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Dog Care - Live Life the Dog Way!

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Dog Care - Live Life the Dog Way!By Rhi Johnson

For all of us who have tried to drag an unwilling, reluctant dog to a bath, dog care is not something merely to be sneezed at. If you are a pet owner, you have almost certainly seen the woebegone, accusing eyes of your lovable bundle of bedraggled wet fur trying to figure out what he or she did to deserve such an unkind fate as bathing!

OK people, so let's just tick off all the things that we need to keep in mind when we talk dog care: we're talking grooming, bathing, feeding, immunizing, walking, basic obedience training (believe you me, this is as much for your dog as for you), and last however certainly not least, a lot of affection, and love and cuddling!

Shedding can be Hair Raising: Now you can love your dog to death, however you can still hate getting dog hair in your soup (yes it can happen), or on your pillow, or on your really spiffy black sweater (eeks! your dog is a gorgeous golden retriever who doubles as a shedding factory)! So unless you have a completely hairless dog, and those are a bit of an acquired taste let me tell you, shedding is something that you just have to select a way around. The simple solution to this is regular grooming. What comes off on your dog's brush, necessarily will not come off on your pillow, or car upholstery, or sweater, or sandwich or other stuff which does not taste very good with dog hair as an accompaniment. So give your dog a regular brushing: daily would be good especially if your dog is a long haired variety or diversity and since most dogs love a good vigorous brushing the you will be rewarded with a lot of slavering affection from your dog and will reap the obvious benefits of a relatively hair less home! To an extent the parasite problem is also kept in check with regular brushing, since you come to know about any parasites before they get to be a problem.

Bathing: Use your nose to know when: There is no hard and fast rule about bathing your dog, however a good rule of thumb is to let your nose decide and that is usually every two or three weeks. When the doggie pong starts to make itself felt a bit, it's time to head for a bath! If bathing your dog outside is a possibility then that is the greatest option. You will save yourself the hassle of cleaning up your bathroom later, because we are all aware of the mess that can be created by a wet dog shaking himself rather vigorously to get rid of the excess water. Also bathing the dog outside saves you the bother of having to drag him, willy-nilly to bathroom, and can be a fun activity especially if you have children around. You don't need to use anything fancy; a decent deodorizing dog shampoo is good enough.Don't feed to fatten: Obesity can be as much of a problem for your pooch as it can be for us human beings. So it's a good idea to figure out how much food your particular dog breed needs, because a lot of dogs are silly enough to go on eating without realizing how much is too much. The rule of thumb for feeding is, twice is enough: most dogs need to be fed only two times in a day. Dogs need a lot of protein so make sure that the dog food that you use contains the right proportion of all the stuff that a dog requires.

Exercise: Let your dog take you for a Walk: Don't kid yourself that youare taking your canine for a walk; most likely your dog takes you for a walk. When it is time, your dog is sure to nudge you gently (or not so gently) in the direction of the door. Pick up the leash and your dog is most likely going to be dancing around in delight! That dogs love their walk is a no brainer. That your dog's walk is good for you as well, is an often overlooked benefit of having a dog as a pet. If you have a big dog, he will need plenty of exercise, a fairly long daily walk (or two) then becomes regulation. This can be a very good work out for you as well, and the fresh air will do you a power of good. If you have children around the house who are old enough, include them in this daily activity, it's great bonding time!

Immunizing- A healthy dog is a happy dog: Most vets have a proscribed immunization chart which plots the schedule or time table for a dog's immunizations. Read it up carefully and set yourself reminders for what is due when if you are the scatterbrained sort. Don't forget immunizing is as important for you and your family as it is for your dog. A lot of diseases, especially skin related problems are possible to pass on to humans from dogs. It is a good idea to tell your vet to give your dog the once over when you go for the immunizations, if there are any problems that you have overlooked, then can be addressed. You can also request the vet to clip your dog's toe nails because long nails can be more of a problem than you think. It can make them more prone to falling, joint problems later in life, etc.

Sit, Stay, Heel: Mostly, if you can train your dog to obey just a few basic commands, this makes for a happier pet and a happier owner. Dogs generally are happier when they know who is in charge; remember they are pack animals and enjoy structure, direction and knowing who is in charge. That unquestioning loyalty that your dog lavishes on you stems from his respect for you as being in charge. He knows that you know what is to be done and he trusts you to tell him.

Love your dog to death! You know when they say; if you have a dog, you never come home to an empty house. You dog will always give you a warm, rousing welcome, because his love is truly unconditional! A dog's loyalty is legendary and your dog really can be your greatest friend! He does not mind if you've been bad or good. If you want a pet, be prepared to treat him like a member of the family, taking care to lavish time, love and affection on him. If you don't love your dog, perhaps you are better off not having one? Certainly a dog is better off without an owner who has no interest in him. Dogs seem to need affection much like a child does and you can often read the rebuke in those melting, beseeching eyes when to fail in that duty of yours.

Losing a pet can be devastating however when you balance that against the wonderful moments you have enjoyed with your pet, it will far outweighs the sorrows that will ultimately befall you. Your pooch and you have something special going: enjoy it, celebrate it!

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Bathing a Dog

Pet Shops

Bathing a DogBy Max Young

Bathing a dog or canine needs to be given more emphasis. This is because of the fact that if you are careless in bathing, the animal may end up having some infections. For example, if you don't close the ears with large cotton ball, the water (H20) may enter into ear canals and may cause some ear infections with signs like constant discharge from the ears and shaking of head.

Frequency of bathing actually depends on the breed of the dog. If the dog is of a hairy type like the cocker spaniel, then the bathing is to be carried out once in six to eight weeks. If these breeds are bathed too frequently, then the skin and coat loose the protective characters. However, when the dog has defecated on the skin due to the frequent digestive upsets leading to diarrhea, to avoid the bad smell, the dog may be subjected to frequent bathing some times by the owners.

Take more care in avoiding some irritant soaps or human soaps. The soap materials used for human beings are not suitable for dogs. Similarly, many human shampoo products are having some ingredients that are not suitable in the proportions that are to be used in case of dogs. Hence, always try to use the shampoo products that are mentioned mainly for use in dogs. Take morecare in using any new product.

Always have good time and patience for products required for bathing in one place with availability of water (H20) source. Dogs love (not the same as infatuation) the sprinkling of water, river, and oceans. Even when you are using bathtub, have everything in one place and then start bathing of the dog. Try to have a leash, conditioner, towel, and shampoo in the bath place.

Conditioner is of helpful to make the combing activity easier later. Bathing should be a convenient activity to both the dog and the owner. This should not be a burden.

Max Young is an information and details researcher whom presents working information and details to be used for every day experiences. To get the inside word on preventing and dealing with problem behaviors like aggression and dominance in your dog, click now on the following link.

http://www.squidoo.com/how-you-tell-if-your-dog-is-sick

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Dog Bathing Tips

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Dog Bathing TipsBy Ronda Tuckness

The number one tip for bathing your dog is this: do not bathe him too often. Once every two or three months is a good rule of thumb. A dog's skin is very thin and excessive bathing will make him dry and itchy. If he gets too smelly, sprinkle some baking soda on his coat and rub it into the fur gently. Then, brush it out. He should smell better quickly.

The shower is a better choice for bathing your dog than the tub. One reason is that when he shakes off the excess water, the water (H20) lands on the shower walls and not your bathroom walls. If you must bathe him in the tub, do not fill it with water. They do not usually like to stand in water.

Use pet shampoo and not what you use on your own hair. Pet shampoo is made especially and particulary for your dog and will not irritate his skin. It comes in different formulas such as flea and tick shampoo, etc. Start with his back, tummy, legs and feet first. Then, use a rag to clean his head and ears. Make sure the rag is not too soapy. Do not pour water (H20) over his head because he really hates that! Be careful not to get any water (H20) in his ears because it can cause an ear infection.

If you prefer to bathe your dog outside, make sure that the outdoor temperature is real warm. Make certain that there is not a chill in the air. You will want to bathe him quickly if using a garden hose because that water (H20) can become really cold in a short time.

After his bath, rinse all the shampoo out of his coat completely. A hand-held showerhead works best. Rinse and rinse until you have no doubt that there is no soapy residue left on his coat. If you do not rinse well, the residue will irritate his skin and make him itch.

When you are done, wrap him in a towel and hug him. Speak softly to him and lead him to a big blanket which you have placed on the floor. The blanket protects your floor from dog hair and moisture. Use as many towels as necessary to get him as dry as possible. Some dogs will tolerate the use of a blow dryer if it is not too loud. Turn it on low and do not get it too close to his skin.

Be very gentle when bathing him because most dogs do not enjoy bath time. If you are gentle and speak softly to him in the process, he may decide that it is not so bad after all. Gathering everything you need for his bath in advance helps you stay calm because everything is within your reach.

If you go in prepared and calm, there is a odds that your dog will not become overly anxious or fearful. Do your greatest to make it a good experience for both of you.

Ronda Tuckness is an affiliate marketer and big-time dog lover who hopes to eventually make a full-time income online. Find out more about her and man's greatest friend at http://www.squidoo.com/i-luv-dogs