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Dog Park Etiquette
3. Pay attention. Once inside, it's your job to keep an eye out for the dogs, not other humans. “Dog parks are really awesome, but they're not about human socialization," Ruch-Gallie says. Always know where your four-legged friend is and what he’s doing. If you see trouble brewing, call him back right away. Know when your dog has pooped so you can scoop, too. Many parks provide plastic bags, but it can’t hurt to take your own.
Dog Park Etiquette
2. Pause before you enter. A well-designed park will have a double entrance with two gates. Don't whirl through both gates at once. Enter the first gate with your dog on a leash, then pause to look around. If there are 20 dogs swarming the gates or if there’s a scuffle going on, this isn't the time to barge in. A pause will also allow other pooches to get used to yours and not go hyper when he does come in.
Dog Park Etiquette
1. Take charge. Your dog needs to know that you're the alpha animal all the time. That’s key when other canines are around. Teach your pal to come to you when called. Use a word or phrase he’s not likely to hear at the park. Reward him with extra-special treats during training.
What Type of Dog Food Is Best for My Dog?
When you are choosing the type of food to feed your dog, first narrow down your priorities:
How important to you is it to feed the most natural, healthiest ingredients? If this is very important, look into natural/holistic foods or therapeutic veterinary diets. Better yet, consider a home-prepared diet (with guidance from your vet, of course).
How much does cost factor into your decision? Natural, grain-free, and holistic diets are usually in the higher price range. However, economy diets are often made with lower quality ingredients. If you are on a budget, you may need to find a mid-level food to feed.
How much time are you willing to spend preparing the food? If you want to save money and have the time, a home-prepared diet may be the healthiest option.
Then, consider your dog:
Picky dogs might do best with canned food or home-cooked diets.
Overweight dogs or those with health conditions may benefit from special veterinary diets or home-cooked diets.
image by Valeria Boltneva
How Much Food Should I Feed My Dog?
The amount of food to feed your dog depends on a few factors:
Your dog's age (puppy vs. adult)
Your dog's body condition
Your dog's activity level
The calorie and nutrient content of the diet
image by sergio souza
Tips for Choosing Cat Food
What to look for on the label
- Compliance with AAFCO's requirements for "Complete and Balanced," as evidenced by that wording on the label.
- Named protein source—look for "chicken, turkey, lamb, or beef," rather than "meat."
- On canned food particularly, the protein source should be the first listed ingredient
- Check the expiration date for freshness
Tips for Choosing Cat Food
Cheaper Brands are False Economy
Many first-time cat owners, in an attempt to hold down expenses, buy the cheapest foods they can find for their cats. This is a false economy for a couple of reasons. First, studies have shown that cats eat as much as they need to get the nutrients they require. Therefore, they might eat twice as much of that generously-carbohydrate-filled store brand to get the nutrients they need in a normal feeding of premium food. Second, the continued feeding of substandard foods over a period of years will heavily contribute to, or even cause, serious medical conditions that will require expensive veterinary care.
For these reasons, the old maxim, "You get what you pay for," is particularly true where it comes to cat food.
Tips for Choosing Cat Food
Canned food or Kibble?
- While dry food is convenient and can be left out for "free feeding," canned food contains water, and many cats do not drink water regularly.
- Ensure that your cat gets the right amount of nutrients. That "near-perfect" food you've selected might be adding too little (or too much) of certain minerals and vitamins.
- Cats may become bored with the same food day in and day out, and simply quit eating. Face it, would you enjoy pizza morning, noon, and night, for years? You not only would become bored with your diet, but your health would suffer too.
- Cats, like humans, develop allergies over a period of time so it is good to provide variety to head off possible allergies to certain ingredients. Although the incidence of food allergies in cats is rare, cat owners might want to err on the side of caution, particularly if their cats have shown evidence of allergies in the past.
- Prevent "food addictions" that are built up due to a lack of options. The Whole Cat Journal, in its October 2001 issue, cites the case of a cat that was addicted to a particular flavor of a particular brand of cat food, right down to a specific factory and lot number! This kind of addiction can be difficult to deal with when that last can is gone but can be easily avoided by feeding a variety of foods from the start.
Tips for Choosing Cat Food
Cats' Basic Nutritional Needs
- Protein from a named meat, fish, or poultry source
- Taurine, an essential amino acid
- Certain other vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and fatty acids
- Water
10-MINUTE GAMES TO PLAY WITH YOUR CAT
Crumpled Paper
Cats love toys that make crinkle sounds. Bat crumpled paper around the floor for your cat to chase, wrestle and catch. Just make sure your cat doesn’t chew it or swallow any paper. When your cat is finished playing, throw the paper away so it doesn’t become a safety hazard.
10-MINUTE GAMES TO PLAY WITH YOUR CAT
Fetch
Contrary to popular belief, cats do play fetch. A few pointers:
Make sure you choose a toy you can throw all the way across the room and that is easy for your cat to carry in their mouth.
Throw the toy and watch as your cat leaps to chase it. You’ll be surprised to find that, more often than not, your cat will bring it back to you to throw again.
Reinforce this behavior with petting or healthy treats.
If your cat doesn’t bring the toy back, that’s more exercise for you! Simply go pick it up and throw it again.
Human Food #1: Cooked Meat
House cats, like their big-cat counterparts (lions, tigers, cheetahs) are primarily meat eaters, according to CatInfo.org. Cats are obligate carnivores, which means they are designed to get their nutrition from meat, not vegetables and carbs like their human counterparts.
The protein from meat helps cats have healthy hearts and reproductive systems, as well as good eyes.
When feeding your cat cooked meat, make sure there aren’t too many spices, and always ensure the meat is fully cooked!
Also, never serve the meat bone-in. Small bones can be choked on, so be sure to carefully examine and cut up all meat before serving it to your pet.
10 Healthiest ‘People Foods’ You Should Be Feeding Your Cat
Human Food #1: Cooked Meat
Human Food #2: Oatmeal
Human Food #3: Fish
Human Food #4: Cooked Eggs
Human Food #5: Fresh Vegetables
Human Food #6: Cheese
Human Food #7: Fish Oil
Human Food #8: Fresh fruit
Human Food #9: Bread
Human Food #10: Canned Baby Food
7 Things You Can Do With Your Dog’s Fur
1. Knit Clothes: Just like you can spin and knit sheep’s wool, you can do the same thing with dog fur. From mittens to a sweater, a piece of clothing knit from your dog’s fur is a special memento. But not all dog hair can be spun into chiengora, the official term for wool spun from dog fur. The best fur for spinning is the undercoat of longhaired, rough-coated dogs, such as the Golden Retriever or Newfoundland.
2. Give It to the Birds: Birds love a cozy nest and will happily line the inside of their home with dog fur. You can wrap tufts around the tops of bushes and fence posts, or for a tidier option, put the fur in a suet cage or small paper bag and let your feathered friends pick out what they need.
3. Make Felted Crafts: Felting is a traditional way of making material. Wet felting requires nothing but hot soapy water and some sort of fiber, like your dog’s fur.
4. Protect Your Garden: Dogs love to chase animals out of the yard, and the smell of their fur may help deter pests, as well. Stuff burlap bags or pantyhose with your dog’s fur and tie them around the yard.
5. Clean Oil Spills: Fur is great for soaking up oil, so Matter of Trust, an ecological non-profit that collects hair, fur, and fleece clippings, uses the donations to make mats and containment booms (temporary floating barriers) to help clean up oil spills.
6. Stuff Pillows: Dog fur makes excellent stuffing. If you’re crafty, you can sew your own dog toys and fill them with fur rather than synthetic stuffing.
7. Fertilize the Soil: Pet fur contains a lot of nitrogen, an important nutrient for growing plants, so it makes sense that you can use it to fertilize your soil.
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DOG FUR AND DOG HAIR?
Differences in texture
Hair is generally smooth, and longer and finer than fur. It can either be straight, wavy, or curly, but it is usually the curly hair that ends up tangling and trapping dander–which often triggers allergies. Breeds with hair only have one single layer, while breeds with fur may have two layers, known as a double coat, or a topcoat and an undercoat.
Fur is almost always shorter in length and is denser than hair, with more follicles per inch of the skin. Fur also goes through a faster growth cycle, and so sheds more heavily, which in turn, leads to a greater spread of dander.
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DOG FUR AND DOG HAIR?
The differences in their growth cycle
One of the main differences between hair and fur is that hair is longer in length as it goes through a slower growth cycle–resulting in less shedding. Both hair growth and fur growth pass through several distinct phases as part of their growth cycle, and how long each phase takes is one of the core elements in differentiating hair from fur.
The growth cycle is as such:
Anagen
The follicle becomes active.
Catagen growth
Transitory phase, where the growth pauses and the sheath of the root bonds to the hair.
Telogen
Inert phase where the hair is neither growing nor dying off.
Exogen
Lastly, the follicle sheds the hair, and the cycle begins again. Usually, this is faster in the summer months as part of the natural shedding process is to lose the previous winter’s coat.
Dog hair goes through a much longer anagen phase, while dog fur sheds more often and goes through the entire process quicker.
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DOG FUR AND DOG HAIR?
Many people believe that dogs with hair, not fur, are less likely to trigger allergies in people who are allergic to dogs. These breeds are known to us as hypoallergenic breeds, and examples include the Poodle, Afghan Hound, and Silky Terrier.
However, that is only half true. The texture of your furkid’s hair or fur does not affect whether or not a reaction is triggered because most of the time, they are not even the allergens. The culprits are actually the protein chains and compounds produced by the saliva, skin, and other parts of a dog’s body. That said, fur and hair do spread dander around, which is why many people assume that the fur and hair are bad for people with allergies. Because of this, pups that shed heavily usually trigger more allergies than those that don’t.
5 Essential Commands You Can Teach Your Dog
1. Sit
- Hold a treat close to your dog’s nose.
- Move your hand up, allowing his head to follow the treat and causing his bottom to lower.
- Once he’s in sitting position, say “Sit,” give him the treat, and share affection.
2. Come
- Put a leash and collar on your dog.
- Go down to his level and say, “Come,” while gently pulling on the leash.
- When he gets to you, reward him with affection and a treat.
3. Down
- Find a particularly good smelling treat, and hold it in your closed fist.
- Hold your hand up to your dog’s snout. When he sniffs it, move your hand to the floor, so he follows.
- Then slide your hand along the ground in front of him to encourage his body to follow his head.
- Once he’s in the down position, say “Down,” give him the treat, and share affection.
4. Stay
- First, ask your dog to “Sit.”
- Then open the palm of your hand in front of you, and say “Stay.”
- Take a few steps back. Reward him with a treat and affection if he stays.
- Gradually increase the number of steps you take before giving the treat.
- Always reward your pup for staying put — even if it’s just for a few seconds.
5. Leave it
- Place a treat in both hands.
- Show him one enclosed fist with the treat inside, and say, “Leave it.”
- Let him lick, sniff, mouth, paw, and bark to try to get it — and ignore the behaviors.
- Once he stops trying, give him the treat from the other hand.
- Repeat until your dog moves away from that first fist when you say, “Leave it.”
- Next, only give your dog the treat when he moves away from that first fist and also looks up at you.
10 of the Best Pets to Consider for Your Kids
1. Dogs
2. Cats
3. Birds
4. Fish
5. Hamsters
6. Ants
7. Guinea Pigs
8. Mice
9. Rabbits
10. Turtle
How to Care for a Pet Rabbit
Step 1: Set Up Safe Indoor Housing
Step 2: Bunny Proof Your House
Step 3: Provide Fresh Hay
Step 4: Provide Fresh Greens, Fiber-rich Pellets, and Fresh Water
Step 5: Set Up a Litter Box
Step 6: Provide Enrichment
Step 7: Groom Your Rabbit
Step 8: Bring Your Rabbit to a Rabbit-Savvy Vet
Step 9: Understand Rabbits’ Unique Language and Behavior
Give Your Pets Regular Baths
Dogs need help being groomed, especially if they have long hair. Without regular brushing and cleaning, their fur can become matted, and a groomer will have no choice but to shave it all off. And, of course, the dirt, sweat, and bugs from playing outside will be in your pet’s fur for a while, as well.
Cats are very good about cleaning themselves, but they can sometimes need help to get clean, especially if they are an indoor-outdoor pet. To prepare a pet’s bath, fill up a tub with warm water, have plenty of towels, and special pet shampoo ready. (Do NOT use human shampoo!)
Speak in a calm and soothing voice, because your pet may be scared for the water. Also be sure to rinse off the shampoo thoroughly when you’re done. If you do not think you can handle this, consider taking your pet to a professional groomer.
Play with me
5 Responsible Pet Care Tips
1. Veterinarian Visits
2. Vaccinations
3. Proper Identification
4. Spaying/Neutering
5. Healthy Food
How to Add Years to Your Pet's Life
1. FEED A HIGH QUALITY DIET.
2. KEEP YOUR PET LEAN.
3. TAKE YOUR PET TO THE VETERINARIAN REGULARLY.
4. KEEP YOUR PET’S MOUTH CLEAN.
5. DO NOT ALLOW YOUR PET TO ROAM UNSUPERVISED.
Check out our top ten cat facts!
1. Cats have highly developed senses.
2. Cats are expert hunters.
3. Cats are agile.
4. Cats use a range of methods to communicate.
5. Cats are independent.
6. Cats are territorial.
7. Cats are meat eaters
8. Cats love cat naps!
9. Cats are playful.
10. Cats are clean animals.
Cat care: Grooming
- Most cats stay relatively clean and rarely need a bath, but you should brush or comb your cat regularly.
- Frequent brushing helps keep your cat's coat clean, reduces the amount of shedding and cuts down on the incidence of hairballs.
Cat care: Feeding
- Cats require taurine, an essential amino acid, for heart and eye health.
- You will need to provide fresh, clean water at all times, and wash and refill your cat’s water bowls daily.
- Treats should be no more than 5-10% of the diet.
- Take your pet to your veterinarian if signs of anorexia, diarrhea, vomiting or lethargy continue for more than two days.
10 Weight Loss Tips for your dog
1. Feed your overweight dog more protein and less carbohydrates.
2. Avoid feeding your dog high-fiber foods.
3. Make your dog’s food.
4. Feed your dog the right fats.
5. Reduce your dog’s food portion size.
6. Measure everything your dog eats.
7. Make your dog’s weight loss a family project.
8. Weigh your dog.
9. Rethink the treats you feed.
10. Find the right edible dog chew.
Once you have had a wonderful dog, a life without one is a life diminished.
12 ways to calm your dog
1. Recognize the body language of an anxious dog.
2. Understand the cause of your dog’s behavior
3. Minimize the source of anxiety.
4. Distract your dog.
5. Pet your dog
6. Use a Thundershirt
7. Play classical music to your dog
Look It's Gatorade!!
Love your pet like yourself :-)
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