Have you ever asked yourself what you can do? Well you should...If you don't have time to brush your own dog, don't worry. Neither do most people. That is why I have a job. :o) OK... here's a list of what you can do, not everything needs to be done everday. Some things are just what will help your dog live a happier healthier life.

• From puppyhood you should prepare your dog for impending vet visits. This doesn't mean to give him a shot in the butt or anything, it just means that you should play with your puppies ears & feet. Those (from experience) are the 2 places that a dog hates most about grooming & vet visits.
  Getting a pup used to this also helps if you would like to make sure that he doesn't bite a child. Small children have no clue what they should or should not do when it comes to dogs. So you need to teach the dog to be tolerant of these things.

• Spay or neuter your pet.One of the best things you can do for your pet is to "fix" them. Yeah, I know they are not broken, but they could end up that way if not fixed. First & foremost fixing them cuts down on their chances of getting cancer. If you eat well & exercise to reduce your risks why wouldn't you do the ONE thing that could drastically reduce theirs? If you think that you are doing them a favor by letting them have one litter of puppies than you are dead wrong. In some cases females just going into heat ONCE can double their chances of dieing from cancer.
  In males having them fixed also helps to cut down on aggresion & wandering. As well as that wonderful habit of "marking" everything in a 4 mile radius. You know what I mean... they walk two feet pee... walk two more & pee again. What they are doing is marking out their territory. Fixing then doesn't always prevent this but it does help.

  PLEASE don't let your female have puppies so that your kids can experience the "miracle of life". There are millions of dogs that are put to sleep every year because people can't keep up with how many there are out there. You can find pure breed dogs at animal shelters & they appreciate you so much more if they know that you saved their life. Many are just strays due to over population & some are abused because I don't know how to put this... & no offense, but PEOPLE SUCK!

  PLEASE fix your male puppies. (I'm talking to men right now) Alot of men get hung up on the fact that their male will be castrated, & don't have it done. Again... I can't stress enough the cancer factor & the agression factor!

• Clean your dogs ears. Dogs ears are not like ours. The important stuff inside that helps them to hear is at an angle so you don't have to worry about hurting them.
  We use a mixture of water alcohol & peroxide to clean the ears. You just wet a cotton ball & (ew!) dig right in. clean the entire ear as best as you can. Ear cleaning is especially important if the dog has ears that flap over... cocker Spaniels are famous for yucky ears. Their ears get gross because there is no air circulation. That is why dogs with shorter ears or stand up ears don't have the same problems.
  Dirty ears can lead to infection & hematomas. A hematoma is caused when the dog shakes it's head violently. This causes the ear flaps to seperate & fill with blood. This can only be fixed surgically, & from what I'm told is expensive. So, clean your dogs ears fairly regularly. If you are afraid to, call your local groomer & ask if they can do it. I'm sure that won't be a problem, and they will probably charge you a nominal fee.

• Cut your dogs nails if you dare. If you don't most grooming shops will do it for a nominal fee. Cutting the nails regularly is very important. The nail contains a blood supply that grows with the nail.
  If the nails get too long, they can interfere with walking. Sometimes they get so long they cause the dogs toes to spread apart. This cannot be fixed. Regular nail trimming kind of shocks the blood supply causing it to shrink back and allowing more of the nail to be cut the next time around.

• Brush your dogs teeth. Brushing your dogs teeth mostly guards against that skank breath they get when they are older. It helps to avoid costly vet bills to have their teeth scaled. And once they get older it helps if their teeth are somewhat healthy because an older dog has less tolerance to the anesthesia it takes to have his teeth done.
  You can give your dog treats that help remove tartar & chew toys are always good. Thay can have rope toys which act as floss when they chew, but ONLY the rope toys made of cotton. These will dissolve in their system & will not harm them.

• Try not to overfeed your dog. I know they are fat & happy, but obesity in dogs cuts their life span. In bigger dogs, obesity puts more pressure on their heart, & also doesn't help if they are prone to arthritis or hip problems.

• Have your dog checked regularly by a vet. I know the dog hates going, but a once a year check up can detect many problems before they get to be too much to handle.

• Make sure that your pet is safe. Your dog should be wearing ID tags whenever outside. This will help if he ever gets loose. You can also have your dog tattooed, or have a micro chip placed under the skin to help in retrieval of your pet. The micro chip is inserted under the skin by the vet & is not very expensive. Most animal control offices & shelters now have the technology to check to see if a dog has a micro chip so that your dog can be safely returned to you.

• You may brush & or bathe your dog at home. I know... GEEZ! Thanks for your permission, lol. If you have a short haired dog, go for it. Use a doggy shampoo, NOT a human one, make sure to completely rinse all of the shampoo off of the dog, & make sure to dry him completely. Remember... I told you that tub dogs are easy. It's the long hairs you have to put more work into.
  If you have a dog with long hair... you MUST brush them before bathing them. If your dog has a little mat & you bathe it, you make that mat tighter! So make sure to brush the dog & then run a comb through his hair before you try to bathe him. That's really all there is to know as far as bathing is concerned except that I cannot stress enough DO NOT use people shampoo. People shampoo is much more harsh than doggy shampoo. It is made to react with all of the other things that we put into our hair. It can cause an allergic reaction on your dog & this means itchies & a trip to the vet. There are tons of dog shampoos on the market, choose one that is very mild if you bathe your dog often. Try not to bathe too often, because you don't want to dry out their skin.

• NEVER LEAVE YOUR DOG IN A CAR ALONE IN THE SUMMER! I know that some people still do this thinking it's ok because they leave the car running & the air conditioning on, but there have been cases where the car stalled & the dog died within minutes!! So if you will be stopping anywhere... Don't bring your pet!

That's all I can think of right now... I'm sure I'll have more. So come back & visit.

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All graphics on this page were made by ME! :o) I've been experimenting with PSP 5, & I highly recommend it. I have added graphic pages made with PSP 5 & other graphic programs. Go check out some of my art work! (PLEASE! *S*)