Archive for May, 2011

Older adult dog training requires some adaptability. When you’re working with older canines, you need to keep in mind some pet tips about senior dog. Here are four important things to know about “teaching old dogs new tricks.”

1. Older dogs may have joint problems. There are some things your older dog isn’t going to be able to do.

Let’s say, for example, you’re trying to teach your senior dog to jump up. If he isn’t doing what you want, it may be because the jump is physically difficult for him because he has joint problems. Even simple tasks like sitting and lying down can be hard for older hounds.

Be aware that your dog might not be responding because of pain or stiffness. Don’t get impatient.

2. Many senior dogs have trouble hearing. Training techniques must take into account the possibility that hearing loss is preventing your student from hearing commands.

If you’re not sure if your dog has hearing loss, do a little experiment. Wait until your senior citizen has his or her back to you and then say the dog’s name. If your dog doesn’t respond, he likely can’t hear you.

To compensate for the dog hearing loss, incorporate hand signals into your training. For example, use a come here motion when teaching “come.” Use a flat hand, palm facing away from you to teach “stay.” Point to the floor to indicate “sit.” Make a motion with your hands like an umpire calling a batter safe when you’re communicating, “stop” or “off.”

You may need to use your hands to give praise too. Most training uses treats and verbal praise for the best effect. If your dog can’t hear the praise you give, it could slow down your efforts. Choose a hand or body movement that tells your dog you’re happy with him.

3. Senior dogs can have bladder control issues. When you’re considering potty training older dog techniques, keep in mind that your old girl may have problems with her bladder. The potty training efforts will go more smoothly if you take her outside frequently. The fewer accidents you allow, the easier it will be to potty train.

4. Older dogs can have attention-span issues. You know how people tend to get more child-like when they get up in years? Dogs do too. They can revert back to some puppy-like qualities. One of those qualities can be a shortened attention span. Be sure to take this into account.

Teach your senior canine in small chunks of time. A few minutes several times a day is better than one longer block of time.

When you keep these senior pet tips in mind, you’ll have far better results with your older adult dog training.

Love those cool dog tricks you see on YouTube? Want to teach your dog some fun dog tricks too? Here are five pet tips for teaching this fun stuff to your pet.

1. Practice training daily. Consistency is the key helping your pup learn. A good time to spend each day on dog tricks is about 10 to 20 minutes.

You can do more than that if you have the time, and you have an eager attentive pet. However, if you do more, break it into two sessions. Dogs don’t have the longest attention spans in the world. You want this to be fun. If it’s fun, your pup will learn much faster.

2. Don’t train your dog to do lots of things at one time. Most dogs respond best if you work on one task at a time. Focused training is most effective. If you do work on more than one dog trick at a time, work on only one new skill per training session.

Many tricks build on other ones, so even with one at a time, you’ll make a lot of progress quickly. For example, Springer spaniel, Ducky, does a trick called “touch it.”. To teach that, I first taught her, “Down.” Then I taught her, “Stay.” Then I taught her, “Wait.” And then she learned to “Touch it.” Most skills are layers of incremental progress like this.

3. Keep in mind that these tricks are about your pet, not about you. If it’s not fun for your pup, don’t do it.

Be responsive to your dog when teaching her. If your dog is restless or bored and wants to do something else, follow your her lead. The point of dog tricks isn’t to impress anyone but to have a good time. Don’t ever force your dog to do things he doesn’t want to do.

4. Once your dog has mastered one of the things you’re working on, don’t make him or her do it over and over again. Dogs get bored just like you do. Move on to new skills. Canines like a challenge.

5. Have patience. Some things can take a lot of time to learn. If your dog doesn’t catch on right away, that’s okay. Work at it in small steps and celebrate the process. Reward and praise effusively when your dog makes progress. Learning new skills is hard work for a dog. Be appropriately appreciative of the efforts.

If you keep these pet tips in mind, one day your dog will be a whiz at fun dog tricks, you’ll have your own cool dog tricks videos on YouTube.

I have a dog which I dearly adore. Here are seven pet tips I believe other dog owners should know about. I am not a veterinarian, just a regular dog owner.

1) Do not let puppies or adult dogs chew on newspaper. The ink could make them sick. Also, get rid of any deadly mushrooms in your yard. And keep your puppy away from deadly plants. Puppies like to chew. This includes cords. Keep plugged in electrical cords away from them.

2) Do not let your puppy or dog chew on things that could become sharp going down their throat (splinters of wood or hard plastic). It could cut into the lining of their throat or stomach.

3) Do not feed your dog chocolate, onions, or raisins. These foods can be deadly to a dog (a Vet told me this). During the holidays make sure these foods are put up away from your dog.

4) Be careful about letting your dog sniff driveways or parking spots. Cars can leak oils and fluids, and you do NOT want your dog licking it. I was told by a veterinarian dogs like the taste of transmission fluid which can be deadly to them. Seek Vet help immediately if you think your dog has licked up oil or transmission fluid.

5) If you live, or hike with your dog, where rattlesnakes live I recommend you ask your veterinarian about getting your dog a rattlesnake shot. If your dog is sick or old your Vet might not recommend it. My Vet told me the best time to get this shot is in early Spring, the beginning of rattlesnake season. He said the first six months of the vaccine is the most potent, but you should confirm this with your own Vet. My own dog has gotten the shot. The first time she got it she had to have a series of two, three weeks apart. After that it is an annual shot. But my Vet told me the shot ONLY buys time if a dog is bit. You must get your dog to a veterinarian as soon as possible for more medicine/additional medical help. Do not be cheap and call around for the lowest priced Vet after your dog has been bit. One Vet told me about a man who did this and his dog died because he waited too long to get medical help. You can also get a trainer to teach your dog to stay away from rattlesnakes. This should be in addition to the rattlesnake shot or if your dog can not have it. I write this because I knew a dog owner who got their dog rattlesnake trained but it did not help them in the end. Unfortunately their dog went to sniff the bushes one day and a snake bit them on the nose. The dog sadly died.

6) Keep old towels. Keep a couple in the trunk of your car if you take your dog to the creek or beach. Additionally, you can put them in the backseat or on the floor for your pet to lie on. This helps with sheddings and for sandy and muddy dogs.

7) Have too many towels, or getting new ones? Then ask your local shelter if they need towels for their dogs. Some shelters do not have enough money in their budget for towels to be inside the cold metal cages for dogs to lie on. I give towels to a pet store who takes them to such shelters.

The holiday’s can be very busy in the life of the family and especially those with pets. It is also a time that pet owners need to take some extra precautions to protect their pets from getting sick, swallowing foreign objects, and other related holiday decorations that may be harmful to your pets. Here are some holiday safety pet tips for you to follow to keep your pet save during the holidays.

Trees, Lights and Plants
Many holiday plants can lead to health problems for both cats and dogs. Among these are the holly, mistletoe, poinsettias and lilies. Be sure to keep these out of reach of your pets.
Pine needles from trees can be harmful if ingested. They can puncture holes in a pet’s intestine. So clean-up fallen pine needles to keep them away from pets.
The extra cords and plugs of holiday lights and other fixtures can look like chew toys to pets. Tape down or cover cords to help avoid shocks, burns or other serious injuries. Unplug lights when you are not home.
Anchor Christmas trees to the ceiling with a string to keep it from falling on pets. This is also a good tip in case your pet should accidentally topple the tree when playing with something on it.

Snow & Water
Snow globes often contain antifreeze, which is poisonous to pets. Keep these away from pets when they are outdoors.
When outdoors during the winter months, keep your pet on a leash so they will not be tempted to lick snow especially when plowed. It contains salt and other chemicals which is not good for your pets.
Do not let pets drink the holiday tree water. Some may contain fertilizers, and stagnant tree water can harbor bacteria. Check labels for tree water preservatives and artificial snow, and buy only those that are nontoxic. Some folks use screens around trees to block access to electrical cords and gifts.
Do not put aspirin in the water (some folks do this thinking it will keep the tree or plant more vigorous). If a pet should ingest the aspirin-laced water, his health or even life can be at risk.

Decorations & Toys
Pets, particularly cats, can be tempted to eat tinsel, which can block the intestines. Be sure to hand it high enough to keep it out of your pets reach.
Keep other ornaments out of reach of pets. Ingestion of any ornament, which might look like toys to pets, can result in life-threatening emergencies. Even ornaments made from dried food can lead to ailments. And remember, shards from broken glass ornaments can injure paws, mouths and other parts of the body.
Put away toys after children open their gifts. Small plastic pieces and rubber balls are common causes of choking and intestinal blockage in dogs. Ingested plastic or cloth toys must often be removed surgically.
Avoid toxic decorations. Bubbling lights contain fluid that can be inhaled or ingested, snow sprays and snow flock can cause reactions when inhaled, styrofoam poses a choking hazard, tinsel can cause choking and intestinal obstruction, and water in snow scenes may contain toxic organisms such as Salmonella.
Keep candles on high shelves. Use fireplace screens to avoid burns.

Guests
Holiday guests and other activity can be very stressful and even frightening to pets. It can also trigger illness and intestinal upset. Make sure pets have a safe place to retreat in your house. And make sure they are wearing current I.D. in case they escape out a door when guests come and go.
Do not let guests feed your pet’s human food.
There are many holiday foods, including fatty meats, gravies, poultry skin, bones, chocolate and alcohol that can cause illnesses from vomiting and diarrhea to highly serious pancreatitis and other toxic reactions. In addition, candy wrappers, aluminum foil pieces and ribbons can choke pets. So, instruct your guests of your house rules for feeding food to your pets.

Reduce Your Pets Stress
Reduce stress by keeping his/her feeding and exercise on a regular schedule.
Always make time to care for your pets. Some folks get lax about walking their dogs, and a few resort to letting pets out on their own. This puts the animal in danger, while also leading to nuisance complaints and dog bite incidents.
When pets are stressed by holiday activity or during travel, they may require more water. Dogs typically pant more when they feel stressed. Keep fresh water available for them to drink.

Final Tips
Keep pets away when wrapping gift packages. Ingested string, plastic, cloth and even wrapping paper can lead to intestinal blockage and require surgical removal. And pets have been severely injured by scissors and other items left on floors and tables.
Keep pets away from the garbage. Use pet-proof containers.
If you suspect that your pet has eaten something toxic, call your veterinarian and/or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center’s 24-hour emergency hotline at 1-888-426-4435.
If your pet ingests glass, broken plastic, staples or other small, sharp objects, call your veterinarian.

House Detectors

Now is a good time to double-check smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and other safety devices and replace batteries. Safety, of course, is the key reason — but here’s another good reason. When batteries run low, the devices often emit alert or alarm sounds at frequencies that can be painful and frightening to many pets. If you’re not home when the alert/alarm sounds, your animals will have to endure that sound until you return, which can be traumatic. So always keep fresh batteries in those devices.

Conclusion

By following these holiday safety pet tips you will ensure that everyone in your family will have a safe and happy holiday season for you and your pets.