Grooming your dog can involve many steps, especially if you have a long-haired breed. Read dog grooming tips to get pointers on maintaining your dog's coat for optimal health.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Natural Flea Control for Dogs
So you've noticed your dog scratching and spotted a flea. You hate the idea of all those chemicals. If your house does not have a major flea infestation, you may be able to use natural flea control methods. First, you must perform cleaning tasks regularly. Vacuum your carpet and hardwood floors several times weekly and dispose of the bag or dirt in a sealed container so you don't have flea escapees. Give your dog's bedding a weekly washing in warm water since pet beds are a popular spot for fleas to breed. Next, you need to keep your dog clean. Using a mild dog shampoo, bathe your dog on a weekly basis. One natural flea dip is boiled orange or lemon peel in water. Or, you can use lukewarm water along with a little shampoo and detergent. Immerse your dog's body, keeping the head above water, for about fifteen minutes and then wash off the solution. You can feed your dog certain substances that will discourage the fleas from attacking your dog. Small amounts of garlic and brewers yeast can give your dog a smell that will repel fleas. Or, you can mix some Linatone oil with your canine's food since this will help to stop dry skin which tends to attract fleas. Other external methods of repelling fleas include planting marigolds in your yard. Also, fleas don't like the smell of cedar, so bathing your dog in a cedar shampoo can be helpful. Also, put some cedar in your pet's sleeping area to discourage fleas from hanging out there. By using natural flea control when you first see a flea, you can often prevent fleas from taking over your home and the subsequent chemicals involved in killing large numbers of fleas.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
How to Stop Puppy Biting
Biting puppies can be really cute, but they might not be so cute when they grow into biting adult dogs. Worse, adult dogs can do more damage with their teeth which could cause injury to someone or even cause you to be sued. Several methods are worth a try to get the biting to stop.
Before you bring a young puppy home, wait until he or she is a few months old. This always the pup to have plenty of time to learn proper behavior from its mother since she will correct biting of her or the siblings. Removing young dogs from their mother at six weeks of age is a common practice, and this does not give the mother enough time to teach her youngster how to behave.
Other dogs can be used to train your puppy appropriate behavior whether they are your own or borrowed. Young canines like to spend time with adults, and this can be an excellent way to teach your new dog how to behave with humans.
If your puppy puts teeth on your skin, say 'no' and remove your body part as soon as possible placing a bone or other chew toy in the dog's mouth. This will hopefully help the pup to make a connection between wanting to chew and what things are acceptable to chew.
Whenever your puppy bites, be sure to say 'no' immediately. Otherwise, the dog won't associate your displeasure with the biting and will be confused. Hitting or other harsh punishment will not solve the biting issue and may make your dog even more aggressive.
If you or a family member is sporting a lot of bites, you may want to try applying a product called bitter apple to exposed skin. Bitter apple has a terrible taste, and some dogs will refuse to bite anything that tastes awful after one time. Your dog could come to associate your hand with the bad taste and not want to be petted, so carefully consider your options before trying this strategy.
Puppies will guard their food and toys, so train your kids to leave these things alone to avoid bites. Teach your children behaviors that can signal an animal is angry such as laid back ears and growling. Remember that dogs sometimes just want to be left alone, and family members should respect that.
To stop puppy biting permanently, you need to teach the dog to mind you through training. By doing this, you can eliminate other undesirable behaviors in addition to the biting.
Visit Stop Puppy Biting to learn how you can train your dog to mind you. Get more dog questions answered at Dog Articles
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