Dog Blog

There are a few tricks of the trade that all professional groomers use to give your dog that great look when they leave the shop. These simple little steps help your dog feel more comfortable and look better until the next trip to the groomer. If you are not squeamish it is possible to complete these grooming extras at home so that you can give your pooch that just from the groomers polished look.

Eyes - often with dogs there is a tearing or staining effect at the corner of the dog’s eyes. This can be a serious medical condition and should be checked by the vet, however there are other dogs, and some breeds, that are just prone to tearing. To remove discoloration on white and light colored dogs add a small amount of hydrogen peroxide to warm water. Using a soft cloth, and being extremely careful to not get too close to the eye itself, apply the dampened cloth to the stained area, moving in the direction of hair growth. If you do this on a regular basis you will minimize the staining. Darker colored dogs will not show tearing and just a soft cloth moistened with plain water is all that is needed to remove debris and dirt that may collect.

Ears – long hairs in the ears can collect wax and ultimately dirt. By taking the time to look in the dog’s ear and pull out the long hair in the outside of the ear canal you can eliminate the source of the wax build-up. Do this by firmly grasping the hair at the base and pulling outwards. Pet stores sell “stripping” fingers, which are small, rough sleeves that can be placed on the fingers to provide more grip on the hair. Never use scissors in a dog’s ear or push your fingers into the ear canal itself as this can cause permanent damage.

Toenails – unclipped toenails are both a safety hazards to dogs and humans. Long claws can damage furniture and carpets even with just walking or jumping. Long toenails can also cause painful welts and even cut skin on humans or other pets.

To properly trim toenails buy a good quality dog nail trimmer either in the guillotine style or a slotted scissor style. The guillotine style is usually much easier to work with for most people. Never use human nail clippers or regular scissors as they will shatter the nail and possibly cause the dog pain or at the very least leave ragged nails that will catch on fabrics and surfaces. Hold the dog’s paw still in one hand, and insert the end of the toenail into the hole on the guillotine style trimmer. Be careful to cut below the quick, the pinky looking protrusion seen in light colored nails. The quick contains blood vessels and nerves and is very sensitive, like the cuticle on a human nail. Cut at a 90-degree angle so that the nail will be parallel to the surface of the floor. If the dog has dark nails and you cannot see the quick only remove the very end of the nail and do not cut if the dog begins to show agitation or try to pull the paw away when you apply pressure.

Providing these extra steps in your home grooming routine is a great way to have your dog looking like they just came from the professional groomers. If you have any questions or want specific information on grooming consider taking a class or doing some research on dog grooming practices. Talk to your vet as well and never attempt to do any grooming until you have had some proper instruction.

Source:
www.canadasguidetodogs.com/grooming/grooming8.htm

Personal Grooming Classes Calgary
Comfy Couch Pet Care
Learn to Groom Your Own Dog

Single or multiple sessions are available for you and your dog. This will teach you how to properly maintain his/her coat by bathing, drying, and clipping his hair. Learning this can help keep your dog in better shape and help lower your grooming costs. Due to the nature of grooming, owner ability, etc. multiple sessions are available. The time required for one session is unknown. Remember, not everything is as easy as it seems and the safety of your pet is number one. The location for this training is held in Calgary and is a private lesson. If you would like more information, or would like to schedule an appointment, please call 272-3045

Being mammals, canines can suffer from some of the same poor health conditions as humans. For example, they get inflammation, arthritis, dermatitis, cancer and heart problems just like we do – especially if they’re eating our table scraps.

Studies show fish oil can support the health of canines just like it can with humans. A study published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine found that dogs with heart failure had lower levels of EPA and DHA than their healthy counterparts. Supplementing with omega 3 oil rich in EPA and DHA improved the survival rates for all dogs. (Vol. 12 (6), 440-8)

There’s more too! Now you can stop yelling at Fido to stop licking himself raw. Fish oil has been shown to reduce the itchiness, redness, swelling and hair loss associated with those dry, raw, hairless patches they seem to fixate on. (Veterinary Record, Vol. 144, No. 15, 405-07)

Just give Fido salmon oil capsules and watch those patches go away.

And if he has arthritis – common in large breeds – then omega 3 is the most important thing you can do for Fido. Just like in humans, it will decrease the pain and stiffness associated with arthritis.

Source:
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Michael_Byrd

If you do not want to toss your dog poop into the garbage in plastic bags – think about setting up a compost for it instead. Remember though, you can not use the compost on your garden beds! The compost enters the subsoil not your garden!

Check it out at City Farmer, they turned an old garbage bin into a dog waste composter, a “dog-dooly”. They have a Dog Waste Composter Step-By-Step including pictures! Great Spring project.

http://homepage.mac.com/cityfarmer/PhotoAlbum22.html

For those of you looking for a good site on dogs, books, reviews, etc – this is a great site to visit. The company has three resident authors, experts in their fileds. The site itself is a bit dated and needs some usability work – but the content is solid. Check them out – www.canismajor.com/dog/aboutcmp.html

The Dog Owner’s Guide website was established in 1995 with 90 pages of material that previously appeared in the print edition.

All 300-plus articles now on the website appeared first in the print edition of Dog Owner’s Guide, but not necessarily in their current form. Because of the differences between one-time print publication and constant access to the website, articles are updated regularly as new information becomes available.

We encourage the reprint of our pages for personal use, for distribution to friends and co-workers, and as handouts for breeder puppy packets, dog-related businesses, shelters and humane societies, dog clubs, etc. We also encourage clubs, shelters and other groups to reprint our material in their newsletters provided credit is given to the website.

Canis Major Publications

Founded in 1990 in Cincinnati, Ohio, home-based Canis Major Publications began as publisher of Dog Owner’s Guide, a newspaper for pet and show dog owners in southwestern Ohio and northern Kentucky. In our first five years, DOG won four Maxwell Awards for best canine newspaper in the US. In the mid-1990s, we started this website and quickly grew to provide more than one million visitors with information about choosing, raising, training, and caring for the family dog and dogs that compete in a variety of sports. In 2003, nearly three million visitors perused our pages.

Valentine’s Day is here and love is in the air — but so is potential danger for pets.

Many pet owners don’t realize the perils of traditional Valentine’s Day gifts for their canine and feline best friends so the pet care experts at Best Friends Pet Care advise avoiding the following holiday hazards:

Chocolate – As delicious as it is to humans, chocolate can be toxic to dogs because it contains theobromine and caffeine, stimulants which can be hazardous — and even fatal — to pets. According to the ASPCA, chocolate toxicity is one of the most common poisonings seen by vets.

Jewelry – Sparkling gems are appealing to our four legged friends, too. Fido or Kitty’s instincts may tempt them to taste the jewelry, causing stomach ailments and possible breathing difficulties. Don your new jewelry immediately, or place it safely away.

Flowers – Some flowers and plants are dangerous if ingested by pets, including buttercups, calla lilies and tulips. The packaged plant food that accompanies some floral arrangements can lead to stomach problems as well.

Other dangers – A romantic candlelit dinner can turn into a fiery disaster by a pounce on the table from a curious cat. And scented cards and love letters spell danger if ingested.

Puppy love for puppy
Pet experts recommend keeping pets content and out of trouble by presenting them with presents of their own.

Source
www.bestfriendspetcare.com/bf_pets_29.cfm