Care for Your Pet’s Health

One of the most difficult aspects of being a dog owner is training your dog to do what you ask it to do. Training your pooch for obedience can really be taxing on your nerves and your patience, but the end results are well worth the effort, especially if you’re tired of having all your favorite shoes chewed on and messes left all around your home.

Image credit: natemeg
One of the first tips you need to keep in mind when you are obedience training your dog is to never scold or punish your dog during the actual training. This will only produce a negative attitude in your dog towards the training. It may also cause your dog’s behavior to actually get worse and completely stop listening to commands.

Another tip that will help you to train your puppy is to reward him when does well. Give him words of praise and lots of petting and rubbing to let your dog know you love him and are proud of him. It’s good to reward them with a food treat, but dogs love to be loved on, so this is the most effective form of reward you can give to your pet. Also, take time out to play his favorite game with him or something of that nature, as that is a great way to reward your dog for his accomplishments.

You also need to keep in mind that sometimes dogs just act a bit badly. You don’t need to be overly strict with them and punish them severely for a small bit of bad behavior. This doesn’t mean that you let it go, but that you don’t punish them so bad that they run away with their tail tucked between their legs. That is counter-productive to what you are trying to do during their training.

Make sure that you take into account the level of obedience your dog is actually at. If you have a puppy and you’re trying to give him complicated commands, you’re only going to frustrate the dog and discourage him from listening to your commands. Again, this type of scenario will only prove to hinder the work you are trying to accomplish.

If your dog doesn’t do what he is told, then you need to penalize your dog. There is a huge difference between punishment and penalty in this case. If you look at your dog and tell them you are mad and what they did was wrong, along with leashing them up, they will get the hint pretty quickly. They will more than likely not repeat the behavior that upset you because they want you to spend time with them and love on them.

One of the keys to training your dog is to know what makes him tick. What does he love to be rewarded with? What rewards motivates him to do what you ask? Find these out by testing different methods of rewarding him. See what gets the best results, and use that method often. Intersperse play time in between giving him commands so that you can keep him focused and attentive rather than bored and distracted.

It is extremely important to keep your dog happy and to reinforce his good behavior with praise. Remember that it takes time to train a dog, so do not expect overnight results, as it takes a lot of work. Although it may be an extremely difficult task, the rewards you will reap will definitely outweigh the price of all the work that needs to be done.

In the following month we are going to release a 10 article series on how to keep your pet in great shape and perfect health. But not only will you get advice on pet health but we’ll also give you a few pointers on pet training issues that most pet owners will experience while having pets.

Image credit: gcquinn
We’re going to start the month of with 5 tips to get your dog to obey your commands as this can be really difficult if you’re a first time pet owner. Some pets are easily trained while other requires a bit more training and skill to master.

Next we’ll talk about how you can make your dog feel at home as you’ll never be able to teach a dog good manners if is frighten to death living in its new home. As a pet owner you need your dog to feel comfortable just as you are comfortable in your home.

For the third article we’ll go into the art of dogs swimming in the article about being a master of the doggy paddle. For most dogs swimming comes naturally but for some dogs it doesn’t. And then you have the occasional dog that do swim but where it is dangerous for it to go near the water (crocodiles etc.).

Then we’ll go into some details about how to properly give your dog a bath. Bathing your dog will not only keep it from smelling awful but will also help it get rid of bugs like fleas. Bathing using a high quality shampoo (for dogs) will also help keep the fur nice and strong.

But bathing is not the only thing that will keep a shiny fur. Proper and healthy nutrition is required for keeping your dog healthy, fit and vital. There are several aspects to take into consideration when you’re planning your dog’s nutritional diet. One of them is of cause the breed of your dog. Small dogs’ nutritional needs are far from big dogs needs.

Have you ever had your dog chew on your shoes or maybe even your furniture? Dogs chew on things but you want to train them to only chew on their own things and not yours. That is why we have dedicated a whole article to dog chewing.

Dogs and newborns. What a combination! If you have ever had a dog as a pet and have had a baby you will know that this can cause major trouble in the home. The dog might have been used to be the center of your attention and now it is a distant second. We look into the matter of dogs and newborn babies.

Ever had a pet dog that wasn’t house broken? As soon as possible you need to train your pet dog to tell you when it is “time”. We have an article on toilet training your pet so you will avoid too many incidents.

Can your dog roll over? Learn how to make your dog an entertainer that will not only be fun for you and your family but will also give you a dog that will be proud of the applause that you’ll be giving it.

Finally we’ll look into the matter of training a guard dog. Not all dogs have it in their nature to protect and some just don’t have the size for the job. However having your dog bark on command or if someone is trying to break in will help you avoid a lot of trouble with burglars.

While purchasing pets we worry about a lot things, like its health, weight and its price. But most importantly it is the health of the pet that worries us because it has long lasting consequences. To this effect pet sale health guarantees are sprouting up to provide buyers with the much needed help.

Health care of pets comes under different schemes. For instance it may be a lifetime pet sale health guarantee or it may just be for one or two weeks. Dogs are generally guaranteed to have good health throughout, given that the buyer takes his/her pet to the vet regularly, but one must make sure to get the guarantee to prevent future worries.

For the first seventy two hours dogs are guaranteed against fatal diseases such as Distemper, Parvo and Corona, given that all these diseases have been vaccinated immediately. Congenital diseases and genetic diseases are guaranteed for over one year while diseases such as luxating patellas, severe hip and elbow dysplasia are guaranteed for up to two years.

Before buying your pet you must read the sale agreement carefully to note if the seller would replace the pup within six months, in case the health of your pet deteriorates seriously. If the dog dies before two years of age, the seller is often liable to pay back 50% of the amount or provide with a new pup. But before doing that they often claim the pup to get autopsied. Special note must be taken of such clauses in the agreement.

Further, the purchaser of pets must promise to keep it in a proper manner. General health problems can be reported to the breeder but one must be careful that they don’t breed their pets on their own.

There is no guarantee of the puppy’s ability to breed so you must not try to breed them without informing the seller. Again, there is no guarantee to the animal’s show quality because they are sold as a companion pets only, so health issues arising out of these exercises shall not be guaranteed. Further, the adult size, color and temperament; fitness for breeding, bad bites and appearance are also not guaranteed by sale agreements.

Cats are generally sold as companions and to promise good health they are generally spayed or neutered. Proper health care is guaranteed by the seller of cats and at times guarantee of good appearance are also given.

But one must be sure to buy the right kind of pet because breeder pets are quite different from show quality pets and their health issues varies differently. Generally there is no guarantee that the purchaser will be able to show or breed the pet so it’s up to the buyer to decide which quality of pet he/she wants.

Pets are sold with the guarantee to proper health, but this doesn’t mean that your pet won’t contact a disease. If it does so, you must immediately take it to the vet, get it examined and rush to the seller with the medical documents. The seller must be informed immediately about any examination done on the pet, as otherwise you may not get back your money if later you pet falls ill or dies.

Lastly one must note that pet sale health guarantee covers almost everything, but all animals sold as pets are to be used as pets only. Serious health issues may arise if pets are used in research or if vivisection is done on them. Such health issues are not guaranteed under pet sale and thereby it would be a loss on your part if something happens to your pet. Finally it’s the discretion of the purchaser to make sure he/she buys a good and healthy pet.