Welcome to The Dog Blog
A Blog about Dogs - with articles, advice, stories and pet dog information

Have you ever thought about giving first-aid to your pet? There must have been times as a pet owner you wished you had the knowledge and confidence to administer first-aid in an emergency. We have come across a product that provides training to qualify you as an animal first-aider. You train at home to achieve the skills you need and when you finish Byou receive a recognised qualification.

Use code UK-DBUK to claim your discount

This makes it ideal for both pet owners and people working in the pet service area (Trainers, Boarding Kennel Owners, Pet Walkers etc.) The course is reasonably priced and even better, we have managed to negotiate a discount off the price. Click on the ProPet logo and take advantage of this generous discount.

What Is Socialisation? 3124/12/2011

Socialising your dog is very important, a well socialised dog will keep calm under new and unfamiliar conditions. Puppies who are are well socialised will be friendly and happy with people and other animals, making them very successful pets. Socialising your puppy helps him to become a happy, healthy, and well-behaved member of your family. Properly socialised puppies are less likely to develop behavioural problems as they grow into adults.
When dogs are taken out regularly as puppies they will take new and unfamiliar situations in their stride and will enjoy going anywhere with their owners.
Ideally your puppy should meet and interact with as many types of people, animals, and environments as possible. A puppy of about 4 months old should have learned to accept being petted by strangers, meeting other dogs and other animals, being handled by a vet or groomer, and generally meeting a wide variety of people.

Dogs who don't get early socialisation often react with fear or aggression when they are exposed to new things. It is always much easier to teach your puppy to accept new things now than it is to retrain him after bad habits have developed.
When you first get a puppy he will already have had some degree of socialisation.
Puppy socialisation should take place when your dog is between 8 and 16 weeks old, however if your puppy has not received all his vaccinations, check with your vet about when it's safe to expose your puppy to new people and places.

Bathing your Dog - some practical suggestions 24/12/2011

You will usually know when your dog is ready for a bath, he will appear dirty, have a bad odour, is scratching or showing signs of flea infestation. Many owners believe bathing a dog is bad for the skin; however if you use a gentle baby shampoo or shampoo specifically for dogs, you may bath a dog as often as you like.
Bathing a dog doesn't have to mean you and your bathroom will get soaked, using some necessary equipment can help.
It is often a good idea to exercise your dog before you attempt to bath him, this can make him calmer and much more cooperative.
Firstly if your dog is matted you should brush out the tangles before bathing as, once wet, these tangles can clump together like a thick felt and become impossible to comb out or pull apart.
On warm days you can bath your dog outside but if you use your bathtub It helps to place a rubber mat in the tub to help prevent slipping and to keep better control.

Shampooing your dog:-
• Start by filling the bath to about knee level, use a spray nozzle or jug to apply the water.
• Use warm water only, thoroughly wet your dog including his tail and his belly area and avoid spraying or pouring water directly on his face, in his eyes or ears.
• When your dog is thoroughly wet starting at the base of the tail apply the dog shampoo along the back area in a line from the base of the tail to the middle of the neck area.
• Lather-up, using more water when necessary, while massaging gently into your dog's skin.
• Pour a little more shampoo into your hands and lather up his belly, his tail area and in between his toes and paw pads.
• Avoid getting shampoo on your dog’s face, try wiping this area with a damp cloth or sponge.

Rinsing your dog
• Rinsing and removing all the shampoo is very important. If all the shampoo is not removed, this can cause flaky skin and itching for your dog
• You may want to use a conditioner during rinsing, these can help avoid matting and tangling especially in dogs with long coats.(always read the instruction a where necessary rinse thoroughly)
• It is best to drain the bathtub before starting rinsing with lukewarm water.
• Keep rinsing until the water runs clear making sure that no dirt or soap residue remains

Drying your dog
• Begin drying by gently squeezing excess water out of your dog’s coat.
• Using a towel start by blotting your dog’s coat, if your dog has a long coat rub gently with dry towels, this avoids tangling or matting
• If you choose to use a blow dryer make sure it is the low or warm setting and do not use it too close to the dog’s skin.
• Using a soft brush gently brush your dog’s coat while using the dryer

Bringing a new puppy home– making it stress free 18/12/2011

Bringing home a new puppy is a fun experience but if you are not prpared it can also be very stressful both for you and the puppy.
Your puppy has been taken away from his mother, probably brothers and sisters and an environment he has just got used to and now finds himself in totally new surroundings with a new group of people and all the new and different sights, sounds and smells that will be involved.
You will probably bring your puppy home by car, try to make the journey as pleasant as possible, it is probably your puppies first experience of travelling and he will need you to be calm and reassuring. It is usually best if you are the passenger, this first time, enabling you to hold your puppy on a blanket, it would be a good idea if the puppy is familiar with the blanket so try leaving it with the breeder some days before you pick up the puppy. It would also be a good if he has not had a meal to close to travelling.
On arrival home first take your puppy to the area you would like to designate the toilet area (garden, yard or litter-tray). Bring the puppy back in to room you would like him to think of as his initially, then try giving a small meal and drink then try the toilet again. if he does need to go reward him with a treat and praise.
Your home should ideally be quiet and calming for the first few days, if you have children don't let them get too excited and immediately play with the puppy (there will be plenty of time for that later), his area should have some form of bed or bedding and toys for him to play with. Let him explore this new area and try to be part of this, making him feel included and part of a new "pack", however try not to be to fussy with him and avoid any "over comforting" if he seems stressful, puppies soon learn that their actions bring a reaction form you.
Your puppies bed should be somewhere you have designated as his sleeping area, it should be warm comfortable and free of draughts. Getting your puppy to sleep overnight can initially be very stressful and you may need to be firm for a few nights to get him used to the idea, try leaving a ticking clock near his bed or even a radio on quietly overnight.

Bringing a new dog home– some suggestions 12/12/2011

Some Home Equipment you will need :-

Some Travel Equipment you might require :- (see also Car travel with your pet dog.)

 

Keeping your dog off the furniture – some solutions. 01/12/2011

For some owners this is not a problem, they simply don’t mind. For other dog owners this can be a major problem, for some - no dog on any furniture is the house rule, and there are those in between who don’t mind their pet on certain furniture.
If you are in the first group then no suggestions are necessary, it’s your furniture and your choice.
If however you want to impose some restrictions then here are a few suggestions:-
1. Start as early as possible, establish what is out of bounds and do not allow your dog on that furniture ever.
2. Make sure everyone in your family is aware of these restrictions and be consistent.
3. Avoid “sometimes” rules, e.g. your dog is allowed normally but not when he is wet or has muddy paws.
4. Until your dog is trained, try to restrict him from rooms when you can’t be there, close doors or use gates. You may also want to use these at night to stop him roaming around the house.
5. Use a command your dog will readily understand to train him. Keep it succinct and easily recognisable. “Off” is a good one especially if you already use “down” to get him to sit or lie down.
6. If your dog is on the furniture try to move him off with as little fuss as possible, try luring him off with a reward while using the command “off” this reinforces his understanding that he is doing something good and is being rewarded for being on the floor as a consequence.
7. Give your dog an alternative that is comfortable to sit or lie on. You have probably provided him with a comfortable bed but you may not want to keep moving that, so provide a mat or rug you can move easily and encourage him use this with a reward every time he does. He will soon get to know that is where he should lie.
Whatever decision you have made and whichever rules you are going to apply the most important thing is you must be consistent and remember if you make rules you must stick by them.