Pet Auto Safety

When owning a pet it is seen as an addition to the family. This said the most important reason why pet insurance is vital is because it is impossible to predict whether at some point your pet will fall ill or have a serious accident. You simply wouldn’t take that chance when considering health insurance for any other family member but people don’t value pet insurance as highly. For these reasons alone getting pet insurance is one of the most important things to do when getting a domesticated animal, nearly as important as getting the animal itself.

One of the greatest benefits of pet insurance is that it doesn’t just cover your pet when it becomes seriously ill, it covers it for a wide range of other problems as well. Pet insurance covers everything from regular check-ups to advertising if your pet ever becomes lost or stolen. Some plans even cover bereavement counselling. These are just some of the benefits that are covered by policies and it genuinely shows how much the policies have progressed through the years to give you and your pet the best plan possible. Pet insurance therefore provides peace of mind and financial assurance.

Find cheap pet and cheap rabbit insurance quotes at PetsAtHome.com.

Happy Memorial Day from Sephi and Maya.  Remember to keep your dog safe when you travel this holiday season.  Travel safe and be safe wherever you and your dog go.

Pet Travel Safety
Keep your dog in the back seat with a pet net or pet barrier, have him wear his dog car seatbelt, or put him in a pet car seat.

Provide Water and Shade
If you are traveling a long distance, make sure your dog has plenty of water and do not leave him in alone in the car.  Just because it is cool outside this time of year does not mean that it won’t get as hot as an oven in your car.  If outdoors, be sure you dog has a shaded place to rest.  You may also want to consider sunscreen for you dog - especially short-haired breeds.

Identification and Restraint
Before traveling with your dog, make sure all his id tags and/or microchipping have your current contact information.  Your dog should be on a leash at all times when outside unless you are sure the area of a yard or enclosed dog park has secured fencing.  If your dog is boating, he should have his own dog life jacket.

Barbeque Dangers
If barbequing, keep foodstuff away from your dog.  Food like chicken have bones and should not be given to your dog.  Dogs should not have onions, chocolate, nuts (except peanuts), or grapes.  Fattening food should be avoided or it may make your dog’s tummy upset.  Also, keep your dog away from the barbeque pit.  A wagging tail can be dangerous around fire.  And over excited dog may accidentally run into the barbeque pit, knocking it down or knocking out hot coals.Be Aware of the Surroundings

Keep a close eye on your dog whenever he is around a lot of people, and especially small children.  Some dogs are uncomfortable around a lot of people and kids and he may react negatively if he feels cornered.  Your dog may be good around children and other people, but children and other people may not be good with your dog.  Protect your dog’s comfort as well as his safety.  Also, be aware of any loud noises which may disturb your dog.  Will there be a military memorial service in the area where shots will be fired?  Your dog will most likely be terrified of these types of sound and may try to escape them.

If you are like me, your dog is your family and you want to take him wherever you go.  You also want him safe and happy.  Pet travel safety and other pet safety is important.  Enjoy the holiday weekend and every day with your family.

It’s almost spring.  Time to be outdoors again.  Your dog misses the dog park and other fun travel destinations.  But with warm weather and more travel, your dog is likely to encounter parasites like fleas and ticks.

Ticks are small parasites that can cause a variety of big problems for your dog. Aside from their nasty habit of sucking your dog’s blood, ticks can carry disease and even cause anemia and paralysis. One of the best ways to avoid the hassles and hazards of a tick infestation is to use a topical preventative like K9 Advantix. It’s also a good idea to get to know ticks so you can learn to identify and avoid them.

Ticks often lurk in tall grass or thick vegetation, waiting to attach to a host. Heat and movement attract ticks, so your warm, active pup is in need of extra protection against them. Once a tick finds a host to feed on, it will attach itself and drink the host’s blood for a few hours to several days. Ticks can live for a few months and some even live for years. An adult female tick can lay hundreds of eggs at a time. Ticks develop from eggs to larvae, nymphs then adults. Once out of the egg, ticks of any stage of life will attach to a host body. For this reason, ticks can range in size from the size of a pen point to the size of a bean.

To check your dog for ticks, feel over his body for bumps, especially around his ears, neck and other areas where the fur may be thinner. If you feel any bumps, part your pup’s fur and use a flashlight to see if you can identify a tick. Should you spot a tick, your veterinarian can assist you in removing it quickly and cleanly. Never squeeze a tick as doing so can cause bacteria and disease to be injected into your dog. Keep in mind that if your dog may be exposed to ticks, prevention and early detection are key to keeping your four-legged friend tick-free.

This is the time of year to give and to help those in need.  When you donate your time, belongings, or money to children and people in need this year, don’t forget that there are animals in need too.  Animal shelters get overloaded right after the Christmas holidays so anything you donate now will help.

Why are animal shelters overloaded after Christmas?  Because people give pets as gifts and, more often than not, it doesn’t work out.  Also, pets sometimes get out and get lost during the craziness of visiting families or the going in and out for holiday shopping.  Donate dog food, blankets, dog toys, or money to your local animal shelter.  Do it for yourself.  Or donate on behalf of someone else as a gift.

Take care of your pets when you travel and help pets in need and have a happy tail-wagging Christmas!

Are you traveling a long distance for the holidays?  If so, you may be trying to decide what you should do with your dogs.  Should you take them with you, put them in a boarding kennel, leave them in the care of a friend or neighbor, or hire a pet sitter?  Perhaps you have tried one of these methods and they did not work out for you.  Maybe one of these options is not available.  Or perhaps one of these options is out of your budget.  If you are having some trouble deciding, consider the following advantages and disadvantages of each option.

Take Your Dog With You
Obviously this has the biggest advantage is that you know your dog will be cared for.  You will also be able to enjoy your Holiday with your best friend.  But if you are flying, that could be a big disadvantage in both cost and comfort for your dog.  Flying can be very traumatic for a dog - especially if they are bigger dogs which have to be put in the cold and dark cargo area of the plane.  Weather can also be an issue because animals are not allowed to fly in extreme hot or cold weather.  And cold weather is a big likelihood this season.  If you are traveling by car, consider how your dog travels in the car.  Do they get car sick?  Are they afraid of riding in the car?  Also, you will want to make sure your pet rides in a pet car seat or is wearing a dog seat belt.

Boarding Kennel
Most boarding kennels provide excellent care.  You will want to visit them before-hand to make sure.  Perhaps even consider a boarding kennel which was the new web cams so that you can see for yourself how your dog is doing.  An obvious disadvantage is the cost.  Many boarding kennels charge a flat fee for boarding, day play, and special attention.  But some boarding kennels charge extra fees for this service.  Even boarding kennels with a flat fee can be expensive.  In my area, it is about $25 per day so four days gone for the holiday is $100. Another disadvantage of a boarding kennel is illnesses which sometimes tend to frequent such facilities.  A boarding kennel may have the cleanest facility around but with so many dogs, the chances of your dog catching an airborne illness increases.  Be sure to select a boarding kennel which requires all dogs to get bordetella shots.  Also consider your pet’s temperament.  Some dogs, like my dog Sephi, would hate a boarding kennel.  Putting them in a place which they don’t like could cause more stress and in turn make them more susceptible to illness.

Hire a Pet Sitter
If your dog won’t like a boarding kennel, they may do better being left in the comforts of their own home.  A hired pet sitter can come by 2 to 3 times per day for feeding, walking, affection, and play time.  However, pet sitters can cost as much as a boarding kennel.  Also, if your dog craves attention, the limited visits of a pet sitter may not be enough.  And since a pet sitter does not visit as often, they may not notice any illness or depression issues.

Enlist a Friend
Having your friend or neighbor take care of your dog is a good advantage expense-wise.  It can also be a good alternative for dogs who don’t like boarding kennels.  And a dog who stays with someone they know and trust will be less likely to get depressed.  But finding a friend or neighbor who is going to be able to care for your dog over the holidays may be difficult.  Many people are traveling this time of year.

When I traveled to Oregon one holiday, my biggest concerns were expense and the temperament of my dogs.  We were going to fly to Oregon and taking the dogs was not an option due to cold weather.  Not only that, Sephi has flown before and hated it so I did not want to subject her to that again.  So my only options were boarding kennel, hire a pet sitter, or enlist a friend or neighbor.  Luckily I had a friend who could take one dog, but she couldn’t take both.  Since Sephi doesn’t like boarding kennels, I decided Sephi could stay with the friend.  Since Maya loves to play with other dogs and we had a good boarding kennel which gave all the dogs an all-day play session, I decided to board her.

Be sure that you also consider your dog’s health temperament when making a decision.  Their happiness and well-being is far more important than accumulating a little more holiday expenses.  Take your dog with you when you can.  Try to enlist a friend or trusted neighbor if you can’t.  And if neither is available, budget for a boarding kennel or pet sitter.

As a certified dog trainer, I read a lot of dog training books.  One particular book I bought specifically in order to get help with my dogs.  That book is called, “Feisty Fido, Help for the Leash-Reactive Dog”.  My dogs, Sephi and Maya, walk pretty well on a leash until they see another dog.  I struggle to keep a hold of them as they pull.  Sephi is pulling because she doesn’t like other dogs and she wants to go after them.  Maya is pulling because she loves other dogs and she wants to go play with them.  This book has been very useful in helping me understand why my dogs are behaving this way and what I can do to correct their behavior.  Check out my review of the book at the American Dog Blog.  Then visit our new Dog Lover’s Book Store in order to purchase it from Amazon.com.

 Because I love dogs, I also read a lot of stories about dogs.  I recently read a fantastic fictional story by W. Bruce Cameron titled, “A Dog’s Purpose”.  This story is told from a dog’s perspective.  The dog describes his different lives as a stray, as a family pet, as a working dog, and as a backyard dog.  Although there were parts in this book that made me cry with sadness, there were also parts that made me cry with joy.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  You can read the review of this book at the American Dog Blog as well.  And this book is also available at the Dog Lover’s Book Store.

The Dog Lover’s Book Store is an Amazon.com affiliated store so you can trust its integrity, security, and service.  We will be adding more books to the Dog Lover’s Book Store as we read and buy them.  (Our book reviews will go on the American Dog Blog.)  

Training your puppy must begin as soon as he/she arrives home. The first days are important as both owner and puppy are enthusiastic and eager to please each other. Before the puppy arrives, family members should all agree on how they will share the chores; when feeding should take place, daily walks etc; these are important subjects to discuss so a routine can be established. It is your responsibility as an owner to provide direction and boundaries.

This is the bonding period, the time when your relationship will develop, build and strengthen. It is your guidance that will help shape his character.

By doing this, you are preparing your puppy for his own well-being and how he will be accepted during his lifetime. The other advantage of proper training is that both you and your dog will be accepted socially and you, as the owner will be looked upon as a successful dog owner.

You might run into some difficulties with your new pet, some more challenging than others. Only by understanding the reason this is happening can you deal with the situation.

Separation anxiety is common in 10% of dogs; they will show anxiety very often if their routine changes or if you move house.

Aggressive behavior can be shown when the dog is untrained. If your animal is being aggressive and starts biting, it’s best to seek the help of a professional dog trainer.

Barking is another common problem you might have to deal with. Dogs bark when they are excited, but when it becomes excessive and causes disruption to you and your neighbors, you need to check whether they are perhaps bored, defending their territory, or unwell.

A common pet question that can arise is how to get your puppy to stop chewing furniture. This is often the result of boredom or not having a toy to chew on. This habit can be expensive for you if not checked early!

Techniques for Dog Training:
Keep it simple to start off with; simple commands with lots of encouragement and reward for doing it right. All animals respond to positive encouragement.

Play with him gently and keep the sessions short; this is new stuff he’s learning and by keeping the sessions short you will be more flexible and patient and your puppy will not tire too quickly. You should both be enjoying these sessions.

Create acceptable and unacceptable boundaries for your animal. Again, make them simple and above all, stick to them.

Partnership between dogs and humans has existed for centuries now. People quickly learned the advantages of taking their dogs hunting, particularly with dogs used to guard livestock. Over the years however, with the advent of dog shows, breeding and training of dogs, partnership between humans and dogs have evolved considerably, the role of guide dogs today is a prime example. Humans seeking companionship and protection and dogs looking for shelter and food are surely the basis for good partnership.

Spring is here and it’s time to go to the lake or the beach again. And if you are like me, you are probably going to want to take your dog. The lake or the beach is a fun place to visit, but it can also be dangerous. The American Dog Blog has some great safety tips for every member of your family. Read the bulleted points below, then visit the American Dog Blog for more details.

* Wear Life Jackets

* Beware of Water Anomalies - such as sneaker waves, rip currents, and underwater debris.

* Beware of Other Animals - both animals on the water’s edge and in the water.

* Wear Sunscreen

* Keep an Emergency Kit Handy

* Keep Fresh Water Available

* Beware of Heat Exhaustion

* Watch for Fatigue

* Protect Your Dog’s Feet from Glass, Hot Sand, Sharp Rocks

* Rinse Off Ocean Salt Water

Have you ever considered rain gear for your dog? I smile every time I see a dog wearing clothes and sometimes think it is silly. But having your dog wear a rain coat has a great benefit. You can take your dog for a walk in the rain and don’t have to worry too much about that “wet-dog” smell when you get home. Sure, the dog will get a little wet, but not as wet. You can minimize how wet your dog gets even more by having them wear dog rain boots. But personally, I think that is a bit too much. It is easier to get your dog used to wearing a rain coat than it is to get them used to wearing rain boots. Most dogs just don’t like things on their feet.

For great rain gear for your dog, I find that the best place to shop is at Amazon.com. It is safe, secure, and easy.

Check out the American Dog Blog for a great article on fundamental dog training tips.  The article touches on four basic elements which need to be used for every command you teach your dog.  It doesn’t matter if you are teaching your dog to sit or if you are teaching them to run through an obstacle course.  These four basic tog training tips are used by almost every effective dog trainer.  Check out the American Dog Blog for more details.