Dog Boarding Tips

November 11, 2007 at 2:07 pm · Filed under Dog's Health, Dog Tips, Dog Care

I’ve been to a few pet shop and animal clinics here in Malaysia recently. I noticed that they do provide boarding services to pets. It’s unavoidable that sometimes we need to be away from home and no one is there for our pets. So, learning and checking out on boarding service is one of the important topic to learn for all dog owners.

Here are some tips on boarding your pets:

1. Start boarding your pets at kennel at early stage. They will have difficulty adjusting to kennel when they get older.

2. Do some research, check out different kennel and compare the price and environment before boarding your pets.

3. Check and ask who will be the one taking care of the pets. Talk to them and see whether do they give you a warm and fuzzy feeling and show knowledge and care for the pets.

4. Always leash your dog when check-in.

5. Make sure the kennel condition is good. The place must looks and smell clean indoor and outdoor. Check whether there is enough light and ventilation and if the temperature is comfortable.

6. Check with the kennel what are the necessary things to bring, for example treats, toys and food.

7. When check-in, bring together most recent vaccination certificate.

8. Provide the kennel staff as much information about your pet along with past health problem or any medication your pet might be on.

9. When check in time, try not to make your pet feel like he’s being left behind. Try not to have tears and guilty feeling as dogs can sense our feeling. Just to reassure him/her that everything is going to be all right.

Comments (5)

Tips To Be The Alpha Dog

November 6, 2007 at 5:30 pm · Filed under Puppy, Dog Tips, Dog Training

What is Alpha Dog?

What does Alpha the word Alpha means? Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In general, it means the first one, or the strong one. Alpha Dog means to be the leader or the dominance over your dog.

Some history about dog

Wolf are the ancestor of today’s dog. Deep within the psyche of your dog lies instincts they have retained from their wild ancestors. Wolf are pack animal and they live by rules and have a social structure. You will often see that in the movies related to “werewolf” such as “Blood and Chocolate”. The entire pack will be lead under a single leader. The leader will enjoy and eat first, then only followed by the rest of the pack.

Take note: When your dog growls at you when he is eating, he is saying “I am the leader, and you must wait.” Dog owner must learn to train your dog dog not to have this behaviour.

Why is Alpha Dog important?

It is important that the owner be the Alpha Dog because you don’t want your dog to be overpower you and do not follow your command. This will lead to a lot of behavioral problem and training difficulties in the future. Start early to exercise Alpha Dog when you first bring home the puppy. Once you establish this relationship, your dog will seek you out. He will want to be with you and will treat you with respect and affection. After he learns to submit to handling, all other tasks such as grooming, nail clipping, cleaning ears, and medicating will be easier to accomplish. But first he must learn that you have the power to handle him, and that handling will not lead to any harm. He must come to trust you entirely.

How to learn to be the Alpha Dog?

1. Never let your dog start growling at your or your children. Growling represent their intention to be dominant over you.

2. Leader always walk through the door first - if your dog rushes out when you open the door, use leash and tell him “No” and ask him to “Wait”. You walk in, then only permit him to follow from the back.

3. Avoid to let your dog sleep on the same bed with you. This is important to conform your Alpha status. Place the dog’s bed on the floor beside your bed will be the best.

4. Increase socialize activities such as bring him to the park or introduce to the neighborhood who also enjoy dog’s company. Let you dog familiarize, respect and love to be around with people.

5. Try not to over baby your dog. He need to learn and explore himself and be independent. You may not be with him 24 hours. When he acts afraid of something that he should not be afraid of, tell him it’s okay and show him the object or person. Your confidence will make him a confident and dependable dog. If you feed his imaginary fears, he will become a snappy and untrustworthy dog. He may also develop fear aggression.

6. What is fear aggression? An example of fear aggression could be a dog that sits in its owner’s lap and growls at people or other animlas. He will continue to do that if you pet him and say “It’s okay” at this time. The correct method is to tell him no and put him down off your lap. If you do not handle fear aggression properly, your dog will become snappy when children or other people try to pet him. So it is very important to use the right method.

7. Do not play tug of war with your puppy. Play fetch and tell them to release the ball gently. Pass him a treat or another toy to exchange if he doesn’t drop.

8. Spend time to play with your dog. Train him and love him like of your own children. Once you decided to rear a dog, you have the full responsibility as the mother and raise a good child. Bad dog behavior is failure of owner’s proper training.

Comments (4)

World’s Most Fierce Dog - Part II

November 2, 2007 at 1:34 pm · Filed under Dog Tips

6. Dogue de Bordeaux (French Mastiff)

Country of Origin: French

Coat: Fine, short and soft to touch

Temperament: Strong, powerful, imposing, fearless, confrontational with stranger, consider first class guard and watch dog. Can be very aggressive with other dogs if not socialized well.

Brief History: The Dogue de Bordeaux was known in France as early as the fourteenth century. Dog fighting was popular in the nineteenth century, particularly in southern France in the region around Bordeaux. Hence, the city lent its name to these large fighting dogs.

7. Dogo Argentina

Country of Origin: Argentina

Coat: Short white coat

Temperament: Excellent guardian dog, extremely loyal to the families, have high pain tolerance.

Brief History: In 1920’s, Dr. Antonio Nores Martinez developed a dog, which combine to be the family pet, a guardian dog and also good in hunting. He started with a now extinct mastiff-type breed called the Dog of Cordoba. He crossed breed with Great Dean, Spanish Mastiff, Boxer, Bull Terrier, Boxer and French Mastiff.

8. Japanese Tosa (Japanese Mastiff)

Country of Origin: Japan

Coat: Dense and harsh short-haired coat
Temperament: Patience, composure, boldness and courage. It is a quiet and obedient dog. They are calm but vigilant demeanor. They are quietly affectionate with its owner but somewhat aloof with strangers. Can be aggressive to intruder of animal or stranger.

Brief History:

Japan has a long history of dog fighting, begining in the 14th century. This breed was produced as a hybrid of Shikoku-ken and Western breeds. They were name after the area where they were bred. Breed used to create Tosa include Bulldogs, Bull Terrier, Great Danes, etc. The Tosa’s established features of stamina and fighting instinct typically found in Mastiffs may be attributed to the involvement of such breeds.

9. Italian Corso (Italian Mastiff)

Country of Origin: Puglia (South of Italy)

Coat: Short, smooth and dense coat

Temperament: Strong, active and protective to the owner. Have even temperament and quite easy to be trained.

Brief History: The breed was originally to be found mostly in the south of Italy, Puglia, and also similar dogs were found throughout Sicily. It was a farm dog, used for big game hunting, guarding, and many other purposes throughout its history. Recovered from near extinction through the efforts of a group of enthusiasts in the 1980’s, now the Corso is becoming a very popular breed globally.

10. American Pitt Bull Terrier (APBT)

Country of Origin: United States

Coat: short-coated dog with smooth, well-defined musculature

Temperament: Courages, loyal, full of energy, their natural aggressive tendencies are toward other dogs and animals, not people mostly

Brief History: Sometime during the nineteenth century, dog fanciers in England, Ireland, and Scotland began to experiment with crosses between Bulldogs and Terriers, looking for a dog that combined the gameness of the terrier with the strength and athleticism of the Bulldog. The result was a dog that embodied all of the virtues attributed to great warriors: strength, indomitable courage, and gentleness with loved ones. Immigrants brought these bull and terrier crosses to the United States. The American Pit Bull Terrier’s many talents did not go unnoticed by farmers and ranchers who used their APBTs for protection, as catch dogs for semi-wild cattle and hogs, to hunt, to drive livestock, and as family companions. Today, the American Pit Bull Terrier continues to demonstrate its versatility, competing successfully in Obedience, Tracking, Agility, Protection, and Weight Pulls, as well as Conformation.

Comments (4)

World’s Most Fierce Dog - Part I

October 30, 2007 at 7:08 pm · Filed under Dog Tips

Need a guard dog to protect you? Some of them look really scary….

Find out what are the most fierce dog in the world that will scare your enemy away, and if you have anyone of the breed of your own, feel free to share your thoughts about them.

1. Tibetan Mastiff

Country of Origin: Himalayan Mountains, Tibet and China (QingHai)

Coat: Long and thick coat, can stay in very cold environment and sleep soundly in snow land

Temperament: The native strain of dog, which still exists in Tibet, and the Westernized breed can vary in temperament. The native Tibetan breed can be ferocious and aggressive, unpredictable in their behavior, and very difficult to train. But the dogs bred by the English are obedient and attached to their masters. They are fearless, strong, powerful, defensive towards stranger and protective towards the owner, a fierce family protector

Brief History: This breed has the name for “Dog of God” or “Dog of Heaven”. The breed from western country is more used as a village guardian and protector of flocks, the Tibetan Mastiff was introduced in England in the mid-1800s, when one was sent to Queen Victoria. One hundred years later two of these dogs were sent to President Eisenhower. The breed was registered with the AKC in 2005.

2. Caucasian Mountain Dog

Country of Origin: Russia and Caucasus

Coat: Has a double coat consisting of longer, coarse outer guard hairs and dense undercoat made up of soft, fine hair

Temperament: Strong-minded, powerful and massive, this breed can prove to be a difficult breed for an inexperienced owner. It respects and obeys only those dominant members of the family that it deems superior to itself. The dog develops a strong bond with its owner but will rarely be completely submissive and blindly follow orders, for this is truly a thinking dog which relies primarily on its own instincts, sometimes even disregarding its master’s directions in certain situations. They are territorial and suspicious of strangers, and will protect their flock, family, and property from danger–real or perceived–with lightning-quick speed. The breed is said to have an uncanny ability to discriminate between true threat and benign interference. In other words, the Caucasian Mountain Dog is able to exercise good judgment provided he has been given the proper socialization, training, and experience on which to base this judgment.

Brief History: Living in herd for the past few decades in Caucasus. The breed has existed since ancient times. This large sheepdog is most likely one of the most direct descendants of the Tibetan Mastiff, which was introduced in Russia during the Asian invasions. Their job is to guard the flock and sheep from enemies and other animals.

3. Neopolitan Mastiff (Neo)

Country of Origin: Italy

Coat: Short, hard, shiny, usually not longer than 1 inch

Temperament: Steady, loyal, calm and watchful. This breed is definitely not for the first-time dog owner. Though the body can be quite big for an adult dog (can go from 2 pounds to to 150 pounds in 2 years!). However, they can move real fast and agility that anyone can hardly escape if he wanted to attack. Whereas another breed of dog might simply just bite the arm of a perceived intruder, the Neo might leave with the arm!

The Neo is a guard dog by breeding and is protective by nature. He is a working dog originally bred and utilized as a guardian and defender of the owner, family and property. Although originally bred as a protection dog he has a steady temperament and is loyal.

Brief History: One of the oldest dog breeds recorded in written history. Traced back to the end of the first century in Italy.

This breed has little changed in almost 2000 years, whereas other dog breeds have died out, or been cross bred to keep the breed alive, the Mastiff has undergone very little change other than coat color.

In ancient Roman times, Mastiffs were used as both guard dogs, and fighting gods. Although little documentation exists to support it, it is believed that the Mastiff was pitted against leopards, as a blood spectator sport. With their huge heads, strong necks and muscular bodies, the Mastiff often succeeded in destroying the leopard. First described by Columella as a guard dog with ‘amplissimus corporis’ which literally meant the dogs head was bigger than its body. In ancient times this large head signified that the Mastiff was an excellent guard dog and in fact they are still used for that purpose today.

4. Fila Brasilero or Brasilian Mastiff

Country of Origin: Brazil

Coat: Smooth and short coat

Temperament: Courageous, powerful, extremely loyal and protective to owner. Some can be quite dominant and have their independent mind. Same with above, they need a confident, experienced owner. They can show aggression to stranger.

Brief History: The Fila Brasileiro’s ancestors were brought into Brazil by the Portuguese conquistadores. The breed was created in the 19th century through existing mastiff and bullenbeisser stock, crossbred with Bloodhound. Reportedly, they are also excellent tracking dogs and were used to track Brazilian slaves and fugitives. When the Fila finds its quarry it does not attack, but rather holds it at bay until the hunter arrives.

5. Perro de Presa Canario

Country of Origin: Canary Islands, Gran Canaria

Coat: The ideal coat is medium length and “rustic,” that is, slightly coarse to the touch.

Temperament: They can be aggressive towards strangers and other animals. They have strong character and are dominant animals requiring early socialization and obedience training. Quite challenging to be trained and required firm and confident owner.

Brief History: There has been no clear history of the origin of the breed. However, it could have been crossed with the Mastiff and other English dogs brought to the Islands by visitors and colonists, creating the foundation for the modern Presa Canario.

Comments (4)

What Is Teacup Puppy And Learn More…..

October 24, 2007 at 6:22 pm · Filed under Dog Breed, Dog Tips

teacup puppy tea cup puppy

Cute Teacup Puppy In Japan

Have you heard of Teacup Puppy? A pet shop in Japan is breeding “teacup” size puppy to meet the popular demand from the market. The picture show a 3 week old cute litty puppy yawning. Current weight of the puppy is 150 gram and estimated to weight approximately 1.5kg for adult dog. Buyer are willing to pay up to as high as USD5473 for the small size puppy.

What is a Teacup Puppy?

Simply put, a Teacup is a weight category which means 4-pounds or less.

Are Teacup puppies common?

No, they are not. Research has showed that Teacup births are less than 1% of all dog births. In fact, the number is substantially less. Teacups, when compared to the general dog population, are very rare - and the demand far exceeds the supply.

Have Teacup puppies always existed?

Yes, it just seems like they are more prevalent today because of all the publicity they have gotten recently. Teacups have been highly publicized because of the exposure they’ve received as a result of their celebrity owners.

Why are Teacup puppies so expensive?

They are difficult to breed, and they require a lot of extra attention at birth. Since they are so fragile, often weighing 2-4 ounces at birth, they require a lot of care and 24-hour attention for 2 or 3 weeks. Secondly, since the demand is so high for Teacups, with demand far exceeding supply, the price is higher.

What are the benefits of owning a Teacup puppy?

Because of their small size, Teacups are extremely portable, making them a great traveling companion for everyday activities like going to the mall or dining out. Another thing to consider is that the airline companies allow Teacups to travel in the main passenger cabin as opposed to bigger dogs that are required to travel in the cargo area of the plane. Teacups are great for senior citizens who cannot lift heavy dogs, and they are great for apartment owners because they don’t need to go for walks - an apartment provides all the exercise space they need. They also can be trained to use disposable indoor wee-wee pads easily.

Lastly… maybe the biggest benefit is that everybody loves puppies, and many dog owners equate Teacup Poodles to having a dog that always remains puppy size.

What is the life expectancy of a Teacup Poodle?

Contrary to popular belief, a Teacup Poodle will often live 15-20 years, which in many cases is a better life expectancy than bigger dogs.

Comments (6)

How Old Is Your Dog In Human Years?

October 24, 2007 at 5:59 pm · Filed under Dog Tips

Want to find out how old is your dog now in human years? Refer to below chart:

The chart below gives an approximate age of dogs compared to humans:

Comments

Have you heard about Rent-A-Dog?

October 22, 2007 at 9:51 pm · Filed under Dog News, Dog Tips

Having a dog or walking a dog as company is becoming a trend nowadays. Business people even think of it as a way to make money by the “Rent-A-Dog” business. The targeted customer are those who love dogs but are too busy to keep one. Man’s best friend can be rented for periods ranging from a day to a week, or adopted.

This business has started few years back but recently is becoming more and more popular especially in Japan. According to the ABCNews. In Japan, some are searching for companionship in their old age. For others, dogs are a substitute for children. Whatever the reason, the appeal of dogs has exploded in Japan. There are now more than 15 million pet dogs in the country — that’s more dogs than children under the age of 13.

Some people think that it’s a bad idea to Rent-A-Dog cause they don’t care for the dog’s feeling. But on the other hand, if someone really likes dogs but can’t commit, Rent-A-Dog could be a solution for them, far better than keeping a puppy and dump them few years later for whatever reasons. What do you think?

Comments (5)

What is the best age to bring home a puppy?

October 22, 2007 at 9:10 pm · Filed under Puppy, Dog Tips

Before bringing home a puppy, it’s wise to learn at what age, you should get it from the breeder. Ideally, the age to bring home a puppy is between eight to twelve weeks old. This is considered the critical socialization period in a puppy’s life, the time when he learns the most about his environment and begins to adjust to his surroundings.

If a puppy is detached from his mother younger than six weeks, he may develop issues with separation anxiety and poor socialization habits. The anxiety and stress of missing his mother and litter mates, may cause health problem as well.

Puppies go through five critical periods…and it’s very important that they remain with their mother and littermates until 7 to 8 weeks of age.

1. During the first 3 weeks of life puppies have next to no mental capacity and their basic needs are provided by their mother. Little or no handling by humans is required (assuming all is well with mother and puppies). But handling at this time will go a long way in development of the pups.

2. About the 4th week puppies become aware of other living beings and have very slight trainability. This is an extremely critical period and puppies should not be removed from their mother or littermates. Introduction to humans should be started–but carefully controlled.

3. Weeks 5 through 7 they begin socialization within the litter and also with humans. At this point they are capable of responding to voices and to recognize people. Training by their mother is in progress and they are becoming aware of the differences between human and canine socialization.

4. During the 8th through 12 weeks puppies are removed from littermates and mother. They require human socialization, love and security. Play with children should be well supervised. They are capable of learning simple training such as Come-Sit-Stay-No. It is important that children or other animals not injuring the puppy, either accidentally or maliciously. Introduction to people is important but should be closely supervised. Gradually expose to loud noises such as autos, washing machine, vacuum, etc. Puppy Kindergarten classes during this time are very important.

5. At 13-16 weeks puppy’s mental capacity is fully developed and needs experience. During this time puppy needs love, attention, socialization, discipline and security. Puppy will also try to establish itself as the dominant one. Your puppy is now capable of undergoing formal obedience training — and can adopt a good or bad (positive or negative) attitude about training so please select your trainer with great care! Praise and reward for correct behavioral response will go a long way in training your puppy!

Comments (1)

Games To Train Your Dog

October 17, 2007 at 1:13 pm · Filed under Dog Games, Dog Tips, Dog Training

There are many reasons to play games with your dog. For one most important reason, it will strengthen your relationship. People who regularly play with their dog develop understanding, respect and communication with their dog. Games are activities you do with your dog that require the two of you to communicate and work together in some way.Dogs are social creatures, playing game is an important element in developing social relationships. Playing games is a fundamental way of “modeling” a real life. You can teach a dog to obey by playing games that make following your instructions fun.

Besides that, it will keep the dog from getting bored, which will keep him from things you don’t want him doing, and make him healthier.

Games To Play:

1. Hide and Seek
Put your dog on a sit or down position to wait. Then you go and hide in another room or behind a door. Call him when you are ready. Act very excited and give him a treat when he successfully found you. Start with easy place and slowly move to more difficult to find places. This is fun and will also teach your dog to wait until called.

2. Fetch
Some dogs are natural fetchers, others are not. But it can be trained and have fun. Start by throwing a toy/ball or stick to shorter distance for a start, and command “fetch”. When he manage to fetch it, praise and reward him a lot, eventually he will know the game. Also, practise “drop it” in this “fetch” game. If your dog refuses to return the ball, which is quite common, or drops it too far away, end the game in disgust.

3. Drop It
One way to train “drop it” is to give the dog large item to hold, then offer a very desirable treat for exchange. Wait patiently until the dog notice the attractive treat, and drop the thing and exchange for the treat. If the dog picks it up again, try another exchange and practise again. When the dog is dropping the toy regularly, start giving the cute “drop it” before each treat.

4. Clean Up Your Toys
Get a box to collect a number of toys. Scatter a few toys on the floor. Through shaping and teasing, get the dog to pick up the items one at a time, and place them in your hand. Once the dog is lifting the items high enough to get your hand underneath to receive, you are well started. Reward each “gift” with a treat. This is “return for refund” game. Try different shapes of item which safe for your dog to pick up. Each item retrieved is dumped into the bucket. You will be surprised your dog will end up helping you to clean the house!

5. Find It!
Put your dog in a down-stay position, show him the treat or his favourite toy, then let him watch you put it behind a door, a chair or under a towel. Then tell him to “Find it!” When he does, give him lots of praise. And of course, he gets to eat the treat. You can repeat this by varying the places and treats. Overtime, hide the treat where the dog can’t see it, like in another room. Release her, and let her get the treat. You can increase the distance, difficulty level. This is especially good for dogs that have learn “stay” but are nervous about having their people go out of sight.

6. Simon Says
If you have the right attitude, you can make obedience training a game. Let your dog prove how clever she or he is by sitting when you say “sit”, lying down when you say “down”, etc. Try it when your eyes are closed, your back is to the dog, or you are in a different position like lying down or even standing on your head! For advance learner, can try mix up “drop it”, “take it/get it”, “hold it”, and “leave it”. You’ll be surprised with the results if trained properly and with patience.

7. Give Him Problem To Solve
Boring dog? Put a treat inside a cardboard box and let your dog work to get it out. Make it easy at first — start with a box without a lid and let the dog see you put the treat in it. Work up to more difficult ones. Depending on your dog’s skill, you may end up with pieces of box all over the floor but you’ll have a very happy and busy dog throughout the process.

8. Playing Soccer
Need exercise? Did you know you can teach your dog to play soccer too? Start the game by gently kicking the ball along the ground toward your dog. Encourage him to get it. The ball is too big to pick up with his teeth, it will take him a few minutes to figure out that he must push it with his nose or bat it with his paws. Give him lots of praise as he begins to catch on. As he gets better at it, you can include more people in the game. For breeds too small to handle a soccer ball, soft rubber balls can be used.

Comments (4)

Games That Are Not Good For Your Dog

October 1, 2007 at 4:52 pm · Filed under Dog Tips, Dog Training

Certain games are dangerous and encourages dominant behaviour of a dog. Here I will share a few common games which are not appropriate if you do not want your dog to misbehave unnecessarily.

1. Wrestling and Tug-Of-War

This games are fine for dogs but not for us. Very often we see that the puppies like to play wrestling among their littermates which is fine. However, we might get hurt if we play with them too roughly. We need to let our dogs know that we we’re people, not littermates, and should be treated with respect. Playing these games can give some dogs the mistaken idea that the toughest player wins and shall be the pack leader. It is not good for your dog to believe they are higher in the pack hierarchy than any family member. This game also may make a possessive or aggressive dog worse. Games that encourage the dog to growl and bite are risky and may confuse him. It’s hard for a dog to understand that sometimes it’s okay for him to be aggressive and sometimes it’s not.

2. Chasing Game
Quite often we like to play with our dog by letting them chasing us or our children. This may be quite dangerous because chasing may bring out the predator instincts in a dog, and even nipping at once’s feet and causing you to fall.

3. Teasing With Toys/Food
Do not use any item to tease the dog and try to make him jump again and again. Quite often I notice we like to use rags or cloth to tease a puppy and make him jump. It’s not appropriate because this can lead to undesired behaviours and making the dog aggressive and rough if he can’t get what he wanted.

Comments