The Pomeranian Of Today Make Good Professional Therapy Dogs

By: Connie Limon
The Pomeranian had ancestors who were used by the Nordic people as sled pulling dogs and to herd reindeer. Of course, these ancestors were much larger than our present day Pomeranian.

Today’s Pomeranian is well suited to city and suburban households. They are alert and highly intelligent, very active little dogs, which are easily trained. Many Pomeranians successfully compete in obedience, agility, tracking and flyball.

You won’t see a 3 to 7 pound Pomeranian pulling a sled in Iceland or herding reindeer. That would certainly be a spectacular event, but it is very doubtful the little Pomeranians of today are hired to do such jobs as these. The Pomeranians we know today have indoor jobs as therapy dogs. They make excellent therapy dogs while visiting the sick and elderly in hospitals and nursing homes. It is my personal opinion that the ministers need to take along a little Pom while making their rounds visiting the sick and elderly in hospitals and nursing homes.

The Pomeranian is a compact, short-backed toy dog with a soft, dense undercoat and a profuse harsh-textured outer coat. He has a heavily plumed tail set high that lies flat on his back. The Pomeranian looks kind of “cocky,” commanding, and animated as he moves around.

The average size of the Pomeranian is from 3 to 7 pounds. The American Pomeranian Club does not like the Pomeranian to be referred to as “teacup” or “toy.” The ideal weight for a show specimen is 4 to 6 pounds, although the American Pomeranian Club says poorly bred Pomeranians will many times be overweight, and any dog over the limits is highly objectionable. The Pomeranian is medium-boned and when examined feels sturdy. He has an interesting looking plumed tail, which is one of the characteristics of his breed. The Pomeranian’s eyes are also of interest as almond-shaped, dark, bright, and medium in size.

The little Pomeranian has a vivacious spirit about him making him a great competitive dog. He is an extrovert in personality.

The Pomeranian was most likely bred down in the present day Germany and Poland. When the Pomeranian was first noticed in Britain in the middle of the 19th century, some specimens were said to weigh as much as 30 pounds and resembled the German Wolf Spitz in size, coat and color. These 30 pound dogs were most likely the sled dogs.

A Pomeranian named “Marco” was sent from Florence, Italy to the Queen Victoria of England. Marco became Queen Victoria’s beloved pet. Because of the Queen was a popular monarch, the breed’s popularity grew. Queen Victoria is known for advocating the trend toward the smaller Pomeranians.

The small size Pomeranian with its docile temperament and vivacious spirit helps to make this little dog an ideal and entertaining companion.

The colors and patterns of the Pomeranian are many. Among the colors are black and tan – tan or rust sharply defined, appearing above each eye and on muzzle, throat, and fore chest, on all legs and feet and below the tail. The richer the tan is more desirable. Brindle – the base color is gold, red, or orange-brindled with strong lack cross stripes. Parti-color is white with any other color distributed in patches with a white blaze preferred on the head. The Open Classes at specialty shows may be divided by color as follows: Open Red, Orange, Cream, and Sable; Open Black, Brown, and Blue; Open Any Other Color, Pattern, or Variation.

The larger size Pomeranian that once pulled sleds in Iceland surely worked hard for its masters. Today, our little 6 pound Pomeranians are happily performing more professional positions such as therapy dogs for sick and the elderly. He is an ideal companion for the adult, and not so highly recommend for children.

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By: Connie Limon -

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When Should You Socialize And Start Training Your Shih Tzu Puppy?

By: Connie Limon
A lot of his exercise should still come freely around his new home and in the backyard so he has the opportunity to rest at will. Allow him to wear a collar most of the time (never in a cage or crate). Add a leash as he exercises around his new home to get him use to the new gear. From time to time casually pick up the leash and allow your puppy to follow behind you. Eventually, you will be able to walk with the Shih Tzu puppy by your side on official walks through the woods or any favorite place you have to walk. A bond of love will develop from these little walks with your new Shih Tzu puppy as he and you exercise together.

A young Shih Tzu puppy can make a good start toward socialization when he has learned to play with his new owner. He should also be handled by all the members of his new family as well as visitors. He should now begin to relax and learn to tolerate grooming. Before he has received all vaccinations you really need to limit his contact with other animals and humans. By the time the Shih Tzu puppy is four months old, however, he should be fully vaccinated and ready to acquire socialization skills. It is in the best interest of the Shih Tzu puppy for the breeder to follow these same rules – to limit exposure to other animals and other people until the Shih Tzu puppy is fully vaccinated. Therefore, many Shih Tzu puppies sold at the young age of eight and nine weeks should have only had contact with their littermates, their mother and the breeder.

If you are lucky enough to live in an area where puppy classes are held, please take advantage. These classes can do a world of good for a young Shih Tzu puppy.

In the final phase of puppy hood at six months to a year of age a Shih Tzu puppy will complete most of his physical growth. By now his second teeth should be through. Be aware that Shih Tzu puppies are a bit slow at acquiring their teeth.

The assessment for the show ring is actually best done at about one year of age. I am not sure how some show dog breeders claim they know a show quality Shih Tzu puppy and thus mark the price up because of these so called show qualities. However, many show dog breeders claim they have this insight to be able to tell a show prospect at the young age of eight weeks. From all I have read, this is quite impossible. The true age to tell whether or not a Shih Tzu is show dog material is at about one year. When show dog breeders are anxious to sell their stock at eight to twelve weeks of age based upon the claims of “show dog prospect,” with a higher price tag, be leery of this type of sale. You are probably not actually getting the show dog prospect that is being advertised to you. It is best to wait and shop around with other show dog breeders who have kept their Shih Tzu to one year and over in order to truly find a true “show dog prospect.”

Beginning at the age of six months a Shih Tzu puppy can be taken to shows if this is your interest. Please allow your Shih Tzu puppy to enjoy puppy hood before rushing him into the show ring. Don’t make Shirley Temples out of your six month old Shih Tzu if he is still quite babyish.

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Why Buying Pet Health Insurance For Your Cat Or Dog is a Good Idea

By John Murphy
Every year 1 in 3 pets become ill or injured. Given that a trip to the vet can cost you hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars, it is not surprising that tens of thousands of cats and dogs in this country alone must be put down because owners cannot afford the cost of treatment. Further still, many of these vet visits are unexpected and hard to plan for presenting a unpleasant surprise for the effected pet owners.

In 2007, the top five reasons for an unexpected visit to the vet were: 1) Cuts or lacerations 2) Lameness 3) Road traffic accident 4) Tumor or growth 5) Abscess

The medical technology available to treat injured or ill pets have increased dramatically in reasons years, in many cases being just as good as what is available for humans. While this is great news, it has also meant to that vet fees and costs have steadily increased.

Pet health insurance can protect you from these high and unexpected vet costs, and ensure that you can afford your cat or dogs treatment in its time of need. Not only that, it doesn’t have to be expensive to take out pet health insurance for your cat or dog.

Affordable Pet health insurance was once considered a luxury reserved for expensive pedigreed or show animals. Nowadays, this is no longer the case. The pet health insurance industry is growing, expecting to double by 2012. This means that there are more and more companies beginning to offer pet health insurance, and therefore policies have become very affordable. From just a few dollars per month, you can help minimize expensive vet bills.

Instant Protection Typically, the coverage for accidents is immediate under most pet health insurance policies. This ensures that you are instantly protected from unexpected events. You should however, check your policy’s details to see what the waiting period is to have protection from illnesses and if pre-existing conditions are covered.

Peace Of Mind With pet health insurance for your cat or dog, you will have the peace of mind knowing that you can afford the treatment that will possibly save your furry friend’s life. Furthermore, if your pet develops a long term, chronic illness such as diabetes or arthritis your pet health insurance company will assist you with the ongoing and expensive costs.

Even More Protection – the Added Bells and Whistles Not only does pet health insurance covers vet bills, many companies offer other benefits too. Your policy may cover the unfortunate situation of your pet being lost or stolen, and may even pay for a reward and advertising for your pet’s return. Furthermore, just like health insurance humans, you can purchase pet health insurance that will cover your pet for any injuries sustained while on vacation overseas.

As you can see, there are having many benefits to having pet health insurance. One word of caution however, you should research any policy you are wanting to buy to ensure that you know what you are getting for your dollar. There are websites available to assist you in this.

John Murphy is the webmaster of www.goodpetinsurance.com, which provides free reviews on pet insurance companies.

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Getting Your Dog To Behave

By: Robert Thomson
Your dog may be your best friend, but just like your human friends he or she can embarrass you in public – you can actually train your dog to behave, you might not be so lucky with your human friends. A well trained dog usually means a happy owner and a contented animal.

Does your dog refuse to sit or stay at your command and does it bother other people by jumping up and barking? This may be your dog’s natural exuberance getting the better of him but when you are out in public, not only is it embarrassing for you, it can be frightening for people who are unsure of themselves around dogs. If you want to avoid these situations then you need to start getting your dog to change his behavior now.

In some respects dogs are like children and this means that they have to be taught how to be social beings without indulging in anti-social habits. If you are trying to get your dog to respond to your commands and behave in an acceptable manner, then you need to instigate regular training sessions. Training a dog to display acceptable behaviour is not easy if you are a first time owner. Some people take their dog to professional trainers once or twice a week but if your budget won’t run to that then you have to fall back on your own resources.

Not quite, there are training books and manuals out there; some of which come as a complete package, that will take you through the training sessions one step at a time. Always remember with dogs that the way to instill the behaviour that you want is by repetition and reward – losing your temper is counterproductive. If you get the right package and apply the right amounts of praise, patience and time you will soon have a well behaved and probably happier dog.

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A Dog's Life

By Kristin Gabriel
The ancestry of dogs dates back around 40 million years to the tree-climbing Miacis. An animal with five toes like a weasel this carnivore was a forebear of the cat, raccoon, bear, hyena, civet, and dog.

Small or medium-size dogs usually live to be around 15 years of age, and large dogs live to be about ten years old. A fertile dog can produce about two litters a year with an average of six to ten puppies. Puppies grow in their mother's womb until they are born, also known as whelped. Dogs drink milk from their mother until they are weaned, and then they graduate to eating solid foods. Weaning can be as early as three weeks, but puppies should not be weaned after week seven.

A pup's baby teeth are also known as milk teeth that come in between weeks three and six and are mostly incisors and canines. By month three, the first of the permanent teeth come in by the third month and the puppy should have all its teeth by month seven.

A ten-month-old dog is sexually mature. Smaller female dogs go into their first heat and can mate at a younger age than big dogs. Dogs are sexually mature beforehand; a dog ordinarily does not attain full growth until it's one year old, and sometimes even later. A puppy becomes a mature dog by the time it is one year old. Female dogs usually go into heat about every six months and will mate within the three-week time period the heat.

When a dog meets another dog, its ear position will indicate whether or not it is interested in the other dog. Erect ears means it is probably happy and focused on the other dog, but if the ears are pointing forward, it means the dog is on alert. If a dog wags its tail, holding it high, this means that the dog is happy and confident. If a dog drops its tail and it remains still, it means the dog is apprehensive. If the dog puts its tail between the legs then that means that the dog is afraid.

If a dog growls or pulls its lips back to expose teeth when meeting someone, even another dog, it is making a threat. If it bares teeth with no growling then the dog may be ready to bite or attack. Male dogs establish territories by marking areas with urine and a scent that comes from their anal glands. A dog will defend its territory against intruders.

When a dog gets old, the first sign is that the eyes begin to weaken whereby they cloud and cataracts may form in the eye's lenses. Its hair begins to slowly turn gray, and it's evident that older dogs are suffering from various aches and pains. Uncomfortable older dogs might become agitated and even snap at members of the family. As the dog's systems break down with old age, it is readying itself for death.

When a dog has had a stroke, its kidneys fail and it stops eating, or other dogs around it begin to snap and push it away. It may mean the time has come for death and if the dog is suffering a veterinarian will know if it should be put to sleep.

Pets are an integral part of our lives today so losing them can be very painful. The death of a pet can be very difficult, but there are ways that a dog's life can be honored.

There are special websites for virtual online pet memorial products such as cremation pet urns and grave markers so that people have the opportunity to honor their pets, which helps us through our grieving just a little bit more.

Kristin Gabriel is a professional writer based in Los Angeles, CA who works with Peternity.com, a place where people honor their pets for eternity. Peternity provides custom products including pet memorial stones and grave markers, pet urns, garden statue pet memorials, pet memorial headstones, pet keepsake memorials, pet portraits, burial boxes, custom engraved glasswork, and other pet memorials. Call 877-PET-PEACE or go to http://www.peternity.com

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