#canine supplements

[k9power]

K9 Power Puppy Gold®: Health Formula for Puppies & Moms

Support your puppy’s healthy growth with Puppy Gold®! This puppy dog food formula boosts energy, immunity, and development. Perfect for puppies and mother dogs.

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K9 Power - Puppy Gold®

Support your puppy’s healthy growth with Puppy Gold®! This puppy dog food formula boosts energy, immunity, and development. Perfect for pupp

[informpet]

What’s the squishy thing under my pup’s paw?

I may not always be learning something new when it comes to puppy raising and training, but I’m often reminded of something old that I may have forgotten. This past weekend we were puppy-sitting an adorable little puppy in training named Ted. Ted is the type of puppy you dream of bringing home.  

His Mom's is doing an awesome job raising him!  At only 7 months old he’s already very easy going, well behaved, very good out in public, super cute, and basically just a rock star puppy in training.  He isn't without his faults.  He really liked picking up the leaves and grass in the backyard.  So we worked on his “leave it” command.  We also heard he’s a seasoned veteran when it comes to destroying his doggy toys.

We heard he destroyed his black KONG!  Now that’s quite a feat, dogs easily damage their paws so whenever you notice that your dog is having a difficulty in walking or you see him limping take notice of this and take him to the vet asap before the pain gets worse.

[informpet]

The Reasons as to why you should Crate Train your Puppy

If you have an experience in crate training puppies you probably know how frustrating the first few days are. When you first start crate training the future benefits of a well-behaved, crate trained puppy are not always apparent.

After crate training my last half dozen puppies I've found some future benefits that I didn't initially think about during those first few restless nights listening to my puppy whining, crying, howling, barking, scratching right, you get the picture don’t you? Every pup is different.  This isn't a post about how to crate train your puppy instead we are going to talk about some of the future benefits of crate training a puppy.

Linus is a rescue dog and he gets spooked easily.  Fireworks, thunder, heavy rain, wind, basically any kind of loud sound outside the house puts Linus on high alert.  Linus has a thunder shirt and it definitely helps although I wouldn't say it’s the end all be all of curing his anxiety.

However the thing that helps Linus the most during these stressful times is his crate.  The last few days when I've noticed Linus is nowhere to be found I would look around the house and low and behold he’d be lying there in his crate. When you are out on a drive in the car with your puppy there are several safer options then letting your puppy hop around the front or back-seat sticking his head out the window.  One option is crating your puppy while riding in the car.  If you've crate trained your puppy then they will easily relax in the crate while you drive without any difficulty. 

[informpet]

Reducing your Dog’s Tendency to Bite

Dogs have a tendency to bite. The blame may be laid on the victim, the dog or the owner, but it is the owner who has shoulders the ultimate responsibility and cost. From pain to suffering to time lost from work to paying the medical bills, all liability is on the owner.

Dog owners have to take their share of responsibility in protecting other people and animals from their dogs. However, they also need to protect their dogs from people. Children have a tendency to jump and run around dogs or want to pet an unknown dog. Such acts can surprise or scare a dog and may cause it to respond by scratching or biting.

There is never a 100 percent guarantee that your dog will never bite someone. However, you can reduce the risk significantly by knowing more about dogs and ensuring they are treated in a way that makes sense to them. Spaying or neutering your dog often calms some more aggressive instincts and therefore is a first step in reducing aggressive behaviour such as biting. Such dogs are also less likely to roam or fight with other dogs.

Socializing your dog is an important step too as introducing your dog to different people and other dogs means that it learns to associate people and dogs with good reactions and safety rather than fear and therefore a temptation to  bite.

Training your dog is essential. You need to accompany your dog to a regular training class. This will help it to socialize and it (and you) will  learn the proper techniques of training. Be sure to never send your dog away for training. You are the one who can teach it to behave properly at home. Training classes can be a great investment.

You need to be alert to your dog’s behavior when there are children around. Lively play may frighten or excite your dog. The dog in such a situation may respond by biting. You also need to make sure that unknown children stay away from your dog.

You also need to teach your dog the correct behavior. Be sure to never train it to chase or attack others, even if it is just a joke. This is because dogs cannot understand the difference between real life situations and jokes.

Through these tips you may reduce the chances of your dog biting others. 

[informpet]

Understanding your dog’s behaviour

It is often said that the owners of dogs are the ones that need training, not the actual animals themselves. Often this is shown to become a truth, when you realise that many dogs that end up at dog shelters are there because of a lack of understanding on the part of the owner, not the animal. What compels owners to resort to this extreme course of action? In many cases,  dog owners are surprised at seeing their dog growling, barking or adopting an 'aggressive' stance. This causes immense worry among some dog owners and, out of fear of being attacked by the dog, they put these animals into a dog shelter.

As discussed, the problem, however, does not lie solely in the aggressive behavior, growling or barking. The problem is often a failure to understand the feelings and emotions of the dog. Dogs have their own language as does any other animal. The best way to prevent the occurrence of dog bites or undesirable behavior on the part of the dog is to understand your dog’s aggression and its language.

Aggression in a dog manifests when it feels its social position is being challenged. The challenger may be another dog or even a human. Dogs are pack animals and it is the social order that helps protect and feed them. However, owners of even a single dog may observe dominant aggression on part of the dog. This is because the dog sees the owner as a member of its own pack. For example, take the case of a dog who sits on its favorite chair. The owner may get angry and ask the dog to get down. The dog may respond by showing aggression and start growling.

The aggression that the dog owners see in such cases is on account of the challenge that the dog perceives to its social position. This is why it will try to claim – and fight for – the best seating arrangement. The reaction of the owner is key in deciding whether the dog’s aggressive behavior increases or whether the dog takes a more submissive stance.

This is why it is imperative that the source of the aggression be fully understood. Understanding a dog’s language, social perception and how it communicates is also equally important. Giving your dog away to a shelter is not always the best solution.

[informpet]

Crucial reasons for a dog’s bad breath

If you’re a dog owner and have come across bad breath being exhaled by your pet, then have you ever wondered what is causing this bad breath? The major reason for such a problem is tartar having built up on the dog’s teeth. It could also be due to advancing gum disease if the tartar remains untreated for some time. The problem with dogs is that throughout their entire lives they get an accumulation of a material called tarter on their teeth. It is made up of tiny food particles, bacteria and mineral deposits. The bacteria break down the food particles and tend to live on the rough surface that the mineral deposit yields.

The reason behind the bad breath is the release of sulphur compounds into the air. These sulphur compounds are released due to the action of the bacteria on the protein molecules. The bacteria feed on the protein molecules for nourishment. This process is similar to the process in humans. It also causes bad breath in humans but the main difference is that in the human mouth, the bacteria are found on the tongue.

In order to avoid bad breath from your dog, it is imperative that the tartar be removed as quickly as possible. The situation can get far worse than just bad breath and hence needs to be addressed as soon as possible. A much better way to avoid bad breath would be to get rid of the plaque as soon as it forms. This is because it is exactly plaque that causes the formation of tartar. If tartar remains untreated, then it may cause gum disease and inflammation. Further delay in its treatment could cause the bacteria to enter the blood stream. Once it enters the blood stream, these bacteria could prove to be lethal as they attack the internal organs and cause complications such as liver failure, heart failure or kidney failure. So it may cause death.

Hence, it becomes very important that the issue of bad breath be treated immediately as any delay could lead to severe consequences.