Archive for March, 2010
Getting Your Pet Ready For Spring – Part 8
Here’s a novel idea for cat owners. Get the litter box out of the house! If you install a Cat Flap, you can let your cat pass through any interior door and give your cat access to her litter box without giving her litter box access to your home!
A Cat Flap type cat door is a hinged flap set into a door, wall or window to allow cats to enter and exit a house on their own without needing a human to open the door, while offering a degree of protection against wind and rain entering the dwelling.
A quality durable cat flap fits any interior door that’s 1” to 2” thick. Your cat can come and go from the room where her litter box is housed – even when the door is closed. Ad a sliding lock and this will give you the option to bar access whenever you choose.
Cat flaps are designed and meant for cats 12 pounds and under. A transparent flap made of high-impact plastic is provided and comes with an Easy-to-use slide lock.
Getting Your Pet Ready For Spring – Part 7
When it’s time for Fido to go outside, if you have a pet door, you bid him farewell and off he goes. He’s going out to take care of business and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. If you have a pet screen door You can let the fresh air in while letting Fido out. A Pet Screen Door
is perfect for screened porches, screen doors, and some window screens. Most models are available with a flap and does not use a security cover.
A quality design attaches to the frame around the screen and not to the screen mesh fabric. Some brands of pet doors attach only to the screen mesh fabric, which is only as good as the strength of the fabric. Flaps and weather stripping make help to make the door “bug-proof”.
As an additional option, you can get a screen stabilizer kit. This has a cross bar that can be added to your people door directly above the pet door for added strength and stability. This type of installation is recommend for pet doors for large and extra large pets.
Getting Your Pet Ready For Spring – Part 6
Fido doesn’t always want to be on the couch. When the weather is nice your dog loves to be outside. It’s spring after all and there are new adventures to be explored. Pets love to have the freedom to come and go. And their owners love the benefits of that freedom.
A Pet Door 
will allow you to have that freedom. When you install a Pet Door you’ll finally have the flexibility to opt out of getting up early, in the middle of the night, or during dinner to let the dog outside. The fact is, allowing your pet to come and go at will build his confidence. His behavior will improve because this will eliminate boredom from having nothing to do when you not home. He will be less likely to get into things in the house, He’ll find things to get into outside instead.
High-quality pet doors come in a wide range of styles and sizes. Not only can you accommodate the smallest cat to the largest dog, you can also find a door to match your personal aesthetic needs and lifestyle. Best of all, you’ll never have to worry about safety – the entrance/exit panels on most pet doors has been designed to so that paws, ears and tails pass through with ease.
Getting Your Pet Ready For Spring – Part 5
Ok, in the first four parts of this series, you dog has been brushed, had a bath, and brushed again. He’s had his nails trimmed, and finally you’ve trimmed him with scissors and hair clippers. He’s all spruced up, it’s a beautiful spring day, so where’s he going to go.
Are you one of the lucky folks who can open the back door, let Fido out and know he’s safe, because you have a fenced in yard? If your not, because you don’t have your yard fenced, or you have no yard at all, a Portable Exercise Pen
is a great alternative.
If you take him to the park or on a picnic. He can have the freedom to move around, and you have the freedom of not having to hold on to him.
Exercise Pens keep pets away from danger and gives them a “Yard” of their own. Pet exercise Pens provides breathing room and visibility for your pet, and offers an easy way to manage your pet regardless of your surroundings. They are Easy to Transport and Easy to Set Up, Take Down and Store.
Getting Your Pet Ready For Spring – Part 4
Have you ever noticed the guy in the office who looked like his wife had just cut his hair for the first time? With a few uneven jagged edges in the back. This is an example of how Fido will look
If you try trimming him with clippers or scissors from you grooming kit
if you don’t know what your doing.
Before beginning to trim the dog’s hair it is important that you spend five to 10 minutes petting the dog. Trimming can be somewhat stressful for a dog if they are not groomed regularly.
If you are using a razor or clippers to trim their hair, it is important that you begin by turning it on for a minute to let the dog get use to the sound. Don’t apply it to the dog’s hair yet, but simply hold it up for the dog to sniff and get use to. Slowly apply it to the hair allowing the dog to gradually adjust to the vibrations and noise.
Begin trimming the dog’s hair on its back and sides, since these are his east sensitive areas.
Next you need to trim the feet paying special attention to get the hair in between the pads of their feet. This is important since this hair can hold a lot of water and dirt. The next step is to trim their underneath and their chest.
Finally trim their head and their ears. This is often where dogs are the most sensitive, thus you may have the most difficult time. The dog will probably feel a little discomfort and might try to scratch himself. If you notice though that it is too painful for the dog, it means it is not being done the right way.
Getting Your Pet Ready For Spring – Part 3
Imagine this: Fido sees you with the toenail clippers coming his way. He turns, tail between his legs and heads for the nearest corner to hide in. Has this ever happened at your house. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Dogs don’t like to have their toenails clipped because it hurts. It hurts because most pet owners don’t know how to do nails properly.
There are several different kinds of clipping tools that are commonly used:
The Scissor Style toenail cutter: This tool is a clipper that when squeezed brings the two halves together to cut, just like a pair of scissors. This is an easy clipper to place around any of the toenails, even in tight spaces. It also hurts and starts bleeding if you cut into the quick. Fido can tell you about that.
The Guillotine Style toenail cutter: This clipper squeezes two halves together as well, but instead of cutting like a scissor, it cuts like a guillotine. You place the dog’s toenail inside a circular shape. When pressure is applied, a blade moves through the toenail, much like a guillotine. It also hurts and starts bleeding if you cut into the quick. Fido can tell you about that
Grinders: These are like small sanding tools. They quickly sand off the end of the toenail. But these are very easy to take too much off of a toenail with. Also, if the tool accidentally slips off the toenail, you can cut your dog’s skin open. It also hurts and starts bleeding if you grind into the quick. Fido can tell you about that.
Quickfinder cutters
: There is a newer product on the market that is made just for the pet owner. It is a clipper that is able to sense where the dog’s quick is, letting you know when it is safe to cut. The patented design utilizes sensor technology to detect nail differences between the live blood of your pet’s quick, and the dead skin of the nail and claw.
The new QuickFinder® Quick Sensor Technology senses your pet’s quick and gives visual cues as to when it is safe and when it is not safe to begin clipping. Red-Yellow-Green. Green means Go! It is fast, safe and easy to use. It doesn’t hurt, Fido will stop being nervous and he will love you for it.
Getting Your Pet Ready For Spring – Part 2
It’s almost time for Spring Cleaning. Not just for your house, but also for your dog. Maybe your one of the few who bathe their dog regularly. I hope so. But most people put it off until, Well, they just can’t take it anymore.
Bathing your dog can be a wet and wild experience, but if you bathe your dog regularly, and he knows the process, Things will go a lot smoother – for both you and your dog.
First of all, you will need a good quality shampoo
and conditioner. Do not use people products because they are not PH balanced for your dog. Brush you dog before bathing him to get the loose hair out. Ensure that the water is warm before putting your dog in the sink, tub, or wherever you plan to bathe him.
Where you bathe your pet is up to you, depending on his/her size. For small dogs, kitchen sinks with spray hoses work well. Larger breeds can often fit inside a shower, and you can use a shower hose for them. Always use a screen over the drain to stop loose hair from plugging up the drain. If you don’t, you should have your Plummer on standby.
You will also potentially need: towels, and a dryer. Towels to dry off the dog, and a dryer to place your clothes in after Fido is Done sharing his bath with you. Dogs tend to shake when they are wet. The shaking can be reduced by holding his ears while placing the towel around him after his bath.
Getting Your Pet Ready For Spring – Part 1
Winter is almost over and spring is just around the corner. Now is the time to put away that winter coat. Not just you but also your pet. Brushing your dog is a very important part of maintaining your dog’s health. Regular home brushing is a great way to have bonding time with your dog.
Regular maintenance keeps your dog’s coat free of painful tangles and mats, removes loose hair and trapped debris. Brushing gives you an important opportunity to get to know your dog’s body. If you brush your dog regularly, you will be more likely to notice a change in his skin or body. Many bacterial infections, insect bites, or skin cancers start with just one or two new bumps.
Dogs loved to be brushed, because it feels good and is soothing to them. It massages the skin, loosens up dry skin, and feels wonderful. Many dogs experience a real relaxation from it. A Good brush is an important part of your grooming kit.
Keeping Puppies out of Trouble
To ensure your new puppy doesn’t get into trouble in your home, you will want to take a few preventative measures. Ensure that nothing you don’t want chewed is on the floor near the puppy. This can include shoes, clothing, and wires. Puppies will learn not to chew things over time, but in the beginning, they will put their mouths on everything. In addition to keeping things off the floor, you may want to block off certain areas of the home with a pet gate, such as bedrooms, or stairs. You will also want to keep your puppy ideally in a location where you can wipe pee off the floor with ease.
Giving your puppy lots of attention will also assist in keeping them out of trouble, as puppies tend to get into trouble when they become bored.
Having Fun With Your Pet – Part 9
A Dog Parks is a place where people and their dogs can play together. These facilities offer dogs off-leash play areas while their people enjoy the park-like setting. Amenities, such as fencing, water, parking, and even grass, vary greatly among these places, but ‘off-leash’ and ‘park’ are the key elements that dog owners desire.
Play is an important thing for a dog to do, and pretty important for humans too. Dog Parks are usually available to all breeds, all mixes of breeds, all shapes and sizes. A quality well run dog park will have rules to protect the responsible dog owner for the health and safety of their dog.
Examples of these rules include but are not limited to the following:
No animals other than dogs may be brought into the fenced area.
All dogs must be leashed until safely inside the dog park and returned to a leash
prior to exiting.
Dog owners must remain in the fenced area while their dogs are using the dog park. Owners must be in view of their dogs and have voice control at all times.
Aggressive dogs and female dogs in heat are not allowed. Owners must immediately leash and remove dogs from the dog park and the first sign of aggressive behavior.
Please be courteous to others and remove any sick dogs from the dog park.
Owners must dispose of waste properly in the designated on-site containers.
Smoking and eating are not allowed inside the dog park.
No more than three (3) dogs per person are allowed on any single visit.
Puppies less than four (4) months old are not permitted.
Current license and rabies tags must be worn on the dogs collar at all times.
Owners are liable for any injury or damage caused by their dog and are fully responsible for their dogs actions.