Bull Dog Health Problems

Article Title: Bull Dog Health Problems
Author: Rich Fuller

Bulls are national dogs of England. These dogs were bred as
fighting dogs of yore. Of late these dogs are trained and used
as guard dog. These bulldogs are powerfully built animals and
are aware of their strength and use them when it is necessary.
These dogs will love to play with children and get involved in
the game totally. Let us discuss here about the bulldog health
problems.

The muzzle of the bulldog is delicately shaped that these dogs
cannot breathe perfectly. The pet owner must keep this in mind
and never indulge these dogs in over exercise. Extra care needs
to be provided for these dogs at puppy stage and when the
climate is hot and muggy. Subjecting these dogs for brisk walk
is more than enough.

These dogs tend to become lazy and easily become overweight. In
order to avoid this, keep the animal busy as much as possible
like allowing the dog to play with children, taking while you
go for morning walk.

It is better to keep the dog in tether, as these dogs loves
fighting with other dogs, in that melee, they may get injured.
These dogs do not need special care for grooming, once in a
bathing will suffice. The males will weigh nearly 25 kilos and
the females will weigh 22-23 kilos, usually two to three kilos
less than the males.

Like all other diseases the canine distemper affects bull dog
breed also. This is a highly contagious disease caused by
paramyxovirus. This disease can affect the bull dogs at any
age. The virus enters by direct contact and through inhalation.
The virus thus entered the respiratory tract multiplies in the
bronchi and tonsils. Find out more information at
http://www.aboutdoghealth.org where you can identify symptoms,
prevention and treatment for your dog's illness.

The incubation period for the virus is for four to eight days.
There won't be any symptoms during this period. The fever [40
degree Celsius], yellow discharge from the eyes and nostrils
and pustules in the region of abdomen can be noticed once the
incubation period is over. The animal will have these symptoms
for three to four days and enter in to the clinical stage.

Here in addition to the fever and discharge the dog will have
diarrhea, inflamed mucous membrane, and tracheobronchitis.
Rhinitis, bronchial pneumonia, conjunctivitis, dermatitis, and
vomition may develop soon. Some animals will show nervous signs
such as convulsion, paralysis; coordination problems and
involuntary muscle contractions etc. Since this disease is of
viral origin, immunizing the dog against the dog is the best
solution.

Bulldog health problems are many like the one mentioned and
discussed above. By proper care, nutrition and immunization the
bulldog health problems can be minimized.

About The Author: Learn more about
http://www.aboutdoghealth.org/doghealthproblems/shih-tzu-dog-health-problem.html
on our site. You'll also find other information such as
http://www.aboutdoghealth.org/dogbreedhealth/Pomeranian.html.

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Behavior Training For Your Teacup Puppy

Article Title: Behavior Training For Your Teacup Puppy
Author: Dean Shal

So now the fun and hard work begin. It is time to train your
Teacup Puppy. The key points to remember with your teacup dog
breed is to be consistent, don't spend more than ten minutes on
any training period, don't try to teach to many things at once
as this will only confuse your puppy, be patient, and show your
excitement at your puppies ability to follow through with your
commands.

First we will start with behavior training. It is good to
start this training as soon as you get your "Teacup Puppy"
home. In all dog breeds there always has to be the Alpha pack
member. That is YOU! If you don't establish the Alpha
position right away, your Teacup Puppy will learn how to push
you around and make you spoil them rotten. Once you have
established your Alpha position (you are the leader, master,
etc) you will have a much easier time working with your teacup
puppy breed. Your teacup puppy will work hard to please you.
Although spoiling is great to some extent don't over do it,
this will only cause your teacup puppy to be naughty and really
bother people when they come over for a visit or if taking your
teacup puppy outside. If you live in an apartment complex or
condo you must remember courtesy for you neighbors. You want
your Teacup Puppy to be the best puppy in the world, and with
your patients and diligence you will get just that. The funny
part is that you are actually teaching the owner how to train
their Teacup Puppy.

Just for an example, we had a neighbor that had a Lab and they
were always bragging about their dog having had taken obedience
classes and how smart he was. Well unfortunately they wasted
their money because they did not work with their dog on the
things that were taught in the classes. You must be
disciplined enough to work with you teacup puppy or teacup dog
breed everyday. As in my example, if you are not consistent
with what you want your teacup puppy to do and go through daily
training, it will only end up hurting your loving companion the
most. Get the mind set that you are doing this in the best
interest of your Teacup Puppy.

So here are some of the basic commands, as you don't want to
start with anything complicated, that you can start with.

Sit

To start it is best to sit down on the floor with your teacup
puppy. Make sure you have your teacup puppies undivided
attention. You might have to play with him a little bit at
first, especially if he has just gotten out of his crate. Give
him some time to burn off the pent up energy. Place your teacup
puppy in front of you and say, "Sit". Your teacup puppy will
have no clue as to what you want him to do. Making sure your
teacup puppy is standing in front of you, gently push his hind
quarters down and reward him or her. Try doing this several
times. Another technique is to have your teacup puppy standing
in front of you and hold a treat just out of reach. When you
say, "Sit" move the treat guiding towards the back of the
teacup puppies head to the point where he is almost leaning
back. If he falls over or doesn't do it quite right, use the
pushing the hind quarters down again. Once again, I can't say
enough, you need to do this everyday. And Praise, Praise,
Praise. Your teacup puppy should be able to learn this command
in a short period of time.

Lay down

This technique is pretty much the same for training you teacup
puppy breed to sit except that you also want to get the front
end down. A very important reminder, that with teacup puppy
breeds you have to be gentle and don't force them very hard.
Since they are smaller puppy breed, their bones are more
fragile than your average dog, so their bones will break much
easier.

Come/Heel

What I have found as the best technique for this command is to
train your teacup puppy breed indoors. Make you teacup puppy
sit and move away a very short distance. In an excited tone,
tell your teacup puppy to come or come here to start. You
teacup puppy should be happy to come to you. Reward with a
treat. Keep this up until you Teacup Puppy has mastered an
understanding of this command. Once your Teacup Puppy has
mastered this command, it will be safe to work on this command
outside as well. Just to be on the safe side when outside,
please use a leash. An extendable leash will come in very
handy for this training exercise.

Stay

I have found this command a little bit harder for puppies to
get the hang of. I believe this is true because all they want
is to be next to you. This command will take a little bit
longer for you Teacup Puppy to grasp. The first step is to get
your teacup puppy breed to sit and be relaxed. Then while you
have your Teacup Puppies undivided attention, hold out your
right pointer finger saying the command "Stay", while looking
them straight in the eye. Back away one or two steps. Your
"Teacup Puppy" will not immediately understand what you are
trying to tell it to do and will get up repeatedly to follow
you. Start from square one with the sitting position and
follow the above mentioned steps. Eventually you teacup puppy
will understand. As the command gets easier for your teacup
puppy, use you best judgment on distancing yourself farther and
farther away. You can also implement the Come/Heal command as
your teacup puppy understands what "Stay" means, thus working
on two commands at once. And Give you teacup puppy lots of
love and praise.

Well these are just a few of the basic commands that you need
to teach your new teacup puppy breed. After a couple of months
the training period should be done with. One important thing to
remember especially for the first year is to always praise for
good deeds. As a matter of fact I think we could all use a
little praise sometimes.

About The Author: Check out Dean's
http://www.dogsandpuppies.info website and my
http://teacup--puppies.blogspot.com blog

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How To Prevent Dog Chewing

Article Title: How To Prevent Dog Chewing
Author: George Kane

Do you have a dog that has a habit of chewing literally every
object in the household? Make no bones about it! As part of
the dog training process, it is absolutely important to train a
dog to stop the nasty chewing habit also known as gnawing.
Chewing is a natural instinctive reflex of almost all dogs and
they must be trained effectively in order to save your house
and your possessions from getting chewed up. Dogs will try to
chew on the furniture, mattress, shoes, or anything that will
come their way as part of their maturing process and curiosity.
So how in the world do you stop a dog from this terrible
chewing problem? There are some proven techniques that will
answer this question.

Just like human babies, teething is considered to be the most
common cause for a dog's chewing habit. Teething process gives
severe pain to dogs; as a result they will try to chew on
anything to overcome the pain. If a dog is not trained to be
active, the sheer boredom of sitting around the house will make
things worse. The dog will form a habit to keep chewing without
actually suffering from an extended teething problem. Certain
dogs also suffer from loneliness and anxiety; this becomes a
mental problem that will eventually make his chewing habit
worse. Chewing can be controlled by keeping the dog in a good
mental and physical state.

Moving on to the preventive methods and techniques, a chew toy
can be a dog's best friend for eliminating the dog's desire to
chew on your possessions. Train the dog to keep his chewing
habit limited to the chew toy; this will save your furniture
and other household items from getting attacked. Make sure to
pick up a chew toy that is considered to be the safest in the
marketplace. You must also get the right size and color to fit
the dog's mouth and personality.

Among the harmless chew toys available in the market are as
follows:

Nylabones - Nylabones is made out of odor free nylon fibers,
which is safe and tender for your dog's mouth. They are easily
available in edible or non-edible forms. The non-edible
nylabones are stuffed with chicken or turkey meat for added
flavor. With different shapes and sizes, nylabone will be
suitable for different kinds of dogs. Galileo is among the
best known nylabone chew toys available currently.

Kong toys - Kong toys are a perfect match for those dogs that
are suffering from insecurity and anxiety. These sterilized
bones have a hollow in the middle to stuff different kinds of
dog food.

Make sure to spend quality time with your dog and make him feel
great by praising his good behavior. It is never too late to
teach a dog how to stay away from chewing certain objects. Dog
chewing can definitely be controlled with the above techniques
and preventive measures.

About The Author: George Kane writes for
http://www.DogTraining-AtoZ.com

Putting Your Dog On A Diet For Weight Loss

Article Title: Putting Your Dog On A Diet For Weight Loss
Author: Kelly Marshall
Most dogs will begin to be less active and will self-exercise
less as they age. Some breeds are naturally more likely to gain
weight and be couch dogs rather than active pets, so it is
important to help them eat only the food they need, not all
that they want. Some dogs are naturally able to regulate their
food whereas other dogs simply eat until they can't hold
another bite. Understanding how your dog eats and how much they
eat can help you determine how to best help them manage their
weight or how to effectively help them lose weight.

To get your dog started on a lifestyle change and diet that is
needed to help an already overweight dog start to get in shape
consider the following:

· Cut out all snacks, treats and food items other than the
actual dog food. This means no high carb or sugary treats, no
extra little scraps from the table or even any dog cookies.
High quality treats can be reintroduced to the diet on a very
limited amount once the weight has been lost.

· Unless there is a reason why your dog must be on wet food
switch to a high quality premium dry food only, but not
necessarily a weight loss formula. Most dogs will lose weight
even on regular kibble provided all the other aspects of the
plan are followed. Ask your vet for recommendations for foods
that would be beneficial to your particular dog. Switch the
food slowly and gradually to avoid digestive problems. Don't
worry if the dog refuses to eat the dry, especially if it is a
picky eater, it will eat when it gets hungry. If the dog does
not eat for two days and you are exercising the dog as outlined
contact your vet before proceeding with the food selection.

· Increase exercise - and this involves your participation.
Most dogs, especially those that are overweight, simply do not
exercise themselves. Putting them outside in the yard for an
extra hour doesn't count since they will likely take a
leisurely stroll around the yard, find a comfortable spot and
rest. You must make them keep moving. Take them on a leash for
a walk around the block at least twice a day. Once they can do
one block, increase to two and keep increasing the distance and
the pace of the exercise. Start slow and gradually increase to
avoid stressing both the dog and yourself!

· Increase play times. Try throwing a ball or a stick for the
dog, or playing a game of tag or chase. Start slow, even just
rolling the ball to get the dog involved. Lots of praise and
attention during the game will help keep them motivated and
engaged.

· Plan a regular "play date" for your dog with another dog if
he or she is an only dog in your house. Running and playing
with another dog is great exercise and gives you a chance to
supervise and relax.

· Cut down on the dog food by a quarter to start. If you are
normally feeding 1 cup twice a day feed ¾ of a cup twice a day.
Never cut out a meal, simply cut down on each meal. It is
recommended to feed two smaller meals rather than just one meal
to keep blood sugar better regulated for the dog.

· Check your yard and house for hidden food items. Many dogs
have learned to get into the garbage, get into cupboards and
raid the treat boxes or even get into candy dishes left on the
coffee table. Remove all sources of food from where the dog can
access.

Keep on the plan for two weeks, decreasing each mean by one
quarter and doubling a reasonable level of exercise. You should
notice a slight weight loss in this period. You can either weigh
the dog by using a standard bath scale or, for large breeds,
simply use a measuring tape around the widest part of the their
body. If you have followed the plan and are decreasing food,
increasing exercise and cutting out all treats and do not
notice even a slight decrease in weight after two weeks see
your veterinarian immediately to rule out any medical problems.

About The Author: Find more articles on dog health at
http://www.ohmydogsupplies.com