Pets

Any experienced pet owner can tell you that every time spring and summer roll around, it’s time to break out the flea and tick collars. These pests cause more than just annoyance for people and pets. Many diseases are transmitted through tick and flea bites, and every years people literally spend millions of dollars trying to prevent their damage.

Ticks are most abundant in forested mountain areas, but they cause problems everywhere in the U.S. Ticks are arachnids, just like spiders and scorpions, and they stand apart from fleas in their method of attack and diseases they spread. These parasites will crawl onto and attach themselves to hosts at all stage of their development. the fall off in between stages to molt and grow. Ticks carry several pathogens including Lyme disease (both human and canine) and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. They should be removed as soon as possible once they’re found. Dogs are more susceptible to ticks than cats due to their lower grooming abilities, so check them when they come in from playing in bushes and trees and quickly remove any ticks. Tick collars or baths also help kill these parasites.

Fleas are a parasitic insect that cause many problems for people and animals around the world. They were responsible for spreading the bubonic plague during the middle ages. There are different species of fleas specifically for different animals affected, yet they all cause itching bites that can swell and cause secondary infecting with scratching. The best way to fight these pests is though flea collars and powders.

A fish tank filter can be one of the most important parts of your fish tank, especially when it comes to keeping the tank clean and the fish healthy. Often you will not even notice how well the equipment is working unless it stops working. Once the filter stops working, the waste can build up quickly and things can start going downhill fast.

Types Of Tank Filters Probably the most common type of filters you see at discount stores is the box filter. These both hang on the inside or the outside of the tank, and usually have a charcoal cleaning cartridge in the main box. The water from the tank is circulated up into the box, through the filter and then back down into the tank.

They are rather slow but steady and can usually be found fairly cheaply. They are not the best fish tank filter you can buy, but they can do the job, are easily found and are readily available. Another type of filtering equipment is a filter that covers the bottom of the aquarium floor and is then covered with rocks. In theory the debris and other garbage are filtered out after they hit the bottom of the tank. These are really neat looking and work fairly well, but not as well as the box tank filters.

There are plenty of instructions on how to build your own filters as well, and these can be the best tank filters you can find. Wet/dry tank-filters sit on the edge or rim of the fish tank. The tank water is slowly trickled over filter media, which can be one of several kinds. As the air and water mix along with the filter media, the water is filtered and several chemical processes occur. This is probably one of the better aquarium filter ideas, and it is fairly easy to do yourself at home.

Directions can easily be found online, and often buying the materials for the filter is cheaper than buying a ready made wet/dry fish tank filter. Cleaning and filter Equipment is a vital component of your fish tank. It not only cleans the water, but also allows more oxygen to be mixed in with the water. Fresher, cleaner water helps keep your fish healthy and will help them live longer lives. A tank filter does not have to be a really expensive item, one that competently does the job can be used and doesn not have to be top of the line.

If you have you decided to purchase a new aquarium, make sure to do a little research into what is necessary in maintaining a clean and healthy fish tank.

It is important to learn and understand the basics of keeping fish before buying your first aquarium. You can get very useful aquarium tips and advice from the actual aquarium sellers, who are normally very experience and well informed, or you may have a neighbour or friend who has maintained an aquarium for years. These aquarium tips can help you keep your aquarium clean and healthy.

Here are six aquarium tips that every beginner must learn and understand before buying their fish tank:

1. It is extremely advisable that you do not go for a very small aquarium. It is always recommended to have a large fish tank, which can hold a minimum of at least 20-25 gallons of water. This ensures enough breathing space for the fish.

2. Having a large tank also has other benefits too. The most noticeable is that it allows for a more uniform temperature gradient. This not only leads to better water chemistry, but also encourages growth of beneficial bacteria and algae.

3. Typically you will need one gallon of water to keep 1 inch of fish. Make sure that your keep this ratio in mind before deciding to add more fish to your aquarium.

4. You should allow any bacteria to grow in the fist tanks, in particular along the sides of the filter, sponges and the sides of the fish tank. The bacteria will keep the water pure and healthy. Do not the wash the filters under running tap water. You will only be making the mistake of throwing away useful bacteria. Instead, make sure that you wash the filters within the fish tank itself.

5. Your must take the time to clean/change the tank water at regular intervals. This will help to remove any solid waste that will accumulate, and also greatly improve the appearance of your tank.

6. Finally, you must be careful when it comes to feeding your fish. Try to let the supply of feed reach bare minimum before you replenish it. It will only lead to wastage if the fish feed is continuously overstocked.

By following these few aquarium tips you will help to keep your fish healthy. You will learn more once you start to maintain your own aquarium.

The number one, most basic dog training command is sit and come. Teaching your American Pit Bull Terrier these two commands is extremely important for him to learn. Both of these basic obedience training commands are used for many different reasons such as in competition or dog show and keeping him behaved when you have company. When walking your Pit Bull off leash, you expect him to come to you when called, not run around the park with you chasing after him shouting at him to “come back here!”. When I see this (and I do all the time), it just makes me laugh.

Teaching your Pit Bull Terrier how to come isn’t difficult, it simply requires repetition. All dogs learn by repeating the desired activity over and over again. The easiest way to get your Pitbull to come is to hold a toy in one hand and a treat in the other. When you are in the yard simply walk away from him, holding out the toy and excitingly calling him to you. When your well-behaved Pit Bull comes to you, give him the treat! Make sure to be consistent and always use the exact same training commands that you are going to use in the future. Repeating this several times a day is an excellent way to teach him, but remember to use lots of long breaks between training sessions so he doesn’t get bored and don’t forget to reward him with those doggie treats.

Getting your Pit to sit could prove to be slightly harder but again, is still only basic dog training that anyone can do. Once you have mastered the come command, call your Pit over to you, place your hand on the end of his back and roll right over his rump and into the back of his legs, giving the “sit” command while gently pushing his legs forward. When he sits properly, give your Pitbull a treat and lots of praise. If you would like him to sit for a longer period of time, simply delay the treat and praise, tell him to “stay”, and take your time bending down to him to deliver the treat.

Basic dog training for your Pit is very simple and effective. Please remember to keep the exercise fun for both you and your dog and keep in mind that a training session shouldn’t last for hours and hours, keep them short. Lastly, don’t forget to reward your obedient Pit for all of his hard work!

House training older dogs is a more delicate process than with younger dogs. If you are looking to adopt an older dog that was not previously exposed to any house training at a young age, it is going to bring along its bad habits such as chewing, excessive barking, making holes in the yard or “marking” the territory.

Furthermore, you will also experience more difficulties in house training older dogs as they tend to respond and progress much slower to most training methods and commands than younger dogs.

Here are 3 useful tips that can help you in house training older dogs successfully.

* First and foremost, a complete check-up at the vet is necessary in order to eliminate any existing health problems or complications such as urinary tract or flea infections. Older dogs may also experience some form of diarrhea if there is a sudden change from their previous dietary habits. Do not punish him for these “mistakes”. Instead be patient and allow your dog a week to adapt to the changes gradually. If conditions did not improve, consult your vet.

* Always establish a routine schedule for eating and drinking for your dog. This helps you to easily monitor your dog’s toilet habits and decide when to bring your pet out for a walk every time he or she finishes its meals. Most adult dogs tend to eliminate 30 - 45 minutes after eating or drinking. Learn the signs and watch out for clues of circling and sniffing the floor.

* Older dogs have shorter attention spans therefore more repetitions are needed during the house training process to reinforce the desired habits. Never use violence on them if they make a mess in the house. Scolding the dog is pointless unless you actually see it eliminating indoors. Use a firm voice command “No” and guide the dog to its designated spot. Praise or reward your dog when it relieves itself outdoors.

Therefore, house training an older dog successfully depend a lot on your consistency, discipline and perseverance. Treating the dog with patience and understanding, using the appropriate house training methods are the main ingredients to developing a well behaved adult dog with good toilet habits.

The English Setter is a calm dog indoors but very active outside. She needs plenty of exercise. A properly fenced in yard would help her get her exercise but she is a digger and climber so beware when designing her enclosure. She can tend to be a barker so be prepared to train her early. She can tend to wander off after a scent so keep tabs on her. She is generally good with other pets except birds and rodents. She is also good with older children and generally has a high bite inhibition. As a reminder, never leave children unsupervised with a dog or puppy.

*Approximate Adult Size. The approximate adult size (two years old or older) of the male English Setter is 24 to 27 inches to the withers (highest point of the shoulder) and 55 to 80 pounds. The female ranges from 23 to 26 inches to the withers and 45 to 70 pounds.

*Special Health Considerations. Most dog breeds have certain inherited health problems associated with that specific breed and the English Setter is no exception. Be on the look out for canine hip dysplasia (genetic based looseness in the hip joint that can lead to arthritis pain and lameness), and false pregnancies. They may gain weight quickly so do not over feed. 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 English Setter has flat, soft medium coat. that sheds medium. She should be bathed or dry shampooed when necessary. She should be brushed regularly. Brushing will help her maintain a clean and healthy coat, avoid mats, tangles and burrs and help you keep a closer eye on her health and strengthen your emotional bond with her. Her hair at the bottom of her feet may need to be trimmed.

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 English Setter can live between 10 and 12 years with proper nutrition, medical care and excellent living conditions.

*History. The English Setter comes from England where they were bred from pointers and Spanish spaniels. They were first registered by the American Kennel Association in 1878.

Some Registries:

*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: 6 to 8 English Setter puppies

Category: Sporting Group, Gundog.

Terms To Describe: Gentle, friendly, sensitive, lively, elegant, substantial, grace, stamina, strength, style,

*SPECIAL GOOD POINTS

Good watch dog.

Very nice, gentle dog.

She loves children and attention.

She loves companionship.

She likes other dogs.

*SPECIAL BAD POINTS

She has a tendency to wander off.

Not a guard dog.

Good jumper.

Loves to dig.

Can be a problem housebreaking.

Can be willful.

*Other Names Known By: Laerack Setter, Laverack Setter, Llewellin Setter

*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.

a) Growling

If your rabbit growls or grunts at you, she is upset with something and probably something is bothering her. Maybe she’s angry that you’re poking your hand into her cage, and she doesn’t want you in her territory. Growling can be a sign of anger, fear, uncertainty and stress. You should get to know your bunny better and understand what her different growls mean.

b) Screaming

This is not the thing that you want to hear from your bunny. A bunny scream is usually a bad news. Generally signifies your bunny is either hurt or dying. You’ll want to get her help immediately.

c) Crying

Bunny cry is interpreted much as you would understand the same noise in puppies or people. A bunny do so by thumping their back feet or whimper.

d) Licking

If your bunny licks your face or your hands,be happy. She’s telling you “I love you!”

e) Flopping

Your bunny is on top of the world. She is a very happy bunny.

f) Binkying

You definitely got one happy bunny living with you.

g) Thumping

Your bunny will thump her back legs for a number of reasons including fear, anger and warning you to danger lurking.

h) Chinning

Your bunny is rubbing her chin all over the places to mark her territory. She’s saying, “hey, this is mine.”

Best regards,

Amanda Gates

www.geocities.com/rabbitcare_lover

You can start training your puppy as early as 8 weeks of age. The earlier you start, the more quickly your puppy will adapt to the approach and soon will begin to respond to your command. When you take on the task of puppy training, keep in mind that puppies are full of energy and they are just learning how to act. This means that training may take some time and a little extra patience on your part, but your puppy will thank you for it.

When they are little, pups love to chew on anything and this includes your shoe or pants leg. If you want to deter this action, gently push down on your puppy’s backside and say “no”. Your puppy will soon learn that this is not acceptable and will mature into a dog that knows not to roughhouse with you.

All puppies love to play and it’s important that you spend time with them and enjoy their cute little habits and hilarious actions. While playing, it’s important to realize that the way you interact with your puppy now will have an impact on how he/she behaves with you in later years. Never play in a way that would make your puppy want to compete with humans for an object, such as tugging on a rope, which teaches your puppy aggression. Instead, playing fetch or letting your puppy chase you will be a fun way of puppy training that will show your pet how to play with people and not against them.

Some forms of puppy training can be a lot of fun, such as teaching your pet to ride in a car. If you are like some people, leaving your pet at home is just not an option. When your puppy reaches maturity, it may be a struggle to get him/her into the vehicle unless they are already familiar with the process. Most dogs behave well when riding in an automobile, but it may be a good idea to place them in a special seatbelt designed for pets just incase they become overly curious. If you practice this type of puppy training when your four-legged friend is young, he/she will be eager to jump in the car and go for a ride at anytime. This will be especially helpful during visits to the veterinarian. Otherwise, you may end up having to hoist a very large dog up into your vehicle simply because he/she is afraid and unfamiliar with the joy of a car trip.

When puppy training your furry little friend, it’s important to maintain patience and never yell at your pup. He/she very much wants to make you happy and, in order to accomplish this, they must be taught how to understand and respond to your instruction. It is also important that your puppy not be subjected to physical discipline, which may result in harm or fear. Puppy training will take both time and patience, but the end result will be a well-behaved dog that anyone will be glad to be near.

Additional information on puppy training can be found in published books, programs and videos. The best way to decide which one is right for you and you puppy is to read product reviews and compare prices to find the perfect puppy training guide.

Back when I got my first tank, people didn’t cycle tanks. Things were very different then.You bought the tank, all the decorations, gravel, and so on. The helpful person at the local fish store told you to get it all set up and let the filter run for at least 24 hours before adding fish.”What??? You mean I can’t put them in there tonight? Why?”"Because the water needs to age. Longer is better, if you could hold out a week…” Nobody did. Not a whole week!Some of the cutting edge people actually proposed using some magic elixir that would remove the chlorine and let you stock fish right away. I’m sure they were branded as heretics by their peers and fiercely scorned.So people anxiously aged their water (whatever that meant), then returned to the store with cash in hand (no debit or check cards back then either - and no magnetic strips on credit cards) and they selected their fish. Freshwater, of course - you had to have a tank the size of one of the Great Lakes and a Master’s Degree (PhD preferred) in chemistry to be able to do saltwater. Oh, and a really fat bank account. Bill Gates style - well, Nelson Rockefeller back then.The fish were taken home and the bag was plonked into the tank. After the eternity of 15 minutes or so, the fish were released into the tank. You could go from an empty space to overstocked in 24 hours!Within a week or so, fish started to die off. The cloudy water killed them, no doubt. “But why do I have cloudy water?” “Because it’s a new tank. That happens. Sorry about your fish - too bad you’re out of the 24 hour warranty period. You have your check book with you, right?”The best thing you could do for your fish was a water change, and of course remove and replace all of your filter media. After all, look how dirty it looks! That can’t be good… It’s full of bacteria!More fish died. You must have done something wrong when you cleaned the filter. Or your lights are on for too many or too few hours a day. Just buy more fish, it’ll be OK…We didn’t cycle tanks back then - we cycled fish and cash. Paycheck in, Dead fish out, Money out, live fish in.Today it’s sooo much easier. There was no internet then. There is usually more knowledge logged in a forum at any given time than you could find in all the pet stores combined in a major city. A lot of fish have died over the years to get us where we are today. What’s considered an appalling loss of fish today was normal back then - all part of keeping fish. The wisdom spread slowly, until the internet that is.Trust me on this folks, I know it seems like it takes forever to cycle a tank - but that bit of patience is orders of magnitude better than the way things used to be… If this is your first tank, remember, you’ve lived your entire life without one - what’s another few weeks to do it right?

Dog Shock Collars

Dog shock collars are a touchy subject among animal owners. While their goal is to train a dog to follow a set of rules, many people feel they can be cruel to animals. There are many reasons to believe this and more to not believe. Here are some facts and some ideas to consider if you are in the market to purchase a dog shock collar.

First of all, the name itself, dog shock collar, is a turn off. No decent pet owner wants to hurt his pet. But, it is also misleading. The shock created by dog shock collars is minimal and safe to the animal. That is not to say that it’s a pleasant experience either. The experience is the same as static shock that we all have felt. It is very minimal and causes just a small amount of harm. The discomfort the animal receives will hopefully teach it to not perform such behavior.

How does a dog shock collar work? The dog shock collars work in different ways. Those that help keep the animal in an area with no fence, work through sensors beneath the ground that trigger the animals collar to shock the pet when it comes to close to no go zone. Others trigger when an animal barks. Again, it is like rubbing your feet on some carpeting. It feels the same as that type of static shock.

The bottom line is this. Dog shock collars are effective in teaching a pet how to behave and how to interact with others and their environment. It is unfortunate that dog shock collars cause pain, but should this be a method of training, it can be understood why it is used. Making a decision on whether or not to purchase a dog shock collar is completely up to the pet owner. Again, there are positive and negatives to dog shock collars that must be examined. Only the pet owner themselves can decide what is the right choice in dog shock collars for their pet.

http://www.dogtrainingcollars.net