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Often times, people believe that the only way to create a good bond with their dog is to start when they are puppies, but this is not necessarily true. You still have the ability to create a strong relationship with a dog that you adopt at an older age. It’s hard work to build relationships, but in the end, it’s a labor of love.

Bonding occurs when you and your dog focus on each other, so it is crucial that you take time out of every day to spend with your dog. Do you have more than one dog? Take each one on an individual outing to build a relationship with each one. If you always take them all out together, you are missing out on important bonding opportunities!

People who seem to be reliable to the dogs wind up receiving complete trust in return, an important factor in the bonding process. This means taking them out frequently so that they can avoid an accident, being fed regularly, and not leaving them in a crate for extended periods of time. Think about it, don’t you get along better with those who you can rely on?

There are a few errors that people make when attempting to bond with their pup:

1. It may sound odd, but some people trick their dog into doing something wrong, and then punish the dog to teach them what not to do. Practice success, not failure! Dogs learn better through praise and reward, making them confident and teaching good habits. Your praise is valued by your furry friend, take advantage of that!

2. Extending a correction to something a dog has done wrong can really distress your dog and affects their ability to learn. Corrections to issues should be quick and over before the dog can even get upset, ending with the dog doing the correct thing and then being praised and rewarded for it.

3. Nothing is gained by punishments that inflict pain or fear. In fact, it only makes things worse! By doing this, your dog loses trust in you and confidence in himself/herself.

Here are a few things that you should regularly include in your dog’s schedule to create a healthy bond between you two:

1. Take your dog on outings- just the two of you. This is a great time to work on training and socializing!

2. Train your dog daily for several months. The best types of simple training to create a bond are teaching him/her to stay, retrieving, come-when-called, eye contact, and walking on a loose leash.

3. It is impossible to overstate the benefits of grooming your dog daily. This gets your dog used to human handling and, in particular, your touch.

It is great for you and your dog to create a bond with each other. By doing this, you are making him/her a part of your family, leaving everyone feeling happy!

 

We all know that exercise is important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. For all of us dog lovers, we like to have them participate in our activities, but we have to remember that our energetic little friends have limits that differ from ours.

Here are some potentially hazardous scenarios to avoid when exercising with your pup.

High Jumping- While dogs love to chase around a ball or Frisbee, tossing these objects too high or off of a tall structure can cause your dog to land awkwardly. Unfortunately this accounts for the crippling of many canines each year. Be sure to keep the objects lower to the ground to protect your pet from over extending themselves and causing an injury.

Dangerous Objects- When fetching, use lightweight safe toys like a tennis ball for instance. Heavy and hard objects can damage dog’s teeth when caught. Sticks can also pose a hazard to pups when caught, because they can easily extend to the back of the mouth or throat causing an injury.

Over-Exercising- Our dogs may seem like they have an endless supply of energy, but the reality is, they experience fatigue just like we do. Without moderation a dog will become tired, lethargic, and extended bouts of extreme exercise can lead to more serious conditions like heat stroke or dehydration. Always bring water to keep your canine friend hydrated throughout exercise sessions.

Heat- In South Florida we are accustomed to a hot climate. We have to remember that unlike humans, dogs have an inability to regulate body temperature efficiently. Dogs that have short muzzles, black and long-haired dogs, and especially young or old dogs are most susceptible to overheating. Remember that the top temperature for a working (or allowing a dog to play excessively) is about 85° F. However 85° would be too hot for those dogs that are most susceptible to overheating. Also remember the humidity, as the heat index increases with the level of humidity.

Warming Up- It is crucial to have your dog warm up before sessions of intense exercise like pulling a sled or doing a lot of running. This can prevent strain and fatigue. Light activity allows the pup to warm up his muscles and get moving before taking on a heavier activity load. The rest period after activity is also vital as it is the time allotted for muscle recovery.

Following these basic guidelines will have you and your pet living a happy, safe and healthy lifestyle together. Now all you have to do is get moving!

Not everyone is aware of the challenges that come with caring for a deaf dog. The training process itself requires a lot of commitment and patience since you are basically substituting words with physical signs and facial expressions.  The luxury of yelling commands across a room in order to stop your dog from digging in the trash is unfortunately not your best option. However, do not be discouraged! Dogs are smart and they will surprise you in how quickly they’ll adapt to your new sign language. You will notice that it is easier to interact with your dog while you’re indoors, but the exciting setting of being outdoors may hinder your communication making it more difficult to retain your dog’s attention. Here are a few helpful tips in how to keep your deaf dog’s attention.

1. Loose Leash: keeping your dog on a leash is very important in the early stages of training for the obvious reasons. However, make sure that while trying to establish contact, the leash is not tight. That way they are forced to watch you rather than just feel you through the leash, so keep that leash loose!
2. Reward: the act of praise plays a vital role when training a dog, deaf or not. Since they cannot hear the sound of your voice, giving them a treat is the best way to reward a deaf puppy. Each time they respond correctly to a sign, reward them by instantly whipping out a tasty treat! Remember; keep the food out of sight until you are ready to give it. This will prevent the treat from becoming, in the dog's mind, an actual part of the command--or a bribe.
3. Creative attention methods: if your dog is facing away from you, one of the simplest things to do is to wait until they turn around. Indoors, if you walk up behind your dog, they may feel the vibrations of your approach and turn around or touching them lightly so you don’t startle them. Outdoors during the day, you can also try tossing a small stone or ball near your dog to get his attention. Be very careful not to hit your dog!
4. Vibrating Collar: possibly the best way to retrieve your dog’s attention when they are distracted is with the use of a vibrating collar. A vibrating collar works much like a pager. It has 2 parts, a hand held unit for the person, and another unit that the dog wears as a collar. This device is very popular for owners with deaf dogs and usually become less necessary once their dog is past their adolescent phase and are trained to the point that their owners feel confident that the dog will "check in," and come when called.

Remember to always train your dog in this sequence: 1) do the sign, 2) move away, 3) give praise when they follow, 4) take out treat, 5) give it. Always conduct at least 3 to 5 repetitions in a row before you release the dog's attention. This is what teaches them to sustain that attention on you until you release it.  Be patient and loving and your dog will do the rest!

Having a hard time finding the perfect gift for the pet-lover in your life? Look no further! Here are some ideas to help you discover the best gift for that special someone.

Make this Valentine’s Day a special one with a customized gift from 4 Paws Forever. 4 Paws Forever creates one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry from the actual paw print of pets--- and since every paw print is unique, just as no two fingerprints of a human are the same,  this gift is completely original! Just visit www.4pawsforever.org to get started on a custom gift to give this year.

You can spread the love AND help out a charity when you buy a gift from the Animal Rescue Site! Each item you buy provides at least 14 bowls of food for shelter animals in need---could it get any better? From jewelry to measuring spoon sets, you are bound to find just the right thing to give for Valentine’s Day this year at www.theanimalrescuesite.com.

Finding just the right gift for your pet-lover is SIMPLE when you shop on Dog is Good’s website. Even better, a portion of the proceeds for some of these gifts benefit rescue! Dog is Good is proud to enable dog addicts worldwide and only offer the best, and sometimes the funniest, products to their customers! Check out what they have to offer at www.dogisgood.com.

Sites like these take the hassle out of gift giving. Now you should have no trouble discovering something special and unique to give on Valentine’s Day! 

February is National Pet Dental Health month, so we decided to celebrate the most appropriate way by giving you some tips and the importance of taking care of their dental health. Many pet owners don’t realize the importance of brushing their cat or dog’s teeth, and tend to neglect it. The key to maintaining good oral hygiene is to brush their teeth daily in order to remove plaque, which is a collection of bacteria that builds up at the gum line. If you don’t remove this plaque routinely it will form tartar, which will irritate the gums and could lead to infection or the loss of teeth. You don’t want your pet to get an infection under the gum line because it can spread to the liver, kidneys, and heart.

If you brush your pet’s teeth daily, you will not have to have them cleaned by a veterinarian as often. You should examine their teeth monthly and check for yellow or brown material where the tooth meets the gum line. If there is a lot of yellow or brown material, bring your pet in for a professional cleaning as soon as you can. If you perform daily brushings at home, start by picking a soft-bristled or finger toothbrush and apply only toothpaste purchased from your veterinarian. Do not use human toothpaste because it is harmful to your pet and has detergents that shouldn’t be swallowed by them.

Begin brushing your pet’s teeth as soon as their puppy or kitten teeth surface so that you can get them used to the procedure. Also, brushing their teeth is very necessary in the removal of plaque. There are also many precautions that you can take to try and avoid a large buildup:

• Hard food helps remove plaque from teeth. The combination of special diets and daily brushings is the best way to keep the teeth clean.
• Chewing on objects harder than teeth may lead to dental fractures. Cow and horse hoofs commonly cause fractures of the upper fourth premolars.
• Tug-of-war games should not be played, especially in young dogs and cats to avoid moving growing teeth.
• Throwing toy discs can cause trauma to the teeth, resulting in pulpitis (an inflammation of the pulp).

Remember, humans aren’t the only ones who need quality dental care. Give your pet a sparkling smile and they’ll thank you for life!

       

If football isn’t your favorite way to spend a Sunday, the Puppy Bowl was made for you. Change the channel from the Super Bowl and turn to Animal Planet’s Annual Puppy Bowl.  The cuteness is on overload with this event. Puppies all come to the arena to fight for the Puppy Bowl statue. This is the 7^th season that Animal Planet will be hosting this event, and there are quite a few additions this year! (1)

   Watch these puppies fight for the last bone as they chase each other’s tails in hopes of that sweet victory and drink from that golden water bowl. These adorable puppies are all from shelters. This is the perfect event to watch with your whole family. Tune in to Animal Planet on February 5, 2012 for all the puppy excitement. 

1-   1-  http://animal.discovery.com/tv/puppy-bowl/about.html

2- http://animal.discovery.com/tv/puppy-bowl/

3- http://animal.discovery.com/tv/puppy-bowl/pictures/puppy-bowl-pictures-04.html

Do you know if your dog has food allergies? If he has symptoms such as itching, licking, and chewing his paws, groin, neck, and/or ears or even some gastrointestinal signs such as chronic vomiting, diarrhea, belching, and frequent bowel movements, then he just might. Food allergies are unfortunate and result in some pretty nasty symptoms, but all of this can be avoided by feeding the proper food to your dog.

 To get started on picking the appropriate food for your dog, consult your veterinarian. Make sure you inform them of your dog’s medical history and even more importantly, every type of food your dog has eaten---this means anything from table scraps to chew toys with food flavorings. Based on skin and possible gastrointestinal signs, your vet will recommend a food allergy trial for your dog.

Some commercials advertise over-the-counter diets that claim to be “hypoallergenic” or “great for sensitive skin” which may be a bit deceiving. In fact, pet food companies don’t even have to list every ingredient on the label, so who knows what they’re leaving out? Also, manufacturers of the food can substitute other ingredients for the appropriate proteins, as long as they meet the guaranteed analysis. It’s pretty scary to think that you have no idea what you’re putting in your dog’s belly! Your best bet is to stick with the diet your veterinarian recommends for a proper food allergy test.

There are three categories of diets that are used in food allergy trials:

1. Prescription diets
2. Low Antigen diets
3. Homemade diets

The purpose of prescription diets is to ensure that the ingredients in the pet food are always consistent---meaning the protein and carbohydrate source in the food will always remain the same. This type of diet is for treating medical conditions (such as food allergies) and is only available through your veterinarian.

Antigens are the proteins in a diet that can be responsible for food allergy symptoms. In a low antigen diet, which is also a type of prescription diet, the protein in the food has been formulated in such a small amount that it will not stimulate the immune system---this will keep your dog from getting those pesky food allergy signs!

So let’s say your pet can’t or won’t eat either the prescription diet food or the low antigen diet food--- a homemade diet may be your last resort. This sort of diet normally contains a new protein source and a carbohydrate. Keep in mind though, this diet cannot be long term, it is meant to be a trial! A recommended homemade diet is not formulated to be a balanced diet---it lacks the proper nutrients needed to keep your dog happy and healthy.

Now, there are always downfalls in food allergy trials.

1)      The client does not understand why the veterinarian has recommended a feeding trial, how the feeding trial will be conducted, their role in completing the food allergy trial properly, and the ultimate goals of the trial.

To help with this, have your vet let you know exactly why the food allergy trial is being conducted and how to complete it---you need to be clear on what the expectations and goals are. It would also be a good idea to request phone progress reports, and remember that it is okay to ask questions! I mean, this is your dog’s health we are talking about---you want to be clear on EVERYTHING.

2)   Feeding your dog any type of snack or chew toy with food flavoring can affect the length and success of the food trial. 

Keep in mind, this mistake can also be made by children, relatives, visitors, etc. So the best way to avoid this is to keep everyone informed of the trial, or just keep your dog in a separate room when visitors or family are over.

3)      In a multiple pet house you must prevent the patient from eating the other dog’s food.  If there is a cat in the household, eating the cat food will disrupt the food trial.

It may be a pain, but you may need to stand over your dogs while they are being fed to avoid any trouble. However you could have the dog who is on a diet eat in a separate room, or even put all of your dogs on the diet, if it’s possible.

4)      The dog is not confined and wanders.  This patient will be able to get into the garbage, compost piles or the neighbor may feed him treats.

The solution for this is simple---keep your dog inside and the garbage out of reach!

Food allergy trials are the only sure fire way of determining if your dog has food allergies. Sure, the trial may be long and difficult, but in the end you and your pup will be grateful to know what food is safe to eat!

If you got a new puppy for the holidays and you’re still unsure of what to name it, make sure you really think about it before you choose. Remember, a name is forever, so you need to choose one that is meaningful to you. Try to avoid naming your dog an aggressive-sounding name because it will seem like its behavior is reflected in its name. Dogs don’t have a say in their name so the determining factor is simply if you like the name. Chances are you will say the name in a positive tone, which will improve you and your dog’s bonding.

If for some reason you change your mind about your dog’s name and end up not liking it, you can still change it within a reasonable time. Dogs tend to adjust easily to this change as long as you associate their name with positive things and utilize body language to show you are talking to them. They will more than likely learn their new name within a few days.

The following list can give you some ideas on where to start coming up with a name for your dog:

• Names of places that have meaning to you
• Movies, plays, books and television: characters, titles, themes, settings
• Reference materials about subjects you enjoy: read or skim for words in the text; look through the glossary, table of contents, index, resource list, links, illustrations, etc.
• Terms from a sport or hobby you love
• Words from favorite songs, poems, or traditional stories
• Terminology from your work or other work that interests you
• Human names you like or names of people you admire
• Words related to your faith, patriotism or other ideals
• Words from history or culture of significance to you
• Attributes or principles you value (“Honor,” “Hope,” “Buddy,” “Pal,” “Amigo,” “Justice,” “Mercy”)
• Words in other languages
• Words from nature (“Star,” “River,” names of plants, “Cirrus,” “Rainbow,” “Snowflake,” “Mesa,” “Meadow,” “Wildflower”)
• Words referring to your favorite holidays or seasons (“Valentine,” “Noel,” “Dreidel,” “Easter,” “Saint Nick,” “Patrick,” “Shamrock”)

As a dog owner, one of the things you look forward to during the day is going home and being greeted by your playful pooch. Your puppy loves you so much that he/she can’t help but jump all over you and kiss your face as much as possible! What do you do, though, when that rambunctiousness lasts all day? We love how playful and happy our dogs are, but at some point, they’ve got to settle down!

Set up a Schedule!

Routines are absolutely necessary to keep dogs feeling happy and secure.   Knowing they will get food and water at certain intervals in the day and will get to go to the bathroom is important to them! Dogs give us unconditional love, the least we can do is give them ease of mind about when they will go outside next!

How do you know when your dog needs to go potty and when he/she just wants to go outside to play? Well, you really never know. Your best bet to keep your pup from badgering you for attention would be to take him/her outside more often. Even if the emergency is to go chase a squirrel, at least you know there won’t be a loss of bladder control all over your newly installed carpet. Keep in mind that if your dog is feeling under the weather, be sure to take him/her out even MORE! This will prevent accidents and builds up the dog’s trust in you even more.

Some of the most important things to a dog are food and exercise. Without either of these, dog will definitely become agitated, ultimately leading to some wild antics. Feed your dog based on a regular schedule, and try your absolute best not to sway from this routine. Your dog expects to be fed at a certain time of the day, and if not, he/she will be upset. The best way to split up meal time is to feed your dog 2 times a day. Exercise cannot be neglected either. Throughout the day, your dog needs to have an energy release to keep from getting wild at home.  So, take your dog to play regularly; this will help to steer away from any rowdy behavior.

Training is incredibly important, but it will be pointless unless reinforced regularly. Training will not only build a solid foundation for your pup, but also strengthens the relationship between the two of you. You will become more established as the leader in your dog’s mind So go ahead, scout some classes and join a good training class for you and your furry friend, you both will be glad you did!

Things You Don’t Like

1)      Jumping on people: Dogs to this for attention and affection. To get your dog to stop this, don’t let anyone pet him/her while on hind legs! Be sure to pet them, though, when they are on all fours.

2)      Going crazy over the leash: Whenever your pup gets boisterous over the leash, PAUSE. Don’t put the leash on until your dog has settled down. A good way to go about this would be to ask for a “sit.” Patience is crucial here.

3)      Constant barking: Barking is an adrenaline rush for dogs. To get this to stop, call for your dog, pet, and praise him/her. Do this each time your dog begins barking. This will reduce the adrenaline rush and lower the overall drive for your dog to bark.

None of this advice will help your situation unless you watch how you behave too! Here are some tips to help you out:

• If your dog becomes overly excited, STOP MOVING. Movement stimulates responsive movement in our dogs.
• Slow your movements when you are around a high-strung dog. This goes hand-in-hand with the previously mentioned tip.
• Don’t chase your dog! This teaches them to run from humans which is incredibly inconvenient when you really need to catch them. Plus, many dogs are struck by cars while running away from their owners.
• Adjust the volume and pitch of your voice according to certain situations. If you’re playing with your dog, excitement in your voice is great! When you are grooming him/her, however, a calmer voice is necessary to keep your dog composed.

Dogs are like children. If they are hungry or have to use the bathroom, they will do whatever it takes to get your attention. Do yourself a favor; meet your dog’s needs with schedules, training, and the proper care. Helping your dog to become more manageable is essential! Not only will this lead to healthier habits, but ultimately an improved relationship between the two of you!

You love to spoil your pet, and that is great because they deserve all of the love and devotion in the world! Is it possible, though, to pamper them too much? As a pet lover, I could go on and on about the reasons why animals are so fantastic, but is there a point where the adoration of your little friend has gone overboard? Has pet love gotten out of control?

Sure, the amount of money spent on pets has most certainly increased in our modern society, but how different is that from a person spending a ton of money on a hobby of theirs? The pet industry provides jobs and is excellent for start-up businesses, inventors, and entrepreneurs, which, in turn, are businesses that benefit the community. In fact, dog/cat shows, competitions and events help bring money into the economies of the communities hosting them. That’s good news, isn’t it?

There is no doubt, however, that some people have gone over-the-top when it comes to loving their pets. They spend all of their time and money on them, almost to the point of obsession.

As long as this sort of unhappy relationship doesn’t exist, the amount of money or time spent with an animal really isn’t an issue. Studies have shown that pets lower blood pressure, decrease depression and generally improve the quality of life for people who share their lives with them. So go ahead and show your pet an abundance of affection and attention, just don’t overdo it!