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Posts Tagged ‘magic’

Watching a dog perform his obedience routine with no lead attached to his collar is a thing of beauty! It appears to be magic, the way he anticipates his owner’s moves and wants to just BE there, exactly on the money. Here is how to achieve that doggy ballet of movements.

One secret to good obedience training is never to give your dog the chance to disobey. Make sure he understands the command and what you want him to do, and move toward it with baby steps so he always ALWAYS succeeds. Your happy praise at every turn is what he lives for.

When he is at that comfortable stage on lead where he yawns at every new command, this means he is sure of it and relaxed, then it’s time to move on to removing his lead. This will cause a little anxiety at first because his lead is his life line and guide to pleasing you. So make sure everything you are about to show him off-lead is something he knows VERY well with the lead attached.

On-lead heeling, turning and stopping is very smooth and controlled. Before starting off, instead of hooking the lead into the ring, slip the entire lead through his collar, not in the ring, and wrap the end around your hand so you can eat it up as you walk, until the lead slides completely out of the dog’s collar. He will barely notice this, just keep walking with no change in gait or tone of your voice, act like nothing new is happening.

When you come to a stop and your dog sits predictably at your side like always, pause a moment then PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE! Your dog will look at you funny, as if to say, “What’s the big deal? We do this all the time”. It’s quite funny. That’s when you know it has worked the way it should and your dog has made the transition effortlessly.

As you work, keep the dog close at hand, you do not want him to get the idea he can run off. If he makes the slightest off move, take his collar by the live ring and tug. Remember those little tugs that he dislikes so much he learned quickly how to stay in the exact right spot? Remind him that off-lead has the same controls, so you must be vigilant. If he backslides, go back to on-lead. He will learn quickly that he prefers the independence of off-lead work and to get it he must obey your every command.

As to the long line “Come” command, go back to the short line and leave it on the ground so you can grab it if he does not come to you in a timely fashion. Give him no room to think about disobeying. Gradually extend the distance until he is coming to you at a run totally off-lead. He loves this!

With patience and vigilance, your dog will be just as dependable off-lead as he became on-lead. And you both will enjoy it more!

Here’s a scenario for you to think about.  Your child is out in the back yard, running about with your 1-year old dog, when unexpectedly, you hear that dog yelp in pain.  Wasting no time, you head out the door and observe that the dog appears to have an injured hind leg, holding it aloft as it trots along on the other three.  As if by magic, the dog starts running again on all fours like normal, appearing that nothing had been wrong in the first place.

To add to this scenario, it dawns on you that you have noticed this behavior becoming more and more frequent so now you are concerned enough that you wonder if you should call your veterinarian and make an appointment.  Stop wondering and make the call.  Your cherished pooch is most likely the victim of a luxated patella, or more simply, a lipped   kneecap (or trick knee).

This discomforting malady is hereditary and causes the kneecap to move out of its normal position (dislocates), typically shifting towards the inside of the animals leg. Additionally, it normally occurs in both of the back legs but to a more severe degree in one than the other.  When the dogs kneecap is positioned normally, it sits within a deep groove where it slides down and up in a controlled manner.

As this groove gets more and more out of shape or becomes increasingly shallower, the kneecap begins to slip out of its normal position more frequently.  The leg then locks up, causing the foot to be elevated off the ground.  As a result, the dog cries out from the discomfort that results.  Typically, the condition is more common in the smaller breeds of canines than the medium-sized or larger ones.  The result of the conditions onset is immediate lameness and pain.

In less severe cases, the kneecap slides freely in and out of position voluntarily, but as the condition becomes increasingly more severe, the dislocation can become permanent requiring a vet to either pop the kneecap back into place or, in the most severe cases, correct the condition surgically.  Also, as the condition worsens, the knee capsule itself is injured and the dog appears to be bowlegged.

As we mentioned above, the condition doesn’t just happen overnight, although the initial onset of it would make the owner of the animal speculate as such. Luxated patella is an inherited condition and is most likely present when the puppy is born.  Fortunately, the condition is not crippling even in its most severe stages.  The worst case scenario is that it will have to be surgically repaired and your dog should be able to live a happy and normal life afterwards.

As a final cautionary note, assuming that this condition is inherent to the breed of dog and then neglecting to take action is a huge mistake with unpleasant consequences.  In younger dogs, not  taking care of this oftentimes results in torn ligaments or more severe damage to the knee.  In older canines, neglecting the condition has been known to lead to diseases in the bones and the joints as well as causing arthritis.  So please, don’t gamble with your dogs well-being get the condition corrected immediately.

Celebrities and their Chihuahuas has become a huge craze in recent years. It seems the popularity of these tiny dogs began with the Chihuahua that stared in the famous Taco Bell commercials. Then of course came Reese Witherspoon in the big screen movie Legally Blonde with her little pal Bruiser. At the top of the craze was non other than Paris Hilton when she appeared on the cover of Seventeen Magazine with her Chihuahua Tinkerbell.

However, these celebrities were not the first to love this amazingly loyal and easy to care for dog; Marilyn Monroe had one of her own that she called ChooChoo. Many stars now have there own Chihuahuas, and some have many more than just one. The daughter of Rod Stewart was seen playing on the beach in a blue bikini with her Chihuahuas, and Brian Littrell was photographed with his wife and two Chihuahuas. The much-loved judge on American Idol, Paula Abdul, has two Chihuahuas named Tumbellina and Tulip.

Madonna and Hillary Duff both have a Chihuahua named Chiquita. These are just a few of the many celebrities that have Chihuahuas. Chihuahuas make wonderful pets for celebrities because they travel well and are very easy to care for. Chihuahuas are extremely low maintenance and love to be around one person or family. They hardly ever run off because they are so content with being with people rather than other animals. They are also easily carried around in shoulder or handbags made for small dogs, which is another reason they are popular choice among so many celebrities.

Chihuahuas were first discovered in the early 19th century along the border of Mexico and Arizona and were first called Arizona dogs. It wasn’t until later when it was discovered that the dogs were actually coming from the Chihuahua region in Mexico where they got the name. That seems to have suck with them even now that we are into the 21st century. At first it was believed that Chihuahuas were a mix between a rodent and a dog that was magically created by what were known as Medicine Men.

For the first time in history, Chihuahuas have made the top ten list of most licensed and registered list of dogs in many places around the U.S. in the past year. We all know that this has a lot to do with the media, but the fact that these dogs are so easily cared for and are very loyal play a huge roll as well. Chihuahuas also live decently long lives for dogs; they can live anywhere between fifteen and nineteen years but most live to be about sixteen years of age.

It is no secret that Chihuahuas are loved for their amazing intelligence, loyalty, and love of humans. The dogs are very easy to train and adjust very well to change, which makes them great pets for families or individuals that are constantly on the move. The dogs are so smart that they are popping up more and more on TV and the Big screen. If you decide you want one of these precious dogs make sure it’s the qualities of the dog you are after not the fact that your favorite celebrity owns one.

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.