Pet Haven

That’s the question that many dog owners are considering these days.  The law requires your pooch to be identified with a collar and tag that shows your name and address so there’s no legal reason to do it, so why should you give it any more thought?

Well first of all, you should know that the microchip isn’t like something in your mobile phone or computer.  It’s actually about the size of a grain of rice.  As it’s planted under the surface of the skin it can’t move around and create health issues for your dog, and it’s a quick and relatively painless procedure for your veterinary to carry out.  Costing around £20 it’s not too expensive, especially as it’s a one-off fee, and once the chip is inserted you can move as many times as you want – all that changes is the information that’s held on the national PetLog database. 

Although you benefit from the peace of mind of knowing that if your dog wanders off, as dogs occasionally do, any police station, RSCPA rescue, or even veterinary will only need to scan the dog to find out where you are so that you can be reunited, your dog is the one who benefits most from the microchip.  A collar and ID tag is only good as long as it’s not removed or falls off.  If your dog is lost in a unfamiliar area, and becomes separated from his collar, that makes finding you almost impossible.  Anyone who does pick him up will take him to a dog rescue area where he faces an uncertain future as a stray, no matter how rounded and well fed he looks they won’t keep him forever. If you've paid out for pet insurance and your dog is injured, expensive treatment will not be given unless the vet knows his fees are going to be covered by the vet insurance company.If he has a microchip however, once they scan him (rather like the handheld scanners used at the supermarket) they will find that he does indeed have an owner, will contact you and organize how to get him back to you.  In short, that microchip could save his life.

So if you’ve got the £20, next time your pooch is at the veterinary’s office for his annual booster shot, seriously think about having a microchip inserted at the same time.  You may still keep the collar and tag for “accessories” but at least you’ll know that if he goes missing, it doesn’t matter if his collar is removed or not, the microchip is what will identify him as your dog and hopefully have him back to you within a relatively short period of time.

When you start to train a puppy you there are three main strategies that you need to apply that are similar to ones you would use when teaching toddlers.  These are:

Keep instructions simple

Keep instructions consistent

Keep your patience

With both toddlers and puppies the best instructions use only one word.  This means that the little one can more quickly associate that one word with the action that you require.  As both children and puppies usually want to make you happy, and so carry out your instruction, the more simple it is, the faster they’ll be able to make the connection and so deliver what you require. 

Instructions should be consistent.  If, for example, you are teaching your puppy to sit, then the instruction should always be “sit”.  Don’t confuse the issue by saying “please sit”, or “sit down”.  Even if it sounds as if you’re repeating yourself, keep the word the same.  A simple “sit” said in a controlled voice, as you press lightly onto him so that he’s in a sitting position will get him to realize that when he hears that word, he immediately sits down – thus getting him rewarded and praise.  This shows him that when he heard that word, and did the action, he made you happy and that’s what he wants.  At first it may not work every time, but if he doesn’t sit when you tell him, go back over the exercise with the same word and same controlled voice you first used.  Consistency is the key with both kids and dogs!

Patience is a primary quality that both parents and dog owners need to develop.  If you don’t have it, then you need to fake it!  Practice deep breathing exercises before a training session.  Don’t even think about trying to teach your puppy – or toddler – something if you are already stressed out.  They’ll both pick up on your agitated state and this will affect how they interact with you.  If you approach the training/teaching session calmly it’s much more likely to go well. 

Remember that both youngsters and puppies aim to please.  They want to do well.  They want your positive attention and praise.  If they aren’t getting what you’re trying to teach them, take a look at how you are trying to teach it – it could be something as simple as changing the tone of your voice that’s needed in order to see some degree of success.

Writer: I wrote this as someone believes in the owners responsibility towards their pets, a good owner provides a healthy diet, has bought things like pet insurance to cover medical expensis, and most importantly has trained their animal. The better behaved a dog, the more freedom you can give to that animal.

Most dogs love water so bathing them isn’t such an ordeal as regards getting them into the bath, but the process of actually getting down to business and getting your dog clean may be another issue completely!

The first thing that you need to do is prepare.The more prepared you are for bathing your dog, the easier it’s going to be.You need to prepare for getting your dog into the bath, then the bathing, and then the “after bath” process.

Before the Bath

Put the water into the bath tub so that there’s enough to cover the top of his paws.Your dog is likely to be more heat sensitive to hot water than you are so be careful to keep it tepid.

Place any items such as dog shampoo, anti-flea preparation, jug with bucket of clean tepid water for rinsing the shampoo off your dog within hand reach of where you’ll be standing when bathing the dog.

Put towels on the floor to protect against excessive water, and also ready to do a quick dry of the dog as soon as you’re finished.

Put down clean bedding for your dog, and add a towel so that when they return there after the bath they have a clean, dry place to rest and you can remove the towel soon afterwards so that their bedding isn’t left damp.

During the Bath

Bring your dog into the bathroom in a controlled way.Keep your voice low and steady when you talk to him.Once you’re both in the bathroom close the door so that he can’t get out before you’re ready to let him out (this stops him from racing around the house soaking wet).

Pick him up and place him so that he’s standing firmly in the water.Use the rinsing jug to dampen his fur.

Follow the directions on the shampoo or preparation that you’re using to clean his fur – being careful not to get any of the liquid around his eyes or in his ear canals.

Rinse off carefully and thoroughly – you may find that using a damp face cloth helps you get the shampoo off his face easier than trying to rinsing with water whilst avoiding it getting into in his eyes.

After the Bath

Depending on the type of coat your dog has, the drying process could be quick or lengthy.If they’ve got quite a lot of fur, and are happy to continue standing in the bath, towel dry the top of their coat, head and tail before lifting them out.

Once they’re out, gently towel-dry the excess water off their fur.Be warned, as soon as they’re out they’re going to shake themselves!Depending on the breed of dog you have, you may want to brush your dog’s fur when it’s still damp, or wait until it’s completely dry (check the grooming instructions for your particular dog breed for advice on what’s best).

When you’re satisfied that there’s not going to be a trail of water droplets in his wake as he runs through the rest of the house, open the bathroom door!

Large dogs are usually the cutest puppies in the store.  With large eyes, and oversized feet attached disproportionately to skinny legs, they’re often gangly, uncoordinated and adorable.  However, before your heart decides that you’re taking one of these cuties home with you, you really need to consider some hard facts about owning a large dog breed.

1.       Large dog breeds require large budgets!  They are heavy on everything from food to dog shampoo!  If your dog needs veterinary attention, you can guarantee it’s going to cost you twice, if not three times, as much to heal your Saint Bernard’s broken leg as it will your neighbour’s miniature poodle’s!  Insurance is another area where a larger breed will have a higher financial penalty – and it’s likely that there will be a higher excess to be paid on top of this so make sure you read the small print carefully!

2.       Large dog breeds need more exercise!  If you are time-poor, then a large dog is really out of the question.  They need to be taken out regularly for long walks and give the chance to stretch their muscles fully.  If you’re a jogger or daily walker, this could be ideal – if you’re a couch potato, it’s not!

3.       Large dog breeds take up more space!  A space to call their own may not quite be what you currently call the spare room, but it may be the area that you’re using as your office space!  Consider the full-grown size of the dog breed and how much room it needs not only to sleep, but also how much physical space it will take up when following you around the home – if you think that you’ll constantly fall over the dog because there’s not enough room in your home to actually walk around a dog of that size, it’s not the breed for you!

4.       Large dog breeds need training!  All dogs should be trained, but larger ones tend to scare people quicker.  Even if you decide against training your dog formally, you need to have it sit immediately upon command, and to “leave” or “drop” whatever it’s holding in its mouth.  With an average height that means they are able to comfortably scan the kitchen table, having them trained to “leave” and “drop” means that whatever catches their eye remains on the table!

Whatever dog breed you finally decide on buying needs to fit your life>  Make sure that your budget, life and home can accommodate the dog with that’s already got its huge paws on your heartstrings!

So Christmas Day with kids is a day of noise, excitement, noise, paper, shrieking, laughing –and did I mention noise?  For dogs this is a day that needs to be a little controlled so that they don’t get overly excited which could lead to an accident.

A dog doesn’t always understand what’s happening.  It’s not always able to distinguish between rough play and an attack under normal circumstances never mind when it’s on sensory overload.  A dog is also susceptible to having bladder/bowel accidents and barking incidents when it feels insecure, so whilst you don’t want to plan the joy out of Christmas Day, you do need to have some kind of plan that will remove your dog from the “action” for at least parts of the day.

Start off first thing in the morning when the children first get up.  Have their gifts in a part of the room where your dog doesn’t usually sleep.  Keep the dog’s area clear and make sure the children don’t litter it with toys and paper as they unwrap their packages.  If they are starting to get loud, and you see your dog is pricking up his ears or getting increasingly interested in the proceedings, this would be a good time to take him for a short walk, or at least take him to another room and give him a drink of water and let him calm down.

Whilst you prepare Christmas lunch, have someone take your dog for a long walk.  When he comes in, give him a drink and something to eat, and then let him rest in a room that isn’t going to be full of people.  Leave a lamp on as it gets dark quickly in the winter and you don’t want him feeling anxious.  After lunch is over, and the dishes cleared away, open the door to where your dog is asleep and let him come out when he’s ready – but leave the door ajar so that if he thinks it’s getting too noisy he has somewhere to escape too.  

Throughout the afternoon and evening, remember that your dog needs to go to the bathroom!  Even if it’s just a 5 minute walk around the block, or putting him out in the garden to do what’s necessary, make sure that his needs are attended to and you’ll know that if he’s hanging around, it’s because of something he wants rather than needs and you can either ignore him or take him into another room if he’s disturbing people.

If you’re having a party later at night, follow the same routine as for lunch, a long walk and then drink, food and a quiet lit place to sleep.  The last thing he needs after a day of unfamiliar chaos is to be in the midst of a very loud crowd of people – this will unsettle him and could result in him either having a bladder or bowel accident, or becoming aggressive and barking.  Take time to visit him in his quiet area throughout the party time just to pat him on the head and reassure him that everything’s ok.  

Christmas should be a happy time for everyone, and with a little planning and time on the day, your dog should have just as good a time as everyone else.

One of the most common gifts for a dog to get at that special time of year is a dog leash, and there are plenty of them on the market to choose from, but no matter how much you are tempted by your favourite colour or a designer brand the first thing that you need to ascertain is what type of dog leash is the right type for your dog.

If you’ve got a young small breed puppy, then you can get away with a light leash that’s either linked steel, leather or some kind of fabric material.  If your puppy is a larger breed and has quite a bit of strength already, these kinds of leash are not going to be strong enough to trust when he starts pulling on it.

Most breeds can be walked safely using a retractable leash but make sure you get one that’s appropriate for your dog’s size.  You may be able to buy a small one for your puppy but make sure that as he grows you purchase the next size up so that its always made to withstand his weight.

The strongest dog leashes are made of chain, and the thicker the chain, the larger heavier dog they are able to restrain (as long as you hold on, they should hold firm!) so again keep in mind that as your pooch grows, his leash will need to be renewed.  If you’ve got a large dog you should also have a leash that’s not too long so that your dog has less chance of being able to pull away from you.  The closer you are to your dog, the more your weight is able to block his.

Matching collars and leashes do look nice, but the purpose of the leash is to restrain your dog and make sure that he doesn’t create havoc or come to harm on a busy road.  You may be able to match up a collar and leash of with a mix of chain and leather, but unless you’ve got a small designer dog, leave the neon pink leather straps to the celebrity dogs!