Dog Care Guide

Six Tips for Healthy Doggie-Teeth

Don’t dismiss doggie breath. That odious odor could be an early warning sign of gingivitis or other dental problems. But these six simple tips will help you keep your darling doggie’s teeth their pearliest white:

Simple Solution:

1  Look inside your dog’s mouth at least twice a week and check for signs of deterioration, especially bleeding gums, pale gums, persistent foul breath, tartar buildup, decay, sores, or broken and missing teeth.

2.Provide fresh water daily. Bacteria can buildup inside bowls containing water that is more than two days old.

3.Feed your dog a raw carrot to help scrub away plaque. It’s also a good source of vitamins A and C and fiber.

4.Avoid giving your dog real bones. You’ll run the risk of splinters with sharp edges that can cut a dog’s mouth and intestinal lining.

5.To get your dog used to the brushing routine, break it down into a few steps done over a series of brushing sessions. Dip your finger into beef bouillon and then rub the finger gently over her mouth and teeth. Gradually add gauze to your finger and gently scrub the teeth in a circular motion. Finally, introduce a soft toothbrush designed for dogs and use a meat-flavored toothpaste.

6.Schedule a yearly professional dental cleaning to get rid of stubborn tartar. The vet can also look for any tooth damage and make necessary repairs.

General Health Care

Find Ticks Fast!

The easiest way to find ticks is to run a comb through your dog’s hair. However, this can be difficult on dogs with very thick coats. In that case, run your hands against the coat, lifting the hair as you go. This way you can feel the ticks more easily.

Tick Removal

To remove a tick attached to your dog, use finely pointed tweezers and grasp the tick’s head or mouth parts right near the dog’s body. Pull steadily outward to remove. Don’t grab or squeeze the tick’s body as that can force disease-causing substances into your dog.

Flea Control Alternative

When fleas are biting and you can’t get to the shop right away, sprinkle some salt on your pet’s bedding — this is where the fleas are infested — and also on carpets and chairs. The flea problem will be reduced.

Farewell to Fleas

Are you worried about the effects of chemicals on your dog? Why not make your own safe, non toxic flea repellents?

Citrus Repellent: Cut a lemon into quarters and place in a pint jug. Cover the lemon with boiling water and let it steep overnight. Next day you have a flea repellent that you can use in a spray bottle. Spray all over your dog remembering especially behind the ears and around the head generally (careful of eyes), around the base of the tail (once again keep away from delicate bits) and under your dog’s “armpits.”

Internal Flea Repellents: Garlic may not be your favorite cologne and it’s not the flea’s favorite smell either. When your dog eats garlic, the smell is excreted through the dog’s skin making your dog less likely to be the flea’s next meal. In case you think you might need to give your dog a breath freshener along with the garlic, my dogs, Duke and Bella, eat a garlic clove every day and I don’t find their breath smells from it at all. Brewer’s yeast tablets will also help to make your dog less attractive to fleas because once again the smell is excreted through the skin.

A Fitting Collar

To find the correct size collar for your dog, add two inches to his neck measurement. When fitting the collar on your dog you should be able to slide two fingers under it to ensure that it is not too tight.

Cleaning Pee Stains

Did your pet have an accident on the carpet? You can clean up pet pee as soon as you see it by blotting up what you can, adding a large amount of salt to the area, (because salt can only hold so much moisture) and then waiting ten to twelve hours. If the salt is not drying out, add more because this means you don’t have enough on the area to soak up all the pet pee. When the salt is dry, simply vacuum up the stain, the pee and the odor all at one time! If you don’t put enough salt on you will end up with a stain so it is better to use too much on the first attempt than it is to have a stain.

Eradicate Smells

Does your carpet smell like dog? Use one-cup water to one-cup vinegar in a spray bottle and mist over the carpet.

Behaviour Problems

Direct a Pup’s Chewing

Puppies will chew. It’s natural, and they learn with their mouths. To protect your home, train pups to chew on safe chew toys, always be aware of what puppies are doing, and confine them in a puppy-proof area when you are gone.

Solution for Problem Chewing

Got a problem chewer? Are your extension cords, shrubs, furniture all fair game for your pooch? Try this solution — Vicks! This well known rubbing goo smells awful, and often the smell alone is enough to keep dogs away! And the taste? YUK! You can even put it on shrubs and plants – just remember to re-apply every so often!

Food Fighting

To prevent dogs from fighting over their food, be sure to feed each dog in the same, separated area every time. This way they have their own protected space, reducing squabbles.

Solutions for Loneliness

Your puppy or dog may destroy things when you’re gone for long periods due to loneliness. Solutions:

1.

Leave the TV on as people’s voices can reduce loneliness.
2.

Call your dog on your answering machine once a day.
3.

If you have room, get two dogs to keep each other company.

Praise versus Punishment

Praising a dog when it acts correctly is more effective that yelling No! when it misbehaves. If a dog jumps up, ask it to sit and then praise it for sitting.

If your dog runs away from you and you finally catch up to it, no matter how angry you are at the dog, do not yell or smack it or your dog will never come to you again when called for fear of being punished.