When we take our dogs out for a walk in the winter, we're subjecting their little paws to salt, chemical ice melters, bad weather auto fluids such as anti-freeze, and the snow and ice themselves. There are many different types of dog booties available. Here's a quick rundown:
1. Disposable Dog Boots - these pull on and are usually made of rubber. There is a natural rubber alternative as well. 2. Neoprene Dog Boots - these have a neoprene top and rubber bottom. They are usually zip-ups. 3. Velcro Dog Boots - these often have a non-skid vinyl sole with a fleece lining. They are secured with velcro fasteners at the top. Consider ease of putting boots on, how well they stay on, if the material is comfortable and always measure for them accurately. by Kelly Modzelewski, Dog and Cat Writer
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A few spoonfuls of warm chicken soup can help your dog get his appetite back when he is under the weather. Also, tasty broth helps a dog make the transition from IV to solid food after an illness. It is important to choose the no MSG broth because your dog does not need any food additives when he is not feeling well.
I always choose low salt and organic as well (organic chicken broth is not expensive), but I will confess that sometimes the saltier broth is tastier and helps a reluctant eater lap up more on his own. To get him going, try dipping your finger in the broth and dropping a little on his tongue. Helen Fazio and her dog Raja are world travelers. Click here to visit their blog, and click here to follow them on Twitter. It happens all the time - you spend hours lugging the Christmas tree home, wrestling with lights and trying not to drop the heirloom holiday ornaments your great aunt left you - and the second you step back to admire your handiwork a certain pupster lifts a leg to add his own personal touch to your tree. You can't blame your pet, he probably thinks you got him a snazzy indoor potty for Christmas. But you can take measures to curb this behavior before the guests come over.
Dealing with a dog that pees on the Christmas tree requires the exact same type of management, redirection, and reinforcement that potty training a new puppy requires. Here is a protocol for managing and training the dog that marks on Christmas trees:
http://blogs.dogster.com/dog-training/what-to-do-if-your-dog-is-a-christmas-tree-pee-r/2010/12/ Prong collars are not my preferred method for training walking on a loose leash for the simple reason that the timing of the "pop" needs to be at JUST the right moment and to effectively use these, you need to know what you want from your dog. Without this, you will end up jerking your dog's leash meaninglessly. Your dog, under that circumstance, will make no changes to his behavior as you jerk for any and all reasons. You may end up with a dog that hates walks or shows aggression. Another option is the Easy Walk Harness or Sporn. The Easy Walk Harness takes the oomph out of the dog pulling with the shoulders, as it hooks in the front, making it impossible for the dog to pull, while the Sporn redistributes the weight to under the front legs.
Tammy Reinarz, CPDT-KA and a Professional Member of the APDT, has been training dogs of all breeds within the Central PA area since 2005. Sometimes, and usually with a sheepish look on her face, a student will confess that she allows her dog to sleep in her bed each night. This confession is frequently followed by an almost reflexive cringe, as if the student is expecting fire and brimstone to fall from the ceiling of the classroom and bury her and her dog under the weight of trainer-induced guilt. As politely as possible, I laugh and admit that I, too, allow my dogs to sleep in the bed with me.
I think that students are often afraid of admitting that their dogs share the bed because they’ve been told that it will make the dog “dominant.” More likely, it just makes the dog comfortable and unfortunately, sometimes at the expense of human comfort! There are some dogs that find the bed to be an extremely valuable resource and will therefore display resource guarding behaviors (freezing, staring, growling, hackling, snapping, or biting when approached on the bed or when someone in the bed rolls over, jostles or moves the dog, etc.). These dogs should be managed carefully and not allowed access to the bed at all until significant progress has been made on addressing the resource guarding issue. That said, if your dog does not resource guard the bed and you are considering allowing her to share your bed, you may want to keep the following in mind: DOGS ARE BEDHOGS – Big dogs, small dogs, they all have the potential to be bedhogs. I’m sure there is a five pound Chihuahua out there with enough dedication to leave his owner curled up in a two foot square on the corner of a California King while Paco luxuriates, stretching his legs and snoozing in comfort. ALLERGY SUFFERERS BEWARE! I always admire the brave (and somewhat tormented) souls who have severe allergies to dogs and yet love them so much they absolutely must live with dogs. If you are one of these allergy-suffering dog lovers, you may want to consider very carefully whether allowing your dog to sleep in the bed is a good idea for both your health and sleep hygiene. It’s hard to get a good night’s rest if you are sneezing, have itchy or watery eyes, and are getting a Mastiff paw in your shoulder sporadically throughout the night as well. Some of my clients who suffer from allergies like to set aside time to snuggle the dog in bed before turning in for the night or briefly in the morning, allowing the dog to spend the rest of the night in a crate or on his own bed. YOUR BED WILL GET MESSY – Dogs shed, drool, have dirty paws, and are adept at messing up clean linens. Be prepared to wash those sheets a lot more frequently if your doggy shares the bed! If you’re ok with these things, keep reading… I do recommend that if you choose to allow your dog in bed, you train a reliable behavior to get your dog off the bed on cue. In addition to the bed that you sleep in, your dog should have her own bed and/or crate in the bedroom. For this behavior, you should practice to the point where you can send her to her bed while you are lying in your own bed, putting clothes away in a dresser or closet, or sitting and reading a book. You can also, if you like, put getting into the bed on cue and establish stimulus control so that your dog only gets in bed when invited. You may choose to train your dog that she is only to sleep at the foot of your bed and not near your pillow. If you are unsure about how to train these behaviors, hire a trainer or leave a comment on this blog and I will add it to the list of topics that I need to get around to covering! Practice classically conditioning your dog to associate both people approaching her while she’s on the bed and people pushing or moving her around on the bed on cue with feet, hands, knees, elbows, hips. Not that you’ll shove your dog around intentionally, but unless you’re physically restrained, you’ll likely do these things to your dog in your sleep. I’ll be honest, if I need to move Mokie in bed while I’m still semi-conscious I’ll use a hand target, but if I’m in dreamland she sometimes gets shoved around by my feet as I try to find a comfortable position. I’ve paired these experiences with good things for Mokie (treats), so she doesn’t really worry about it or will choose to go lie on her own bed. Occasionally, do have your dog sleep separately in a crate or on her own bed, sometimes in rooms which are not occupied by humans. Train your dog to relax on her bed or in her crate while she’s alone, incorporating calming aids if necessary. At some point, chances are good you will need to board your dog or perhaps have a friend, family member, or professional provide pet sitting services in your home or at theirs. If your dog is not used to sleeping alone, she may be stressed by having to sleep by herself. Separation from the owner can be intrinsically stressful to some dogs, as is the change in routine that often accompanies pet sitting or boarding situations, so preparing her for sleeping by herself in advance will make that one less thing for your dog to worry about while you travel. There, I said it. I do it – every morning I wake up with Mokie’s head on the pillow next to mine and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Allowing the dog to sleep on the bed is certainly a personal decision and not for everyone. If you want your dog to sleep in your bed and she is able to do so happily, what’s the problem? More than likely, your dog wanting to share the bed is not a sign of dominance, it is a sign that she has refined tastes and is smart enough to realize that the most comfortable, warm sleeping spot happens to be the one you have chosen for yourself. as shown in http://blogs.dogster.com/dog-training/the-great-bed-debate/2010/10/ This is considered a pretty intense challenge: it's like a rough push or a shove from one person to another. Depending on the personality of the dog who receives the paw, it can turn into a play session or in a worst-case scenario, a dogfight.
by Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible Stolen Dog Reunited With Owner After 7 YearsA dog that was stolen from it's backyard almost 7 years ago has been reunited with it's shocked owners. On the day after Thanksgiving in 2003, Brad and Amy Davis and their three children reported their nine-month old Weimaraner called "Jake" as stolen. The Davis family had gone to have their Christmas pictures taken and were away from their home for no more than 45 minutes. That was enough time, however, for thieves to steal their dog from the backyard, leaving his collar behind. "He had been a Houdini-like dog in the past," Amy Davis said, "but there was no way he would have been able to get the collar off by himself." Despite offering rewards for his return, the family never received any news or updates about Jake's whereabouts. And after nearly seven years had passed, the Davis family had given up hope of ever finding their dog again. On September 7th, however, Phyllis Arsenault, a recovery specialist from the American Kennel Club's Companion Animal Recovery (AKC CAR), the nation's largest not-for-profit pet recovery service, called the Davises to say Jake had been found as a result of his microchip being scanned at the Estill County Animal Shelter in Ravenna, Kentucky - over 420 miles and 7 hours from their home in Michigan. The Davises learned that Jake had been dropped off at the shelter by a gentleman who had found him running in the street. "The really strange thing is that when we got the calls, we had just returned from Kentucky and our son's BMX race - we were only about 100 miles away from him!" said Amy. Since his return, Jake has transitioned back into his family quite easily, even making friends with the Davises' new six-month-old puppy. "When the shelter staff contacted us I was really glad we had the family's updated information in our database and that we were able to reunite them with Jake," said Phyllis Arsenault, the recovery specialist who handled the case. "When I spoke to Brad, he was just ecstatic about his dog's return." According to the American Kennel Club's National Pet Theft Database, based on customer and media reports, approximately 177 pets have been reported stolen so far in 2010 compared to 162 in 2009 and 71 in 2008. And this case demonstrates the importance of microchip identification in the fight against pet theft. Photograph courtesy American Kennel Club by Daphne Reid Socializing your puppy is part of raising a functional, healthy and happy dog!
Some tips about puppy socialization: Small Groups 1. Play Dates - Find a friend who has a dog of a similar size to yours. At this point, asking a shy Yorkie to play with a Great Dane isn't advisable. Make sure your friend's pup is dog-friendly. It also helps if he is playful, calm and secure. Likely you'll find your Yorkie ends up following him around and taking communication cues from him. 2. Walking - Dogs on leash are in a different place than dogs off leash. Be certain that you ask any other dog owner before you introduce your puppy to his. Scope out the other puppy's demeanor - is he relaxed? Does the owner have control? Try to introduce them with a slight slack on the leash but with your hand forward on it so you can pull back if necessary. 3. Dog Parks - Find a time when the dog park is almost empty. Scan the dogs in the park before entering and note their size, their breed or mix, and how they're interacting with each other. If any are showing signs of aggression, pass it up. Also pass it up if the owners aren't watching their dogs. Keep a short lead, about a foot long, on your puppy so you can grab him easily if there is any trouble. AS seen at: http://www.dogster.com/articles/A-Guide-to-Puppy-Socialization-206 Manhattan/NYC Dog Walkers also offers a NYC Puppy Care Program. We visit your puppy to grant her a bathroom break, play and reinforce basic training. Once your pooch has all her shots, which it happens when they are around 4 or 5 months old, we'll start exploring the nyc street with your pooch, always reinforcing her training. UPPER WEST SIDE — Community Board 7 confronted a classic New York puzzle Monday night: squeezing too many people into too small a space.
In this case the space is a 10–foot wide path in Riverside Park that cyclists, dog walkers, moms with strollers and seniors out for some air all share. The crowded path has become a trouble spot, prompting weekly "incidents" involving bikers and pedestrians and a "couple of accidents," said Crista Carmody, a city park and recreation manager, at Monday night's Community Board 7 parks committee meeting. "We were getting a lot of complaints," Carmody said. In response, the parks department posted signs telling cyclists to get off their bikes and walk on the path, which starts at W. 72nd Street and slopes down to the Hudson River. Cyclists say they weren't consulted about the signs. Others claim the cyclists speed and are inconsiderate to other path users. Monday night was a chance for all parties to discuss solutions to the problem, which officials say will only worsen as more bikers head to the recently completed Manhattan Waterfront Greenway. Parks officials say they've gotten complaints about bikers speeding on this path near W. 72nd Street. (DNAinfo/Leslie Albrecht) The path is one of the busiest entrances to the Greenway because it's one of the safest for cyclists, Carmody said. Tila Duhaime of Upper West Side Streets Renaissance, a group that advocates for cycling, said forcing bikers to dismount sends a message that the city doesn't respect cycling. "The problem with something like a dismount zone is that it says if you have a bike, you're the problem," Duhaime said. "It delegitimizes biking." But others argued that the signs were needed because the path, shared by small children, dogs and would-be Lance Armstrongs, is a disaster waiting to happen. Some park users claim the path is too narrow to be shared safely by pedestrians and cyclists. "There are too many people who use it for too many things," said Community Board 7 member Suzanne Robotti. "Everybody's got rights, and nobody's got the right-of-way," Robotti said. She suggested that New York take a cue from Amsterdam, where cyclists and pedestrians live together in relative harmony. Community Board members and the public tossed around several possible solutions to the problem, including: speed bumps, stop signs, speed limits, painting a separate area for bikers on the path, and mounting an education campaign to make cyclists more aware of other park users. Community Board 7 member Phyllis Gunther suggested bringing in experts to design a wider path. Board member Ken Coughlin nixed that idea, saying, "What we need are psychologists to figure out how you mold behavior." Board members took no formal action Monday night. They said they'll revisit the issue at the parks committee's Sept. 20 meeting. Before then, Carmody said she hopes to get a count of how many people use the path and what time of day it's busiest. By Leslie Albrecht @ http://dnainfo.com/20100720/upper-west-side/cyclists-dog-walkers-strollers-seek-middle-ground-on-riverside-park-path#ixzz0wSkBK2e8 |
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