• Any sign of diarrhoea.
• If you sense some unexplained weight loss or a sudden drop in weight.
• Your pet goes off of its food dramatically or indeed the opposite and is eating too much.
• Any vomiting.
• If you’re pet seems to be pawing at its ears or shaking its head.
• Any lumps or bumps felt on your animal.
• Pets do shed their fur which is normal but if you are noticing any fur loss that is abnormal, as well as dull or patchy coats.
• Sneezing or coughing persistently.
• Any discharge from the eyes or nose which isn’t thought to be normal.
• If your pet is moving with difficulty and is not as active as usual, a stiffness or weakness in any of its joints.
• When urinating or defecating, if any straining is present. However the inability to urinate will be an emergency and you need to get your pet to the vet immediately.
• An injury or any description.

Keep the name and number of your pets vet clinic at hand for after hour pet care as well as the regular vet number.

Here are some important Do’s and Don’ts to ponder when in Dog Parks:

1. Always Bring A Leash and Keep your Dog Under Your Control

Dog parks means freedom for dogs and often they lose their control and behave differently at home. They’re playfulness are heightened and may disobey your commands. It is always a good idea to bring a leash even though your dog is not the aggressive breed. Dogs change behavior when introduced to other dogs and in a parks, they often became more aggressive and having a leash is always handy. You must also keep your dog under control, dog fights may occur in dog parks when owners failed to be in control with their dogs outside their homes.

2. Never Bring a Female Dog in Heat – Female dog in heat can cause major trouble in park. Male dogs will fight aggressively with other dogs when near a female dog in heat. For the safety of pet owners and other dogs, it is self-explanatory why bringing a female dog in heat to a dog park is no-no.

3. Do Not Bring Aggressive Dogs in The Park – It’s common sense. Aggressive dogs are hard to control and can physically harm other dogs and pet owners.

4. Reconsider Bringing Smaller Pets and puppies in the Park – Dog parks are full of fully grown and big build breed of dogs so it is inappropriate to bring a puppy and small breed of dogs. They can be traumatized and stressed with the environment especially with large dogs running around and the interaction may not be as calm as what you are expecting.

5. Spayed and Neutered Dogs are More Behave in the Park – Intact dogs or those who have not been spayed or neutered are more active in the park and requires more attention and pet owners usually lose control when in parks. Reconsider bringing intact dogs in dog parks and there are even dog parks that only allows spayed or neutered dogs.

There are also other do’s and don’ts for pet owners in park and rules to observe such as do not allow your dogs to dig for it may cause injury to pet owners who may accidentally step into a hole and always remember to pick up your dogs poo-poo in park.

Be a responsible pet owner and follow the park rules and regulations for your dogs safety and also for your own safety.

Pets will or will not get along depending on their personalities. The pet you currently have may see your new pet as a threat, in which case may result in a few scuffles between them as each animal gets to know his place in the ‘pack’. Unless there is any sign of injury do not intervene as this process needs to be done.

Some pets will just tolerate each other as oppose to others which can become the best of friends, some tips below will help you to introduce a new pet to the family.

You must always supervise your pets until you know for sure that they are getting along. Up until that moment arrives it is best to separate your pets giving at least one of them its own room. They can interact but only while you are there. This process may take hours, days, weeks or even moths for the total adjustment to occur.

• Make sure the first meeting is indoors and a controlled situation. Dogs should be kept on leashes and do not allow aggressive behaviour. If it’s a cat introducing to a dog the dog must not corner the cat or chase it.
• Allow the new pet to familiarize itself within its new home.
• Give your pets separate food and water bowls.
• Just give your pets time, they will adjust at their own pace, do not try and force them to get along.

They will learn by repetition, so try and try again. The more you show them the more likely they are to remember the trick for next time. It wont happen overnight however, it may take a few days or even a week but don’t worry it will come so don’t give up! Make sure you don’t try and bombarde him with more than one trick at once or he wont clasp the first one so wait until he has sussed the first before moving on to the next.

Giving your puppy a treat to reward them when they do start to progress a trick, they will then associate the treat with doing well and the trick itself, resulting in the required action. As the new trick is eventually learnt you can even increase the size of the trick! If your puppy doesn’t get it right the first time you can still give the treat so the relationship of the trick and treat is made. It is not ideal to scold your puppy because they are after all a baby! You wouldn’t tell your infant off for not walking right away!

Even with vaccinations kept up to date, every pet will suffer from the odd illness. The top things to look out for are;

• Diarrhea and/or vomiting
• Unexplained or sudden weight loss or molting of the coat
• Significant loss of appetite or increased appetite.
• Pawing at ears or shaking head.
• Lumps on body
• Persistent sneezing or coughing..
• Stiffness or weakness in any joints; pet moves with difficulty.

These are just some of the normal symptoms of animal illness and if any of these are seen for extended periods of time, medical advice should be sought.

Something that is astonishing to caring pet owners is the lack of knowledge that some pet owners have about their own pets. Many owners are unable to tell the signs of a sick pet or identify the key tell tale signs of illness in beloved house hold creatures. We will identify the top things for you to keep a tabs on when looking after you pet.

The first defence is to ensure that the pet is kept up to date on their required vaccinations. The vaccinations are prescribed by the national vetenary association and therefore have been set as guidelines to follow based on trials and experience.

Even with vaccinations kept up to date, every pet will suffer from the odd illness. The top things to look out for are;

• Diarrhea and/or  vomiting
• Unexplained or sudden weight loss or molting of the coat
• Significant loss of appetite or increased appetite.
• Pawing at ears or shaking head.
• Lumps on body
• Persistent sneezing or coughing..
• Stiffness or weakness in any joints; pet moves with difficulty.

These are just some of the normal symptoms of animal illness and if any of these are seen for extended periods of time, medical advice should be sought.

I was reading a book called How To teach A New Dog Old Tricks by Ian Dunbar and it was explained how important positive reinforcement in the character of our dogs. The book deals on fixing disobedience, temper modification and training our dogs with positive reinforcement instead of enforcing fear and anger.

Positive reinforcement like praising and giving rewards is the proper way and the most humane way of training our dogs. Striking fear always result to stress and aggression in dogs and should not be practiced. The fundamental principle in training dogs is to reward and praise them with their good behavior with something pleasant and with that they will remember to always be in good behavior. Remember that dogs like to please their masters and by rewarding their good behavior would mean that they are pleasing us.

In order for your dog to appreciate the reward and the praise, it must be given at the right moment so that the dog can associate that as a reward for good behavior. The reward can be a food, a treat, toys or even patting it in the head and being affectionate as a master of the dog. Positive reinforcement is also very effective when everyone in the family uses the same commands such as gently asking the dog to sit down or get inside the house. With that, the dog can easily understand words and hand gesture and associate it with specific actions that will be desirable to their masters.

It usually takes time to train dogs with positive reinforcement but its the most effective and it is both beneficial for both you and your pets. Do not be frustrated when not being successful for it takes time to rewire your pets behavior and the reward is long lasting.

]]> http://freepettips.com/2012/02/positive-reinforcements/feed/ 0 http://freepettips.com/2012/01/managing-with-multiple-pets/ http://freepettips.com/2012/01/managing-with-multiple-pets/#comments Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:34:06 +0000 Richard http://freepettips.com/?p=533 Pet owners nowadays are highly likely to have or at least hold a desire to own more than just the one household pet. Whether it be cats and dogs or even some more unusual breeds of animals, it is extremely important for you to ensue that all pets are cared for adequately and with the upmost of due care that the animals deserve.

The most common tendency is for a family to become over indulged in the new bundle of joy and somewhat neglect the pet that has been in the house previously. Animals will also have emotions and will not take kindly to a sudden attitude change so it is vitally important for all members f the family to continue to lavish attentions and snuggles on the “older” pets.

Another important factor is for you to ease your two pets into living together slowly. Animals take time to adjust to new surroundings including people and other pets. It would be no use to force pets together and expect them to bond. They should be introduced in a controlled environment where there are plenty of distractions. The new pet needs to gain confidence in his new home and this will take a little time. It is also a good idea to feed your two pets in different locations and at different times at first.

According to my vet, my dog instilled in his mind that he is the “Alpha dog” over me outside the house and it became a habit of him to lead the way to show that he is protecting me and to show other dogs that I belong to his pack. Although it may seem touchy to know, it can be troublesome for it may lead to behavioral issues because its the dog who became in-charge of the human.

The proper way of walking your dog. Make them heel and follow you.

The main purpose of walking your dog is to release those extra physical energies that they have and to relax them but a dog leading the way is not a relaxed dog. It makes them hyper and stressed. Notice that when your dog leads the way or walk in front of you and keeps on sniffing looks hyper ventilated. This is because the mental energy of the dog is high and they are not relaxed. They assume the responsibility of being the alpha dog and those mental activity like worrying with encounters of other dogs  can become mental anguish and will build up inside your dogs.

Walking your dog is a healthy activity for their well-being and makes them physically active and tone down their energy but if not done properly can cause mental stress. When walking your dog, make sure they heel and follow you. Do not let them lead the way and make you part of the his pack. Make sure that it is you who makes the decisions where to walk and not the dog leading you where to walk.

We love our pets.  They are a regular member of the family.  Unfortunately the cost of taking care of a pet can often be quite high.  Here are some tips to help you take care of your pets without breaking the bank.

• Shop Around.  We all want the best care for our pets but not all vets charge the same rates.  Do your research and look for a pet Dr. that has the combination of services and facilities that you need at a rate you can afford.
• Set a Budget. Pets are a member of the family and we have a tendency to spoil them but let’s face it those luxury pet items can really add up.  Make sure you are allocating your money properly to be sure you can cover healthcare needs before you spend extra on toys or fancy foods.
• Keep your pets healthy.  This seems like a no-brainer but when life gets busy we sometimes miss things that should be taken care of.  Feed them well, make sure they have plenty of clean water and exercise and always follow the recommendations of your veterinarian.  Stay up to date with all pet vaccinations.
• Get cheaper prescriptions.  Vets often have a huge markup on the cost of prescriptions for your pet.  You can almost always find them cheaper via mail-order or online.
• Look for alternative treatment providers.  Sometimes your local animal shelter will offer vaccinations and services like spay or neutering at a discount.
• Get pet insurance. If your pet is eligible to be covered with pet insurance it is a good idea to check it out.  If you have a breed of dog that requires higher-maintenance, having insurance can really make a big difference even when factor in co-pays and deductibles.