Area H.S. football: Week 2
Lebanon vs. Reynoldsburg
Little Miami vs. Hillsboro
Mistakes even the best dog owners make
Comment: Share your own advice and experiences about keeping your pets happy and healthy
Sunday, May 04, 2008
National Pet Week is May 4-10. We thought the best way to honor pets and their owners was with some good information about mistakes even the best dog owners make.
The source of this information is www.Petlane.com and the lessons 937/513pets.com dog lovers/owners have learned over the years.
Extras
Mistakes we make with our dogs
• Driving in a car with a dog that is not in a seatbelt. Not the people seatbelt either, but the one you buy special for your canine.
• Leaving a dog alone without something safe to occupy itself. Do leave pet-safe toys. Don't leave household items within reach that they can choke on.
• Not giving small dogs in particular enough exercise, but believing a backyard is ample space for them to run around in. Just like us, little dogs need to mix up their cardio routine. Walk them!
• Punishing a dog more than a few seconds after it has done something wrong. The dog knows it was bad right away. It is sorry right away. Lengthening the punishment could confuse the dog.
• Making a big deal over leaving the house. If you give off a nervous vibe, the dog will be nervous. Pick a consistent phrase like, "I'll be back," or "See you later" and the dog will learn that you will.
• Not understanding how to read a pet food label. (Foods that list "real" chicken first includes the water weight in this ingredient. Chicken in this form consists of 70 percent water. Look for Chicken Meal instead. It is a much more nutritious source of protein.)
• Thinking that tug of war games are not OK for dogs. In fact, played appropriately they are an important part of bonding with your companion animal. And if you can get your pets to vigorously, but safely tug with each other, you're a genius.
• Leaving a dog in a car during hot weather. This is dangerous even if a window is cracked open. Even if your dog seems fine, it could develop conditions like deadly bloat later in the day.
• Using a collar rather than a harness to walk small dogs.
• Failure to do your homework about specific breeds when choosing a new dog. When it comes to dogs, breeds very much determine their inherent personality type. A local dog owner brought an Australian Cattle Dog into her home after having the most easy-going German Shepherd in her home for years. After the cattle dog bit her, she learned that not all breeds are the same the hard way.
• Not knowing that certain plants can be poisonous in and outside of the home. There's too many to list. When in doubt, check.
Comments
By Megan
May 5, 2008 10:51 AM | Link to this
Dogs love to be with you all the time and while the rules in your house may let the dog on the couch, be careful how he gets down. I have a maltese who just had surgery to fix his torn ACL for the second time (different legs). This is the same injury a lot of sports players get. Just because they are a little lap dog doesn’t mean they should be jumping up and down or on and off the couch. Be careful with them and if you do let them on the couch or bed, train them to use doggie stairs.
By ddog5000
May 5, 2008 7:22 AM | Link to this
Great advice! Thank you. I guess I’ll go walk my small dog now.
By ddog5000
May 5, 2008 7:19 AM | Link to this
Great advice! Thank you for this valuable information. Guess I’ll get out and walk my small dog today.