Smokend Info Blog

Are you ready for a new puppy? When deciding on a new puppy, there are more factors than “how much is that doggie in the window”. Puppies require commitment, patience, time and money. Each Christmas, doggie sales and adoptions soar! Even though your intentions are good, never surprise someone with a new puppy or dog unless you are positive they want one. Your gift not only brings cute unconditional love, but a commitment including training time and a good amount of money! Fido for Christmas sounds great, but after the holiday,
far too many unwanted pets are returned or dumped. So, it’s always a good idea to go over Santa’s head and allow your loved one in on the ownership decision.

There are many other factors to getting a new puppy. How will your new dog affect your existing pets? It’s important to know if your pets have been socialized with other dogs. When choosing a puppy consider your job and other commitments. Dogs are pack animals and need attention as much as food and water. The easiest way to upset your dog and cause permanent damage is to habitually ignore it. The most important time in a puppy’s life is between 3 and 12 weeks. During this time a new puppy learns about you, the house rules and their surroundings. A new puppy that is neglected can become aggressive, so make sure you’re ready to fit them into your life. Make sure you factor in how much time you need to train your new puppy. This is crucial to your future relationship with the dog. Remember, owners that have an unruly pet have no one else to blame but themselves, and most behavior problems are caused by neglect. New Moms and Dads should also consider the cost of a new puppy. As mentioned before, the cost of owning a dog is nothing to
ignore. Pet supplies, puppy toys, training, and veterinary care can cost hundreds of dollars each year.

The decision to get a new puppy needs to be well thought out,
weighing both the pros and cons. If you choose to accept this mission you will be rewarded more than words could say. Finding the perfect companion is fun and exciting for the whole family. Your furry family member will surely bring you joy, unconditional love and companionship for many years to come.

Grant Carroll proud father of three dogs and co-owner of http://www.littlepamperedpets.com with Dog Clothes and Small Dog Sweaters.
Also visit Little Pampered Babies where you can find Baby Clothes and Baby T-Shirts

Comments Off

Cat litter box problems stem from a variety of sources. One of the most common causes is a feline Urinary Tract Infection (UTI).

Cats tolerate pain pretty well. As a matter of fact, we can be fooled that kitty is feeling fine because she’s eating, purring, and snuggling up to us for human love and attention. But at the same time, if she’s demonstrating out-of-cat-litter-box experiences, she could be suffering from from a feline UTI. It’s up to us to figure it out.

When you know the symptons, it becomes clear that kitty has a problem. She may cry in pain while urinating. She may try to urinate, but little or nothing comes out.

Your cat may groom her privates excessively, and cries while she does it. But the biggest indicator that your cat may be suffering from a feline UTI is blood in her urine.

If your cat has stopped using her cat litter box, and she’s urinating on a surface that’s white or very light colored, the blood will clearly stand out in the cat urine puddle.

Many cats who suffer from a feline UTI associate the litter box with the pain that comes from this infection. Their kitty logic says if they stop using the cat litter box, maybe the pain won’t come around again. This is when you start discovering cat urine puddles all around your home.

If you’re one of the lucky ones whose cat is still using her cat litter box while suffering from a feline UTI, the cat litter color and composition may hide the blood. It’s always a good idea to closely check your kitty’s deposits on a regular basis to make sure she’s healthy.

Feline UTIs are quite treatable with antibiotics from your vet. If you suspect a feline UTI, call your vet immediately and follow her instructions for bringing in your kitty for further evaluation.

Once the feline UTI is diagnosed and treated, your cat should regain her good litter box habits again. If not, a short period of confinement for cat litter box re-training is very effective.

Feline UTIs are preventable with a permanent change in your cat’s diet. Consult with your vet on how to safely proceed with this.

About The Author

Nancy E. Wigal solved the cat urine odor problem in her home, and kept the cat that caused it. Read “18 Ways to Stop Cat Urine Odor Problems” to discover your solution.

http://www.stopcaturineodor.com

Comments Off

House training a puppy is one of the first, and one of the most
important things, that any new dog owner must do. It is easy to
get frustrated if you do not understand the basics of this
important process, so we have put together a few tips to make
the process of house training your puppy a little easier. It is
vital to establish good toilet and hygiene habits in the puppy
when he is young, since the patterns that are established in
those first few months can last a lifetime. When you consider
that house training issues are the number one reason why dogs
are surrendered to animal shelters, it is easy to see why house
training is so extremely important. In most cases, a puppy will
not be completely house trained until he or she is six months of
age. That is because puppies younger than six months often lack
the bowel and bladder control that they need in order to be
reliably left alone in the home all day. Puppies younger than
six months should be confined to a single, small puppy proofed
room any time the owner is not available to supervise the
animal. The entire floor of the room should be covered in
newspaper or other similarly absorbent and cheap material. At
first the puppy will go everywhere and anywhere in the room. As
the puppy gets older and begins to display better bladder and
bowel control, the amount of paper used is slowly reduced, until
the puppy goes only on the established “toilet” papers. This
toilet area will form the basis of later house training. House
training the puppy – what to do:

* Provide the puppy with constant, unrestricted access to the
toilet area that has been established.

* Take the puppy to the toilet area every 45 minutes when you
are at home.

* When you are away from home, or when you cannot supervise the
puppy, it is important to confine the puppy to a small area that
has been puppy proofed and covered with newspaper.

* It is important to be sure that the toilet area does not
resemble anything in the home, such as carpet or hardwood floor.
Once the puppy is used to eliminating on a particular surface,
such as grass or blacktop, he will want to eliminate on that
time of surface.

* Always provide lots of praise when the puppy does its business
in the established toilet area. The puppy needs to learn to
associate eliminating in the established area with positive
things like treats, toys and praise from you.

* It is important to keep a set schedule when feeding the puppy,
and to provide ready access to fresh, clean drinking water at
all times. Providing a consistent schedule for feeding will help
you learn to anticipate your puppy’s toilet needs.

* Using a crate can help the puppy to develop much needed self
control. Dogs are naturally very clean animals, and they will
try their best not to soil their bed area.

* And finally, it is vital to employ patience during the house
training process. House training can take as long as several
months, but it is much easier to house train right the first
time than to retrain a problem dog.

House training the puppy – what to avoid

* Do not punish or reprimand the puppy if it makes a mistake.
The puppy will not understand the reason for the punishment, and
he may become nervous and agitated. This could set the training
back even further.

* Do not give the puppy constant access to food. Keep the puppy
to a set feeding schedule instead of leaving food out all the
time.

* The puppy should not be given the run of the house until he
has been thoroughly house trained.

House training a new puppy is not always easy, but it is
important to persevere. By exercising patience, and rewarding
your dog with lavish praise every time he does the right thing,
you will have your puppy house trained in no time at all.

Comments Off