Determining The Amount Of Dog Food Needed For Your Dog
The pet dog has the same nutritional needs as any other dog. The only difference is the reduced number of calories it uses because of the type of life a dog leads as a household pet. The house dog living exclusively indoors is probably one of the least active animals in the world. More inactive, even, than its owner.
Most of a house dog's time is spent sleeping. Its greatest effort, in many instances, consists of a 10-foot walk from the back door three times a day for eliminations, and a 10-foot walk from the family room couch to its food bowl in the kitchen. As a consequence the house dog is the most overfed and suffers from the greatest overweight problems of all the house-pets.
The dog that spends most of its daylight activities outdoors, but comes in at night, has a higher energy need than the pet kept indoors constantly. Not only does it get more exercise, but it requires extra energy to maintain its body temperature during cooler weather outdoors. Even with such additional requirements it is not uncommon to find indoor/outdoor pets that are fed too much and are borderline overweights.
The dog that stays outdoors all of the time is the pet least likely to develop obesity. As an outdoor dog it enjoys the same, or more exercise as the indoors/outdoors dog. In addition, outdoor dogs have a considerably increased need for energy to maintain body heat.
This need for extra energy for body heat becomes especially high at night and in colder weather. In fact, there are occasional instances where outdoor dogs, when improperly fed, begin to appear just like the undernourished farm hounds of a past era of dog feeding.
Calculation: The quantity of food a house dog needs is determined by the same things that determine the amount of food any other dog eat, which is its optimum body weight and the caloric density of the food it eats. The amount is calculated in the same manner as for other dogs. Determine the number of calories a dog needs daily to maintain its optimum weight. Then divide that number by the number of calories in a pound of food you are feeding. The results will be the quantity of food you should feed, measured in pounds.
The rules on how often you should bathe your dog are different from one dog to the next. Various breeds as well as various types of coats determine how often the dog should be given a bath. For example, the Poodle should be bathed every four or six weeks.
On the other hand, the Pointer can go three or four months between baths. Other breeds which have harsh long coats, such as the Pomeranian, Samoyed, and the Norwegian Elkhound require less frequent bathing because it tends to soften the coat. However, dogs that are kept in the house most of the time have to be bathed more frequently to keep them clean.
Bathing the dog is important in order to keep the coat and skin clean and healthy. The coat should always be brushed thoroughly before the bath. This will help to remove all dead hair and all mats from the coats of long-haired dogs.
The next step is to prepare the materials you are going to use before the bath. The following is a list of supplies you will need:
1. Shampoo (regular or special shampoos for conditioning, color, coat, etc.) 2. Bristle Brush 3. Sponge 4. Rubber Tub Mat 5. Two Thick Bath-size Towels 6. Chain and Choke (to secure dog) 7. Spray Hose 8. Cream Rinse (long-haired breeds with the exception of the Poodle and Terriers).
Always remember to secure your dog safely in the tub. A chain and choke is necessary for this, giving the dog about a foot and a half of slack. This will make sure that the dog cannot jump from the tub and injure himself. A rubber tub mat is also a good safety precaution.
Using a spray hose, wet the coat thoroughly with warm water. Next, apply the shampoo to the dog's coat with a sponge, paying special attention to the ears, rectum area, and pads of the feet. These three areas are usually neglected by most groomers when bathing the dog. A small bristle brush may be used to scrub the head, ears, pads of the feet, and other extremely dirty areas of the coat. When the coat is thoroughly soaped and scrubbed, rinse it with warm water.
When rinsing, place the thumb over the ear opening to keep water out of the ears. Also keep a hand over the eyes to prevent any soap from getting into them. Since every dog should have a double bath, repeat the soaping and rinsing process. On the last rinse be sure to get all of the soap out of the coat.
Gently squeeze the hair on the legs, tail, ears, and all parts of the dog's body with your hands to remove excess water. You must first towel dry before using a dryer.
It is important for your puppy to feel he is a valuable individual. Try to have your training sessions in a relatively quiet place. Because he is so playful, he can be easily distracted by other people and activities. If he is constantly being bombarded by other sights and sounds, it will be difficult for him to get the message from you that you enjoy being with him.
Use words:The only way he will learn to associate the command with the action is if you use the word every time you guide him into doing what you want. A puppy can learn a very large vocabulary with such words as "Outdoors," "Bedtime," "Go for a walk," as well as the basic commands.
Reward your pup: To teach him anything, you must first have his attention and then you must reward him as soon as he has done what you ask. The reward can take three forms; a tidbit, a pat, or your voice. Consider the use of tidbits a highly successful means of puppy training. By guiding his behavior with it, you can avoid pushing and pulling with your hands and all of the jerking and pulling on the leash.
A puppy learns much more quickly when he performs the activity himself rather than being pushed or pulled into doing it. Then, as he begins to understand what you mean by "Sit" or "Come" or whatever, you can use your hand or leash to perfect the performance, thereby keeping handling at a minimum. Timing is of the utmost importance when using tidbits in puppy training. Obviously, your puppy is not going to know what you mean by the different commands when you first begin to train him, and the only way he will learn that he is doing the right thing is when he receives the reward at the moment he does it.
An example in using tidbits is to teach the command “Sit.” If you have a puppy who prefers bouncing around and absolutely hates sitting, you may have to begin by rewarding a bending of the hind legs. If you were to wait until he sits all the way down with his bottom on the floor, you would never get the job done. After a few rewards for partial sitting, the puppy will suddenly sit all the way, at which time you will not only reward him but tell him how marvelous he is.
Another example of rewarding with tidbits is with the heeling exercise. This is the most difficult thing for most puppies to learn. Too often, it involves excessive jerking on the leash. The more a puppy is being pulled, the more he resists and pulls in the opposite direction. Their natural tendency is to run off and sniff around. Cheese tidbits is very effective in overcoming the problems of teaching a puppy to walk beside us. It works even better off-leash (but only for a minute at a time).
As you begin walking, the instant the puppy begins to look away from you, get his attention with your voice and give him a tidbit. This will keep him at your side for another few steps. Repeat this a few times during each session, reversing your direction and taking some turns. Then stop while you are both still performing well and give him lots of praise with your voice along with some pats.
Now that your Pit Bull has learned to follow the command “come,” he is ready for his next trick. Another very useful behavior that you can teach your dog is to learn how to “sit.” “Sit” is one of the simplest tricks to teach. Learning this behavior is vital because it is an effective way to control your dog and also help you set the foundation for other training to follow.
It is very easy to teach your Pit Bull how to “”sit.” Stand right in front of him while holding a treat slightly above his eye level. Say “sit” and then move the treat closer to him until it is just above his eyes. You may have to put your other hand on his rump to prevent him from jumping up.
If he takes a step back instead of sitting down, place his rear against a wall. When he begins to look up and bend his hind legs, say “good” and then give him the treat. Repeat this process again. Have him bend his legs more and more this time until he is in a full “sit” position before saying “good” and giving him the treat.
Once your Pit Bull knows how to “sit,” he then needs to learn how to remain in the sitting position for as long as necessary. The way to do this is to teach him to “stay,” which is another very useful command that you can teach your dog.
Dogs have a dangerous habit of running off through open doors, whether from the house or from a car. It is very important to teach your dog to sit and stay until you give him the signal that it is ok to get back up. Only then can he walk through the door or exit the car.
Get your dog to sit and then say “stay” in a calm and soothing voice. If he tries to get up or lie down, immediately gently place him back into position. Have him maintain the position for a few seconds and then give the release word “ok.” Do not forget to praise and give him his favorite treat for doing a great job.
Repeat the process again, gradually increasing the amount of time that he has to sit and stay. However, do not ask your Pit Bull puppy to stay longer than 30 seconds. The goal is to let your pet succeed, not push him to the limit. Remember to be patient and to increase time and distance in small increments.
Avoid staring into your dog’s eyes if you think that it will help him to focus his attention on you. Doing so only creates the opposite effect. Your dog will sense the staring as a threat and can be intimidating.
When it comes to making sure that your loving dog is healthy, both inside and out, then it is important to understand how dangerous dog parasites can be. And in order to understand this topic of being a dog owner, then you must be educated in the many different types of parasites that are out there just waiting to use your dog as a host for its feeding.
Today's article we are going to cover a particular parasite that you may not have heard of, but one that is definitely a danger to your pet dogs. They are called “whipworms”. Whipworms are such hearty organisms that they can survive outdoors for very long stretches at a time. The reason why they are called whipworms is because they actually resemble a whip in that they are thin on one end and thicker on the other end.
Like other internal worm feeders, they get into the dog's body when the dog ingests the eggs or the immature form of the whipworm. The whipworm then reaches maturity as it moves through your dog's digestive system.
The adult worms will fasten themselves and draw blood from the cecum, which is a pocket between the small and large intestines. The mature female lays her eggs inside of the host. The eggs are then excreted through the feces.
Typical symptoms that your dog may show signs of if being a host to whipworms include loose and bloody stool, a dull coat, severe weight loss, vomiting yellow-green, and anemia.
Treatment for your dog to get rid of whipworms should always start at your veterinarian's office. Your veterinarian will be able to determine the presence of whipworms by examining your dog's stool specimens. Of course several attempts may be necessary because whipworms are sometimes very difficult to detect.
Afterwards, your veterinarian will administer a potent deworming agent. Also, since you may be combating worms around the house then ask your vet for a product that will help you aid in these household whipworm problems
As a preventative measure against whipworms, if your dog is an outdoor dog, then be sure to keep him in dry quarters that are regularly exposed to the sun. The reason for this is because whipworms require moisture in order to survive.
