Searching for the Right Vet?
Commonsense Tips to Help You Choose A Veterinarian
First, see if your breeder can recommend you to his/her vet. Also ask for recommendations from other dog owners that you can trust. You can learn a lot from their experiences.
If you do not know anyone who owns a dog, your next bet is to check the Yellow Pages or better yet, the internet.
Below are 3 considerations when choosing the right vet for your dog.
Proximity: Is the vet close to your home? Try to find an office as close to your home as possible, driving distance. It’s very important to know that help is just a few miles away. As a back-up, it’s also a good idea to identify the nearest animal medical center/hospital for emergency situations.
Small Practice? Large Practice?: Similar to human health care, veterinary care is either done in a small practice (where you are able to see the same vet on every visit throughout your dog’s life), or a large practice (where you get to see the first available vet on duty).
In a small practice, your vet will be able to get to know your pet on a more personal level. This will help him with his diagnosis and keep track of your dog’s health better in the long run.
On the other hand, it may be more practical to choose a vet that belongs to a large practice because it is quicker to get an appointment in an office where there are more doctors available. This is crucial, especially during an emergency.
Specialist: If your dog suffers from a specific type of health problem, look for a veterinarian who specializes in that field.
7 Tips for Staying Safe Around Strange Or Aggressive Dogs
A Dog Care Digest Safety Tip: A knowledge of canine body language can protect you and your children around strange or threatening dogs. If you understand how the animal will interpret your body movements and facial expressions, you will know how to act (or react) in a nonthreatening way and avoid a possible aggressive attack.
Here are a few rules to follow:
1. Never approach an unknown dog without first asking its owner if it’s all right. If the owner is not around, don’t approach the dog.
2. Never run up to a dog, or make quick, jerky gestures toward it that might be interpreted as a threat. Move slowly and deliberately.
3. Many people immediately squat down to be at a dog’s eye level. Don’t do this. Staring into a strange dog’s eyes may be considered a challenge by the dog; an invitation to fight. If you get down low, you’re telling the dog, “Look, I’m submissive to you.”
4. When you meet a dog for the first time, make your hand into a loosely closed fist, fingers down, and extend it slowly to allow the dog to sniff your knuckles. Never put your open hand over the dog’s head as if to pat it, because this is interpreted as a threat by many dogs. If the dog is calm and friendly, you can then turn your hand over, palm up, but continue to keep your fingers curled in lightly; then you can gradually uncurl your fingers and let the animal nuzzle your hand if it wants to.
5. If a strange dog approaches you, stay still. If you’re standing, put your arms at your sides. Don’t raise your arms as the dog may think that you are threatening it. If you’re on the ground, lie face-down. Let the animal sniff at you - soon it will lose interest and go away.
6. Adults should never snatch a small child away or up from a dog, because the animal may then perceive the child as a toy; a stuffed animal to run and grab. If an adult calmly places herself between the child and the dog, the dog will understand that she’s being protective, and that’s pack-related behavior.
7. Running away is interpreted by a dog as flight behavior and almost always triggers an instinctive chase reaction in a dog, in which it sees you, the runner, as potential prey.
To sum up, stay calm and use common sense around any dog. It will understand by your reactions and body language that you are not a threat and will leave you alone.
Avoid Dog Injuries Due To Leash Straining
Whenever you see owners being dragged down the street by their dogs, it begs the question: “Who’s walking whom?”
It’s strange . . . leash pulling usually becomes an “issue” only after a large dog has finally succeeded in pulling its owners off their feet, resulting in embarrassment or worse yet, injury.
Most dog owners have no idea that their frustrated leash-pulling dog might actually suffer physical harm during their daily tug-of-war. And tug-of-war it is: for a dog who is intent on straining the leash, even choke chains and pinch collars are not a complete solution. Some dogs will cease pulling only long enough to cough, regurgitate or take a few deep breaths, then continue struggling forward.
Studies have shown that a significant percentage of dogs who are serious leash-strainers or who experience repeated harsh jerks suffer from neck or spinal injuries.
So what to do?
SitStayFetch - Dog Training To Stop Your Dog Behavioral Problems!
Save your dog from spinal injury and yourself the embarrassment and get help on proper dog training methods that will solve the behavioral problem that’s causing leash-straining.
