Doggy Mentor

Posts Tagged ‘dog care’

The German Shepherd Dog also known as an Alsatian comes literally from the German Deutscher Schäferhund.  They are a relatively new breed of large-sized dog originating in the late 19th century. They are part of the Herding group that was originally developed as a working dog for herding sheep.

The Alsatians strength, intelligence and obedience they are often employed in police and military roles. The Alsatian is also one of the most popular breeds around the world.
The original dog was called Hektor Linksrhein. Hecktor so stunned Von Stephanitz that he purchased it and changed the dogs name to Horand von Grafrath and founded Alsatian Dog Society.
Horand von Grafrath became the focus of the German Shepherd breeding programs and was bred with many other society member dogs.
The Alsatians popularity has grown quickly throughout the 20th Century, though taking dives in popularity in the early days due to genetic health issues from poor inbreeding and after the world wars with anti German sentiment. To such an extent that the UK Kennel Club renamed it to “Alsatian Wolf Dog”, eventually the wolf dog addition was removed and in the late seventies, the breed officially became the Alsatian Dog. The Alsatian popularity was helped by animal actors such as Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart. Now it is globally the third most popular dog breed.

They are a large dog of around 60 centimetres (around 24 inches) at the withers and weigh around 30 kilograms (60 lb).

The Alsatian’s face has a long square cut muzzle, a doomed forehead, a long neck, powerful jaws, large erect ears (that are often pulled back when on the move), black nose and brown, medium-sized eyes. With a bushy tail.
 
German Shepherds come in a variety of colours, the normal versions are the red/black and tan/black varieties with black masks and saddles. Less common types include the sable, all-black, all-white, liver and blue types, which may not fit country breed standards. Alsatians have a double coat. A dense close thick outer coat, which sheds continually and a thick undercoat. The long-hair variety is rarer.
The Alsatian, like many working dogs is very intelligent,  and are ranked as the third most intelligent breed of dog by Stanley Coren in his reference study and book “The Intelligence of Dogs”. This attribute combined with the Alsatians power makes the Alsatian desirable as guard, police, search and rescue dogs, being able to quickly learn various tasks and interpret instructions better than other large breeds.
German Shepherds are known for aggression and have been restricted in areas as a result. Statistically, in the United States, they are responsible for more random bites than any other breed, and have a known tendency to attack smaller dog breeds.

Additionally research has shown that Alsatians are the third most likely dog breed to attack a person and in another report found that German Shepherds accounted for around fifty percent of the dog bites that mandated medical attention, versus a more typical twenty of bites needing medical treatment, not a surprise with their powerful jaws and sharp canine teeth.
 
The problem is not with the dog, but the owners. As with any clever active dog (or child), if they are not regularly active and kept occupied, they can become difficult. The Alsatian must have puppy socialisation and good training from an early stage. The German Shepherd is different from the collie, where a lot of its aggressiveness has been removed by breeding for shows, the Alsatian has not lost this streak.

The German Shepherd are great with the family they know, but can be over protective of their home and family – why they are a great guard dog. Due to this they may appear a bit aloof.

German Shepherds are rapid learners and are very obedient and not easily diverted, but due to their strong character,  you need to be very firm with them.
The Alsatian must have two good walks a day. They are not a dog for a busy family who cannot give them the time and attention.  For this reason, busy couples often ask dog walkers to help out by walking them for a couple of hours a day.
Poor breeding has led to common genetic health problems, hip and elbow joint problems (dysplasia) which often causes the dog pain and often causes arthritis. The German Shepherd also suffers from monorchidism (one testicle), weakness of temperament, and missing teeth, as well as folded or bent ears which never fully turn up when reaching adulthood. The Alsatian is often has ear infections due to his large and open ears.

Alsatians, like many large chested dogs are sensitive to bloat, this is a very dangerous and often rapidly fatal problem, so if you think this may be a problem, go straight to the vet. Bloat is a build up of gas in the stomach, caused by a number of different causes. The symptoms of distress for no apparent reason, a firm distension of the abdomen, general weakness, depression, problems breathing, hypersalivation, and retching without vomiting. A large percentage of dogs with bloat have cardiac arrhythmias (around 40 percent), loss of appetite, vomiting and weight loss.

The Alsatian also suffers from Degenerative Myelopathy, or DM is a neurological disease and are predisposed to Von Willebrand Disease, a common generic bleeding disorder, which shows in differing degrees of bleeding tendency, commonly in the form of easy bruising, nosebleeds and bleeding gums. .

In spite of these problems, the German Shepherd is sturdy with simple dog care and the average lifespan of a Alsatian is 7 – 10 years, which is typical for a dog of this size.

The Alsatian has great olfactory sensitivity so is one of the most widely-used breeds in a many roles requiring this ability, including cadaver searching, search and rescue, explosives detection, narcotics detection and mine detection.

So the Alsatian is a wonderful clever breed that will bond well with you, if you have the time and energy for him. Not advised for busy working families.

As mans best friend, we want our beloved pooch to be well behaved in the varied social situations he finds itself. This education needs to start while the puppy is young. We want the dog  not to be anxious or aggressive towards persons or other animals. Puppy socialisation is a key part of dog care.
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 three months it is still significant, but takes more time and effort and planning. This is also the experience of professional dog sitters who are frequently asked for tips.
Puppies are so similar to us humans, if the first experience is hurtful, we will keep away from or be nervous at similar occasions, soone step at a time. Encourage force 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, petit, grand, varied looking, different sexes. Be prudent and vigilant with introductions to kids.
•  Introduce him to a collar and then a leash. Just put the collar on, later attach the leash and let him wander around the house, then you can take him for a walk around the house. Only use a lightweight buckle collar with a puppy.
• Visit your acquaintances and families in their flats.
• Try and meet other hounds, especially other friendly, vigorous and vaccinated pooches. Be careful until the puppy is fully vaccinated, meeting  fidos of unknown history.
• If you know family with dog friendly cats, organise a visit?
• Meet other animals, do you have a friendly farm near you? Difficult in towns, but look for opportunities.
• Driving is key. So take hound out for as many practical short rides in the automobile. Stop and let pooch observe the world pass by, in the safety of the car. This will introduce him to loud noises. Introduce him to other piercing noises such as drills.
•  Lug or walk him to places where there is local commotion such as the mall and open spaces. Find a café or seat where you can sit outside with your fido and watch the world go by. Tons of people will come and say hi to him.
• Introduce your pooch to activities in the home, paying attention to safety, vacuuming, preparing food and TV.
• Puppy grooming, quality time for the two of you, develop the routine of brushing, bathing and inspection.
• Careful with training the pup on stairs, if you are a typical town flat owner, this may be more difficult.

Dog socialisation, start today and have a wonderful sociable pooch.

Can you feed your pooch treats or biscuits, is a asked question that dog experts are posed. As always there is no simple answer. Dog biscuits are very beneficial for dog tuition reasons, we all need rewards for good actions. The converse of no biscuit is clearly punishment.
Giving a dog treat is great for both of you, sharing time and happiness is good for the relationship. So are all dog biscuits good for your pooch? Commercial dog biscuits are alright, but glance at the label, a few, more commonly the moist biscuits can have some complex chemicals, but legal / FDA ingredients. My preference is to give a dog, the same ingredients I use in my kitchen that I use for my children and family. You choose what goes in and it can be of the value and quality that you choose. Many people who favor organic or local food now have a solution for their dog. There are even vegetarian and vegan recipes, often using ingredients such as peanut butter to provide a protein source.
Dog obesity is on the rise problem, very similar to the human world and has many of the same causes. Inadequate exercise and too much easily digestible commercial food. If you are struggling with insufficient time for walking your dog, it may be worthwhile using a professional dog walker. Dog biscuits as part of a balanced diet and lifestyle is integral to good dog care.
The normal ingredients you can use are those that are common to your kitchen. Flour is a staple part of the recipe, most types can be cooked with and if you do not have wholemeal flour, the recipes are often simple enough to take a mix or be replaced by a different flour. Using wholemeal flour is a healthy base to the biscuit, which can be reinforced with rye, bran or oat meal. Eggs are also often used.
Cooking your own dog treats, like any baking of goods is very rewarding, but only make enough for your dog, so perhaps do it when you are baking something else. Small amounts. only enough so they stay fresh. Dog biscuits are best for a first couple of days, but in a tight air sealed container, will last for a week. If you do not have the time, you can make and freeze a large amount, in small bags, the amount for a few days at a time. Margarine is frequently used, but other forms of fat or oil can be used. Sometimes the dog treat will be raised with yeast.
The flavour for the biscuit is either given by meat or meat stock, alternatively with the use of cheese. Salt is dangerous, as for us, do not use too much in the recipe.
[One of cooking your own, is that you can vary the biscuit and see if your pooch loves it. Often the best modifications, and most practical are when you change something in the recipe, because you do not have that ingredient in the house! 
Nearly all dog biscuit recipes are easy to do, so are wonderful activities to do with the kids. They love to either hand form the dog treats. They  use all the range of metal or plastic cutters you may have! As always with kids, they need to be supervised making the dog biscuits.
Baking the dog treats yourself allow you to control the ingredients, particularly if your dog has any food allergies. There are many great tasting dog treat recipes.
So enjoy cooking and feeding your special dog biscuits.

A Dog Day Care Software Called Doggie View Deserves Special Attention

The best name in the field of dog day care software, Doggie View helps you do a number of things in regard to dog day care that also includes among other things helping you to keep a kennel and also teaches you how to groom your dog and even train him. There are several good reasons to purchase this dog day care software which is quite expensive at more than five hundred dollars but which provides many useful tools that help you manage your dog day care functions with ease.

Client Administration Made Easy With Dog Day Care Software

In fact, Doggie View provides you with a lot of help with client administration including helping you to maintain five different appointment books. This dog day care software takes care of your day care appointment book, the boarding appointment book, grooming appointment book and also a training appointment book and finally, your general appointment book. Other useful features that this dog day care software provides include repeat appointment scheduling and editable client forms as too taking care of administrating your pet.

Doggie View a dog day care software gives facilities to help a person with employee maintenance along with time sheet maintenance and payroll processing. In addition, you get an inventory maintenance featureas too help with grooming maintenance. If you are worried about where and how you are spending your money then Doggie View that is excellent dog day care software provides you with the capability of tracking your expenses and it also help you invoice your clients.

In fact, Doggie View is one of the few dog day care software that is complete in every respect and provides you with other features including task maintenance and dog walk day care scheduling as too dog walk boarding scheduling.

The person behind this excellent dog day care software is a lady called Barbra Waldare that began as a dog groomer and today is an expert in this field. Her dog day care software is now helping others that have an interest in starting their own day care get started and in fact people that have used Doggie View have found it to be extremely useful and are very pleased with the results they have got out of using this dog day care software.

In case you are looking for the best in dog day care boarding then you would do well to check out Dogtopia which is a good place to leave your dog so that he can get the best care from professionals that will ensure that your dog always has a great time. The dog has to go through the evaluation process conducted by Dogtopia.

Often, you tend to become busy and simply cannot afford to have the sufficient time to spend with your pet Or you’re in vacation and may not tag your pet along with you. This in effect will become detrimental to your dog’s over-all well being as he may not be given the proper care and assistance he needs. Dogs nowadays are no longer like their ancestors (the wild dog breeds). Unlike them, they need to be constantly taken care of. Given that this factor is lacking, the dog may become too unhealthy and susceptible to the variety of diseases. But don’t worry, if you’re too busy and simply don’t have time to spend with your pet, a doggie boarding kennel is your best alternative. Of course, you would like to give him the best and you don’t like to worry while you’re out there doing your job and you’re thinking if he’s alright or not.

There are many people right now who are actually considering this as the best alternative for dogs who are being left out when everybody is out. But you have to be aware that not all dog boarding kennels has the best dog boarding facilities that will make their stay comfortable. There was even this one dog owner who filed a case against one dog boarding house because his dog was maltreated even unintentionally and it’s because they don’t have the ample and comfortable facility and provisions to make the stay of the dog comfortable. You have to bear in mind that you should try to investigate things first. If you can’t find the right dog boarding facility, then, it’s best to leave him with your neighbor or with your relative as long as he is familiar with them but never leave him alone in your house or leave him in a dog boarding kennel that feels like a dungeon. If you really want to know the best kennel, go and search for it in a dog boarding online directory.

The Right Dog Care Helps Ensure Your Canine Friend’s Happiness And Good Health

Human beings and their dogs have been inseparable companions from way back in time and part of the reason for these close bonds between humans and their pet dogs is the love that dogs give so unconditionally to their human masters who for their part leave no stone unturned in providing their four legged friends with the best in dog care. If you have a dog or are about to bring one home it pays to learn more about proper dog care so that your dog is provided a home that he loves and stays happy in and who will then for his part in return reward you with his loyalty and companionship.

Dog Care Is Important

The first step in proper dog care is understands the need to collar your pet and also attach an identification tag that contains your pet’s name and address and your name as well as your telephone number. Such tags will help finder return your lost dog.

It is necessary to understand the legal requirements along with getting pet vaccinated against the risk of rabies and other diseases. In addition, you have to also get used to keeping your dog on a leash, especially when he is outside of his home.

One of the important steps of dog care is to put it into a beautiful home made for it. Typically, his home should be large enough to house him though at the same time it would be cruel to confine him in his home for too long because all dogs crave for and demand human company. So, be careful about how you keep your pet dog.

Other dog care steps include getting your pet checked up regularly by a veterinarian to ensure that your pet always enjoys good health. For those dog owners that are not keen on breeding their pets it is a good idea for them to pay heed to another dog care tip which is to get their pets neutered which is a simple surgical procedure that does not cost much but which also ensures that your pet lives for longer and also stays healthier.

The right diet is essential to providing suitable dog care and you also need to train your pet and give him plenty of exercise so that he remains happy and will then reciprocate with loyalty and faithfulness.

Dog day care is another important issue that affects every dog owner today. The dog of a working person must not be lonely in the home during the working hours of the person. This is where sending him to a day care center during the day will prove to be a good solution for you and your dog.

It’s no surprise that ours is a nation of dog lovers needing services, with people seeking Ann Arbor dog grooming and Ann Arbor dog boarding and  just as do those in Miami, New York, and everywhere in-between.  The words dog grooming might make you think of upscale dog shows and immaculately manicured dogs, but think again.  This is certainly not the case!  Frequent dog grooming promotes good health for your dog.  Families don’t neglect the personal grooming of their children, why then the family dog?  You find quality caregivers when looking for dog boarding so doing the same for your dog’s grooming makes perfect sense.  

Professional grooming is a wonderful choice when it comes to your dog grooming.  Professional groomers offer a wide variety of services, and they vary from groomer to groomer.  The simplest service offered by groomers is a simple body wash.  Others have services as wide ranging as brushing your dog’s teeth and deep conditioning and styling his coat.  Just because you don’t show your dog doesn’t mean she can’t look great for the next family photo.

Other services include pre-clipping, which allows dog grooming professionals to thoroughly wash the skin of the dog, before a final professional clipping.  For the long-haired dog, de-matting is a must to get rid those icky fur mats.  Nail clipping is a vital service, especially if you have wood floors at home.  dog grooming also emcompasses ear cleaning, teeth brushing, and flea dips.  It’s important to remember that dog grooming is not veterinary service, and it is unlikely that your groomer will be able to diagnose or recognize health problems of your pet.

If you have a pure-bred dog, and are considering entering shows, you should definitely find a good groomer  Certain breeds are expected to have a specific style to their coat, and groomers familiar with the show dog world should be able to conform to the rules and regulations for the particular dog show.    There are usually higher fees associated with specialized services, so check with your groomer to determine the costs.  Because of the care and precision needed to conform to show rules, it isn’t surprising that there are extra costs in most cases.

Wherever you make your home, dog grooming is a component of the proper care of your beloved pet.

Puppies need a different nutritional diet than that of adult dogs. Their coat, bones, organs, and teeth are still maturing. The foods they eat must have an ample supply of nutrients to support their growth. Also, keep in mind that young pups are energetic, often much more so than adult canines. In order to remain energetic, they need a constant supply of foods that provide a source of vitamins, minerals, and the right kinds of fats. We will discuss four tips to help you feed your puppy correctly.

#1 – Buy Commercial Brands

Many owners are tempted to prepare specific meals for their pups, but it’s usually a bad idea. Without rigorous attention to detail, it’s practically impossible to measure the right level of vitamins, fats, proteins, and other nutrients.

By contrast, commercial puppy foods are specifically formulated to provide the right blend for a puppy’s growing body. Manufacturers understand the special needs of puppies. A healthy puppy needs high energy and protein diets, these formulas have taken this into account. As a side note, if you’re raising a large breed (for example, a Bernese Mountain Dog), visit your pet supply store to check whether they carry a breed-specific brand.

#2 – Be Consistent

Puppies like most dogs, are creatures of habit. Once they start eating a brand they enjoy, changing that brand – even for “variety” – isn’t normally welcome. But all dogs young or old will eat a meal if one is presented. However, unless there is a compelling reason to change brands, avoid doing so. If you must switch, try to wean your pup off the old food by gradually mixing the new food in.

#3 – Set A Time And Stick To It

In the same way people normally establish certain times to eat meals, you should create a feeding schedule for your puppy. Puppies if not supervised will often times overeat. Because canine obesity is such a debilitating problem, try to encourage the right eating habits when your pup is young. Pick two or three times during which you’ll feed him. He’ll quickly come to recognize those times instinctively.

#4 – Make Drinking Water Available

Puppies need water just like people and some breeds require more than others. Even if your pup doesn’t normally drink a lot of water while eating his meals, you should make sure he has the option available. Remember, your puppy will be expending a lot more energy than a typical adult dog. That means he’ll be drinking more water to keep hydrated. Provide him with all he needs.

It’s not difficult to design an easy feeding plan for your pup. Invest in a high-quality commercial brand, avoid switching it, pick feeding times and don’t deviate from them, and give your puppy all the water he wants. You can add all natural dog treats or dog chews as a special bonus for your dog as well. If you follow those guidelines, your pup should grow up to be a healthy, happy adult dog.