Getting a new dog or puppy can be a time of great fun, but it can also be a time of anxiety and new responsibilities. Will this new addition to your family be easy to live with? Will he or she be finicky and hard to train? How will your new dog get along with children? A little research, time, and patience can help build a wonderful new relationship. Here are some tips that can help put things into perspective and help ease the transition from stranger into beloved family member.

Make sure you get a breed of dog that fits with your personal situation. If you have a family, of course, you will want an easy going and kid friendly breed. In regards to your living situation consider whether or not your living space can accommodate a big energetic puppy or a smaller mellower, maybe even older, dog?

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Take your dog to the veterinarian for regular check-ups. This keeps your dog healthy and safe. If you do not have a vet, call a local shelter or other pet-owning friends for referrals. Give your dog a nutritionally balanced diet and plenty of access to water. Your vet can help you determine how much, how often and what kind of food your dog needs.

Give your dog plenty of exercise to keep him in shape. Dogs that get enough play time and plenty of room to run around live longer and have a sense of well-being. They also tend to be better behaved. Enroll your dog in a training class. Training ensures your dog can be a well-behaved companion, and it strengthens your bond with your new dog. It is important for your dog understand how to behave around people and other dogs.

Make sure your dog has tags and proper licensing. Your dog needs identification with your name and contact information as well as a license that shows that his shots are up to date. Hopefully, you will never have to deal with a runaway dog, but with the proper tags and license, you have a much better chance of finding him again. You might also consider micro chipping your dog. A microchip ID will give you a much better chance of finding your lost dog, as it can be scanned by a vet or animal shelter. Even if the collar gets lost, all your information can be found, and your dog can be more easily reunited with you.

Finally, be patient. Have reasonable expectations and remember most behavior problems can be solved.

Boxer Dog Care And Health Tips

If you own a boxer, then you know that owning a dog is a lot of responsibility. A lot of the times, the person that is looking for a puppy just wants a cute pet and forgets about all of the things he will have to do to take good care of puppy. Boxer dog care isn?t just feeding your dog regularly and going out on daily walks, there is much more to it than that. You will have to take care of things like training, grooming, exercising, diet and a lot more if you want your boxer dog to be happy and healthy. Here are some basic tips to help you take care of your beloved boxer dog

Boxer Dog Care: Grooming

boxer-dog-layingBoxer dogs don?t require too much care in the grooming department, but there are still some responsibilities that you will have to take care of. Boxers take pretty good care of their own coat but you will still need to wash them when they get too dirty or start to smell like a sweaty dog. Another thing you can do help your boxer take good care of their coat is brush it two to four times a month. Be sure to brush your dogs coat outside so all the loose hair stays out and not inside on your clothes and furniture.

After a good bath, be sure to clean out your dogs ears. The best way to take care of their ears is to use a clean cotton ball when you clean them instead of a q-tip. Your boxer most likely won?t be too happy about you poking around in their ear and will give you a hard time. With all the moving around, you might accidentally poke your dog with a q-tip. It?s also easier to clean your dog?s ears with a cotton ball because q-tips are designed for the small human ear and dog?s ears are much larger.

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Washing and cleaning is a must and probably seems like common sense to most dog owners when it comes to taking care of their dogs, but dental hygiene is often forgotten. Just as humans need to brush their teeth and clean them regularly, dogs need to dental cleaning as well. No that doesn?t mean you have to take your boxer to the dentist for regular checkups, but it does mean that you should brush your dogs teeth once or twice a week. You should also get your boxer minty bones to chew on to keep his breath smelling fresh.

Boxer Dog Care: Exercise

A topic that doesn?t usually come up when talking about boxer dog care is exercise. This however is extremely important if you want your boxer to be happy and healthy. Boxers were bred as hunting dogs and were running and chasing down prey constantly, so there is nothing that your boxer loves more than running around. So if you go on morning runs be sure to take your boxer with you.

Regular exercise can prevent some health problems and can keep the boxer in a great shape. If your boxer is overweight, giving a good diet and good amount of activity for your boxer is the best thing you can to take good care of him.

Boxer Dog Care: Health

When you ask yourself ?How can I take care of my boxer dog?? or ?What are some important boxer dog care tips?? chances are the first thing that comes to your mind is the well being of your dog. Your dog?s health is the most important part and the ultimate goal when you think of boxer dog care.

The basics of keeping your dog healthy are a good diet, fresh water and regular veterinary checkups. Each one is equally important when it comes to the boxer?s health. You need a good diet full of nutrients and vitamins so your dog can develop into a healthy and strong boxer dog. Fresh water is vital to any living organism including your boxer. Water keeps your dog hydrated and helps get rid of bacteria and other unwanted things in your dog. If you want your dog to be protected against diseases and viruses that are floating around, visiting the vet is essential. Veterinarians went to medical school to learn the best ways to keep your dog healthy and are specialized in animal health.

If you want your boxer to be healthy and happy, you will have to take care of a lot of responsibilities. Owning a dog isn?t easy, but all the effort is worth it. There is no better reward than knowing your boxer dog is happy and healthy.

I strongly recommend you read the Boxer Dog Owners Guide if you own a boxer. It?s a complete guide to owning a boxer with important information about health, diet, exercise, training, obedience and more. It is a must have for every boxer dog owner.

Question by redcore86: Do you think it should be required by law for potential dog owners to go through dog care classes?
I think so. There are so many ridiculous people out there and in this section. I mean it is common sense really and they are usually unprepared to handle anytype of dog care, because they cant afford it, are too lazy, and etc

Best answer:

Answer by Yo LO! Aussie Grins
Yes and a general “Aptitude” test before that.

Add your own answer in the comments!

Keep your dog safe in your backyard. All dogs suffer when it is too hot. Some are particularly vulnerable to heatstroke. If you are in a hot climate, make sure you have a shaded area or a porch where the dog can get out of the sun. It is vital they have a secure source of fresh water; by secure we mean he can’t easily tip it over. Common sense is important when deciding whether it is safe to leave your dog outside: a short coated dog or a companion dog that is bred to spend his life indoors will not be able to tolerate being left outside in a cold climate. Your dog care tips include:

Securing Your Yard

It may not make sense to you that the same dog that is so happy to see you when you get home may want to find his way out of the back yard to freedom, but many dogs are lost each year because of this. Most dogs do not have a good sense of the dangers cars represent. Once outside your yard, they may just follow interesting scents and be so focused on those they aren’t aware of approaching vehicles. They can also get frightened and run right into traffic. Many breeds are efficient diggers. They can tunnel under a wooden fence with ease. A back gate that is not latched properly can also give your dog an escape route. With smaller breeds, only a few inch gap between slats can be enough for them to squeeze through. Think of this in the positive way: your dog is not trying to escape from your house, he is perhaps trying to find you.

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The first thing you need to do is check the perimeter of your yard for any gaps in the fence. One easy solution is to dig down six inches below ground and affix narrow gage wire fencing material to your existing fence. You can hold the fencing in place below ground by burying bricks, rocks or pavers. This will make it more difficult for your dog to tunnel under, and have the added benefit or making it harder for rodents or snakes to get into your yard. You may also want to padlock your gate. A strong dog may try to push open the gate, and some gates with loose latches can even be blown open by the wind. Keeping your fence in good repair is important. If the dog can find a loose or weak slat to chew through, he will.

Safety Inside The Yard

Your beautiful back yard with the trees, flowers, grass and vegetable garden may seem like paradise to you, and your dog will certainly enjoy romping around back there, but there are safety considerations as well, and you will want to make sure your tender plants are protected from your dog.

Again, dogs love to dig. Some breeds, in fact, simply have to dig. For them, it is part of the joy of being alive. They don’t care if what they are digging up is a prized flower garden, or the spinach crop you have been carefully tending since early spring. And a dog doesn’t at all mind taking a short cut through the flower beds trampling them as he goes. You may want to consider fencing off areas of your yard to protect your plants. This is particularly the case with frisky young pups. As your dog grows you will be able to train him to stay out the flower or vegetable garden, but to a puppy, it all looks like a playground.

Your dog care tips will keep your dog safe in your backyard.

Summer is on its way and with it comes many great opportunities to enjoy the sunshine with your dog. But before you go outdoors, you should take a little time to prepare for the numerous dangerous situations summer can entail. When the weather is nice, it’s very tempting to take our furry friends with us in the car so they can enjoy the nice weather with us while we run errands or travel, but you should never leave your pet in your car, even if you’ll only be gone for a short time. In a matter of minutes, temperatures can easily reach 120 degrees in a parked car, and dogs left inside can suffer from heat exhaustion, heat stroke, brain damage, or death just as fast. While it’s best to leave your dog at home, if you must travel in the car with your dog, you should always provide fresh, cool water and be sure to secure your pet in a dog crate, car harness, or car seat.

Dogs need exercise regardless of the weather but when it’s hot you should take extra care of your pet and exercise only in the early morning or late evening to avoid the hottest part of the day. Remember- asphalt gets very hot in the summer and can burn your dog’s paws, so try to limit the amount of time spent walking on asphalt. Make sure your dog always has plenty of shade and access to fresh water at all times. Older, overweight, and snub-nosed dogs should be kept indoors in air-conditioned rooms. If you don’t have air-conditioning, a room fan will always work. For your long-haired or thick furred pooches, a hair cut can help alleviate some of the heat, but make sure to always leave their fur at least an inch thick to provide some protection from the sun.

A day at the beach may sound like a fun time for you and your dog, but keep in mind that you need to provide fresh, cool water and shade from the sun at all times. You can set up a beach umbrella or canopy, or even invest in a dog cabana. Make sure you always hose down your salty dog if they go for a swim in the ocean. You should always avoid taking your dog to crowded summer events like Fourth of July parties. The loud noises and crowds of people can cause a lot of unnecessary and unwanted stress for your dog. Taking your dog to barbecues or parties also opens up opportunities for your dog to get into poisonous items such as lighter fluid or insect coils.

Hopefully these tips for summer dog care will help ensure that you and your dog have a safe and fun summer together! If you have any questions regarding these tips or you need advice on summer car for your dig you should contact your local veterinarian.

Keep your dog safe in your backyard. All dogs suffer when it is too hot. Some are particularly vulnerable to heatstroke. If you are in a hot climate, make sure you have a shaded area or a porch where the dog can get out of the sun. It is vital they have a secure source of fresh water; by secure we mean he can’t easily tip it over. Common sense is important when deciding whether it is safe to leave your dog outside: a short coated dog or a companion dog that is bred to spend his life indoors will not be able to tolerate being left outside in a cold climate. Your dog care tips include:

Avoid Dog Poisoning

Antifreeze kills dogs. It is reported that antifreeze has a taste that dogs like so they are naturally attracted to it. As a responsible dog owner, this dog care tips is one of the most important dog health care tips that I can give you. Make sure that antifreeze is stored in a sealed container and when flushing your radiator that you are quick to thoroughly wash away any spills that may occur.

Read more on How to Clean Dogs Ears and How to Stop a Puppy from Biting and How to Stop a Dog from Barking

Protect Your Dogs Paws

Protect your dogs paws from harmful irritants such as salt when walking your dog in the winter.

You should know that both ice and salt can be harmful to the pads on your dogs paws. Both can damage the skin leading to tears or possible infections on the pad of the paw. Also, most dogs will lick the salt off of their paws thus digesting the chemicals found in the road salt. Pet supply store. Your dog may resist wearing the booties at first but you should be persistent in order to protect their sensitive paw pads. Play it safe and train your dog to wear dog booties.

Safe confinement:

New dogs that are just starting to learn the basic of potty training should be put in a safe confinement. Safe confinement like crates or cages is recommended for this dog training. Crates or cages can give the dogs the right idea about potty discipline. The size of the crate or cages should not be large, because large sizes will encourage the dog to eliminate on any part of the crates or cage. To be more effective, don’t put any newspaper, box or blankets inside the crates or cage to avoid your dog from chewing it

Proper Training:

One effective way to train them is by using a leash. Since they are coming from crates or cage, they will be playful and distracted when you let them out so it is recommended that you use a leash.

Leash is an effective tool to get back their attention to their potty training. You can use the leash to also make directions where your dogs will eliminate. But remember that you should always supervise your dog when on a leash. Using a leash will be more effective with proper use of words in dog potty training. Words like “outside” or “let’s go pee” will show your dogs that the right place to eliminate is outside the house and not inside the cage or the house. Aside from the word outside or let’s go pee, you can create your own “command name” that will signal to your dog that it is time for eliminating or urinating outside. Whatever the “command name” that you will use, you have to be consistent in using it in training your dog to let your dog get used to it.

Question by AMac: Anyone have information on how much is appropriate to charge someone for house-sitting/dog care?
I live in the San Francisco Bay area (Palo Alto area). One of my clients has asked if I would like to take care of her beautiful home and her dog for 2 &1/2 days. Involves light gardening, walking dog 3X per day and staying overnight. How much is appropriate to charge?

Best answer:

Answer by littlechrismary
10 bucks a day per dog.

Add your own answer in the comments!

 Choosing the right collar and leash for your dog is very important! It should be done with consideration, and information. Why is choosing the right collar and leash so important? This is a question that I get asked quite frequently. The answer is simple yet complexed all at the same time. Simply put the collar and leash that you choose will be something you use everyday, and will determine the success of your training.

A leash and collar should not only be used for taking your dog for a walk, or keeping them close by and out of trouble. A leash and collar is the way you are able to teach your dog, train them to obey you. If done properly training your dog is a great bonding experience for both of you. It will also result is a very well behaved dog.

There are many choices out there when you are looking to purchase a leash and collar and prices range as much as the products do. You can choose between nylon leashes, rope, retractable, and leather to name the most common. When choosing collars the most common are choke, nylon, leather, and pinch (also known as prong). So with all these choices and little information, making the choice can be overwhelming for some, and others will choose the cheapest option because after all they don’t know the difference so “why not” they think. There is however a big difference in these types of collars and leashes, especially when you are looking for a collar and leash to train your dog with.

First I would like to let everyone know about the damages that a collar can cause to a dog. Have you ever noticed that when a dog is wearing a collar they will pull and make a sound like they are gasping for air? As smart as some dogs are they all do it, they keep pulling like they don’t even notice that they are not breathing right. When they do this it can cause damage to their neck, and trachea among other things. This is why purchasing a collar is so important to your dogs training as well as their health.

So lets first take a look at the choices we have for collars. This is the most important part of your training so should be purchased with careful consideration and research. Nylon collars are many peoples first choice; usually the cheapest in price and most diverse in color. There is nothing wrong with nylon collars however they offer no control over your dog and really no way to train your dog; this is because the dog will continue to pull on the collar. Leather collars are usually the most expensive choice for collars, but just like nylon collars really offer no way to train your dog and there are health risks when pulling occurs. Choke collars are mid priced, and thought by many to be a training collar, however these are no more effective then nylon or leather collars, and more dangerous to your dog, because they tighten around the neck, and your dog will still continue to pull which could result in severe damage to their necks.

This brings us to the pinch or prong collar as some people know it, which are also mid priced. This is an effective training collar and it works differently then all other collars on the market. Instead of the dog pulling and causing damage to his/her neck and trachea the pinch collar, when used properly simply pinches the skin around your dogs neck. Many people think these collars look inhumane and that pinching their dogs neck is mean. You must consider this before making that assumption or choice for you dog. When a mother dog is trying to teach her puppy not to do something she bites the skin around their neck. So from the time your dog is a puppy this is the way that he/she has been learning what not to do. This collar alone does not train your dog, it takes work on your part to use the collar in combination with the commands you want your dog to learn. It is however the most effective and safest way to train your dog, and requires no treats to teach!

The leash also referred to as the lead. This is also a very important part of training your dog, especially when using a pinch collar. This is because your dog is learning through corrections given using the lead which is attached to the collar. When looking for a leash you want to avoid retractable. You want your dog to be with you, and listen to you, not have free run. Retractable leashes gives no control over your dog, and can be hard to retract when your dog is pulling.

Nylon and rope leashes are very similar in their quality for training. They are very flimsy therefor offers you little control over the movements of the leash, they are also not the most comfortable on your hands. I use a leather leash to train, I am able to get a good grip on it with no irritation to my hands. Leather also offers the control I need to make my corrections because it is stiff .

A 6 foot leash is recommended for training, it gives you a long enough lead to be able to have slack when training. This ensures you only give a correction when one is needed, and not by accident, which is very confusing and counter productive to the training process. Using a 6 foot lead allows you to be 6 feet from your dog and still give a correction. This is great when teaching commands such as stay.

There are many good reasons why you should train your dog. The first and most important step is choosing a collar and leash. A pinch collar and leather leash make the perfect combination to get your dogs attention, and have fun with your pet. It allows you to have a well behaved dog with no treats in your pocket just praise. In the end you will have a stronger bond between you and your pet. Your dog will be well behaved and all your friends will want to know how you did it. So choose wisely and make the best decision for you and your dog.

Question by kitten85: where can i find a double ended dog leash?
I am looking for a leash with a hookup on each end to train my dog to go from his head halter to his regular collar. I have found some websites but they are either british or australian. can any one please find me a store or site that would sell them.

oh i need it to be strong cause my dog is 95 lbs. thanks.
its not a leash for 2 dogs. its a leash with a clip on each end.

Best answer:

Answer by mariahleadme
My wife makes these types of leashes patterned after the ones she got with her Guide dogs. They are made from vinyl coated aircraft cable with a test rating of 500 lbs. She makes them with pretty colored beads on the cable, so the colors and patterns are unique.
You also might try contacting a guide dog school to see if they would sell you one of the leather ones.

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