Dog

Boxer Dog Care And Health Tips

Article by Evans

Boxer Dog Care And Health Tips

If you own a boxer, then you know that owning a dog is a lot of responsibility. A lot of the times, the person that is looking for a puppy just wants a cute pet and forgets about all of the things he will have to do to take good care of puppy. Boxer dog care isnt just feeding your dog regularly and going out on daily walks, there is much more to it than that. You will have to take care of things like training, grooming, exercising, diet and a lot more if you want your boxer dog to be happy and healthy. Here are some basic tips to help you take care of your beloved boxer dog.

Boxer Dog Care: Grooming

boxer-dog-layingBoxer dogs don’t require too much care in the grooming department, but there are still some responsibilities that you will have to take care of. Boxers take pretty good care of their own coat but you will still need to wash them when they get too dirty or start to smell like a sweaty dog. Another thing you can do help your boxer take good care of their coat is brush it two to four times a month. Be sure to brush your dogs coat outside so all the loose hair stays out and not inside on your clothes and furniture.

After a good bath, be sure to clean out your dogs ears. The best way to take care of their ears is to use a clean cotton ball when you clean them instead of a q-tip. Your boxer most likely won’t be too happy about you poking around in their ear and will give you a hard time. With all the moving around, you might accidentally poke your dog with a q-tip. It’s also easier to clean your dog’s ears with a cotton ball because q-tips are designed for the small human ear and dog’s ears are much larger.

Washing and cleaning is a must and probably seems like common sense to most dog owners when it comes to taking care of their dogs, but dental hygiene is often forgotten. Just as humans need to brush their teeth and clean them regularly, dogs need to dental cleaning as well. No that doesn’t mean you have to take your boxer to the dentist for regular checkups, but it does mean that you should brush your dogs teeth once or twice a week. You should also get your boxer minty bones to chew on to keep his breath smelling fresh.

Boxer Dog Care: Exercise

A topic that doesn’t usually come up when talking about boxer dog care is exercise. This however is extremely important if you want your boxer to be happy and healthy. Boxers were bred as hunting dogs and were running and chasing down prey constantly, so there is nothing that your boxer loves more than running around. So if you go on morning runs be sure to take your boxer with you.

Regular exercise can prevent some health problems and can keep the boxer in a great shape. If your boxer is overweight, giving a good diet and good amount of activity for your boxer is the best thing you can to take good care of him.

Boxer Dog Care: Health

When you ask yourself “How can I take care of my boxer dog?” or “What are some important boxer dog care tips?” chances are the first thing that comes to your mind is the well being of your dog. Your dog’s health is the most important part and the ultimate goal when you think of boxer dog care.

The basics of keeping your dog healthy are a good diet, fresh water and regular veterinary checkups. Each one is equally important when it comes to the boxer’s health. You need a good diet full of nutrients and vitamins so your dog can develop into a healthy and strong boxer dog. Fresh water is vital to any living organism including your boxer. Water keeps your dog hydrated and helps get rid of bacteria and other unwanted things in your dog. If you want your dog to be protected against diseases and viruses that are floating around, visiting the vet is essential. Veterinarians went to medical school to learn the best ways to keep your dog healthy and are specialized in animal health.

If you want your boxer to be healthy and happy, you will have to take care of a lot of responsibilities. Owning a dog isn’t easy, but all the effort is worth it. There is no better reward than knowing your boxer dog is happy and healthy.

I strongly recommend you read the Boxer Dog Owners Guide if you own a boxer. It’s a complete guide to owning a boxer with important information about health, diet, exercise, training, obedience and more. It is a must have for every boxer dog owner.

 

Dog

Dogs on a Mission!

Our dogs and cats provide us great solace (most of the time!).  We love them, and care for them, and they give back to us emotionally.

But they can be so much more than that!

Service dogs have been around since, well, since early human existence!  Archeology has uncovered artifacts representing the relationship between humans and dogs.  They worked together to hunt, to provide the early warning system against enemy encroachment, and to help fight off enemies.

Romans were known to have used dogs with their armies, and there are recorded references to dogs providing disabled assistance back to the 16th century.  Guide dog schools were known to have been established around the time of World War I, and there are references indicating such training was formally organized in Europe as far back as the late 1700’s.

Our photo here is from an organization called the Service Dog Project (SPD) in Ipswich Massachusetts.  Their mission is to increase the number of assistance dogs to those who are mobility impared.  SPD is a non-profit organization, and they report that as of March 2012, they had donated 42 dogs!

Wonderful!

Check our the Service Dog Project website!

Cat

Why Does That Cat Purr?

Fact is, nobody really knows!  I find that hard to believe, don’t you?  But it’s true.

Nobody knows for certain why cats purr, but the following reasons are speculated:

Cats often purr when being petted, becoming relaxed, or when eating. Female cats are known to sometimes purr while giving birth. Domestic cats have been reported to purr when injured, sick, in pain or dying. Purring may have developed as a signalling mechanism between mother cats and nursing kittens. One theory is that it is not a sign of showing relaxation or content, but an attempt at “friendship” or a signal of “specific intent”. For example, when a cat is nervous and cannot escape the situation (at a veterinarian perhaps), its purr may serve as an attempt to avoid being hurt.German ethologist and cat behaviorist Paul Leyhausen interprets it as a signal that the animal is not posing a threat.

Scientists at the University of Sussex showed in 2009 that purring, or some purring, seems to be a way for domesticated cats to signal their owners for food. According to Dr. Karen McComb and her team, purring in the “about to be fed” context has a high-frequency component not ordinarily present. Humans report feeling an urgency to investigate and satisfy the cat’s needs; to wit: “feed me.” However, this variety of purring seems to be found only in cats in a one-on-one relationship with their caretakers. This “soliciting purr” is different from a cat’s normal purring.Another theory states that purring triggers a cat’s brain to release a hormone which helps it in relaxing and acts as a pain killer. This may be a reason why cats purr when distressed or in labour.

Scientists at the University of California, Davis hypothesised that a cat’s purr can be used as a healing mechanism to offset long periods of rest and sleep that would otherwise contribute to a loss of bone density. The vibrations and contractions of a purr work during both inhalation and exhalation show a consistent pattern and frequency between 25 and 150 Hertz; these frequencies have been shown to improve bone density and promote healing. Dr. Lyons, one of the leading scientists in this study, suggests that this finding may be applicable to astronauts during extended periods in zero gravity. Bone density loss and muscle atrophy is a serious concern for astronauts during extended periods at zero gravity. Since during these periods musculo-skeletal systems do not experience the normal stresses of physical activity, including routine standing or sitting, which requires strength for posture control, exposing these astronauts to sound frequencies similar to those of a cat’s purr could counteract the deteriorating effects of zero-gravity.

Whatever!  All I know for sure is that I LOVE it when my cat comes up to me and starts purring!  My bet is . . . you do too!

Dog

Best Dog Food For Allergies

Food is one of the leading causes of allergies in dogs. When your dog develops an allergy towards a certain food, you need to remove it from the diet and look into other alternatives to find the best dog foods for allergies. Two of the most common alternatives are commercially produced hypoallergenic pet food and homemade dog food.

The important thing to remember is that the ingredient causing the allergy needs to be completely removed from the animal’s diet. Increased exposure to the ingredient will only intensify your dog’s suffering.

Dog food allergies are not predictable. It is entirely possible that your pet may suddenly develop an allergy to a food that it has been eating for a long time. Some of the most common foods found in many different commercial and homemade pet foods and which can cause an allergy include meats such as chicken, lamb and beef. Canines can also develop allergies to fish, wheat, soy, corn, eggs and other dairy products.

There are some commercially produced dog foods that you could give your pet if it is suffering from any form of food allergy. These are usually sold through veterinarians and are known as hypoallergenic pet food. They will not cause your pet any further distress as they exclude all of the most common allergens (ingredients which may cause allergies). The difficult thing with these foods is getting your pet to eat it as they are usually bland and tasteless, not flavoured with extra fat the way regular pet foods are.

These hypoallergenic foods are better for your pet than most commercial canine foods are as they contain no added chemical preservatives, colourings or flavourings, all of which can be very harmful to your dog’s health. However, make sure that they contain all the necessary nutrients that your dog needs in order to be happy and healthy.

Homemade dog food allows you to remove the cause of your pet’s allergy from the diet, thus removing all the discomfit that the symptoms cause your dog. It also enables you to watch the ingredients that go into your pet’s food, and to make sure that they receive all the necessary nutrients that their bodies require.

Anybody can make homemade dog food as it is made using ingredients found in any kitchen. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to make delicious nutritious meals for your pet. In fact, it is so easy that even kids can do it!

To learn more about how to give your dog the best food and nutrition possible, visit http://homemadedogtreatsrecipes.net

Pet Article courtesy of http://pet-articles.blogspot.com.

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