Dogs - How to Cure Dog Breath

by
Michael Russell

If you have a dog whose breath packs a powerful punch, chances are that plaque is the culprit. Plaque is the same bacteria film that covers our teeth if we don't brush for a while. It can also lead to smelly and sometimes dangerous gum infections. With a little bit of care you can help prevent your dog's breath form turning to stinky.

Just think on how your breath would smell is you didn't brush your teeth all week. Yuck. Brushing your pet's teeth as much as you brush yours would be ideal, but twice a week is okay for your dog.

Brushing your dog's teeth may sound like a horrifying event, but if you start brushing their teeth while they are young, your experience will soon turn into a pleasant one. Don't start brushing immediately or you will get a big protest. First start by handling and stroking your dog's mouth. Do this for a few minutes a day and reward them for good behavior. After a few days of handling your dog's mouth, you should begin lifting you dog's lip with a piece of gauze on your finger and begin brushing in circular motions. After a while you should be able to move on to more teeth after they get used to it. After a little longer you can graduate to a soft bristle brush designed for a dog.

They even have toothpastes for dogs. Some are flavored like chicken, beef or a malt. This will make their experience a lot more pleasurable. Don't use human toothpaste as it will foam and dogs can't spit and it will upset their stomachs.

Even after all that practice and your dog still doesn't like having their mouth handled, you can get a toy. There is a hard rubber toy that has grooves in. Vets recommend this particular toy for dogs who don't like having their teeth brushed. It is specially designed for your dog's teeth. You can put a little of your dog toothpaste in the grooves and your dog can brush their own teeth.

There are some people who make oxtail soup. For those very few, you can give your dog the cooked oxtail. The tail's tendons will help massage the teeth and gums. It will help clean those hard to reach places.

If you don't make oxtail soup, try a raw carrot. A little bit of carrot, that you can give as a snack, can act a tooth scraper. It will be pretty mild, but it will help scour away the stinky plaque. There is even dog mouth sprays and they do the same thing for dogs as they do for us.

You can stop giving your dog canned food. When you make the switch to dry food you will help to improve mouth odor. Dry dog food scrapes the surface of the teeth. Also, do not let your dog nibble throughout the day. The harmful bacteria in your dog's mouth are always active. Pick up the dog bowl if your pet doesn't finished within a half an hour. If you only feed your dog a couple of ,times a day then you only feed the bacteria a couple times a day.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Dogs

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Cures for Barking Dogs

by
Kelly Jezek

It is one thing to have a Joan Miro’s painting, “Dog Barking at the Moon,” hanging in your living room. It is another thing to have an actual dog who won’t stop barking at the moon in your backyard or neighborhood! There is nothing quite as annoying as a dog that won’t stop barking. A neighbor of mine had a dog who would bark uncontrollably every time the doorbell rang or a car drove by the house. Any time I would take a walk around the neighborhood and that dog would see me, he would bark non stop. My neighbor could do nothing to stop him until I was out of sight. I decided that if I got a puppy, I would do my best to train him to have a little self control in the barking department.

If you own a barking dog, you need to realize that it is going to take time to break this habit. If the dog is a barking puppy, it will still take time, patience, and consistency to train the dog to stop barking on command. When learning about how to stop a dog from barking, understand that it is a normal and natural thing for a dog to bark. They bark when they are bored, frustrated, frightened, or excited. When training your dog, don’t send him mixed signals. When a dog barks to go outside and you get up and open the door, you are reinforcing his behavior. The same is true when you get up to let him inside when he barks again.

While there are specific training techniques, it is also important to make sure that your dog is getting enough exercise and playtime. If you work all day and your dog is in a crate, he needs to get out and release some of his energy. Play with him. Walk him around the neighborhood. Throw a tennis ball to him. If he is able to exercise, chances are he will be tired at night and not as likely to bark.

If your dog starts barking, say “Stop barking” and show him a yummy treat. Most dogs will stop barking when they see food. As soon as he stops, give him the treat and praise him for not barking. If he barks again, even a little bit, you should scold him. If he stops, give him another treat and praise him. If he starts barking again, use a really loud voice and say, “Listen! Stop Barking!” Dogs respond to their owner’s tone of voice, and this is a time when you want to be stern. As you progress in this exercise, wait a few more seconds to give your dog the treat when you say, “Stop Barking!” This can take weeks of repetition, especially if your dog is already a barker. You really have to be committed and have lots of treats on hand at all times in order to reinforce your dog’s improving behavior. Dogs do respond well to praise and treats, so hang in there.

The problem might be that you don’t own a dog, but your neighbor has a dog that barks all day and all night. You obviously cannot train your neighbor’s dog, but some bark control products can be purchased. These devices attach to your fence or your home and send an ultrasonic sound that only dogs can hear; apparently, they really help to lessen the amount of barking. Hopefully this will be an easy way to stop the neighbor’s dog barking so that you can get some sleep and not resent your otherwise friendly neighbor.

Kelly Jezek is a successful Webmaster and publisher of dogtrainingessentials.com. She provides more helpful tips on getting a dog to stop barking at her site. Visit http://dogtrainingessentials.com today!

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Barking Problems

by
Grant Carroll

It is no secret that dogs like to bark, but sometimes it becomes so much that it can hurt relationships with neighbors. This can lead to serious issues such as fines or even lawsuits. Knowing the cause of the excessive barking can go along way to helping solve the problem. Some common causes include:

1)Separation Anxiety

2)Territorial Issues

3)Lack of Activity

Separation anxiety is a major cause of distress for dogs and can lead to such unwanted behaviors such as excessive barking or possibly even aggression. What happens is that the dog comes to depend on it’s master’s presence to be comforted. In the “wolf pack” mentality, the dog is part of a pack consisting of the owner and family. When the dog is left alone, this is like being abandoned by the pack. The dog must learn that his owners will return.

Territorial issues often cause excessive barking. Dogs think that the back alley or side road are all part of their territory and that anyone passing by is intruding and trying to hurt their pack. So, they bark like crazy. This type of barking can cause the most strain between neighbors and so should be corrected as soon as possible.

Lack of activity will frustrate any dog. Dogs are meant to run and play in the open, and often people forget this. Let your dog run and play.

Grant Carroll proud father of three dogs and co-owner of http://www.littlepamperedpets.com with Dog Clothes and Small Dog Sweaters

Visit Elizabeth Austin for Wholesale Dog Clothes and Wholesale Pet Supplies

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