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Have a question?
click here to send us your question(s).
Q: How should I feed my dog, and with so many recalls,
what should I be looking for in their food?
Q: Do you have any grooming tips?
Q: How do I help my dog adjust to separation anxiety?
Q: How can I be a more responsible pet owner?
Q: Is it ok for my dog to be on the couch with me?
How should I feed my dog, and with so many recalls, what should I be looking for in their food?
A good diet will keep your dog looking and feeling their best. It provides your dog with the right amounts of nutrients, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. Your dog must have all these in correct proportions to stay healthy. Dog food companies make a variety of foods for all life stages. With so many foods out there, its tough to know what’s right for your dog. Your dogs energy level is right for his age and breed if his skin and coat look healthy, stools are firm and brown and if he seems to be in overall good health, then the food is doing his job. Many dog’s owners prefer kibble (dry food). Crunching the hard kibbles keeps your dog’s teeth clean and exercise his jaw muscles. It also keeps stools compact and firm for easier clean up. Puppies need more calories and essential nutrients than adult dogs. Choose a food specially formulated for puppies. Pups under 6 months should get three meals a day. They are growing rapidly, but their stomachs have limited capacity. After 6 months, they can handle 2 or 3 meals a day. At age 7-18 months your pup is growing much faster. Make sure he does not grow faster than his bones. Consult your vet regarding growth rate and consumption. Adult dogs are fed to their size and energy levels.
Bad Ingredients to Look for in Dog Food
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By Products - Parts of animals NOT consumed by humans- including rectums, blood, bones, beaks, intestines, teeth, skin, etc.
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Preservatives - Such as BHA, BHT, Ethoxquin, Propyl, Glycol, etc., these are carcinogenic chemicals.
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Tallow - Body fat.
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Corn - A poor protein source; hard to digest and in most supermarket foods.
Good Ingredients:
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Lamb & Rice, Chicken & Rice, Brewers Meal
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Vitamin E as a preservative
Feeding your dog eggs is fine. They should be COOKED EGGS. NEVER feed your puppy raw eggs. A substance in raw eggs, Avertin, destroys biotin, one of the B complex vitamins. NEVER give your dog chocolate. It contains bromine, a chemical that is toxic to dogs. Also, do not give your dog bones or rawhide. They can splinter or have sharp edges creating stomach / intestine damage. Large bones such as knuckle and marrow bones are fine but par boil them to destroy harmful parasites and take them away from your dog if they actually start to eat the bone rather than just chew on it.
do you have any grooming tips ?
Good grooming will help your dog look and feel their best. Routine grooming sessions allow you to examine your dogs coat, teeth, eyes, ears and nails for signs of problems.
Brushing:
Several brushing sessions a week will keep the average dog neat and clean. Daily attention is better. Brush all the way down to the skin, letting the massaging action stimulate blood circulation and loosen and remove dandruff.
The kind of equipment you need depends on your dogs’ coat and texture. Longhaired dogs need pin brushes, which have long, round-ended stainless steel chrome-plated pins. Short, medium and some long coat breeds need bristle brushes. There are slicker brushes for removing mats, and dead hair and rubber combs to polish smooth coats and remove dead hair. When brushing, always check for burrs and mats behind the ears and under the legs. All dogs shed; regular brushing will keep that under control.
Bathing:
Your dog should only need to be bathed 2 to 3 times a year. Too much will remove natural oils and cause the coat to become dry and harsh. When necessary, use a mild shampoo for dogs. Use warm water, soap him up, rinse him well, and dry him off.
Nails:
Must be kept short for the feet to remain healthy. If you hear the nails clicking on the floor, they are too long. To trim the nails, use clippers with a nail guard. Trim only the ends before the “quick” (the white part beneath the nail).
Ears:
Clean ears once a month. Clean the outer part of ear with a moist cotton swab soaked in mineral oil. Never stick anything in your dog’s ears.
Eyes:
Clean any discharges with moist cotton balls.
Teeth:
Brush them if you can as often as you can.
Any advice on playing?
Dogs, of course, love to play. Set aside time each day for play sessions. Apart from the obvious benefit of having fun together, play also provides an outlet for your dog's energy.Do not play tug o war this is not a game to them. It's a challenge on who wins and only teaches him how to be aggressive. Play fetch, frisbee,do some agility ( take him to a play ground when there are no kids there and let him go up the stairs, thru the tunnels and down the slides)
How do I help my dog adjust to separation anxiety?
Your dog will want to be with you at all times, but for most people that simply isn't possible. Help your dog get used to being alone. Leave him each day with a minimum of fuss. When you come home, greet him calmly. This will teach him that your leaving is not something to be concerned about. Call us so we may show you positive techniques on how this can be easily done.
You are the center of your dog's world. You may be tired after a long day at work, but your dog has spent the day anxiously awaiting your return. Reward that loyalty with your time.
How can I be a more responsible pet owner?
Train Your Dog !!!!
call us at: 315-334-3688
Be The Alpha
Be consistant
Teach Basic Commands
Socialize Your Dog
Praise Your Dog
Supervise Play With Children
Call us today for more information on how you can be a responsible pet owner. If you adopted a 8-10 week old puppy or even bought a purebred, this pup is a life long commitment. It is going to mature, and without rules and guidance at an early age, they can become unruly.When this happens,most turn to shelters or rescue groups.
Surrendering the dog is NOT the answer, training is!
Educating yourself and training your dog is the most responsible thing you can do to keep him, yourself and others safe from possible liabilites.
Is it ok for my dog to be on the couch with me?
Though we tell people pets should not be on the furniture, we cannot make you do it, we can only tell you why not to do it. However, if you like your pet on the furniture with you, they may do so, AS LONG AS IT IS ON YOUR TERMS. They cannot get up on the furniture themselves,if they do so, you must tell them "OFF" and take them off. Pause and wait, now YOU, as pack leader, can call them up onto the furniture. See the difference, it is under your terms that he is allowed up there, not his. Though this seems simple, consult us before attempting to try this.
