01529 304273 - [email protected]
Housetraining isn’t particularly tricky but it does call for vigilance, patience, plenty of commitment and above all, consistency. Get used to spending a significant amount of time in your garden, whatever the time of day, with your puppy on a lead, waiting to be ever so enthusiastic about puppy pee and poop.
If you are someone who does a lot of planning, and you should be if you’re getting a puppy, consider the time of year you bring your puppy home. Believe me, its a lot easier to make those frequent trips out into the garden in the long warm days of summer than during long cold winter nights.
The alternative to training your dog to go straight outside is to ‘paper’ train him that is to train him to go on newspaper, rather than in the garden. However, unless you own a toy breed, at some point you’ll want to re-train your pup to outside. Personally I think house training a dog once is enough, why go through the process twice? Especially since you’ll have to ‘untrain’ the pup not to use paper anymore, as well as training it to go outside. Therefore I advise ‘biting the bullet’ and going straight for the garden option.
Every un housetrained puppy or dog will have accidents in the house, and more likely, several. Expect this—it’s part of living with a puppy. However the more consistent you are in following the basic housetraining procedures, the faster your puppy will learn acceptable behaviour. It may take several weeks to housetrain your puppy, and with some of the smaller breeds, it might take longer. In addition some dogs, particularly submissive dogs may urinate when excited, particularly when greeting someone they feel is dominant. This isn’t a house training issue, and will be considered in a different article.
THINK AHEAD … PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE
During high levels of stress pets can be very unpredictable. They also become unable to take account of their own personal safety and may panic. Therefore, it is your responsibility to look after their safety needs.
Always make sure your pet is wearing an identity tag and are microchipped to ensure it can be returned if it escapes and becomes lost.
* During the firework season, try to stay with your dog whenever possible *
Pets rolling in carcasses and the faeces of other animals is particularly unpleasant for owners, and most of us who own dogs have had the fun task of washing the stink and mess off our pet before letting them back indoors. However its very hard to prevent such an instinctive behaviour, and we know some dogs find it harder to resist than others.
Rolling in strong smelling substances is thought to be a behaviour handed down from their ancestors. There are different theories about why they do this:
It disguises their own scent, and smelling more like their environment they can get closer to their prey before being detected.
They can take back the scent to inform their pack of their find.
You can help save a dog’s (or even a cat’s life) life by registering your pet as a potential blood donor. Every day pets just like yours need blood transfusions. For many procedures a transfusion is a clinical necessity, without animal blood donors, veterinary surgeons could not undertake important and often life-saving operations. With advances in veterinary medicine, it is possible for vets to offer higher standards of care for their patients. In human medicine, supplies of blood and blood products are available through the efforts of the National Blood Transfusion Service. Vets however must rely on their own resources. Some veterinary practices keep their own stocks, whilst others rely on animal blood registers such as The Animal Blood Register (www.animalbloodregister.com). By becoming an animal blood donor, your pet can help vets help other pets through provision of life-saving blood transfusions.
If you are interested in this scheme please contact www.petbloodbankuk.org for details of sessions. For the area served by Safe and Hound, the nearest donating sessions are held at Ellwood and Briggs Veterinary hospital in Boston.
More and more people are discovering the benefits of using natural health treatments or “holistic medicine”. Though conventional medicine has experienced many breakthroughs that make modern life better, many people are willing to give alternative remedies a try, as a safe, more natural way of dealing with less serious, or chronic health problems.
Most natural dog remedies, as opposed to treatments, fall into three main categories, herbal remedies, flower essences, and homeopathic remedies. Physical treatments such as hydrotherapy, acupuncture and reiki are considered in their own article.
As you’ll find out, there are many natural dog remedies for you to consider when trying to improve your pet’s health, some fairly mainstream (like herbs) and some more controversial (like homeopathy).The key is not to ignore your traditional veterinarian but to become familiar with these alternative treatments for dog health in order to have more options when your dog becomes ill. One idea is to work with a holistic veterinarian who is also open to some of these natural treatments for dogs. Some of these remedies have more proven effects than others, with herbal remedies being the most proven, followed by flower essences, with homeopathy remaining arguable the most controversial.
There’s a lot of information on the web and in books on using alternative remedies, please use your own judgement about the safety of using this advise, for example one book I’ve recently read recommends treating distemper with Bach flower remedies, although it does qualify this advice later on in the section by stating that ‘seriously’ ill animals should be taken to a vet. As hopefully most dog owners know, Distemper is a killer, puppies not receiving a great deal of treatment are almost guaranteed to die, even those that do receive swift hospitalisation often succumb.
Personally my advice would be to seek veterinarian treatment for illness and accidents, but perhaps try some herbal/bach flower remedies for mild/minor emotional/nervous problems. I’ve personally had success with rescue remedy and valerian for poor travellers. However, I do have a scientific background, so I’m likely to be somewhat biased against homeopathy. So please treat this article like any other information you come across, and feel free to make up your own mind!
The Cairn Terrier is an alert, animated, hardy, little dog. They are adventurous, intelligent, strong, loyal, and tough–not a delicate lapdog but they usually enjoy playing with children. The Cairn is believed to be one of the oldest breeds of terrier north of the border. It is also rumoured to be an ancestor to all Scottish terriers, although there are no reliable records.
Although the breed had existed long before, the name Cairn Terrier was a compromise suggestion after the breed was originally brought to official shows in the United Kingdom in 1909 under the name Short-haired Skye terriers. This name was not acceptable to The Kennel Club due to opposition from Skye Terrier breeders, and the name Cairn Terrier was suggested in 1910 as an alternative. They are usually left-pawed,which has been shown in dogs to correlate to superior performance in tasks related to scent. Cairn Terriers are ratters. In Scotland they would search the cairns (man-made pile of stones) for rats and other rodents. Thus if one is kept as a household pet it will do the job of a cat, specifically catching and killing mice, rabbits, and squirrels.
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier does everything full throttle: play, work and love. It is extremely courageous and obedient, affectionate with a sense of humour. The breed is people loving and its reputation with children is second to none. Adored and adoring within its own family circle, it tends to greet everyone enthusiastically, it doesn’t make a good guard dog.Staffordshires are certainly not the pet for people who prefer quiet or reserved pets. Staffords are usually good with other pets in the household, but may often be combative with dogs outside the family.
They are intelligent, persistent and active, although not a good swimmer. As a puppy they tend to chew a great deal so make sure you provide them with plenty of chew toys. Their powerful jaws will tear though vinyl toys to get to the squeaker in no time. This can be dangerous if the dog swallows the plastic. Be sure to only give your Staffie strong toys. Do not let puppies chew on human hands. Do not allow it to be off its leash unless it is safe to do so, be particularly aware of the presence of other dogs. Like many terriers, they have a strong vermin hunting drive and may take off after rabbits and other small furry animals.
They can be trained for agility and competitive obedience. The breed competes in agility and obedience in the UK at the highest level. Staffie’s love a challenge and variety. Owners need to protect these dogs from injuring themselves. Totally fearless and curious, they’re liable to jump off of a deck or walk through broken glass.
The English Springer Spaniel is a dog for all seasons, an endearing energetic companion for the owner who is willing to give it the time that it deserves. Highly thought of by the police as sniffer dogs, well known in the field trial world for their tireless enthusiasm, many a rough shooting man’s friend, a joy to behold when moving round the show ring in their own distinctive style, a wonderful family pet and a good companion for young and old alike. The Springer is a sociable breed that enjoys the company of children and handles the company of other pets well. If left alone for too long, they can become destructive and mischievous through boredom. They love the water, and tend to get wet whenever they have the chance.
This popular gun dog breed is traditionally used for flushing and retrieving game. It is an affectionate, excitable breed with an average lifespan of twelve to fourteen years.Descended from the Norfolk or Shropshire Spaniels of the mid-19th century, the breed has diverged into separate show and working lines. The breed suffers from average health complaints. The show-bred version of the breed has been linked to “rage syndrome“, although the disorder is very rare. It is closely related to the Welsh Springer Spaniel and very closely with the Cocker Spaniel; less than a century ago, springers and cockers would come from the same litter, the only distinguishing feature being size. They are used as sniffer dogs on a widespread basis. The term springer comes from the historic hunting role, where the dog would “spring” (flush) birds into the air.
The breed name ‘cocker spaniel’ can be used to refer to two similar breeds, the English Cocker Spaniel and the American Cocker spaniel although each breed is called ‘Cocker spaniel’ in its country of origin. The major differences between the English and American varieties is that the American is smaller with a shorter back, a domed head and a shorter muzzle, while the English variety is taller with a narrower head and chest. This article will refer to the English version. The Cocker spaniel is only surpassed by the Labrador in popularity in the UK with over 20,000 registered with the Kennel Club every year.
The English Cocker Spaniel, known as the ‘Merry Cocker’ due to its cheerful temperament and constantly wagging tail is an intelligent, sturdy and robust dog. Lively, perky and lovable, pleasant, gentle, playful and affectionate, they are excellent with children and usually get on with other animals. They are average barkers, and are willing and happy to listen to their owners. Generally an outgoing breed, taking to strangers easily, but some individuals can be reserved without enough socialization.
Like many other working breeds there are two types, field lines and show lines. Field types are bred for hunting and field trial work. The bench type are bred for conformation shows. Both types are energetic and need daily exercise, but field lines have a higher energy level, and need even more exercise. The dominancy level in this breed varies widely even within the same litter. They are sensitive to the tone of one’s voice and will not listen if they sense they are stronger minded than their owner, however they will also not respond well to harsh discipline. If you are not the type of person who can display a natural air of calm, but firm authority, then be sure to choose a pup who is more submissive. The temperament of both show and field lines vary widely, depending upon how the owners treat the dog and how much and what type of exercise they provide.
One of the most popular breeds in the world, the Labrador Retriever is loyal, loving, affectionate and patient, making great family dogs. Highly intelligent, good-natured, very willing and eager to please, they are among the top choices for service dog work. They love to play, especially in water, never wanting to pass up the opportunity for a good swim. These lively dogs have an excellent, reliable, temperament and are friendly, superb with children and equable with other dogs. They crave human leadership and need to feel as though they are part of the family. Labs are easily trained. Some may be reserved with strangers unless very well socialized, preferably while they are still puppies. Adult Labs are very strong, train them while they are a puppy not to pull, and not to bolt out doorways and gateways before the humans. These dogs are watchdogs, not guard dogs, although some have been known to guard. They can become destructive if the humans are not 100% pack leader and/or if they do not receive enough mental and physical exercise, and left too much to their own devices. Like most gun dogs they usually go through a chewing stage as puppies. Show lines are generally heavier and easier going than field lines. Field lines tend to be smaller and have a slighter build than show lines but are very energetic and will easily become high strung without enough exercise.
The smooth, short-haired, double coat is easy to groom. Comb and brush regularly with a firm, bristle brush, paying attention to the undercoat. Bathe or dry shampoo only when necessary. These dogs are average shedders. Labradors com in three colours, black yellow and chocolate, with more working dogs being black and yellow, rather than chocolate.