Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

Dog Health – Are You Avoiding Veterinary Check-Ups For The Family Dog?

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Dog Health – Vet Visits

Recently, waiting to welcome a friend at the airport, I witnessed many departures and arrivals. The one I liked best involved a young couple returning from some far-off island who couldn’t wait to see their “son.”

“How is he?”

“Did he sleep?”

“Did he eat alright?”

“Where is he?”

When the “son” was brought forward and turned out to be a tiny, quite excited Pomeranian, we wondered why we weren’t more surprised. Then we remembered that it is not at all uncommon for dog owners to regard their pets as children. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with such a situation; neither owner nor dog appears any worse for it.

The trouble is that it often doesn’t go far enough. Right now, for instance, with Jack Frost waiting in the wings, many of us are telling one another to get down to the doctor’s office for a flu shot, and while we’re there, we’ll have our annual check-up.

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Here’s Dog Trainer Chet Womach On How To Save Money By  Handling
Basic Vet Issues At Home

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health remedies, Click Here.

For Optimal Dog Health Dogs Require Check-Ups Too

But what about the tiny Pomeranians and all their canine brothers and sisters? They require an annual check-up too.

Indeed, according to no less an authority than thousands of professional veterinarians, a yearly check-up is five to seven times more important to a dog than it is to an owner, because dogs mature five to seven times faster than humans. From a dog health perspective, a dog ages as much in its first year as his owner does in twenty!

Many dog owners put off taking their family pet to a veterinarian until they notice something wrong. The dog won’t eat, or he sleeps all the time, or he’s biting everybody on the block. Perhaps, had he been checked by a veterinarian long ago, none of these conditions would prevail.

Also, it is well to remember that dogs are subject to many hidden hazards, just as we are. Dogs get arthritis, they suffer from tumors, heart trouble, kidney ailments, etc. Caught in time, a lot of pain can be avoided.

What does a visit to the veterinarian involve? Some owners we’ve talked to think it’s an all-day affair, costing a fortune. Not so. The cost is moderate and the time consumed is seldom more than an hour. Most often, it’s a matter of minutes.

The doctor will use a stethoscope, an otoscope, and an ophthalmoscope, the last two instruments for the ears and eyes. He will have a good look at the dog’s teeth and gums (dogs can get pyorrhea), he’ll check the dog’s coat, weight, pulse, and temperature.

Most dogs learn to enjoy their visits to the veterinarian. Incidentally, it’s a very good idea to take the dog to the same doctor each visit, just as you would yourself.

When it comes to dog health, in their own way, some dogs even demand it!

Dog Training – Group Dog Training Classes & What Questions To Ask The Instructor

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Are you looking for the most efficient way of training your dog in the fastest time possible?

We would all love to learn how to be world-class dog trainers and teach our puppies and adult dogs all they need to know when it comes to basic training, however, for most of us it just isn’t practical.  We have busy lives and hectic schedules and there isn’t enough time in the day to devote a lot of training towards our pets.

This is why joining a group dog training class is ideal.  Not only is it fun to watch your dog interact with the trainer and the other dogs, these classes can be a very efficient way to teach your dog the basics when it comes to the minimum requirements for an obedient pet.

One word of caution though, and that is to be very careful about which group training class you and your dog participate in. To help you become aware of what questions to ask the trainer of these classes, below are a few pointers to get you going.

1. For starters, ask the instructor exactly what your dog will learn in the class. You want to be sure that the basic commands are going to be taught.  Such examples are learning to Sit, Stay, Come, Heel, and Down. And on the same note, ask the dog trainer if he or she will also take time to go over these commands with you so that you can help your dog master them in your spare time.

2. Group dog training classes should not be too large in numbers. To avoid getting involved in a class that has too many dogs, be sure to ask the instructor the number of dogs and puppies that will be participating. A good rule of thumb to look for in terms of members is between five and fifteen. 15 dogs is of course on the high side.  Any more than that then you may be paying for classes without your dog getting the full benefits of training that is offered.

3. Dogs and bad behavior sometimes go hand in hand.  It’s the nature of the beast, literally.  So ask the instructor if he or she discusses behavior problems during the class. It is not typical for a group class to go full-blown into dog behavior training because it is this area that becomes a little more personal and unique to each individual dog. However, it is a good sign if the class discusses basic behavior problems and how to counter them in training your dog.

Dog Training: The Six Common Mistakes To Avoid

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When new trainers start training, they tend to make a lot of mistakes in their approach and methods in their training process. There are some mistakes that are common among most trainers.

High Expectation- The individual who makes this mistake is a true dog lover. The problem arises only when they start watching the tricks their neighbor’s dog can do or watch some well trained pets in their favorite sitcoms. Also sometimes when they go to park, they would have come across people who would have been enjoying the company of their dogs that are obedient and well trained. At that moment, they tend to forget all the time, money and patience that has gone into training these dogs.

Giving Up- This is also a common mistake done by novice dog trainers. Just because the dog cannot learn to play Frisbee in an hour or so, the owners conclude that the dog would just not learn at all.

Positive reinforcement- Many frustrated trainers go home with deprived results because they forget to reward their dogs for doing well. Rewards must be consistent, just like the training. The dog which always receive only correction and never gets rewarded will get frustrated.

Negative reinforcement- Trainer who spends his whole day during the training process will be looking for the dog to make a mistake, so that they can be corrected. This is a major mistake done by novice trainers because when you focus only in finding the mistakes of your dog, you will then fail to identify and reward all the good behaviors.

Apathy- Often a dog trainer says I hate this or that about the dog but its too difficult to change it. Changes can be made and if your dog sees that they bring rewards they will respond much quicker to a direct approach.

The major mistake the trainer makes is by thinking that the training is over. Training is a learning process and it doesn’t have an end. Your dog may learn some commands and know it well. So why do you stop there? Your dog loves to learn and you are a good trainer. Train your dog something new and enjoy your day forever.

With the knowledge of these mistakes trainers often make, you can recognize some of the common feelings which you might have encountered for yourself. You can now stem these mistakes before they become a problem.

Ranju Kumar offers excellent tips and advices on dog and puppy training including how to look after their health and other dog problems. Please take a 5-minute lesson at Puppy Training for FREE and make your dog obey your commands now.

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How To Test A Shelter Dog

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It’s hard to know how an unfamiliar dog will react to your attempts to become his leader; if you catch a very self-protective dog off guard, he may bite. It doesn’t happen frequently, but don’t take the chance, and make your assessments in other ways instead. He’s going to be a little bit out of sorts when you first take him out of his cage. Give him some time to get used to you and to work out his excess energy. Don’t make loud noises or sudden moves; just let him sniff and greet you, and then take him somewhere where you can really get acquainted.

Never grab an unfamiliar dog; he may interpret this as a threatening gesture and respond by snapping. If you’ve brought your kids with you to the shelter, ask them not to touch the dog until he’s gotten accustomed to you and until you know that he is trustworthy.

Crouch down and pet him and play with him. Does he accept and enjoy your affection, or does he act suspicious of you or ignore you altogether? Does he trample and nip you, or does he avoid you? Look for a dog who plays and cuddles with you enthusiastically but not obnoxiously or fearfully. Take a walk around the room. Does he trot after you, or does he seem relieved to see you go? He should follow you happily without attacking your legs. If you have a toy, toss it for him. Does he show interest, or does he turn up him snout at your attempt at a game?

Keep petting, talking, and playing with him. If he growls or snaps at you or curls his lip, move on to another dog. Unless you’re an experienced dog trainer, you don’t want to mess with an aggressive dog. If he doesn’t appear dangerous but is nevertheless very rough or mouthy, he still may be too dominant for you.

If he slinks around and avoids looking at you, he’s probably a submissive dog who will need a lot of positive reinforcement. Some dogs may cower or shake when you try to pet them; many interpret this as a sign that the dog has been hit or beaten. However, adult dogs often shrink away from human hands simply because they were not properly socialized and have never gotten used to being touched and petted.

If a dog seems wary of your touch at first but begins to accept your affection after a few minutes, chances are that he’ll be able to come out of his nervousness pretty quickly with good training and lots of love. Bur if he remains nervous and terrified, it’s probably going to be a real challenge to turn him into a happy and comfortable pet, and he’s better left to someone who’s had lots of experience working with undersocialized or abused dogs. If he’s lethargic and draggy, there’s a good chance that poor health is to blame. Look elsewhere. You don’t want to adopt a dog who may be sick. Be on the lookout for a dog who’s cheerful, responsive, and confident.

Do you have fun playing with him and paying attention to him? Often, when owners who are having troubles with their adopted dogs, their biggest problem seems to be that they just don’t like their dogs very much. Do not adopt a dog if you’re not crazy about him! Spend as much time as you need to get to know as many dogs as you can; make more than one visit if necessary. But don’t forget that a dog who catches your eye one day may be adopted by someone else or even euthanized the next, so you’ll have to judge for yourself how long it’s safe to wait.

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