photo credit: Happy happy! Joy joy!

Adopting a dog is one of the greatest joys you will have in your life. Make sure you know all you can before adopting and if you have adopted before, please share your stories and advice.

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Read about amazing April, the dog

Tags: Dog, Dog+Adoption, Pet+Adoption

photo credit: diskychick

==>>Dog Obedience Problems? Put an End to the Stress and Annoyance of Your Dog Behavior Problems! Use Techniques That Give You Immediate Results!

Reading body language has never been an easy task, reading a dog to try & anticipate their next move can be very complicated. You see a waggy tail & immediately most people would think that the dog’s extremely friendly & wishing to say ‘hello’, a wagging tail simply indicates that the dog’s excited about an occurrence, this could be positively or negatively. The basic rule with tails is a high, upright, wag is to show dominance & assertiveness; a low, fast wag incorporating short sweeps of the tail shows the dog is no threat & being friendly; a low, slow wag with large sweeps is showing the dog is happy to see you.

Being able to ascertain the difference between dogs playing & dogs fighting is difficult, especially if you’re not often around dogs yourself. When my two play they regularly sound as though they’re throttling one another! Involving lots of noise & lots of jumping on each other.

Dogs are especially physical when they interact with other dogs or with people, this commences as puppies; always play nipping each other & their owners, if they nip too hard their siblings inform them of this with either a harder nip in return or a loud yelp. If a pup nips its owner too hard the best solution is either to turn away & ignore, as puppies hate this action, or to let out a yelp yourself.

A high percentage of dogs fighting with one another is due to them jostling to establish their positions, basically which one is the higher-ranking dog. Usually this is sorted quickly and sounds much worse than it actually is, lots of snarling, growling & biting. If the dogs are not seriously fighting then their bites are actually inhibited bites, so although it sounds & looks frightening & real; the confrontation is unlikely to leave any real injuries.

There are signs, via body language and behaviour, that show when a dog means business & is likely to attack. The dog’s tongue will be drawn back into its throat to protect it if the dog’s anticipating a fight, if the dog’s tongue is lolling from their mouth or moving quickly in & out of their mouth then they’re not expecting a fight. The dogs elbows can also indicate how the dog’s feeling, straight, stiff elbows are threatening as a dominant behaviour from dogs is to literally stand on the weaker dog’s back with its front paws, whilst standing on stiff back legs. Bent elbows are, nearly always, an indication that the dog wishes to play. One sure sign that you cannot misinterpret is the ‘play bow’, if the dog puts his/her front end along the ground & raises his/her back end in the air, normally accompanied by a slow wagging tail, this indicates play & means the dog has good intentions.

Tags: dogs, dog+behaviour

photo credit: haycarrieanne

Do you really know what’s in your pet’s food?

Although you may think all pet food manufacturers have your pet’s best interests in mind, this is not always the case. Current pet food regulations allow manufacturers to use ingredients that you would never knowingly give to your pet. In fact, you may be shocked to learn what some brands of pet food really contain. Watch this short presentation before you commit to a brand of food for your loving companion.

Check out and study dog food BEFORE you adopt your dog. One place to start is here.

Tags: Dog, Dog+Adoption, Pet+Adoption

photo credit: richardmasoner

Even young puppies can be expected to “hold it” for at least a short period of time.
As a general rule, that can translate to one hour for each month of age, give or take an hour.

This tip courtesy petluv.com

ps Even older dogs can be easily house trained. House training… It doesn’t have to be hard:

photo credit: cnynfreelancer

Posted with permission from LuvMyPet.com - a pet site with locations for affordable vaccinations:

Thinking about acquiring a new pet? A pet is a commitment for 10 – 20 years, and the decision to bring one into your home and life should not be made lightly, or on the spur of the moment. Acquiring a pet for the wrong reasons, or bringing home the wrong type of pet for your lifestyle or environment, is a common mistake that often leads to the pet being given up. Most animals that are brought to shelters end up being destroyed. Many people start with good intentions, but do not think about the almost certain fate for the pet if ‘it doesn’t work out.”

So, how can you be sure you are ready for the commitment of a new pet? As with most decisions in life, knowledge is the key to making the best decision you can. Start by asking yourself some basic questions.
1. Does everyone in the household want a pet, or is the pet going to be source of argument?
2. Is everyone ready and able to share in the responsibility, or is just one person going to end up doing all the work?
3. Do you travel or work long hours, leaving little time to spend with a pet?
4. Do you have the disposable income to afford a pet?

By answering the questions above honestly, you are taking the initial steps to responsible pet ownership. For instance, being able to afford a pet is not enough. Most behavior problems that arise in pets are created by the pet owners. Behavior is one of the top reasons listed for giving a pet up to a shelter. If you don’t have the time to spend with a pet, and you do not properly train a pet, the animal becomes, bored, frustrated, or confused as to what you want, and reacts in a manner the owner considers as “problem behavior”.

Conversely, having all the time in the world to spend with your pet, is not enough to be a responsible pet owner. You have to be able to afford your pet too. In addition to the cost of food and supplies, are you able to spend, on average, a couple hundred dollars a year in basic health care for your pet? Are you aware that, barring accident or disease, the first year of your pet’s life will cost more than the next few years? New pets, or puppies and kittens, need a series of vaccinations, and should be spayed or neutered. Your new pet may come with an existing parasite infection, a skin condition, or an infectious disease that needs treatment. A new pet comes with expenses that some people find themselves not prepared for.

There are options, i.e. low cost vaccination clinics, that can help ease the costs of pet ownership. Those clinics are ways that you can protect your healthy pet from contracting illnesses proactively. Nonetheless, an prospective owner should still keep in mind that there will be costs associated with maintaining health and fighting any arising conditions. We will speak more about those considerings in Part 2 of this blog, coming soon.