Dog breeds and genetics

Puppy shopping is not as easy as finding a puppy and falling in love with it. It is not even matching the right breed for your lifestyle, no it goes deeper than that. That pup you just brought home might end up with a debilitating health problem that can cost you money and heartache in just a few years.

Certain breeds are known to have health issues. Dalmatians are prone to hearing loss. German Shepards and other large breed dogs are prone to hip dysplasia. Even some of the smaller breeds have their own set of unique genetic problems. This article on the Shih Tzu's genetic problems can shed some light on that breed.

Before buying that cute pup do some research on the breed and the parents of the pup. The breeder should be able to show you the results of any genetic testing done on the parents. Most really good breeders have genetic testing done on their breeding stock.

Putting your dog on a diet

Do you have a dog that needs to lose a few pounds or even ounces? If you cannot easily feel their ribs or they get out of breath faster than you do during a walk then yes, they are in need of losing some extra weight.

First you need to cut out those little high calorie treats for them. Then learn to weigh their dry dog food before each feeding. Most of the dry dog food bags suggest using measuring cup sizes but I have found that volumes can vary but weight of food is constant. I use a digital postal scale but you can use a kitchen scale or a lab scale as long as it can weigh up to 5 pounds including the container that is used to put the food in.

Next I separate the meals into 2 or even three a day. That helps the dog's stomach to shrink a bit.

I always check the dry dog food for ingredients before buying it. The first ingredient should always be whatever the main meat (chicken or beef). If a grain such as corn, wheat or rice is listed first then I go on to the next brand of food. Price has never been a good indicator of ingredients.......you have to read that label.

Then it is just a matter of sticking to the diet. After all it is up to you and not your dog to stay with the diet.

Puppy pics

It has been some time now since I last posted so I thought I would share a few puppy pics

Dachshund hounds are a wonderful small dog breed

When I decided to adopt a puppy, I knew I needed to research small dog breeds. Living in an apartment in the city meant that having a big dog was simply out of the question. I desperately wanted a canine companion, but I also wanted to make sure I chose one who could play fetch in the house and wouldn't require wide open fields to stay healthy and active. My friend knew I was looking for small dogs breeds and pointed me to a Dog Breed Gallery online. From there, I was able to look at all the different choices I had and make an informed decision. My first choice was a Boston Terrier. I just love those squishy little faces! Alas, I live in a 4th floor walk up apartment with one small a/c unit, and dogs with adorable flat faces simply don't function well if they can't be kept cool at all times. I was afraid the summer months in the city would be too much for a Boston buddy.

That's when I decided to think about Dachshunds. All the wiener dogs I've ever met have had nice, pointy faces, good for staying cool in the summer, but they have also had great big personalities. They are a playful breed that enjoys activity but are also happy to cuddle up with you in the evenings. Best of all, they stay small and can be perfectly happy in a house without a lot of space; in fact, some can even be trained to use a litter box or potty mat indoors which is very convenient in bad weather.

I decided to visit a small dog breed rescue site, and that's where I met my adorable new companion. She's turned out to be the perfect pet – it is simply a delight to come home to her wagging tail after a long day at work!

Warmer weather means fleas

My little dog has been bothered by fleas more now that it is warming up. In the house I use a premise spray as well as using a spot-on treatment for the dog. The problem is the warm weather - it speeds up the hatching out of the flea eggs. The spot-on treatment does work but the flea has to be on the dog for about 3-24 hours before it dies. That is a long time for a dog to put up with biting fleas running around on their bodies before they die.

My dog has gotten to the point that he prefers to be outside in the cooler evening and night time temperatures because he is bothered by the fleas. Right now as I write this he is standing near the where the corner tv stands waiting for me to get up and let him outside where it is cooler.

I need something that will kill the fleas on the dog and yet not interfere with the spot-on treatments either. I also do not want to make the dog sick from applying too many pesticides. Is that too much to ask?

Dog playing with fawn or is it really play?

Found this cute video on You Tube. To the uneducated about dogs and deer, it looks like they are playing. Watch the video first then read my comments below -


 

 The dog is happy just running around with the ball. The deer on the other hand is seeing a predator that is just a bit crazy. The deer attacks the dog with its very sharp front hoofs. That is an act of aggression in a deer, not play. At one point in the video you hear the dog yelp in pain. The deer must have gotten the dog good with the hoofs.

Another fact from the youtube video page is that the people who claim to have "rescued" the deer feed it cat food. Who in their right minds feeds a herbivore meat?

Looks like you get all kinds on YouTube. 

The advantage of owning a small breed dog

When I became a small breed dog owner several years ago, I never thought that having a small breed would cut down on grooming time and costs. I don't have to give my small dog a bath in the bath but take him to my stainless steel sink in the kitchen for a quick wash down.

Using spot on flea products are cheaper since they sell them by the ml for the size dog.

Yes there are advantages to having a small breed dog.

Calloused elbows

Calloused elbows on dogs, have you seen them? They usually occur on larger breeds but can occur on all breeds. They are caused by the dog laying down on hard surfaces. Dogs that are kept on concrete are more apt to develop callouses on their elbows.

To prevent calloused elbows and to treat them is to provide the dog with something cushy to lay on. Be it an old quilt, egg crate mattress pad or even a small throw rug, your dog will appreciate it.

It will take a few months for the hair and skin to return to almost normal on the dog's elbows if you provide something for the dog to lay on.

Dog spinning in circles - what does that mean?

I have occasionally met dogs that have habitually chased their own tails. They would spin in circles. I was curious as to what causes this so I tried to look it up. Some people and dog trainers put it down to dogs that are raised in kennels and don't get out often enough. They assume that the dog learns to spin in circles as a way to combat boredom. Unfortunately that does not explain the dogs I have known to spin - they never saw the inside of a kennel or even a dog carrier. I do have another theory.

I have a dog that I have to put on a tie out cable when the electric company comes out to read our meter. She is on the tie out for about 1-2 hours on the date of the visit. She is not fond of the meter reader since she doesn't like people snooping around "her" house without her owners around. One day she had to go outside to poop and I put her on the tie out, just in case the meter reader showed up. Sure enough the meter reader was there about 5 minutes later and I saw my dog spinning on the end of the cable. The meter reader got back in his truck and left and then my dog got loose! She only followed the truck to our property line but I then had to fix the cable tie out. I had a set of small hoist rings and used one of them as a temporary ring. It was then that I realized that maybe the dogs that spin had been on a tie out at one time in their lives and learned to spin to break the chain or the connectors. If that is the case then those dogs are pretty smart.

GSP RESCUE

Thanks for the article from Jermaine Haynes

Our German Short-haired Pointer recently passed away and I would like to get my parents another one. Even though they say that they don’t want another dog ( we had our last dog for fifteen years), I feel like they would enjoy one. I didn’t realize that there were a lot of German Short-hairs up for adoption. A lot of the dogs are used for bird hunting. Apparently  after the short-hairs are too old or not good at bird hunting anymore that they are put up for adoption. That makes me sad. I don’t know how you could just put a dog up for adoption, but I guess that people don’t look at these dogs like pets, but workers. Anyway, there are a lot of websites that are German Short-hair rescue sites. I have found a lot of really cute dogs that need a home. I am going to try and find one before Easter so that I can surprise my parents with one when I come home. I can’t wait!

Puppy toys

Puppies and dogs are so easy to find toys for. They enjoy tennis balls, thick rope with knots in it and stuffed animals. One of our dogs enjoys stuffed animals so much that he use to sneak into my daughters bedroom when she was young and steal one of her smaller teddy bears. We would find him either sleeping with it or humping it. She had to keep her door closed until he no longer made those sneaky visits.


Nowadays I give him chew toys and his favorite is a large rubber bone he carries everywhere.


So if you are shopping for kid birthday gifts one day think about getting your puppy a toy in the same toy store.

An app for your phone that every dog owner should have

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Triad Retail Media for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you need an app that is made just for dog owners? Then look no further because Purina has come up with one that is sure to cover just about everything a dog owner will need. The Purina Pet Health App is available for both the iPhone and Android systems. I am going to check it out for my iPod. Below are some screen shots of the app

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As you can see you can use the app to not only list your dogs' information and vet visits but to locate local dog parks. Another function is to locate vets too (screen shot below)

Think of the possibilities of this app 

• you are camping with your dog and your dog gets sick. The nearest town is just a few miles away but you don't know where the vet is or even if there is a vet - use the app to find out
• you don't remember when your dog last visited the groomer and when was that next appointment - use the app
• you can also use the app to enter all of your dog's health information. Don't remember the name of that medication that your dog can't have - easy just enter the name into the app and you can access it next time you need it.

So are you ready to get that app? If you are then you can download here and start keeping track of all your dog's activities, appointments and fun stuff too.

Dog tricks you can teach your dog

This post is not how to teach your dog 100's of tricks, no, it is going to show you a dog in action, on video that can do many tricks. The video is below and it will give you some ideas for working with your own dog. Enjoy:

Twitter and me

I thought about starting up a Twitter account so I could interact with my readers more. Then I thought about have a Twitter account for my dog so I could put his barks and yips on there. I know, dumb. Then I looked at some of the Twitter accounts that do that already and they are big hits. I don't think I have the humor or at least can't write the humor down that would attract readers or followers. Most of my tweets would read like this:

• I sleeping, don't bother me
• Where is my breakfast
• I want out NOW
• Let me in NOW
• Can I have some of what you are eating?
• Who's at the door - BARK, BARK

As you can see, very limited.