First Coast Pet

Posts Tagged ‘dog care’

The German Shepherd Dog also known as an Alsatian comes literally from the German Deutscher Schäferhund.  They are a relatively new breed of large-sized dog that dates from the late 19th century. They are part of the Herding group that was originally developed as a working dog for herding sheep.

Often employed by the military and police for their obedience and intelligence. The Alsatian is also one of the most popular breeds around the world.
The original dog was named Hektor Linksrhein. He so impressed Von Stephanitz that he bought it and renamed him to Horand von Grafrath and founded the Society for the German Shepherd Dogs.
Horand von Grafrath became the hub of the society’s breeding programs and was bred with many other society member dogs.
The Alsatians popularity has grown rapidly through the 20th Century, though taking dives in popularity in the early days due to health problems from poor breeding and after the world wars with anti German sentiment. To such an extent that the UK Kennel Club renamed it to “Alsatian Wolf Dog”, a while later the wolf dog appendage was dropped and in the late 70s, the breed officially became the Alsatian Dog. The Alsatian popularity was fuelled by animal actors such as Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart. Now days it is in most countries the third most popular dog breed.

They are a large dog of around 60 centimetres (around 24 inches) at the top of the back and weigh around 30 kilograms ( 49 and 88 lb).

The Alsatian’s face has a long square cut muzzle, a doomed forehead, a long neck, strong jaws, large erect ears (that are often pulled back when on the move), black nose and brown, medium-sized eyes. With a bushy tail.
 
Alsatians come in many colours, the normal versions are the tan/black and red/black varieties with black saddles and masks. Less common variations include the sable, all-black, all-white, liver and blue varieties, which may not fit country breed standards. German Shepherds have a double coat. A dense close thick outer coat, which sheds all year round and a thick undercoat. There is also the rare long-hair variant.
Like many working dogs, German Shepherds were bred for their intelligence,  and are considered to be the third most intelligent breed of dog (Border Collies is deemed to be number one by Stanley Coren in his book The Intelligence of Dogs). This intelligence combined with their strength makes the German Shepherd desirable as guard, police, search and rescue dogs, being able to quickly learn various tasks and interpret instructions better than other large breeds.
Alsatians are known for aggression and have been banned in areas as a result. Statistically, in the States, the Alsatian is responsible for more unprovoked indiscriminate bites than any other breed, and have a known tendency to attack smaller breeds of dogs.

Additionally studies have shown that German Shepherds are the third most likely dog breed to attack a person and in a different study, Alsatians were responsible for nearly half of the dog bites that needed medical attention, compared to a more typical 20% of bites requiring medical treatment, not a surprise with their powerful jaws and sharp canine teeth.
 
There is no problem with the German Shepherd breed, it is the fault of the owners. As with all intelligent energetic dog (or person), if they are not regularly active and kept busy, they can become difficult. The Alsatian must have puppy socialisation and good training from an early stage. The Alsatian is different from the collie, which a lot of its aggressiveness has been removed by breeding for shows, the Alsatian has not lost this streak.

They can bond very well with their family, however they can become over-protective of their family and territory. Due to this they may appear a bit aloof.

Alsatians are rapid learners and are highly obedient and not easily distracted, but due to their strong character,  you need to be very forceful with them.
The German Shepherd will need to have two good walks a day. They are not a dog for a busy family without time for attention.  For this reason, busy couples often ask dog walkers to help out by walking them for several hours a day.
Poor breeding has led to common genetic health issues, elbow and hip joint problems (dysplasia) which is painful for the dog and often causes arthritis. The German Shepherd also is susceptible from monorchidism (one testicle), weakness of temperament, and missing teeth, as well as folded or bent ears which never fully turn up when reaching adulthood. The Alsatian is often has ear problems due to his large and open ears.

Alsatians, like many large chested dogs are sensitive to bloat, this is a very dangerous and often rapidly fatal problem, so if in doubt consult a veterinary. This is a build up of gas in the stomach, caused by a number of different causes. The symptoms of distress for no apparent reason, a firm distension of the abdomen, general weakness, depression, problems breathing, hypersalivation, and retching without vomiting. A high rate of dogs with bloat have cardiac arrhythmias ( 40 percent in one study), loss of appetite, vomiting and weight loss.

The German Shepherd also suffers from Degenerative Myelopathy, or DM is a neurological disease and are more likely to have Von Willebrand Disease, a common generic bleeding disorder, which shows in variable degrees of bleeding tendency, commonly in the form of easy bruising, nosebleeds and bleeding gums. .

In spite of these problems, the Alsatian is robust with simple dog care and the average lifespan of a Alsatian is 7 – 10 years, which is typical for a dog of this size.

The Alsatian has great olfactory sensitivity so is one of the often used in a many roles requiring this ability, including search and rescue, cadaver searching, narcotics detection, explosives detection, accelerant detection, and mine detection dog, amongst others.

So the Alsatian is a superb clever breed that will bond well with you, if you have the time and energy for him. Not advised for busy working families.

As mans best friend, we want our cherished hound to be well behaved in the different social situations it finds himself. This guidance should start while the dog is young. We want the fido  not to be alarmed or belligerent towards people or other animals. Pooch socialisation is a crucial part of dog care.
Studies at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine showed that the first twelve are key, and the easiest for socialisation. For many puppies this time is tackled by the dog breeder. After that period it is still important, but takes more time and planning and effort. This is also the experience of professional dog sitters who are repeatedly asked for tips.
Puppies are just like us, if the original time is hurtful, we will avoid it or be anxious at similar occasions, so  take things slowly and small. Do not force the puppy. Take no risks. Yound pups rapidly tire and need to rest often, so do new things for short periods and give plenty of rest in between.
So what approach should I take?
• Invite friends and family, small, grand, different looking, different sexes. Be cautious and vigilant with introductions to children.
• Start him on a collar and then a leash. For short periods just leave the collar on him, later attach the leash and let him wander around with it, then you can walk him around a bit with it on. Only use a lightweight buckle collar with a puppy.
• Visit your families and friend and families in their houses.
• Try and introduce other mutts, especially other sociable, healthy and vaccinated mutts. Be careful until the puppy is fully vaccinated, meeting  mutts of unknown history.
• If you know anyone with bitch friendly cats, see if you can visit?
• Meet other animals, do you have a friendly farm near you? Difficult in towns, but look for opportunities.
• Driving is key. So take them out for as many convenient short drives in the automobile. Stop and let doggie observe the world pass by, in the safety of the car. This will introduce him to noisy. Introduce him to other shrill noises such as drills.
•  Carry or walk him to places where there is local bustle such as the mall and parks. Find a pub or coffee house where you can sit outside with him and observe the world. Tons of people will come and say hi to him.
•  Keep him close to activities in the house, within the constraints of safety, house work, cooking and TV.
• Puppy grooming, a great time for you and him, develop the routine of brushing, bathing and inspection.
•  Introduce the puppy to stairs carefully, if you are a typical city flat owner, this may be problematic.

Dog socialisation, start today and have a great sociable pooch.

Can you feed your dog treats or biscuits, is a asked question that dog walkers are posed. As always there is no simple answer. Dog biscuits are very useful for dog tuition reasons, we all benefit with rewards in our life for when we do something well. The converse of no treat is a reprimand.
Giving a dog biscuit is good for your relationship, sharing a moment and happiness is essential for the both of you. So are all dog biscuits OK for your pooch? Industrial dog treats are OK, but read the label, a few, chiefly the moist ones can have some nasty, but legal / FDA ingredients. I like to give a dog, identical ingredients I find in my kitchen that I use for my family and children. You know what to use and it can be of the quality and cost that fits you. For those people who like organic or local ingredients now have an answer for their pooch. There are even vegan and vegetarian recipes, but for these often have protein sources such as peanut butter.
Dog obesity is on the rise issue, which mirrors that of humans and has many of the same causes. Insufficient exercise and too much easily eaten commercial food. If you are finding it difficult to find sufficient time for walking your dog, it may be worthwhile using a professional dog walker. Dog treats as part of a balanced diet and lifestyle is part of good dog care.
The standard ingredients you can use are those that are common to your kitchen. Flour is the mainstay of the recipe, all types can be used and if you do not have wholemeal flour, the recipes are often robust enough to take a mix or be replaced by a different type. Using wholemeal flour really makes a healthy base to the treat, which can be reinforced with rye, bran or oat meal. Eggs are also often used.
Baking your own dog treats, like any baking of goods is very satisfying, but only make the quantity needed your dog, so perhaps do it when you are cooking something else. Small amounts. just the required amount so they stay fresh. Dog biscuits are best for the first couple of days, but in a tight air sealed container, will last for seven days or more. If like many of us you are busy, you can freeze a large quantity, in small bags, the amount for a few days at a time. Margarine is frequently used, but other types of fat or oil can be used. Sometimes the dog biscuit will be raised with yeast.
The flavour for the biscuit is either added though meat or meat stock, sometimes with the use of cheese. Salt is dangerous, as for us, do not use too much in the recipe.
[One of baking your own, is that you can vary the biscuit and see if your pooch prefers it. Often the best modifications, and most practical are when you change something in the recipe, caused by you not having that ingredient in the kitchen! 
Nearly all dog treat recipes are easy to do, so are wonderful activities to do with the kids. They love to either hand form the dog biscuits. They  use all the range of metal or plastic cutters you may have! Please supervise the children making the dog biscuits.
Making the dog treats yourself allow you to control the ingredients, particularly if your dog has any ingredient allergies. There are many great tasting dog treat recipes.
So enjoy making and feeding your special dog treats.

A Dog Day Care Software Called Doggie View Deserves Special Attention

The best name in the field of dog day care software, Doggie View helps you do a number of things in regard to dog day care that also includes among other things helping you to keep a kennel and also teaches you how to groom your dog and even train him. There are several good reasons to purchase this dog day care software which is quite expensive at more than five hundred dollars but which provides many useful tools that help you manage your dog day care functions with ease.

Client Administration Made Easy With Dog Day Care Software

In fact, Doggie View provides you with a lot of help with client administration including helping you to maintain five different appointment books. This dog day care software takes care of your day care appointment book, the boarding appointment book, grooming appointment book and also a training appointment book and finally, your general appointment book. This dog day care software also includes repeat appointment scheduling and editable client forms for taking care of administrating your pet.

Doggie View not only provides facilities to help with employee maintenance but it also includes time sheet maintenance and payroll processing. In addition, you get an inventory maintenance featureas too help with grooming maintenance. If you are worried about where and how you are spending your money then Doggie View that is excellent dog day care software provides you with the capability of tracking your expenses and it also help you invoice your clients.

In fact, Doggie View is one of the few dog day care software that is complete in every respect and provides you with other features including task maintenance and dog walk day care scheduling as too dog walk boarding scheduling.

The person behind this excellent dog day care software is a lady called Barbra Waldare that began as a dog groomer and today is an expert in this field. Her dog day care software is now helping others that have an interest in starting their own day care get started and in fact people that have used Doggie View have found it to be extremely useful and are very pleased with the results they have got out of using this dog day care software.

In case you are looking for the best in dog day care boarding then you would do well to check out Dogtopia which is a good place to leave your dog so that he can get the best care from professionals that will ensure that your dog always has a great time. Sending the dog for his overnight boarding for the evaluation process scheduled by Dogtopia should not be any problem for a person.

Often, you tend to become busy and simply cannot afford to have the sufficient time to spend with your pet Or you’re in vacation and may not tag your pet along with you. This in effect will become detrimental to your dog’s over-all well being as he may not be given the proper care and assistance he needs. Dogs nowadays are no longer like their predecessors (the wild dog breeds). Unlike them, they need to be constantly taken care of. Given that this factor is lacking, the dog may become too unhealthy and susceptible to the variety of diseases. But don’t worry, if you’re too busy and simply don’t have time to spend with your pet, a doggie boarding kennel is your best alternative. Sure, you would like to give him nothing but the best and you don’t like to worry while you’re out there on vacation or at work and you’re thinking about your pet dog.

There are many people right now who are actually considering this as the best alternative for dogs who are being left out when everybody is out. But you have to be aware that not all dog boarding kennels has the best dog boarding facilities that will make their stay comfortable. There was even this one dog owner who filed a case against one dog boarding house because his dog was maltreated even unintentionally and it’s because they don’t have the ample and comfortable facility and provisions to make the stay of the dog comfortable. You have to bear in mind that you should try to investigate things first. If you can’t find the right dog boarding facility, then, it’s best to leave him with your neighbor or with your relative as long as he is familiar with them but never leave him alone in your house or leave him in a dog boarding kennel that feels like a dungeon. If you really want to know the best kennel, go and search for it in a dog boarding kennel online listing.

It’s no surprise that ours is a nation of dog lovers needing services, with people seeking Ann Arbor dog grooming and Ann Arbor dog boarding and  just as do those in Miami, New York, and everywhere in-between.  The words dog grooming might make you think of upscale dog shows and immaculately manicured dogs, but think again.  This is certainly not the case!  Proper dog grooming makes your dog healthier and can make you happier.  Families don’t neglect the personal grooming of their children, why then the family dog?  You find quality caregivers when looking for dog boarding so doing the same for your dog’s grooming makes perfect sense.  

Naturally, you might consider professional dog grooming services.  Professional groomers offer a wide variety of services, and they vary from groomer to groomer.  For example, some groomers offer to wash your pet for you.  Others have services as wide ranging as brushing your dog’s teeth and deep conditioning and styling his coat.  Just because you don’t show your dog doesn’t mean she can’t look great for the next family photo.

Other services include pre-clipping, which allows dog grooming professionals to thoroughly wash the skin of the dog, before a final professional clipping.  For the long-haired dog, de-matting is a must to get rid those icky fur mats.  Nail clipping is a vital service, especially if you have wood floors at home.  dog grooming also emcompasses ear cleaning, teeth brushing, and flea dips.  It’s important to remember that dog grooming is not veterinary service, and it is unlikely that your groomer will be able to diagnose or recognize health problems of your pet.

If you have a pure-bred dog, and are considering entering shows, you should definitely find a good groomer  Certain breeds are expected to have a specific style to their coat, and groomers familiar with the show dog world should be able to conform to the rules and regulations for the particular dog show.    There are usually higher fees associated with specialized services, so check with your groomer to determine the costs.  Because of the care and precision needed to conform to show rules, it isn’t surprising that there are extra costs in most cases.

Wherever you make your home, dog grooming is a component of the proper care of your beloved pet.

The Right Dog Care Helps Ensure Your Canine Friend’s Happiness And Good Health

Human beings and their dogs have been inseparable companions from way back in time and part of the reason for these close bonds between humans and their pet dogs is the love that dogs give so unconditionally to their human masters who for their part leave no stone unturned in providing their four legged friends with the best in dog care. If you have a dog or are about to bring one home it pays to learn more about proper dog care so that your dog is provided a home that he loves and stays happy in and who will then for his part in return reward you with his loyalty and companionship.

Dog Care Is Important

The first step in proper dog care is understands the need to collar your pet and also attach an identification tag that contains your pet’s name and address and your name as well as your telephone number. Such tags will help finder return your lost dog.

Understand the legal requirements including vaccination against rabies and other forms of diseases is the second important step of proper dog care. In addition, you have to also get used to keeping your dog on a leash, especially when he is outside of his home.

Keeping the dog in a nice home is one of the important steps of dog care. Typically, his home should be large enough to house him though at the same time it would be cruel to confine him in his home for too long because all dogs crave for and demand human company. So, be careful about how you keep your pet dog.

Other dog care steps include getting your pet checked up regularly by a veterinarian to ensure that your pet always enjoys good health. For those dog owners that are not keen on breeding their pets it is a good idea for them to pay heed to another dog care tip which is to get their pets neutered which is a simple surgical procedure that does not cost much but which also ensures that your pet lives for longer and also stays healthier.

The right diet is essential to providing suitable dog care and you also need to train your pet and give him plenty of exercise so that he remains happy and will then reciprocate with loyalty and faithfulness.

Dog day care is another important issue that affects every dog owner today. Being a working person one should assure that his dog is not left alone in the home during his office hours. This is where sending him to a day care center during the day will prove to be a good solution for you and your dog.

Dogs are man’s best friend. Like children, dogs are to be taken cared for just like people are. It takes a lot of responsibility to take care of your pooch. The proper dog breed care must be applied to your pet so he or she remains to be healthy and free of any diseases. Dogs are faithful to their human owners. It takes a lot of responsibility to take care of your pooch. In return, we must provide them with the appropriate dog breed care essentials.

We should provide them healthy food, water, exercise and veterinary care like vaccinations. Reading books for your dog breed care information and health tips are useful for dog owners who need more education in maintaining a pet. While dogs offer unconditional love to their owners, the owners themselves must show their dogs how much they care for them.

General Day To Day Dog Care Needs

The basic everyday need of a dog is obviously food. As an owner, one must feed the dog regularly with healthy food that is high in protein. Grooming is another part of proper dog care. Bathing your dog regularly relieves them of fleas and ticks. Bathing your dog once a week will help reduce them smelling. Grooming your dog gives you the bonding between owner and pet; and this can also emphasize your authority towards him. Brushing the dog’s fur is relaxing in their part, they enjoy the strokes of the brush on their hair as you do it slowly.

Dogs should have vitamins too. Vitamin E can cure skin ailments. To cure to cure dry skin and any other skin ailments use vitamin E oil. You can save some money if you try conventional and natural ways in giving the right dog care. Acidophilus in yogurt is not only good for humans but for dogs as well. Consult with the veterinarian first if you plan on doing this because there are some factors that may harm them.

The Dog Breed Care Supplies

Some breed may require special supplies to maintain their fur or health in general but general dog breed care provisions are classified as functional, basic and pampering. The fundamental dog supplies comprise of dog leashes, grooming kits, sleeping pads, dog house and most especially, food. The practical but functional dog materials consist of doors, fences, and gates. To indulge your dog create a papering kit that contains toys, massage oils and treats for your dog.

One of the most essential basic supplies provided is dog beds. It keeps the dogs bones fit and strong. Several pet shops have supplies such as training equipment and aid to make practices much easier for your dog to follow. Some may even include dog collars which are made to punish dogs for inappropriate behavior.

Kennels are also sold in the supplies too; and they come in different shapes, sizes and colors. Choosing a good one would mean picking out something that’s spacious enough for your dogs to easily move about. For better dog care, grooming kits are available in a variety of options too. The products include shampoos, nail clippers, brush, combs, and even conditioners.