Puppy Dogs Plus

One of the easiest ways to get your puppy to take his meds is to mask in one of his treats. A good treat is a piece of cheese, this way you are able to mold it around the pill or mold it around a piece of bread. But what if your puppy is smart and eats the cheese or bread and spits out the pill? Well then you have to do what is called “pill the dog” Here’s what you do: Facing in the same direction as your dog, straddle him and hold him still with your legs. Or get on your knees for a puppy size dog. Straddle the puppy and open the top of the mouth with one hand. Place the pill in the back of the throat with the other hand. Hold the puppy’s mouth close and stroke his neck to make him swallow. Try not to hold his mouth close for more than a few seconds because the pressure on his nose will impair his breathing.

Diarrhea is common in dogs and puppies it is often due to them eating spoiled food, garbage or what ever they can find. Eating table scraps or foods that are too rich for them or a sudden diet change can also cause it. Long-term diarrhea can be followed with weight loss or in a puppy’s case not gaining weight appropriately. This can be caused by a roundworm or a digestive tract disorder. If your pup has only one or two diarrhea episodes and is still acting like his or her usual self you can use the wait and see approach. But if the symptoms last for more than 24 hours and your dog is not acting like himself, has blood in his stool, vomiting or is just laying around, then you should see your vet right away. This could be a serious problem and needs medical treatment.

If you take your puppy out to go potty, then bring him back into the house and immediately leave for the day, your puppy will quickly learn that going potty is associated with your leaving and being left alone all day. Because of this your puppy will start procrastinating while outside just to keep you around for a while. A way around this is to set time aside to play with him or her once you are back in the house, giving your pup at least 5-10 minutes of play time before you have to leave.

Health problems can lead to problems with your puppies’ ability to learn. To ensure your puppy’s training with be a success before you start training have your puppy’s health checked by your vet first. Once he gets a clean bill of health start your training. If you will be using dog treats for your training, remember to adjust his diet to account for all the treats he gets.

Did you find ticks on your puppy and need to know how to remove them? In the old days it was said to use a match to burn them out. The best way is to grab the tick with a tissue or with a pair of tweezers and gently pull it straight out. You can also just put on a pair of latex gloves and do the same thing if you do not have tweezers. If they do not come straight out you may need to twist a little to remove the ticks. Don’t worry if the head stays in it will dry up and fall out.

Here is a list of things to keep out of your puppies reach.
1) Children’s toys- some toys can be dangerous because your puppy could tear or chew off a part of the toy and choke on it.
2) Office and household items- these items include plastic bags (they can suffocate in them), balloons, rubber bands, strings, paper clips (they could swallow them and get stuck), pens, pencils
3) Electric wires and cords- your puppy could chew on the cord and get injured.
4) Chocolate- this is toxic for your dog and it could lead to death
5) Plants, plant bulbs, plant water- some plants are toxic for your dogs to chew on and could cause gastrointestinal upsets the same with the plant water.
6) Food or leftovers- items like chicken & turkey bones can splinter and cause your dog to choke.
7) Medicines and household cleaners- your puppy may like to play with the bottles because it rattles and rolls, however if the top comes off and the pills come out your dog could eat the meds and it could be harmful to him.
Antifreeze- your puppy may like the taste, but this could be deadly.
9) Rat Poison- this is very toxic and deadly.
10) Tablecloths- your puppy could pull on the tablecloth that that is hanging over the edge and the items could fall off and injure your puppy.

No your puppy should not eat chocolate. chocolate is poisonous to all dogs no matter what their age. The reason being is that chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine, dogs can not metabolize these substances the way we do. Giving a dog chocolate can result in vomiting, diarrhea and very hyper behavior, seizures and heart irregularities. You want to be sure to keep your dog away from the baker’s chocolate because it is even stronger and the smaller the dog the more problems it will cause. If your puppy gets into the chocolate call your vet as soon as possible.

The best and safest way to tether your dog to a door is to slip the leash handle over the doorknob on the other side of the door, drop the leash to the floor, and slip it under the door. Then close the door. Make sure you have a long enough leash so that your dog can get to the items he needs. However you should never use this practice and tether your dog unless you plan to be home and could supervise just in case something happens.

Our dogs show stress in 4 ways they are orally, vocally, physically, and viscerally.
These behaviors can be seen by the following behaviors:
1) Visceral- panting, drooling (more than usual), upset stomach, runny nose, vomiting and eliminating.
2) Vocal- Whimpering, whining and barking
3) Physical- jumping, scratching, running around, pawing, digging, dilated pupils, blinking, yawning and moving in circles.

To dogs these behaviors also have meaning and are used as a language. Your pup may be at his or her stress threshold if your pup starts panting and drooling or shivering more than usual. Why is all of this important? It is because of this state we can tell our pup is in survival mode; once we recognize this we have begun a new level of communication.

2 Cups brown rice flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 Teaspoons baking powder
3 Ounces chunk light tuna packed in water
2 Tablespoons Canola oil
1/4 cup filtered water
Fish & Chips Biscuits
preheat the oven to 325F
Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl. flake the tuna with a fork and add it to the mixture. Next add the oil and mix till crumbly. Make a well in the middle and add all of the water all at once. Using a mixer set it on med speed using a paddle attachment and mix until well combined. Take the dough onto a slightly floured surface and form it into a log, about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. To bake slice the biscuits 1/8-inch and place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet. bake 12-15 minutes till they are dry and firm to the touch. Turn the oven off and leave the biscuits in another 20-30 minutes. Remove them from oven, cool them on a baking rack and store them in a cookie tin.