Category: Dog Care Tips

When humans suffer from allergies our eyes water, breathing becomes asthmatic, our nose sniffles, and we sneeze exhibiting clear symptoms of allergies.  For dogs, you need to pay close attention to their skin.  Check their fur for skin irritation spots.  Take note if your dog scratches too much or is constantly trying to bite, lick or gnaw at a certain location on their skin.  Dogs suffer from allergies but it occurs as a skin irritant.

Investigate Dog Allergy Causes

You need to make sure you have not changed your dog’s shampoo or bedding area.  Have you added different material sheets or pillow covers to your pup’s sleeping quarters?  Have you switched dog shampoo brands?  Check out all the areas where your dog spends frequent amount of time and you will be able to find out the cause of the culprit.

If the cause is from nature, such as pollen, dust mites, or mildew, then you need to take appropriate measures to fix the issue.  Remove any carpeting that may be breeding mold or mildew.  Clean the house regularly ensuring dust mites do not build-up.  You do not want the allergies to get worse for it could cause your pup an ear infection if not treated properly.

Talk to a Vet

Talk to a veterinarian about how to treat your dog allergies.  Your vet may recommend a steroidal treatment or an at-home treatment consisting of hypoallergenic shampoos, conditioners and/or ointments.

If you still have questions about how to train your pup not to enter certain points of the yard due to allergic reaction to plants growing in that specific area, then talk to a Florida dog training obedience professional or a k9 obedience professional today.

After adopting your new pup the next step is to name your dog.  Take into consideration the breed, traits, and color of your pup.  Think about what suits your dog best.  If you are about to adopt a dog and wish to consult with someone regarding popular names talk to a Florida dog obedience professional.  He/she handles numerous dogs a day, and with this gained experience, a dog-training expert will be able to supply you with a plethora of male dog names.  In the meantime, here is a list to help spark the perfect name for your pup.

Most Common Male Dog Names

If your dog is a large breed, then names featuring superheroes, historical and/or mythological figures come into play.  For instance, Zeus, Hercules, and Genghis are great names for large breed dogs.  Other popular masculine names include Buddy, Jake, Rocky and Buster.

If you are looking for less traditional names, then think about naming the dog after your favorite website or electronics, such as Apple, Amazon or EBay.  If you prefer a kid-friendly name, children love to call dogs Bingo, Milo and Gruff.  These names all relate to something children associate with famous dogs from childhood stories, commercials and songs.

There are many different directions to go with naming your dog.   Ask the entire household to participate in naming him.  Consider the pup’s attributes before choosing.  Decide democratically and vote for the house favorite.

The pup is part of your family.  Thus, provide him with a great name to go with his new role.

For information on how to train your adopted dog, see a k9 obedience training class today.

Bringing home a new puppy is an exciting, yet, anxious moment for you and the pup.  It may be the first time your puppy is away from the litter and his mom.  So create a healthy, happy, and calm sleeping area for your puppy.  Puppy preschool instructors are able to guide you with insight on how to attain this type of atmosphere.  A professional will be able to provide specific advice. In the meantime, here are a few tips to help direct you down the right path.

Tire Your Puppy Out with Play

A puppy needs lots of playtime and sleep.  Thus, before it is time to put your puppy down to sleep for the night exhaust your puppy out with play.  You want the puppy to go to sleep naturally.  You do not want to force your puppy to lie down when not ready.  Any excitable energy remaining from the day will create an anxious moment.  Thus, continue playing until it is time to go to sleep.  In addition, be sure to take your pup outside to use the bathroom.  Take care of all the necessities before bedtime.

Put the Puppy Sleeping Area in Same Room

For the first few nights, it is a wise idea to keep your pup in the same room as one of the family members.  You do not want your pup to feel isolated and away from the rest of the family.  A dog needs to feel like part of a pack.

There are many other tricks on how to ease your pup into his new home.  Talk to a Florida dog training professional today.  He/she will be able to provide you with further techniques to assist in helping your puppy sleep restfully at night.

Visiting the veterinarian is expensive.  There is no way around it.  When your pet needs treatment you can’t do anything but pay for the medical bills.  Thus, how do you keep your vet bills down to a minimum throughout the year?  Here are a few tips ensuring you keep the bills as low as possible.

Spay or Neuter Your Pet

By implementing these two procedures, you save money in the end.  For there are many health issues specifically affecting reproductive organs, such as testicular and ovarian cancer.  Hence, by taking your dog to get spayed or neutered you are preventing these complications from arising in the future.  There are many local shelters offering this procedure at low or no cost.  It is worth it.  It maintains your dog’s long-term health and happiness

Stop Smoking

Smoking does affect everyone living under the same roof, including your pup.  It causes your dog to develop asthma, bronchitis and nasal cancer to name a few.  It is a terrible thing to force your dog to be susceptible to, therefore, just quit.  You will be saving money on vet bills by stopping this habit immediately.

Do Not Skip Out on Vet Visits

Taking your pup to the veterinarian on a regular basis keeps away expensive treatments and illnesses that may pop up without detection.  The idea is to practice preventive medicine rather than wait for something tragic to occur.  It will not ward off everything, but every little bit helps.

If you have any questions, talk to a Florida obedience training professional.  He/she will be able to provide more money saving tips and vet advice.  If you need additional assistance, talk to a k9 obedience trainer about puppy preschool classes today.

Ask any Florida dog obedience training professional, and he/she will state that dogs need to be active.  It is part of their natural make-up.  But what if you already present plenty of play and your dog still has difficulty calming down?  Here are a few techniques to implement teaching your dog to relax.

Ignore Unwanted Behavior

If you wish to relax, and have your dog remain calm during specific moments, then do not acknowledge your pup jumping on you or others in the room at the time.  Ignore it.  If you respond, your dog may interpret that as play interaction.  On the other hand, if your dog is laying down or sitting still, then reach down and pet your pup.  Pay attention.  If your pup starts to get rambunctious from you petting, then stop.  Repeat this until your pup learns to remain tranquil.  Eventually, the repetition of acknowledging the wanted behavior computes with your dog.  Your pup will make the correlation and learn if he remains calm, then attention is given.

Engage in Repetition

Once your dog understands the behavior you crave, provide your dog with treats during relaxation.  Some k9 obedience dog training professionals suggest offering a piece of cheese, chicken or doggie treats every 10 seconds, as long as your pup is laying down calmly.  Once your pup gets into the habit, widen the gap of time in-between treats.  After a while of applying this technique, your dog shall initiate the calming state without any prompting from you.

Dogs are able to learn calming behaviors.  Thus, do not underestimate the possibilities.  Talk to a Florida dog training center and find out the different tools available allowing you to bond with your pup in a positive, loving, healthy manner.

The idea of children and dogs living together does not bring forth the idea of a harmonious home.  But if you talk to a Florida dog training professional, he/she will inform you that it is possible.  It is does not come about naturally, but with proper socialization taught to the pup and the child, then the two are able to live under the same roof without any biting or negative incident occurring.

Teach Your Child about Dogs

If your child is a toddler or younger, then it is advised to supervise interaction between the two.  Once the child reaches beyond toddler age, then it is essential to teach your child the basics about dog care.

For instance, teach your child not to touch the dog during feeding time.  A dog is instinctively aggressive while eating.  Thus, if a child, teenager or young adult approaches the dog during these times, then the dog will nip, bite and act in an aggressive manner.

In addition, teach your child not to attempt to separate two fighting dogs.  Educate your kid to ask an adult or someone else to break-up the situation.   There are many incidents reported annually where young adults are injured due to this exact scenario.  Thus, it is important subject matter to address with your children.

Break Bad Habits Immediately

Little kids exhibit specific bad habits when around dogs.  One display of common, negative behavior is children tend to pull on a pup’s ears.  Teach your child that it is not appropriate and stop it immediately.  A negative behavior acted upon between a child and a dog needs to be broken as soon as possible.

If you have any questions about how to introduce a dog to a new baby in a home talk to a k9 obedience professional today.

Losing a pet is a nightmare striking the entire household.  It causes panic to resonate throughout the home.  But the best thing to do is remain calm.  You will not be productive if you act out of fright.  Hold the emotion in and think about what steps to take to find your lost pet.  Here is advice on what steps to take in aiding you to find your pup quickly.

Look Through the House

This may sound silly, but sometimes smaller breeds hide behind a piece of furniture or under a blanket.  Thus, thoroughly examine the house and make sure your dog isn’t hiding inside the house before extending the search outside.  If you are positive the pup is not present, start combing the neighborhood.

Contact Your Neighbors

While you are out walking around the area looking for your dog, call your neighbors from your cellular phone and see if your pup has been seen or found.  Your dog may be playing with a neighbor’s dog.  Thus, ask your neighbors.  In case your neighbors find your dog, provide them with your contact information.  Also, give your neighbors a picture of your pup.  A picture is a key tool to ensuring a lost pup is yours and not someone else’s.

Call Animal Shelters

It is a good idea to contact local animal shelters.  For some people may not be aware the dog is missing and take it directly to an animal shelter unsure of what to do.

For more tips on how to find a lost pet, talk to a Florida dog training professional today.  He/she will have experience in this subject matter and will be able to provide sound advice on how to proceed from here.

Misconceptions about Pit Bulls

Pit bulls are stereotyped as aggressive, mean, and impossible to train dogs.  However, these statements are not true.  Pit bulls are intelligent, loyal, and kind dogs…if correct training is implemented from the beginning.  Here are some tips on how to handle various scenarios with your pit bull puppy.

Socialization Starts Young

Pit bull puppies should interact and socialize with other breed dogs at a young age. For pit bulls are strong, and when pit bull puppies play together, they tend to be rough with one another.  It does not allow the pit bull puppy to gauge when the proper time to back down during play is.   On the other hand, if a pit bull puppy plays with other breeds from a very young age, then the pit bull puppy learns.

For one example of normal play behavior in puppies is when the play is too intense, a puppy stops play immediately.  The puppy takes a break then returns to play.  It is a great lesson to teach a pit bull puppy.  This allows the pit bull puppy to discover when his/her strength is too powerful for other dogs.  It helps the puppy to socialize with other puppies preventing accidental fighting behavior to be the norm when the dog grows up.

For more information on pit bulls and how to handle different breed characteristics, talk to a Florida dog training professional or k9 obedience instructor today.