Natural Pet Health

Bideawee: Helping Dogs & Cats Find Loving Homes For Over 100 Years (1)

For individuals looking for their first dog, and whose needs dictate an adult animal rather than a pup or kitten, the perfect answer is often to turn to an animal shelter. Not all animal shelters function as their name seems to imply though. That is, not all of them provide shelter, food, and care for a homeless animal until a new home becomes available.

One such organization whose standards far surpass the average home is the Bideawee organization, formerly known as the Bide-A-Wee Home Association. Entrusting a beloved pet to their care, the bereaved owner is assured that no animal is ever destroyed unless it is incurably ill.

Dogs can be very difficult animals to deal with from time to time, some breeds and types can be especially difficult to train and control. No mater how much time and effort you seem to be putting in, your efforts give no results.

Don’€™t worry too much about persistently training you dog, it might not be your fault your dog is disobedient, people in different circumstances may be failing to train their dog for very simple reasons, whether it be your tone of voice, not having enough time to give your dog due to other commitments like work or hobbies, or your children throwing all the basic dog training rules out the window. Here we will try to educate you on the difference a professional dog trainer could have on your dog’s obedience, and how much it will cost.

Shopping From A Breeder: The Small Professional Breeder (Part 2)

Shopping for a new puppy through a small professional breeder is one of the best choices you could make. These breeders offer much more personal help with questions and interests than larger breeder organizations do, and with more respected care for their puppies than you could possibly imagine.

However, as mentioned previously, small breeders are absolutely meticulous with choosing the right family for their pups. Do you have any children? If so, how many do you have and what are the ages? are example questions you will be asked. And these questions are important to the devoted breeder, as in many instances, very young children are unintentionally cruel to small puppies.

Shelter Adoption You Have Chosen A Dog To Bring Home, Now What?

One the most remarkable features about adopting a dog from the animal shelter is the diversity in the types of dogs that are available, their size, as well as the different temperaments. It is truly a fun experience for the family that is intent on going home with a newly adopted dog to choose from hundreds of different mixed breeds, all with interesting characteristics.

Another positive note about adopting a dog from the animal shelter is that most of the dogs are already older and housetrained. This is good news for the busy mom or dad who does not have the time to devote to a new puppy every day until the animal is properly socialized.

If you are having trouble with housetraining your dog, the quickest way to get around the problem and make a diagnosis is to know your pet’s history. Knowing how your dog has been acting at home yields important information to the veterinarian and helps narrow the diagnosis. Here’s how you can help:

1) For urinary accidents, note if your dog is wetting more often; producing normal, smaller or larger amounts of urine; dribbling while walking; leaking while relaxed or sleeping; or wetting when excited or scared.

2) For fecal accidents, take a sample to the veterinarian. If your dog defecates in front of you, doe she appear to be straining or pooping while he’s walking upright? Look at the stools: Are they loose, runny, firm, hard, blood or mucousy? Are stool volumes less or more often than normal? Is your dog defecating more often?

Housetraining your dog quickly and easily can only be done by understanding what is causing him to use the bathroom inside the house in the first place. Many times the issues are not what they seem, and in fact the problems are typically connected to behavioral reasons.

Dogs can eliminate inappropriately for a number of behavior-based reasons. However, clinical signs vary for these types of issues and are not always distinguishable between medical problems or housetraining relapses.

For example, urine found on upright objects or in a place out of sight of the owner suggests an intentional marking of a surface. Urine found only in a bed at night could suggest unintentional incontinence, although there are plenty of dogs that make a point of urinating on their beds. And diarrhea could be from a physiological problem but could also be from internal stress in the animal.

Housetraining: The Link Between Medications & Your Dog’s House-Wetting Accidents

Some medications cause a dog to drink more and thus produce such copious amounts of urine that the dog can’t wait as long between outdoor breaks or leaks while relaxed. If wetting accidents occur shortly after a dog starts a new medicine, double-check with your veterinarian to see if increased thirst or urination are side effects.

Warning: Don’t abruptly halt the use of a medication without first consulting your dog’s veterinarian. Abrupt cessation could be dangerous.

The most commonly used medications that cause these side effects include:

1) Cortisone-type Medications

This includes prednisone. Veterinarians routinely use cortisones for their anti-allergy and anti-inflammatory effects in a wide variety of conditions. Injectable, oral and topical cortisones such as ear medications or eye drops can cause increased thirst and urination.

City Dog Housetraining (Part 1): Paper Training Is The First Step

To many people, there is nothing like living in the big city – the lights, the high-rises that glitter in the sun, streets buzzing with the sounds of cars, people throng the sidewalks and stores at all hours…

But can dogs be model citizens in this lifestyle? Can they be properly housetrained not to use the bathroom in your small apartment? Can they be housetrained to go in a specific area laid with papers as you wish? How about outside without making a mess on the sidewalk?

Absolutely! All it takes is a bit of extra work to conquer the unique problems of city dwellers.

City Dog Housetraining (Part 2): Graduating From Paper Training To Pottying Outside

Paper training is the best option for those of you enjoying the big city lifestyle, but living in close quarters inside a plush apartment. It just works, and works well. But once your pup is going to the bathroom on the paper pile each and every time, shouldn’t you move onto training him to go outside?

Some people may choose to allow their dogs to go on papers for a longer time. For a small dog you can absolutely use paper training on a permanent basis. In fact, when you teach a pup to use the papers on cue, it makes traveling outside the home much easier.

City Dog Housetraining (Part 3): Choosing The Appropriate Outside Potty Area

The key to training your dog to go from using the bathroom on a pile of papers in your apartment, to holding it in and using an outdoor spot, takes a little common sense and some outdoor etiquette.

Going from the papers to the outside means you need to carry your puppy to the right area. As discussed previously, small puppies are easy to carry outside but you may need a carrier of sorts for bigger dogs or if you are not strong enough.

Once you have finally carried your loaded puppy outside without an international incident and all you see before you are blocks and blocks of concrete, where should you go?