Happy Independance Day!

(photo courtesy of http://www.hoatalk.com/zpublic/1/july4-party-dog-orig-large-photo-1500x2250.jpg)

How to Give the Medication in the Ears

It is important to get the medication into the horizontal part of
the ear canal. Unlike our ear canal, the dog's external ear canal
is "L" shaped. The vertical canal connects with the outside of the
ear and is the upper part of the "L". The horizontal canal lies
deeper in the canal and terminates at the eardrum. Our goal is to
administer the medication into the lower part of the "L" - the
horizontal ear canal.

The ear canal may be medicated by following these steps:

1. Pull the earflap straight up and hold it with one hand.

2. Place a small amount of medication into the vertical part of the
ear canal while continuing to keep the earflap elevated.

3. Put one finger in front of and at the base of the earflap, and
put your thumb behind and at the base.

4. Massage the ear canal between your finger and thumb. A squishing
sound tells you that the medication has gone into the ear canal.

5. Clean the outer part of the ear canal and the inside of the
earflap with a cotton ball soaked in some of the medication.

(photo courtesy of http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Dog, content courtesy of Dr. Andrew Jones)

FREE Video on Making Homemade Dog Food

http://www.thedogsupplement.com/undressed/

How Well Is Your Dog Groomed?

The reason one should groom his/her Dog is simple - your dog's physical state influences the way he feels and the way you look at your dog. Extreme cases, where lack of proper care, cleaning and grooming can directly affect the behavior of your Dog, are not rare.

Proper grooming not only infuses a healthy glow to your dog's appearance, but also helps develop his self-esteem; while it makes you a very proud parent, when you show off your Dog to others.

The first step involved in dog grooming is: Brushing!

Brushing has been universally acknowledged by expert dog groomers as the single most important step in grooming.

The benefits of brushing are many. To name a few:

• Better blood circulation
• Shinier and healthier coat
• Better bonding

Subscribe to this FREE dog grooming mini course and learn more about brushing and combing and other grooming tools and their applications.

Even if you know how crucial brushing is for your Dog's health and well-being, we all know that there is a right way and a wrong way of doing anything. And without doubt, you would like to do everything the RIGHT way when it comes to your Dog.

Yes, there's a method to follow while brushing your Dog.

Here are FIVE steps to successfully brushing your Dog that will prove to be extremely useful:

• Brush against the growth of the hair first with a slicker brush and then with a medium or wide-toothed comb.
  
• The slicker brush removes all the loose hair and the comb takes care of the tangles.
  
• Brush your Dog along the hair growth and make sure you reach the skin as you brush his way.
  
• Then use a flea comb over the coat to get the fleas and remove any remaining tangles. Part the coat and start from the root and then comb through.
  
• If your Dog's paw pads are hairy, then clip them using electric clippers. Do not clip the hair in between the pads. Clip only the excess hair.

Brush your Dog's hairs to prevent it from matting. Matting can be a very painful experience.

Regular brushing untangles the matted hairs on your Dog's coat. Since this is a risky job to do, the best way out is to prevent them from forming in the first place. And doing this is simple: just brush and comb your Dog regularly. If and when you see any mats or tangles, use a detangle solution and a medium-toothed comb.

Don't wait until your Dog is dirty or matted to introduce him to grooming. That would make him associate the experience with unpleasantness. Moreover, many dogs learn to see their routine brushing as an alternate form of petting, i.e. another source of affection and attention.

Subscribe to this FREE dog grooming mini course and start Grooming your Dog all by yourself right from the comfort of your home Today.

(photo courtesy of http://www.dogfacts.org/dog-grooming-bathing.jpg)

What To Do if Your Dog Eats Toxic Food

A few days ago I covered some very common, yet virtually
UNKNOWN food toxins - such as Avocados, Chewing Gum, Grapes and
Macadamia Nuts.

Here's what to do if your pet ingests ANY of these:

TO YOUR VETERINARIAN. If your pet is showing signs of ingesting a
poison, it is important that your veterinarian examines her and
treated appropriately. Some toxins can progress and lead to severe
seizures. If you suspect antifreeze poisoning, it must be treated
within 4-6 hours, before irreversible kidney damage occurs.

PURGE THE POISON. In most cases of poisoning, getting your pet to
vomit is the most important thing that you can do. DO NOT INDUCE
VOMITING if something caustic has been consumed (such as drain
cleaner or bleach). To induce vomiting, give hydrogen peroxide
at 1 teaspoon per 10 lbs of body weight. If your pet doesn't
vomit in 10 minutes, repeat again. NEVER do more than 2 treatments
of peroxide. You can also try salt: dilute 1 teaspoon of salt in
a tablespoon of water per every 10lbs of body weight.

NEUTRALIZE THE TOXIN. If a caustic substance has been ingested,
DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING, rather give something to neutralize it.
An alkaline toxin such as drain cleaner is neutralized by something
acidic such as vinegar: give 1 tsp per 10 lbs of body weight. An
acidic toxin, such as battery acid, is best neutralized with
something alkaline such as Milk of Magnesia: give 1 tsp per 10lbs
of body weight.

DELAY ABSORPTION. Activated charcoal is readily available at most
pharmacies. It delays absorption of any toxin by binding to the
toxic compound in the stomach. The easiest way is to give the
capsule form. For those garbage-eating dogs (such as my own dog)
it is a good idea to have hydrogen peroxide and activated charcoal
always on hand.

TOPICAL TOXINS. If your pet is having a reaction to something on
the skin, such as flea medications, or oil on the skin, then you
want to remove it as soon as possible. Dish soap works well - lather
it up, then rinse your pet thoroughly. Thick tarry substances that
you can't wash off can be first covered in flour, as the flour
absorbs some of the oil, then washed off with dish soap.

PREVENTION. Ensure medications are always out of mouth's reach.
Become familiar with toxic plants (visit http://www.aspca.org/toxicplants
for a complete list) and remove those from your house, if your pet
is a plant-eater.

Foods that are Hazardous to Your Dog

There are a number of common 'human' foods that can be toxic
for your pets... The important thing is to know exactly what to
avoid. Here is a complete list.

Alcoholic beverages

It is often sweet - attracting dogs and cats, but can cause
serious and fatal intoxication. Don't ever offer this to your pets.

Here are some of the signs and side effects:
- Incoordination/ataxia
- Excitement
- Depression
- Excessive urination
- Breathing rate is slowed
- Cardiac arrest and death

Avocado

Avocado leaves, fruit, seeds and bark contain a toxic principle
known as Persin. The Guatemalan variety is most toxic - but all
have toxic potential. They cause vomiting/diarrhea - primarily
gastrointestinal distress.

Chocolate (all forms)

Chocolate contains theobromine, a compound that is a cardiac
stimulant and a diuretic.

Signs:
Initial excitation.
Increased drinking and urinating.
Vomiting and Diarrhea.
Theobromine causes an increased heart rate and arrhythmia -.
Seizures can then be seen.
Death is then possible.
ACTION PLAN: Induce vomiting, give activated charcoal, and go to
the Vet if depression and seizures begin. Baker's chocolate and
high cocoa content chocolate is the most toxic; the toxic dose is
2 baking squares for a 10lb dog. Regular chocolate bars have
little real chocolate and are seldom toxic.

Coffee (all forms)

Coffee contains dangerous components called xanthines, which
cause nervous system or urinary system damage and heart muscle
stimulation

Fatty foods

The primary concern here is severe gastrointestinal upset- and
in some cases Pancreatitis.
This can be fatal in some pets- and it is ALMOST always triggered
by a High Fat Meal, such as gravy or bacon.

Macadamia nuts

Macadamia nuts contain an unknown toxin, which can affect the
digestive and nervous systems and muscles of dogs. This has
lead to paralysis. A small number of nuts and even the butter
can cause this.

Moldy or spoiled foods
Many molds contain a type of toxin called an Aflatoxin. This is
thought to be a common cause of "compost toxicity". Signs include
GI (Vomiting/Diarrhea), muscle tremors, in-coordination, elevated
temperature, excessive salivation, and liver damage. Avoid
feeding ANYTHING moldy to your dog or cat.

Onions, onion powder

Onions contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate.

Pets affected by onion toxicity will develop anemia. 1 Onion can
cause this. Fortunately ALL dogs recover once they are stopped
from ingesting onions.

Raisins and grapes

As few as 6 grapes and raisins have caused acute kidney failure
in some dogs.
The toxic ingredient is not yet known.
There is no treatement.
AVOID feeding ANY grapes or raisins to your dogs.

Yeast dough

The yeast dough/uncooked bread dough will rise in your pet's
stomach causing severe gastrointestinal distress (vomiting/diarrhea),
bloating, and signs of alcohol toxicity.

Xylitol

Xylitol is a artificial sweeter found in "SUGAR FREE" Products,
such as gum, candy etc.

Signs relate to a sudden drop in glucose (blood sugar),
in-coordination, collapse and seizures.

Avoid feeding any gum/candy to your pets.

Apples, Apricots, Cherries, Peaches and Plums.

Ingestion of large amounts of stems, seeds and leaves of these
fruits can be toxic.

They contain a cyanide type compound and signs of toxicity include
apprehension, dilated pupils, difficulty breathing, hyperventilation
and shock.

Note - it's the seeds and stems that contain the toxic component,
not the fruit itself.

Potato peelings and green looking potatoes

Potatoes and other Solanum species, including the tomato, are
members of the nightshade family of plants.

These plants contain solanine and other toxic alkaloids which, if
eaten in large enough amounts, can produce drooling, severe
gastrointestinal upset, including vomiting and diarrhea, loss of
appetite, drowsiness, central nervous system depression, confusion,
behavioral changes, weakness, dilated pupils and slowed heart rate.

Nutmeg

High levels of nutmeg can be toxic, even fatal.

The toxic component is unknown.

Signs of toxicity include tremors, seizures, nervous system
abnormalities or death.

Tomato leaves & stems (green parts)

The green parts of the tomato plant are considered toxic because
they contain solanine, which has the potential to produce
significant gastrointestinal and central nervous system effects.

Is Your Dog Potty Trained Enough?

House Training a puppy or adult Dog is such an essential issue for its owner that even a single exclusive tip turns out to be extremely helpful.

The first step in making your Dog fit for polite company would be to potty train him. Some see this training as a hassle and some as a challenge.

For me, it is part of bringing up a pet.

Click here to subscribe to a FREE course on housetraining puppies and dogs.

There are a few things you need to know before you actually start potty training a puppy or adult Dog. I enumerate these below:

• You need to understand your dog's body language. Watch for signs that will indicate to you when your pet wants to eliminate.

• If you own puppies, remember that they need to go potty at fairly frequent intervals - as soon as they wake up, after short naps, after play-time, after meals, before and after being crated and finally, before retiring for the night.

• Take your Dog for walks at the time that he usually does his potty. Take him out to the yard and then to the same place there every time he needs to answer nature's call.

• Praise your Dog after he eliminates at the right place. Some Dog owners even give treats to their dogs. But remember to do this every time he does it right. He will relate the rewards to his having "done it right" and zero in on the spot where you want him to defecate regularly.

• With time, you can try signal training. This is so that you know when your doggie wants to go. You can hang a bell at his level near the door and teach him to push it with his nose or pat it with his paw on his way out.

• Until your Dog has been fully potty trained keep him under strict vigilance. Do not let him roam around the house freely.

• Use a crate. A crate-trained Dog is usually very happy to get his own den. The advantage of crating is that dogs do not soil the place where they sleep. So, he will naturally not eliminate inside the crate.

• If you have a small dog and if you live in a high-rise building or in a place that does not have a proper backyard, you can try litter pan training. What you do is create a space for your pet to eliminate in your house itself.

• Use positive reinforcements while housebreaking puppies or adult dogs. Do not scold or hit him as you will gain nothing by doing that. He will only associate punishment with your return from outside. If you catch him in the act, a stern 'NO' or 'FREEZE' will do. It will startle the Dog enough for him to stop pooping.

• Be prepared to return to a soiled home if you are keeping your Dog home alone for more than 4 hours as separation anxiety is quite common among home-alone dogs.

• Accidents will happen. It is unusual for a trained adult Dog to work against its house training. But medical problems or health disorders may lead to sudden accidents.

• Many dogs mark their territory. These can be a leg of a table or a particular wall. Intact male and female dogs mark their territories by urinating. Use deodorizers to spray on the places where your Dog has marked.

• If you are patient and are ready to accept that house training a dog takes time, even months sometimes, you will end up having a good housetrained Dog.

Click here to subscribe to a FREE course on house training puppies and dogs.

Now we will move on to how to potty train puppies and adult dogs.

Potty Training A Puppy:

Irrespective of breeds, housetraining a puppy is considered to be one of the biggest challenges by dog owners. If you think housetraining your puppy simply involves a steady supply of old newspapers, then think again.

A puppy does not develop full control over his bladder until it is over 4 or 5 months old. Since they are growing and developing rapidly at this time, puppies eat more, burn more calories and need to eliminate more frequently than an adult Dog.

After each nap, meal, drink or play, take your puppy to his designated area (indoors or outdoors, wherever you have decided) and stay there until it eliminates. Then bring him to his crate.

Repeat this situation everyday until he has developed a habit out of it.

Click here to subscribe to a FREE course on housebreaking a puppy.

Potty Training An Adult Dog:

The best way to housetrain an adult Dog is to begin all over again.

Observe him very closely. Maybe even maintain a diary of where he goes and when. Whether he is pooping when you are home or only when you are outside; whether you can time yourself to be home when he feels the need to go outside.

You can try dog crates, but be careful to introduce him gradually to them.

Click here to subscribe to a FREE course on potty training a dog.

Remember, commitment, consistency and intelligent use of positive reinforcement will make you the owner of a perfectly housetrained Dog. Don't expect miracles. You will only be disappointed.

Get this FREE course on potty training a dog.

Get this unique Housetraining guide and start Housebreaking Your Dog Today.

(photo courtesy of http://www.best-dog-photos.com/images/Dog-Training.jpg)

Puppies Gone Wild!

Bursts of energy
Once or twice a day, most puppies kick up their heels and go a little gleefully wild. One label for this extra energy burst is a FRAP, Frenetic Random Activity Period. This is especially true of older puppies who will soon be leaving puppyhood behind.

With puppies, FRAPs most often happen in the early morning and early evening. Racing around the house, rolling on the rugs and careening off of furniture are all normal parts of the canine FRAP. When you can, sit back and enjoy the show. FRAPs will be gone soon enough and when this happens you'll know that the end of puppyhood is nearing.

You may be able to see a FRAP coming. You may see a glint in your puppy's eye or maybe he'll play bow with his chest on the floor and his tail in the air. Maybe he'll bark or bounce but then … he's off! Spinning in circles, racing up and down the hall, around or over the furniture, barking at you, pouncing at toys before he suddenly changes his mind and races off again. He's a veritable whirlwind of life and few things in life are as full of pure happiness as a good puppy FRAP.

How to deal with FRAP
Sometimes a good FRAP is just plain fun, but other times you need to tone them down a bit for the sake of your house or puppy's safety. A simple solution is letting your puppy run around inside a fenced yard. Opening the door is usually all that is required to get him outside but you can attract his attention with a favorite toy and toss it outside if he needs to be coaxed. If you don't have a fenced backyard, close off the rooms inside your home you want your puppy to stay out of and let him rip. It's a good idea to keep large breed pups off of slippery surfaces as sliding around can hurt your puppy. Be especially aware of anything that could topple if bumped hard.

The good news is that FRAPs rarely last more than a few minutes. If the timing is just plain wrong for you, there is nothing wrong with taking a good chew toy and quietly crating your puppy for a few minutes. Or, if he'll focus, you can get out some treats and harness this energy into some obedience practice. What you want to avoid is supporting this behavior.

Chasing him around or laughing at his antics (pups understand laughter well) encourages more of this behavior. Trying to calm him down with stroking usually leads to squirming and mouthing because of his high excitement level, so skip that as well. Remember, most puppies experience FRAPs at some point or other. Try to sit back and enjoy your puppy's show during this time – it won't last forever and when FRAPs end it's likely puppyhood is ending too.

(photo courtesy of http://www.webleyweb.com/picts/puppy3.jpg, content courtesy of pedigree.com)

Training Your Dog to Listen to You

Why Won't My Dog Listen To Me?

This is a common question that most first-time Dog owners ask me. Before I answer your question, let me ask you a few instead:

• Do you use cookies, collars, head halters or clickers to make your Dog listen to your commands?

• Do you have to raise your voice every time you want your Dog to listen to you?

• Does your Dog always come or sit on command - anytime and anywhere you want him to?

If your answers are mostly in the negative, its time you seriously reconsider your role as a sincere Dog trainer and an ideal pet parent.

Learn how to bond with your Dog with this free mini course.

Get Your Dog To Listen To You

Before you begin any training, you must first establish yourself as the "ALPHA dog" of your family. Your Dog must know that you’re the leader of the pack and it is YOU who is in charge.

Here is a list of simple DO's and DONT's that you must follow if you want to be the Alpha:

• Always go out or come in through the door first - remember you are the leader;

• Always eat first - give your Dog something to eat only after you've finished your meal;

• Don’t circle around your Dog when he is lying on the floor - make your Dog move out of your way instead;

• Don't let your Dog set the rules - pay attention to him when you think fit and not whenever he demands;

• Don’t permit your Dog to sleep with you in your bed - demarcate his sleeping area clearly.

Once you successfully established yourself as the Alpha, training your Dog and making him listen will be a lot easier than you can imagine. Remember, if your Dog does not learn to "listen", all your training efforts will be in vain!

Does your Dog know his name? Does your Dog look at you whenever you call him by his name? This is the first and the most critical step involved in Dog Training. If your Dog doesn't respond to his name, you cannot have his attention for teaching him any other commands.

To make sure that your Dog recognizes his name, take a treat in your hand and hold it away from your body. Call your Dog's name. He is most likely to look at the treat in your hand. Continue calling his name untill he turns and looks at your eyes. Give him the treat immediately. Repeat this exercise by holding the treat in the other hand. Once you're sure that your Dog has learnt to recognize his name, just call his name and reward him for looking at you by petting or with a hug.

You must understand that Dogs respond far better to positive reinforcement than they do to coercion or force.

Learn how to train your Dog better with this free mini course.

(photo courtesy of http://www.dailypainters.com/paintings/tag/terrier)

A Rather Disturbing Story...

PETA Killed 95 Percent of Adoptable Pets in its Care During 2008
------------------------------------------------------------------

Hypocritical Animal Rights Group's 2008 Disclosures Bring Pet Death
Toll To 21,339

WASHINGTON DC - Today the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF)
published documents online showing that People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA) killed 95 percent of the adoptable
pets in its care during 2008. Despite years of public outrage over
its euthanasia program, the animal rights group kills an average
of 5.8 pets every day at its Norfolk, VA headquarters.

According to public records from the Virginia Department of
Agriculture and Consumer Services, PETA killed 2,124 pets last
year and placed only seven in adoptive homes. Since 1998, a
total of 21,339 dogs and cats have died at the hands of PETA
workers.

Despite having a $32 million budget, PETA does not operate an
adoption shelter. PETA employees make no discernible effort to
find homes for the thousands of pets they kill every year. Last
year, the Center for Consumer Freedom petitioned Virginia's State
Veterinarian to reclassify PETA as a slaughterhouse.

CCF Research Director David Martosko said: "PETA hasn't slowed
down its hypocritical killing machine one bit, but it keeps
browbeating the rest of society with a phony 'animal rights'
message. What about the rights of the thousands of dogs, cats,
puppies, and kittens that die in PETA's headquarters building?"

Martosko added: "Since killing pets is A-OK with PETA, why should
anyone listen to their demands about eating meat, using lab rats
for medical research, or taking children to the circus?"

CCF obtained PETA's "Animal Record" filings since 1998 from the
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Members
of the public can see these documents at PetaKillsAnimals.com.

Dog Training Basics

It's essential for Dog parents like you to know certain basic factors that determine your relationship with your Dog and can go a long way in training him effectively.

Before you begin training your Dog, it is absolutely essential that you build a loving bond with him. This is important as it helps you to understand his needs and instincts and also allows your Dog to have complete trust in you.

Know more about Dog care from this free mini course

Let us see how.......

How To Bond With Your Dog

Building a bond with your Dog is the first and the most crucial step involved in training him successfully. As soon as you bring your Dog home, you must first try to develop a caring and loving relationship with him in order to win his trust and confidence.

When Dogs are secure in the knowledge that they belong to the family, they are more likely to respond better to their owners' training commands. Just like with any relationship, there must be mutual trust and respect between you and your Dog.

Trust takes time to develop and respect comes from defining boundaries and treating any breach of those boundaries with firmness and fairness.

Without enforceable limitations, respect can’t be developed. And when there is no respect, building a bond with your Dog is almost impossible.

4 Golden Rules To Building A Relationship With Your Dog :

• Spend quality time together;

• Take him out in the world and experience life together;

• Establish and promote a level of mutual respect; and

• Develop a way of communicating to understand each other's needs.

Building a bond with your Dog will not only help you manage him better but will also make your Dog calm, quiet and an extremely well-adjusted pet.

Love Your Dog and He Will Love You back

Once you're succesful in building a bond with your Dog, you can rest assured that training him and teaching him new and clever tricks will be a cakewalk.

Learn how to bond with your Dog with this free mini course.

How Your Dog Learns...

Your Dog's learning period can be divided into five phases:

The Teaching Phase - This is the phase where you must physically demonstrate to your Dog exactly what you want him to do.

The Practicing Phase - Practice makes Perfect. Once a lesson is learnt, practice with your Dog what you have just taught him.

The Generalizing Phase - Here you must continue practicing with your Dog in different locations and in an environment with a few distractions. You can take your Dog out for a walk, or to a nearby park and command him to practice whatever you've taught him.

Practicing the learned lessons in multiple locations and in the presence of small distractions will help him learn and retain lessons better .

The Testing Phase - Once you're sure that your Dog has achieved almost 90% success....he responds correctly almost every time you give a command, you must start testing his accuracy in newer locations with a lot of distractions.

Example: Take him to the local shopping mall and ask him to obey your command. He may not come up with the correct response the very first time you do this, but you must not lose hope.

The idea is to test your Dog to see how he responds in an environment which is new to him. Set-up a situation where you are in control of the environment and your Dog.

There are only 2 possibilities:

• Your Dog succeeds!!! (Trumpets please!)

• In case your Dog fails, re-examine the situation. Review and/or change your training. Then try testing again.

Keep on testing until he succeeds. Follow the rule of the 3 Ps – patience, persistence, praise.

Internalizing Phase - Finally, comes the extremely rewarding phase where your Dog does everything he is taught to do even without your commands.

Remember:

• Never scold your Dog if he fails. It's not his fault. You have failed as a trainer!

• You must be patient and persistent for your efforts to show rewards.

• Appreciate and love your Dog when he does it right! A little encouragement will work wonders for your Dog.

• Dog Training is easy when you do it right.

Learn how to train your Dog better with this free mini course.

Happy New Year!

Wishing you and yours a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2010.











(photo courtesy of http://www.topdoglimobus.com/images/party-dog.jpg)