Are you giving your dog the best nutrition he or she needs? Probably not. Most dog owners think nothing of the type of dog food they are feeding their lovable pets. More times than not they go for the cheapest hard-type dog food that their local store provides.
There are a lot of dog owners who also feed their dogs only human food. Both practices can be hindering your dog from reaching optimum nutrition and health. As animals, dogs are different from humans and need different nutrient ratios. In addition, simply serving your dog only dry dog food does not have all of the vitamins the dog needs.
The best sources of healthy dog food to buy your pet may not be at your local grocery store or pet store at all. In fact, you will find many online dog food stores that will provide you with choices that you might never see at your local dog food shop. By shopping online for your dog food you will find many varieties of dog treats, dog canned foods, dog gourmet foods, and unique dog recipes.
DogandMaster.com
dogandmaster on April 27th 2007 in Dog Nutrition
Pheromones are chemical substances secreted by an animal that influence the behavior of other animals of the same species. Unlike other hormones, pheromones are secreted externally and influence other animals, typically by smell. In this case, pheromones may play a very important role in animal behavior. In dogs, pheromones probably influence group integration and are a factor in fighting and general aggressiveness. Some theorys suggest that dogs release pheromones in urine and feces, and perhaps through exhaled breath, subcutaneous glands at the base of the tail and the foot pads. This would tend to explain why aggressive, fighting dogs are often compulsive urine sniffers and urine markers, and why they become less aggressive when sniffing and urine marking are not allowed by their owners.
Pheromones may act as a trigger or primer for certain types of behavior. This case is typical of many wherein a dog appears to sense, by smell, another dog that may be perceived as a threat. Also typical among some vicious biting dogs is the need to brand a strange territory with their own pheromones before launching an attack. Some take place even when the biting dogs were on their home territory. Remedial programs include restricting urination of the problem dog to a single area of his own yard. This tends to lower the aggressiveness, as well as reduce the incidence of household urination.
DogandMaster.com
dogandmaster on April 15th 2007 in Dog Behaviour, Dog Health
All praise is good, but praise specially tailored to connect with the dog’s way of reacting is ten times as effective. Here are some tips to follow:
1. Use the right tone of voice. Dogs communicate with one another through sounds easily duplicated by humans. If you’re angry with your dog, for example, dropping your voice to a low rumble closely approximates the growling of a dog. For praise, use a sweet, high-pitched crooning voice: “Goooooooood, doooogggg!”
2. Tailor your petting style to your dog. Some dogs go crazy when petted; others hardly notice. Use a little chest pat or scratch for those who tend to be overly enthusiastic, and be a little more boisterous for the ones who really warm to being jollied. Don’t let the dog use petting as an excuse to go crazy - lighten up on the pats, but don’t correct him - and let your voice do most of the praising.
3. Smile. Dogs understand many of our facial expressions because they use similar ones to communicate with each other. A smiling face is understood in both species, but if you really want to get through, make the smile as wide open as you can. You’re trying to approximate that big panting grin a happy dog has.
DogandMaster.com
dogandmaster on April 9th 2007 in Dog Behaviour
There are two common methods that are being used to feed nursing puppies: Bottle feeding and tube feeding.
Bottle feeding: Bottles and nipples have been used for feeding newborn puppies for many years. The form most often used today is the toy doll’s bottle. Most of these are made from plastic and some have real rubber nipples that are made in the same shape and form as the larger baby nipples. Bottle feeding a newborn puppy is not much different from bottle feeding an infant. Keep in mind that all equipment should be very clean. The bottles and nipples should be sterilized, the formula boiled, and the hands and utensils washed in hot soapy water.
Tube feeding: Another way of feeding a newborn puppy is through feeding tubes. With the proper equipment and experience, a pup’s entire feeding can be placed into its stomach without getting the milk anywhere close to the trachea or the lungs. Once the dog owner is used to the technique of feeding the newborn puppy with a stomach tube it is unlikely that he will ever again feed a puppy with a bottle and nipple. The feeding tube eliminates bottles and nipples that have to be cleaned after each feeding and sterilized before the next. Also, the danger of inhaled milk, which sometimes happens during bottle feeding, is greatly reduced and the feeding time is reduced by 75 %.
DogandMaster.com
dogandmaster on April 3rd 2007 in Dog Nutrition, Dog Training
