A Guide To Caring For Small Dogs

November 3, 2009

You should find that owning a small dog, similar to owning a larger breed. Although, some small dogs do have particular requirements worth noting. Consider the following daily dog care routines, and how they’re adapted to meet the needs of your pint-sized pup.

What you need to feed them:

Some of the standard size food you may provide a larger dog ma not be suitable to a smaller breed. Buying a kibble for example must take into consideration the size of their jaw so a smaller one will be required which you may not find in just any store. Although if you feed you dog with canned food this should not present a problem.

How to contain your pet:

It is easy for them to run around and go to the toilet outside providing the area is secure isn’t it? Well so you would think but remember that larger dogs may be fine confined this way but a smaller dog may find ways to escape. An important safety concern is that no fence would protect your tiny pet from the prying eyes of hawks flying overhead as they are famous for stooping down to snatch away the Lilliputians and smaller puppies. A simple answer to this problem is to construct an enclosed play area which should stop this from happening.

Training your dog:

The problem with this is that most tiny dogs are spoilt by their owners even though they should not be any harder to train – according to dog experts. No matter if he fits in a purse or a pocket, your small dog still sees the world in terms of pack behavior, and if you’re not leading the pack, he is. It’s a wise idea to make sure your pet is thoroughly house trained, no matter how small and inconsequential the mess might seem when he misses. To make the dog obey your commands, dog experts recommend that the dog must be made to work for you. Have him sit or do tricks before you give him a tasty treat or even his meal.

Grooming:

Small dog care includes some special grooming needs you’ll need to keep in mind. Firstly, as they do not get the same type of outdoor exercise that a larger dog does whereby their nails are trimmed automatically, tiny dogs require their nails trimmed on a more regular basTiny canines do not get the same sort of regular outdoor exercise on rough surfaces that controls their nail growth like a larger dog so they will need to be trimmed more often. As they are eating more canned food, their teeth will need to be brushed more regularly (at least twice per week) to eliminate unwanted and harmful deposits. As is evident from the above, caring for a small dog is very much the same for any dog of any size. These may seem like inconsequential points but they can and will make a big difference to your pets health and happiness.


Do You Get A Pup Or A Fully Grown Dog

October 30, 2009

The normal representations of a cute and charming pup are those big brown eyes that would always seem to take your breath away, that warm and shiny nose and its impatient licking that would always make you feel wanted by your pet. Whether it could be from those tiny children, to teenagers and to those burly men, a puppy can always adapt to different levels of various playing fields. Whenever a cute puppy would come running to you and see to it that he or she gets cuddled into your arms, a really good feeling can always be felt. The thing about wishing that your pup would stay a puppy for the rest of his life is something that most dog owners have thought of. In a matter of time, the weight of your teenage boy as well as the quantity of food that he consumes is nothing compared to that of your dog that was once a pup.

If a puppy with a very young age is the one that you have selected to bring home as a pet, you will be given the opportunity to educate him on your own terms so that he could adjust to your lifestyle and environment. You also get to enjoy those comic moments when a puppy makes discoveries like chasing his own tail or catching a ball. These are the times when you tend to have those unforgettable happenings. If you take heed of the old saying that goes, “you can’t teach old dogs some new tricks,” then you might as well consider getting a puppy instead of a mature dog so that you can teach him tricks you want him to adjust to as he grows older.

As dogs age, they take on more of the natural traits of their breed. Each and every dog coming from different dog breeds were also cute and pleasing pups during the times when they were at that stage, even those guard dogs which now seem to look scary and unmanageable. Once grown, that same dog can stare a hole through an intruder instantly be prepared to rip his hearts out to protect his territory (and his keepers).

As restrained as they may seem, those show dogs would surely require you of an extreme and repetitive training to fully harness their skills. If you want your show dog to adhere to your rules and do whatever you say especially during his schooling, letting him be spoilt for quite some times particularly in between trainings can be just confusing to his part. It is more likely for those dogs which are given various roles to take whatever it is sincerely, thus you shouldn’t abuse that trait and you might as well be serious.

There are breeds of dogs that no matter how mature they are, they just seem to be small in appearance, thus, if you want to have a pet that would still have those pup traits or looks like a pup even if for a long time, then you might as well go for that kind of dogs. Some types are content with often being held and petted. The patience to deal with such idle owners is what these kinds of dogs have and they won’t get bored if they too, would get stuck watching TV all day. But the truth of the matter is, those dogs are less likely to be tolerant with inactivity when they are still in the pup phase but as soon as they get mature enough, patience is just their virtue and somehow, inertia is also something that they relish provided that they are being nestled gently. Being a pup is more of like going through the stage of being a toddler – it is just the point in their life that where they tend to commit a lot of mistakes but truly learns from it, exploration is just their thing since their curiosity bugs them off and running around with all their enthusiasm can’t really be avoided.

Puppies are so excited about every new thing – whether it’s a toy or a butterfly floating in the air – that they quickly forget the command you gave. And usually, their wonder would lead them to wander off their territory or outside of your yard’s protective boundaries.

Living with a pup beside you can have both the thrills and exhaustion. Like any creatures in this world, a pup would dearly want your love and care, so deal with him with due respect and all the softness that you can give while you are in the mode of trying to penalise him. As been said before, even if such dogs come from one breed, you can’t expect a pup to be just exactly the same as another puppy.

Characteristics and abilities differ from one puppy to another, so, during his training, he will improve in a way that is based in his own pace and not corresponding to the pace that his siblings had gone through or to the dog that you previously had. Dogs, like people, can be charming babies and irritating adults – or just the opposite. So be prepared to love the dog you have for a lifespan.


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