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Purrfect Pet Presents

Posted by on September 27, 2011 Leave a Comment

It’s hard to believe that Christmas is a week away! The malls are packed with shoppers buying presents for their loved ones, including their pets. I have some clients who put up stockings on their fireplace with the names of all their two-legged and four-legged household members, and there are even  a few gifts under the Christmas tree that are addressed to Fluffy and Kitty. While I have never personally bought Christmas gifts for my furry babies, with all the cool pet gifts on the market, I may just have to this year.

I have seen pet gifts ranging from Doggles, which are UV safe dog goggles, to backpacks for outdoorsy dogs, to homespa gift sets for pampered pooches, to collars adorned with jewels for the fancy pet. The most beautiful collar I saw was covered with Swarovski crystals and pearls, each one unique and handcrafted especially for the aristoCAT.

If you’re thinking about getting something for the furball in your life and have an unlimited amount of money, you can get  the most elaborate gifts that you can ever imagine. However, most of us living in this “ruff” economy, are on a budget and prefer to give more reasonably priced presents to everyone our list. Luckily, pets are not nearly as materialistic or “catty” as we are, so whether or not they have something to open on Christmas morning, they will still love you all the same.

The best gift you can give your pet this Christmas and year-round is love, affection, attention, proper veterinary care and for the many homeless pets nationwide, a forever home. If you are extemely financially strapped but still want to give your pet a present, you can let them play with things that you have around the house. My cat Onyx loves rolling the tops of my Bath and Body Works body sprays in between his paws and my dog Digi is a fanatic for old tennis balls.

As pet parents, we love our pets like family and want to treat them like family, so if you decide to get your fuzzy kid a gift this Christmas, whether it is jewelry, clothes, toys or a bed, be sure that it will not cause harm by strangulation, choking, poisoning or obstruction. Examine all toys and gifts carefully for potential hazards and supervise play at all times. If you want to buy a new toy for your pet as a gift, give those especially made for pets and not children’s toys because of all the small parts and other possible pet-harming components.

Our pets deserve to enjoy the holiday cheer just like everyone else. By giving them safe  presents, you can ensure that their christmas is a purrfect one.

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Learn how to Put an end to The Causes of Aggressive Behavior in Dogs

Posted by on September 23, 2011 Leave a Comment

Dog aggression can begin as young as about six weeks of age, a crucial age when a puppy should be socialized to many other dogs and supplied the necessary training that keeps them from biting on other people. This phase of socialization will last till the puppy turns fourteen weeks of age and can increase further beyond that.

This indicates a number of things. First, do not take a pup outside of its litter prior to 8 weeks of age. Never use severe discipline with the new puppy in between 8 and 10 weeks and be sure the puppy is very softly dealt with in that time frame. Hitting, yelling and other hard punitive measures at a young age can easily breed aggressive behavior within dogs as time passes.

Your pet will need to have been properly socialized together with people and also other dogs as soon as your dog got to fourteen weeks to stop any future aggression problems.

Actual aggression can be brought about from several factors. Inheritance along with genes are certainly reasons – some breeds can certainly be far more aggressive than the others – however it’s in no way a hard fast rule. Additionally, dogs which have never been neutered or spayed tend to be at risk from aggressive behaviors.

By far, however, the key factor in creating aggressive tendencies in dogs is environment. A dog that has terrible living conditions, harsh owners, zero socializing, or that’s terrified or assaulted by a different dog is far more likely to be aggressive as it ages.

Aggression can build from the need to create a pack pecking order. Biting, posturing, along with other aggressive tendencies in many cases are the effect of a dog testing to get dominance. You will need to create dominance at a young age and maintain that role throughout the dog’s adolescence to ensure it won’t get a chance to take control over the family unit.

Curtailing and Managing Aggressive Behavior in Pet dogs

When your pet dog exhibits aggressive behavior after 14 months old, when it has hit sexual maturity, particularly after it has been nuetered altered, make sure you address the case right away. First, ensure you established yourself as the pack leader. Don’t reward the dog for aggressive behavior, even if it is fearful (particularly in this case).

Train your pet to respond to your instructions, control feeding and walking time, and make certain the dog has got a strong alpha dog inside your home. When you defer towards dog or allow it to take liberties at home, it is going to present stronger aggression toward others.

In case your pet dog is defensive-aggressive, it’s possibly that they strike out at a person in fear. These dogs might possibly not have been adequately socialized. Keep them faraway from young children (which they may see as direct threats) and attend a dog training program or behaviorist who can gradually adapt your pet to a social atmosphere.

Aggressive behavior in your dog has become a concern that a great many puppy owners have, but it could in fact be managed, even as the dog gets older. If your aggression ever advances to violence, consider employing a skilled professional to intercede before somebody gets harmed and your pet dog will be held accountable.

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Tips On How To Care For Aquarium Fish

Posted by on September 19, 2011 Leave a Comment

Fish kept in an aquarium are definitely the easiest pets you can keep. The first thing to do is to learn the basic steps in caring for an aquarium. There are things that should be done daily to care for fish and some things that need only be done weekly or bi-weekly. Fortunately, daily care consists of very simple things to do.

Just spend a few minutes watching them and you can detect any signs of unhappiness if any. Yes, fishes do suffer from stress so keeping a fish happy is the secret to keeping it healthy. The lights and filters are important to maintain the perfect equilibrium of the aquarium so do check them regularly to make sure they perform in peak working conditions. Do not forget to give your fish their food everyday. Give them, enough food that will last for the duration of two to three minutes feeding time. Excess food that is not consumed will sink to the bottom and become debris, adding to the nitrate levels and rising the toxicity of the water. You should check the water ph and temp weekly. If there are changes required, do them promptly. You can know about what conditions will be suitable for your fish from the pet store where you purchase the fish from. Every variety of fish can thrive in particular conditions.

You have to spend time to clean the filter too. Filters collect waste excreted by the fish and left in the tank in the form of excessive fool. If you do not clean these filters, they will get clogged and not be able to perform their task of filtration. In addition to eliminating waste, a filter sometimes acts as an aeration device cycling oxygen through the tank. In case your filters get congested, the movement of gases in them will also slow down. This can reduce the total volume of oxygen in the aquarium. Without rectifying this problem as soon as possible, your fish are surely moving towards an untimely death. Change the filter on the aquarium every two to three weeks depending on need. As soon as your water begins looking dirty and has an offensive odor, you must clean your filter. Some filters need to be replaced, while other simply need to be cleaned with water.

Go slow when you are changing water in your aquarium. Do not let the lights and other fixtures remain when you are cleaning your aquarium. You must replace roughly a third of the water in the tank with fresh water every week or two. Water can be added from the tank provided you treat it for temperature, keeping it near two degrees of the water in the aquarium. The retailer at the pet store will guide you on the proper kind of water to be used. Sometimes, the tap water treatment is done in about an hour, while for others you will need to keep the water overnight.

You can remove the algal growths from the walls of your fish tank by using a scrubber. Be very particular you are not disturbing the fish when you are cleaning the tank. You will have to move about the rocks in your tank too because this loosens the residue collected under them and make them come to the surface from where you can remove them. A siphon or a small bucket may be used to remove this debris which you can do when you are replacing the water. Remove all dead leaves from the water plants. In order to clean the outer portion of the aquarium, simply use a squeegee soaked in water. Do not miss out on cleaning the lid and the cover of the tank. Lastly, plug the aquarium back in, and enjoy the freshly cleaned tank.

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Filed Under: Exotic Animals | Tagged:

Baby Lovebirds

Posted by on September 15, 2011 Leave a Comment

* Exotic birds can come in many various colors; the amount of different colors they have can’t be determined by just examining one individual. Every different individual bird can have their own unique pattern and colors relevant to their species.

* Exotic birds are available in all sizes and shapes to ensure that you are able to determine on which kind of bird you should have from the cage you are able to afford. Most of these birds are really big and have big wings whilst other birds could be extremely tiny. A small cage could be spacious enough to let it even fly inside it.

* Even if you are not there to exercise the pet or keep it challenged throughout the day, a few toys would be sufficient to keep the animal occupied throughout the day. Just like children they adore playing by themselves and watching them play can be really the treat.

* Some species of parrots try to discover how to speak by themselves. You can discover your parrot trying to mimic the sounds it is hearing through the course of the day. This would be a good sign which means you could attempt training it to speak much more and much more.

* Most species of exotic birds like parrots and Macaws are very lively animals which are extremely playful and are active all day. You can anticipate hrs of fun playing with them without tiring them out.

* Birds are some of the most lovable pets around the world due to their playful nature and natural beauty. Getting a bird can be so much enjoyable whilst it teaches the owner to become responsible and care for the pet.

* A nicely groomed and loved pet bird can turn out to be very lovable and it can turn out to be extremely loyal to you. It could usually be about you lookout for you, if someone comes too close they might even attack that individual.

* Exotic birds can be groomed to be very clean simply because it is feasible to bath them every day. Some birds will adore bathing every day and even like to play with water. This tends to make certain you have a clean pet that likes water and is simple to bathe.

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Training American Bulldogs

Posted by on September 6, 2011 Leave a Comment

American bulldogs are loyal and lovable and are very suitable as a family pet. These dogs are very intelligent but they can also be stubborn and light headed. This may lead to a few problems in training. Knowing about their quirks will allow you to train them well to make their obedient. Those who have no experience with the breed earlier may get a little frustrated with training these dogs. Often this may lead to yelling or anger which will definitely not help you. If you are having too many problems training then it is best to get help from a professional trainer who has experience working with the breed.

Obedience Schools

Obedience schools for American bulldogs are not only for amateur owners. In fact, a large number of dog owners who have stubborn pets tend to take help from professional trainers to retrain even adult dogs for breaking habits. A professional trainer may work with your pet alone or introduce it to other breeds to help them socialize better. They can train your pet to teach it about your position as the master if you are dealing with a stubborn puppy. You may not even be aware that you are being submissive instead of dominating to the pet. These dogs will respond well to environment where there are other dogs learning.

Socializing Your Dog

Another important aspect of training American bulldogs is socializing them. These dogs will need to socialize right from an early age so that they are not aggressive or reserved around strangers. If you are taking help from a professional trainer then the trainer would help socialize the pet. These dogs have a natural strong hunting instinct and for that reason they may be aggressive towards other pets if they are not socialized well. It may not be able to be friendly towards other dogs if it has not been trained well.

Training the breed will require some dedication and patience but you will definitely find it all worth it. A well trained pet will be protective and loyal to your family. These dogs are very intelligent though they may be stubborn. They are very much capable of obeying and learning if you work with them consistently. The breed loves to please the owners so they will definitely do everything they can to please you and follow your commands once it has been trained. Fortunately, there are a lot of resources available today on training this breed and you may even ask for suggestions and guidance from the breeder where you purchase the puppy from. If nothing else works out you can always rely on professional trainers for American bulldogs.

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Christmas With Your Dog

Posted by on September 1, 2011 Leave a Comment

It’s Christmas morning, you and the family have raced down to the tree, and you are ready to tear into your gifts. Everyone is thrilled with their presents and enjoying the morning, while Baxter is left with torn up wrapping paper as his only new toy. Why not get Baxter in on the fun? Get your beloved family dog a few items that will light up his face more than crumpled paper.

While some may find it frivolous to spend on the dog, it doesn’t have to be much. Besides, it’s fun for you as well as Baxter to pick out some things you know he will love to have.

• Treats! What dog doesn’t love treats? Surely you keep the cookie jar stacked with some of Baxter’s favorites year round, but Christmas is a great time to try something special. There are all kinds of boutique dogs businesses offering handmade and organic treats for your buddy. Dogs love them because they are made from real food, but they are more expensive than your supermarket treats. Splurge on Baxter for Christmas and get him the nice dog cookies! Or if you are feeling adventurous, make some yourself. Be sure to look up a recipe that is appropriate for doggy tummies.

• Smart toys. You always suspected Baxter was a genius, right? Don’t get him just any old chew toy for a gift, then. There are plenty of puzzle toys on the market these days. You can get him a rubbery toy that holds treats or food. When he rolls it around and chews on it, the food comes out. He will get hours of enjoyment out of figuring out how to get to the treats. You can even find toys with drawers and cubby holes. You put treats in them and Baxter gets to solve the puzzle to get to the good stuff.

• Clothes. Ok, this one might be more of a present for you. Dogs don’t really wake up and think about what to wear. Baxter might, however, appreciate having a sweater or jacket for those chilly winter walks. The styles, materials, and colors of doggy outwear that you can find are nearly limitless. You can get him a festive red puffer vest, a black hoodie, or a Christmas sweater; whatever suits his (or your) style. Another good idea for winter is a set of booties. If you live in a snowy area, Baxter probably comes in from walks picking little balls of ice out of his feet. Avoid that by putting some footwear on him before you head out.

• Out with the old. Christmas is a great opportunity to get rid of some of Baxter’s stuff that has gotten a bit rank. If you can’t get the stink out of his bed or his favorite blanket, get him some new ones. Has he been working on that nasty old piece of rawhide for a while? Toss it and buy him a packet of new bones.

• Microchip. So, Baxter might not appreciate getting injected with a subcutaneous chip, but in the long run, it is best for him. If you haven’t done it yet, now is the time to show him how much you love him. Take him to the vet and get him this chip. If he gets lost, anyone who finds him can take him to any vet to be scanned and he will be back home before you even miss him.

Baxter is a part of the family, right? Treat him as such by letting him rip open a few presents on Christmas morning. He may not understand what is going on, but he will appreciate his new treats, toys, and apparel.

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