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"Raising A Healthy Dog"
Raising a Happy Healthy Dog
Dogs are pack animals—they depend on you for love and protection, so keep them inside, take them for walks, and make them a part of your family.
Dogs left unattended in their own yards, even for a few minutes have been stolen, poisoned, and beaten. They can suffer from stress and loneliness, heatstroke in the summer, and frostbite, hypothermia in the summer, and dehydration in the winter.
Because of the danger and cruelty that it poses, several communities have banned the chaining of dogs. Chained dogs kill as many children as do firearms, and they kill more than falls trees, playground equipment, and fireworks accidents put together.
Ways that our animals can improve our lives:
They can help improve self-esteem
They can help reduce the risk of allergies
They can help reduce our negativity
They can help reduce loneliness
They make us feel supported
They help make us want to stay healthier
They can help make us less stressed
They draw other people to us
They can help stabilize our blood pressure
Walking Schedules
Puppies should be taken out at least once every two hours (or within a half hour after eating or drinking) and guided to the same spot where they can smell having relieved themselves before. Immediately after they “do their business,” they should be praised lavishly in a high-pitched, excited voice. Crate training does not speed up the housebreaking process: Puppies do not develop full bladder control before 6 months of age and are physically incapable of “holding it” for very long.
Take your adult pooch out at least 4 times a day and allow him or her time to linger and smell the fire hydrants. If you can't go home at lunchtime, enlist the help of a neighbor or a professional dog-walker
Crating has recently become a popular practice often used on adult dogs by people who say that they are protecting their dogs. Often, however, it will turn out that the true reason for crating is to protect furniture or simply because it’s convenient. But this practice deprives dogs of basic necessities, such as the freedom to walk around and look out the window, the opportunity to relieve themselves, and the comfort of stretching out.
Training
You and your dogs speak different languages. Humane, interactive training gives dogs greater freedom and a better understanding of our world. Untrained dogs are often punished for their “improper” behavior. Be the one to train your dog—you are the one who will need to know how to communicate with him or her—but get help from a humane dog trainer if you run
into problems.
Compassion, clarity, and consistency are the most important elements of dog training. Training should not include any activity or device that endangers animals (e.g., electric shock collars) or puts undue stress on them. Good books on the subject include Click Here for a Well-Trained Dog by Deborah A. Jones, Ph.D.; The Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller; and, for solving dog behavioral problems, If Only They Could Speak, Dogs Behaving Badly, and The Dog Who Loved Too Much, all by Nicholas Dodman.
If you have been feeding your dog commercial pet foods, you may be jeopardizing his or her health. Cheap, supermarket pet foods are often composed of ground-up parts of animals deemed by Agriculture Department inspectors unfit for human consumption. Many guardians feed healthful, meatless diets to their dogs.
Feed dogs first, before you eat. To keep dogs from begging at the dinner table, teach them the simple phrase “All done!” (You must be consistent with this—absolutely no more food can be given after saying the phrase, or the meaning will be lost.) After they understand “All done!” you will be able to feed your dogs something from the table without becoming the target of any begging after you stop.
Safety Tips For Pet Owners
Traveling
Dogs are safest and most comfortable wearing a nylon harness, not a collar when out walking . Choke and prong collars can be painful and injure your dog. For a dog who pulls too hard, try the Easy Walk Harness (available online), which discourages pulling without discomfort to the dog.
Take care to keep your dog safe in the care. Even on a 78F degrees the temperature inside a shaded car is a 90F degrees while the inside of a car parked in the sun can reach up to 160F in minutes. Animals don't perspire as we do and can quickly succumb to heatstroke.
Countless animals are killed, injured, or lost on commercial flights each year. Temperatures can become extremely hot or cold in airplane cargo holds, and the noise is deafening.
Traveling in a Kennel can be stressful and scary and even harbor disease. Travelers should have a trusted friend or relative look after their dogs at home, where they'll be most comfortable
Socialization and Security
Animals get depressed if deprived of adequate social interaction, so let them “chat” and play with other dogs on walks and at parks. A happy dog’s life is not one long series of commands: Let them live a little, make choices, and take their time. Animals are very sensitive and can become easily frightened, so speak softly to dogs. Don’t fight or shout in their presence, and give them their own hiding places to dash into when they want to be alone.
Our minds are like Ocean Waves full of emotions, turbulences deep inside of us; In the animal world, they can understand us, and they react depending on how we are feeling at any specific moment in our lives. For Example, how many of us come home from work, and don’t feel like talking to anyone just having a quite moment and petting our best friend?. Everyday life in general make us feel empty and lost at times. Animals are the only ones who can understand our emotions and makes us smile again. They make us feel comfortable and strong, looking forward to overcome all obstacles that we will encounter everyday. We can talk to them we can share those special intimate thoughts and we know that they will never betray us in anyway. Animals are our best friends in good and bad times. They will always be there for us…always. Let’s protect them, love them and always be there for them……
Don’t ever forget who is your best Friend!
Veterinary Care
Sterilizing (Spay and Neuter) dogs helps stem the tide of companion-animal overpopulation. Spaying female dogs reduces the stress and discomfort endured during heat periods, eliminates the risk of uterine cancer, and greatly reduces the risk of mammary cancer. Neutering makes male dogs much less likely to roam or fight and prevents testicular cancer.
Never wait to take your dog to a veterinarian if there is any sign of illness or injury, but don’t leave your dog with the vet for any longer than absolutely necessary or allow the vet to refuse to let you see him or her upon request.
caring for your dog
Additional Information
Caring for a Dog
Dogs are fun, loyal and rewarding companions, if you care for them properly. Dog ownership requires commitment and responsible attitude. To successfully look after a pet dog, there are many things to consider.
Breed of Dog-
There are many different types of dog, from small to large, short haired or long-for example, the smallest breed of dog is the Chihuahua; and the fastest is the Greyhound.
Dogs were bred for different resons and so all behave slightly differently. For example, Border Collies are extremely active as they were bred to work farms, whereas Yorkshire Terriers are not so active and need less exercise in a home environment.
Responsible Ownership-
A dog should always wear a collar. The collars should be fitted with an identification tag, by law, which has the owner's name and address on it. This is very important to help identify the dog if he ever escapes or runs off. All dogs should be given a microchip. It is a quick and painless procedure where an identification chip is inserted into the back of the dog's neck. This chip enables dogs to be reunited with their owners if lost.
TOP TIP: If you are thinking of getting a dog, it is really important to find out as much as you can about the character of that type of dog and how it behaves. A dog should always be on a lead when in a busy public area and near roads and never left alone and should be trained to come back before being let of the lead in other areas.
Exercise-
A dog should be exercised everyday, regardless of the weather! If there is no access to a garden, a dog will need to be taken for a short walk much more regularly. You will also always need to carry a 'poop scoop' with you when exercising a dog outside so that you can clean up after him. It is important that everyone cleans up after their dog when they are in public places. Toys and play should also be an important part of a dog's daily routine. Playing games will help to exercise the dog and prevent boredom and destructive behavior.
TOP TIP: Ideally toys should not be left on the floor all the time as a dog will simply get bored. A toy box could be useful so you decide when it is playtime.
FANTASTIC FACT: Exercise is not only fun for dogs, it helps to keep a dog's, heart muscles, and bones strong, as well as keeping them entertained.
Food and water-
Dogs need feeding at least once a day. They should be given special dog food rather than the same food as you. However, when they are very young they can require as many as four meals a day. The dog's bowl should be cleaned after every meal. Don't feed a dog from the dinner table this will encourage him to scrounge food from you. Save any scraps from your meal that you wish to give the dog and mix these with his food at his dinnertime. Dogs should be given a bowl of fresh water everyday. Their water bowl should be cleaned regularly.
IMPORTANT: Never give a dog chicken, fish or pork bones they might get stuck in the dog's throat. TOP TIP: Remember to change a dog's water often especially in warm weather.
IMPORTANT: Never give a dog chocolate-It is poisonous to them. There are lots of special doggy treats that you can give your dog as a reward instead.
Healthcare-
A dog will need to visit the vet at least once a year to receive all his vaccinations as follows: DPHLP (Distemper/Parvo), Bortadella, Rabies, Dewormer, Heartworm Test and Preventative as well as Flea and Tick treatment. Dogs are vaccinated to stop them for catching any diseases. This is also a good time for the vet to give the dog a check -up and make sure he is strong and healthy. It is important to have a dog neutered/spayed for a female particularly, if you have more than one dog. Neutering and Spaying will mean no unwanted puppies and can also prevent medical problems. It can also help improve a dog's behavior.
TOP TIP: You can help a dog with it's dental care by brushing it's teeth once or twice a week with special doggy toothpaste from a vet.
IMPORTANT;=: A dog's temperature is usually 38C (101F)
Grooming-
Most breeds of dog shed their hair throughout the year, so require grooming on a regular basis. regardless of hair length, all dogs should be groomed regularly as it helps to promote healthy skin. Dogs should only be washed when necessary. Bathing them too often can lead to them losing the natural oils in their coat.
TOP TIP: If you wish to help groom your dog, ask your parents to help you. Using a soft brush, brush the same way as the hair grows and always reward the dog if he is well behaved.
IMPORTANT: Some dogs have double coats (two layers of hair)-The bottom one being the undercoat. The undercoat helps a dog stay warm and dry in cold weather but also gives protection from the sun.
Love and Attention-
Just like us, dogs want love and attention too. It is important that a dog is given love, attention and security but does not become over dependent on you. Dogs that are over dependent on their owners may bark, howl, chew or mess in the house when left alone.
TOP TIP: Try to ignore a dog when he is being bad or demanding attention and give him attention when he is being good. This will help to prevent him becoming over dependent on you as well as teaching him how to behave.
How can you help
Fundraising can be a great way to help the dogs and cats in our care. Sponsored events are always popular. If you have any ideas for fundraising please let us know.
safety around dogs
Additional Information
We often think dogs have the same feelings as us, which can lead to big misundstanding in our relationships with them. They can't talk the same way as us; for example, they can't tell us when they are hurt or frightened-they may snap or bark instead. We can think they are trying to say something completely different and in some cases, we would see their behavior as being aggressive, which is not always the case.
Dogs may surprise us at times with their behavior, there is nearly always a warning and a reason for this this behavior. Dogs are just like in this-sometimes we may get angry for no reason, but when we calm down and explain, there's always a reason behind it.
Remember dogs can't tell you about themselves and their own history, you won't be aware if they have ever been hurt or neglected and whether their trust in humans has been damaged. This would greatly affect the way they behave.
Most people are naturally drawn towards pets, particularly dogs and our lives are often improved by having them around. In order for us to be safe around dogs, we should all be aware of how to minimize the risk of a dog being frightened by us or feel the need to protect themselves.
DO-
-Be gentle and quiet around dogs at all times
-Have respect for dogs
DON'T
- Sneak up on a dog- you may scare them
-Tease a dog- It's not fair
-Stare at a dog too long in the eye. Dogs can find this intimidating just like we do.
-Disturb a dog who is sleeping or eating as he may not want to play.
-Assume a dog will always want to play with you. Just like you, sometimes they may want to be left alone
-Approach a dog who is tied up or without an owner as you won't know whether he is friendly or not.
Learn More
Treat dogs as you would your friends-with respect and kindness at all times.