Pets> Perks of Having a Pet Dog

Image1: Hugging Pillow, the pet dog

Image2: Say hello to Tilli the Daschund

Image3: Early morning cuddle

Image4: Hey there!
Image by: Tanya Munshi

Text by: Tanya Munshi

Unadulterated affection
Your dog jumps with joy and licks your face with the same excitement everyday whenever you come back from work. Doesn’t it surprise you one bit that the four legged pal of yours never gets bored of welcoming you daily for so many years? This is one unadulterated form of affection that most non-animal lovers miss out on.

Stress buster
The joy of being received and unconditional love has the power to shoo away all your work tensions in a jiffy. If you haven’t realized it by now, then next time you enter your home and your dog greets you, see how you feel.

Will keep you fit
A pet dog will never ever let you be lazy. If its time for walk, it will ensure that you get up from your couch and take it out for a run and play. Think about it in this way, your pet dog enjoys your company no matter what. You don’t have to be well dressed or clean shaven, you can play any kind of silly, on the spot games and it will respond to your command. A pet dog offers you conditional fun. What more do you want?

A friend
With a pet dog around, you normally don’t feel lonely. Believe it or not, your pet dog can give you company when you’re in the lowest moods. It will be there for you, it may not talk but it surely does understand emotions. Dogs are highly sensitive, they know when you are low and will be by your side.

Will listen to you
Had a bad day? Sit in front of your pet mutt and pour out all your day’s worries to it. Its eyes will respond and you will know it understands.

Healthy you
If you are enjoying your pet’s company and vice versa, imagine what it can do to your health? You tend to laugh more, play more and live life to the fullest. This way, a pet dog can help keep you healthy.

Pets> Basic Training for your Puppy!

Text by: Tanya Munshi
No matter how cuddly your pet puppy is, start its training from day one. If it’s mischievous and starts pouncing on your couch, sitting on your favorite cushion, you need to make it clear that this behavior is not fine. Put it down immediately and in a stern voice say, ‘No’. The pup should know its limits. As the puppy grows, it develops a superiority complex. It starts treating your home as its castle.
1
Let’s try a small experiment. Most of the times when you and your mutt return from a walk, watch who enters first. It will always be your dog. A dog always feels like a king and the need to enter first in its castle, you being the owner is immaterial to him. This is not a worrying aspect of a pet dog. Dogs are instinctively like that. They usually move in packs and are used to have a leader. In this case, they get to be a self proclaimed leader in whatever little way they can.
2
You need to make it clear to the puppy that you are the ‘leader’ of the house. If you find it happily chewing a shoe or creating havoc in your house, use a rolled up newspaper to tap (not so hard) on its behind. It will get the message that it is not permitted to do anything and everything it wishes in your house.
3
There will be instances, when the puppy will do its job right there in the house. So the first thing you need to do is keep an eye on the little one to evade such reoccurrences. Usually a puppy will start sniffing for a corner or a spot. You’ve got to watch out for this. As soon as you watch the pup trying to look for a corner to let go, quickly pick it up and run out to a lawn/ garden or place a newspaper right next to it. You have to now gradually start assigning time for the puppy to get used to. For a pup, the need to do its job will more frequent than an adult dog. So fix time slots for it and use a command for that. Gradually it will learn that it can go out thrice or four times a day and can do its job in peace.

Pets> Handy Tips to Bathe your Dog

Text: Tanya Munshi
Giving your dog a bath can be fun for you but not necessarily for your dog. All you need to know are some easy tips to ensure that even your dog enjoys a refreshing bath.

Before A Bath
o It is important to keep in mind your dog’s
• Age
• Breed
• Type of skin
• Length of fur
• Type of fur – thick or thin
o Check with the vet the frequency of bath and the type of product to be used keeping in mind the above parameters. For instance, if a dog has a skin infection, its frequency of bath will vary from that of a healthy dog.
o The size of your dog is also an important parameter. A small dog can be bathed in your bathroom, but a large dog’s bath is suited better on a terrace/backyard.
o For an indoor bath, a hand shower is the best way to bathe your pet. Keep shampoos and towels handy beforehand.
o If it’s an outdoor bath for a large dog, it’s preferable that you have someone to hold your dog while you bathe it with a garden hose/pipe. Large dogs are a little more difficult to handle during bath time than smaller dogs.

During A Bath
o Always use shampoos meant for dogs. The pH balance of dog shampoos are different from shampoos used by humans. Using shampoos meant for humans can cause excessive drying of your dog’s fur.
o Brush its fur forward and backward before a bath to allow the shampoo to reach the fur roots.
o If your dog allows you, place cotton swabs in its ears to prevent water from entering its ears. But remove them after the bath.

After A Bath
o After its bath, allow your dog to shake off as much water it can on its own.
o Then rub your dog with a dry towel to take off the remaining water from its coat.
o Wrap your index finger in a cloth and gently clean its ears.
o To prevent infections or ticks, boil a bunch of neem leaves and cool the concentrate. After the shampoo, give a last wash with the cool neem water.
o Once its fur dries up completely, comb your dog’s coat for a perfect look.

Published in Tips4me.com, on June 25, 2007
Link: http://www.tips4me.com/tips/petcare/preview_main.asp?tip=caninegrooming_cg