Hangin’ with the Animals

by URBAIN BECK

The little puppy you got your kids may be as cute as can be, but trying to house train it can be downright ugly. Pieces of newspaper that was supposed to be a ‘bathroom’ may be shredded up and strewn all over the house by the puppy. Urine and other messes are tracked throughout the house. By the time it is said and done, you might be wondering why you got a puppy in the first place. Puppies are like babies and need to be taught the difference between right and wrong. To adequately teach your puppy, be prepared … you are going to need a lot of patience. It might be a matter of days or a matter of months before you have your puppy house trained so that it goes to the bathroom outside.

A useful trick is to create a special sleeping space for your puppy to use at night and for its naps. This is usually an enclosed space, like a crate. It is unlikely that your puppy will go to the bathroom in its special enclosure. You need to be sure to put the puppy in this enclosed bed area every night and for naps so that it will recognize and “own” this special sleeping enclosure.

You will want to be consistent about taking your puppy outside for bathroom breaks, in a designated area of your yard. Take the puppy out on a fairly long leash so it can walk around, sniff things over and explore. When the puppy finally goes to the bathroom, give it a treat. You will also want to congratulate the puppy in what I call “happy dog voice” … you know, that stupid voice that you use only for your cute little dog. When your puppy is young and active, you might need to take it outside every other hour for bathroom breaks. As it grows older, it will not need to do its duty quite as often, so you will be able to wean the outside trips from your schedule.

Be wary of sneaky indoor bathroom breaks. Keep an eye on your puppy when it is not napping or sleeping. If your puppy starts running around sniffing the floor or running in circles, this might be an indication that it has to go to the bathroom. Take it outside to its designated bathroom spot.

On the outside bathroom breaks, be sure to use words like “go potty” or something similar that your puppy will begin to recognize. Over time, when you say something like “It’s time to go potty,” the puppy/dog will understand that it’s time to go outside for bathroom break.

Bathroom time is a serious time. Do not talk with your puppy, feed it, or play with it until it eliminates. Then, reward it with encouraging talk and a treat. Be careful about giving the puppy too many treats! To make the treats more effective, do not leave food around the house for your puppy to gobble up. You should, however, have plenty of fresh water around at all times.

Your puppy will probably need to go to the bathroom about 20 minutes after eating, so plan your schedule accordingly.

No matter how well you train your puppy, and even when it grows into a dog, you still might have some ugly messes, especially if you do not let the dog out on time because you are running late from work or have overslept on an overcast, rainy day. Your dog can only handle a full bladder for so long! There is an innovative way to prevent indoor accidents. Visit the Blurbosphere’s indoor dog bathroom accessory page for a review …

by IDHAM EFFENDI

Cat owners are sometimes faced with emergency situations involving their cats without the presence or guidance of their veterinarian. Animals can get sick or require first aid any place at any time. If you as a cat owner have the knowledge of basic pet first aid, then the care, treatment and prognosis for your pet will improve significantly. The following is a list of guidelines you can use when presented with an injured or ill pet. Breathing Problems Brain damage can occur if breathing is interrupted. It is not recommended you waste valuable time performing artificial respiration or CPR on your cat unless you are positive you can administer them expertly to restore normal breathing and heartbeat. It is much safer to seek immediate veterinary care. Broken Bone Never try to set a broken bone yourself. Control bleeding, if any, and restrict your cat s movement while transporting her to the veterinarian. Choking Open the cat s mouth by pressing on either side of her jaw to see if the object is visible. Do not tilt the head backwards. Use tweezers to remove obvious obstruction. You may use your fingers also but be careful of being bitten. If the object is not visible do not poke inside her mouth since this may cause the object to become lodged further. Instead, hold the cat upside down and press sharply on her chest with both hands. Even if you remove the object your cat should be checked by the veterinarian for any damage to the mouth or throat. Electric Shock Playful cats, especially kittens that are teething, may chew on electrical cords and this can lead to electric shock. Electric shock can produce burns on the tongue, palate, lip folds and corners of the mouth. Your cat may salivate profusely or have problems breathing. Never touch an animal that is touching an exposed electrical wire. Turn off the current then use a dry stick to get your cat away from the wire. Get veterinary help as soon as possible. Eye Injury For all eye injuries, take your cat to the veterinarian promptly. Do not let your cat rub her eyes. Do not place medicine in your cat’s eyes, unless instructed by your veterinarian. Frostbite Your cat can suffer frostbite on her ears, feet and tail. Symptoms include: pale, glossy skin which then reddens and becomes painful to the touch. Immediately take your cat into a warm place. Thaw out frostbitten areas slowly by applying, moist towels that are changed frequently. Continue until areas become flushed. Check with the veterinarian to the severity of the frostbite since it can result in damage to the affected areas. Get more: http://cat-world.50webs.com

by HENDRY LEE

Puppies and dogs are great pets. They are good companions for human beings too. Dogs could bring out a smile in all of us. Unfortunately, not all environments are suitable to adopting just any breed of dog. This is especially true if you are living in the city where space is limited and family members have very tight schedule.

Some dogs require very much attention, exercise and ample of room to move around and play. Others are more tolerant to those factors. The latter usually makes a better dog pet for city dwellers.

Here are some, obviously not all, dog breeds that are suitable for urban living: 1. Shih Tzus. This diminutive size dog breed is portable and well-behaved. They are suitable for city living because they don’t take much space and will not ruin as much things as when you own a sports breed.

2. Pugs. This breed is very sociable, usually stubborn about certain things but they are also charming, clever, and fun. Pugs also get along with other dogs and pets quite well. They are great household companions for they don’t require demanding care.

3. Miniature poodles. They are clever pets, but should be socialized as soon as possible as a puppy. Miniature poodles need to be involved in family activities but should make lovely canine pets.

4. Lhasa Apsos. This breed is naturally happy, playful and intelligent. Because they are independent, they are often hard to train. Lhasas have excellent health. When it comes to grooming, they need special attention because of their coat.

5. Labradors. If you are living in the city but wish to have a sports dogs, then labradors could be the perfect choice. They learn fast and are very mild mannered. Make sure you can take them for a walk daily to keep this canine companion in good health.

Other things to consider when choosing dog breed for urban living is the fact that they shed a lot or not. This can cause alergy if one of your family members is sensitive to such thing.

A dog can bring a lot of happiness to life but you must make sure they are suitable not only to the environment you live in but also to your lifestyle.

Aaron Lee helps dog owners whose dog is trying to outsmart them. He shared his passion about dogs through his site Dog Breed Web. Subscribe to Weekly Dog Tips Newsletter to get tips and tricks.