybe pet sitting will be best. Dog owners sometimes have bad experiences with kennels. Dogs can be neglected or get sick while being boarded, so it is understandable. Think about what will make you most comfortable before making a decision.

Availability

Finally, there is no sense in choosing pet sitting if there are no such businesses in your neighborhood. As a newer industry, pet sitting has not completely penetrated every market. Do some research and find out what pet sitters, if any, and what boarding facilities are in your area.

Whichever option you decide to go with, be sure to select a kennel or pet sitter carefully. We’re talking about caring for your best friend after all! Any pet care business that is reputable should be able to show you proof that they are insured and references to vouch for how well they care for people’s furry babies.

A fight between a couple of competing alpha female dogs can be a scary sight. If you have had to break up nasty brawls between your otherwise sweet and gentle babies, you know what we’re talking about. Your adorable Robyn and Ashley might get along with the neighbor dogs, but with each other they are going for blood. You may have a dominance challenge on your hands.

Not all fighting between a couple of lady dogs is a serious matter, but it certainly can be. The alpha female in the ancestral wolf pack is the leader of the whole group. Males can be dominant as well, but the alpha female is number one in the pack. Some of that behavior has been preserved in our domesticated furry friends. So when Ashley and Robyn go at it, whether as play or for real, they are acting out a struggle for lead position.

Fight or Play?

When two naturally dominant female dogs come together, the results can be explosive. A better pairing is a submissive dog and a dominant dog. If it’s too late for that consideration and you have taken in your beloved babies only to discover they are both dominant you first need to decide if Ashley and Robyn are playing at dominance or if they are serious.

Often a fight between two girls looks and sounds fierce, but is nothing to worry about. They may be snarling, gnashing their teeth, biting each other’s faces, and butting heads in the most literal sense. If they are not drawing blood and if you can stop them without getting injured yourself then it is likely nothing to worry about. If the fighting causes injuries, you have a problem. If you are uncertain about what is going on with those two, your best bet is to have an expert such as a behaviorist observe and make a verdict. This expert can also help you figure out how to bring a stop to the fights.

Serious Dominance Issues

If you or an expert determines that Ashley and Robyn are truly at odds with each other, dealing with the situation can be very difficult. In the worst cases, neither dog will give up until the other is dead or seriously injured. If the fights are getting out of hand, the first thing you should do is get both dogs to the vet. There is a chance that there is a physical problem underlying the fights. If the dogs have been living happily together for years and this came on all of a sudden, a health problem may be the key.

Sometimes, a younger dog will only challenge the alpha female as she gets older and weaker. Some dog owners have found out their older dog had a health problem because the younger one began to challenge her. Dogs often sense these things long before we do. If the older dog is ill, the younger one may see it as her chance to get into the alpha role.

Be the Leader

Whether Robyn and Ashley are in real combat over their positions or they are simply playing at dominance struggles, you should be the one to determine how they behave. Dogs will only be serious about positioning if their human is not their true leader. If you set yourself up as the pack leader, fights will become insignificant. Becoming the leader is not necessarily easy if you have been letting the girls get away with fighting. You will want to enlist the help of an expert trainer or behaviorist to establish yourself as the alpha and bring the fighting to a halt.

Shelter
When it gets cold outside it is easy to think that our dogs have natural winter coats and will be fine outside, and for some breeds this is true – at least to a certain extent. Although it seems to you that Lily and Hanna are the same, it’s very possible that with Lily’s slightly longer hair or her bigger build, mean that she and Hanna may not all that alike after all. If Lily really seems more comfortable being outside, you can always let her sleep outside – provided she is in a house with a heated bed. When it gets even too cold for her comfort, it’s an easy way back into the house to warm up.

Grooming
Some breeds of dogs, for example, Shi Tzus and Poodles, have hair rather than fur. If this is the case then you may want to consider leaving their hair a little longer over the winter months to offer some natural protection from the cold. Having a long coat doesn’t substitute for good shelter, but it can make your dog more comfortable.

Clothes
If you have a short haired, a small dog, if you keep a long hair dog groomed short, or even if your dog has fur that doesn’t thicken that much in the winter, then you should consider having your California girl wear a sweater when going out in the cold. These can help a great deal in keeping Hanna warm and protecting her from the elements. Not all dogs will wear clothes though and if that is the case, be sure to minimize the amount of time they spend outside and keep a close eye on them.

It is also a good idea during winter months to have your dog wear booties outside – if they will tolerate it. Booties can protect their feet from the cold and also from objects on the ground that are obscured by snow.

Thing to Be Cautious About
Whether or not your dog loves winter, you should always use extreme caution when walking on ice. In particular running on a frozen body of water should only be done if you are absolutely sure there are no weak spots. If you wouldn’t let children on the ice, then the dog should stay off as well.

If either Lily or Hanna gets into antifreeze it can kill them. If you think that your dog has had any exposure to antifreeze, go see your vet immediately. Even a small exposure can be extremely dangerous.

Obvious Signs Your Dog Wants to Go Back Home
While some dogs shun the cold others love to romp and play. If you have a dog that loves the snow and cold weather, it is still important to keep your eye on her. If she starts shivering or shaking then it is time to get her back home, even if she is having a good time. Sometimes dogs don’t regulate themselves well and it is important to look out for their best interest.  If your dog doesn’t seem to warm up after getting into shelter or displays signs of hypothermia or unusual behavior, take her into the vet immediately.

One of the best things to do with your dog in the winter is cuddle. Their body temperature is actually slightly higher than ours, so as warm blooded as Lily is, she can make a great heating blanket.

Ways to Control and Reduce Fear Biting in Dogs

Make sure you don’t accidentally heighten Skippy’s fear levels. When pets startle or show fear, a common reaction from pet owners is to coddle them, and speak in soft reassuring tones that are meant to convey “everything is okay.” Unfortunately, dogs often interpret that as there is something really scary that you have to comfort them from. The only thing this does is to heighten the fear and in turn feed whatever aggressive state Skippy is in. Instead, when Skippy is afraid or jumpy, act completely normal, and divert his attention to something else. If you find this isn’t work, you can use a firm voice that lets him know that you are in control of the situation and he doesn’t need to take control. This will relax him far more than any baby voice you use.

Once Skippy’s fear actually develops into snapping at anything in the vicinity here are a few ways to handle it:

• Wait until Skippy calms down before approaching him. Invading his personal space while he is in defense mode will probably result in a bite.
• Take him out often to places where there is a lot of commotion. If Skippy has a big problem with biting, keep him under complete control and on a leash at all times, even in places where it might otherwise be okay to let him be loose and socialize such as a dog park. Choose mildly active places to start with, and gradually increase the level of activity as he gets used to it. The logic behind this is exposure. You can’t keep him in his backyard forever and exposure to stimuli that would arouse his fear biting in situations where you are in control are a way to start teaching him.
• Don’t run up on Skippy, or approach from behind. If you are behind him, talk to him as you approach so he knows you are coming.

• Getting Out of a Dangerous Situation with Strange Dogs
• When faced with a strange dog exhibiting common signs of fear such as baring teeth, growling or shaking, stop what you are doing. Back away from the dog, but keep your eyes on him. If you have something in your hands, try to keep it between yourself and the strange dog in case he lunges at you. Do not reach out, or try to calm the dog down by petting him.

Never approach any strange dog in a vulnerable position, or reach out to pet them unless you know how they will react. Treat all strange dogs as if they will bite you, and never let small children run up to strange dogs. Even otherwise calm dogs that wouldn’t normally bite may snap at a small child darting up to them. Children can resemble small prey making them “targets” for the predatory instincts in a dog that doesn’t know them. The jerky arm movements of a child and the tendency to be rough even when they don’t mean to be may also aggravate even a mild tempered dog.

It could be argued that teaching your canine tricks isn’t as important as obedience training; however, it can in fact have the same benefits. Teaching tricks allow you and your dog to get to know each other, just as you would do when spending time with any of your companions, and you gradually learn to communicate and become more in-tune with each other.

If your dog is shy, trick training can help bring him out of his shell; while on the other hand, it is also perfect for confident dogs who simply love being playful and showing-off. In addition, teaching your pooch tricks is a great way to burn off some of his excess energy if he is prone to getting himself into mischief and has the added benefit of being constructive and enjoyable. Dog tricks are a great tool to use for troublesome dogs when they are behaving badly. For example, a simple “play dead” trick can come in handy if your pooch tends to pester new visitors to your home upon entry by redirecting his behaviour.

So, you may be asking yourself “How do I teach my dog new tricks?” A great place to start is by investing in a clicker – sometimes referred to as a “conditioned reinforcer”. This is probably the only essential tool you will ever need and it works by making a clicking sound when you want to draw attention to a particular point in your dog’s behaviour. It can help communicate that he has done a good job and deserves a treat, for example. Treats are a great tool for teaching your dog tricks and when using the clicker, can be used as positive reinforcement for your dog, which will hopefully keep him repeating his good behaviour. In addition, target sticks are handy for guiding your dog into the positions you want him to be in – this process is called targeting.

Through the dog trick training process, owners become the best of friends with their pets and this special development should be protected. Be sure to keep your loveable friend healthy and waggy-tailed by looking after him properly and taking out one of the cheap dog insurance quotes from Pets at Home to safeguard your dog in the event of accidents and illness.

This is a problem, not only because of the smell that makes you want to gag, but because of the potential dangers of whatever diseases that the dead thing might carry, or the germs in the feces or the mud. Also, it is darn hard to give such a big dog a bath. Why on earth does Scooby – and other dogs too for that matter – insist on this disgusting practice, and is there anything that you can do to stop him?

Why Do They Do It?

Turns out, the answer to the mystery of why dogs roll in smelly, gross things is as elusive as those solved by the gang after which your French Bulldog is named. Apparently, there are not enough “meddling kids” in your neighborhood making a common practice of interfering with dogs rolling in bad smells. There are two theories floating around, each, or even a combination of both are pretty plausible.

Theory 1

The first theory has to do with the dog’s hunting instincts. Way back when their meals came in the form of prey, rather than kibble, which doesn’t exactly run away, many breeds of dogs were hunters. They had to be the very embodiment of stealth – and this means, covering their scent. If the prey was downwind, and caught the smell of a dog approaching, they would bolt. But if they were downwind and smell a mud puddle, or a dead thing, or even poop, they would have no reason to flee. It is possible that the instinct to mask their own scent has survived, even though they no longer need to stalk and kill prey to ensure that they eat.

Theory 2

The other theory is likely to get you a bit steamed. The second theory is that what smells bad to us smells good to them, and so they do it because the want to. Just like a person who wins a million dollar jackpot might roll in their pile of bills, a dog rolls in the dead bird he found, because to him, it smells like a million bucks.

Stopping it

Stopping it is a little harder, because you have to catch Scooby in the act. Punishing him after the fact will just confuse and depress him. If you really feel you must squash this habit, then you need to spray him with a hose, or walk up to him and pull him away from it while he is in the act so that he understands what exactly he is being punished for. Do not rub his nose in it. He will enjoy that.

There are manufacturers who make collars with remotes that you can use to train your dog not to roll in things. It is not a shock collar, rather it is a collar that upon your pressing a button, releases a spritz of citronella, a harmless but unpleasant smell to doggies. This collar is a bit spendy, but may be worth it if you are having lots of trouble with Scooby.

The most important thing to remember is that it is ultimately not Scooby’s fault. He is not doing it to make you mad or because he understands that you don’t like the smell – he doesn’t. So be sure, even when you are frustrated not to be mean. If bathing him is the problem, perhaps build an outdoor crate that he can stay in, or put a dog bed in the garage so that on days when he gets smelly he has a place to be inside without stinking up your house. Then you can bath him the next day or later the same day when you have time. It is likely that he is going to roll in things occasionally, even if you mostly break him of the habit. The important thing is to find a way to handle it that doesn’t result in the both of you getting upset.

Fortunately, we can teach ourselves new tricks. Dogs are often far better tuned into human emotion than we are tuned into doggy talk because they speak the language naturally. We have to be taught how to interpret such things even among our own kind. It is not as hard as you might think but it does take commitment, observation and practice. While the whole picture has to be considered to truly make sense of what beloved Doodles is trying to say, there are specific areas of interest, such as the eyes and the ears you can get in tune with. Both tell us a great deal of information about Doodles’ mood, but let us focus on those soulful eyes.

Eye, Eye Captain

Notice that the natural look of a dog’s eye when she is relaxed and happy is a soft almond shape. There is usually very little, if any, white showing even on such bug-eyed breeds as the Chihuahua. White then is an indication of something other than inner calm and balance; it lets us know that Doodles is stressed, tensed and quite possibly ready to bite. It can indicate fear, nervousness or anxiety. Pooch specialists call this phenomenon “whale eye” and it does not show in simply wide, happy eyes. It has meaning especially when backed up by other body language that is tense, or otherwise not relaxed. The position of the ears and tail will help you determine what Doodles is feeling and whether to approach her or not.

Quite often, dogs will not make eye contact with humans or for very short bits of time. This is to show deference to the higher-ranking pack members, as a human should be. They can be trained to make eye contact if the human so desires it; some feel it lets the dog pay better attention rather than casting her eyes off to the side all the time. Some dogs will make a degree of contact with their owners but will never directly challenge them. If her human seems angry or intense, Doodles will always keep her eyes averted except to periodically glance up for a nanosecond to see if the behavior has changed.

The alpha dog (male or female) will generally ignore those in her pack. This makes the direct eye contact, when it happens, all that more startling and effective. Humans feel eye contact to be a connection or understanding but that is not what it means to a dog. You will stress your dog if you force her to behave by human mannerisms. To a dog, eye contact is often a form of tacit correction.

Staring down at a dog will make her nervous and eventually very anxious to the point of severe discomfort. If you stare down a dominant dog, you may make her aggressive, and to stare at an aggressive dog is to challenge one that is already unstable. You may well provoke an attack. If you find yourself in the unenviable position of being caught around an aggressive dog that is actively snarling and challenging you with direct eye contact, lower your eyes and turn sideways. Do not stand straight on to the dog. Yawn or lick your lips (these are called calming signals and lets the aggressive pooch know you want to diffuse the situation). Keep your eyes averted and slowly but calmly walk away. Do not run, remain relaxed and do not make sudden moves. Certainly, do not lock gazes.

Dogs speak with eyes and every part of their body. If you are around dogs often it behooves you to learn how to understand and deal with them on their terms. Their instincts will not bend for us, so we have to bend for them. It is well worth every effort to do so and sweet Doodles will be much happier for it.