Providing dog bones to your dog is a contentious concept with many folks “for” and many “against” the idea. There are pros and cons to feeding dog bones.  This article will offer some comments from both side of the fence to help you decide.

Some animal health care practitioners will tell you most problems with dog’s teeth are caused by not having a hard object to chew on. Chewing on a hard bone provides a natural cleaning experience for your dog’s teeth and can reduce dental problems.  The hard bone literally scrapes tarter from the teeth and lowers the risk of gum disease. The synthetic bones such as nylon can remove hard to reach plaque and tarter. The resulting smooth tooth surface is less likely to reform plaque.

Chewing is a natural habit for dogs. Providing him with dog bones is also a better alternative to allowing him to chew on household items.

Here are some things to be cautious about when feeding a dog bone. Some dogs chew more vigorously and can break teeth on a bone. If he breaks the bone he is chewing on he can swallow bone fragments, which can be dangerous. These pieces of bone can become lodged inside the dog. A puncture of internal organs can occur and possibly an infection.

Animal professionals offer varied opinions as to whether dog bones are a good idea. Observe your dog’s chewing habits and jaw strength before choosing your bone type. Overlook his chewing activities. If he breaks a bone be sure to discard the fragments.

The correct bone can be enjoyable and healthy for your dog.  The wrong bone can lead to a trip to the vet. Here are a few general rules.

Most opinions say that raw bones are less likely to break than cooked bones. Choosing raw bones over cooked bones is probably the better choice. Large marrowbones available at your local pet supply are a good choice to reduce splintering problems.

Bones made of rawhide can be a good choice but be sure to remove small fragments that may break off.

Nylon bones provide another good alternative. Nylon wears down very slowly and virtually eliminates any swallowing of material.

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Pet owners who have puppies as well as senior dogs often find themselves the most in need of dog urine odor removal. Accidents often happen to both older incontinent dogs as well as young pups learning to be housebroken. It’s important to completely remove the dog urine odor so that your pet won’t return to relieve himself again on the same spot.

Especially when the urine has spilled onto an upholstered fabric or carpeted surface, speed is important in order to successfully remove the urine odor before it has a chance to dry. Grab a clean cotton rag or a wad of paper towels and mop up as much of the liquid as possible after the accident. If the urine has soaked into the carpet, put several newspapers on top of the spill and apply pressure to soak up as much of the urine as possible.

Now rinse the area with clean water and soak up as much as possible using a wet vacuum or sponge. Apply a commercially prepared dog urine neutralizer to the area which contains enzymes that break down the urine. These solutions work well on both upholstery as well as carpeting.

Other solutions can help to neutralize the urine odor and these include white vinegar diluted with water, full strength rubbing alcohol, dry baking soda sprinkled over the area and then vacuumed away when dried or liquid chlorophyll.

Never use hot water or steam cleaners to eliminate dog urine odors as the heat will likely set the stain and the odor will become permanent on the fabric or carpeting. It is also important to remove any soaked padding underneath the carpeting because unless you replace the padding, the faint trace of urine odor will continue even though the carpeting on top looks fresh and clean.

Removing dog odor urine on painted, varnished, tiled or other hard surfaces requires the same quick action as upholstery and carpeting because the acid content in urine will stain these surfaces. Wash the area with a mild detergent and cool water, then rinse with cold water and dry completely before evaluating whether or not you will need to wipe over the spot with an enzyme neutralizer to eliminate all traces of dog urine odor.

Continue to watch your puppy or dog within the next day or so to make sure they don’t return to that spot and be patient in retraining them to signal when they need to relieve themselves outside when necessary.

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Many dogs love to travel and taking Fido on vacation with you can be a lot of fun. Many hotels these days have become far more dog friendly and welcome canines as guests. However not every dog is a born road warrior. Here are some useful tips to make a traveling with your dog a little bit easier:

Identification – Even if your dog is micro chipped (which many are these days) he should still be wearing a collar with a tag that clearly states his name, address and telephone number when traveling. If your dog wanders off at home, chances are that a neighbor will recognize him, but while on vacation in a strange place it is essential that he can easily identified and returned quickly to his owner.

Food and Water – When traveling by car always keep a good supply of fresh clean water at hand for your dog. To avoid tummy upsets bring your dog’s regular dog food along with you on the trip as well. Some dogs are already prone to a little travel sickness so feeding him a strange brand of food may only exacerbate the problem.

Crates – The best way for your dog to travel in the car is in a comfortable dog crate. Allowing your dog to be loose while you are driving is not a safe situation for either of you. If he doesn’t use one at home and you have to purchase one especially for the trip, look for a model that is big enough for him to stand up and turn around comfortably in, but not so large that sudden movements of the car will have him slung around all over the place.  There are many places in the online world to buy pet supplies, so be sure to pick out a quality dog crate that will fit your dog’s needs.

If your dog turns out to be a really bad traveling companion (and some just are), rather than make him miserable by shutting him up in a car where he does not want to be, leave him home with a reliable friend or neighbor or find a good boarding kennel for him to stay at while you enjoy your vacation.

Many people think that all dog food is created equal, but that simply is not the case today.  In fact, most commercially produced dog food is little more than starch and filler product, and it is no small wonder that most foods readily offered up many dogs are in fact allergic to.  Finding the right type of chow for spaniels and spaniel puppies is not usually too much tougher than it would be for any other breed of dog, but a few things must be considered.   

The first thing about Cocker spaniels specifically is that they have a long luxurious coat, and said coat is going to require a whole heck of a lot of protein to keep it in top shape.  That means even more than the average high quality dog food allows for.  Corn is going to make the coat greasy, which will in turn make it hard to groom and can cause the spaniel to have flakey, itchy skin, and over eighty percent of domestic dogs are allergic to it.  Rice is not a good call either, I don’t mind brown rice so much but white rice is a bad call for Cocker spaniel dogs. 

Remember, your dog will only feel as good as the food he is eating, and you would not expect your kids to thrive on a fast food diet so why make those expectations of your pet?  One of the number one causes of skin irritation in dogs is food allergy, and some foods are so indigestible that the dog will vomit, or else have stool so loose he cannot maintain healthy weight.  Some dogs become so grossly obese eating this high carbohydrate diet that they are lethargic, not wishing to play or exercise.  It is your job to make sure that this doesn’t become your dog, so look into quality food for your pet.

There is something attractive about having a purebred dog, bonafide with papers and everything.  You know exactly how the dog will look once it reaches maturity, its physical attributes, size coloring and temperament.  Some breeds have developed certain physical traits that were achieves by many generations of active breeding and even inbreeding.  Such structured breeding has produced the results that were intended, however there will always be side effects when the gene pool becomes limited.  If you are considering owning a purebred dog, it is important for you to know that each breed has its own defects that may or may not show up in every member of that breed.  In general, skeletal problems arise in both the very large breeds and the very small breeds, which have been selected and bred for their size and appearance, not for their longevity.

In the largest breeds such as the Great Pyranees, Great Dane and Newfoundland, the major skeletal problems are in the hip and shoulder joints.  These dogs have been bred over time to grow to an abnormally large size and put on a lot of muscle.  Unfortunately, the dogs that were selected to be bred through several generations were simply the biggest, strongest and most attractive, not necessarily the most healthy and structurally sound.  The shoulder and hip joints support all of the massive weight of these large animals and they tend to wear out prematurely, leaving the dog in a state of lessened mobility and a great deal of chronic pain.

In the smallest breed such as the Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier and Toy Poodle, there are two major issues: the knees and necks.  These dogs were bred to be companions and so those selected to breed were the most attractive and smallest.  These small dogs tend to have very thin, weak necks with very little musculature for support and are prone to a condition where the trachea collapses and makes breathing difficult.  A collapsed trachea usually happens as a result of prolonged tugging at a collar, or a hard jerk from a choke chain.  This is why it is advisable to avoid using a choke chain or a traditional collar with small lap dogs.  Instead, a Y or H harness is a much safer alternative.  Small breeds also tend to have knee joint problems, and they must never be allowed to jump from high tables or chairs, since the muscles and tendons surrounding the joint are also small and not very supportive of the joint.

Do you know how to train a dog that’s a a Staffordshire Terrier? If you are a fan of this breed, and looking for a loyal family dog, this article is for you.

For any dog, learning your routine is important. When your dog knows what to expect, things run more smoothly.

Many people believe that the dog should learn your routine, not you having to conform to the dog’s. The truth, though, is probably somewhere in between. Each living creature has to adjust to the other.

For a puppy, some structure is important. A Staffordshire Terrier pup loves to chew. Protect your puppy by keeping all chewable objects out of reach. Sometimes this requires a high degree of cleverness on your part. If you do not want the little one exploring certain rooms unsupervised, you can use a light piece of wood as a pet gate, or purchase a professional gate. This can be a great thing at a great value.

A dog crate and learning the routing of crating is important. How to crate a dog is essential knowledge for a dog owner.

Taking your pet for physical exercise will make for a happy relationship. This activity should be routine and predictable. The Staffordshire Terrier is an active breed, and requires exercise to blow off steam.

A good sleep routine is also important for your doggie.Making it predictable and not all over the place will again help your pet anticipate how the day is going to go.

Having meals at regular intervals is important for your canine’s health. following your vet’s recommendations about food and the proper amount of it is adviseable.

Attention is, of course, extremely critical for your dog. Staffordshire Terriers thrive on attention, and are a very communicative breed. Their intellect is always in action, so the more cognitive stimulation they have in the form of play and chatting with you, the better.

If you have the time and attention to give to a Staffordshire Terrier, and if you can establish a routine for both of you, you will have such a grand time with these pets.

Basic Potty Training for DogsHouse training a dog can be almost as stressful as potty training a toddler.  It can actually be even more stressful, there is no reasoning with a dog.  If you want to train your puppy, there are a few things that you can do to make it seem a bit less stressful.  The first thing you have to do is go out and buy some small little reward treats at your local pet store.  You will need these for positive reinforcement.Establish RoutinesJust like a child falls into a routine with daily activities, so does a dog.  The first thing you are going to have to do is to establish a routine during the day.  A puppy can usually hold its bladder one hour for every month it is old.  So, if your puppy is five months old than you cannot expect him or her to hold his bladder for more than five hours.Take Frequent Potty BreaksYou are going to have to take your puppy outside frequently to go to the bathroom.  They are going to have to get used to going to the bathroom outside.  The more you are outside the more they will get used to going to the bathroom outside of your home.  You may want to keep this in mind when you are deciding the best time to get a new puppy.  Someone is going to need to be around during the training phase.Pick a Special SpotIt will be helpful to you and to your neighbors if you pick a special potty spot outside.  Try to pick one place to take your dogs to the bathroom rather than always going for long walks.  You should also try to use words such as “potty” or “bathroom” when you go out so they can associate the words with the action.   You can play with them outside or go for longer walks when they have already gone to the bathroom.Try Rewards for Doing the Right ThingMake sure you reward your puppy when they do a good job.  Keep some small treats in your pocket and when they go to the bathroom outside, reward them.  Positive reinforcement is the best way to go.  It is important to remember that your puppy is probably going to make some mistakes as it learns.  Coming to terms with this from the beginning is a good idea.  You should also remember that screaming at a puppy who has had an accident while you were away is not effective.  Their minds are just not wired to associate what they did hours ago to your outrage as you stand in front of them.  Try to catch them when they do the RIGHT thing and then give them praise.  Just like a person, they’ll respond a lot better.