As much as we love our dogs, we sometimes don’t know them very well. Some misunderstandings arise from our desire to treat them like hairy humans. Others have just found their way into popular belief through repetition over time. Build up your canine IQ by learning the truth behind these misconceptions. Myth # 1: Dogs mouths are cleaner than ours. Well, that depends on your definition of clean. If by “clean” you mean that dogs have more enzymes than we do to fight bacteria and defend against microorganisms that enter through the mouth, then this statement is technically true. However, if by “clean” you mean sanitary enough to kiss you on the mouth… well, think again. Much of what goes on around a dog’s mouth never makes it as far as the enzymes. Your dog carries on his snout the traces of his greeting other dogs—and they aren’t shaking hands. [...] Read more »
Help Fido Overcome Noise Phobia
Just as in people, some situations cause irrational fear responses in pets. Noise phobia is a frequent example in dogs, especially in response to storms and fireworks. Since frightened animals can be a danger to themselves (as well as to other animals and people), it is important to manage their fears as effectively as possible. Recognize the signs of noise phobia in dogs Some common signs of noise phobia in dogs include: - Shaking or drooling - Urinating and defecating - Barking, whining or panting - Staying very close to their owner - Destructive behavior or trying to escape Five ways to help your dog overcome a noise phobia Desensitization This involves gradually exposing your dog to the offending noise in order to desensitize him. Play a recording of the noise at increasing intensity to determine the volume that begins to cause a negative response. Although difficult, avoid soothing him when he shows fear – [...] Read more »
Treat Your Dog with Attention: Strengthen Your Bond and His Overall Health
I first stumbled upon Bodywork for Dogs by Lynn Vaughan and Debora Jones while I was searching Netflix for instructional DVD’s that would help me increase my bond with Scout (my black lab, rot mix) as well as increase his mobility. You see I’ve been spending more and more time away from home, and him, and so he has not been getting as much exercise as he once did, also he is almost nine years old and just not as active. This DVD was exactly what I was looking for. I put it in my queue right away. A few days later I found it in my mailbox. I watched the entire DVD before including Scout. I’ll be honest as excited as I was to learn it was hard to give it my full attention. It starts with a rather long introduction about Lynn Vaughan and her beliefs and ideas [...] Read more »
Is Garlic Bad for Dogs?
“All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; only the dose permits something not to be poisonous.” Or, more commonly “The dose makes the poison.” Paracelsus Before you even start to read the rest of this article, please take note of the following: Asian dog breeds, such as Akita, Chow-Chow and Shiba Inu among others, have an extremely low tolerance to garlic, and other onion, products. Never feed anything that contains garlic and / or onion to a dog of this breed. Before adding garlic to your dog’s diet, always consult first with your vet. The information presented in this article has been carefully researched, nevertheless, no responsibility by the author or site owner can be taken for what YOU do with it. Having said all this, lets get to the nitty-gritty details regarding garlic and dogs For a long time garlic was fed to dogs, and other animals, [...] Read more »
Feeding Your Dog a Balanced, Healthy, Inexpensive Diet
Feeding our families a healthy balanced diet is no easy task and neither is finding a healthy balanced dog food. Speak to the most experienced/knowledgeable animal nutritionist and chances are they won’t give you a brand of dog food to buy but will give you a vague idea of the type of food to look for and tell you to go read the labels! Why? Well, not all dogs are the same. They have different nutritional requirements and there is no food, which is best for all dogs. Some dogs have allergies or intolerances to certain foodstuffs and others may have health problems. Their lifestyles also need to be factored in, the Border Collie who is out working all day will need a different diet to the Bichon Frise who spends most of their time on their owners lap watching TV. The majority of people would love to be told [...] Read more »
