Many people are unaware that some of the foods that we eat on regular basis can be deadly to your dog.
A piece of chocolate can cause seizures, coma and death.
Even a small piece of chocolate is dangerous.
Anything containing caffeine can have a similar effect and be as dangerous as chocolate, and that includes coffee grounds, tea, and tea bags.
Grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure and even a single serving of raisins can kill your dog.
Excessive salt intake can also cause kidney problems.
Onions can cause anemia by destroying red blood cells while tomatoes can cause tremors and heart arrhythmias.
Tomato plants are particularly toxic to dogs.
Avocados are also highly toxic and can cause breathing difficulty and fluid accumulation around the abdomen chest and heart.
When giving your dog bones ensure that they are raw as cooked bones can splinter and damage their internal organs.
Excessive fat can cause pancreatitis, so it is not wise to feed your dog a diet of fatty foods.
Fried foods also fall into this category and are not good to retain maximum health in your dog.
Certain nuts, such as Macadamia nuts and walnuts can cause weakness and muscle tremors.
Peanut butter however is generally okay provided you use the salt and sugar free peanut butter as sugar can encourage cancer growth.
The core and pits of fruits such as Apple's cherries and peaches contain cyanide, which is poisonous to dogs and can kill them within 24-hours without warning.
If in doubt, always refrain from feeding your dog foods that we are eating assuming that they will be okay.
What is safe for humans can kill your dog within hours.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Create Your Own Cost Effective Quality Dog Food
In an earlier newsletter I talked about allergies and how many of these are related to the food that your dog eats.
This is due to all the filler, colors and preservatives that the dog food manufacturers put into the processed dog foods that are sold through the stores.
There is a solution if you have a dog that has food allergies and it is not only a cost effective way to feed your dog but it can also add to the quality of your dogs health.
Creating your own dog food and dog treats might be the best solution for your dog's allergies.
Even if your dog doesn't have food allergies you can often see an improvement in the health of a dog by changing to homemade treats that don't have all the harmful additives of the dog food you will buy over the counter.
You will also have full control over the ingredients that you use for your food preparation and you can eliminate any foods that you already know your dog is allergic to.
If you are still unsure of the food that your dog might be allergic to you can add and delete the various different foods until you eliminate those that cause negative reactions and only use food that your dog is comfortable eating.
While it might be difficult determining exactly what is in the dog food that you buy from the store you will always know exactly what your dog is eating if you prepare the food yourself.
You can create the food fresh and in the quantities that you require rather than rely on the portions that are determined by the manufacturers.
This is due to all the filler, colors and preservatives that the dog food manufacturers put into the processed dog foods that are sold through the stores.
There is a solution if you have a dog that has food allergies and it is not only a cost effective way to feed your dog but it can also add to the quality of your dogs health.
Creating your own dog food and dog treats might be the best solution for your dog's allergies.
Even if your dog doesn't have food allergies you can often see an improvement in the health of a dog by changing to homemade treats that don't have all the harmful additives of the dog food you will buy over the counter.
You will also have full control over the ingredients that you use for your food preparation and you can eliminate any foods that you already know your dog is allergic to.
If you are still unsure of the food that your dog might be allergic to you can add and delete the various different foods until you eliminate those that cause negative reactions and only use food that your dog is comfortable eating.
While it might be difficult determining exactly what is in the dog food that you buy from the store you will always know exactly what your dog is eating if you prepare the food yourself.
You can create the food fresh and in the quantities that you require rather than rely on the portions that are determined by the manufacturers.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
A Collar and Lead for your Dog
It is important that every dog learns to feel comfortable with a collar and lead, as this will be required when taking the dog to public places.
Walking your dog with a collar and lead is a basic and important skill otherwise you will be one of those people where the dog takes them for a walk and they are forever straining to hold the dog back from running away.
The bigger the dog, the bigger the problem.
Even if your dog is extremely well trained it is unwise to take it out without a collar and lead as accidents can happen.
The dog might get scared from unexpected noise or another dog might attract its attention and it could run off.
If the dog is in new surroundings it could also get spooked by new noises and run off without thinking.
Having a collar with good identification will help you to locate your dog should it ever go missing so this is an important safety factor that we all hope we never have to rely on.
You must always choose a collar that your dog will feel comfortable with as it will be wearing it a lot of the time and you can't even start leash training until your dog has become accustomed to the collar.
On puppies it is not unusual for them to try to remove the collar when they first start wearing it.
It is best to simply ignore your puppy and they will soon get used to wearing it.
You can help by distracting it with toys or playing with it so it forgets that it is even wearing a collar.
Once your dog has accepted wearing the collar you can begin leash training.
Walking your dog with a collar and lead is a basic and important skill otherwise you will be one of those people where the dog takes them for a walk and they are forever straining to hold the dog back from running away.
The bigger the dog, the bigger the problem.
Even if your dog is extremely well trained it is unwise to take it out without a collar and lead as accidents can happen.
The dog might get scared from unexpected noise or another dog might attract its attention and it could run off.
If the dog is in new surroundings it could also get spooked by new noises and run off without thinking.
Having a collar with good identification will help you to locate your dog should it ever go missing so this is an important safety factor that we all hope we never have to rely on.
You must always choose a collar that your dog will feel comfortable with as it will be wearing it a lot of the time and you can't even start leash training until your dog has become accustomed to the collar.
On puppies it is not unusual for them to try to remove the collar when they first start wearing it.
It is best to simply ignore your puppy and they will soon get used to wearing it.
You can help by distracting it with toys or playing with it so it forgets that it is even wearing a collar.
Once your dog has accepted wearing the collar you can begin leash training.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Clicker Training for Your Dog
Clicker training is a technique that is highly successful for training dogs.
The trainer uses a simple clicker that can be purchased from most pet stores and the dog is trained to respond to the sound of the clicker.
The dog will quickly learn that the sound of the clicker is followed by a reward and they will respond to commands when the clicker is used knowing that a reward is to follow.
It is a great technique for home training of dogs as it is a simple technique that the owner can use to get fast results.
Some other dog training techniques can be a little difficult to master and unless the trainer has a good understanding of the training process it can become quite frustrating when the results don't come as fast as expected.
Clicker training generally gets results relatively fast and the owner and the dog can have a lot of fun during the training with both parties getting what they want out of the training sessions.
Clicker training leaves the dog with no doubt what it needs to do to get the reward.
Clicker training doesn't involve any forms of punishment if the dog doesn't do as it is told, because it will know that it will not get the reward.
Punishment training can lead to confusion where the dog does not know what it has done wrong and this confusion can lead to an unhappy dog.
There is no such problem with Clicker training.
It is actually a form of positive reinforcement for the dog and this will help it bond and build a better relationship with it's owner.
Dogs have also been shown to learn a lot faster when positive reinforcement is used rather than any form of punishment.
It is much better to let them know when they have done something well rather than bad and this process can also be used to eliminate bad behavior.
The trainer uses a simple clicker that can be purchased from most pet stores and the dog is trained to respond to the sound of the clicker.
The dog will quickly learn that the sound of the clicker is followed by a reward and they will respond to commands when the clicker is used knowing that a reward is to follow.
It is a great technique for home training of dogs as it is a simple technique that the owner can use to get fast results.
Some other dog training techniques can be a little difficult to master and unless the trainer has a good understanding of the training process it can become quite frustrating when the results don't come as fast as expected.
Clicker training generally gets results relatively fast and the owner and the dog can have a lot of fun during the training with both parties getting what they want out of the training sessions.
Clicker training leaves the dog with no doubt what it needs to do to get the reward.
Clicker training doesn't involve any forms of punishment if the dog doesn't do as it is told, because it will know that it will not get the reward.
Punishment training can lead to confusion where the dog does not know what it has done wrong and this confusion can lead to an unhappy dog.
There is no such problem with Clicker training.
It is actually a form of positive reinforcement for the dog and this will help it bond and build a better relationship with it's owner.
Dogs have also been shown to learn a lot faster when positive reinforcement is used rather than any form of punishment.
It is much better to let them know when they have done something well rather than bad and this process can also be used to eliminate bad behavior.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
How Toys can Boost Your Dogs Intelligence
There are many benefits in giving your dog the right toys to play with.
While most people think that dog toys are only to relieve boredom this is not the only use for these toys.
Sure dog toys are excellent for relieving boredom and are especially good where you might have to leave your dog on it's own for periods of time, but there are other reasons why you should consider buying your dog toys.
Some dog toys are designed to boost their intelligence where they will only get a reward after they have performed certain tasks.
These toys are a very effective method of training.
Other toys help a dog to know what they can chew and in doing so you can save yourself a lot of expense by not having to replace expensive items throughout the house that can be destroyed at the teeth of your pet.
There are chewing toys that will help your dog strengthen and keep their teeth clean and there are toys that will help teach your dog with retrieval training.
You really need to decide what you want the toys for before buying and also to determine what the personality of your dog is before you can get the right toys for it.
Some toys are designed to last for a short period of time when they will be replaced by new ones, and these are often the chewing variety.
Some toys of the chewing variety are flavored so you will need to check first to see what ingredients they have used for the flavoring or you might be buying a toy that your dog is allergic to.
These toys with flavoring often have preservatives in them so beware.
With such a wide variety of toys available on the market these days there is certain to be something that your dog will enjoy and make their life all the more happy.
While most people think that dog toys are only to relieve boredom this is not the only use for these toys.
Sure dog toys are excellent for relieving boredom and are especially good where you might have to leave your dog on it's own for periods of time, but there are other reasons why you should consider buying your dog toys.
Some dog toys are designed to boost their intelligence where they will only get a reward after they have performed certain tasks.
These toys are a very effective method of training.
Other toys help a dog to know what they can chew and in doing so you can save yourself a lot of expense by not having to replace expensive items throughout the house that can be destroyed at the teeth of your pet.
There are chewing toys that will help your dog strengthen and keep their teeth clean and there are toys that will help teach your dog with retrieval training.
You really need to decide what you want the toys for before buying and also to determine what the personality of your dog is before you can get the right toys for it.
Some toys are designed to last for a short period of time when they will be replaced by new ones, and these are often the chewing variety.
Some toys of the chewing variety are flavored so you will need to check first to see what ingredients they have used for the flavoring or you might be buying a toy that your dog is allergic to.
These toys with flavoring often have preservatives in them so beware.
With such a wide variety of toys available on the market these days there is certain to be something that your dog will enjoy and make their life all the more happy.
Monday, August 3, 2015
Watch For Changes In Your Dog
One of the best things you can do for your dog besides regular exercise, good food, water and shelter, is to be aware of any changes that it might exhibit in all aspects of it's life.
Particularly as dogs get older they might seem like they are just not interested in exercise any longer but this might be due to the fact that they are suffering from pain of some form or another.
Many older dogs suffer from arthritis and this can be very painful.
There are all sorts of remedies that can help your dog from natural remedies to ones that your local vet might prescribe.
Our beloved pets cannot talk to us and they can only hope that we are aware of their conditions by knowing what they are usually like and noticing any behavioral changes.
Even if a normally quiet dog starts whining or barking more often they might be trying to give you a signal that something is not quite right in their life.
A regular checkup at the Vet is a good solution to ensure that your dog is always in optimal health and that includes their mental state.
Older dogs can become depressed because they are no longer getting the required stimulation mentally and a depressed dog will suffer just as a human can do in similar circumstances.
If your dog starts to eat more or less food than normal this could be another sign that there is a problem and also if they gain or lose weight they could be suffering from some health problems.
Always be aware of their behavior and it will ensure that your dog has a happy and long life.
Particularly as dogs get older they might seem like they are just not interested in exercise any longer but this might be due to the fact that they are suffering from pain of some form or another.
Many older dogs suffer from arthritis and this can be very painful.
There are all sorts of remedies that can help your dog from natural remedies to ones that your local vet might prescribe.
Our beloved pets cannot talk to us and they can only hope that we are aware of their conditions by knowing what they are usually like and noticing any behavioral changes.
Even if a normally quiet dog starts whining or barking more often they might be trying to give you a signal that something is not quite right in their life.
A regular checkup at the Vet is a good solution to ensure that your dog is always in optimal health and that includes their mental state.
Older dogs can become depressed because they are no longer getting the required stimulation mentally and a depressed dog will suffer just as a human can do in similar circumstances.
If your dog starts to eat more or less food than normal this could be another sign that there is a problem and also if they gain or lose weight they could be suffering from some health problems.
Always be aware of their behavior and it will ensure that your dog has a happy and long life.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Which are the Smartest Dogs
While we would all like to think we have the smartest dog in the world there are some breeds that are generally more intelligent than others.
In this newsletter we will look at the dogs ranking from 6th most intelligent to tenth.
And then in the next newsletter we will look at the most intelligent dogs in the world.
Don't be too concerned if your dog doesn't appear in either of these lists, as sometimes it is not always an advantage to have an intelligent dog.
As expected, the more intelligent dogs generally need more stimulation or they will get bored and this can cause problems, particularly if they are left at home during the day when you're at work.
So lets start with the tenth most intelligent dog...
Tenth on the list is the Australian Cattle Dog
The Australian Cattle Dog was originally bred for herding cattle, just as their name suggests.
Obviously to be tenth on the list they are very intelligent, but they need to be stimulated, as one would expect from an intelligent dog.
They are happy when they are working, as they need regular exercise and mental stimulation.
Ninth on the list is the Rottweiler.
Contrary to popular belief, the Rottweiler is actually a great family dog, and is not quite as fearsome as many people believe.
There are a highly intelligent dogs and respond well to training.
The eighth dog on the list of intelligence is the Papillon.
Like the Australian cattle dog the Papillon is very protective of its owner and makes a lovable and intelligent pet.
And as with most intelligent dogs they are relatively easy to train.
Number seven on the list is the Labrador Retriever.
These are one of the most popular family dogs because of their good nature, which allows them to socialize well with other dogs and more importantly, children.
Like the previous dogs on the list, Labradors need exercise, and particularly in their case, without exercise they tend to gain excessive weight.
Number six on our list of intelligent dogs is the Shetland sheepdog.
Like the Australian Cattle Dog the Shetland sheepdog was bred for herding cattle and sheep.
Obviously to do this well they need some intelligence and that is why they have ended at number six on our list.
They're not quite as good at socializing with other people or children but are excellent pets in their own family.
And the Top Five Dogs Are..........
And at number five on that list is the Doberman.
It is important that the Doberman is trained early on in its life, as they can be quite temperamental.
If they are trained they can be great family dogs and really good with children despite their reputation.
They are highly intelligent, and like many intelligent dogs are very protective of their master and family.
Number four is the Golden Retriever, which is often regarded as one of the most popular breeds of dog.
They are great with children and are a very loyal and loving dog.
It is not uncommon to see Golden Retrievers winning dog competitions where intelligence is of importance.
Number three on our list is a dog that is often associated with police work.
Yes, it's the German Shepherd, and it is chosen for its police work due to its intelligence.
They make great family dogs and love children.
They need to be kept busy with work or some form of stimulation otherwise they can become depressed and unhappy.
They need to know who their master is from a young age to ensure both they and the family get the most out of their relationship.
The second most intelligent dog might surprise a lot of people. Not only for the fact that they are highly intelligent, but also because they are one of the easiest dogs to train.
And that dog is the Poodle.
Yes the Poodle comes in at number two on our list of intelligent dogs.
They love people, and because of this they don't like to be left alone.
They are very protective and can become quite vicious if anybody encroaches upon their property or territory.
And the number one all-time most intelligent dog of all is the Border Collie
The Border Collie is another dog that is often seen winning competitions.
They're highly intelligent, but along with that intelligence comes the need for them to be stimulated regularly.
They're happiest when they're working or performing in competitions or dog trials.
So there you go, if you have a Border Collie, you know you have the most intelligent dog in the world, provided of course, that you have trained it well.
In this newsletter we will look at the dogs ranking from 6th most intelligent to tenth.
And then in the next newsletter we will look at the most intelligent dogs in the world.
Don't be too concerned if your dog doesn't appear in either of these lists, as sometimes it is not always an advantage to have an intelligent dog.
As expected, the more intelligent dogs generally need more stimulation or they will get bored and this can cause problems, particularly if they are left at home during the day when you're at work.
So lets start with the tenth most intelligent dog...
Tenth on the list is the Australian Cattle Dog
The Australian Cattle Dog was originally bred for herding cattle, just as their name suggests.
Obviously to be tenth on the list they are very intelligent, but they need to be stimulated, as one would expect from an intelligent dog.
They are happy when they are working, as they need regular exercise and mental stimulation.
Ninth on the list is the Rottweiler.
Contrary to popular belief, the Rottweiler is actually a great family dog, and is not quite as fearsome as many people believe.
There are a highly intelligent dogs and respond well to training.
The eighth dog on the list of intelligence is the Papillon.
Like the Australian cattle dog the Papillon is very protective of its owner and makes a lovable and intelligent pet.
And as with most intelligent dogs they are relatively easy to train.
Number seven on the list is the Labrador Retriever.
These are one of the most popular family dogs because of their good nature, which allows them to socialize well with other dogs and more importantly, children.
Like the previous dogs on the list, Labradors need exercise, and particularly in their case, without exercise they tend to gain excessive weight.
Number six on our list of intelligent dogs is the Shetland sheepdog.
Like the Australian Cattle Dog the Shetland sheepdog was bred for herding cattle and sheep.
Obviously to do this well they need some intelligence and that is why they have ended at number six on our list.
They're not quite as good at socializing with other people or children but are excellent pets in their own family.
And the Top Five Dogs Are..........
And at number five on that list is the Doberman.
It is important that the Doberman is trained early on in its life, as they can be quite temperamental.
If they are trained they can be great family dogs and really good with children despite their reputation.
They are highly intelligent, and like many intelligent dogs are very protective of their master and family.
Number four is the Golden Retriever, which is often regarded as one of the most popular breeds of dog.
They are great with children and are a very loyal and loving dog.
It is not uncommon to see Golden Retrievers winning dog competitions where intelligence is of importance.
Number three on our list is a dog that is often associated with police work.
Yes, it's the German Shepherd, and it is chosen for its police work due to its intelligence.
They make great family dogs and love children.
They need to be kept busy with work or some form of stimulation otherwise they can become depressed and unhappy.
They need to know who their master is from a young age to ensure both they and the family get the most out of their relationship.
The second most intelligent dog might surprise a lot of people. Not only for the fact that they are highly intelligent, but also because they are one of the easiest dogs to train.
And that dog is the Poodle.
Yes the Poodle comes in at number two on our list of intelligent dogs.
They love people, and because of this they don't like to be left alone.
They are very protective and can become quite vicious if anybody encroaches upon their property or territory.
And the number one all-time most intelligent dog of all is the Border Collie
The Border Collie is another dog that is often seen winning competitions.
They're highly intelligent, but along with that intelligence comes the need for them to be stimulated regularly.
They're happiest when they're working or performing in competitions or dog trials.
So there you go, if you have a Border Collie, you know you have the most intelligent dog in the world, provided of course, that you have trained it well.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)