As mans best friend, we want our dearly loved hound to be well behaved in the varied social situations he finds itself. This schooling needs to start while the fido is young. We want the hound not to be frightened or aggressive towards persons or other animals. Pooch socialisation is a key part of dog training.
Research at Veterinary Medicine College at Cornell showed that the first 12 weeks are critical, and the easiest for socialisation. For many puppies this time is dealt with by the breeder. After that initial twelve weeks it is still important, but takes more time and effort and planning. This is also the experience of professional London dog sitters who are often asked for help.
Dogs are so similar to us humans, if the first time is hurtful, we will avoid it or be worried at similar occasions, so take things slowly and small. Do not compel the puppy. If in doubt, stop and do it again later. Yound pups rapidly tire and need to rest often, so do new things for short periods and give plenty of rest in between.
So what approach should I take?
• Invite friends and family, small, grand, different looking, different sexes. Be prudent and vigilant with experiences with other children.
• Introduce him to a collar and then a leash. For short periods just leave the collar on him, later attach the leash and let him walk around with it, then you can take him for a walk around the house. Carefully choose a lightweight buckle collar with a puppy.
• Visit your families and friend and families in their houses.
• Try and meet diverse puppies, particularly other sociable, vigorous and vaccinated dogs. Be prudent until the puppy is fully vaccinated, meeting bitches of unknown history.
• If you know people with hound friendly cats, see if you can visit?
• Meet other animals, do you have a friendly farm near you? Difficult in towns, but look for opportunities.
• Life in a car is part of life. So take puppy out for as many convenient short rides in the car. Stop and let him watch the world pass by, in the security of the car. This will introduce him to noisy. Introduce him to other loud noises such as drills.
• Take or walk him to spots where there is local commotion such as the mall and parks. Find a restaurant or coffee house where you can sit outside with your dog and watch the world go by. Loads of people will introduce themselves to him.
• Introduce your pooch to activities in the home, paying attention to safety, vacuuming, cooking and gardening.
• Puppy grooming, a great time for you and him, start a routine as soon as possible of brushing, bathing and inspection.
• Careful with training the pup on stairs, if you are a typical town apartment owner, this may be problematic.
Dog socialisation, do not procrastinate and do something today and have a superb sociable pooch.
Filed under Animal Info by on Dec 28th, 2009. Comment. 
Dog grooming is a critical part of dog care. Dog grooming involves a number of diverse tasks. Regular combing and brushing to eliminate dead hair, skin and general rubbish. Bathing and nail trimming, as well as maintaining your dog’s ears, eyes and mouth.
For good dog health you should groom regularly, in addition it gives quality bonding time with your dog. Your dog will see it as another form of petting. Dog grooming must be started early in the dogs life, build a daily routine, do at the same time, place and how. When starting dog grooming, be soft, but firm, that way he will not be anxious, but knows where he stands.
The brushing and combing will care for your dog’s coat, taking out all sorts of potential skin irritant and pests, giving a shinier and healthier coat. The specific type of grooming required depends on the dog breed, the below is generic and ideal for most dogs, but either verify with the dog breeder, or research it on the net, or your dog sitter should be able to help.
Bathing
Bathing is a significant task in dog grooming. There is no consensus on how often a given dog or breed must be bathed. The different aspects turn around mother natures self grooming maintains natural body oils. However bathing, even with specific dog shampoos will bathe the natural essential oils away. So many people wait until the dog is dirty before washing. There may be a man / woman thing, with women generally preferring to wash regularly and more often. Generally a bath about every couple of months or so should be expected.
It is easier to introduce a dog to bathing at an early age, so they are at ease, and even enjoy it. So prior to a planned bathing of the dog it is best to brush the dog well.
For a stress free bath, plan the dog bath well, collect and place everything ready and at hand prior to getting the pooch. This is especially stressful for those in large towns, with insufficient space and without the delights of shower rooms and utility rooms by the back door. For us city dwellers, we often have to take the dog up to the bathroom.
Keeping a secure footing is important, so place the rubber mat in your shower. To evade ear problems, shield the ears by using cotton wool in the dog’s ears to stop water ingress into the ears. Some breeds with large ears such as Labradors can be especially susceptible to ear infections.
To avoid shocking your pooch use warmish water to bath your dog. It is easier to use a shower or spray hose. Keep the nozzle head close to the animal and do not spray onto the dog’s face, as this could scare him.
Choosing the right dog shampoo is important, do not use human shampoos. Only use a little and start from the head and top and wash downward and in the direction of the tail. Obviously avoid and be careful around the eyes. Crucial areas to spend time on washing well are around the chin, especially if he is messy with food, behind the ears, around the toes and the rectum.
Finish by rinsing with warm water, ensuring all the shampoo is washed out.
The dog will remove a lot of the water by shaking, so watch out!, then you can towel him down. You may like to use a hair dryer, mainly women again! This is not normally needed unless you are needing to take him out. It is better to finish drying off naturally inside.
The other parts of dog grooming and dog care will be dealt with later, including coat care, nail trimming, ear and teeth care
Filed under Animal Info by on Dec 21st, 2009. Comment.
Having pets around is like being with a friend or a family. They should be loved and cared for just like anybody else. Some people treat their pets as a part of their lives, while some are too busy to look out for them. Luckily when this happen there is always a pet sitter available to do the job for you.
Pet sitter is a service provider who takes care of pets in the comforts of their own homes. They devote their time and effort to make sure that your pets are well look out for. These pet sitters are trained to do their jobs well. There are a lot of advantages for you and your animal friend when acquiring the services of a pet sitter.
These are several advantages and services provided in hiring a pet sitter:
– Your pet will be more comfortable and familiar at their own home. They will not be distracted or confused with other animals and activities at the kennel.
– You can avoid the long duration of transporting your pet from the house to the kennel. And will allow the pet to evade certain travel traumas.
– Your pet will be cared and loved for by a pet sitter who they are familiar with. A pet sitter will also give the necessary attention for your animal friend.
– The activities of your pet and the sitter will make your home more protected and secured from burglary while youíre away for work or a trip.
– Some additional services like picking your mail and taking care of plants can be offered by the pet sitter.
– The pets are kept away from specific sickness and parasites from other animals in the kennel.
– You don’t have to oblige a relative, friend or neighbor to look out for your pet.
– Normal routines will be achieved because there are no sudden changes in environment.
– Some kennel recommends vaccinations to be taken, for pet sitting there ís no need for that.
– Walking and giving a proper exercise for your pet can also be done by a pet sitter.
– Managing feeding diets for the pets.
– Other pet sitters can train your animals with attentiveness. These are services that can be provided by a professional pet sitter
– Picking up the droppings and cleaning them is one of the jobs of a pet sitter.
These are the many positive advantages when getting the help of a pet sitter. And this is probably the best and effective way to prove and establish more love, affection, care, and concern to your animal friend while you are away.
Today, pet sitters are widely recognized in the market as an important provider of pet care services. You can get the services of these pet sitters from a variety of sources. You can look via the internet or find a pet sitter near your neighborhood.
You may be occupied or busy for work or a vacation lately, and you may definitely hire a pet sitter along the way. When you do that, always remember that your pet is very much secured and happily waiting for you when you get home.
Pet Sitting Long Island specializes in all kinds of Animal Care help. If you are in need of a Pet Sitters Long Island then you need look no further. For even more great advice and articles about Long Island Dog Walkers stop by today!
Filed under Animal Info by on Apr 29th, 2009. Comment.
