Petsmu

The dog, mans best friend, this one of the most common house pets owned by people all over the world.

The dog is loyal to it’s master and family. Dogs make good guard pets, that help to protect your home and family. They can be playful play mates with your children.

In act, a dog can be any one thing to many different people. Having such loyal pets that do their best to take care of us, they can work up a sweat just like us or endure in the same messy jobs that we do.

In doing their job, a dogs fur can become stained and gain a foul stench. This makes for an unhappy dog and an unsavory pet to be around. These are the times that your nose tells you to bathe that dog.

In this article we will look at some tips to aid us in knowing how often that you should bathe your dog, what is the best place to do the job, what shampoo is the best one for your dog and some overall tips on how to get better results from bathing your dog.

The first thing that you should know is that by bathing your dog, it not only keeps your pet clean, it is also very healthy for your pet. For this reason, you want to make sure that your pet receives a bath regularly.

You also want to pay attention to how much your pet dog receives a bath. By bathing too frequently, you can dry out your dogs skin and this is not healthy for your dog. Continue Reading »

Dog health care is such a vast domain that you would need really specific problems to focus on in order to cover the issues you are interested in. Among the main dog health care problems we may say that the most frequent ones are fleas, worms and poisons. If these are not professionally taken care of, other very serious troubles may be expected. Worms and external parasites waste the dogs body of nutrients and energy; plus dog health care providers insist that neglected dogs are full of toxins because of the parasite overgrowth.

Here are some dog health care tips to be used when dealing with worms, fleas or various poisons the dog comes into contact. Puppies need de-worming as early as two or three weeks with the procedure repeated at four or six weeks of age. Dog health care specialists claim that worm immunity in puppies does not appear sooner than six months of age, and the worm larvae pass from mother to puppies. In order to meet the dog health care requirements you need to remove all stools from your garden, keep the lawn cut short and make sure you feed your dog on thoroughly cooked meat. Continue Reading »

Hiking or camping with your dog can be a fun experience for both of you - unless your faithful friend disappears or is injured. Use common sense to plan ahead and avoid a calamity.

The following seven tips will insure that you both arrive back home safely and eager to go again.

1. Always have your dog in sight and on a leash - which is required in many public areas. It’s tempting to let them run free, but that’s when trouble can come knocking. Even if your voice commands seem to be ’sealed in concrete’ when walking in your neighborhood or at the local dog park, distractions in unfamiliar areas may cause the best-trained dog to stray. One option is to use a retractable leash, which gives your dog a feeling of more freedom. Taking along a favorite toy can help to focus your dog’s attention near you, particularly if a potentially harmful situation arises.

2. Check for information that lists the types of wild animals and plants that you may encounter on your hike and keep your eyes open for them. Wildlife such as snakes, bears, skunks, porcupines, mountain lions and coyotes can cause serious injury to your dog if there is an encounter. Even other dogs in the vicinity - particularly those not on a leash - can start a fight. Plants such as poison ivy, cactus or other thorny plants and nettles can cause injury or serious irritation to your dog’s skin.

3. Carry a small first-aid kit with items recommended by your veterinarian to take care of cuts and scratches or other medical emergencies. To protect both of you, be sure you have a cell phone that is fully charged and operational in the area where you’ll be hiking or camping.

4. Dogs are as susceptible to mosquito bites and sunburn as you are. Be sure to take along a mosquito repellent and sunscreen recommended by your vet. It’s a good idea to make sure your dog is up date with flea and tick treatments, vaccinations and heartworm prevention medication, too.

5. Take plenty of water for both you and your dog. Since dogs don’t have sweat glands, they are susceptible to heatstroke in very warm weather. Take plenty of rest breaks and avoid letting your dog drink from water sources that could harbor harmful parasites or toxins. Water from home that your dog’s body is accustomed to is always best.

6. During hunting seasons it’s important to take extra precautions for both you and your dog. Wear bright or reflective clothing and consider a reflective vest for your dog. Unfortunately, dogs can be mistaken for other animals, so make provisions to insure that you both stand out in the environment.

7. The most important tip has been saved for last. Your dog should wear a collar I.D. tag that is attached with a small, strong key ring, since the S-hook type attachments often fail. The tag should include your name, city and state of residence, phone number, dog’s name and your vet’s phone number. Also add your cell phone number so you can be reached quickly if your dog does disappear and is found by another hiker. If you are camping, locate an “instant” pet name tag machine before you leave. Make a temporary tag in addition to their regular tag. Include the dog’s name, the park and campsite where you’ll be staying and the dates you plan to be there.

A bonus tip - be sure you and your dog are both in good physical condition with sufficient endurance to easily complete the trek you’re planning.

If you want your dog to carry his own pack, which is very popular these days, be sure not to load it down with more than one-third of your pooch’s body weight. Twenty to thirty percent is a good rule of thumb to avoid tiring out your excited hiker too quickly. Allow your dog to get used to carrying the pack ahead of time by taking short walks around the block or even around the house. Save yourself the exhaustion of carrying your pooped pooch back to the car.

There are many pet safety products for car travel and pet life jackets, if you’ll be near a lake or on a boat.

If you plan a picnic as a special part of your day, there are collapsible food and water bowls for dogs as well as shade and mosquito protective light-weight tents. A nap may be just the thing for both of you after a tummy-filling lunch combined with sunshine and warm breezes before you head for home.

About the author: Janet Winter has a deep love for animals and enjoys writing informative articles about caring for your dog’s comfort, safety and fun. You can learn how to provide a loving, pampered life for your dog by visiting APamperedDog.com. She is a web designer, travel agent and writer on many topics including pampered dogs, wild birds and babies.
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com