Dog Quotes Of The Day

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole………….Roger Caras

If you think dogs can’t count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then give him only two of them…………….Phil Pastoret

We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all.
It’s the best deal man has ever made…………….M. Acklam

I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult…………..Rita Rudner

A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down…………Robert Benchley

Anybody who doesn’t know what soap tastes like never washed a dog………….Franklin P. Jones

If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons……….James Thurber

* Please note that the opinions of the dog lessons articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions or practices of any or all employees of dog-bed-directory.com.

February 7, 2018

Dog Tires? It Could Be Your pooch.

You’ve heard that your spouse’s snoring can cause you to lose sleep, but what about your pet’s? John Shepard, M.D., medical director of the Mayo Clinic Sleep Disorders Center, recently asked that question to 300 patients who came to the center for a routine consultation. He found that many people with sleep problems were sharing their bedrooms with their cats and dogs.

“The results indicate that 22 percent of our patients are likely to have pets sleeping on the bed with them,” Dr. Shepard says. “That’s a significant number.”

Dr. Shepard notes that many common things in daily life affect sleep. The sleeping environment — especially sound, movement, light, temperature and humidity in the bedroom — plays a significant role in the quality of people’s sleep. Dr. Shepard became interested in how pets can disrupt people’s sleep after one patient reported that she frequently got up in the middle of the night to let the dog out and waited up to 15 minutes before returning to bed with her pet.

“After hearing that anecdote, I began to wonder how many of my patients were sleeping with pets and how much the pet interrupted sleep,” he says.

Between February and September 2001, Dr. Shepard surveyed 300 patients seen at the Mayo Clinic Sleep Disorders Center to determine the frequency and severity of sleep disruption that may result from family pets. He found the following:

* 157 of 300 patients (52 percent) had one or more pets, primarily cats and dogs.

* Nearly 60 percent of the patients with pets slept with their pets in the bedroom. When a dog was permitted to sleep in the bedroom, it had a 57 percent chance of being allowed to sleep on the bed.

* Of the pet owners, 53 percent considered their sleep to be disrupted to some extent every night, but only one percent felt that their sleep was disrupted for more than 20 minutes per night on average.

* Snoring was reported in 21 percent of dogs and seven percent of cats.

* Cats were more likely to be allowed in the bedroom and on the bed.

* Please note that the opinions of the dog lessons articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions or practices of any or all employees of dog-bed-directory.com.

February 7, 2018

What Influences The Condition Of A Dog’s Coat?

What influences the condition of a dog’s coat? There are many factors that influence a dog’s coat. Below is a list of some of these factors:

• Genetically, a dog can inherit coat quality

• Diet

• Exercise

• Housing and bedding

• Grooming regime

All coats can be improved with effort and consideration of the dog’s individual needs.

Feeding

What you feed your dog does influence the quality of your dog’s coat. It is always advisable to listen to your breeder’s advice about feeding. A reputable breeder is careful to give new puppy owners a diet instruction sheet to follow through from puppy hood to adult age. Excellent breeders will support the new puppy owner and provide after-sales advice throughout the dog’s lifetime.

It is possible for two pups from the same litter to have completely different dietary needs. This is unusual, as dogs are basically scavengers. Some dogs do, however, have special needs. Your breeder should be able to suggest a suitable diet. Your vet would be the next logical advisor about diet for your particular pup or dog.

What does being a scavenger mean? Dogs retain many of their original characteristics from when they were living in the wild. They are largely resistant to food poisoning. They have large teeth for cutting meat and tearing tough tissue. Even a small dog will relish a good meaty bone or a chunk of chewy meat.

Natural Diet

Many people believe the more they spend, the better the results, which is not necessarily always true. Dogs are what they eat. Feeding the dog is important to skin and coat care. It is essential to point out that needs of individual dogs can and do differ. No matter what your preference is for dog food, not all dogs are suited to your personal preferences. If a natural diet is fed, there is far less likelihood of adverse reaction. The coat of your dog will tell the story of the quality of his diet. A meal made from brown rice and chicken is a healthy, natural diet for a dog that can be fed two or three days a week to enhance the quality of the dog’s coat.

Some dogs may benefit from additives such as evening primrose oil, flaxseed oil or starflower oil at a dose of 500 mg daily. This is especially beneficial when the coat is poor from a previous diet, if the dog has a flea allergy problem or has suffered inherited or environmental effects that leave the coat looking far from good. Natural food also rarely attracts fleas. The dog’s skin is less pleasant for parasites.

Cheese has many essential nutrients and is a good source of calcium. Most dogs love cheese. Vegetables can be given to a dog as treats. Packs of mixed vegetables from the freezer at the local supermarket are easy to feed occasionally and as a treat. Most dogs love mixed vegetables. Feed in small amounts to small dogs only 2 or 3 times per week.

Dogs also love fruit, even raw cabbage and raw broccoli. Avoid grapes. Grapes are toxic to dogs. Fiber, such as oat bran, will help to prevent anal gland trouble. Cider vinegar is useful in helping the immune system.

Avoid raw meats.

* Please note that the opinions of the dog lessons articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions or practices of any or all employees of dog-bed-directory.com.

February 7, 2018February 7, 2018

Young Children And Pups – Have You Choosen A Dog You Can Love

Have You Chosen a Dog You Can Love?

For as long as I can remember there has been a dog around our home. We’ve had muts, dogs with long pedigrees, rescued dogs, and dogs we’ve looked after while other members of the family were away on holidays.

The purpose of this article is to flag some issues a potential dog owner needs to think about when introducing a pup into a home where there are small children. I start from the belief that dogs and children go together like a horse and cart. However, because of a child’s unpredictability there are, however, a few issues that need flagged.

Not every dog is suitable for a child and equally not every child is suitable for a dog! From my observations most of the problems arise with children under the age of six. If you are thinking of taking a dog into your home when you have children of this age then you must think long and hard before making the decision.

My main concern would be with large dogs. The majority of larger dogs have been bred as guard dogs, or have a history of aggression, they are generally high-energy dogs and if excited may well knock children over.

Parents with a small family are generally very busy people, more so if it’s a one parent family. Question. Have you the time to look after a high maintenance dog like a Dachshund?

Here is a smallish dog, they’re comical and entertaining and don’t really need a lot of exercise. They also socialize well with people and other family pets and have a long life span.

But the longhaired variety will need constant brushing and combing, and both it and the smooth variety shed more hair than you might think. They also tend to have a ‘distinctive odour,’ which may be unacceptable around children. From a vetenary view point an alarming number become crippled or paralyzed in middle age due to disk disease in their long backs.

Now I’m not knocking the Dachshund, it is a lovely animal, I’m using it by way of illustration with and asking would this fit in your families lifestyle?

It’s not my intention to make recommendations because every family situation is different; what is right for you may not be right for you next door neighbor!

Now you’ve carried out your research, the next step is to gather up the essentials and puppy-proof you home. Your puppy is going to need a place his own space, a cage or crate will fit the bill. Purchases one that is big enough for him to use as an adult.

The pup will need food and water bowls, toys to chew on and play with, a collar and leash, a bag of a good quality dry puppy food, and plenty of newspapers!

When the puppy arrives try and insure it has some settling in time, a day or two, before the children play wit it. Set down rules for the children and ensure they stick by them. I strongly recommend that a dog is not allowed to sleep in the bed with children, it can cause medical and behavioral problems.

Its vital that you teach your children how to treat the dog, plan on spending lots of time training the dog and the children. A dog is for life so spend the time now to avoid difficulties in the future.

Educate yourself. Buy and read training books: consider enrolling your puppy in an obedience class. Well-trained dogs are a joy to be around and a requirement when children are involved.

A common worry for parents is how a dog will react when a new baby comes along. This is a major subject in its own right but generally speaking most family dogs do not react badly. Like the other children they will be curious and may feel left out but these feelings soon pass.

Problems start when the baby becomes a toddler it’s then both toddler and dog get in each others way! My personal opinion is that by this time the dog will have come to know and accept the child and will even be protective towards it: but safety must come first, I recommend, not separation, but keeping them apart as much as possible.

Like all things to do with dogs a little common sense goes a long way and if you know your dog there should be few problems.

* Please note that the opinions of the dog lessons articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions or practices of any or all employees of dog-bed-directory.com.