Petsmu

The Airedale Terrier is a people oriented dog with patience for children. He is affectionate and will protect his adopted family. Early socialization with children is important. They are large, strong dogs and they may play a bit rough. They have been used as police dogs and are alert and make excellent watchdogs. For safety reasons, never leave very young children alone with any dog.

*Temperament. His temperament is loyal and he will protect his adopted family. Many believe he has a sense of humor. Training can be a little difficult as he is more inclined to be a clown.

*Approximate Adult Size. Males weigh about 65 pounds and are about 23 inches tall at the withers (tallest point of the shoulders. Females weigh 55 to 60 pounds and are about 22 inches to the withers.

*Ideal Environment. The Airedale is a large size dog that is energetic and needs plenty of exercise. A properly fenced back yard would help in his exercise needs. He is not recommended for an apartment unless he has frequent, brisk walks. The Airedale needs a lot of exercise and attention or he will get bored and become destructive. If you have a cat, another dog or other small pets, they can be aggressive toward them as they were bred to hunt animals. Having a animal or pet run from this dog will get his hunting juices going. Early socialization will help considerably but it is hard to defeat his hunting heritage. Continue Reading »

Whether you are adopting an adult dog or buying a puppy there are important factors you need to take into consideration when choosing a breed.

First and foremost, keep in mind that most breeds are the result of literally hundreds of generations of breeding for certain attributes. For example, retrievers need to retrieve and most terriers need to chase small animals. Don’t make the mistake of choosing a terrier breed such as a Cairn and expect it to cohabitate happily with your child’s pet hamsters. The point here is that a dog’s temperament and personality are largely set at birth and it’s important to understand the breed’s traits when choosing a dog.

The Eight questions you should ask yourself before choosing a breed

1. How will the dog fit in with your lifestyle? Do you want a small dog can take with you almost everywhere or a large dog that will spend most of its life out of doors? Are you a hunter? If so, you will want to choose a breed such as a Lab, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, or a German Wirehaired Pointer.

2. How much time and money you want to spend keeping the dog trimmed? If the answer is not much then you should choose a short-haired breed such as a Beagle or a Boston Terrier. On the other hand, if you don’t mind spending the money to have the dog clipped every other month or so, you can choose a longer-haired breed.

3. Do you want a family pet or a show dog? If your goal is to have a friendly, family pet, choose a breed that is even-tempered and laid back such as a Cocker Spaniel or a Dalmatian. On the other hand, if you wish to have a show dog, you may need to accept a dog that is more nervous and high strung.

4. How much time and attention you devote to the dog? Some breeds are happy to spend most of their time alone and require very little from you. However, there are other breeds that are very affectionate - such as Fox Terriers -that may want more of your attention.

5. Do you want a guard dog? If so, choose a breed such as a German Shepherd, a Rottweiler, a Doberman Pinscher or some other breed that has been bred over the generations to be great guardians.

6. Do you want a dog that will listen to you and follow your commands? There are breeds that are very amenable to training and others that are more hard-headed. For example, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are considered easy to train while Welsh Terriers can be more difficult.

7. Do you want an adult dog or would you like to raise a puppy?. There are plusses and minuses to both alternatives. A puppy requires lots of time and training - including the need to housebreak it - while an adult don’t usually doesn’t.. However, when you adopt an adult dog you are sort of getting a pig in a poke as there is no way to know its background or why it ended up in a shelter.

8. How much time will the dog spend outdoors. If the answer is “a lot,” make sure you choose a long-haired breed that can withstand bad weather, such as Husky or a Samoyed. Continue Reading »

Dogs are known to be an adventurous and fun seeking animal. With all that running around and sniffing, they sometimes find some passengers to that don’t even expect. Ticks are a blood sucking insect that will bury itself into your skin if you don’t take the measures to remove them.

Since your dog doesn’t have thumbs or hands, for that matter, to remove a tick from its fur. You, the owner, must help your canine buddy out.

First off, don’t try using any remedy or mythical method some untrained person has told you for removing ticks. For example, the ones which say you can remove a tick with a cigarette, cleaning fluid, petroleum jelly, or a burning match.

The idea is to remove the tick entirely, not in bits and pieces. Using those remedies you’ll irritate your dog’s skin and make it more difficult to remove the tick. Ticks have their mouth parts barbed and release a glue like substance to hold them in place while feeding.

In order to remove a tick safely and effectively, Use these 5 tips

1. Using a tweezer or tissue, gently grasp the body of the tick and pull directly away from the point of attachment. Do not twist or jerk it.

2. If the mouth parts break off in the skin, use a sterilized needle to remove as you would a splinter.

3. Wash the bite area with soap and water and apply an antiseptic, likes alcohol or hydrogen peroxide.

4. Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly after removal.

5. Mark the date of the tick bite on your calendar. Watch for symptoms of disease from your pet in the upcoming weeks.

If you followed these steps promptly after you noticed the tick on your dog, you should notice no symptoms from the bite. If for any reason you do start noticing any symptoms, call or visit your local vet as soon as possible for more information. Continue Reading »