Dog Lovers Manual

It’s likely that your puppy has not been adequately socialized with other dogs. Alternatively, he may have had a bad experience with another dog. The best way of overcoming this problem is to take him along to puppy socialization classes at least once a week. This will help him to integrate with other young dogs around the same age as him, and learn the intricacies of pack code in a safe envionment. As he grows older you can progress to training classes, again on a regular basis to help you learn how to train him and for him to learn how to interact sociably with other dogs.

Yes, it is. Just like old people, elderly dogs need more rest in order to function as well as possible when they are active. Your dog should be allowed to rest undisturbed as and when he feels the need. Make sure that his bed is in a quiet spot in the house. old dogs can rest and/or sleep for up to 20 hours per day.

If the puppy is ignoring your bidding then you are not directing him properly. From the age of 6 months, a ‘teenage’ dog is likely to try it on’, and how you handle him at this stage is crucial. Get it wrong and you’ll have persistent problems that you’ll struggle to solve without expert advice. You’ll find that it pays dividends to enrol in a puppy socialization/training class, as attending on a regular basis will teach you how to communicate with your pet and what methods you should employ in order to get him to behave as you require.

An older dog’s circulatory system is not as efficient at maintaining body temperature as it once was. When he is too warm, he’ll pant to expel heat from his body via evaporation of moisture from his tongue, thereby lowering his body temperature. If your dog is suffering from a heart or lung problem, panting is a result of him trying to draw enough oxygen into his body to survive. If he’s stressed, he’ll use up more oxygen, so will pant to provided himself with more. If your pet appears distressed when panting, seek veterinary advice.

Make a non-slip and comfortable sling to place under your dog’s tummy using a towel. As he pulls himself along with his forelegs, you can support his hindquarters easily and without straining your back. Lower the sling slightly to allow him to relieve himself when required.
On tiled and wooden floors, put down a non-slip floor covering such as carpet to help prevent your dog slipping on them-such flooring surfaces are a major cause of limb and back injury suffered by elderly dogs.

No’ elderly pets enjoy learning new things just as much as young ones. They get a good deal of pleasure from mastering a tast or puzzle and then being rewarded for it. As with younger dog will then view what he did as acceptable and do it again. ignore behaviour you don’t want him to make a habit of and reward those you do wish to be repeated.

Games that involve more mental than physical agility are best. You can play your dog’s favourite activity games too, but on a more gentle scale so as not to tax his body too strenuously and risk injury. Reduce the length of walks and find new ones to maintain his interest. Gentle tug games and training exercises that your dog can do comfortably-for example, sit, stay, fetch and shake a paw-will help keep life enjoyable for you and your pet.

Yes, for two main reasons. The first is to prevent unwanted pregnancies in females, the second to help prevent both sexes wandering off in search of mates. A bitch is in season (receptive to mating) twice a year in most cases and can have up to eight or more pups per litter. With unplanned pregnancies presenting so many pups to find homes for it’s small wonder that rescue centres are full to capacity. Few inmates are lucky enough to find homes and the destruction figure to find homes and the destruction figure worldwide is simply straggering. Having escaped to find mates, dogs put themselves at risk of getting lost, catching or passing on disease, or being involved in an accident-many road accidents per year are attributed to wandering dogs. For further information on neutering, see below and opposite.

Provided he is fit and healthy, and is happy going into boarding kennels at holiday time, this should not present a problem. A good, caring kennels will take into account an elderly dog’s needs and provide for them accordingly. If your pet is not used to being kennelled and is not outgoing, confident and sociable by nature, or react badly to being separated from you, then it would be unkind to kennel him while you are away. In such cases, you will need to find an acceptable alternative.

Know as coprophagy (and sometimes, incorrectly, pica), this is quite common in dogs, although it seems disgusting to us. Other animals utilize food differently from dogs, so their faeces contain nutrients that the dog finds palatable or that his body craves. Dogs usually come to no harm from eating faeces, but the habit can lead to illness should they ingest dropping that contains viruses, parasites or anthelmintics (de-worming products).