Ways to clean your dog

How to make sure that your dog is clean and healthy?

 

Here are some ways to clean your dog and give them a healthy living.

 

Let’s start with bathing your dog!

A dog’s sense of smell is much greater than humans. They can pick up many odors at once. Dogs find foul odors more pleasant than we do. So to have your dog a bath, here are some tips.

First, prepare the things you need – shampoo, conditioner, towel and warm water.

Second is to get your dog to the bathroom. If you think that he is having doubt to come inside the bathroom, you can use some treats and then command him to come.

Third is bathing your dog, he should be thoroughly wet and make sure to get the legs and belly wet, too. Next is to put shampoo, begin with his shoulders, and then gently massage the shampoo down to his back. Continue to the tip of his tail, back legs, tummy, front legs and then his chest. Finish by lightly soaping his head. Immediately rinse his head and cover his eyes again, and then continue to rinse, from shoulders to chest. It is important to get all the soap off because it can cause allergic reaction.

Lastly is drying your dog. Always start with his head because it is uncomfortable for them to have it wet. And it is best to get him used to hair dryer for him to get easily dry and use that by slowly increasing the amount of time it’s on.

 

Next stop is cleaning his ears.

Train your dog having his ears handled. To clean his ears well, you will need an appropriate ear cleaner and a cotton balls. Cleaning his ears weekly will keep the ears free of wax and debris, and will also help you to understand what his ears look like when they are healthy. Give delicious treats while you gently massage his outside and inside of his ear. Repeat until he enjoys having his ear handled. Once he adapts all the kind of ear manipulation, repeat the procedure using a cloth and then with cotton balls. If his ear is itching a lot, it smells funny, very red and he is constantly shaking his head, it is best to get him consulted to a veterinarian because these may be an indication of an infection or other ear problem.

 

Third is trimming his nails.

Trimming a dog’s nails can be dangerous to both dog and human if the dog is afraid. Dogs that are afraid are likely to bite. Just like with his ears, train your dog to love having his paws and nails handled. Once you did that, it’s time to get clipping his nails. Black nails are harder than white nails to clip. It is best to make sure that your nail clippers are sharp to give a nice, clean clip.

 

Shedding.

Dogs usually shed once or twice a year. It is best to use a de-shedding tool because it allows his hairs that are detached to be removed. At first, they find it uncomfortable but they will get used to it.

 

That’s it. Those are some few ways to clean your dog.

 And don’t forget about your dogs exercise for him to be healthy and do different tricks so that he will not get bored and destroy some things. Just be patient with your dog and use a really yummy treats. For a dog to listen, follow and respect you – you need to respect him too and yes, it is very important let him fell your love.

The teddy bear and lion-like dog: Chow Chow

Deep-set eyes and a large headed dog, the Chow chow, Chow for short is an independent dog and aloof. Chow usually weighs 45-70 pounds and 18-22 inches tall. It has a two type of coats, which is rough and smooth. One distinctive feature of Chow is its black-blue tongue. His common colors are solid red, black, blue, cinnamon and cream, but it can also come in tan, gray, or a rare white.

Chow is an awesome creature with his lion-like appearance, and his teddy-bear appearance but he is not a lovable kind of dog. He is independent and dignified, usually attaching himself to a single person. That’s also the reason why Chow is not that easy to train. You must be patient and willing to try many different methods and see what works. He minds his own business and simply doesn’t care what other people think of him. He is not a hugger type of a dog that may disappoint some children but he is quiet, attentive companion to his favorite person, and his loyalty extends to other family members’.

He is naturally suspicious of strangers and highly territorial. He is a homebody who’s not prone to wandering, but fences should be secured to protect him and prevent strangers from approaching him. Intruders or people he doesn’t know will be warned off with a deep growl and perhaps something a little more physical if they don’t take the hint. It’s best to meet first your guest before Chow does. He’s very protective to his love ones. Chow only let a strangers touch him if his owner introduce them to him.

Chow can adapt to a variety of homes. This dog is sensitive to heat, can live in or outdoors in cooler weather. Like any dog, Chow needs a daily exercise; a couple of 15 minutes walking is enough with him. For a Chow to develop well, it needs a firm authority and training starting at puppyhood and should see different people. Because of his deep-set eyes, Chow has limited peripheral vision so it’s best to approach him from the front.

Although, Chow is known to be aggressive, they still need to be with other people; it’s very unhappy for him if he can’t see any companion.  He needs someone who can appreciate his traits but won’t let him take over. And the best place for a Chow is to be with you.

Knowing Sheltie

Shetland sheepdog also called as “sheltie”- that’s what I call her, too. She is a very smart dog, friendly, lovable, active and alert. She has a great sense of hearing that if you just show up at the gate, you will definitely hear a bark from this dog. Shelties are originated from Scotland which they are called the farmer’s best friend. They are the ones who shoo the birds and other animals and they serve as herding dogs. There are three basic colors of this breed: sable (ranging from golden to mahogany), black with various amount of white and tan, and blue-gray with black. Shelties have a double coat: undercoat and topcoat. The ears, head, feet, tail and legs are furry and smooth while the hair around the neck is abundant.

Shelties, at first glance looks like a rough coated collie but they are surely different breeds. Shetland sheepdog stands between 13 – 16 inches tall at the shoulder. They weighs about 14 -27 pounds and their life expectancy is about 12 – 15 years. They only need bath when they get really dirty. When you hear them scratching on the floor you need to trim their nails once or twice a month.

The herding instinct is still very strong in many of them. They love to chase things as they say and as what I have observed with my Sheltie. So better teach shelties not to chase cars because of the tendency that they will be hit by a running car. Sheltie tries to herd birds and children – running around them and barking, I tried to stop that habit of my Sheltie because I’m afraid that it may lead to biting. But I always make sure that when I command Sheltie to stop from barking, she will sense that I mean it because in order for a sheltie to listen, they need you to be calm but firm and not too harsh to avoid hurting their feelings. It’s fine for a sheltie to bark but not too much. My Sheltie bark if she sense something danger. But there are also some reasons why she bark, both she want to play with me or she sense something wrong in you – like when I’m mad or sad, she always scratch my left foot and that means she’s comforting me; that’s how sweet she is.

Shelties are good in fly ball, tracking and herding. They are wonderful family companions. Mine; prefer to be always with me and follows me everywhere. I make sure that I expose her to different people because it can help her to grow up into a good dog. Shelties can be easily trained because they are smart, other Shetland sheepdog owners can prove that. I usually give new tricks to Sheltie, some basic tricks because she gets easily bored and i want to satisfy her brain needs because if I don’t do that she always seeks for things to destroy.  So, I always give her something that will make her happy and enjoy.

Bonding with my Sheltie helps her to be calm. I always remind myself to spend some quality time with her, take her out and let her see different people. I didn’t do something that my Sheltie and I will understand each other, maybe we just love each other that we don’t need that anymore.  As for the exercise of my Sheltie, we jogged twice a week in the morning. Sheltie responds best if I praise or play with her and I give her a lot of food if she did something good. It is important to pay attention to its needs to remain a healthy relationship.

Smart, loving and friendly, Shetland Sheepdogs have all the qualities that dog lovers love. Shelties must not be ignored because they need to be heard. They must be raised in a home where people living in there are confident and also loving. Shetland sheepdog needs to be loved. Let them feel your love. Love your Shetland sheepdog and they will love you back. Just like mine!