Wednesday, April 30, 2008

What To Do If Your Dog Is Bitten By A Snake

Only a few varieties of snakes in North America are poisonous to dogs. The rattlesnake, copperhead, water moccasin (the cottonmouth), mangrove, coral and California lyre are the most commonly found poisonous reptiles. Of these, the rattlesnake's bite accounts for approximately 80 percent of all fatalities.

Snake bites demand immediate first-aid treatment by the owner and intensive veterinary treatment as quickly as possible. The venom's progress can be restricted by use of a tourniquet when the bite is on a leg or tail. Place the tourniquet snugly above the wound site. The tourniquet may be fashioned from hosiery, rope, a rubber band, a bungee cord or even a shirt sleeve.

Next, make a single-line incision through the cutaneous layer, slightly into the muscle fascia at the bite site. Express the venom by squeezing the wound. If a bulb syringe is available, use it. Allow the wound site to slowly ooze blood. If ice is available, pack it around the area but not directly over the wound. Ice also helps to slow the venom's progress.

Immobilize the dog: do not allow it to walk. Carry the dog to your vehicle for quick, direct transportation to the nearest veterinary clinic. Any movement of the dog will increase heart, metabolic and respiration rates and, at the same time, the spread of the venom.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Does The Size Of Your Home Really Matter When Getting A Pet Dog?

The idea that big dogs need a big yard and that if you live in an apartment you need a small dog is too oversimplified. What should be a concern rather than just the dog's body size is its general level of activity. A dog that is known for high general activity will typically require more exercising space than a dog who is not, whether it is a small, medium, or large dog.

To a small dog that is highly active, a house will seem perhaps twice the size as to a large dog. Small dogs can obviously get more exercise in an apartment than can big ones. The general rule that large dogs require a large backyard generally holds true more for the active large dogs like the Airedale and Irish Setter than for the more sluggish large dogs such as the Bloodhound or Norwegian Elkhound.

Of critical importance to owners wanting to keep a dog in an apartment are the traits such as tendency toward excessive barking, which is a disturbance to neighbors, the amount of hair shedding, the dog's destructiveness when left alone, and its odor. Some dogs, such as Beagles and Labrador Retrievers, have a stronger body odor than Keeshonds and Poodles, for example. The Doberman Pinscher has short hair, is fairly easy to clean, has little body odor, and is very low in general activity, so it could be an ideal pet for an owner who wants protection in an apartment.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

3 Ways To Connect With Your Dog

All praise is good, but praise specially tailored to connect with the dog's way of reacting is ten times as effective. Here are some tips to follow:

1. Use the right tone of voice. Dogs communicate with one another through sounds easily duplicated by humans. If you're angry with your dog, for example, dropping your voice to a low rumble closely approximates the growling of a dog. For praise, use a sweet, high-pitched crooning voice: "Goooooooood, doooogggg!"

2. Tailor your petting style to your dog. Some dogs go crazy when petted; others hardly notice. Use a little chest pat or scratch for those who tend to be overly enthusiastic, and be a little more boisterous for the ones who really warm to being jollied. Don't let the dog use petting as an excuse to go crazy - lighten up on the pats, but don't correct him - and let your voice do most of the praising.

3. Smile. Dogs understand many of our facial expressions because they use similar ones to communicate with each other. A smiling face is understood in both species, but if you really want to get through, make the smile as wide open as you can. You're trying to approximate that big panting grin a happy dog has.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Choosing A Dog That Matches Your Personality

The personality of a potential owner is one of the key ingredients that should be considered in the decision-making process. If the owner's temperament clashes with that of the dog's, then this could lead to problems.

For example, some breeds absorb training at a slower rate and respond only to a patient, empathetic approach. An owner who is used to training Rottweilers, which need a more demanding training technique, will fail miserably if he or she uses the same assertive approach with a Belgian Sheepdog, a breed with a more delicate constitution.

A large, loud, physically imposing ex-football player should not pick an extremely submissive Italian Greyhound as his pet. The dog could be too intimidated to do anything but urinate submissively and shake.

That same person would be better off with a fairly dominant male German Shepherd, a dog capable of appreciating a more imposing leader. Honestly determine what your presentation to the dog will be like, both temperamentally and physically. Are you tall, short, mild-mannered, overly nurturing, loud, meek, impatient? Making an honest assessment of yourself now will aid you greatly when you go through the breed-specific profiles that follow.