Author: Art Gib
A dog bed is an essential piece of equipment for all dogs regardless of size, breed or age.
A good dog bed:
- provides a private space and sense of security;
- provides insulation from the floor in both winter and summer;
- cushions joints and bones;
- controls the spread of hair, dirt, and dander.
It may also save your furniture, as your dog will soon prefer his bed to your sofa.
Choosing the Right Dog Bed
How your dog sleeps, his size, age, or physical condition must all be considered when choosing the perfect bed for your dog.
Dog Bed Shapes
The shape of a dog bed is just as important as the size and filling.
- Round dog beds are great for dogs who curl up when they sleep. Our round dog beds are also ideally suited for younger dogs, who need a greater sense of security.
- Rectangular dog beds work best for dogs who stretch out. Older dogs often have less flexibility and will find a rectangular dog bed more comfortable.
Bolster Dog Beds
If you’ve ever found your dog sleeping with his back to the couch or a cushion, he’s there for a reason. Dogs who sleep this way do so because the support against their back offers them a feeling of security. Bolster dog beds are great for providing both security and comfort. Plus, the soft, spun-polyester-stuffed bolster makes an excellent pillow.
- Round bolster dog beds provide the perfect spot for dogs who like to curl up and snuggle next to something soft when they sleep.
- Rectangular dog loungers with soft bolsters on the back and sides provide a bed with a cozy cover that allows dogs to burrow in and relax in comfort.
- Deep dish bolster dog beds are great for homes with more than one dog.
Bagel Dog Beds
Does your dog circle and circle to find just the right place to lie down? Dogs who like to look for the perfect nesting spot love Bagel dog beds. With a soft, overstuffed bolster that completely surrounds your dog, Bagel dog beds provide a sense of safety and security that some dogs need when they snuggle in.
Burrow Dog Bed
Many dogs, small breeds in particular, can’t settle down to sleep unless they have their backs snuggled into something for an added feeling of safety and security. The Dog Burrow is the perfect solution–the half-covered hood offers an enclosed area, much like a natural den.
Memory Foam for Older Dogs
For older dogs, rectangular dog beds with memory foam help to ease the discomfort and stiffness associated with joint and muscle pain, whether from age, arthritis, hip dysplasia, or injury. By conforming to your dog’s individual body shape, less stress and pressure are put on the joints and muscles. Excessive callus irritation over joints is also minimized. A memory foam dog bed with a down covering will provide additional luxurious warmth.
ToughChew Dog’s Nest: For Dogs Who Chew
The ToughChew Dog’s Nest is made to be chew resistant to stand up to puppies as well as adult dogs who like to chew. While it’s tough, it’s also soft enough for a comfortable night’s sleep. Available in seven sizes and two shapes with the same high-loft hypoallergenic polyester filling.
Space-Saving Beds
If available space for a dog bed is a factor, then give your dog a luxurious dog bed that lets him spend time where you do without getting in the way. Space-saving dog beds tuck neatly in a corner or against a wall, allowing your dog a comfortable place to sleep that you can live with, too.
Couch Guardians
For dogs who love to rest on the couch, a couch guardian protects your furniture from stains, liquids, pet hair, and odors with innovative protection for your couch or love seat. At the same time, it gives your dog a comfortable place to rest. In a range of colors and even in fine leather, couch protectors complement any home’s decor.
Dog Blankets
More than half of all dog owners in America allow their dogs to sleep on their beds or couches. If you need a protective covering for your couch or bed that’s also comfortable and stylish, Three Dog Night bedding is for you. This dog-proof bedding protects your bed or couch from moisture, dirt, and provides you with a comfortable warm place to sleep with your dog.
Outdoor Dog Beds
For a comfortable place to sleep on the back porch, nothing beats an outdoor dog bed. These dog beds can be cleaned with a garden hose, are fast drying and will not mold or mildew.
Portable Dog Beds and Mats for Travel
When you travel, be sure to take a travel mat or portable dog bed for the comfort of your best friend. Travel mats and beds fold for ease of transport and ensure that your dog will have a more restful trip.
Aug 27, 2009 | | Dog Accessories
Author: John Williams Dog Training
A dog crate is a metal and plastic cage for your dog to sleep in or be in while you are away, the crate helps give your dog a secure place to live while in your home and a place to retreat to when things get a bit to hectic as they do in many family homes today.
Crate training is a very popular and effective technique for teaching your dog right from wrong; this method includes teaching rules of eliminating, sleeping arrangements, and keeping your dog from being destructive when you are out amongst many other benefits.
To crate train you must choose a correctly sized crate that your dog or puppy will be able to grow into with time and they will not be too cramped or have too much space. If your dog has a crate that is too small they won’t want to live there or go there and if the crate is too large it leads to eliminating problems.
You should make your dog feel as comfortable as you can in their crate; this should include putting a bowl of water with your dog in their crate, a nice easily cleanable blanket and put them in an area that is widely used by the family so they always feel part of what is going on.
When you are out, your dog can be closed in their crate to ensure common bad behavioural problems don’t happen while you are out such as chewing, biting and eliminating in the house. Be sure not to keep your dog in their crate for longer than about 4 hours and to let them go to the toilet on a regular basis.
Dogs will naturally not want to eliminate in their place of sleep so as you dog gets used to its new sleeping area it will want to go to the toilet only when they are let out so be sure to take them to their appropriate place for eliminating when they are let out, then reward them for behaving in the correct manner.
Always reward your dog for using the crate in the correct way and be sure all members of the family know that the dog should not be pestered in their crate. As long as this rule is followed then you won’t go far wrong and you will begin to notice great improvements in your dog’s behaviour immediately.
Aug 06, 2009 | | Training
Author: John Williams Dog Training
Dog leashes or leads are an extremely essential training tool or even just for general care and wellbeing for your dog. Whether you use your leash for taking you dog for long walks or only use it for teaching your dog right from wrong in the comfort of your back garden, a lead is always an important buy for you and your dog.
As a dog owner and a consumer, your choice of dog leads/leashes is as you might expect, huge. With so much choice and variations, choosing which lead or leash to use can be a bigger challenge than the actual training of your dog.
So what are the different kinds of leads and leashes? Well trust me there are thousands out there to choose from, I will only go through a few of the more popular types of leash as I’m sure there are many different types of leads being brought onto the market every week and it would be an impossible task to keep track of all of them.
In the next part of this article I will first go through the different types of lead then finish off with my personal views and preferences.
Extending leads
These do exactly what is says, they ‘extend’ away from the owner for a certain distance before running out of slack. With these leashes the owner has control of when to stop the lead extending further and can be used just like a normal leash if needs be.
Slip leads
These leads are a simple type of lead with a loop on both sides normally with and adjustable clip at the end that tightens when pulled or loosens around the dog’s neck for comfort when there is no pulling. Used by many for dog training.
Nylon leads
This is the cheaper option of dog lead, the simplest form of dog leash available, often causes rubbing and digging into your dog’s skin. Nylon leashes are best avoided.
Bungee leads
These leads help to eliminate the slack that other leads cause so that your dog does not trip over the leash and there is less pulling on your arm from a dog in the training process.
Leather leads
This is a popular type of lead that is comfortable for your dog and gives you full control of how far your dog can wonder. A good lead for training but can be tiring on your arm if your dog tends to try and pull you around.
My Conclusion
It is the preference of the trainer in hand at the end of the day but I feel leather leads are best for me and show your dog sum gentle authority when starting to train. Letting your dog wonder too far on walks can give your dog too much freedom and chance to misbehave.
If you are interested in training then I would go for a leather lead to begin, if you just like going for walks in the park or your dog is well behaved then you could maybe opt for an extendable leash.
Aug 06, 2009 | | Training
Author: John Williams Dog Training
There are many choices when it comes to rewarding your dog with a treat for obeying your commands, and these treats make a big difference in your dog’s attitude towards you in learning new tricks, and why wouldn’t they? To get anything in life you have to give something back and dogs are no different, you help them and they’ll help you. Simple.
But what are the best rewards and treats to give your dog in times of good behavior? Well for starters you won’t be short of treats to try, the markets as it is now is full to the brim of all the fancy rewards and treats you could ever think of.
One of the favourite for dog owners is to treat their dog to homemade treats from recipes that can be found across the internet in many places, some of my favourites and personal recommendations are listed in the products page of www.dog-behavior-training.co.uk along with other tips on dog training there.
Consumer products are also a good choice when rewarding your dog; these include chewing toys which can be very rewarding for puppies and dogs alike. Saving one of their favourite toys for when they behave well makes everything more exciting for your dog and causes them to want to perform more for this reward.
If a chew toy is not to your dogs liking then they may instead enjoy a tug toy, tug toys are good for your dog’s teeth the same as chew toys are and it enhances the relationship between you and your dog as you play with them. Be careful while using these toys as some dogs may think of this game as good behaviour and will start tugging on trousers or other annoying or destructive things.
The last toys I am going to talk about are the throwing toys; these are good to calm your dog down when they are over active or if you just want to reward your dog with quality playing time for their good behavior. These toys range from a simple tennis ball to special durable dog Frisbees and help you to react with your dog wile also training playing the ‘fetch’ game.
There are lots more dog toys available, probably at your local pet shop. It is a good idea to keep in mind what textures and current toys your dog likes to play with or chew before making your choice but as long as your dog enjoys it, it can be used as a good reward and training method.
Aug 06, 2009 | | Training
Author: John Williams Dog Training
Dogs can be very difficult animals to deal with from time to time, some breeds and types can be especially difficult to train and control. No mater how much time and effort you seem to be putting in, your efforts give no results.
Don’t worry too much about persistently training you dog, it might not be your fault your dog is disobedient, people in different circumstances may be failing to train their dog for very simple reasons, whether it be your tone of voice, not having enough time to give your dog due to other commitments like work or hobbies, or your children throwing all the basic dog training rules out the window. Here we will try to educate you on the difference a professional dog trainer could have on your dog’s obedience, and how much it will cost.
The options available for dog training
Group dog training sessions locally - four to eight weekly 1 hour sessions for around $40 - $130 (£20 - £70).
Private dog trainers visiting your home or work place to give personal training to your dog for around $25 - $110 (£13 - £55) per hour.
Dog boarding kennel where your dog lives with the trainer for around 2 – 4 weeks getting many hours of professional dog behaviour training a day for around $1000 – $2,500(£550 – £1,300).
What you get for your money
So what do you get for your money? Many dog trainers concentrate on different areas of your dog’s obedience and you will usually get a much better service for the more money you pay. Standard training classes and trainers will concentrate on addressing the chewing, barking, biting and digging aspects of your dog’s behavior. Hand signals may also be covered in dog obedience classes along with showing you, the owner how to handle trickier situations that can only be over come at home like housetraining.
General guidelines for hiring a dog trainer are to always research the dog trainer well, find out qualifications the dog trainer has in his area of expertise and seek advice and information for other dog owners who have had their dogs trained previously. Get to know your trainer well before handing your dog over to him/her and make sure you are comfortable in the methods he/she uses.
Aug 06, 2009 | | Training
Author: John Williams Dog Training
Every dog has to go through it, every dog most probably hates it as much as anyone else does, but the fact of the matter is that your dog will show sick symptoms once in a while and will become ill. This is natural for a dog or any other animal, they all get sick and there’s nothing anyone can do to prevent it.
On the other hand there are ways in which you can ease the suffering a bit for your dog and help them get the fast paced recovery they deserve. There are probably many different home remedies for helping you dog get better, but often if any are going to work then it will be the suggestions or medication your vet will give your after a diagnosis of your dog, so when you fear your dog is ill you should take them to the vet as soon as possible.
Ok, so let’s now look at some of the more popular of the hundreds of symptoms that your dog may be feeling.
Not wanting to move
Many dogs when ill wont want to move very far, have pain in moving, refusing to exercise, limping or has signs or injured paw/leg, or just general decreased agility. Theses can all be signs of illness or injury and should be watched out for.
Discharge
This may seem an obvious choice but many dog owners fail to notice discharge from eyes, nose, and ears. These should only normally be a worry if the discharge is coloured.
Appetite
A dog’s loss of appetite is a good well recognised symptom of illness as well as over eating without weight gain, sudden weight loss, or diarrhoea. Keep an eye on your dog’s diet and food habits to make this easier to recognise when it happens.
Itching and Scratching
Itching or scratching and trying to rub themselves up against furniture can be symptoms of bad skin or new pests on the scene. At this time your dog may be feeling ill or unwell or have it to come.
Mouth Problems
Bleeding or soar looking gums, along with discoloured teeth or teeth loss all need to be diagnosed properly by a vet and could be due to a more serious illnesses.
Aug 06, 2009 | | Dog Illnesses
Author: Chris Jensen
A lot of us consider our pet dogs as parts of our family. This kind of treatment often pushes us to give our pet dogs enough attention. As members of our family we always try to keep our canines in top shape and free from dog illnesses. We often cannot tell if our pet dogs are not feeling well because they will more likely not look like they are. It can be helpful to familiarize ourselves with some of the symptoms of usual dog illnesses . Click Here For The Veterinary Secret Best Deal Now! One of the earliest signs that our beloved canines are not feeling well is sluggishness. It is normal for dogs to sleep a lot but you must take note that even when they are asleep, they can wake up and be alert at any time. So if your pet dog starts to slow down and it is not because of their old age, it can be due to anemia. Sluggishness may also be due to tender leg so try to check if your pet dog is limping. Try to see if there are painful areas. When you do so, make sure that you are using a firm but gentle approach. Dog illnesses also affect your pet canine’s appetite. Any loss of appetite can be a result of ill health. Dogs are known to drink a lot of water but if display signs of excessive thirst, it could be something else. Another indicator of ailing health is distinct weight loss. Other symptoms of dog illnesses include ulcers, sores, veins, and discharges in your pet’s eyes. You should also check the color of your canine’s mouth. A healthy dog usually has a pink mouth. Discolorations or cavities in their teeth are also signs of ill health. It is also advisable to regularly clean your pet’s ears as discharges in this area are also telltale signs that your dog is not feeling well. Prevention is better than cure, so the popular adage goes. Therefore, to keep your beloved pet free of dog illnesses, see to it that the necessary vaccines have been administered to them. It can also be a lot of help to have them regularly checked by veterinarians.
Aug 06, 2009 | | Dog Illnesses
Author: Wade Robins
A common dog illness is ringworm and can be prevented and treated if your dog has the problem. Many illnesses affect dogs, some are very common and happen no matter how well cared for your dog is at any time. Dogs are creatures of the outside, and they can get into anything. Ringworm seems to be common in puppies and older dogs. Other common dog illness can be prevented with proper vaccinations and proper health care. Ringworm is a fungal infection that targets the overall health of the dog.
Diagnosis of Ringworm Infection
The common dog illness ringworm has several different ways to be detected and diagnose. The common way to detect ringworm is with a black light. The ringworms glow in the black light when the light hits them. Sometimes this practice does work and a vet will perform another test to detect ringworm.
Signs of Having Ringworm
If you see small areas of the body without hair, chances are your dog has ringworm. The skin will appear scaly and display pus in the area. After time the areas become larger when they receive no medical treatment. You will notice this parasite on the tail, head and legs.
Treating the Common Dog Illness Ringworm
If the health of the dog is healthy then the ringworm will clear up by itself in about four months. However, when severe cases exist, medical treatments are required. If your dog has the lesion, clipping the hair around the area is needed, but do not touch the lesion or it will spread. Apply a tropical anti fungal cream after clipping the hair away. Such creams like miconazole and lotrimin creams are used for this purpose. Do not let the dog lick the area where you apply the cream. A dog funnel collar may be required to prevent the dog from reaching the area.
If the cream alone does not work, antifungal shampoos and antifungal dips will benefit your dog and help the area to heal faster. Some other antifungal agents are griseofulvin and itraconazole, which work well on a dog.
Common Dog Illness Issues
Keeping your dog in perfect health and protected from bacterial, fungal and viral infections is your responsibility. The number one need of the dog is regular vaccines and proper care. Dogs need vaccines against rabies, parvovirus and distemper. Dogs also need to be checked yearly for heartworm, which can cause death to the dog if not properly prevented. Keep in mind that rabies vaccinations are given every two years and distemper vaccinations are received yearly.
Many conditions result in health problems and in some breeds of dogs, the breed is prone to more health problems then others. Joint problems and heart problems account for some of these more serious health problems. When looking for a dog, you need to be aware of some of the problems that can arise in a dog’s life. Besides the everyday parasites and injuries from rough play, some dogs are prone to eye infections, ear infections and mange.
Aug 06, 2009 | | Dog Illnesses
Author: Ron King
For many of us, when our dogs are sick, it is often quite difficult to know whether or not dogs illnesses warrant a trip to the emergency room for a dog illness diagnosis.
In an emergency, the first thing you should know is where to take your dog. Many veterinarians offer 24 hour emergency service. Please make sure to ask your vet if this is a service offered by their clinic. If your vet does not offer this service, know where your local veterinary emergency hospital is located.
So how do you know if you are having an emergency? Most veterinarians will tell you that if the owner feels the dogs illnesses are urgent to please call the local emergency clinic and speak to a veterinary staff member. They will assess the situation and in most cases, have you bring your dog in to be examined. The following are some common emergency situations and ideas for how to manage them.
Stomach Pain
If your dog is showing signs of abdominal pain, such as tenderness to the touch, standing with his back arched, or refusing food, you should take him to the closest emergency clinic immediately for a dog illness diagnosis. Other signs of abdominal suffering can include vomiting, crying, shaking and difficulty breathing. These may be signs of Gastric Torsion. This condition can come on suddenly and in most cases affects large, deep chested dogs, but any dog can be afflicted. This condition must be treated as early as possible. There are other conditions associated with abdominal pain such as constipation, kidney or liver disease, or even a common stomach ache, but it is important to have tests done to rule out any other serious problems.
Uncontrollable Bleeding
If your dog gets a cut, you should apply direct pressure with a clean dry bandage to the wound. The bleeding should stop within ten minutes, after which time, you should make an appointment to see your vet as soon as possible. The vet can only give your dog stitches within a small opportunity of time. However, if the bleeding does not end within twenty minutes or the bleeding is from the chest, you should take your dog to the emergency clinic immediately.
Broken Bones Need X-Rays
If your dog has been in an accident where you suspect broken bones, first call your regular vet to see if you can get an appointment quickly. If not, take your dog to the emergency clinic. They will need to take x-rays to determine whether or not bones have been quickly.
Hard To Breathe
If your dog is having breathing difficulties, take him to the closest emergency clinic immediately. There are many reasons why your dog may be having breathing problems and many of them are serious.
My Dog’s Been Hit By A Car
If your dog is hit by a car, it is important to take him to the closest emergency clinic immediately. Even if he is acting normal, he may have internal injuries that need to be taken care of immediately. Wrap your dog in a cover to help prevent shock, and keep away from his mouth, as many dogs that are in distress will bite (even if they never have before).
Continuous Convulsions
If your dog has a minor convulsion or two, it is a serious problem and you should call your veterinarian at once. However, if your dog has a series of convulsions that last for more than a few minutes, you should place a blanket over your dog, keep away from his mouth and get him to the nearest emergency clinic immediately. There are several reasons why your dog could be having convulsions, including epilepsy, metabolic problems, brain tumors, and poisoning. Fits of seizures are considered to be life threatening in many occurrences.
For any dogs illnesses, if the you feel that your dog should be seen by a veterinarian, phone his office to see how soon you can get in for a dog illness diagnosis. Many veterinarians have assistants available to assess the dogs health problem situation and answer questions to help you determine the seriousness of your dogs condition. If your regular veterinarian is not available, or if you feel that it is an emergency, the best thing to do, if at all possible, is to call the emergency clinic, tell them what is going on, and that you are on the way. This helps the staff prepare for your emergency in advance so the veterinary team is ready to work on your dog when you get there. If you have further questions on what kinds of symptoms are emergency situations, please ask your veterinarian.
Aug 06, 2009 | | Dog Illnesses
Author: Madeleine Innocent
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind. Without question, the best dog food is one which is based on a wild dog’s diet. Dogs have evolved on this. It’s raw meat. There are no cookers in nature. People are reluctant to believe this for a variety of reasons. So lets look at some of them, and dispel your fears. Firstly, you may be worried about the presence os parasites and worms in raw meat. It’s been drummed into you that meat needs to be cooked to kill them off. I can assure you, that dogs digestion is robust. They have no trouble with worms and parasites in raw meat. They have evolved to deal with this. What they haven’t evolved to deal with is cooked food, high fat content, preservatives, pathogens in cooked food, poor quality filler and the low grade food which passes for dog food. Secondly, you may be concerned about bones perforating an internal organ. Dogs evolved by crunching up on raw bones. They have absolutely no problem with raw bones, as long as they are raw and they gnaw them. If you have more than one dog and they gobble the bone down to ensure the other doesn’t get it, they may suffer some discomfort while the bone passes through their digestive system, but it won’t do more than cause them discomfort. So ensure your dog gnaws the bone in peace. The other problem is with cooked bones. These can perforate your dog’s internal organs. Cooked bones are a definite no-no when working out the ingredients for the best dog food. Thirdly, you may think feeding your dog a raw food diet is expensive. After all, the connotation ‘best dog food’ looks expensive. It depends on what you take into consideration. If you are feeding your dog the cheapest brand of dog food from the supermarket, and don’t have any ailments treated, then you may be right. If you do, I doubt you’re reading this. So lets suppose you feed your dog a medium priced commercial dog food and do use the services of a veterinarian or other health professional, for ailments your dog may suffer. Raw dog food is nutrient dense. Commercial dog food is nutrient poor. So you need to feed much more commercial dog food to come anywhere near (and it never comes close) to providing the decent diet that raw meat does. Which means you need much less volume of raw food compared with commercial dog food. Then, if you include the fees you spend on health care, there’s no comparison. Commercial pet food keeps veterinarians wealthy. They hardly see the healthy dogs fed on raw meat, nature’s best dog food. Fourthly, you may think that the purchase and preparation of the best dog food there is, is too much like hard work. You think it may be too big a hassle. I’ve taken the hassle out of it, by telling you how to do it without making the mistakes I did. Fifthly, you may think you dog doesn’t like raw food. Have you ever tried? With decent food, I mean? I can assure you, there is no dog alive who doesn’t recognise the raw food as the best dog food. If you’re overfeeding your dog, he may refuse it initially. And if you leave food out all day, that’s likely. Keep in mind too, many commercial dog food manufacturers add appetite stimulants to the food. This may cause a short term problem, while he adapts. Lastly, you may be concerned that you don’t know enough to be able to get the nutritional needs of your dog correct. After all, that’s what’s pushed by veterinarians and commercial dog food manufacturers - you don’t know enough. Just because the packet tells you this brand is ‘recommended by top vets’ or that brand is ‘scientific’, doesn’t mean they are selling the best dog food. Quite the opposite, in fact. I can tell you from experience, it’s not as difficult as they make out. You do need to know some important facts, but once you’ve opened your mind to allowing your own inner wisdom to emerge, and by following certain natural laws, you’ll have no problem working it out. If everyone started feeding their dog raw meat, many, many veterinarians would go out of business. What are you waiting for?
Aug 06, 2009 | | Dog Food