Pet Haven

When embarking on a car journey, do you consider that your dog may get as car sick as your child?  It’s possible!  The younger the dog the more prone he’s likely to be to being affected by motion sickness, but older dogs that are not used to travelling in a vehicle are also susceptible.  There are ways of improving your dog’s sensitivity to car sickness however so try a few of these if you find that your dog is affected.

Don’t make the first time in a car a long journey.  Start off short, even if it’s just around the neighbourhood for 5 minutes.  Lengthen this out over a period of time until the dog looks more at ease when you travel.  Also, don’t let the only trip your dog makes in the car one that includes a visit to his veterinary, this won’t give him a good association with the car and won’t help the motion sickness issue.

If he’s prone to vomiting when travelling, limit his food intake in the hours leading up to the journey.  He will need plenty of water, but you can hold back the food so that if he does vomit, it’s not going to be such a mess to clean up and you won’t get so stressed about it – your stress will add to his distress and make things worse.

Make sure that your dog has a clear view out of the window, and that there’s fresh air circulating around – as with a child, both of these small changes can make a big difference in how they feel whilst they travel.

Stop your journey frequently at places where your dog can get out, take a walk and relieve himself.  You should also allow him water at these places.  Don’t let him off the leash however – he’ll be disorientated in unfamiliar surroundings and could get lost!  The frequent stops will allow him to settle into a reassuring pattern that the journey is temporary and that the car will stop, he can get out, answer the call of nature and so on. 

If you are going on a long journey, and you know that your dog is distressed when travelling, talk to your veterinary about it.  It may be worth giving your dog some form of canine travel sickness medication.  The dose should be prescribed by the veterinary and will be based on your dogs weight.  If your dog has any medical conditions, this may not be an option, but otherwise, it’s a good idea if you don’t want to have to make too many unscheduled stops on the way to your destination.

A happy, relaxed dog in the car will make the journey to your vacation spot a more pleasurable one, so think about how your pet is going to respond to the journey well in advance of the date so that you have time to assess his reaction to being in the car, and try to improve it if necessary.

Identifying Dog Sunburn

Sun damage from ultra violet radiation is harmful for dogs. All dogs can suffer from sunburn, but the pale dogs with the lightest fur are most at risk. A longer coat does protect the dog to a certain extent but they can still suffer the effects. Short dogs are more at risk than the Great Dane’s or mastiffs. As they are fairly close to the ground, they are at risk from reflected sunlight. The suns rays are capable of reflecting back from the pavement. White sand is a good medium for reflecting back sunlight. This is why the abdomen, inside of the dogs legs and the groin suffer more than most areas. Dogs need protection from UV rays.

Even if the day is overcast and the level of sunlight does not appear to be strong the dog can suffer and they must have protection from direct sunlight when the sun is at its zenith. A sun block can be applied to especially sensitive areas such as the top of the ears and the nose if the dog is going to spend any time in the sun. 

Dogs need a certain amount of sunlight as this helps to produce Vitamin D, which is vital for calcium balance. However when the skin has become red it can lead to ulcers and some cancers. Some owners prefer to used a protective body suit because dogs and cats can lick off a sun block.

All dogs have breath that can quite literally take your breathe away occasionally. The causes are varied it may be food between the teeth, tooth decay, gum disease or just the diet the dog is eating. Many tinned foods make a dog’s mouthy smell. Regular visits to a veterinary surgeon can keep the build up of tartar under control. Giving your bog a large raw bone lamb or been bone twice a week helps the dog clean its own teeth. This bone should not be cooked as cooked bones can lead to constipation.

Somne dogs have a tendency to bury foos particles and eat them later and this does not help oral hygiene.

Home Made Dog Biscuits to keep the dogs breath sweet.

Ingredients

2 cups brown rice flour

1 Tablespoon powdered activated charcoal

3 Tablespoons oil

1 large egg

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

2/3 cup low fat milk

Method

Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly oil a metal tray.

Combine the flour and charcoal, and then add the other ingredients. Drop teaspoonfuls onto the oiled sheet, about 1 inch apart, as they spread when baked.  Bake 15-20 minutes.

Store the biscuits, covered and air tight in the refrigerator.

This is a issue that’s relevant all through the year, but now that summer’s almost upon us, and kids are now playing outside more, it’s not just a question of being socially conscious about the environment in which you live, or even whether or not there’s a fine in place if you get caught for not doing so.  It’s a case of commonsense and hygiene.  No-one likes getting dog poop on their shoes, but in the summer there’s a higher likelihood of children in particular getting this on their barefeet if you allow your dog to poop in public places, and ignore the fact that you as the dog’s owner are responsible to clean it up.

There’s really no reason not to clean up after your dog these days.  In times gone by, it wasn’t something you did, no-one expected you too and it wasn’t always easy to do.  Nowadays, you just need to walk into any good pet store and you’ll find an array of different “tools” that will make this not so pleasant job simple to do.  There are a variety of “poop scoops” that help with the picking up, and “baggies” to put it in.  If you prefer, you could use the scented nappy sacks available at most supermarkets.  Public places such as parks even provide special bins where you can dump the dog’s poop baggie once you’re done.

What’s really annoying is seeing little old ladies who obviously have problems bending down, managing to clean up after their dogs, whilst healthier younger dog owners think that it’s ok for them not to.  It’s not ok.  If you’ve got a dog, and you’ve bought it in the past 10 or so years, then you know you're supposed to clean up after it.  

Make this a country where our children can walk freely in public areas without fear of treading in a mess someone else should have cleaned up!

There is a difference between guard dogs and dogs that guard your home. Many home owners require an early warning system to alert them to the danger of an intruder, and at the same time many intruders are deterred by a bark. For this purpose, most dogs understand the limits territory and know who should not be on it, they will bark to protect it.

A dog bred to guard is a different proposition and brings with it separate problems and despite being a guard dog it does need to be socialized. Having a guard dog means investing a lot of time in the correct training for the dog.  Do not consider buying a guard dog to merely defend your property, even guard dogs need interaction with people and need to learn how to behave amongst people not making a claim on their territory.

Dogs are pack animals and whatever their size they need to know who is boss, they need to be dominated, without this they will innately attempt to do it themselves. This trait is genetic and has been bred into to most dog breeds for hundreds of years. Male dogs have the urge to be the “big man” more than females and if the owner does not assume the role the dog will and that often means that the commands of the owner go ignored.

Many modern guard dog breeds initially guarded cattle, sheep or flocks of birds. Their herding instinct is strong and they do not differentiate between children or other pets, they are all there to be herded into position. This can cause friction between young children and the dogs. Guard dogs have been bred to be aggressive and those traits cannot be switched off on demand but you can control them.

If you are not prepared to invest the time into the correct training for the dog and later create a stable home with the dog then an alarm system will cause less grief  in the long term.

Dogs are not people. Before you give them love and affection, they need exercise, direction, and leadership. Giving them love alone does not give them balance in their lives. You need to be the pack leader!

Rehabilitating a dog is not about “repairing” him. It’s all about you, the dog owner. Dogs pick up feelings of fear, doubt, worry, etc. – and they will react to them by attempting to become dominant over them and over you.

Practice leadership every day, especially while you are on your daily walk. The energy you are projecting is the message you are sending to your dog.

Dedicate a minimum of 45 minutes of time to the dog’s walk, preferably in the morning. Let the dog know you have a consistent routine that you expect him to follow, in a positive manner.

Do not expect more from your dog than you would expect from your own children. Dogs need the same discipline. Give him rules, boundaries and limitations, then love and affection.

Avoid feeding into your dog’s fears or neurotic behavior. Imagine a successful scenario and hold it in your mind when dealing with your dog. You are the source of your dog’s energy. You are the role model.

Challenge your dog’s mind – dogs want to know and be told what to do with their lives. Let the dog work for your affection. Once he is in a calm and submissive state, your love will intensify those qualities in your dog.

Dogs need on and off time too.. Engage them fully in structured times together; then they can relax and avoid impatient or destructive behaviors.

Dogs show us humans how much we can learn – they live in the moment and keep it simple. Try it!