Saturday, December 22, 2007

A List Of The Best Dog Breed That Will Suit Your Lifestyle Perfectly

by Darren Lintern

As far as the visual aspect is concerned, you will already recognize what style of pooch you're searching for. But are you sure if that's the best dog breed for your lifestyle? For example, you might love the curly hair of a white Poodle, but are you prepare for the grooming treatment that's required to maintain that delightful curly coat? You respect the intelligence of a German shepherd dog, but are you aware that this breed will shed year-round? So unless you could bear to have hair constantly on your furniture, this affectionate dog might not be perfect for you.

Here is a list of the best dog breed species that belong in the top three of there respective categories. Find out which one has the ideal temperament for your household!

The Best Dog Breed For Child Friendly Living

If you have children in your family, it's necessary that your doggy will get along with them. The following breeds will certainly enjoy playing with your children:

1. Beagle
2. Collie
3. Labrador Retriever

The Dogs That Will Need Less Grooming

Any dog will require some form of grooming. The teeth must be brushed, nails need to be trimmed, the coat needs to be brushed and they all require a bath on occasion. But as far as caring for the coat is concerned, these breeds of dog don't need that much maintenance:

1. Whippet
2. Staffordshire Bull Terrier
3. Chihuahua

The Small Lapdog

If you're seeking a small dog breed that you will nestle on your lap, these can be the finest option:

1. English Toy Spaniel
2. Pomeranian
3. Shih Tzu

The Energetic Dog

If you enjoy a great run and want a companion dog that could join you for a trek on a trail or a ten mile jog. Consider one of these:

1. Siberian Husky
2. Border Collie
3. Parson Russell Terrier

The Athletic Dog

Are you looking for a sporting buddy? These breeds are strong, vigorous, agile, and active – the formula of a winner:

1. Sheltie
2. Border Collie
3. Greyhound

The More Obedient Dog

If you're seeking a dog who will listen, one that's willing to please and does not become distracted easily, go over one of these best dog breed:

1. Shih Tzu
2. Golden Retriever
3. Border Collie
About the author
If you're interested in getting a more detailed look at dog ownership (like the best dog breed), including a huge variety of detailed information on canine problem behaviors, dog psychology, and the most effective ways to train your dog, you ought to take a look at http://www.dogs-for-all.com

Your Dog Is Older Now, So Treat Her With More Consideration And Respect

by Darren Lintern

You offer your dog shelter and food in order to keep her healthy and content. There's also three other points that she requires in order to stay happy, fit, and improve the quality of life.

Firstly, she requires day-to-day exercising to keep her body in shape. Secondly, her mind will need to be stimulated to keep her occupied and alert. And thirdly, she requires to be socialized often in order for her to stay in high spirits and confident.

Keep Your Adult Dog Amused And Stop Punishing Her For Sudden Faults.

Dogs will feel sadness if their family are apt to ignore or don't spend sufficient time with them. And once dogs become sad, they play up by showing negative behaviours. This may include barking incessantly; digging, chewing, and they might even run off. These adult dogs aren't acting in a negative manner on purpose. They're simply reverting back to their natural canine behaviours in order to entertain themselves. As they can't communicate with words, they will take action to communicate.

Do Not Simply Love Your Pet When She's Being Good.

Learn to love your dog totally and if she misbehaves, attempt to seek out the reason for the behavioural concern instead of punishing the pooch. Remember that she is now an adult and is in all likelihood well behaved the majority, if not all the time. That signifies that when she lashes out and does something amiss, it's often associated to an underlying reason which you could treat successfully. Something might be missing or out of balance with your family pet. Locate the reason and then offer a solution.

Always Keep Your Adult Doggy Socialized.

Often as our dogs become older and get more mature, we are inclined not take them out for walks as much as when they were pups. This is quite understandable as adult dogs tend to enjoy simply lounging around the home in their adult years. Nonetheless, to keep the pet's social skills intact and her mind stimulated, do your most to take her outside the dog shelter as much as possible to meet other dogs and individuals.

About the author
If you're interested in getting a more detailed look at dog ownership (like care for adult dogs), including a huge variety of detailed information on canine problem behaviors, dog psychology, and the most effective ways to train your dog, you ought to take a look at http://www.dogs-for-all.com

Tips on Giving your Dog or Puppy Obedience Training

by Steven Roberts

Learning how to provide training obedience to your puppy or beloved dog is crucial to successfully integrate your pet into your home life. Our dog often becomes our best friend so we want to make the training experience both fun and mutually productive.
We all love our dogs. However, dissuading our canine pals from disruptive or destructive behavior can be frustrating when we don't know what we are doing. Improper training techniques can be confusing to our dog because they may become confused and uncertain about what we are trying to achieve.
Equally important is to remember that you have to learn and understand the psychology of the particular breed of dog you want to buy or already own. Different dogs like to do different things and for different reasons. So, when you decide on what type of puppy or dog you want, the first important step is to get a book about your breed of dog so you can gain a thorough understanding of any behavior peculiar to that particular breed.
The second most important step is to appreciate the fact that your dog will go through several crucial developmental stages. Dog training techniques should be age appropriate and is best done in stages. Don't try and teach your puppy too much because you'll both end up frustrated. Teach your puppy what they can absorb because they are just a ball of energy and have a limited attention span. The two main issues to address at this stage of development are potty training and excessive chewing. Patience and appropriate awards for good behavior is essential.
As your dog gets older, you can gradually begin use more age appropriate training techniques to tackle such issues as barking, jumping up on people, running, heeling. Again, don't overwhelm the dog by trying to too many different things at the same time. Teach them one thing at a time and when they master it, move on to the next issue.
When you dog does something, they do so for a reason. As a dog owner, it is vital you try to interpret their language and signals to better understand their behavior. When a dog expresses something, it is communicating so it is to your advantage to unravel their signals.
Puppies and dogs are normally very social creatures. They learn a lot from interacting both with other people and especially with other dogs. Puppies for example learn much of their social etiquette from their mother and their other siblings. If a puppy nips another pup, it will get nipped back . This teaches the puppy about appropriate biting behavior. So, it is essential you realize that when you get your puppy, you are the one who has to take the place of the dog's mother and other siblings and train your puppy accordingly.
As a dog owner, you must also learn to accept that certain behaviors such as stubbornness or other traits might be inherent to that particular breed. You can still achieve some degree of behavior modification but it's important to accept that a compromise may be required at some point.
If you plan to train your dog yourself, then you must do so regularly and with consistency. Don't try to train your dog in a foul mood. Shouting tends to frighten a dog. They trust and love us unconditionally so must not betray that trust. However, your pet does need to know who is in charge, so be a stern friend but not a dictator. Let your dog have fun and enjoy what they like doing because you also have to consider their mental health as well as their physical health.They need an age appropriate diet and regular exercise. Dogs can suffer from as many hang-ups as we do.
There are many wonderful expert books, videos and online courses that can help you through this process. Take the time to scope out these dog training materials. Choose the ones you feel not only best suits your needs but the needs of the dog as well.
If you find you can't take the time to teach your dog obedience training you should give serious consideration to taking your dog to a professional obedience school. Even so, this does not let you off the hook as you must make a commitment to become involved as much as possible. You want your dog to derive the most benefit from this expense and the trainer's expertise so you should try to learn as much about what the trainer is doing and why.
Dogs need to be trained, just like children, so pet owners need to do it right. The better we can train our dogs the more we can spend with them as friends and beloved family members. Please feel free to click on the following link or the one in the resource box for more information on this topic.

About the author
http://www.squidoo.com/dogtraiiningobediencetechniques

Five Tips for Grooming Your Dog

by Craig Elliott

Puppies and adult dogs are huge responsibilities that you should not take lightly. Many people adopt pets to have a loving companion, but few actually do their homework to find out how much work caring for a pet can actually be. In addition to providing playtime and exercise, feeding your dog, and caring for the dog's health, you must also groom your dog. Grooming is crucial to keep your dog happy and healthy. Here are the top five grooming tips that you need to know to provide the best care for your dog.

1. Care for your dog's teeth. Just like humans, dogs can get cavities and develop other tooth problems if you don't thoroughly care for his or her mouth health. Your vet should check and clean your pet's teeth annually when checking the rest of his or her health, but you should also do some of this grooming work at home. You can purchase special pet toothpaste at your local pet supply store, where you should also be able to find pet toothbrushes. You can also use one of your own old toothbrushes, as long as the bristles are soft and the head of the toothbrush is not too bid for the dog's mouth. Pets won't like the taste of regular toothpaste, so they'll resist if you try to use that, but the special pet version should taste good to your dog.

2. Brush your pet every day. Even short-haired dogs need constant grooming, so from the time he or she is a puppy, you should brush his or her coat daily. Use a special brush made for pets so that it doesn't pull out the hair or gets it tangled, and set aside ten to twenty minutes every night for daily grooming. Brushing your dog's coat helps to keep it neat and shiny by removing dirt. In addition, this also prevents more serious problems like skin infections and ticks. If your dog isn't used to the constant grooming, start slowly, letting him or her sniff the brush and giving treats. Soon, you dog should learn to enjoy being brushed.

3. Once a month, clip your pet's nails. Both dogs and cats should have their nails clipped regularly, but this is crucial with dogs especially because they cannot retract their nails like cats can. At your pet supply store or through your vet, you can buy special nail clippers that are made in different sizes to accommodate your pet. Take care not to clip back the nails too far or they will bleed and could become infected. The best way to do this is with a lot of treats and, if you have a larger dog, with the help of a friend. If your dog has clear nails, clipping them will be easy - simply look for the quick, which contains the blood vessels and nerves and cut below that. The snapping sound may frighten your dog, so cut quickly. If you dog has black nails, you may not be able to see where to make your cuts. In this case, cut at the point where the nail begins to curve. You may want to purchase blotting powder to keep on hand just in case you accidentally cut it back too far, and if you've never done this before, ask your vet to show you how.

4. Make bath time fun! Although most dogs don't mind the water, some may not want to take a bath. However, if you make bath time a fun experience, they should actually look forward to it! Bathe your dog about once every month, or more often if needed. Start my brushing his or her coat to remove loose dirt and hair, and the run a lukewarm, shallow bath. Place an old towel on the bottom of the tub to give your pet secure footing, and gently wash him or her with the warm water, being careful to keep it away from your dog's face. Follow this step with shampoo, making sure to hit all of the hard-to-reach areas, and rinse again. Because pets rely on their coat for proper body temperature, use a hair drying and towels to completely dry your furry friend when you're done.

5. Save the doggie clothing for dogs that enjoy it. Some dogs love being dressed in little sweaters, funny costumers, and even hats. However, keep in mind that this isn't for every dog. When grooming, let your dog choose if he or she wants to be dressed up (unless, of course, your dog needs the extra layer of warmth for health reasons). If your dog resists the clothing, he or she may bite at it or otherwise try to get it off, which could be dangerous. So, don't use pet clothing unless your dog enjoys it!

About the author
Stephanie Larkin is a freelance writer who writes about topics concerning pet care such as Pet Medicine

How to Ensure Joint Health for Dogs

by Craig Elliott

Similar to a human's joints, a dog's joints are important parts of their body. A dog's joints, whether it's the ball and socket joints, the hinge joints or the gliding joints are all imperative to their mobility. Without joints a dog would be unable to move since they provide flexibility which enables their legs to bend, their hips to move, etc. If a dog owner wishes to see their pet living a healthy, mobile life, it's essential to do everything possible to ensure joint health for dogs.

Many dogs unfortunately develop arthritis. Actually there are several conditions dogs develop which are often listed under arthritis. These conditions include degenerative joint disease, hip dysplasia, inflammatory joint disease and osteoarthritis. These are the names pet owners will often hear regarding joint problems with their dogs. Each of these conditions can cause severe pain for a dog. Each of these conditions involves a dog's joints and so it is important for dog owners to take the necessary steps to ensure joint health for their dogs.

As a dog owner, how do you ensure joint health for your dog? First of all it's important that dogs have regular examinations by a licensed veterinarian. Veterinarians are trained to recognize specific signs and symptoms related to dog arthritis and joint disease. There are certain breeds that are prone to poor joint health and since a vet would be aware of this, they could monitor the dog. If problems with joint health are caught early enough they can be treated and the dog will likely enjoy a long life without much difficulty.

Because you, the owner spend the most time with your dog, it's imperative that you do your part to ensure your dog's joint health. Besides taking them to the vet you must make sure they receive regular exercise to keep their joints in good working order. Activity will make sure the dog's joints are being used. Like a piece of machinery, if unused a dog's joints may eventually stop working properly.

Your dog's diet is very important to ensure joint health. There are special diets designed specifically for aging dogs to guard against joint problems. There are foods designed for dogs with arthritis. These foods contain necessary ingredients to prevent and/or help joint problems caused by arthritis.

Dogs right from birth require plenty of TLC. They also need certain vitamins and minerals to maintain a healthy body. It is recommended that dog owners should add a multivitamin supplement to their dog's daily diet. Of course the amount, dose and type of multivitamin would depend on the dog's age and size. As dogs grow older they are at a greater risk of developing joint disease. For this reason special attention should be paid to the dog's diet including vitamin supplements. Chondroitin and glucosamine are believed to be beneficial in treating and relieving symptoms of dog arthritis and joint problems. These are just two of the recommended supplements for aging dogs. There are many other vitamin and multivitamin supplements on the market today which can help ensure joint health for dogs.

Although pet owner's love their dogs and assume their efforts are enough to protect their health, often they aren't. A dog owner might buy what they think is the perfect food while in fact the food may not contain anything useful to their dog. It's important that a dog owner, especially as the dog ages, research and ask questions about necessary changes required for aging dogs. Nobody wants to see their dog in anguish and pain. Since dogs aren't verbally capable of sharing their feelings, often they may be suffering silently. At times even the dog may not know there are problems with their joints. For example the cartilage that protects the joints can deteriorate. Because cartilage has little or no nerves, degeneration can take place without the dog feeling anything. This cartilage degeneration can be going on for a long time before it is actually discovered.

Learning details such as these are important for any dog owner. It puts them in a better position regarding taking preventative steps. To ensure joint health for dogs owners should always do their utmost to find preventative measures. Owning a dog is so much more than feeding them and giving them a warm place to sleep. Owning a dog is a major responsibility. These innocent pets depend on their owners to ensure they lead the best life possible. Because they are incapable of caring for themselves, they trust their owners to make the right decisions regarding their health. If you are a pet owner, this information regarding joint health for your dog may be brand new. Not everyone is aware of potential risks and risk factors for dogs. Maybe today you'll commit to learning all you about the health of a dog and begin to take steps to ensure joint health for your dog.
About the author
Craig Elliott is a freelance writer who writes about topics concerning pet care such as Pet Medicine

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