Preventing and Treating Heatstroke

Heat stroke, a condition that is caused when a dog is unable to purge unneeded heat from their bodies, raises the temperature of their delicate internal organs and causes massive damage to a dog's living tissue, This can kill the dog..

The signs of heatstroke are many, but varied and very easily discerned. Such signs include: increased panting or breathing (this sort of fast panting/breathing sounds more desperate than normal panting/breathing), heightened pulse rate, and bright red gums. Dogs also tend to look hot or as if they're wilting, just like humans do. If left untreated, heat stroke leads to shock or unconsciousness.

The dog will need to be moved into a cool area with good ventilation, as well as being soaked in cold water or gently sprayed with cold water from a hose if a tub of ice water isn't immediately available. Be careful however, as once the dog's temperature drops back down to a healthy 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius), leaving the dog in cold water any longer (the cooling process is very fast) risks causing hypothermia, so keep a close eye on your pet as he cools down after heat stroke.

Be especially protective of older and younger dogs, both of which suffer heatstroke more easily. Once your pet has stabilized and the situation seems to be over, you should still bring your dog to the veterinarian. Heatstroke has hidden effects, such as dehydration and brain damage, which may only show after the immediate danger of death is over. All in all, heat stroke is easy to prevent.  Keep plenty of water for him to drink and a shady spot to get out of the sun.  Avoid excessive exercising on hot days.  Simple steps, yet worth the effort to keep your dog healthy in the heat.

Giving Your Cat Medication

animal medication (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are times in every cat’s life when he will need to take medication of some sort.  Cat owners who have been through this know how hard it can be getting the cat to cooperate.  Below are a few suggestions that may help in your endeavor.

The first choice is to hide medication in some of your cat’s favorite food.  This may not always be easy, as in the case of capsules or pills.  The cat’s keen sense of smell will also be a problem, so it is advisable to pick some of the smelliest food you can if you use this method. 

Liquid medication works well mixed into food, especially salmon.  The liquid mixes well with the oils and is almost undetectable by your cat.  If at all possible, ask your vet for medication in liquid form. 

Crushing a pill or emptying a capsule into food is risky.  The taste and smell is often bitter and easily detectable by the cat.  If you must use this method, make sure whatever you use is sufficiently strong in both smell and taste.  It will also be necessary to make sure your cat eats the entire portion in order to get all the medicine into his system.

If you must give medication to your cat without the benefit of food, pick him up by the back of his neck like a mother cat.  This will render him momentarily unmovable.  Gently pry open his mouth and place the medication as far back as possible.  Holding his mouth gently closed, stroke his throat.  This will cause a reflexive swallowing reaction.  Once the medication is down, give him cuddles.

If all else fails, you can talk with your vet and have him show you how he suggests administering medication to cats.  

The Case Against Declawing Your Cat

Declawing a cat is a major surgical procedure, performed under general anesthesia. It is actually amputation of the last joint on each toe, not a simple removal of the claw itself as many are led to believe.

Cats walk on their toes, unlike most mammals who walk on the soles of their feet. Their musculature, joints, tendons and ligaments are all designed to distribute their body weight to their toes. The claw is not a nail like human fingernails or toenails. It is actually a part of the last bone in a cat's toe. If you were to "declaw" a human in the same way a cat is declawed, you would be amputating all 10 fingers at the last joint!

There is a real possibility of complications after any major surgery, and declawing is no exception. There is the possibility of hemorrhage, infection, extreme pain and bone chips.There is also the possibility of nerve damage.

The cat can become withdrawn, distant, fearful and/or aggressive, and often start biting, as this is the only means of defense left to them. Occasionally the cat will stop using the litter box because immediately after surgery it was painful to scratch in the litter box, and now they associate that pain with the litter box

Some countries have made declawing cats illegal.  They have considered it an abusive practice.  Getting a good scratching post for your cat and teaching him to use it will help save furniture.  Your cat needs his claws for defense and hunting if he ever gets lost.  Look for alternative methods to save things from your cat’s claws—just save your cat’s claws.  He will be happier and healthier from the choice and you will be happier knowing your feline friend has what he needs to survive.

Stopping Your Cat From Spraying

Spraying is a behavior in cats, mainly males, which many owners confuse with urinating outside the litter box.  The difference between the two is that a cat will urinate on a flat horizontal surface.  Spraying is most often done on a vertical surface.  Female cats will spray on horizontal surfaces, but it is rare.

The primary reason a cat sprays is because felines are very territorial animals and like to mark their turf by spraying urine to let other cats know who owns that little piece of the world. If you notice things being marked near windows or screen doors where your cat can see outside it’s a pretty good chance there is a cat hanging around your house or passing by frequently.

Many times a cat will spray because of psychological problems such as anxiety, stress or a feeling of being threatened by something or someone. If personal items are being sprayed it is usually a sign that your cat has some issues with the person. The addition of a new cat or even having too many cats for the size of your house can cause spraying problems.
If the cat is put into a stressful situation like someone new moving in (a new baby) or being introduced into a new living environment they might feel the need to spray.

 By taking time to examine the events going on in your cat’s life, you may be able to eliminate this behavior.  There are products sold at pet stores that contain odors only your cat can smell.  These are designed to comfort your cat.  Another thing that often eliminates spraying behavior is to have your cat neutered.  In most cases, this is the most effective method as it alleviates the territorial instinct in your cat.  This is yet one more argument for neutering.

Doggie First Aid Kit

Small first aid kit. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As a dog owner, you may find yourself needing to give your dog first aid. Dogs are curious creatures and sometimes get into dangerous situations. When they get into trouble, it will be your job to help.  Many of the problems a dog faces are similar to those of our own. Until you can get your dog to a vet, he will depend on you. Having the supplies you need on hand will really help you to be effective.

Rolls of gauze and tape are handy to slow or stop bleeding and are necessary in your doggie first aid kit. You can also find some great blood-clotting topical products too. Hydrogen peroxide is important for cleaning wounds. An old clean blanket is essential for wrapping a dog in shock. A first aid kit should also include an antihistamine for bee or wasp stings, an antibiotic gel and an eye wash. Also, absorbent cotton, gauze rolls or pads, scissors (preferably with rounded tips), tweezers, a rectal thermometer; syringes (without the needle) for giving oral medications, elastic bandages.

Take time to learn the basics of first aid. Keep your vet's phone number handy in case you need him. If you think your dog may need professional care in the middle of the night or on a weekend, consider calling your vet and advising him. He may have some good advice or instructions to help you reach him.  Many cities now have pet emergency centers.  It is advisable to keep their number in your first aid kit as well.

Keep in mind that an injured dog is scared and may bite.  If you feel this is possible, a muzzle is another addition to your kit.  Avoid giving your dog Tylenol.  Ask your vet before it is necessary what kind of pain medication is okay and keep some of that with the rest.

Training Your Dog For Hollywood

Deutsch: Border Collie (sechs Jahre alt) English: Border Collie (six years old) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When you were watching that movie last night, you may have seen a Australian Kelpie or a Landseer or a taliano. Now, what you are asking yourself is - 'Is my Russell Terrier ready to be in the movies?' Ok, your neighbor has said that your family dog is just the best behaved pooch they have ever seen. That dog even has figured out how and when to mug for a picture, a regular scene steeler with a personality that would have given Lassie a good run for her money.

Ok, but she needs one more thing. If you really want your dog to be the next star canine in a real Hollywood television series, your pooch can't just like his picture taken. Your dog is going to have to be well trained and know, not just the basics, but a few great tricks of the trade.

The majority of tricks that you see dogs doing in movies look so great because Hollywood has a way of putting the dog's tricks to good use and making the shots work. They combine them as a series of tricks into a final production that works for a particular scene very well.

It's the basic tricks that are going to land your dog a movie role. There are many training facilities that offer the classes required to get your dog the tricks and obedience that are required by canine actors.

Nearly everything that dogs do on TV are easy tricks. Most of the common tricks the dogs need to do are bow, hide your eyes, wave, turn out the light, crawl, speak on cue, find it, roll over, sneeze, touch the target, back up, play dead and whine.

Learning all of the tricks might be the easy part of getting ready for the movies. The difficult one for lots of dogs is working with strangers all around and a lot of distractions. Also, in many cases, your dog will be under the general control of the set's dog trainer, not you. These are some daunting obstacles for some dogs to overcome.

If your dog can learn all the tricks, but also the Hollywood basics of working with strangers on film sets without losing their cool, you might just have a dog like Shep, the Border Collie that was featured on the Blue Peter television series.

Alright, so your dog is trained and ready to act in the movies. What is your next step? The thing that will make your dog stand out is to make a compelling portfolio for your dog. All the recent photos, his list of tricks, training and hopefully some great videos of your dog doing some of his best tricks.

Many of the training schools for movie dogs will show you how to get your dog into the industry. Don't forget there is a huge amount of commercials and advertising for your aspiring mutt to shoot for also.

Now for the very last detail. Your dog loves you a lot (hopefully, the feeling is mutual). If your dog does not take to this and does not want to be a Hollywood star, your dog will tell you about it. Keep track of your pal and keep things fun for her.

How To Choose A Dog That Can Be Easily Trained

Retriever 

If you are looking for a pet dog you naturally will be looking for a pooch that will be a good friend for you, but you probably will want one that can be trained and taught tricks. When you are working with a dog whether it's a Bohemian Shepherd or a Pungsan or a Norwegian Lundehund or a Parson Russell Terrier that can be trained easily, it will make your job more simple when you are house breaking it and teaching it simple manners. While a dog that has more resistance to training can pose some problems in training, they can be trained by an expert dog trainer. But, if you are just getting started with dog training, you will get going a lot faster if you find one that is quick to learn. When looking for this type of dog, there are some things that you should look for in disposition, breed and age.

Personality

A common thought is that a calmer dog is a whale of a lot easier to train. But, although it may be simpler to hold this type of dog's attention, an exuberant, hyper dog can also be easy to train if you have some patience. The key is to find a dog that will bond with you. When you bond with a dog and that dog will follow you anywhere because it thinks of you as a more important member of its family, it will joyfully do anything that you ask. A dog that is bonded to its owner is very simple to train, regardless of whether it is hyper or placid, dominant or submissive.

A submissive dog will usually present fewer challenges in training than a dominant one will. To see if your pet is submissive, stare at him or her in the eyes. If that puppy looks away first, that is an indication of submission. With lapdogs and puppies, it over so that its belly is exposed. A submissive dog will just remain that way and let you to turn them over. A dominant dog will fight you, trying to turn over.

Breed

Your choice of breeds is huge - Cardigan Welsh Corgi and Neapolitan Mastiff and Hanover Hound to name a few.

Different breeds are well known for their ease of training. Labs and Retrievers are rightly popular because they are so simple to train. Also consider, the bully breeds are very intelligent and will love you forever. This includes American bulldogs, pit bulls and English bulldogs. Corgis, Australian shepherds, German shepherds and Dobermans are dogs that are normally easy to train. Terriers and notorious for being "hard headed," but they can be taught and they can learn new skills quickly, especially if they see that they will benefit such as offering them a treat. Mixed breed dogs can often make the very best pets that are extremely easy to train.

Age

The old adage says that you can't teach an old dog a new trick and most folks believe that adult dogs can't be trained, but that is simply not true. Quite a large number of adult dogs learn even faster than puppies. Adult dogs tend to have a better ability to concentrate on learning than puppies and they are more settled. Adult dogs usually make great pets and can prove to be very easy to train which is a good case to support rescues.

When you seek a dog, look for one that resonates with you. If you find a dog that you will bond with, it will make all the difference with your training.

Leash Training Your Cat

Leash for cats (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You can train your cat to walk on a leash with a lot of patience and a few simple rules. A harness is best for a cat. Cats won't respond well to jerking their collar so a harness is really best and should be loose and comfortable for the cat.

First, allow your cat to play with the new items so she gets used to them.  Try putting the harness on her and see how she reacts. This step is very important, if you force the cat to wear the harness, they are not going to be happy at all with the harness or with you. Take your time with all the steps. If your cat balks at any step, go back to the previous one. It is a lot harder getting a cat to cooperate than it is for a dog.

After the cat is wearing the harness loose, then it is the time to tighten the harness up until it is the right fit for the cat. At this point, you will want to give the cat time to wear the harness. Next attach the leash. Then you will want to start walking the cat inside, until the cat is doing well. Once the cat is comfortable with the leash then it is time to go outside for a walk.

When walking with the cat make sure there is not too much loose leash or they will be running in all random directions. There are many distractions for a cat outdoors - birds, squirrels and the neighbor’s pets might cause your cat to want to run around, but you must keep a tight leash so that your cat walks with you and is not dragging you all over the place. You will soon be enjoying your outings.

How To Pick a Good Companion Dog

Dalmatian companion. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Now that you are searching for a good companion dog, you probably would tend to first look at breed, pick a puppy and pick the one with a particular demeanor. And there are hundreds of breeds to choose from - just think of the Blue Picardy Spaniel and the Corgi and the Podenco Analuz and the Portuguese Water Dog and the Poitevin and the Picardy Spaniel. But, consider finding dog that matches your personality. Find a dog that fits the ideal that you had in mind and can bond with you. The age of the dog is not a concern most of the time. Breeds may have typical characteristics, but there are exceptions to all the rules. These tips, though, can make you find a good companion dog.


Look for a dog that has a personality that fits your own personality and your experience. If you have handled dogs before and have experience, then a more dominant, independent dog may work for you. However, if you are not aggressive yourself or are not aquainted with working with a dog, a more submissive animal will probably be a better companion for you. When you are looking at puppies, hold one and turn it over on its back. A dominant dog will oppose you, trying to turn over right away. If it fights to turn over, try to comfort it. If it calms down easily, it is more submissive. If it does not try to turn over at all, but just lies there trusting you completely, you have a very submissive dog.


A dog that is settled, quiet and easy to care for is better for you if you are more laid back and more sedative yourself. If you tend to be very active you may discover a more active, hyper dog to be more your style. If you spend much of the day away from home and your dog would be kenneled during that time, you should look for a dog that is a little self reliant and will not suffer from separation anxiety.


You also will want your new companion dog to be intelligent and eager to please. This will make it easy teach it the things that you want it to know and it will be eager to learn the skills and perform them. If you are taking your dog out in public, you don't want a fear biter or a dog that is threatening to children. Obviously, this will come with socializing the dog frequently, but the more intelligent dog will watch you to see who is maybe a threat and who is OK.


Dogs can be superb companions with the right personality type for your needs. Also, while many people feel that only young dogs can be trained, this is false. Many adult dogs are rescued from dog pounds every day and they are trained quite easily. The key is bonding with him. When you have bonded with your dog, he will cater to your needs. They will learn to anticipate what your desires and will even look for ways to communicate with you. If you are careful to observe your companion, you and your dog can establish your own special form of communication and this can give you a companion dog (even the American Staffordshire Terrier or Koolie that is a joy to be with.

Potty Training Problems

Potty training a puppy does have some common problems, but if you have patience, things will work out well. 

Marking the territory is a problem with males dogs more so than with a female dog. This is unfortunate for the owner, but this can be stopped by spaying and neutering the dog as soon as possible. 

If your dog does have an accident in the house, you will have to remove the urine and eliminate the smell or the dog will continue to go back to that spot. Try a product that has active enzymes rather than something that will only mask the smell for a short time. 

Keep the dog on a regular feeding and drinking schedule to prevent any accidents in the home. If your dog is not house trained, you would not want to leave food out all day long. The dog should be on a timed feeding routine until he or she is properly potty trained. This can be a breakfast, lunch and dinner feeding. Then you will have control over when the dog will need to relieve him or herself. 

The same will go for water. Do not give large amounts of water if you are going to be gone to work. 

Time in the crate can pose some problems for young dogs that do not have a large enough bladder. You can figure that a dog that is two months old can hold their urine for two hours and a three-month-old dog can hold it for three hours and so forth. 

If you are leaving the puppy in the crate for eight hours, use a puppy potty pad because they are going to have an accident. This of course is different with every dog and dog breed. 

Even the best-trained dog can have an accident if you leave him or her along for long periods of time. If the dog is on a regular schedule and you miss that potty time, they may have an accident. If you are going to be gone for a long time, you may want to provide a puppy potty pad for the dog. 

Dogs can also get bored when left alone all the time and may strike out at you by urinating in the house. This unfortunately is a behavior problem you have to deal with by training the dog to do something else while you are gone. 

Provide dog toys and keep the TV on while you are gone and the dog will always feel as if someone is home. Many people laugh when you tell them the dog needs to have a TV on, but the truth is that a dog will feel more comfortable. You may also want to leave a light on if you will be gone at night. 

The more you make the dog feel at ease, the more they will want to please you and not urinate in the house while you are home or gone. It is their nature to please their owners, but they can also show you they are upset by breaking the rules.

For more helpful dog training help, please visit our Potty Dog Training Website.