Pets

Through the years, anyone who had a cat for a pet knows that they can keep you in stitches with the antics they perform. Here are a few amusing anecdotes I have collected.

Mushi lived in Germany during World War II and even though she was well loved, food was hard to come by. Table scraps, sausage casings and an occasional fish head was all she got. One Christmas season, after the tree was decorated, the lady of the house came down hard on her two children, ages four and six.

“You have a heck of a nerve, eating the special candy I hung on the tree for a Christmas treat, ” she scolded. The children denied all knowledge of the deed and started to blame each other. Suddenly, from behind the tree came Mushi, blandly carrying a half-eaten chocolate, still attached to its golden string. A very annoyed mom tried to keep Mushi away from the candy but had to give up when two days later, the tree came crashing down with Mushi holding on for dear life near the top.

Another time, a daughter of Mushi, Mushi II, spent most of her days outside, looking for food. After an unsuccessful jaunt, she liked to return to the kitchen to check her dish. Unfortunately, the only way into the house was the open window overlooking the sidewalk. Being situated too high for her to jump, Mushi II waited for a neighbor to pause and say hello and gossip with the mistress of the house through the open window. Timing the jump to perfection, Mushi II bounded to the neighbor’s back and launched herself through the open window, much to the consternation to the lady of the house and the shock to her friendly neighbors. Mushi II did all her business inside. Not only was she trained to go on the toilet, but as a finishing act, make a leap to the pull chain and flush the toilet!

My own cat, Sassy, can lie contentedly with us watching TV all night without moving. But if I decide that on one of my many trips out of the room during the evening to get the nail clippers from the bedroom to do her nails, she immediately hides under the covers and starts to complain. We think she hears the sound of the armoire door as I open it over three rooms away.

We only had the pleasure of a cat named Madie (Girly in German) for less than a year when she fell down an embankment and got killed in the street. She was the cuddliest cat in the world and she loved to sleep with us, keeping our feet warm under the covers in the winter and acting like a living muff around our necks, purring all the while. At Night when it was time for us to retire, Madie would race us to the bedroom and fling herself on the bed between the pillows, looking for all the world like the winner of the race.

The friendliness of all the cats we ever owned was measured against our wonderful Madie. None ever surpassed her.

Gastric Dilation Volvulus, also referred to as GDV, is a serious disease that can dramatically affect a great dane’s life. In this article, we will focus on the causes and treatment of this frightening disease which can cause your Great Dane much pain and discomfort.

GDV occurs when air compresses the stomach of the dog and during dilation the stomach twists on itself. This leads to the stoppage of blood flowing to the stomach and other body organs. The drastic effect of increasing blood pressure makes it impossible for the dog to stay calm. This discomfort is usually accompanied by sharp screeches from the animal, who may display a warranted ’panicky’ state. Unfortunately, most of these symptoms are shrugged off. The results may be fatal, as most great danes die in a few hours if GDV isn’t treated.

Not every breed of dog is susceptible to the risk of experiencing GDV. Usually, large and deep-chested breed dogs like great danes are vulnerable to such a disease as GDV. The most important factors increasing the risk of GDV are overeating, single and rapid daily eating, stress and abnormal water consumption.

According to the foundations of scientists specialized in dog diseases, almost one third of untreated dogs experiencing GDV die. Despite this information, it’s important for people to listen to their pet when he/she is in pain, as GDV is treatable if caught in time. A dog treated for GDV can continue to live a long healthy life.

Two major techniques are used in the treatment of GDV. First, the stomach tube is used to extract the gas from the stomach. Secondly, the stomach is returned to its normal shape through the practice of a surgical procedure. In order to prevent the recurrence of GDV, veterinarian should assess the extent of damage by careful observation. Damage differs from great dane to great dane. Factors that may contribute to excessive damage are: the amount of time the dog suffered, your great dane’s overall health condition, and the age of your great dane.

There are preventive steps that you can take to ensure your great dane maintains a healthy GDV-free life. Be certain to feed your great dane 2-3 times daily. Leave a sufficient amount of water out for your dog(s) while you’re away or at work. Daylight and ‘play time’ is very beneficial for your great dane. Your great dane should follow a strict routine, as you and the members of your family do.

Are you thinking about breeding your Shih Tzu or you are already an established Shih Tzu kennel? You might think about having your Shih Tzu tested for Brucellosis on a regular basis.

Brucellosis is a bacterial disease known very well by food animal producers. Brucellosis can cause a number of breeding problems such as abortions, infertility and decreased milk yield in cattle.

Not only does Brucellosis affect cattle, but it can also affect dogs, including the Shih Tzu, sheep, goats, pigs and even humans.

How is Brucellosis passed in these different species of animals including the Shih Tzu? The major way Brucellosis is transmitted is through direct contact of an infected aborted fetus, or uterine discharge. Brucellosis is also spread when animals eat contaminated feces, and through sexual contact.

Signs of a Brucellosis infection in dogs and the Shih Tzu may include:

• Abortion

• Infertility

• Infected reproductive organs

• Arthritis

• Disc disease

• Fever

• Hind limb weakness

• Lethargy

• General lymph node swelling

These are signs of many diseases; therefore, it is important to take your Shih Tzu to the veterinarian if it shows any of them. The veterinarian will draw a blood sample to make a definitive diagnosis of Brucellosis in your Shih Tzu.

If your Shih Tzu is diagnosed with Brucellosis be aware that it is difficult to treat. It often takes a long period of antibiotic therapy to get rid of Brucellosis fully. Blood samples are required to monitor the progress of the drug treatment. These blood samples can get expensive.

It is possible for humans to become infected with canine Brucellosis. You could possibly contract the disease of Brucellosis from your Shih Tzu; however, transmission from dogs to people seems to be uncommon.

Since Brucellosis is sexually transmitted, it is important for Shih Tzu breeders to be sure all of the Shih Tzu in their kennel test negative for the bacteria. If your Shih Tzu test positive for Brucellosis, do not breed them. Your Shih Tzu may in fact show no clinical signs of Brucellosis, but still be able to transmit the disease in semen or vaginal fluid. Therefore testing is vital.

When is the best time to test your Shih Tzu for Brucellosis?

• Female Shih Tzu should be tested a few weeks before they come into heat.

• Male Shih Tzu should be tested twice a year.

• Any new Shih Tzu brought into the kennel should be isolated until tests prove negative results twice. The second test should be done one month after the first one.

Many disinfectants prepared especially for kennel use easily kills the bacteria. The bacteria are also relatively easy to kill with a diluted bleach/water solution.

At the present time in vet science there are no vaccines available for canine brucellosis. Ways to help control Brucellosis in your Shih Tzu kennel include:

• Eliminating positive animals from breeding stock

• Proper disposal of waste and wearing gloves to handle any fetal membranes or aborted Shih Tzu fetuses, followed by thorough disinfection of the area.

Questions regarding canine Brucellosis should be directed toward your veterinarian.

This article is FREE to publish with the resource box.

It is thought that the horse’s memory is second only to the elephant’s. What does that mean for you? Well, simply put, any mistake that you make will likely never be forgotten.

That said, the Round Pen is truly the place where both you and your horse learn to speak each other’s language. With time and work, it will seem like both of you can read each other’s minds. And, round pen training helps you avoid costly mistakes that can take years to mend.

Once you’ve decided to build a round pen, you do have options. Metal panels are not your only solution. You can build your round pen out of wood fence or vinyl fence. Or, choose a combination of wood posts with vinyl rails…

It’s actually not that difficult to build your own round pen. The hardest part is getting your measurements right, then digging your post holes. However, the entire process is fairly simple and can usually be completed in a weekend by yourself or with friends.

One nice thing about building your own round pen is that it can be less expensive than buying metal panels. And, you can customize it the way you want it. You’ll get to choose the height, gate width and number of rails. And you can add personal touches like a walk through gate or a second “people only” gate!

Safety is an important issue to consider. Simply put, metal round pen panels do not give. If a horse gets caught in a panel or a rider get’s bucked off, it’s usually not a pretty sight.

Wood rails will give a little bit depending on their thickness and they will also break under extreme pressure. This will provide some relief and is definitely safer than metal.

Vinyl rails are the safest solution to building your round pen. The rails give and absorb shock brilliantly. Depending on the type of vinyl rail you use, the wood post will often snap before anything happens to the rail.

The look of the round pen is also essential. You can match the look of your existing fencing to your round pen. For example, if you have 3 rail fence on your property, you can build your round pen as 3 rail wood or vinyl and experiment with the rail width.

Make sure your round pen feels somewhat enclosed. Depending on your post height and rail width, you could end up with an airy feeling round pen or an enclosed round pen. Post heights range from 4.6” – 7’. Wood rails are usually 6” – 8” wide on round pens. Vinyl rail usually comes in 4”, 5” and 6” widths.

Maintenance is another factor to consider. Try to use pressurized wood if you can. It holds up much better than standard lumber and insects don’t tend to like it very much! Prime and paint or stain your wood. This will protect it and also give you a choice in the color of your round pen.

Vinyl requires virtually no maintenance…all you’ll need to do is hose it off every now and then to keep it clean. The standard vinyl rail color is white; however, you can also find it in brown and black.

So, when it comes to building your Round Pen, know that you do have options. Actually, you have a lot of them!

© 2006 E. Landers

Nobody wants or needs an extra mess in their house, especially from a pet dog. If you have just gotten your first dog, or haven’t been able to control the dog’s behaviors, then you can follow these simple tips to help with dog potty training. This can help everyone to have a more pleasant time when they are in the house.

Even if you have just gotten a new puppy, you don’t want to procrastinate dog potty training. As soon as the dog steps into your home is the time to begin the training. Every owner will have unique ways of doing this, but most agree on some simple things. The first is to make sure that you catch the dog doing their business in the wrong place right away. If you wait for too long, they won’t know why you are punishing them. Because of this rule, some owners will have their dogs on leashes where they can watch them in order to ensure they are catching them in the act.

As soon as you catch your dog, the dog potty training begins. You can do this by stopping the dog and tell them ‘bad dog.’ Make sure that they understand why by showing them the mess that they are making or have already made. Directly after you have told them no, you can then move them outside. Redirecting them to a different area, and specifically to a spot made for all of their bathroom needs is an effective part of the communication to offer for your dog.

After this point, you will need to make sure that you can use positive reinforcement in order to help your dog understand what is right. If they continue their business outside, wait until they have finished then tell them that they are a good dog. You can even let them know by giving them a treat to help them understand that what they did was good. You should never expect your dog to know what you mean with the dog potty training right away. Depending on the dog, it will take repetitive times for them to understand what you mean. It will take a dog anywhere from five to one-hundred times to understand what you are trying to communicate to them. Consistency is a key word to keep in mind as you train.

One of the other parts of dog potty training that you can keep in mind is to give the dog options. For instance, if you know you will be gone from your house for a long time you can use this same technique to teach them to go on newspaper in one area of your house. This will help them to keep you pleased. You can also keep them in a pet taxi for a specified amount of time while you are gone, which will not give them a chance to conduct their business while you are away. If you are dog potty training, you want to make sure to let your dog know exactly what you want. When they get older, you will be glad that you did. Being consistent and communicative are the two keys to making sure that you are able to complete successful dog training.

It’s terrifying how common tales are of dogs savaging young children. You might think that it’s just Pit Bulls or certain breeds that do this kind of thing but it’s common across all breeds. Children have the uncanny ability to make dogs angry without intending.

Most families will luckily never have to deal with anything remotely as traumatic but if you own a dog and have children; or have children visiting often - then you too must take some responsibility for their actions and behavior.

You want to prepare your children by teaching them a few simple rules about playing with the dog.

The first step to understand the aggression. So, what causes dogs to become aggressive? There are a few different kinds of aggression that dogs experience. If they are scared they become aggressive, if something threatens their territory or family and as an act of dominance assertion.

An aggressive dog’s ears will pin back; their tail might stand up and they will growl. The growl is a warning.

What’s the best way to deal with an aggressive dog?

If you have the luxury of realizing before something happens that the dog is upset and about to hurt your child or you there are some things you can do:

- It’s most important to try to keep as calm as possible; the dog will sense your fear - Speak in a soft voice - remove the disturbance if possible.

What can you do to prevent an aggressive dog?

- Teach your children that the dogs have feeling too and are to be treated with care. This means no rough playing with the dog. Some breeds of dog become agitated and roughhousing can greatly upset them. Enough to bite your child!

- If your children are very small you will need to take care to supervise them at all times. You cannot leave a toddler with a dog without risking something going wrong. Very young children do not understand how to treat animals yet.

- The importance of having a well trained dog cannot be stated enough. When you get a puppy take them to obedience classes straight away. Even if you don’t have children it’s important to have a well trained dog. You don’t want your beloved pooch to harm someone else’s children.

If you have children and are considering buying a dog; there are some considerations that can make it far less likely for an aggressive dog. Choose carefully - some breeds are known to have a low tolerance and others are known to be child friendly.

Dogs have a long standing relationship with humans - dogs love people and visa versa. By following these pointers you should be assured of a happy calm dog that won’t harm anyone. A carefully trained dog will give you peace of mind and most importantly - become an important part of your family life.

If your dog is an important part of your life, you will want to provide the best of care for her so she can enjoy a long and rewarding life. A trip or two each year to your veterinary clinic does not guarantee that your loyal canine will maintain her healthy appearance and youthful spirit. It is you, the dog’s owner, who can make the difference between your dog living a long, full life or one of physical disease and health problems.

Many dogs are treated like they are immune from common heath problems - they are NOT! They suffer many of the same health issues that afflict humans; teeth and gum disease, ear infections, toe nail problems, and hair issues, just to name a few.

Well, don’t get discouraged, because a few simple and easy grooming practices can help you prevent the premature aging of your pet. Basic personal dog grooming is the key to early recognition of skin and tumor issues, dental problems, and mobility difficulties.

To help you establish a regular dog grooming regimen, the following tips are provided covering five key areas; brushing, bathing, nail trimming, ear cleaning, and dental hygiene.

Brushing Your Dog

Brushing, or grooming, your dog is a great time for bonding with her and providing the physical contact that all dogs desire. This practice promotes a lustrous shine on the dog’s coat, whiling eliminating dirt, debris, and dead fur.

This is also the perfect opportunity to examine your dog’s skin for fleas and ticks, lumps, cuts, or contusions. And while you’re at it, take a moment and examine her ears, eyes, teeth and nails.

Bathing Your Dog

Here is the good news - most dogs only need bathing once a month, unless she likes to play in the rain and mud. If she does get dirty on a regular basis, adjust your bathing schedule accordingly.

A prerequisite to bathing is a good brushing. This loosens up any dead hair or dirt and makes the bathing process much more productive. A good practice is to start bathing your dog as young as possible. Generally start when she is about 14-15 weeks old, or earlier, if they tend to get into messy situations.

Find a good location to bathe your dog, preferably one that is contained and has good drainage. Undoubtedly, water will be spilled or shaken near and far. An enclosed shower or tub is an ideal location, or if your dog is a smaller breed, the kitchen sink can also work.

Wet your dog thoroughly, avoiding her head to keep water out of her eyes and ears. Plug your dog’s ears with cotton balls if there is a risk of flooding the ears. Use a dog shampoo and lather up the dog. Be sure to rinse thoroughly and squeeze off the excess water. The face should be washed with a soft, damp cloth. Towel dry your dog, and blow dry if desired, but it is best to keep her confined until dry.

Trimming Nails

Nail trimming can be a traumatic experience for some dogs. So, it is best to start the nail trimming experience as early as 2-3 months old to let your dog become accustomed to the practice. For puppies, you can often use finger nail clippers to tip the ends of the nails.

If this is just too much for your dog or puppy to handle all in one sitting, you may start with trimming only one paw at a time, giving your dog an extended break between sessions. The key to successful nail trimming is providing your dog lots of praise when she lets you cut a nail. Kind, soothing words of praise will let her know that she is loved and this experience is nothing to fear. Of course, a few dog treats after the session is over can’t hurt either.

Cleaning Ears

Inspect your dog’s ears often, but only clean them when there is evidence of dirt in the opening or canal. Use a cotton ball, never a cotton swab, to clean the dirt out of the ear. Soaking the cotton ball with a good ear cleaning solution provides the best results. Hydrogen peroxide can be substituted for the cleaning solution, if necessary.

If you notice that the dog’s ears are red, swollen, or emit a foul smell, the problem might be more serious and demand veterinary attention. Yeast infections, ear mites, and other ear problems are more easily treated by medications only available from your vet.

Keeping a Bright Smile

As a dog’s life span has been extended over the years, it is even more imperative that your dog maintain healthy teeth and gum tissue. You can assist her by brushing her teeth regularly. Start as early in life as possible, to get your dog accustomed to the feel of your finger or brush in her mouth.

Starting with your finger, or a special dog toothbrush fitted for your fingertip, begin massaging your dog’s gums and gently rubbing her teeth. Once she has become accustomed to the practice, try using a dog toothbrush, or small soft bristled human toothbrush, with dog-specific toothpaste. Never use toothpaste designed for humans on your dog.

Continuing this practice throughout your dog’s life will ensure that she will avoid gum disease, loose teeth, and related eating problems.

These easy-to-follow grooming tips take very little time compared to the years of enjoyment your dog will provide you and your family. Take care of your loving “best friend” and she will certainly return the favor many times over!

Routine grooming is just as important for your Great Dane as it is for you. Cleansing of your Great Dane will improve their overall appearance, prevent disease and infection, and contribute to their overall mental and physical well-being.

Routine grooming is just as important for your Great Dane as it is for you. Cleansing of your Great Dane will improve their overall appearance, prevent disease and infection, and contribute to their overall mental and physical well-being. Our Great Danes become members of our family, and like any member of our family - we must love them and care for them. The following tips are to be used as a guideline to ensure proper care of your Dane:

Bathing

Unlike humans, who shower on a daily basis, your Great Dane should be bathed on a “as needed” basis. The frequency of bathing varies depending on the individual pet. Naturally, you’ll want to wash your Great Dane when his appearance is unkempt or when he starts to give off an odor. In the colder months, never wash your Great Dane and let him go outside afterwards. Make sure that he is completely dry first, as this will prevent him from getting sick. NEVER use shampoo intended for human use. Dog shampoos are specially formulated for your Dane’s skin, which is very sensitive. Human shampoos can cause excessive drying and skin irritations. Take precautions when washing your Great Dane to make sure shampoo doesn’t get in their eyes.

Brushing

You should introduce a dog brush to your Great Dane when he is a puppy. Let him get comfortable with brushing early and he’ll look forward to it as he matures. Brushing will prevent matted hair and remove excess fur. It will also remove pet dander, preventing build-up on your dog’s skin and coat.

Ears

Examine your pets ears regularly for dirt and wax. Use a soft cotton ball on the ear. Never lodge the cotton ball into the ear. NEVER stick a Q-tip in your Great Danes ear. The cotton applicator can damage his ear drum to an irreparable state. If you’re unsure how to clean your pet’s ears, ask your veterinarian to demonstrate for you.

Nails

It’s very important to keep your Great Dane’s nails trimmed. Remember, there are veins in the nails. If you’ve never clipped a dog’s nails before, take him to a groomer. When you feel more comfortable you can purchase clippers and do it from the comfort of your own home. Failure to keep your Dane’s nails clipped can result in painful in-grown nails. Prevent your Great Dane from experiencing such pain and/or infection by keeping up with their nails.

The Pekingese is a friendly, independent, low activity lap dog that will do well in an apartment or small house. They are very affectionate but still make good watch dogs. They can be wary of other dogs so they need to be extensively socialized early. They like older children but may not be happy with loud young children. As a reminder, never leave a child unsupervised with a puppy or dog.

Approximate Adult Size

The approximate adult size (two years old or older) of the Pekingese is 6 to 9 inches to the withers (highest point of the shoulder) and 8 to 10 pounds. Under 6 pounds is a tea cup or sleeve Pekingese and between 6 and 8 pounds is a mini.

Special Health Considerations

Most dog breeds have certain inherited health problems associated with that specific breed and the Pekingese is no exception. Be on the look out for kidney stones, breathing problems, easily damaged eyes, and the danger of corneal ulcers. This disease list is an informative guideline only. Other diseases may also be significant threats, please contact your veterinarian for a complete list.

She should visit the veterinarian several times in the first year for shots, boosters and check up. Then, as an adult, she should visit the veterinarian yearly for shots and check up. As she gets older, six years and on, she should visit the veterinarian twice a year for check ups and shots. Remember; avoid feeding your dog sweets.

Grooming

The Pekingese has a long, coarse and straight coat with a soft, thick undercoat. They should be brushed daily. Also eyes and ears need to be cleaned and checked daily. Brushing will help her maintain a clean and healthy coat, avoid mats, help you keep a closer eye on her health and strengthen your emotional bond with her.

Her teeth should be brushed at least twice a week with toothpaste and toothbrush designed for dogs. Brushing removes the accumulation of plaque and tartar which can cause cavities (rarely) and periodontal disease. Dog periodontal disease can lead to pain, loss of teeth, bad breath and other serious disease.

Her toenails may need to be examined for growth and clipped regularly. The toenails of the rear feet grow slower than the toenails of the front feet. Generally a guillotine type trimmer is the best for this chore and competent instructions to accomplish this can be found on the net.

Life Span

The Pekingese can live between 13 and 15 years with proper nutrition, medical care and excellent living conditions.

History

The Pekingese come from China where they were the national sacred dog. They were first registered by the American Kennel Association in 1915.

Some Registries

• Pekingese Club of America
• UKC United Kennel Club
• NKC National Kennel Club
• CKC Continental Kennel Club
• APRI Americas Pet Registry Inc.
• AKC American Kennel Club
• FCI Federation Cynologique Internationale
• NZKC New Zealand Kennel Club
• KCGB Kennel Club of Great Britain
• ANKC Australian National Kennel Club
• ACR American Canine Registry

Litter Size

2 to 4 Pekingese puppies

Category

Toy Group

Terms To Describe

Intelligent, dignified, compact, direct, independent, courage, self-esteem, brave, sensitive, affectionate, snobbish, self-centered

SPECIAL GOOD POINTS

• Very Good watch dog.
• Learn very fast.
• Great lap dog.

SPECIAL BAD POINTS

• Very poor guard dog.
• Like to be pampered.
• Can be an obedience problem.
• Can be a barker.
• Strong willed.
• Can be difficult to housebreak.

Other Names Known By

Little Lion Dog, Sleeve Dog, Sun Dog, Peke, Imperial Dog of China

Every dog is an individual so not everything in this information may be correct for your dog. This information is meant as a good faith guideline only.

Some examples for dog commands are these: fetch, sit, lie down, roll over, bark, beg, come, sniff, wag, bark, scratch etc. Teaching your dog commands and working on its character can start when the dog is around seven months because teaching a puppy is easier than grown-up dogs. At this early age they haven’t learned all the bad behaviour yet, so you have a lot less to make them unlearn. When teaching your puppy or dog commands such as COME, STAY, SIT and so forth, use only the single word. Using any other words will just confuse the poor dog or puppy and will end up frustrating you both.

Teaching your dog the basic dog tricks and commands.

It is important that when teaching your dog commands they react and come to you when called. Hence basic obedience training is not about teaching your dog commands; it is about what a dog must learn NOT to do. However, resolving behavior problems, such as house piddling, barking, biting or seperation anxiety requires more than just teaching your dog commands. This is when the hard work begins, in effect “teaching an old dog new tricks”.

Teaching owners to train a dog is much harder than actually training the dog. Keep in mind that simply repeating a command is NOT TEACHING the command. Fetch can be played without teaching your dog commands; but it works better if you teach your dog some commands for this game. Teaching him those commands are essential for him to learn and also make the game much more enjoyable for you both.

What tricks can I teach my dog?

Teaching your dog anything from tricks to simple obedience commands gives it an outlet and allows thought processes to over-ride negative behavior. Idle minds and all that applies equally to bored dogs too.

Teach your dog to do tricks.

Not-so-stupid pet tricks. Teach your dog a few commands and/or tricks and practice them daily. After the sit command is mastered, other commands, and even some tricks, can be added.