Just like a shiny head of hair means good health for us humans, a shiny coat of fur on a dog means your dog is in good health. In fact, a nice, lustrous coat of fur is one of the strongest indicators that your pooch is enjoying good dog health. Proper dog grooming is important in promoting good dog health.
A Shiny Coat with Dog Grooming
As mentioned above, it all starts with good dog grooming. If you want your dog to have a healthy coat of fur, you should groom him everyday. You do not have to bathe him everyday. Just once a week will do, or once every two days if your dog is the type that has long or thick fur.
Bathing a dog can be a tedious dog grooming process that will get you ending up wet along with your dog, but it can be quite fun once you get the hang of it. If your dog belongs to a small breed type, you can safely give him his bath in your kitchen sink. However, if your dog is the big type, you would have to use your tub or set up a place out of doors where you can bathe him properly.
How to Bathe Your Dog
When you bathe your dog, use a hose or a detachable shower head and wet him thoroughly. Afterwards, apply dog shampoo and work up a lather, starting from his chest to the top of his head, down his back and tail and then to his legs. Be careful not to get any of that shampoo in his eyes or ears.
Also, use a dog shampoo for your dog rather than your own shampoo. Shampoo for human hair only works on human hair; it is actually harsh and irritating to doggie skin. Dog shampoo, on the other hand, is specifically formulated for dog grooming, designed to suit the sensitivity of the skin and fur of dogs. For an added sheen and softness to your dogs fur, a dog conditioner also works wonders.
Rinse your dog thoroughly after shampooing and conditioning his fur. Make sure that there are no leftover soap suds on your dogs skin, or else the soap may cause some irritations. He might also end up licking at the leftover soap on his skin, and that is always a cause of concern that merits a vets attention if it does happen.
After the Bath
Once you are done bathing your dog, dry him thoroughly by patting all the excess water out of his fur using a towel. If your dog has short hair, you can leave him to air-dry his fur out completely. But if your dog is the type that has thick or long fur, you may need to dry his fur out with the use of a hair dryer. He may not find the hair dryer comfortable, but it is better than letting your dog stink up again because his fur was not dried out completely.
Dog grooming does not end with bathing, however. To give your pooch the full dog grooming home-style treatment, you need to make a ritual out of combing or brushing his fur once it is completely dry. Brushing your dogs fur will remove the snags and tangles in it if your dog has long hair. Not only that, it will get rid of whatever burs, ticks and fleas are making their home in your dogs fur. Do this every day, even on days when you are not giving your dog a bath.
If you can afford it and if you do not think you are capable of doing this dog grooming by yourself, go ahead and give your dog some delicious pampering at a dog grooming salon.
A Shiny Coat beyond Dog Grooming
Remember that a shiny coat is not just for the sake of aesthetics on a dog. A shiny coat for a dog is a strong indicator of a good dog health. As much as good dog grooming can do the job, it is not enough.
Good nutrition also plays a large role towards promoting good dog health. If a dog gets all the nutrients that his body needs, then definitely he will get a shiny coat. If you love your dog, you will not skimp on the cost of dog food. True enough, there are some cheap dog food brands out there, but they are made up of cheap and low-quality ingredients. So you can be sure that your dog is eating good food, do not skimp on quality dog food. Or, you can cook up your own dog food to feed your pooch.
If after regular dog grooming and regular feeding of high-quality food and your dog still does not display a shiny coat, it means that there is something else that is wrong with his system. Your dog may not be as in high a level of good health than you may have guessed. In this case, it is time to go to the vet.
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Jan 28, 2010 | | Dogs
There are many different styles and types of dog cages on the market and as expected there is also a huge range of prices.
While you might find people opposed to the suggestion of using dog cages, it is in actual fact something that most dogs are comfortable with.
Dog cages can offer your dog a sense of security, much like a child has a security blanket. By having their own little area they have a sense of security and this security can go with them if there is a need to travel.
If they feel safe within their dog cage they are less likely to become stressed when traveling in a motor vehicle.
By adding a favorite blanket or padding to the dog cage, the animal will feel comfortable and happy in familiar surroundings.
When buying a dog cage it needs to be big enough to allow your dog to stand up and turn around, but doesn’t need to be any larger than that for the dog to feel comfortable. There will need to be enough room for the dog to lie down on it’s side with it’s legs outstretched and sleep comfortably.
Usually the biggest problem will be whether your motor vehicle is big enough to fit the dog cage inside, in a safe place.
You can expect to pay between $50 and $125 for a good quality dog cage that will be big enough for a medium to large dog.
It is a small price to pay for all the benefits of dog happiness and security, along with ease of transportation. A good quality dog cage should last the life of the animal if handled correctly, which makes it a relatively cheap investment.
The cage should be purchased based on the size of the full grown animal as you won’t want to be replacing it after a year or so when you find that it is too small to house your pet when it is fully grown.
Some dog cages have dividers that are useful when transporting puppies as they restrict the area of the cage that they have access to, and as they grow the divider can be removed so they can use the whole cage.
When deciding on a dog cage you should look at all the alternatives that are offered by the biggest pet retailers on the Internet and look at all the price comparison websites to get the best deals.
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Jan 19, 2010 | | Dogs
Have you ever seen a well trained dog and thought, I wish my dog could do tricks like that?
It is probably the dream of most dog owners to be able to teach their pet to do some of the tricks they see other dogs doing, but there is one thing they must remember above all others before starting down the path of teaching tricks. The dog must have at least some basic obedience. There is not much chance of teaching it to do tricks if it is a badly behaved dog in the first place.
The basic commands such as sit, down, heel etc, should be known by your dog before trick training starts, as this will make life so much easier later on. Once these have been mastered you can begin to build on them and your dog will soon be amazing your friends with the following three simple tricks.
Begging
To start teaching this trick it is best to have your dog sit in a corner of the room with his back to the wall and you standing in front of him. The walls will support your dog and give him the confidence that he wont fall over if he raises his front legs off the floor.
Take some small pieces of food and hold it above your dog whilst enticing him to reach up for it. Each time he takes the food, praise him and repeat the procedure slowly encouraging him to reach higher each time.
Whilst encouraging the dog to reach up for the food, you must make sure that he is keeping his haunches on the ground. This is achieved by moving the food back over his head slightly making the dog shift his weight back over his haunches and teaching him to keep his balance.
Once the begging trick has bee mastered in the corner of the room you can gradually begin to move away from the wall and practise the trick where the dog has no back support. You must expect at this stage that the dog will seem to go backwards in his learning, but this is to be expected until he can perfect it just using his own body weight.
Shaking hands
There are two parts of this trick for your dog to learn. A verbal part and a non-verbal part which both work together to give the dog a cue that you want him to perform the trick.
Firstly the dog should start off in a sitting position. Give him a single word verbal command such as shake, whilst at the same time reaching out with your right hand until it is just a few inches from your dogs right leg. Your outstretched hand is the non-verbal cue.
Initially your dog will probably just sit motionless unsure of what to do, so with your left hand, gently push or prod his right leg forwards until it rests in your right hand. When he has done this, praise him so that he knows he has done what you wanted him to do.
Practice this trick several times; praising after each successful result and gradually reducing the amount of left hand prompting until only the verbal and non-verbal cues are all that are needed.
Shaking the head: No
Before you can begin to teach this trick to your dog, you will need to find something which will make him shake his head naturally. Some things which may help are blowing gently on the ear, tickling the ear with a feather or even lightly attaching a paperclip to the ear remembering that you should not cause the dog any pain.
Once you have found the method which makes him shake his head you will then have to decide on which verbal and non-verbal cue you want to use. A single word such as head along with shrugging of your shoulders is just one idea.
Again your dog should start in a sitting position when first teaching him this trick. As in the shaking hands trick, use both cues together, along with the prod (tickling his ear, etc) in an effort to stimulate your dog to shake his head. Once he does, reward him, even if it is just a small movement.
This trick is best learned in short sessions with momentary breaks in between, so dont try to repeat the exercise more that five times in one session or the dog will become confused and not learn.
Gradually reduce the amount of prodding so that all that are needed are the verbal and non-verbal cues. Once your dog has mastered the trick, he can be progressed to learn it in standing position and laying positions as well.
The main thing with training dogs to perform tricks is for the owner to learn that patience is a virtue and that the dog will learn in his own time. Do not scold the dog if he does not seem to be learning, it is always better to be patient and encourage him more.
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Dec 11, 2009 | | Dogs
The exotic and somewhat mysterious Siamese cat hails from the country of Thailand. They had always been a popular breed of cats, some even residing in royal palaces. Siamese cats, in the past, were trusted to protect royal palaces and monasteries from evil spirits. These cats were also thought of as bringing good fortune to their owners as well.
During the year of 1884, the very first Siamese cats began to make their way to England, when they were given as gifts to a British general. After that, they eventually made their way over to America. Now days, Siamese cats are one of the most recognized of the breed. Siamese cats are without a doubt the most popular short haired cat and among the top 3 in the entire breed of cats.
Even though there are several different colors to this breed, some questions what makes a cat a true Siamese cat. These cats have always been known for their bodies which are lighter in color, with darker areas throughout. The more darker areas found on their bodies are normally around the feet, tail, legs, or face. They can weight anywhere between 6 – 16 lbs, with bright eyes that are normally slanted – which is another clue that the cat is a true Siamese.
Traditionally, Siamese cats are robust, with round heads and a truly muscular build. They are well known throughout the world for their color points and unique personalities. Unlike other breeds, Siamese breeds have a talent for communicating with people. If you are looking for a cat that is nice and quiet, you wouldnt want a Siamese cat. These cats love to play, love to make noise, and they also happen to be the most social breed of cats out there.
Siamese cats demand a lot of attention, because in their minds, they believe that the world revolves around them. For this very reason, they can tend be quite dependant on their owners. They love to play, and crave interaction. If you leave them alone for too long, they wont like it. They like to get attention, love to play, and hate to be left by themselves.
Even though Siamese cats are emotionally high maintenance, they dont need a lot of maintenance They need a minimum amount of grooming, which involves bathing every once in a while, and brushing maybe once or twice a month. If you like cats with minimal maintenance, Siamese cats are perfect. Their hair is short to their skin, so a gentle brushing is all you need. They can get sick however, which is to be expected with any breed of cat.
Siamese cats have a life span that is similar to other breeds, which is normally around 15 – 20 years, sometimes even longer. As long as you feed him on a daily basis and take him to the vet for his regular checkups and shots, he will be around for years and years to come. Most people who have their Siamese cat for over 10 years, find the cat to be more like a child than a pet.
No matter how you look at it, a Siamese cat is a great pet. Although the Siamese breed does require a lot of attention, they are excellent pets that you can spend a lot of time with. They are great for kids as well, simply because kids can spend a lot of time with them. As long as you give your pet the attention he craves – he will be your life long friend for as long as you have him.
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Nov 19, 2009 | | Cats
If you have a pet, then you are undoubtedly in the market for pet supplies and plenty of them. If thats the case, you are in luck because there is a world full of pet products just waiting to be purchased and a lot of eager pets waiting to try them out. We all know about pet beds and brushes, toys and other goodies, which is why this article is aimed at focusing on unique pet supplies and why they are important to your furry little friend.
A harness is often used to walk dogs that are strong or tend to pull their masters when walking. If you have a larger breed dog and he/she isnt well mannered on a walk, this could end with you being in pain if the dog pulls frequently or changes direction without notice. Smaller dogs are easy to control, but larger dogs often need a harness. This is one of the best pet supplies in existence because it reduces pulling on both your dog and, in turn, your dog pulling on you. A harness is made of either fabric or leather, just as standard collars, and fits comfortably around the dogs legs and chest. While wearing a harness, the dog is prevented from pulling as hard and will result in less injury to its owner. Depending on the material and manufacturer, a dog harness can often be found for as little as $10.00 and will go up from there.
Did you know that one of the latest crazes in pet supplies is a seat belt? Well, its true. If youre dog is known to wander around inside the vehicle, this may pose as a distraction and is not a safe situation. Therefore, some manufacturers have introduced a seat belt, which connects to the buckle of most automobiles and secures your dog safely in a seat.
If you are house training a new puppy or trying to retrain an adult dog, training pads may be the pet supplies that you have been looking for. These pads feature a scent that will draw your dog to its location when he/she has to use the bathroom. This always beats having to clean up a mess on the carpet and, even better yet, they are disposable.
Pet supplies are everywhere, including online and at most retail stores. Perhaps the largest variety of pet supplies is found on the world wide web simply because it has a wider reach than most local stores. Everything from beds to litter boxes and even sporty little outfits is available for your pup, including Halloween costumes.
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Nov 17, 2009 | | Dogs