In nature, many dogs eat when they get a meal – often a “kill” – which could be every day or every few days. We find that domestic dogs will often eat every other day – that is very common, particularly in larger breed dogs.

We find some breeds and dogs are even less consistent in their eating patterns as the summer approaches and the temperature gets warmer.

The question is, should you WORRY if your dog won’t eat.

The answer is – it depends.

If your dog doesn’t want to eat one meal but is otherwise drinking, acting playful, and having normal bowel movements and urination with no vomiting, then I probably would not worry. If your dog is lethargic, if his gums are pale, if he seems weak, is vomiting and/or has diarrhea, then I would worry. See your veterinarian.

By Dr Jon

How to Walk a Dog

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Walking your dog is a fun activity for you and your pup to do together. Not only will you both be getting exercise, but most dogs enjoy it too!

Steps

1. Pick up your lead/leash. This signals to the dog that it is about to go for a walk. Make a dog sit patiently as you clip on the lead. Use a treat to lure the dog to sit if you have to. Make sure you only clip on the lead when the dog is sitting still, going for a walk is on your terms, not theirs.

• If you do not have a collar and/or leash, take a trip to the pet store, or even a department store like Walmart, and buy one for your dog. Make sure it is the correct size for your dog; they usually have the weight or size requirements on the package.

Video

Tips

• Follow this wiki and your pooch will love you!

• If you’re going for a long walk, stop a couple of times so that you don’t tire out your dog if it isn’t in decent shape.

• Consider carrying around a few low-fat and low-calorie quick eat treats. Charlie Bears work great!

• If your dog constantly pulls on the lead, you might try one of the gentle lead products (like the Halti, for example) available. Or, even better, train your dog not to pull (which isn’t that difficult).

• Don’t forget to bring a plastic bag to clean up the poop. Though it’s recommended you have the dog go before you take it out for a walk.

• If you can teach your dog to get used to verbal cues like “cross”, “this way” and “stop” you will be less dependent on the lead and the walk will be more enjoyable for you and your dog.

• If your dog does decide to pull, there are a few ways to help cure the problem. Don’t pull your dog back to you. Pulling the dog backwards will jade your dog to the pressure of the leash and teach him that if you want him back, he can just wait for you to pull. Instead decide on a distance you’d like your dog to pace you at, such as with his forelegs next to yours, or with his neck next to your legs. Start by walking with a loose lead, and if the dog creeps out in front, turn immediately around and start walking in the opposite direction. A quick little tug might help get his attention. Soon your dog will learn to pay attention to you and walk close enough that he can see you change directions, otherwise risk walking the wrong way and getting a smart little tug on the leash.
• Make sure to check weather conditions as well as your walking route. Remember that unlike us, your dog has fur, which can make it extremely uncomfortable when walking distances in the blistering heat.
• If you can, ensure you walk a little ahead of the dog in order to communicate that YOU are the leader of the pack, not him/her.
• Find a good stable leash(lead) for your pet.
• If you own a short-haired dog, such as the Pug or Chihuahua, it may be a good idea to put a sweater on him/her in cold temperatures.

Warnings

• Be careful of other dogs; try not to get too close.
• Only let the dog off-leash if it has a reliable re-call, but not with many vehicles around.
• If the dog is unfamiliar with the leash, collar, harness, etc, let him smell it and ponder over it before you take him out on a walk.
• Don’t tug on the leash. Before you start taking your dog on walks, make sure it has good leash manners.
• Don’t use choke-chains when going on walks. A lot of the time, the dog tries to go fast, or let his head hang low, and the choke collar chokes him. These are for training only. Use a comfy nylon or flat leather collar instead.
• If you have a puppy less than one year old, use a harness to avoid putting stress on the neck. If your puppy pulls on the harness, do more leash-manners training.
• When going out in public with your dog, make sure he doesn’t bite; if he is aggressive, you may have to teach him some manners.
• Always make sure your dog’s collar or harness has an identification tag saying at least the dog’s name and your phone number. Also, just in case your dog slips out of his collar, make sure that your dog is micro-chipped. You can have him micro-chipped at the vet’s office.
• If the ground is icy or the pavement is hot and sharp, you may consider having your dog wear dog protection pads, or dog booties (not the cute fancy ones, the ones that are for safety).
• Try bringing at least one bottle of water for your dog! They get thirsty too, you know! You could get one of those bowl ‘n water bottles for your dog. It is easier for them to drink out of. Or, buy a Pet Top Portable Drinking Device (most recommended, www.pettop.com).
• You might think that right away puppies will stay close without a leash, and usually they will, but they will run away and especially if they think they are under attack or they see another dog.
• Watch your dog to make sure that they don’t eat anything they shouldn’t.
• When your dog poops, pick it up! No one likes to step in it, or have it left on their front lawn.
• In hot weather, you have to consider that the ground or pavement will get very hot in clear weather, causing much discomfort for the dog. Schedule walks for cloudy weather, or evenings or early in the morning, during the summer, if you live in a hot climate.

 Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Walk a Dog. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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How to Handle a Dog Attack

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

It may have happened to you before: you’re walking or cycling through the neighborhood when suddenly an unfamiliar dog crosses your path. The dog begins barking, growling; maybe it even charges you. So much for man’s best friend. Even small dogs can be threatening if they’re worked up, and just about any dog can inflict a painful bite. In the US alone, nearly 5 million people are attacked by dogs every year, and 1,000 people go to emergency rooms every day as a result of a dog attack; many of them are children, and about half of them have been bitten in the face. If a dog attacks you or your child, your response can be the difference between walking away unharmed or being injured by the dog, and perhaps even be the difference between life and death.

Steps

1. Take precautions against dog attacks. Most dog attacks are the result of insufficient containment of the dog, or poor training. I.e. Bad owners. Unfortunately, the world will never be rid of bad owners, so it is wise to be prepared.

• Avoid smiling at the dog. You may be putting on a friendly face, but an aggressive dog sees you baring your teeth for a fight.
• Carry a weapon. If you must walk in an area that is known to have aggressive dogs that sometimes get loose, consider carrying an object to protect yourself with, such as a baseball bat, golf club, hockey stick, knife, or folding knife. Where deadly force is not warranted, this can be used to keep some distance between you and the dog.
• Dogs that are chained or tethered to a stationary object for extended periods of time are more likely to be aggressive, so do not come within their reach.[1]

After an Attack

1. Attend to any wounds. If you do get bitten, be sure to take care of any wounds promptly, as even minor bites can cause infection. See a medical professional promptly if you suffer serious wounds or if you haven’t had a tetanus shot in the past 5 years. Also see the warning below about rabies.
   • Apply gentle pressure to stop minor bleeding. Use a clean cloth or sterile gauze pad. If bleeding is serious or if it won’t stop after several minutes of applying pressure, seek medical attention.
   • Wash the wound thoroughly. Use warm water and soap to gently cleanse the wound.
   • Dress the wound. Use a sterile band-aid (for very small cuts) or sterile bandages.
   • Apply fresh bandages and apply antibiotic ointment at least 1 or 2 times a day.
2. Look closely for signs of infection, including redness, warmth, increasing tenderness, or oozing pus. See a doctor if any of these symptoms arise.
3. Contact the owner and animal control authorities. In order to prevent such incidents in the future, as well as to determine if the animal has rabies, you should notify the local police or animal control department promptly. Many states have laws holding owners responsible for the actions of their dogs.

Tips

• Teach these steps to children in case they ever encounter an aggressive dog.
• If you are with a young child, particularly if it is a large dog whose path you have crossed, you may deem it appropriate to hold the child in your arms. If you are picking the child up, do it slowly, and don’t look the dog in the eye, especially not when crouching down. Tell the child to stay calm and quiet, and to look at you. Then treat the situation using the instructions noted above.
• These instructions are for dealing with one dog, and may work when dealing with two. If you’re attacked by a pack of dogs, however, the pack mentality will call for a different response, which is beyond the scope of this article.
• If cycling, dismount and keep the bicycle between you and the dog. This will create a barrier of protection. If a dog is attacking you (not just barking) use the bicycle as a weapon to strike the dog. Holding the bicycle by the stem (handlebars) and the seat, swing the bicycle tire to hit the dog. But don’t lose your grip as you will have lost a valuable defensive tool.

Warnings

• If the dog appears sick or if he falls ill within 10 days of the incident, the dog should be tested for rabies immediately. If the dog tests positive you must go through a series of rabies shots. If the dog cannot be found after the incident, you should see a doctor to determine whether you should get the shots. The rabies shot sequence, if it is necessary, should be begun as soon as possible after the bite.
• The owners of aggressive dogs can be worse than the dogs. If you have to injure or kill an attacking dog, get away from the area and call the police as soon as possible.
• Be careful using non-locking pocket knives as weapons. In the chaos of battle, they can close on your hand and do more harm than good. Use a hunting knife instead, because those are designed for cutting into animal flesh with more efficiency than normal type knives.
• Be careful using anything but the best heavy sticks as counter-attack weapons. Sticks are not very good weapons in general and you may just make the situation worse. It is best to use non-ideal sticks to keep distance between you and the dog, rather than to attack.
• Every dog is different, and dogs will react in sometimes unpredictable ways. These tips will help you escape danger in most situations, but you may have to adapt to an attack.
• Don’t use pepper spray or mace. The odds of hitting dog in the face before it can attack you are very small. Even if you can hit the dog in the face, you are unlikely to stop the dog. You are more likely just to make the dog angry.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Handle a Dog Attack. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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Coat type
Long-coated and double-coated dogs shed, shed, and shed some more, leaving tufts of hair to float about the house and land everywhere. Meticulous housekeepers and folks with little or no time for grooming will be happier with dogs that don’t accessorize the living room with dog-hair dust bunnies a couple of times a year. Double-coated dogs may also have longer, stiffer guard hairs that can penetrate bare feet like splinters.

Brushing is needed to remove the dead hair from wire-coated terriers, poodles, and poodle relatives, and professional grooming is necessary to maintain texture and color in wirehaired terriers. These breeds are generally better than heavily shedding breeds for owners with allergies.

Dogs with oily outer coats can develop a doggy odor that can be unpleasant, dogs with heavy coats may suffer in southern climes, and dogs with short coats may shiver in the north.

Potential health problems
Although purebred dogs are sometimes denigrated as harboring all sorts of genetic abnormalities and mixed breed dogs are sometimes claimed to be healthier than their purebred cousins, the truth is that all dog have the same range of health problems. Some of these problems are genetic, some result from exposure to disease or parasites, and some are the result of non-inherited birth defects or injuries. Joint problems, including hip and elbow dysplasia and loose kneecaps; eye problems; cancers; skin diseases; heart and other organ diseases; and more affect canines of every size and background. Some dogs have additional problems caused by short muzzles, long backs, giant or diminutive size, or other physical features.

Training ease
Some breeds are fairly easy to train, and some are quite difficult. The breeds that were designed to work independently of man and those that were developed to guard livestock or kill vermin require lots of persistence and firmness for training while those that work closely with their owners are easier to teach.

If you lack time and patience to deal with a dog that is difficult to train, then an older dog from a rescue service may fit your bill as well as a pup of a breed that is traditionally easier to train. Intelligence is not necessarily an indicator of trainability; smart dogs often have their own agenda and require firmness of purpose on the part of their owners.

As a rule, terriers, hounds, and northern dogs are tough to train because of their intelligence and independent natures, and sporting and herding dogs are easier to train. The sharpest-working obedience breeds are Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, Border Collies, German Shepherds, and Shetland Sheepdogs, breeds that developed to closely with humans.

Exercise needs
Some dogs are lethargic and others are very energetic. Active families would be happier with a pet that can jog, hike, and play ball, and more sedate folks would most likely prefer a quieter animal. Cute as they are, Basset Hounds, Dachshunds, and Corgis are not jogging companions, and Airedales, German Shepherds, and Border Collies are not typical couch potatoes.

All dogs need some exercise to stay healthy. Most adult dogs will not exercise themselves, so time for walks and other activities is important.

Yards and gardens
Dogs can be destructive to gardens, lawns, and landscape plantings. They urinate on lawns or shrubs, roll in flowers, chomp on vegetables and branches, dig holes, and generally cause havoc unless they are restrained from doing so. Sturdy fences will keep dogs from entering gardens if they are tall enough. Some dog owners use underground radio fences for this purpose. Repellent sprays are also available, but some dogs are actually attracted by the scent and are delighted to grind it and the flowers or vegetable plants into their bodies.

However, dogs can also be helpful in the garden. Check out “Gardening with canine assistance” for more information or purchase Dog Friendly Gardens, Garden Friendly Dogs by Cheryl Smith.

Noise factor
Some dogs bark. A lot. Terriers and scent hounds use their voices to broadcast their progress in chasing prey animals. Shelties and Collies bark to tell the sheep to git back to the barn. Canaan Dogs bark to alert their families to potential intruders. Barking dogs do not endear owners to their neighbors in apartments, condominiums, and close-knit suburbs. Too much barking can lead to noise laws or even pet limit laws. Thus owners of barking dogs must be extra vigilant in preventing their pets from becoming a neighborhood nuisance.

Many dogs will bark if they are bored, so owners should also be sure to assess their own time and ability for training, walking, and playtimes, and should properly confine the dog when they cannot otherwise keep it from disturbing the neighbors. (There are some special collars available to deter barking dogs and some training methods that can help in some cases, but if potential owners take the noise factor into consideration, problems are more likely to be minimized.)

Temperament, etc.
Breed and group temperament can be described, but there is latitude within that description for individuality. Thus Akitas are declared to be tough animals, loyal, aloof, dominant, aggressive to other animals, and often challenging. However, many Akitas are sweet and cuddly, love small critters, will climb in laps if allowed, and are anything but aloof and dominant.

Terriers are scrappy, yappy, tough, and independent, but Airedale Terriers bond very closely to their humans and are somewhat protective. Hounds follow their eyes or noses and are often oblivious to human presence, but Dachshunds bond closely with their families and Greyhounds and Whippets are sweet, gentle pets.

Deciding on a breed of dog is at least as important as deciding on the right wardrobe for business, the right car, the right school for the kids. A dog is a part of the family for a dozen or more years; the commitment to feed, shelter, and nurture a family friend for that amount of time should be based on rigorous analysis of an appropriate breed for the family circumstances.

By Norma Bennett Woolf, |  “Copyright 2009 by Canis Major Publications. All rights reserved. Used by permission.” By Tom Woolf
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