Just About Jacks

Archive for May 22nd, 2009

I’m sure most of you have suffered through the puppy phase where they will basically chew on anything that they can get their mouth around. Of course there are the typical favorites like shoes and the legs of kitchen stairs. Our Australian Shepherd, Mittsy wasn’t much different in the early days. This chewing phase lasted about 8 months.

Although the furniture in the house and our shoes seemed to be safe after that initial period, even the use of a standard pet gate to keep mittsy confined while we were away, wasn’t enough to curb her appetite for new taste experiences.

There are many things that are considered dangerous to a dog if ingested. At some point or another, Mittsy has pretty much eaten everything on that list, with only minor indigestion.

Apparently chocolate is at the top of the dangerous list. Yet chocolate was always a favorite for Mittsy. She especially loved Easter time and would have her own Easter egg hunt looking for some misplaced chocolate items. It didn’t matter much whether there were wrappers on the chocolates, because they would simply become part of the meal.

Sure she was ill the next day, but she soon recovered and somehow decided that the short period of agony was worth the wonderful taste of chocolate. Every year she would do her best to find the chocolates stashed somewhere in our children’s rooms. It was like her very own Easter egg hunt.

These Easter delights were obviously quite seasonal, but with a house full of teen aged daughters, Mittsy’s favorite staple food was readily available 365 days a year. What would that be you ask? Why lipstick of course, and the redder the lipstick the better she liked it.

Unfortunately a regular chore around our house was removing red lipstick stains from beige carpets. We went through periods where we remembered to put up the pet gate, but whenever we forgot, the red streaks would be there to remind us.

Mittsy’s crowning  moment was yet to come.

One long August week-end our whole family (including Mittsy) was invited to a friend’s cottage. It was a great cottage on a beautiful lake. There were several country acres for the dogs (Mittsy and two others) to roam about in. The dogs were having a great time together.

As usual, the weekend was a smashing success with beautiful sunny days, warm water and great company. Unfortunately it came time to start packing up for home. I guess the act of packing was some sort of sign to Mittsy that she had better feed up for the long trip home.

Her first find was the french loaf that we had been saving for that evening’s Italian feast. She managed to eat the whole loaf of bread before anyone caught her. You would think that this would fill her up, but oh no, not Mittsy.

At one point during the day, I had gone into the cottage to look for some water toys for the kids. As I passed by the kitchen window overlooking the back yard of the cottage, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Mittsy was chowing down in the cottage compost heap.

Not long after pulling Mittsy away from her feast, she became very ill. Go figure!!! Soon she was unable to lift her head off of the ground where she lay. Each breath she took came out as steam even though it was 90 degrees outside that day.

As I mentioned earlier, this cottage was quite remote. The nearest vet was hours away. I had already packed up the car earlier that day, so we gathered up the kids, said goodbye to our hosts and headed for civilization.

There were several stops on the way home as Mittsy tried to clear the contents of her stomach. You can’t believe how disgusting that was. Our kids wanted to get out of the car and walk home.

When we arrived home everyone was feeling ill, except for Mittsy. Somehow the events of the trip home had been enough for her to gain the upper hand. When the car door opened, Mittsy jumped out and wanted everyone to chase her around the yard.

We kept her water bowl filled with fresh water, and watched her closely, but there were no obvious health related danger signs. Mittsy would look us in the eye with what seemed like a smile on her face. I’m sure if she could talk she would have said something like “ I told you I could eat anything”. All we could do was to marvel at the dog with the cast iron stomach.

Your relationship with your dog is considered symbiotic. He showers you with undying, unconditional affection and companionship. For your part, you provide him with meals, dog treats, a roof over his head, periodic trips to the vet, and your friendship. In most instances, it is a close match that gains in strenght over time.

Unfortunately, even the most loving dog owners at times forget to take care of a few essential responsibilities. In today’s article, I’ll give you a few reminders of basic things you need to do (if you haven’t already) in order to keep your canine companion safe, healthy, and happy.

Tip 1 – Leash Him When Away From Home

A lot of owners feel leashing their dog is cruel and inhibiting. While taking a stroll around the neighborhood, visiting parks, or going to other public places, they’ll leave the leash at home. That’s a bad idea. Even if your pooch has been properly vaccinated and has his tags, keeping him on a leash is best for everyone – including him.

Tip 2 – Spay Or Neuter Your Pet

If you are not a dog breeder, there is no reason not to spay or neuter your pet dog. By doing so, you can help your dog to a more healthy and longer life. Also, it’s worth noting that one of the leading causes of homeless mutts is that their owners fail to have their pets “fixed.” That leads to a greater number of pooches being placed into shelters and eventually euthanized.

Tip 3 – Enroll Him In Obedience Training

Dogs begin learning how to behave immediately. What’s more, they continue learning throughout their lives. If their bad habits are not curbed, those habits can develop into frustrating behavioral problems. Enroll your pooch into obedience classes. Not only will he learn what type of behavior is acceptable and what isn’t, but the training will also improve the relationship you share together.

Tip 4 – Give Him Exercise

Your dog requires plenty and physical activity for a multitude of reasons. First, if you spend most of the day away from home, he’s going to have pent-up energy. He needs a way to release it. Second, daily exercise keeps your dog healthy and enthusiastic. Take him for a walk in the morning and again during the evening. You’ll find that providing exercise for him will keep him happy and healthy.

Loyal for Life

Dog ownership comes with the responsibilities that last a life time. Indeed, keeping your canine companion healthy and safe requires ongoing vigilance. But, by providing him with the essentials he needs, especially in the beginning, you’ll lay the foundation for a lifelong friendship. Most owners agree that the loyalty and love they share with their dogs is irreplaceable. Take care of your pooch and he’ll remain faithful to you for the rest of his days.

Does your dog or even worse, your neighbor’s dog bark all the dang time?
If so it’s pretty darn easy to reach your whit’s end rather quickly.

After a while you really couldn’t care less why the little nimrod’s doing it, you just want to make the barking stop. Does that sound about right to you?

Trust me, I know what you’re going through pretty well.
How would I know these feelings of frustration so intimately?

Simple, my wife got a tiny, little Poodle and the little bugger absolutely would not stay quiet for 10 minutes. I swear, if an ant walked across the driveway he would carry on for 20 minutes strait. I was just about to lose my marbles with the little loudspeaker.

Now, please don’t get me wrong, I love animals and I especially love dogs (cat’s I could live without). I don’t know about you personally, but I like well behaved dogs. 
So, not really wanting to incur my wife’s wrath for suggesting Fido be relocated several States away just to make the barking stop, I started researching to really find a solution or at least find some other options and find them fast.

Here are a few of the things to stop a dog barking  that I discovered:

All the books said “You should find out why the dogs barking in the first place”. And I’m thinkin yeah, right, sure! I don’t care why the little dim bulb’s carrying on, just make him stop.

But I do have to agree, there is proper barking and bad barking. So when training your dog it is important to teach your dog the difference between nuisance barking and good barking (like if  it’s 2 am and I’m snoring keep quiet, but if you see a guy with a mask and a sack, Bark!).

As it turns out there is actually a lot of different kinds of barking, there’s reactive, territorial, separation anxiety, fear and warning barking. And without becoming a Sigmund Freud for Animal Planet tm I really couldn’t tell you which was which.

I did find a few things that actually worked really well. What the heck it only took 5 hours of reading & video’s and it cost more than the dog did to buy all the books to find one that worked.

But here’s one of the tips that it said that worked pretty good. Every time the dog barks give it a piece of bacon with 1/2 a Prozac stuck into it (ok, ok, so that was my solution and not exactly what the book said, but the dog liked it!) Just kidding around!

No really, what the books all said was give the dog an alternate outlet. And because it might actually take me an hour and a half to watch the TV show 60 Minutes, I’m thinking, alternate outlet, WHAT! they want me to plug the little bugger into a wall socket?

Well, turns out I was wrong, they meant every time it starts yapping give him a soft toy and toss it around for a second so he gets the idea to play with it. This way when the dog starts feeling anxiety, nervousness or separation it will look for the toy and find comfort in it.

There are a ton more tips that I got at => http://stopdogbark.tripleyourinfo.com/

But I sure hope this one helps, it worked for me a whole lot better than the Prozac and at a buck a pill that stuff gets kinda spendy after a bit.

Shampoos For Your Dog

His skin is characteristic just to him. By furnishing the right shampoo cleanser you can ensure his skin will be healthy and clean. You have the choice of many types of shampoo for your dog’s skin. No matter the type of skin your dog may have, choosing the right shampoo is essential.

The type of medicated shampoo you will use will be decided by upon the problem your dog is experiencing. He may have fleas, in which case the skin will look irritated. This will call for a certain shampoo to rid the dog of this problem. On the other hand the irritation could be due to an allergic reaction because of something with which he is coming into contact.

Dogs can be freshened without having running water available. In case your dog takes a run through a mud hole while you are visiting anew area he can be cleaned. Unfamiliar places make it next to impossible to find a bathing spot for your pet.

Giving your dog a bath with a good shampoo designed to get rid of pests such as fleas and ticks is necessary as well. A puppy may not fare well with a cleanser that is made for adult dogs.

A special type of medicine should be one of the ingredients in the shampoo you choose. A good shampoo for killing these pests must contain this ingredient. This shampoo is toxic to animals if they get it in their eyes or mouth. Make sure you rinse very thoroughly as well.

Here is another reason to keep in mind when you are looking for a shampoo for your dog. The fragrant type may smell good to you but your dog may not think so. Smelling good is not important to pets because many times scents cause them problems. So in an effort to try and make your pet smell fresh you may be doing more harm than good.

Many of the ingredients found in dog shampoo are chemically produced. Try and see if you are familiar with any of the names on the ingredient list. Natural ingredients are going to be found either in your nearby pet shop or an organic store.

Another kind of shampoo is for maintaining the color of your dog’s coat. Whether he has dry, itchy or normal skin, he must have the correct shampoo for his type of skin.

There are so many available there is bound to be one that is right for your dog. There are some types that calm the nerves from the itching he constantly experiences. There are many soothing ingredients in medicated shampoo such as tea tree oil, aloe and eucalyptus. A leading cause of some irritants are due to the lack of products needed to handle the situation.

Each dog has different requirements when it comes to the dog shampoo you will use for his unique skin. He relies on you to take care of him, keep him clean and free of pests. The happy, healthy and well groomed pooch will be with you for a very long time. Keeping him clean keeps him healthy.

It’s easy to spend money on our dogs for items they don’t truly need. After all, a little pampering never hurt. Unfortunately, while millions of owners purchase trinkets and luxuries for their canines, they often fail to invest the same attention into their dogs’ health. This can result into larger vet bills down the road. Even worse, the thought of an expensive trip to the vet causes many owners to delay necessary treatment for their pooches.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the things you can do to maintain your canine companion’s health. By spending a little time and money upfront, you can avoid costly emergency bills in the future.

Inspect Him Each Week

Canines deal with plenty of problems, including ear and eye infections, odd discharges, gum disease, and more. Making matters worse, being outside can result in fleas, scratches, and other issues. Make sure you inspect your dog at least once a week to look for any problems. That includes brushing his teeth, checking his eyes and ears, and even smelling his breath. Otherwise, that small issue can develop into a larger problem extremely fast.

Begin Training Classes for Your Dog

Not only will obedience training turn an otherwise rambunctious pooch into a more pleasant companion, but it can save you money on emergency bills. A trained canine is less likely to dart from you into traffic while you’re walking him. Also, training will prevent his snapping or biting a stranger or another pet.

Don’t Neglect Spaying Or Neutering

You should spay or neuter your dog for the health benefits, unless of course you are a professional dog breeder. Beside the Birth Control options, spaying and neutering has substantial health benefits for your dogs. In female canines, there is a much lower chance of developing breast cancer. And the likelihood of developing cancer in the ovaries or uterus is eliminated. For males, the procedure significantly lowers the likelihood of developing testicular cancer.

Set Aside An Emergency Fund

Sometimes, emergencies are unavoidable. You can provide the best care possible for your dog and still end up worried in the veterinarian’s waiting room. Start saving money so that a large medical emergency bill can be paid off. That way, you’ll have the funds to make sure your pooch receives the treatment he needs.

Too often, owners make the tragic decision of sacrificing their canines’ health because they are unable to afford the required treatment. Avoid that situation entirely by creating an emergency fund for your dog.

One last note: make an appointment with the veterinarian to give your pooch a routine check-up every six months. Even if you’re inspecting his coat, eyes, ears, and teeth once a week at home, problems can escape your notice. Plus, your canine may be coping with an internal issue. The veterinarian can perform an examination that uncovers medical problems before they become serious. Treating them early can prevent emergencies later.

A little preventative care – and a lot of love – can keep your dog healthy and happy while preserving your bank account.