Train your dog to be an effective security measure.
Dogs have been used as a security measure in people’s homes for many years…and for good reason! Having a trusted companion to keep your home safe can be the best way to rest easy.
Whilst plenty of active Security Dogs are of a particular kind, it is still possible to give your dog the correct traits with the proper Security Dog Training. Dogs with a good demeanor around young children and show control in exciting situations are often the best to keep your home secure. It is difficult sometimes to assess whether your puppy will have these qualities, but as we see below, the younger you begin Security Guard Training, the better.
For around a tenth of all dog-owners, the main reason for their pet is to offer security for their family home. It is therefore determining that these pet owners realise that security training is not something to be learnt overnight. If you are thinking about using your dog as a means of protection against intruders in the home, you can start by following these very basic tips:
1. It is critical that you are seen as the ‘master’ and this starts when the dog is a puppy. It is so necessary that the dog understands your power over them as without this, there is no way you will be able to then train your animal into a security dog. Starting your security dog training with an older dog that has no respect for you or anyone else is virtually inconceivable.
2. If you are training from a puppy, it is then far easier to ‘add-on’ commands to the normal supply of typical commands. By building upon these building blocks of dog training, the influence of your security dog training is severely enriched.
3. Your dog must understand and act upon the command ‘come’. Without this basic command, your dog will not be able to take on new commands and will get preoccupied easily.
4. As with all dog training, a definite voice is a requirement so it’s worth spending some time practising your tone, volume and pitch and seeing how it affects your dog. Choose the most capable voice and stick to it.
5. Positive reinforcement is integral in Security Dog Training, as it is in many aspects of dog training. Many dog owners make the mistake of associating failure with negative reinforcement which can include physical punishment. In Security Dog Training, this can create an overly aggressive dog which will only lead to further problems.
6. Your dog must understand and act upon the command ‘stop’. Why I hear you ask – “surely in the event of someone breaking into my property I won’t be wanting to get my dog to stop?!” Wrong. Getting your dog to stop and lie down, regardless of what they are stopping doing, is an invaluable attribute and foremost in training your dog to be an effective security dog. The ‘Stop’ command is the golden command and the real sign of a dog’s obedience.
7. How many times have you been barked at whilst innocently just walking past someone’s house? Your dog must understand and act upon the command ‘No bark’. You may be thinking, “surely an effective guard dog is one which doesn’t stop barking in order to alert as many people as possible about a break in into my home”. Whilst this is standard, again getting your dog to understand the differences between ordinary people visiting your home and criminals is substantial.
Celiac.com 04/05/2007 – Recent news indicates that wheat gluten tainted with melamine, a chemical found in Asian fertilizers, and forbidden in American pet foods, has been implicated in the sickness of as many as 8,800 pets, including the deaths of up to 2,797 animals, mostly cats1 .
Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, stated that: “The association between the melamine in the kidneys and urine of cats that died and the melamine in the food they consumed is undeniable,” though he stopped short of placing blame for the animal deaths conclusively on the melamine-tainted wheat gluten.
Sundlof did go on to say that melamine, in any amount, is not permitted in pet foods sold in the U.S.
Wheat Gluten is Not Part of Your Pet’s Natural Diet
These stories invite a deeper consideration about the role that non-tainted wheat gluten may play in chronic illness and degenerative diseases in our beloved cats and dogs.
The simple truth is that cats and dogs are, by nature, primarily meat eaters. Dogs are historically scavengers, whose natural diets, according to a recent study by biologists Ray and Lorna Coppinger, consisted of “bones, pieces of carcass, rotten greens and fruit, fish guts, discarded seeds and grains, animal guts and heads, some discarded human food and wastes”3. In the wild, a dog’s diet included only the smallest amounts of grains, while cats are almost totally carnivorous, and subsist in the wild on a diet made up almost exclusively of small rodents. The natural diets of both cats and dogs provide large amounts of animal protein and fats, water, and little in the way of carbohydrates.
Dogs and Cats Should Avoid Grains and Carbohydrates
Most veterinary textbooks agree that both cats and dogs need almost no carbohydrates, yet the so called “recommended” diet of dry pet foods, which is a major component of most pets’ diets, contradicts both their natural diets and the veterinary literature. Many of these dry pet foods are high in carbohydrates, low in animal protein and fats, and contain almost no water.
This fact is largely ignored by major pet food producers, which is also noted in the book Canine and Feline Nutrition, which states that “the nutrient content of most commercial foods includes carbohydrates”4.
Many pet owners who feed canned, moist food to their cats and dogs do so believing that they are providing much-needed meat and moisture to their animals. This is largely true, but what is also true, as came to light in the recent spate of illnesses and deaths from tainted wet formula pet foods, is that wheat gluten is a significant ingredient in such foods.
The problem is that the digestive systems of dogs and cats have not evolved to digest plant proteins like gluten–they are designed to digest animal protein, and gluten is not the same–and feeding these animals foods that contain gluten can result in many of the same problems that afflict their human counterparts who are sensitive to gluten.
Toxic Effects of Wheat Gluten and Other Proteins in Pets…and Humans
According to veterinarian John B. Symes (“Dogtor J”), gluten and other proteins that are added to dog and cat foods are causing many of the same diseases that they cause in their human counterparts. Dogs and cats that have suffered and died from consuming tainted pet food belie the fact that even untainted gluten can cause many of these same problems and more. In human celiacs and gluten-sensitive individuals, untainted gluten can induce both chronic and acute kidney failure. This form of kidney failure is typically called an IgA nephropathy, in which antibodies and immune complexes formed against gluten are deposited in the kidneys, which leads to damage and ultimately failure. Again, this can be chronic leading to persistent blood (microscopic) and protein in the urine or it can be acute.
Dr. Symes claims that it is a startling but well-established fact that the lectins of gluten (wheat, barley, rye) dairy products (e.g. casein, lactalbumin) soy, and corn are all capable of inducing serious health issues in those humans who are sensitive to them. He takes this belief even further and states that such foods are actually not healthy for anyone–neither pets nor humans and they just happen to be more harmful to some individuals than others. According to him anyone who consumes or feeds these foods to their pets on a daily basis will encounter resulting health problems–it is only of matter of time.
Dr. Symes believes that the onset of a lectin-related disorder–whether it be rheumatoid arthritis, type-one diabetes, lupus, etc.–is usually preceded by another event such as viral or bacterial infection. Vaccines can act as triggers as well. The result of such secondary events is a sudden influx and attachment of these inflammatory proteins to various cells in the body, ushering in what we often refer to as “autoimmune” disorders. That term implies an immune system that has gone haywire, attacking the body for no reason. According to him, our immune systems, along with those of our pets, never make that kind of mistake. These conditions happen for certain reasons, and these food proteins are often the cause.
All one needs to do, according to Dr. Symes, is to study celiac disease to see how all of this works and appreciate the health implications that accompany this extremely common condition. That a similar condition does occur in dogs and cats has become painfully obvious during the past seven years that he has been studying the issue. Dr. Symes states: “The Irish Setter is a breed known to suffer from gluten intolerance, but it is clear that gluten is affecting many other breeds of dogs and cats. And why wouldn’t it? It is affecting humans and we have had millennia to adapt to eating wheat. Our pets have only been eating wheat-based pet foods for about 20 years now.”
According to Dr. Symes it does not matter whether they ever tell us that tainted wheat gluten caused kidney failure, or that it be proven responsible in these pet deaths. The fact is that wheat gluten, tainted or not, can, and does cause and/or contribute to these conditions. Thus, according to Dr. Symes, gluten should never end up in pet foods.
To illustrate his theory Dr. Symes points out that the average American dog lives 12 years–13 for cats, when their wild counterparts, eating a natural diet, can live to be nearly thirty and t forty years respectively. For the cause, we need look no further than what we put in their bowls. A European study shows that pets fed with table scraps lived an average of three years longer than those fed commercial diets alone. Why? The answer, at least in part, is that highly processed foods cannot possibly contain all of the essential nutrients found in fresh meats, fruits and vegetables.
Reasons for Your Pets to Avoid Gluten
For all of the reasons stated, it’s probably a good practice to keep wheat gluten and carbohydrates away from you pet in favor of a “natural” diet rich in animal protein and fats and low in (or free of) carbohydrates. As specialty foods can be expensive, a list of readily available pet foods that are free of wheat gluten is provided below.
Avoid senior, lite and diet foods, as they contain increased fiber and carbohydrates and reduced protein and fat, compared to adult maintenance diets. This is the opposite of what they really need, and this food has no scientific foundation. Older and overweight pets usually respond well to increased protein and fats gained through a diet rich in meat, not grains.
Another benefit of this approach is that many dogs on the dangerous non-steroidal and steroid drugs so commonly prescribed for dogs may see marked improvements in their conditions and, in fact, may no longer need such drugs, which tend to shorten dogs’ lives. Many owners who feed their pets fewer grains see less inflammation.
Pets may not be a new phenomenon but pet food certainly is. In fact, two hundred years ago pet food did not even exist. Horses were just given grass, oats, grains, apples and anything else that was cheap to get hold of in large quantities. Dogs and cats mainly lived on scraps of meat and grains that their owners could spare for them. It was only in the mid 1800s when the American James Spratt was living in London and saw dogs eating discarded biscuits in a ship yard that the idea of creating food especially for pets was considered.
Spratt created bone shaped biscuits from a mixture of wheat, vegetables, beetroot and beef blood that he marketed as dog food. They were an instant success. By 1890 he had begun producing his dog food in large quantities in America, calling the company Spratts Patent Limited. Some years later a brand of dog food called Ken L Ration was created and sold in America, just after the First World War, that was in fact horse meat. The American government had seen it as not only a cheap but even a profitable way to dispose of dead horses.
Up until this point, the only pet food available had been marketed at dog owners. However, in the 1930s the company Gaines Food Co realised that almost as many people kept cats as dogs and so they introduced the first ever canned cat food. At the same time they also introduced dry meat meal dog food, which was longer lasting. At the end of the Second World War sales of pet food in America had reached 200 million dollars, so with such a popular product it is a wonder that no one thought of it before.
In the fifties Spratts became a part of General Mills and in the next decade it was bought by Spillers, a dog food company based in the UK. Even to this day, Spillers make bone shaped biscuits very similar to Spratts original ones. Companies such as Quaker Oats and General Foods saw pet food as a way of making a profit from leftover ingredients that they would otherwise have had to dispose of, so more pet food companies sprung up. Many of these companies paid vets to endorse them who advised against feeding their pets anything other than this pet food, to make as much profit as possible.
Today, vets and pet owners now realise the importance of a full and balanced diet that requires more than dry pet food alone that provide. Many of the soft, moist pet foods sold today are excellent and provide almost all of the nutrients that your pet needs, although occasionally supplements are also recommended to make absolutely sure that they are not missing out on any vital vitamins or minerals. Over 5 million kilograms of pet food are now produced every day, for common pets such as dogs and cats but also for small animals and for horses, which are now kept more as pets than for manual work.
Recent years have seen a new understanding into the benefits of natural and organic food for us humans, but now food experts and starting to realise that this has advantages over standard foods for our pets as well. Normal pet foods are highly processed and currently ingredients for pet food are still allowed to come from animals that are dead, dying, diseased or disabled and items not allowed for human consumption such as cow brains are still permitted in certain pet foods. It is therefore wise to always check the label to find out if your tin of natural cat food is made from fresh cuts of meat, or if it is made from ground bones and offal. There are however many brands that have latched onto this growing desire to feed our pets healthy, wholesome food and it is now possible to buy dog, cat and other animal food that is made from prime cuts of meat and vegetables.
Over the years there has also been a fantastic development in the range of equine supplies that are available, such as hoof care products that were not around a hundred years ago, and in small pet supplies too such as dedicated food for hamsters and guinea pigs. You can even buy special milk for kittens as there is debate over whether it is healthy for them to drink milk from cows.
When it comes to training your dog there are thousands of ways you can go wrong. Many people that are trying to train on their own without help or tips can actually make everything worse than it was at first. So I am here to solve these complications for you so training your dog will be easy and effective.
First, you need to remember that dog training is all about knowing the one your training. Learn each others every move. In the trainers perspective the handler needs to show the dog what actions are preferred or right.
You must learn to watch your dog to see what motivates him for the best results.
You don’t want your dog to get bored because this will get you no where with trying to train him.
Dogs are always giving signals that you will notice if you pay attention. You will be able to see if the dog is confused, nervous, happy, etc. The emotions of your dog during training are crucial because if the dog is frustrated, stressed, or distracted he will not listen to you.
There are FOUR important signals or messages that you can send to your dog and they are…
1) The reward or release marker
2) The keep going signal
3) No reward for bad or incorrect behavior
4) Punishment marker
The things you want to avoid doing are these…
1) Don’t hit, yell, hang, or slam your dog on the ground! This is abuse, not training.
2) Don’t rely on a bag of treats to train your dog. Treats don’t work, they just spoil your dog. What happens when you have trained him by using treats and then when you run out or don’t have any treats and you give him a command he doesn’t listen to you? He won’t respond correctly because he realizes you don’t have treats and so there is no reason for him to obey you.
3) Never back down from your dog. If you don’t want him doing something then just say, “NO!” Don’t mock or mimick your dog. For example, yelping like a hurt puppy to stop your dog from play-biting you. This means your weak and you don’t want that.
Things that you do want to do are…
1) Show respect to your dog and give him reasons to rely on you.
2) You want to build a “best friend” kind of relationship with your dog
3) Make the training easy as pie! Nobody wants to be confused, especially the dog.
For concerned pet owners who really want to give their dog completely human grade dog food the option of self-cooking is the best one by far. Yes, cook it yourself and you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing the origin of the natural dog food, balancing the necessary nutritional counts for your pet’s individual health conditions, hygienic preparation as well as budget friendly choices for a wholesome meal!
For others, such as those dog owners leading a hectic life or those with limited cooking time and culinary skills, there’s the convenient choice of human grade dog food, which is an easy to serve, measured and balanced healthy canine food alternative to homemade pet food.
However, there are a few essential factors to keep in mind before buying pet food. As a quick and handy reference, the checklist that follows may be taken as a basic canine food buyer’s guide, so take a look below:
Factors To Keep In Mind When Buying Human Grade Dog Food
1. Many commercial canine foods contain meat and bones as a form of protein and calcium. Where they get the meat from is a matter of concern for most commercial dog food buyers as caring pet owners realize the importance of feeding their animal a quality of meat that they as humans would gladly eat themselves.
2. Even though some of the best-advertised and well-known canine food brands are scientifically researched and keep to international standards, there is considerable doubt about the quality of the ingredients.
3. For one, it is not advisable to feed the dog processed or cooked bones, as this could lead to splinters getting lodged in the dog’s throat or intestines.
4. Vets advise against feeding the dog cooked bones at home while they agree that giving the dog a raw bone would help the animal develop healthy teeth and derive the required quantity of calcium from it.
5. Another thing to watch out for in commercial canine food is yellow corn. Some dog foods contain ground corn or cornmeal this is very difficult for the dog to digest. Besides ground corn swells in the stomach making the dog feel full while delivering little nutrition to the animal.
6. Watch out for the fat content in the dog food. Some commercial dog foods will display ‘animal fat’ as the source of fat for the dog. This almost always means that the fat in the pet food comes from restaurant grease and rendered fats, which are very low quality fats and thus, unsuitable for human consumption.
7. Some human grade dog foods contain specified fat sources such as beef tallow. This is a low-grade animal fat but at least they tell us where the fat comes from. Thus, many pet owners find that knowing this comes as close to a human grade dog food that is easily available on a commercial platform opt for buying his type of canine food.
My first cat, Venus, obtained when I was young and naive, started out on a commercial pet food diet supplemented with lots of fresh meat and fish, eggs and cheese, and 15 years later, as an old dame, she was still very partial to her ‘crunchies’. So I sourced the best possible dry cat food on the market for her. A Canadian brand, promoted by leading Holistic Veterinarians worldwide, made from lots of high quality ingredients and preserved using only natural compounds like Vitamin C. Honestly, the ingredients’ list read like a gourmet degustation menu, including yummy things like real chicken and salmon, chicken livers and chicken fat, eggs, turkey, whitefish, alfalfa, kelp, pumpkin, and many other fresh whole fruits, vegetables and herbs.
Unfortunately Australian quarantine laws required that the food be irradiated on entry into the country. Some human foods like herbs and tropical fruits are irradiated on import, but many imported pet foods receive huge doses of radiation — around 5-10x the human dose! The irradiation process altered Venus’s pet food in such a way that it became extremely toxic to cats. A number of Australian cats eating the food developed irreversible neurological disease and had to be euthanased. A pet food recall ensued.
At the time about 40% of Venus’s diet consisted of the gourmet dry food. Consequently, she was one of the cats affected with irreversible neurological disease. She lost a lot of weight, developed wobbly hind legs, was having trouble swallowing her food, and couldn’t urinate or defaecate properly. She even started to have trouble breathing. She did not respond to treatment and I had to euthanase her.
I am now even more passionate about the benefits of preparing a balanced, natural, homemade diet for pets. I have since done even more research into commercial pet foods, and have discovered only a very small number that I recommend to my veterinary patients, but it stands proven that real, home-prepared food is undoubtedly the better option.
Many Vets recommend feeding ‘premium’ processed dry foods over home-prepared diets, and tout these as the best option for your pet, but I learnt first-hand that this is far from the truth. Many of the commercial pet foods readily available, even ‘premium’ labels, can be extremely detrimental to your pet’s health.
Although creatively marketed as the optimum food for your pet, this is far from the truth. In the time since commercial pet foods have become available, we have witnessed a dramatic decline in the health of our pets. There are many contributing factors that have led to the demise of health of our animal companions, including poor genetics, inappropriate lifestyle, and over-vaccination, but diet is, without doubt, one of the major ones. Skin disease and dermatitis, allergies, ear infections, teeth and gum disease, poor digestive function, pancreatitis, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, renal failure, anal gland blockages, epilepsy and cancer are now rampant amongst the pet population, and can all be linked to improper nutrition. It is no coincidence that diseases such as these have become more prevalent since processed pet foods became available.
If you want your pet to be as healthy as possible, a balanced, natural, real-food diet is crucial. My pets now eat a very easy-to-prepare diet, rich in yummy, health-promoting ingredients, like raw chicken necks or wings for the cat, or whole raw chicken carcasses for the dog, raw lamb bones, raw organ meats (beef, lamb or chicken liver, hearts and kidneys), raw fish, tinned sardines or mackerel, raw eggs, plain yoghurt, and a little cottage cheese or cream here and there. It’s also important to provide daily greens, so I mince up home-grown parsley or sprouts or wheatgrass, as well as whatever vegetables I have on hand, like broccoli, carrot, celery, beetroot, cauliflower, sweet potato or pumpkin and the occasional piece of fruit like apple, pear or pineapple. I supply important minerals with seaweeds like kelp powder or nori flakes. All of the foods provided are human-grade, and organic where possible.
The benefits we can reap from having a pet can be thoroughly rewarding. Dogs are known as “Man’s best friend” for their unconditional love, loyalty and friendship. Dog lovers can return the favour by taking good care of their pet.
It might sound like a lot of work at first but caring for your dog, after the puppy days, is relatively easy and most of the chores can fit neatly into your daily routine.
This article talks about some of the essentials you need to know about dog care.
Collar and ID Tag: The first thing you want to do for a new dog is give it a proper collar and an ID tag with your name, address and contact information. This greatly increases the chances of having your dog returned to you if they get separated from you.
Laws
Check with your local animal shelter, veterinarian or humane society to find out what vaccinations your dog needs and be aware of dog fouling laws!
Spay or Neuter
If you are not planning on breeding dogs, help reduce the number of unwanted and stray dogs and improve the health of your pet by having them spay or neutered.
Training
Whether you purchase a book on dog training and teach them the basics at home or enrol in a class, having your dog learn basic commands will have a positive benefit on their behaviour and safety.
Register with a Vet: Regular visits to the vet will ensure your dog’s health and avoid future issues. If you need help locating a good veterinarian, check with a local shelter, breeder or get a recommendation from a fellow dog owner.
Your Dog at Home: Give your dog a proper place to live. Dogs love to get out and run around, but need extended time out of the elements. Guard your dog from exposure to extreme weather. A big yard with a dog house is wonderful, but spending time with your dog inside and having a comfortable place to sleep, like a dog bed, is essential.
Dog Diets: Feed your dog a nutritionally balanced diet and make fresh water available to it at all times. Consult your vet for information on the type of food and amount to feed them in proportion to their size and age.
Dog Leads: A good, strong lead is a must-have item. Follow the simple rule of, if your dog is off of your property, the lead is on. Always ensure your pet is under control at home AND out in public.
Exercising your Dog: Dogs of all sizes and breeds have one thing in common. They love to run around and play. A fit dog is a happy dog, so spend time together with toys, balls, games and by taking walks. Exercising a few times a day is great for both of you and goes a long way in building a bond.
Groom your Dog: A clean dog is a well cared for. Sure dogs like to play outdoors and run around, and there are few things better for their health, and your relationship, than to give their coats a regular dog shampoo bath, trim hair if necessary and groom them with brushes and combs. Dog clothes like coats, hats and boots are also increasingly popular, and can help shield your dog from extreme weather.
Dogs like Companionship: Any relationship is a two-way street. If you are loyal, patient and faithful to your dog, you will have yourself a companion that brings love and joy into your life.
These are just the basics of dog care and picking up a book about dogs is highly recommended. Choose a book that discusses various breeds, traits and care.
The dog days of summer are upon us! This means lots of fun in the sun for humans, but what about for pets! As a Scottsdale pet sitter, I am out and about caring for pets all summer and I want to share some tips on how to keep your pets safe this summer!
- Limit walks. Dogs and cats can’t perspire like people and only dispel heat by panting and through the pads of their feet. So walking outdoors is rough for them when temperatures are above 90 degrees.
If the sidewalk is too hot for you to walk barefoot, it is too hot for them.
Summertime dog walking in Scottsdale is possible, but not advised unless you have time and patience!
If you do walk your dog, outfit them with protective doggy boots, bring water, take lots of breaks and stick to grassy and shady areas.
- Housing dogs indoors.Try to keep your pets inside during the summer. If you are worried they will be destructive inside, crate training is an ideal solution. That way they are safe and cool inside your house! If you feel bad that they will be in a crate all day, hire a pet sitter to let them out mid day for a potty break!
- Provide fresh water. When the dogs are outside during the summer remember that plenty of fresh water is vital. Provide extra bowls and maybe a baby pool for pets that knock over water bowls or step in them to cool their paws.
Ceramic bowls are best for outdoor use as stainless steel bowls heat up fast! Glass bowls are okay as long as they aren’t on wooden decks as that combination created a deck fire for a Seattle family! If you have an underground pool, make sure their is a fence around it or that your pets know how to swim and where the pool steps are!
- Provide shade. Make sure that there is shade in your yard at every hour of the day. Remember that as the sun moves, shade moves. There is nothing worse then a pet stuck outside especially in the Arizona sun, with no escape.
- Dogs that should remain indoors during the summer heat no matter what are smooshie faced breeds. Their short snouts make it difficult for them to pant and cool their body temperature. Breeds include, pugs, boxers, shih-tzus, boston terriers, llaso apso, etc.
Overweight dogs, puppies and elderly dogs also have a hard time regulating heat.
If you shave your pet for the summer, make sure there is enough fur left to protect them from sunburn!
- Monitor what your pets eat. Summer is often a time when people fertilize their lawns and work in their gardens. As a Scottsdale dog walker I walk dogs that love to try to eat random items off the ground. Be very careful when walking your dog, never let your dog eat anything off the ground! Be especially cautious around fertilized lawns and gardens as plant food, fertilizer, and insecticides can be fatal if your pet ingests them
Follow these pet care tips to ensure that your dog or cat is kept happy and healthy. These basic tips are intended as a resource for those of you who are new to pet ownership or are thinking of getting your first cat or dog. Experienced pet owners will know most of these details already!
Food and drink
* Make sure that your pet has access to clean, fresh water. Change this every day.
* Feed cats twice a day with a premium quality cat food. Give them one meal of dry food and one meal of tinned food. Do not feed them dog food or milk.
* Feed dogs once or twice daily, but use premium quality dog food. Make sure they have a mix of dry biscuits and moist tinned food.
* Feed puppies and kittens on small amounts of soft food 3 to 5 times a day until their teeth are strong enough for dried food.
Treatments
* Give your pet a daily natural supplement to help boost his/her immune system. This can help to stave off many common minor illnesses.
* Give your pet an anti-parasite supplement periodically. The dangers of worms are not to be underestimated.
* Use a natural health solution to keep fleas, ticks and mosquitoes off your dog.
Training
* It is critical to train your dog. Obedient dogs won’t soil your house, bite, jump up on guests, chew your shoes and ruin the couch. They are more hygienic and less likely to be involved in fights and accidents. Once trained, you can give your dog much greater freedom as you know that he/she can be trusted.
* Cats should be toilet trained as soon as possible and taught that a scratching post is the only allowed place for them to sharpen their claws.
Exercise and play
* Dogs need to be exercised every day without fail. Ideally twice a day. Letting him run round the back yard on his own doesn’t count. Enjoy the time that you spend walking with your pet and it’s good exercise for you too!
* Cats kept indoors at any time need a litter tray and this needs to be changed daily. Cats will exercise themselves sufficiently if you let them outside each day. Better still, fit a cat flap and allow them to choose when they go out. But keep them inside from dusk till dawn. This makes them less likely to be run over and they pose less danger to other small animals.
* Keep an eye on your pet’s weight and attitude to food. If he’s getting overweight, then you need to cut down on the food a little and get him some more exercise. If he’s off his food entirely, then there may be an underlying health problem that needs attention.
* Make sure that your pet has a few toys to play with. Dogs love rubber bones or balls to chew and squeaky toys too. Cats love scratching towers, toy mice and string.
* Take time to get to know your pet. When you really get to know your pet’s character and physical appearance, you will find that you can quickly spot any injuries and illnesses that are developing.
Grooming
* Grooming is important for all dogs and cats. Long haired cats need to be groomed more often than short haired breeds, but you should groom shorter haired ones too. Dogs and cats both like to be stroked. It is a good bonding exercise that also lets you examine your pet’s hair and skin for any problems.
* Dogs need to be bathed periodically and use a special dog shampoo for this purpose as many human shampoos or shower gels will irritate. Once every two months is about right. Their skin can become irritated with bathing too often. Cats clean themselves so don’t try to bathe your cat!
Reproductive
* Spay/neuter your animal. Neutered animals are better behaved and don’t contribute to the countless thousands of homeless cats and dogs. Dogs and cats that have not been neutered will be at the beck and call of their hormones. They will roam far and wide looking for a mate and are more likely to get into road accidents and fights.
Nurturing one’s pet from a holistic point of view has been gaining in popularity recently. There are several treatments that are available for one’s pet nowadays including homeopathic remedies and acupuncture. Veterinarians of holistic medicine state that these types of treatments are very successful at treating several chronic or acute diseases. When deciding if holistic care is the right choice for one’s pet, he or she should do research beforehand and find out why this path of treatment is one that many people are choosing.
Holistic care places the emphasis on treating the cat or dog and not the ailment. Any symptoms one’s pet may be showing are only signs of an imbalance somewhere in its body. A holistic practitioner has the ammunition to help the pet naturally heal itself. These practitioners have said that they see more recoveries made through this kind of treatment than with traditional treatments. The following are the top three reasons to trust holistic pet care for cats and dogs.
For one thing, holistic care is a preventative measure against disease. A diet consisting of all-natural foods is best, as this prevents one’s pet from being exposed to harmful chemicals and fillers. A natural food diet also can help reduce the need for vaccinations and medicines, which can help eliminate toxins in one’s pet’s body.
Another reason that holistic pet care for cats and other pets is a great idea is the fact that it reduces the need and possible dependency on pharmaceutical medications. Some vets will say that medication is called for when the animal is suffering from an acute disease or a serious infection; but chronic ailments will respond better to alternative treatments, such as vitamins, supplements, and chiropractic care. Side effects are more noticeable when one’s pets are exposed to traditional drugs, such as damage to the animal’s liver.
The third reason why holistic pet care for dogs and other pets is such a great idea is the fact that a holistic approach will cure the entire body of the pet, instead of only the disease. This is quite the opposite of what most people have been taught throughout their lives, but it really does work. When the holistic veterinarian focuses on the pet rather than the ailment, the vet can cure all that ails the pet rather than just one condition.
If an individual has a pet and he or she is considering holistic pet care, this is a great site to visit. One can learn about all aspects of holistic care, from diagnosis to treatment and recovery, and ultimately, to a happy and healthy pet.