Cattle

Archive for April, 2010

Pet health insurance is the latest buzz word in pet care today. However, for all the hype that it’s making, it can’t magically make all your expenses go away. Before purchasing a pet health insurance plan, there are many aspects that need to be examined. This article outlines the most basic points one should think about before purchasing a pet health insurance plan.

Discount Plan vs. Comprehensive Insurance plan

Before signing anything on paper, pet owners should try to figure out what’s more suitable for their budgets. Pet health insurance plans usually come in two forms: a discount plan and a comprehensive insurance plan.

A discount plan has an easier scheme, which gives you annual discounts on veterinary fees. A comprehensive insurance plan may offer more benefits, but the scheme is similar to a human health insurance plan-which means that there are more conditions to follow.

Choosing your own Veterinary

Most pet health insurance plans may take away your privilege to choose your own veterinary. When shopping for an insurance plan, make sure you examine the clause which states this condition. Most pet owners feel more comfortable working with the vets they trust the most. However, cheaper pet health insurance plans may not have this option.

Period covered

Be very particular about the period that your pet health insurance plan covers. If you’re a pet owner of a new born pup, go for a pet health insurance that covers veterinary services immediately. There’s no use in investing too soon on a pet that’s not fully grown yet.

Exclusions

Like health insurance plans for humans, pet health insurance may have a number of exclusions. Most insurance companies would try to waive off illnesses which are common in some breeds. To take advantage of this situation, read up on the common illnesses experienced by your pet’s breed. This will prevent you from purchasing a useless insurance hyped up by a sweet mouthed insurance agent.

Routine treatment and check ups

A huge bulk of any pet owner’s pet care expenses come from routine treatments and checkups. Before signing any documents, you should be very particular about the services that are included in the package. A pet healthy insurance policy that covers most, if not all, of routine veterinary expenses is a better deal compared to a pet health insurance that only covers accidents and major illnesses.

Deductibles

Most pet health insurance would require its purchasers to make a down payment before rendering any services. Make sure that the benefit of the insurance plan is worth the deductible that you need to pay for it. An insurance agent may try to lure you with a lot of fluff during sales talk, but you need to be wiser and check if these promises are included in black and white.

Company’s reputation

Always make sure that the company who’s offering you a pet health insurance is reliable. Looking for reviews online is very helpful for someone who’s never heard of pet health insurance plans before. Agents are only too quick to prey on uninformed consumers.

Is it possible to train a dog or puppy to leave a bowl of food that you place down on the floor in front of him/her and not eat the food until you give a command? Sounds impossible you might think, but it really is achievable to train a dog or puppy to do this.

Ok, but why would you want to get a dog or puppy not to eat the food until you say so in the first place? Seems a little strange, as dog owners we have their health and welfare at heart. Surely his/her dietary needs are high priority and to stop them eating when the food is in front of him/her is just cruel?

Consider this, dogs are basically descended from wolves and as such it is instinctive in your dog/puppy to behave in a certain way. In the wild it really is each dog for himself and only the strong survive. That is nature’s way and those that are not able to fend for themselves die.

Like wolves, dogs are pack animals; again they will exhibit behaviour that is instinctive when it comes to eating. There are rules about who eats what and when in a pack situation. The dominant alpha male will always eat first and have his fill, after that it really is a case of be bold, aggressive and strong in order that you eat and live.

When you first get your puppy, he/she will have come from a pack environment, having spent the first few months of life in the company of litter brothers/sisters. During this time a pecking order will have been established amongst them all.

When you place food down in front of a dog or puppy the speed at which he/she will dive in and polish off the lot is quite breath taking. In a pack situation he/she can never be sure when or where the next meal may come from. So it is very important for a dog or puppy to eat as quickly as possible in order to ensure that he/she survives until the next meal and also so that another dog cannot steal his/her food.

When you take all these things into consideration just because your dog/puppy is now living in a house, as far as they know he/she is still surrounded by pack i.e. you and your family. So it makes sense that in his/her mind there is still a pecking order. This is why it is very important that you establish authority over a dog or puppy as alpha dog in your pack. You must be the one to give your permission for him/her to eat when you say so.

When you first get a dog or puppy from day one, as soon as food is placed down in front of him/her, hold the collar gently and say the word wait or sit as a command. Either word is fine but be consistent and use the same word each time you do this.

Hold the dog or puppy back from the food (of course he/she will be desperate to dive in at this point!).Then, after a short time say the word yes and let him/her eat. At this stage he/she will have no idea of what you are telling him/her to do but, it will soon sink in that until you give the command as top dog, no food is allowed to be eaten.

This can in some cases take time and patience to train on your part but it is well worth the effort to become the alpha dog in your pack.

Teaching a dog or puppy anything can be made easy by learning and using the correct training techniques. There are plenty of Secrets to Dog Training that very few pet owners are aware of that make training your dog as easy as following A, B, C. The Best Dog Training Guide online has helped over 200,000 dog owners so far and is well worth reviewing.

While to many a may seem that all the dog she retrained alike there are in fact different things you need to consider depending on the size of the dog. There are many basic training techniques that apply to both large and small sized dogs however different sized dogs have different challenges and special considerations.

Whether you have a small or a large dog, you should always treat your dog with kindness and use positive reinforcement. Never hit your dog as this will do little to enforce training. While some dogs are harder to train than others, all dogs can be trained with patience and persistence.

Small Dogs

Small dogs can be transported easily which will give you more choices for training locations both inside the home and out of it. One consideration was small dogs is that they tend to bark a lot so extra effort may be needed towards bark suppression. Often times small dogs are very fearful and you want to take that into consideration your training. On the other hand there are many small dogs that are too bold which you should also take into consideration.

You should always start training or small dogs when they are young and hold regular training sessions as persistence is the key. You will need to establish early on that you are the leader of the pack, or alpha dog. Be firm when you’re small dog challenges you and don’t give in to his cuteness or be afraid to be firmer than due to his size.

You should give careful thought when leash training your small dog because their throats are easily bruised. Be careful to correct with the sideways tug as opposed to a backwards tug. when the dog is pulling forward, you should jerk the leash sideways in order to correct him—just a tug for correction not a jerk for punishment. While it may seem like a neck muscles a very strong remember their throats are delicate.

When you teach your small dog to sit, remember he is small and do not apply excessive pressure on his hind quarters. The size difference between a large human in the small dog make it easy for you to be a bit too forceful even if you don’t mean to.

Large Dogs

Large dogs have their own challenges when training. When you training a large dog the wheat strength ratio is in the dogs favor. And, therefore, you must make special considerations.

If you are training a large dog you should always be alert. While a small dog can be annoying when he turns on the leash a large dog can throw you off balance which can be dangerous. If you are training a Rottweiler or German Shepherd and he wants to let loose and run after a cat you need to be prepared to hold them back.

Large dogs will need a thick leash – at least an inch of leather or good nylon. A wide collar of good quality with solid fasteners that won’t break open while you are in the middle of training as a must. when you’re walking with a large dog be sure to hold the loop of the end of the leash in your right hand while inserting your thumb through the loop. Then, in your left hand, hold a few inches of the leash draped over your left her in insert your left palm through the little loop which is formed while draping. Claims the leash across your left hand palm.

Even with a large dog, you want to perform leash corrections by jerking sideways as opposed to back. While they are obviously much stronger than small dogs their throats can be bruised by excessive force. Just give them a short tog and release this will let them know that they’ve done something wrong.

Large dogs, in particular, need to be trained not to jump especially around children. Many dogs get excited when they see children and they want to jump up on them and play. Your job as a trainer is to be prepared with leash corrections whenever this happens. In the beginning you will correct with the leash but eventually the dog will learn to not jump with a voice command.

Whether you’re a dog is large or small, daily training is necessary especially in the beginning to reinforce the commands that you want your dog to learn. In order for your dog to be the best pet he can be, it’s important for him to learn what is acceptable behavior and what is not. Dogs like to have rules and they love to please their owners so training is probably something your dog looks forward to. While training can be tedious and time-consuming you will be rewarded with a loyal and loving pet that is a joy to be around.

The Pug is a stocky but short dog with the males measuring 12 to 15 inches in height and weighing between 14 and 20 pounds, and the female bitch measuring 8 to 12 inches in height with a weight of 13 to 18 pounds. They have a round head which is disproportionately large for their body size with a square shaped muzzle that is blunt and quite short. Their ears can be either button shaped or rose shaped, and are small and thin. The tail curls over their back and is most commonly a double curl, with a short coat that is fine and soft. There can be a variety of colours such as silver black fawn and apricot. Whilst these dogs are small they are surprisingly muscular and strong.

History. The Pug is a very old breed of dog and thought to have originated prior to 400BC. Although there are great discussions, concerning the exact origins it is generally agreed upon, that they originated in Asia. The dogs used to often be kept in monasteries, and have been the favourites of various Royalty. Pugs were first introduced to Europe in the late 18th century by the merchants and crews of the Dutch East India trading company. In the 19th century, they arrived in the United States and were recognized as a breed there in 1885.

Temperament. The Pugs are not yappy dogs but they do make excellent watchdogs, drawing their owners’ attention to anything they detect that is unusual. They are strong of will, but generally amiable and it is rare for them to be aggressive. They are well suited as a family pet and get on well with children; they are also strong enough and sturdy enough to tolerate play with smaller children, which because of their size is not a problem as they are not big enough to knock small children over normally. They are not normally particularly excitable dogs, yet they are rarely boring. They also integrate well with other pets in the household. Because they are muscular and active they tend to like more exercise than other dogs of similar size. It is very important to assert yourself as the master of your pet, otherwise the dog may feel that they are in control, which can cause them to be destructive, a dog that feels they are in control of a household is rarely as happy as the dog who realises their correct place in the hierarchy.

Health issues. Pugs can catch a cold quite easily and do not tolerate particularly hot or cold weather. Due to their short muzzle, they have a greater tendency towards breathing problems. It is also prone to ailments of the skin and, a condition known as pug dog encephalitis, which is a brain based infection. It is common for the females when giving birth to require a Caesarean section, due in no small part to the size of baby’s head. They can also suffer some eye conditions, and it is important not to over feed a pug as they will eat more than they require which will lead to obesity.

Grooming. Because of their predisposition to skin problems it is advisable to only brush them when necessary; this is of course also true for bathing. After a Bath, you have to dry the dog as thoroughly as possible. The exception to this rule are the creases around the dogs face, these must be cleaned regularly and quite frequently. As a breed they shed quite heavily but this is only seasonal, and more grooming may be required at that time.

Living conditions. The Pug is well suited to living in an apartment but does require a reasonable amount of exercise. When out walking you need the dog to walk beside or behind you as they tend to see the person leading as the person in command. These are a determined breed, and you need to assert yourself as their master.

Sometimes a cat will not like the location of his or her litter box.  This can occur for several different reasons:

• Some kind of pain at the location of the box
• Something that has caused the cat to be afraid at the location
• An odor around the location of the box

Where is the best spot to put a litter box?

• Most cats prefer an easily accessible spot, but one with privacy
• Avoid placing the box near a noisy appliance like the washer, dryer or furnace
• Experiment with types of boxes:  some cats like the privacy of closed boxes, and most like large boxes, but some like small ones.

In general, cats usually dislike having to eliminate near where they eat, so avoid putting the food and water bowls near the litter box.

Stress or anxiety as a source of cat litter box location must always be considered, but is not as frequent a cause of house soiling.  It has been said that one cannot have too many litter boxes.  A household of three cats would probably fair much better with four boxes.

Specific kinds of stress such as separation anxiety, previously seen only in dogs, but now believed to occur in cats also, usually occurs when there has been a prolonged absence of the owner, typically 8 hours or more.  The house soiling typically occurs 8 to 12 hours after the owner’s departure.  This behavior can also involve diarrhea and destructive events, and can be treated in much the same way dogs are treated.  Training through graduated departures with a lot of skill, time and patience as well as medications help separation anxiety disorders.

Some owners report cats that are naturally shy or fearful.  This type of personality may not want to come out into the open to go to the litter box.  If there is an identifiable cause such as a certain person, cat dog, object or sound, try to remove or modify it.  You might also try using a litter box in a “safe” location for the shy and fearful type cat.

Overcrowding

Some cats may enjoy the company of 20 other cats, while others are unhappy with just one other cat in the household or any other kind of animal.  It is actually not natural for cats to live in social groups all the time as they spend most of their time in solitary circumstances, getting together for breeding and sometimes raising kittens together.  Cats usually see all living objects, including people in the home as part of the social group.  Adding to the group in any way can be upsetting to a cat.  One way of solving a multiple cat home environment is to provide plenty of nesting spots vertically like cat trees and shelving so as to give each cat a place of its own away from the others.

For new kitten owners, there are a few things you can do to help avoid house soiling problems.  They include:

• Make the litter box location easily accessible, private and in a low traffic area
• Try to provide at least one litter box per cat
• Use finely-grained, non-scented litters
• Do not put food and water beside the litter box
• Scoop the litter box at least daily
• Change clay litters at least once weekly
• Change scoop able litters every 6 to 8 weeks
• Avoid frightening the cat in the litter box, trapping or catching it there
• Never punish a cat for house soiling
• Make changes to the litter box filler or location very gradually
• Call your vet when house soiling occurs to rules out any medical problems that may be causing the problem

Disclaimer:  The information in this article is not meant to diagnose or treat any kind of health problem in your cat.  You should always consult with a trusted veterinarian for all health problems.

Source:  The Winn Feline Foundation Online