To your puppy jumping up is considered a submissive form of greeting in the dog world. However, you must teach your puppy that this greeting is not acceptable in the human world. So when this happens turn away from your puppy fold your arms across your chest and completely ignore your puppy. When your puppy stops jumping and has all his or her paws on the floor, give him the sit command. When he follows this command give him a treat and praise him. If your puppy starts to jump up after this repeat the same process he will soon get the understanding.
Yes, you should make brushing your dog’s teeth a normal part of the grooming routine. Just like humans’ dogs can develop tartar buildup and plaque, this can lead to gum disease and tooth loss. If your dog gets and infection in his or her gums this can spread to the sinuses. Gum disease can lead to things such as endocarditis. Gum disease is more commonly seen in areas with hard water and from dogs that eat mostly soft foods. The hard foods help with the plaque build up. Keep a close watch out for bleeding gums and bad breath. These are signs of gum disease in your dog. If you see any of these signs see your vet right away. Take time to examine your puppy’s mouth and brush his teeth if not daily then weekly to ensure long-term health for your puppy. The sooner you start brushing the more use to it he or she will become.
We all know there are times when our dogs get dirty when we don’t want them too or when it is not convenient for us to bath them. When this happens it may be necessary to do a dry bath. There are some dry bath shampoos in our favorite pet stores. What these do is remove the excess oil and other dirt between shampoos. If you don’t have the shampoos an alternative is the use of Cornstarch or talcum powder. If you are using one of these rub the product all over your dog then completely brush out. Brushing will remove all traces of the powder that are lying next to the skin. The best way to do this is brushing your dog’s coat backwards against the growth of the hair. Try it and see if you like it. You may find it takes just as much time to do the dry bath as a wet bath.
Did you know that: There are 42 teeth present in adult dogs. There are 12 incisors, 4 canine teeth, 16 premolars, and 10 molars. Puppies only have 28 deciduous teeth.(watch out puppy teeth are sharp)…
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.
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.
Is this normal behavior? Yes it is normal for when two dogs meet for the first time to run to each other and circle around each other. The circling around each other is their way of seeing who should be in charge. You may see raised tail flagging, jumping, pawing and hear some growling or mounting. After all of this is established the two dog will get along as long as the owners do not get in the way, or give off vibes that they should not.
Remember a dog usually will not run towards a dog of his own species. If so keep an eye out for an attack, which could be prompted when a dog is protecting her young or territory. You will most likely see this in dogs that are not well socialized. That’s why play dates at a young age is important.
