The 4th of July is fast approaching.  Remember to keep a watchful eye on your dog when fireworks are set off  on the 4^th of July. Too many dogs are frightened by the loud noises and run. They don’t know where they are heading, but think if they run they can get away from the noise.

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To keep your dog safe –  Keep your dog in the house or kennel building. I have a kennel building with runs inside where I keep them every night. I keep the fans running whenever it’s too hot inside the building and especially on the 4^th of July, because they make a little bit of noise themselves while they are running. I also have a radio playing at each end of the building to help cover up some of the loud bangs outside from the firecrackers; but nothing can cover up the M80′s that I hear in amongst the other loud noises.

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If your dog  lives  in the house – Turn up the TV(s), radio or stereo, so it can help cover up most of the noise. If your dog is anything like mine, you would think he was glued to my leg.

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Thunder and lightning – The Loud roar of thunder and the quick flashes of light terrify many dogs as well. If you leave your dog by himself, thinking he will be okay in his crate when a storm hits, best think again. Some dogs get so panicked that they will chew their way out of rooms and/or crates which ends up hurting themselves, not to mention the damage they will cause.

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What you can do

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• If your dog is afraid of loud noises from fireworks and/or thunderstorms, you need to visit your Veterinarian and see what will work best for your dog during those stressful times.

• Never “reward” his “scared” behavior, because that will teach him nothing and will just do the opposite of what you want him to do…which is to learn how to stay keep calm and confident doing the storms.

• Keep calm yourself. If you act scared or panicky, the dog can pick up these “vibes” from you and that make him more frightened. As the song says, “Don’t worry – Be happy”.  You have to be, “upbeat” while talking to the dog, happy and confident in voice and in your body language, so the dog will sense that you are not frighten and in time will learn to do the same.

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Check  this out for more  info on keeping your dogs

safe, healthy and very spoiled!

Before you bring the dog home

1.  Make Time – Make sure you have time to spend with your dog. You have your job, friends, shopping, dinner parties…your dog only has you. He needs your time, love and attention.
2.   Leash – Buy the proper length for the activity you want to do with your dog. A 6’ leash will work when teaching your dog to heel and when taking your dog for a walk. You can also use a “retractable” leash when you take your dog for “potty” walks. This way he can go further away from you and you’ll still have control.
3.  Collar – Buy the proper collar size and style you need for the dogs activity. If obedience training, you’ll need a choke chain. You can use a regular leather or nylon collar for every day use with his dog tags on it.
4.  Food and water dishes – Keep these washed daily to fight off bacteria.
5.  Food – Feed the proper amount of food daily. Some like to feed once a day, I prefer twice a day. Remember to keep the dog food sack out of your dogs reach, as some dogs would eat the whole sack of food, which means he could “bloat” and you don’t want that to happen.
6.  Dog treats – You can give your dogs treats like dog biscuits, or even a piece of hot dog as a reward, but every dog has different tastes. My dogs only like the “dog cookies” that they are use to getting and rarely take treats from anyone else.
7.  Dog toys – Buy safe dog toys; not ones with eyes, or parts that could be chewed off and eaten.  Kong toys are the best. They come in different styles and sizes, and the best thing about them is, that you can fill them with different treats, (like peanut butter) and it keeps them busy for quite awhile.
8.  Puppy proof your home and yard – Basically pick up everything in your house that doesn’t belong on the floor or in their reach. Check your yard for poisonous plants, trash, kids toys or anything else that you don’t want chewed up.
9.  Popper scooper – You’ll need this to keep the yard clean on a daily basis. You’ll need to do this for 3 reasons: so the dog won’t eat it – so you won’t step in it – and sanitation.
10.  Safe area – Have a safe place prepared to keep the dog, and I don’t mean tie him out in the yard and leave him there 24/7.  He needs shelter from the winter and summer elements.  A fenced yard is very important for not only the dogs safety, but also gives the dog room for running, exercise and playing You’ll need a doghouse or building, (with clean blankets or rugs), so he can get out of the wind, rain, snow or sun. Your dog will need fresh water by the doghouse, or in the shelter building.

Once the dog is home

1. Have your dog checked out by a Veterinarian.
2. Set your dog on a schedule for shots and worming with your Vet.
3. Take walks with your dog or take the dog jogging with you (if your dog is old enough). Try taking him out with you at least 4 – 5 days a week.
4. Remember the 3 P’s :  Patience    -    Praise    -    Playtime

Take good care of your dog – He’s part of your family and will remain a loyal companion until he dies.  Don’t break his heart or his spirit

Check out this site to see what we offering to  you on  how to keep your dog safe, healthy, happy and very spoiled!

To gain his trust

Start touching and rubbing the dogs feet at a very young age. This way he will be accustom to having his feet touch and you won’t have that problem. I have found that touching and rubbing the dogs feet and between the pads of his feet starting out at a very young age, will help out greatly as he gets older so I could hold his paw while cutting the toenails.

For dogs that are older and are not used to having their feet touched, slowly touch one of his paws and say good boy and give him a treat. Talk to him calmly and reassuringly while you rub his paw and give treats. Do this several times a day, touching only one of his paws. The next day try touching or rubbing another paw, as you give him his treats. This will take time, as it requires a great deal of trust from your dog and plenty of patience on your part.

Cutting nails

After you have gained his trust, you can introduce him to the toenail cutter or dremel. Have treats handy and give him several. Then you can try cutting the toenails on his foot. I suggest that when you start cutting the nails, you do it slowly and just cut a very small amount of nail off, and do it more often. This way you won’t cut to far down. If this happens, the dog remembers the pain associated with it and doesn’t want to cooperate as well. Remember to praise the dog when he holds still after cutting each nail. When you are all finished, make a big deal out of it. Give him hugs and treats and tell him he’s a good boy.

I’ve had many dogs throughout the years. Cutting toenails is one of the things I dislike most, not only because they won’t stand still long enough, but I’m always afraid that I will cut to far down which will hurt them. Toenails bleed ‘forever’ it seems if they get ’nicked’. Then you have to watch out for infection.

I’ve always cut the pups toenails while they are still in the whelping box. I know the mother of these pups appreciates it. Their toenails become sharp as little needles. I use  ‘human’ fingernail clippers while they are still young.

Then as they grow I use a ‘human’ toenail clipper.  As they mature, I had to use a regular toenail cutter designed especially for dogs, as their toenails become to tough to cut otherwise, at least on my large breed of dogs. This is where I have problems cutting the toenail. Since some of my adult dogs haven’t had their toenails cut for a while, they become very thick and hard. Cutting them with regular toenail cutters don’t work as well. I haven’t cut them as often as I should have, their toenails are now really thick and tough to cut through, and if they move or pull their foot away, I sometimes cut to far down.

Then finally, I’ve started using a dremel. It sure is a lifesaver for me. I’ve found one that is cordless and super quite. Because the dremel is quick and easy to use, it makes it so much easier to trim the nails. If I ‘cut’ to far down, the heat from this dremel seals the “nicked” part so it does not bleed. In my opinion, the dremel is the best way to cut nails, at least on the larger breed of dogs.

Looking for toys for our dogs can be fun, but be careful what you choose to buy for him. Although no guarantees can be made for your dogs excitement or safety with any specific toy, the following guidelines are offered.

Unsafe Toys

» Unless you can safely remove these, avoid toys with parts on it that your dog could swallow or that could get caught in the dogs mouth or throat, like: price tags, ribbons, stables and/or strings.

» Don’t buy toys that have pieces that could be chewed off and eaten.

» Stuffed animals can be dangerous for your dog. The eyes can be chewed off and swallowed and the stuffing is dangerous for the dog if eaten.

» Don’t buy small toys or balls for large dogs. To small of toys could get struck in the dogs throat causing breathing problems and could even lead to the death your dog.

» For large dogs, don’t give them those soft rubber toys. This type of toy will last my German shepherd about 1 minute before he has it in pieces. Not worth it for me to buy him one of these and especially not worth the risk that he would eat any piece of it before I could get it away from him. These should be okay for a small dog.

» Don’t buy toys that have polystyrene beads or nutshells for their filling.

» Watch too, for toys that have a squeaker in it. It sounds great to the dog, but watch for any breaks in the toy where the squeaker is located. You don’t want the dog swallow that.

» In my opinion, rawhide bones should not be given to dogs, unless supervised. When they chewed on them, they become soaked and start to stretch out. These soaked slimy pieces can slip down their throat and they could choke on it. Others like, hooves and pig’s ears should also be with supervision.

Safe Toys

Now here are a few toys that are ‘safer’ than some others.

· Buy hard rubber toys for your dog, especially for large breeds as they have a lot of ‘chew power’ in their jaws. Toys like ‘Kong’ toys are very good.  Nylabone type products are good, if they like them. (Mine don’t.)

· Tennis balls may be good for the medium size dogs, but not large breeds in my opinion.  I had a German shepherd once that was playing with one; he turned his head up and it slipped to the back of the throat and got caught.

· The ‘rope’ toys are good. Just be careful with the ones that have the strings at the ends. They are good to help clean between the dogs teeth, but you don’t want them to chew off and swallow any of it.

· I also buy a product called ‘Air Dog’ toys. These toys come in different shapes, and are wrapped in the tennis ball material. My Zeus likes the large bone shaped toy the best and his father, Dancer, likes the football shaped toy.  These are larger than the tennis balls, but they do not get these unless I’m right there to supervise them and when if gets torn, it goes in the garbage.

Rotate the toys

Most dogs get bored with the same toy, so rotate the toys they play with about once a week or so. Have 4-5 toys out for him to play with, but if they have a favorite toy, always keep it out.  Zeus won’t play with any toy but his one favorite, whereas our old guy Jerry, will go to his toy box and root through it to find the toy he wants to play with that day and will run the length of the house and back again about 3 – 4 times. Then he’s tired and lies down with the toy and takes a nap.

Until you know what your dog is capable of, supervise! Giving your dogs safe toys to play with and supervising are just two ways to watch out for their welfare.

For more complete information on the health, welfare and safey of your dog, check out my book, “The Dog Owners Handbook,”   here.

I was reading about this woman who has a 7 month old German shepherd/lab  mix and had several questions like, how to stop him from digging holes, jumping up on her or her guests, how to stop him from pawing at her and whining for attention from her because he wanted to play. It sounded like this was her first puppy and didn’t know how to cope with him. I would think that if someone was going to get a dog, either a pup or an adult, they should have at least read up on the care and responsibility of owning a dog.

For those who are new to dogs, I have these suggestions:  Read, learn, talk to others, and get answers before you get a dog. It’s okay to ask questions, but don’t get a dog without any knowledge of how to take care of him.

First of all you must remember he’s only a puppy. Just like small kids, they have to be taught some manners. Hitting is definitely a no-no, unless you want a dog that becomes afraid of you, or one who becomes aggressive.

Basic “manners” you need to teach him.

1. Sit - Keeps him from running all over while you are trying to talk to someone and keeps him from jumping up on you

2. Stay - Keeps him where you want him

3. Heel - This keeps him more under control when you take him out for walks.

4. Come – This is important for his safety. If he should get loose, you need to get him back to you before he gets hurt.

5. Off – You can teach him off so he doesn’t jump up on you, or to teach him not to get on your furniture. Etc.

6. Give – This is also important. If he has something in his mouth that is harmful, you want him to give it to you before he eats it.

Puppies and adult dogs love getting attention from their masters. Have time to play with him and pet him. This builds the bond between you and your dog. When playtime is up, give him a treat and keep toys for him to play with to keep him busy. Kong toys are great, because you can put treats inside for him to dig out. It will keep him busy for quite some time. Try putting peanut butter inside the Kong toy. That will keep him busy for a while.

As for the jumping up on your guests, teach your dog to sit. If he’s sitting, he can’t jump on anyone. I taught my German shepherd, Zeus, not to jump on me. He was a year old and was not taught any manners when he came to live with me. When I saw him make his move to jump on me, I just stretched both arms out in front of me and pushed him away (gently), saying the word, OFF and finally he gave up playing that game and doesn’t jump on me any more.

Don’t give up on him. After all, he’s just a puppy and puppies take work. He needs your love, time and patience.