Pets

I brought Rufie up from a puppy, and believe you me, a strong willed dog can be hard to train! Here’s what I found to be valuable when training a puppy:-

1) Toilet Training

The best way is to teach the dog to only ‘go’ when outside. If this is impractical, you can buy commercial ‘dog potty’ products. Make sure you always use the same command, (such as ‘Potty̵ and praise him highly when he gets it right. Remember - consistency is the key to ALL training!

2) Walkies!

Get a rhythm going, so your dog knows when it is walkies time. A short walk after meals, and a longer walk in the morning and evening are best. Sometimes (especially when young, your puppy may NEED to go outside. It’s smart to establish a signal so you can tell when he’s desperate. Pawing the front door, or fetching the leash are good ones - you can’t misinterpret them. Don’t forget to use the ‘potty’ command when outside, and reinforce his behavior with praise when he gets it right.

3) Accidents

Accidents happen - puppies in particular have less than perfect bladder control.If an accident occurs, be firm, and use the ‘NO’ word strongly, then take him to the designated area. Don’t delay - if you do, he won’t be able to understand why he is being scolded.

4) Clean up

After the act, clean up. Use plastic bags (sandwich bags are good). Make sure you don’t come into contact with it - use the ‘inside out’ bag trick, and deposit the waste as fast as you can in the nearest litter box.

5) Litter trays are for cats

Unless your dog is a small breed, you will probably have trouble ‘litter training’ him. Even a medium sized hound can make more mess in a litter tray than you would believe. However, as an emergency measure, they can be valuable - at least you confine the mess to one area. Don’t forget the praise reinforcement! Watch out your pooch doesn’t start trying to eat the litter pellets - you will never know what your dog thinks is ‘tasty’!

6) Territory!

As your dog grows older, you may suddenly notice him starting to pee around the house again. This is his ‘territory marking’ behavior, and is natural, if undesirable. You can spot this because the spray will be only a small amount, and very pungent. If you catch him at it, let him know this is NOT OK. Afterwards, douse the area with a mix of vinegar and water - he will stay away from that area long after you can’t detect the smell.

7) Consistency and immediacy.

The key to all training is consistency. With a dog, you also need to be immediate - even 30 seconds and your dog will have no idea why you are praising or scolding him.

I used these tips to train Rufie, and if you liked this article, I would appreciate it if you go cast a vote for him at http://petmillions.com - it doesn’t cost anything! His number is 1049, and you can vote for him at http://www.petmillions.com/?vote=1049. Thanks, and good luck training your pet! Marc.

Before starting this article about building a squirrel proof bird feeder, let me ask you this question, what’s with squirrels? We all know that watching these creatures roaming around the backyard lawn can be truly delightful. But they can also cause destruction to your birdfeeders and scare the birds away. Most squirrels like the foods intended for the birds. During winter, indomitable homeowners and squirrels are in a battle over bird food in numerous backyards. Other animals, like raccoons, steal bird food, but more often squirrels raid bird feeders. Ignoring the extremes of winter season, nothing beats the squirrel in persistently achieving its goal, they have enough agility and dexterity to be able to climb onto any surface that birds could reach, and most often squirrels succeed in adapting in the urban-suburban habitat that we humans created.

Actually there are two ways of keeping squirrels away from birdfeeders. First is preventing squirrels from entering the birdfeeders. There are quite a few ways in preventing these creatures from entering the birdfeeder. First step is to locate your bird feeder a good distance from tree trunks, limbs, and at least twelve feet away from any kind of object that a squirrel can leap from.

Second step is to install a baffle on top of the birdfeeder. It can be homemade or a commercial squirrel dome. The purpose is to keep squirrels off the birdfeeders. Here’s the idea of this device: when a squirrel attempts to climb to the bird feeder it must go along the suspension line. It gets confused because of prevented access to the seeds inside the bird feeder and soon gives up.

Third step is suspending your birdfeeders between two very distant poles or trees with heavy-duty nylon string and attach a plastic PVC pipe on both ends of the string. This makes it more difficult for the squirrel to reach the birdfeeder. And the fourth step is mounting the birdfeeder to a pole with a minimum height of six feet from the ground. Its purpose is to keep the squirrels from leaping onto the birdfeeder, likewise, the baffle should not be lower than five feet above the ground when you attach it to the mounting pole.

Another way is by diverting squirrels from bird feeders by means of creating a certain area wherein you can feed the squirrels. It is inexpensive and at the same time very entertaining. Various squirrel toys are available commercially, including the squirrel wheel and the picnic table style squirrel feeders, but make sure to install these diversion feeders lower than your birdhouses. Left over grain cereal, inexpensive dried corn cobs and old bread can be considered the best offerings for squirrels. You can even place some fruits or peanuts and peanut butter which are irresistible to squirrels.

By using these ideas you can prevent and divert the squirrels from destroying your birdfeeders, and at the same time you can enjoy squirrels and birds playing in your backyard lawn and garden together in harmony.

For most cat owners, training their cat to use the litter is a relatively painless process. It is among a cat’s natural instincts to eliminate in an area that they can cover their feces in. This behavior may be a way of your cat accepting what they perceive to be as the natural order of dominance. In the wild feral cats will bury their feces if they are not at the top of their social hierarchy, if a feral cat does not bury his or her feces it is likely that the cat exhibiting that behavior is the dominant feline. So when your housecat buries his or her waste he or she may be recognizing your role as the dominant animal in their social community. It is also possible, however, that your cat may be displaying his or her inherited instinct to bury his or her feces in order to hide their trail from would be predators.

Generally kittens will learn the behavior of burying their feces and using the litter through their mother once they are weaned assuming the mother is litter trained. So if you bring home a young kitten of about 12 weeks, you may only need to place kitty in the litter box and gently scratch the clean litter with your fingers shortly after she eats to indicate to her what she is to do.

KITTY DIDN’T TAKE TO THE LITTER RIGHT AWAY

If your new cat doesn’t take to litter training after your first few attempts you may want to consider teaching her using another common method. Confine your new addition to a small but comfortable room, preferably one with a hard floor if you have one. Place both the litter box and the food dish in the room but don’t place them close to one another. Your cat will naturally not want to defecate near its food source so she will look for another area. Eliminate any pillows, blankets, newspapers, towels or other soft items where your cat may decide to eliminate from the room before you close her in. If you have confined your cat to a room with hard floors she is likely to avoid eliminating on the floor since urinating is likely to splash back and get on her fur. The only remaining choice to the cat at this point is (hopefully) the litter box.

MY CAT STOPPED USING THE LITTER

If your cat was housebroken and all the sudden she seems to have forgotten that instinct there are a few possibilities you might want to consider before giving up.

1. Does Kitty Have A Dirty Litter Box? The most common cause of a housetrained cat to stop using the litter is your cat disagreeing with the level of cleanliness regarding her litter box. Your cat is more likely to stop using the litter if she feels that it is too dirty. It is best to clean your cat’s litter every day or at the very least every second or third day. The dirtier a litter box gets the less likely it is that your cat is going to continue to use it. Your cat wants to eliminate in a clean environment and if she notices that every time she eliminates on the carpet you immediately run and clean it up she perceives that as a more desirable place to eliminate because it is so quickly cleaned. Keeping your cat’s litter as clean as possible is the best way to avoid this problem, and remember, what you consider clean, your cat may not.

In addition to emptying the litter, you obviously need to change it from time to time as well in order to ensure good cat health and cleanliness. Weekly changing is best, this ensures that odors and wetness won’t have too much time to build up to unacceptable levels and it also reduces the likelihood of sickness due to high levels of bacteria.

2. Stress. A cat eliminating outside of the litter box may also be a sign for stress. The introduction of a new person or animal into the household may be putting a lot of stress on your cat. Cats generally like to feel like they know what is going on and what they can expect. If you upset that balance by introducing a new creature (even a two legged one) into the household they may get stressed which can cause them to eliminate outside the box.

If you leave your cat alone for long periods of time (for example while you take vacations or go on business trips) and you come back you may notice that your cat will sometimes seem aloof and standoffish. This is another instance in which your cat may react with eliminating outside the litter box as a sort of protest to what she perceives as being abandoned.

A new piece of furniture, or conversely, a newly missing piece of furniture may also put stress on your cat. Order and comfort are important if you are a cat. If you decide to get rid of that old fabric sofa because of it’s ugly pea green color and because it’s falling apart at the seams and then you replace it with a brand new, slick, top of the line, leather sofa with a refrigerator built into the side, and a massage and heating function, your cat is unlikely to see this as a stylish upgrade the way you would. What your cat will probably see is that one of her favorite nap spots has disappeared only to be replaced by something she is unfamiliar with and intimidated by.

3. Changing Litter Brands. Cats are creatures of habit and can also be quite finicky (remember Morris, the 9 Lives cat?). If you’ve recently switched the brand of litter you usually buy this may be cause for your cat to find another place to go. Some litters are perfumed (for humans rather than cats) and your cat may not react well to these smells, or perhaps your cat was used to a less dusty type of litter, a particular litter’s texture, or who knows what. Changing brands or types of litter may upset what your cat is comfortable with and the result may be a messy carpet. If you suspect this to be the cause, you can either switch back, or gradually introduce the new litter. Try mixing in a little bit of the new litter with the older brand at first and gradually step up the percentage of the new litter each time you change the box, eventually you will be able to replace the older brand altogether. This will help your cat ease into the new litter brand rather than upset her sense of the order of things.

4. Multiple Cats. As mentioned above a second animal may cause a cat to begin to eliminate outside of the litter box, but this may not necessarily be the result of stress. A second cat in your household should probably have his own litter box unless your cats have proven they don’t mind sharing. Again, remember cats are clean creatures and they can be territorial as well. Some cats may not mind using the same box, but others may refuse, which means again, the carpet becomes litter box number two.

5. Litter Box Size Or Placement. If the litter box does not provide enough room for your cat she may not use it at all. Your cat will likely want to scratch around and be able to feel comfortable in the litter box. Make sure it is roomy enough, easy for your cat to get in and out of (the sides of the box should be lower for kittens than for adult cats), and not in a high traffic area as cats seem to like some degree of privacy when eliminating. Lastly, make sure your cat has access to the litter at all times. Putting your litter box in a room that is closed on occasion is a recipe for disaster. If your cat has to go and she can’t get to the room that you’ve put the litter in then she really will have no other alternative than to find another suitable area to eliminate.

6. Medical Issues. Your cat may be experiencing kitty incontinence. Like humans, incontinence can strike animals and this may be an indication of other medical issues with your cat. As a cat ages, she becomes more likely to lose control of her bodily functions just like a human does. If you suspect age or medical reasons may be the cause for your kitty’s litter box problems then you should take her to the vet for an examination, advice and possible treatment to resolve the problem.

WHEN YOUR CAT MAKES A MESS

If your cat does make a mess outside of the litter box it is generally not good practice to scold her or punish her. Putting her nose in the mess and then tossing her in the litter is not going to solve your problem. Being upset with your cat is natural after such an incident, but to display this behavior and then to put her in the litter box is only making your cat associate the litter box with a bad experience. Your cat may also begin to learn to be afraid of you, which is obviously not what you want. Your best solution is to clean up the mess quickly. Put your cat in the litter box and be friendly and speak in a calming voice with the cat. Scrape the clean litter with your fingers and make sure your cat sees this behavior, hopefully it will sink in. To avoid having your cat defecate in the same place outside the litter box a second (or third) time, cover the area with a plastic sheet or something hard that will result in your cat splashing herself with her own urine if she should chose that place to defecate again. Clean the smell as best you can (white vinegar may help, but make sure your furniture or carpet can handle it). You can also move her food dish on top of or near the area that she used to defecate, a cat will not want to defecate near her food source. If your cat uses the litter again, even just once, reward her, play with her, pet her, give her a treat, make her associate the litter box with a good experience rather than a bad one.

A cat that eliminates outside of the box is not a lost cat. Don’t give up on her until you’ve explored the possible reasons for the problem. Once you find it, you can most likely correct it and kitty and human can live a happy co-existence once again.

What you feed your dog directly influences the dog’s coat. Dry, complete foods have many advantages:

• They are easily stored

• They are quick and simple to feed

• They are clean

• They provide a nutritionally complete diet

• All the hard work of providing a nutritionally complete diet is done for you

Among the several types of dry food on the market today, a dry food with excess protein has been known to make some dogs aggressive or hyperactive. Take the advice of your breeder and vet if you have concerns.

If your dog has worms, the coat will suffer. It is very important to keep your dog wormed according to your vet’s recommendations.

A fit and healthy dog will be recognized by the gleam of his coat. Exercise, walking, free-running and visits to new areas stimulate good health. Each breed of dog varies in their exercise requirement. Regular exercise is essential for keeping a dog in good health and a good coat. Check your dog’s feet regularly. In cold weather, check the pads for packed snow, ice or other debris which can cause problems.

The type of bedding and housing your dog has will have a bearing on the dog’s coat. A dog constantly lying on concrete will wear the hair off. A dog lying in the grass all the time may get bitten by insects and develop skin irritations. Scratching at the bites can destroy a beautiful coat in a short period of time.

Bedding should be washed regularly with Clorox bleach and a good laundry detergent. Floors should be kept clean. Strong disinfectant can be dangerous if it comes in contact with the coat or the dog licks the disinfectant off the coat.

A regular grooming routine can help you detect problems like runny eyes, bad breath, skin disorders and allergies. Early treatment of these problems is essential. If you see one flea, there probably are many more. Please use a good flea and tick preventative especially if your dog spends a lot of time outdoors. It may be necessary to apply flea and tick prevention year round according to the climate in which you live.

In conclusion the healthiest dog coats are a result of a high quality nutritionally complete diet and regular grooming routines. Genetics can lay the groundwork for a good coat, but diet, exercise and grooming will maintain and/or improve the dog’s coat.

What is the best parrot food and why? There is no single answer to this question as many different types of parrot food are good for different reasons. However it is important to find out which foods are good and why because you never know what really goes into certain products. So what are the benefits and disadvantages of particular food groups?

Seeds are a great source of nutrition for parrots. They are designed especially for parrots so the ingredients are not harmful in any way. Regular seed mixes of parrot food usually contain just plain old sunflower seeds which are high in fat and it is recommended that you try to stay away from these. More expensive mixes however, contain a large variety of seeds that are highly nutritious and very beneficial to your parrots diet. It is recommended that when buying seeds, always check to see the exact content of sunflower seeds.

Another type of parrot food commonly used and perhaps more nutritious than seeds are pellets. Pellets contain many more vitamins and minerals that will help your parrot stay healthy, live longer and have more overall energy. There is very little fat in most pellets found on the parrot food market but always check with someone if you are unsure of the ingredients. This type of parrot food is best mixed with fresh vegetables, which brings us to our next point.

Fresh vegetables are definitely the best type of parrot food there is. Combining vegetables with vitamin rich pellets can make a huge difference to the health of your parrot. It will give him/her a great deal more energy and vibrancy than any other type of parrot food. So go out there and buy some fresh vegetables, chop them up finely so your parrot can eat them and mix in some specially designed pellets. Changing a parrots diet can do wonders for its personality!

The last point to make note of is this, parrots are like children, they will eat anything they can get their beaks on. Some people believe that parrots are smart enough to know what is best for them to eat. Do not believe this as this is the first step to having a very unhealthy bird that will only live for half as long as it is suppose to. In the end it comes down to this, parrots must eat parrot food not human food!

A skunk’s spray is one of the most unpleasant odors there is to a human’s nose. Putting your dog outside in the yard, hearing a commotion and finding out a skunk has sprayed your pet is not only terrible but also very smelly. A skunk’s spray is yellowy oil, which they spray or mist from up to almost twenty feet away when they feel like they are in danger. Many dogs end up sprayed because they try to defend their property and the skunk usually wins.

The first words of advice are ‘do not bring your dog inside after it has been skunked’ as it will take forever to get the smell out of your house. The skunk odor will permeate anything porous such as beds, sofas, towels, untreated wood and plasterboard. Check your pet’s eyes to see if the skunk got spray in them. If it did your dog’s eyes will appear red. This sometimes causes temporary blindness that usually lasts from ten to fifteen minutes. Rinse your dog’s eyes with a saline solution or use eye-drops for a human or olive oil, to help relieve the eye irritation. Take your pet to the veterinarian if the dogs’ eyes continue to be red or irritated.

The treatment you use on your dog is far more effective if you do it before the skunks spray has had a chance to dry on your pet. The first order of business is putting on old clothes and rubber gloves, that you will not feel bad about, if you throw them away after. Do not shampoo the whole dog, just the area affected, as you do not want the odor spreading onto the rest of your pet. Before you grab the tomato juice, be aware that it will not remove the skunk odor, just mask it.

Here is a concoction that successfully works at eliminating that terrible skunk odor on your pet. In a large open bowl or container, pour in one quart of three percent hydrogen peroxide, one teaspoon of any type of liquid dishwashing soap and one-quarter cup of baking soda or sodium bicarbonate. When mixed together, the mixture foams and this is the best time to use it. Hydrogen peroxide is available in drug stores and some people feel that joy dishwashing detergent works the best. There are commercial skunk deodorizer removers available but they do not always do a good job.

While the mixture is still foaming, wet down the area of the dog that the skunk sprayed. After leaving the lather in the fur up to ten minutes, use tap water to rinse this area thoroughly. Repeat this if necessary. For dogs sprayed in the face by a skunk, very carefully apply the mixture with a cloth, making sure to keep it out of your pets’ eyes, nose and mouth. Make this solution only when you need it and always discard the unused solution, after you mix it together, as it will explode if covered or stored.

If the skunk sprayed your house or fence etc, there are commercial products available to remove the skunk odor. To keep skunks from wanting in your yard, make sure the garbage pails lids fit tightly, do not keep dog food outside and close any spaces that makes a comfortable place for skunks to live, such as under cement steps.

I was working with my yearling Pooka. She is an Arab-Shire filly. She leads OK and is not afraid of us. She comes up to us when we enter the field and will let us pet her when she is lying down. So today I decided it was time to handle her feet.

Just do it…

I had a friend hold her lead rope while I started to touch her leg. I basically did the old approach and retreat working my way down to her hoof. This went well. I then tried to pick up her hoof and things did not go so well. She tried to move and jump around. I tried to hang on but she is about 500-600 lbs so in the long run, she won.

Plan B: Regroup and try again…

OK, so maybe I was a little quick to handle her feet. So, I decided to take it a bit slower. I took my lead rope (15 feet) and tossed it over her back repeatedly. She was OK with this as I had done this before with her. I then tossed the lead rope around her feet. I would swing the rope so it would wrap around her legs. She did not like this. Pooka would kick and try to get away. I would just keep tossing the rope and making sure her nose was pointing towards me, so I wouldn’t get kicked, until she stood still. Eventually she did. After a bit of a fight she stood still and all was OK. The rope around her legs did not kill her and she stood still while it happened.

Now it was time to pick up her leg. I took the lead rope and put it around her foot. So, basically I had this huge loop in my rope that went around her leg. If I dropped one end of the rope he leg would be free, just in case all hell broke loose. While keeping her nose pointed towards me I seesawed the rope back and forth all over the upper to lower parts of her leg. When Pooka was OK with this I pulled on the loop picking her foot up. She jumped around and kicked but I was safe, nose pointed towards me, and the rope felt no pain. Once she should stand still and let me hold her leg up for 2 seconds I would release the tension and let her put her leg down. I then worked up to 4 seconds and then 10. Once I could hold her leg up for 10 seconds I decided that it was time for me to pick up her hoof with my hand.

Finally (OK, only 20 minutes later)

After all this I again attempted to pick up her hoof with my hand. Wow, no problem. She let me pick it up. I would hold it for 2 seconds and let it go. Then 4 seconds. The 10 seconds. Then I took a pick and picked out her foot.

That was a good day for Pooka so I let her go on her way.

For those of you who spare no expense when it comes to your dog buying a designer dog collar is just another way to spoil their four legged family member. Sure it’s a little extravagant, but nothing is too good for your dog. Here are few things to think about when it comes to buying a designer dog collar.

Designer dog collars come in all shapes, sizes and price ranges. Many times these types of dog collars are based on a theme. These themes can be based on a number of things but most of the time it is related to the breed of dog or what country your breed of dog came from. Or it may be a combination of the two. For instance an Irish Sheep Dog would look good in a collar specific to Ireland. A collar made of green leather with shamrock shaped golden studs inlaid in it. A Scottish Terrier may sport a collar with a plaid design to match his plaid hat and coat. Designing a collar to match where his breed came from is one of the more popular ways to outfit him.

Of course some owners are more interested in making a personal statement about their dog that matches their own personal tastes. While these tastes may not appeal to everyone for the owner it is a perfect reflection of who they and their dog are. Let’s look at poodles for instance. If the woman owner of a poodle likes pink she may look for a designer dog collar in that shade. The collar may also have ornamentation that matches the woman’s own collection of jewelry. Then there are the more hardcore biker types who outfit their dogs with black leather spiked dog collars that match their own biker wardrobe. There’s a designer dog collar out there for just about anyone with any type of dog. Some people even get multiple designer dog collars to match the different outfits they like to dress their dogs in. Dressing their dog takes just about as much time as they themselves take dressing themselves.

No matter what your taste there is s designer dog collar that will no doubt give your dog the look you think he should have.

Adding a puppy to your family is a very serious decision that should not be taken lightly and requires a lot of thought. A puppy is a lot like a small child. They require constant care and attention. If you are unwilling or unable to provide that, you may want to wait until you can.

If you have small children now, you may want to consider waiting until your children are a bit older before adding a puppy. I’ve had both small children and puppies and I can tell you from experience that I would not want to do both at the same time. Just like babies diapers are always needing changing, puppies are always needing to go outside to do their business. Trying to coordinate the two without losing your mind or cleaning up a lot of accidents is difficult.

Small children and puppies don’t always mix well either. Small children like to explore and don’t always appreciate that their actions can really hurt a puppy. And puppies are within their rights to defend themselves from over eager children. This can result in nips and scratches for your children. Not a good result. You also don’t want your children to become afraid of dogs which could happen if the puppy defends himself too strongly.

After you make the decision to add a puppy to your family, you then need to determine the breed. You should take into consideration the amount of space you have both inside your house and outside. Do you have a fenced in yard? What is the activity level of the breed I am interested in? What is my activity level? Do the two match well? Am I willing to make sure the puppy gets the recommended amount of exercise? Is there someone home during the day to look after the puppy? Will the puppy be confined for long periods of time? If you work, can someone come home during the day to check on the puppy? Are you willing to put in the time necessary to house train the puppy? You should look at pictures of both the puppies and the grown up dog. Do you like the looks of both? Always remember that puppies grow up to be dogs. What size will the grown dog be? Will it fit in my house comfortably? Dog proofing a house can be a lot like babyproofing. Am I willing to put in the time and effort in making my home a safe place for a puppy?

Puppies can add a great deal to your family life. They can teach your children about responsibility as well as help your family stay active. They give unconditional love. I believe they are an integral part of family life, if you are ready for them.

They were originally bred in Germany over a century ago to be watchdogs and bodyguards. They are extremely powerful animals, and the sight of one of these big, dangerous looking dogs coming after you would fill anyone with dread.

The German miltary, and police were quick to recognise this, and the Doberman became a willing recruit. Fearless, and devoted to its owner and family members this is a versatile dog capable of excelling at many tasks.

Classified by the American Kennel Club as a member of the Working Group, the Doberman is a dapper dog with a powerful chest and bullet shaped head. They weigh in at anywhere between 55 to 90 pounds, and stand 24 to 28 inches tall.

The Doberman Pinscher has a short coat either black, black and tan, red, blue, or fawn with tan markings. Their almond shaped eyes are always dark in color.

In America most Dobermans have their tails docked, and quite often their ears cropped. In the UK both of these practices have been banned. If left natural the ears, and tail develop much like a hounds. Lately though, there has been a movement away from docking and cropping by some American breeders.

This is an energetic breed. Life in an apartment is not the best setting for a Doberman. A fenced yard, and quality exercise is a much better fit for them. A brisk daily walk on and off of the lead should keep your dog in top condition.

Despite their poor public image, most Dobermans are great with young children and other pets. They really are devoted family dogs. However, they are perhaps not the ideal dog for a 1st time dog owner. They are highly trainable, and they will do anything to please their owners. But they are a dominant breed, and they need to understand exactly who is in charge.

To avoid problem behaviors, you will definetly need to start socializing and training your dog as soon as you bring him home. They are a very intelligent breed, and you could find them getting in to real mischief if you do not check their behaviour. Either choose a dog training method that works or puppy obedience classes.

These are a good idea, since the classes will help you to socialize your puppy while he is reasonably little and much easier to control. Trust me, it is far better to teach a smallish puppy to sit, than to try it with an adult dog weighing almost as much as you do!

These are large, energetic, muscular dogs and consequently need a substantial amount of dog food. Make sure that you feed your dog a well balanced food that is specifically formulated for large breeds. Doberman Pinschers can suffer from hypothyroidism and a hereditary condition called von Willebrand’s disease [a blood disorder].

Hip dysplasia, and heart problems are also a danger. As they get older, these sweet natured dogs can often become overweight, so make sure that you keep the lid on the cookie jar.

They are average shedders, and grooming is quick and easy. Simply, brush your dog once a week to remove dirt and loose hair, and that’s it. Doberman Pinschers may look like natural born killers, but they are really just oversized lap dogs. If you want a dog that will guard your home, but still loves to curl up beside you and the family at night, then a Doberman may just be the right breed of dog for you. ,