Cattle

Archive for April, 2009

This time of year can be a worrying and confusing one for your dog, occurrences like bonfire night don’t happen very often and that’s what makes it a lot scarier for your dog or puppy.

Dogs do not like unfamiliarity’s and all the flashes and sudden bangs can make your dog extremely scared and afraid of what is happening. Unfortunately there have been many cases of dog deaths on bonfire night over the last ten years so it’s a must to keep an eye on your dog at this time of the year and any other similar time such as New Years Eve.

Accidents and injuries happen on bonfire night because of dogs or puppies being loose outside and the unfamiliar sounds and flashes causing them to go into a panic and running away from home, running into roads, or getting stuck in tight spaces trying to hide from the noises.

Fortunately, there are rules and advice that can be followed to prevent times like these and keep your dog in safe hands. To begin you will need to stop your dog being out at night and keep them reassured indoors and away from their outdoor home if they have one. This should be done from one week before the event to one week after the event so no fireworks before or after will scare them into trouble.

Make sure all the doors are locked and shut, if your dog sees an opening they will go for it if they become scared. Try to make a small sheltered area for your dog where they feel protected and in control, and cuddles and calmly playing with your dog may help your dog be less nervous and take their mind off the situation.

If your dog does escape, be calm and positive with them wile trying to get them back inside as quickly as possible, if all these rules are followed then everything should go to plan and you will be able to relax on bonfire night and not have to worry about your pet.

There are some dog owners who frequently purchase clothing for their pets, while other dog owners think that buying clothing for a dog is unnecessary. Most people assume that dog clothing has no specific function and is only used to ‘decorate’ the animal. Actually, animal clothing, such as wraps, boots, coats, and collars, has very important and specific functions, not the least of which is to protect animals from dangers in the environment.

Protective Wraps

Protective wraps are similar to blankets, and they help to calm animals in the event of inclement weather, such as thunder or lightning. Also, protective wraps help alleviate tension, fear, or excitement in animals. A protective wrap provides warmth and a slight degree of pressure, which helps an anxious dog switch focus off of an intimidating environment to a sense of security. A dog might have to be trained to wear a protective wrap. An owner can introduce the wrap for short periods of time along with praise and treats. As the dog becomes accustomed to the wrap, extending the ‘wearing time’ will result in a greater degree of the intended, calming effect.

Foot Protection

Dog boots are manufactured for use by animals that live in severe-weather environments or who work in a service capacity that involves exposure to hazardous environments. Dogs that live in northern states, such as Minnesota, Maine, or New York, spend months living with winter weather. Temperatures fall well below zero, and snow blizzards aren’t uncommon in the north and east. Dog boots are made to protect canine feet from environmental dangers such as snow, ice, heat, and chemicals. Dog clothing, such as protective boots, is used most effectively by animals that are in a service capacity. This footwear protects feet from both weather dangers and dangers encountered while searching for lost hikers, people buried in collapsed buildings, and hidden drugs.

Coats and Raincoats

Inclement weather and hazardous environments can affect much more than a dog’s feet. Service dogs were used by rescue workers to locate trapped people on 9/11, and they are frequently used after tornados or hurricanes to search for victims. Dogs in these environments need to wear clothing such as protective coats or raincoats. Protective coats help protect all dogs from distress or injury, and they enable service dogs to continue working in adverse environments, without injury.

Reflective Collars

Dog clothing, such as a collar, can help owners control their pet’s movements. In addition, collars can be used as a tracking device for service dogs or dogs living in rural areas. Service animals, such as police dogs, may be required to chase criminals, search for missing persons, or sniff vehicles for drugs. A collar that contains an electronic tracking chip or reflective material enables the dog’s owner to track the animal’s movements and find its location at any time. Reflective collars provide accountability for an animal that is a valued animal in a service capacity.

Dog clothing is generally viewed as a luxury, and dog owners are often seen as eccentric when they put clothing on their dogs. Dog clothing, such as protective wraps, foot protection, coats and raincoats, and reflective collars provide necessary protection for animals that live in inclement weather or are in potentially hazardous service capacities. Dog owners should look into available products that may be of benefit to their pet or service animal.

At some stage in your life as a horse owner, you may find it necessary to stable your horse. It may only be for a couple of nights, a week or a more permanent situation. No matter your reason or the length of your horses stay, it is important that you clean the stable at least once a day.

So you arrive at your horse’s stable with a cheery “Good Morning!”. You organize their breakfast, change there pajamas (rugs), maybe go for an early morning ride (nice and chilly on those crisp winter mornings). But no matter what else you do, there is one thing every owner of a stabled horse must do. And that is to clean up the mess, from the night before.

What a mess!! It really amazes me the mess one horse can make within 8-10 hours! I have been greeted with a wide variety of “Good Morning” situations from my horses over the years. From finding poo in the feed dish (which is still hanging on the door!), to finding poo right in front of the door in the walk way! No matter the mess, it still needs to be cleaned up. Not only can a dirty or poorly cleaned stable cause diseases to fester but it will smell bad too.

Here are some simply steps to help you in cleaning out your stable!

You will need a good stable fork/rake and a wheelbarrow or bucket.

It is always helpful if you can remove your horse from the stable. This way you aren’t worried about him/her escaping. If you can’t make sure they are tied up securely.

Remove any other objects which may get in your way, such as water buckets and horse toys.

Using your stable fork/rake remove all large visible piles of poo.

Remove any obvious wet patches.

Starting on either your left or right in a circular pattern around the stable, toss a fork full of stable bedding towards the side of the stable, remove any poo or wet that this process uncovers.

Remember to dig down to the floor so that all the bedding gets exposed, and continue till you are back to where you started.

Your stable bedding should now be all piled up around the sides of the stable and the floor exposed. If the floor seems wet (will be in most cases) it is great if you can leave it exposed for a few hours to dry out.

Starting at either the right or left, pull the bedding down from the edge with your stable rake, so that the bedding comes back to its original level and covers the previously exposed floor. Continue around till you are back at the start.

You may find that you need to smooth out the bedding so that it is level and covers the floor evenly.

I have always found it a good idea to leave an area in front of the door free from bedding, this will help reduce the bedding that gets ‘walked’ or ‘kicked’ out by your horse.

You may find that when cleaning, some bedding drifts into the water. It is always a good idea to clean out your horses’ water after finishing the stable.

It may be necessary to add some new bedding to you stable, this is usually done once a week, but depends on your horse.

It will also be necessary to remove all bedding from your stable on a regular base. This will depend on numerous factors and is up to your discretion. If it is getting smelly – then its time for a full clean out!

Now that you’re done, you can enjoy some quality time with your beloved horse!

Happy Horsing

Tina Williamson

Gifts-for-the-Horse-Lover.com

For that special Horse Gift

If you have never owned a puppy before, this article should help to prepare you for the many things that you should know and expect from your puppy and some of your responsibilities as the owner, as far as how you should go about properly training them. Dog training is very important and the earlier that you start with it, the much better off that you will be, no doubt about that one. Puppies come into our homes and you need to keep in mind that even though they are very small usually, they are also very, very inquisitive and will surprisingly catch on to many things very quickly. It is so important for anyone who is considering to get themselves a little puppy to definitely remember that you will just have to make sure that you apply some dog training skills on them right away, the longer that you put it off, the more difficult they will be to train.

Rewarding our little puppies with tons of praise and even some little treats, is the best way to teach them right from wrong. They love to make their owners happy and will go out of their way to every single time, as long as you have constantly given them that praise that they deserve for being such a good puppy and listening to your commands. Everyone wants to be the proud owner of a very well behaved lil puppy but most people do not want to put forth the effort to actually try and get their puppies trained by a professional or train the puppy themselves, which is why so many of us really need to get educated a little bit more about puppy care and the many reasons why it is so very important to properly train our animals, especially our little curious puppies. They are so adorable but can turn out to be very ugly later on if they are not immediately properly trained, so that they will know exactly how they are really supposed to act.

There are just a few things that everyone who owns a puppy should remember, when they are ready to begin applying their dog training skills. Learning just the few basics on dog training will really help to prevent any bad behavior out of your puppy in the near future. It will only take a little bit of your time and a great deal of consistency ofcourse, and then you will have the opportunity to show off your dog training skills to all of your friends and family, they will all be very impressed by your pooches good manners and adorable tricks. There are so many different books available that can teach you even more about dog training and all of the different dog training techniques. You will be so surprised once you begin learning more about this, surprised at how simple things could be for you and your new little friend with the most appropriate dog training skills.

In this day and age, a lot of things have changed from how they used to be, which can be new and exciting for most. Pet cats hold a very special place in the hearts of their owners. Wouldn’t it be nice to give a pet cat the loveliest name one can think of?

Wouldn’t it be great to give a pet cat a name that would reflect its personality as seen by the one who owns it or a name which would give recognition to the cat’s breed? There are actually a lot of names to choose from in books or in the internet. But generally, how can an owner choose a name which he will find fit for his cat?

Many cat owners name their pet cats with human names. Actually, a whopping fifty percent of pet names are those of persons. This primarily is because there are owners who are enamored with a certain name and actually desire to christen someone, or something for that matter, with that favorite name.

Another basis for names is personality or appearance. In this category, examples are Midnight (should the pet be a black cat), Fluffy (obviously, if the cat is fluffy or has long, soft and bouncy coat) and Whitey (of course, if the cat is white). Pet names based on appearances or personality make up an amazing twenty percent of all pet names. However, unlike human infants where the parents can opt to wait for a few weeks to see the baby’s personality before naming the child, cats must be named more quickly.

So how does an owner actually name his pet cat? Here are some tips which cat owners can give some thought.

First off, keep in mind that the name that the owner chooses for his pet cat will not only reflect the cat’s character but also how the owner views his relationship with his pet cat. As much as it says a lot about the cat, the name given by the owner will tell much about the owner himself. It can then be seen how the name can portray an image of the characteristics of the cat. Many cat names give either a positive or negative impression of the cat. So, it is important to choose a name which will best convey the proper image of the pet.

A cat’s name is for keeps. No matter which name the owner chooses, the cat’s name should be that for the rest of his life. It is absolutely not fair to change the cat’s name every two weeks just because the owner finds another name he thinks he might prefer. If the cat already recognizes the sound of its name it should not be changed.

Although the cat won’t mind any name its owner may wish to use, it is just not fair to give the cat an embarrassing name. While the cat would not mind being named “Ooga Booga”, it would be embarrassing for the owner to actually use this name. Imagine a person calling out “Ooga Booga” at least eight times a day every time he is looking for his cat. The cat’s owner should find his pet a name which he will be proud to use. Also please remember to pick a name which will be appropriate when your cat is full-grown. A large tabby cat with a silly name like Mimi or Kitten seems ridiculous.

A name with two syllables will do best. The response of animals is better to two-syllable names. A cat owner may decide to give his pet a long name as well as a nick name. However, the longer name inevitably would be shortened, and this would probably ruin the effect the cat owner originally sought.

The cat’s breed heritage may provide great ideas for names. For instance, if the cat owner owns a Siamese cat, why not name it Siam? If the cat is a Russian Blue, it would be nice to give it a Russian-sounding or Russian inspired name such as Sofia or Chekov.

Speaking of inspiration, there are a lot of things out there from which you can gain inspiration. As was said earlier, the name the owner gives his cat will speak just as much about himself. So why not pick a name for the cat which is derived from the owner’s likes, hobbies and favorites? If the owner were passionate about world history, maybe the names Isis, Genghis, Voltaire or Osiris would sound very classy. If the owner were an avid fan of the Greek mythology the names Zeus, Athena, Hercules or Jason would be sure to make a good first impression on other people.

On the more contemporary side, names of characters from favorite movies, cartoon series, TV programs or bands will do just as well. Huey, Louie and Duey would sound cute as well as Bonnie and Clyde. A more posh touch would be naming your cat after signature designers. Tommy, Donna, Karan, Calvin and Gianni would not sound so bad for cats–just as long as they are well groomed as their names imply. Naming cats is not the easiest task there is, honestly. But it can be a lot of fun if these considerations and suggestions are always kept in mind.

Then no doubt, that perfect name will come easily. Wouldn’t it be great for an owner to call his pet cat a name which is close to his heart and a name he will be proud to call out no matter what time of the day? Find out more by reading our other articles on this topic and other subjects we have written related to it.