The world does not belong to your dog

Are you one of those people who think the world belongs to your dog and rules dont apply to you?
You make my life so hard.
I had some bad experiences this weekend ...

On Saturday, I was starting to feel sick but determined not to let it get the best of me; not with such beautiful weather on tap. I took Sensi to my favorite park, Addison Oaks. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, I spotted two dogs off leash.

I jumped out of the Jeep, the dogs (I had Sensis little pomeranian girlfriend with me) still in the backseat, and approached the couple. Getting closer, I realized the dogs were kinda on-leash ... Kinda. The couple had what looked like a 30-foot training lead running from one dogs collar to the other, so the dogs were connected to each other, but no one was holding on to them.

"Excuse me," I called out; the couple turned around and looked at me, puzzled.

"I have two dogs with me too, and one of them is not very friendly. I see your dogs are off-leash. Can you make sure they dont approach mine?" I said, biting my tongue to avoid calling them out on breaking the parks "All dogs must be on a 6-foot-leash at all times" rule.

They looked at me quizzically, and then the man said, "Were heading out anyway." And they continued down the Buhl Lake trail with their dogs running 20-feet ahead of them, not restrained in any way except being connected to each other.

Luckily, we didnt run into them on our walk. But I was so perturbed that these people had the nerve to treat Addison Oaks like its a freakin dog park. You know what, folks? Oakland County has provided you with a spectacular off-leash dog park. If you think your dogs deserve to be off-leash at all times, please take them there. I really see no excuse for breaking leash laws, regardless of how wonderful you think your dog is.

My husband went to Oxfords Seymour Lake Park to play a round of disc golf the same day. He came back with two off-leash dog stories.

He ran into this guy who identifies himself as a retired Navy Seal for the second time. The first time he ran into this guy, last summer, he watched this guys dog bite another older disc golf player on the next hole up and the dogs owner became irate at the victimized disc golfer, blaming him for the bite because he was throwing a disc and the dog wanted it. Hello? Thats the whole point of disc golf — throwing discs — and the last time I checked, Seymour Lake has a disc golf course; not a dog park. Anyhow, in that incident, my husband and his friends had to step in and protect the bitten disc golfer from this mans threats of violence.

On Saturday, the guys dog tried biting my husband as he was squaring up to putt the disc into the basket — the dog, obviously, wants the disc and has not been taught proper teeth restraint during play. Again, the dogs owner became irate at my husband after he asked the man to control his dog. Knowing this mans unstable temperament, my husband didnt press the issue and they waited for the man and his off-leash dog to give them some distance before they resumed playing.

Then, on the back nine, they came across an off-leash Mastiff accompanied by two older people walking the course. This dog also wanted to chase the discs, my husband said, and the older couple had a hard time getting the dog in control.

Seriously, people — the world does not belong to your dog. If your dog is so wonderful and well-behaved that it can be off-leash, this does not give you license to break rules requiring that your dog be on a 6-foot leash. Especially considering that I have yet to meet one off-leash dog that is so well-behaved that it asks its owner before approaching an on-leash dog, which is an entirely dangerous situation regardless of the temperaments of the dogs involved, both on- and off-leash.

Take your wonderful dog to the wonderful dog park, and if youre too lazy to make the drive and want to walk your dog somewhere closer to you, use a leash. Please use a leash.

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Chronic Bad Breath in Dogs

Halitosis is the medical term used to describe an offensive odor that comes from the mouth, producing bad breath. A number of causes may be responsible for this condition, notably periodontal disease, a disease resulting from bacteria in the mouth. Bacteria is also associated with plaque and cavities.

Small animal breeds and brachycephalic breeds (characterized by their short-nosed, flat-faced features; e.g., the Pug, Boston Terrier, Pekingese) are the most prone to periodontal and other mouth diseases, in large part because their teeth are close together.

Symptoms and TypesIn most cases, there are no other symptoms aside from a bad odor emanating from the mouth. If the cause of the odor is a disease of the mouth, other symptoms may become apparent, including pawing at the mouth, inability to eat (anorexia), loose teeth, and excessive drooling, which may or may not have traces of blood.

CausesA variety of conditions may lead to halitosis, including metabolic disorders such as Diabetes Mellitus (commonly known as sugar diabetes); respiratory problems such as inflammation of the nose or nasal passages (rhinitis); inflammation of the sinuses (sinusitis); and gastrointestinal problems, such as enlargement of the esophageal tube, the main channel that leads from the throat to the stomach.

Other possible causes of halitosis might be traced to a trauma, like that of an electric cord injury. Viral, bacterial or fungal infections can cause foul odors to emit from within the body, and dietary problems can play a role in the emission of odor as well. For example, if your dog has been eating offensive foods, or is exhibiting a behavior called coprophagia, where it is eating feces, your dog will have correlating foul breath.

Further possibilities are pharyngitis, an inflammation of the throat or pharynx, and tonsillitis, an inflammation of the tonsils. The presence of cancer, or the presence of foreign bodies may also result in disease of the mouth and accompanying bad breath. But, the most notable cause of halitosis is a disease of the mouth such as periodontal disease, which is due to plaque bacteria buildup.

DiagnosisDiagnostic procedures to evaluate periodontal disease as the most likely cause of halitosis include X-rays of the inside of the mouth, and an examination of the mouth for characteristics such as tooth mobility and sulfide concentrations.

TreatmentOnce the specific cause of halitosis is known, various therapies may be used to address the problem. In some cases, multiple causes may be to blame. For example, your dog may have periodontal disease along with having a foreign object present in the mouth. Treatment for the condition is dependent upon the cause(s).

If periodontal disease is to blame, treatment will include cleaning and polishing the teeth, or extraction of teeth that have greater than 50 percent loss of the supporting bone and gum tissues around them. Some medications may help to reduce odor, and help to control the bacteria that infect the gums and other oral tissues, causing bad breath.

Living and ManagementYou will need to continue to remain observant of your dog’s symptoms. It is important to consistently provide proper professional dental care to your dog, as well as to supplement this with at home tooth care. Daily tooth brushing can help prevent the plaque buildup that leads to related halitosis. You will also need to prevent your dog from eating bad-smelling foods, such as garbage. Cleaning the yard frequently will also avoid incidences of coprophagia.

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How To Train A Dog To Hunt Antler Sheds

this article explores the special training tips that will create a bold, confident hunting dog. Readers will also learn how to teach their dog to find and retrieve shed antlers, which has become a popular spring pastime in …

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Since then we have trained with frozen chukar and with mule deer antlers. This dog, we hope, will be an antler dog as well as a bird hunter. Steve Waller, who lives in Oakland, Ore., was the first one to teach me about pudelpointer shed antler hunting.

After an earlier successful hunt, this one also proved pleasant - and ranks among my most enjoyable hunts ever.

It also does not seem to matter if the antlers are fresh or old, he said. With labs mentality to learn and please, the training is not dissimilar from bird hunting, but Carter trains his dogs for the sole purpose of finding …

... devotion has resulted in a niche business opportunity called Brown Dog Antlers (208-201-6135) that is capitalizing on the growing trends in both shed hunting and shed dog training. For those unfamiliar, shed hunting is a sort of spring season for ...

Its no secret that Im an antler hunting addict. I have walked hundreds of miles in search of dropped racks and plan to do so until Im unable to hike the hills. Fairly new to me is shed hunting with my dog. It is …

So you want your dog to start hunting antler sheds. Why not, right? Your dog has the natural ability. Lets get them up to speed.

When these antlers fall off, shed hunters come out in full force ... Holtz said he has heard of many people who train their dogs to shed hunt with them, and this can make for a productive day in the woods as well. "This …

New to Cats · Cat Breeds and Genetics · Cat Care · Kitten Care · Feline Behavior and Training · Cat Food and Nutrition · Cat Health · Litter Box Essentials ...

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Saying good bye to my dog

Im getting divorced and moving to New York.
I started writing a new blog — both for the therapy of writing my way through all of this and to give the folks in my life here in Michigan a way to keep tabs on me while I get started on a new adventure in the big city.
Its been a while since Ive posted here. First, adjusting to a new job. Then, wrapping my head around divorce and the awfulness of saying good bye to the dog that has always been the muse for this blog.
For the time being, Ill continue to post here every once in a while. There will be a dog in my life in New York and either way, I intend to start volunteering at a shelter once I get settled.
So there will be dog stories yet to come. And with or without Sensi, my love for learning about canine behavior will not be dampened.
In the meantime, heres an excerpt from my post about why Im leaving my dog. Follow the link to read the entire thing.

From the Big D to the Big Apple: What about the dog?

Truly loving dogs, especially your own, means making sure that your decisions are based on what is best for the dog and not what is best for your own emotional wellbeing.

I’m not an idiot, though. I know Sensi is going to be depressed without me. Animals have emotions. It’s so much harder to think about the story of Hachi now.

This isn’t a situation where I can have it both ways — decide what’s best for him and not hurt him in the process. Whether I bring him or leave him, I hurt him. The decision left to make has to be based on what hurts him the least.

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Dog Trick To Turn Around

Train Your Dog To Turn Around

Begin with your dog standing in front of you. Let him see that you have a treat in your hand. Stand still and say “Turn Around”. With the treat in your hand lead your dog’s nose round to the left (clockwise) keeping his attention the whole time, so that he walks round in a circle. Once he is back facing you praise him and give him the treat.

Once you have practiced this a few times and he starts to know what is expected of him, stand in front of him and say “Turn Around” but without leading his nose. If he turns round without being lead give him a treat and praise him lots. He does not carry on leading him round.

It is very important to be consistent with the command you give and praise, once he performs on command reduce to amount of treats he gets till he will perform without one.

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Ticks external parasites in dogs

At the beginning of warmer spring allow the emergence of a threat to our dog: tick. Along with other external parasites, dog tick can transmit various diseases, with serious consequences. How we react to this danger, they are fighting against ticks and how to keep their dogs healthy and protected? We further propose to make a brief infestation of ticks and dog ticks implications and to suggest remedies against diseases. After all, we want to have healthy and happy dogs with which to fully enjoy the spring.

ENEMY - Ticks are parasitic arthropods that feed on blood that infects living creatures. Being attracted to heat and motion, ticks are "clinging" dog fur often moving and rummaging through vegetation. In areas near forests or those with abundant vegetation, ticks appear and multiply especially in early April and the end of September, because not withstand excessive heat of summer or cold winter. These times of maximum danger to our dogs. In particular the onset of spring, and new owners of dogs of different breeds, we are tempted to spend more time in nature with our canine companions.

SPECIES OF TICKS - Most species of ticks will pass through four life stages - egg, larva, nymph and adult. In all stages, except eggs, ticks need a "host" to feed on blood. Depending on the species, ticks can live from several months to several years and females can deposit thousands of eggs at once. In Europe there are tick species: Ixodes (from Belgium and transmit Lymes disease, including humans), Dermacentor (transmit piroplasmosis), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (transmit Babesia canis and Ehrlichia canis).


ATTACK - Refugees in cooler and wetter areas under the lower leaves of the vegetation, fur dog ticks attach and migrate, preferentially to areas with less body hair. Areas of the body most exposed are dog head, skin folds (at the back, neck or chin - depending on the breed of dog involved), ears and interdigital spaces. Instead chose (a strong blood supply area) ticks bite the dog skin and attaches with special tongs made ??of wound mouthparts. In the next few hours (up to 20 hours, even!) Ticks are blood sucking animal, and increasing up to 8 times the body.

CONSEQUENCES - The most common diseases caused by ticks include: Babeioza, meningitis the Rocky Mountains, Ehrlichioza and anaplasmosis. Not all ticks transmit diseases, but most, unfortunately, are vectors carriers of severe disease that can affect dogs in the highest degree, leading to paralysis, or, in worst cases, death. Transmitted diseases in dogs infested by ticks is installed in the body fairly quickly, given that pathogens are transmitted by way tick feeds directly into the bloodstream and, hence, reach the most important organs of the animal .

The most visible changes in the general condition of the dog attacked by ticks are:

- The dog is persistently scratching neck, head, ears, and even sometimes challenging wounds;
- Dog loses its appetite, become apathetic and without muscle tone;
- Dog present with diarrhea and fever, is seen in orange color of urine;
- Weak, limp, swollen joints;
- Gums fade young dogs (puppies up to eight months, especially for small dog breeds, apartment dogs).

IDENTIFICATION TICKS - Caress your dog all over the body, paying attention to ears, neck and skin folds. Try to identify any unusual lifting of the skin and examine the dog with a strong light source. Depending on the species and stage of life, a tick is the size of a pencil tip as a small grain or bean. If you live in an area adjacent to the forest should check for the appropriate dog ticks at least once a day.

IMMEDIATE - is recommended to benefit from the assistance of a veterinarian if you find ticks installed on your dogs body and if you have deductions against parasitic insects. If you already have some experience in raising dogs and i want to give first aid to your friend, initiated the removal of the parasite immediately. It is recommended to wear surgical gloves or disposable ones and tweezers (as in cosmetic kits). You have to grab the tick as close to the point where it attached (there is the head with mouthparts, usually buried in the dogs skin). Be careful not to squeeze the ticks body (in this case tick acts as a syringe, pumping the blood back into the infected blood). Pull slowly and firmly parasite leather (without turn tweezers). The dog can choose a small wound that may detach and less to the skin, but this is normal. If your dog bleeding lightly on the wound, then disinfect the area with rubbing alcohol (or at least water and soap). Be careful if the insect was completely detached. Sometimes the mouthparts of the tick remain stuck in the dogs skin and, over time, can give rise to abscesses. Work with patience, finesse and use a strong light source. Believe not cigarette embers burning techniques tick body or "death" / "stunning" them with oil or paint thinner! You can increase stress and even your dogs injuries. I risky methods and primitive!

PREVENTION - There are alternative preventive vaccination of dogs against the worst diseases spread by ticks, especially if you live in an infested area (climate change in recent years have favored the multiplication of these insects parasitic disturbing). However, your vet will give you competent advice in this regard. Ehrlichioza and Lymes disease is treated with antibiotics to combat Piroplasma specific medication, and Advantage (containing imidacloprid), Frontline (containing fipronil), selamectin and permethrin are effective drugs against ticks (in all three stages of development). You will recognize prescriptions issued and are especially recommended by specialists. Your veterinarian can advise you regarding specific recommendations about the frequency of application of a product or another (depending on geographic area and climate, bathing and swimming habits of the dog, and other details).

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The Dog Training Secret

Oct 21, 2005 ... Hidden items, dog training tips, doggy tricks, techniques for training your dog, and many other Nintendog strategies for Nintendogs Dachshund, ...

Nintendogs Dachshund and Friends on the Nintendo DS: Hidden items, dog training tips, doggy tricks, techniques for training your dog, and many other ...

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Dog Training Secrets Amazon Sep 19, 2015 … Here’s how to take care of your pregnant dog and prepare yourself for the day she gives birth. … Whelping pads (to place in whelping box) — buy on Amazon; Whelping kit — buy on Amazon … Can You Use Mealtime to Train Your Dog?… Potty Training Birds – How to

My "Hands Off" Dog Training Program can help you with… 1. Peeing and pooping in the house 2. Out-of-control barking and whining 3. Nipping, biting, and growling

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Secrets, FAQs, and hints, hidden items, dog training tips, doggy tricks, techniques for training your dog, for Nintendogs Labrador and Friends on the Nintendo ...

Its important to make the time and effort to train your small breed dog. Learn some training tips to help ensure your small dog is always well-behaved.

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