Is it Safe to Give Your Dog a Bone?

Bones have long been associated with dogs. Just search Google Images for "dog with bone" and hundreds, if not thousands, of cartoon pictures of dogs with bones in their mouths will appear. Spock even has a  tag in the shape of a little blue bone.

But should your really give your dog a bone? The short answer is "probably not". The main reason for this is that bones, especially chicken bones, splinter easily. Try breaking a small bone in half next time you eat chicken, and see how sharp it is!

The splinters of bone can literally cut open your dog's throat and intestines, to say nothing of the obvious choking hazard! And yes, it is possible for your dog to break a tooth on a bone. Bones are especially dangerous for large dogs.

The only time I would consider it safe to feed a bone to a dog is a RAW beef bone. Not a chicken bone. Not a cooked beef bone.

But even there, there are potential hazards.  Experts and dog owners are still debating whether raw meat is safe for dogs. The time when Spock was most aggressive was while he was knowing a raw bone. It was frightening! That was the first- and the last- time that Spock got a real bone.

It is probably best to avoid giving your dog a bone to chew. Of course, any dog would love it, but if he never tries one, he won't know
 what he's missing.

Invisible Fences

Invisible dog fences might sound like a great idea. The UltraSmart® In-Ground Fence™ System by Petsafe®, for example costs $300 for 500 feet of "fence" wire. According to the "Red Beacon" website,  500 feet of chain-link fence would cost around $3500, and 500 feet of wooden fence would cost $9000! 

Invisible fences work on a simple principal. When a dog, wearing a special collar, starts to cross the underground wire line, the dog gets a static shock. The shock is not dangerous, and the level can often be controlled.

Many dog owners and professionals discourage the use of these fences. Some of the reasons for this are listed below.

• Some dogs will just decide to run over the wire, regardless of the shock. Some dogs might not understand that the wire is all over the yard, and run over the wire. After getting the shock, the dog may be too frightened to come back into the yard.
• If you take off your dog's collar and forget to put it back on, if the batteries wear out, or if the line goes dead, the electric fence obviously has no effect.
• Stray dogs can still enter a yard with invisible fencing. 
•  An invisible fence offers no protection against theft for your dog.

That being said, an invisible fence can be a good alternative to a real fence- but it will probably only be safe  if the dog is supervised while it is outside. If your dog spends a lot of time outdoors, or ever spends time outside while you are gone, you probably need to have a secure chain-link or wooden fence. 



  

Answers to the Quiz

1. German Shepherds
2. Boxer
3. Dalmatians (yep, they are born without spots!)
4. Rottweiler
5. Newfoundland
6. Neopolitan Mastiffs
7. Border Collie
8. Beagles
9. Collie
10. Greyhound

Pictures of Spock!

Look at those legs!

Sleeping puppy! So cute!

Attacking 'Belinda' the rubber chicken.

Yum!

Looking like a German Shepard

Isn't this an adorable puppy!?

Spock wearing a hat I crocheted.

Yawning puppy.

Giving Spock a Shot

To save big dollars (as I wrote about in my post 'What Your Vet Doesn't Want You to Know') we gave Spock a puppy shot at home.

Dad did it, because he gave piglets shots as a kid, and it's probably done the same as on puppies.

It was quick and pretty easy, though Spock did squirm and yelp. We are planning on giving him his next shot (and last puppy shot other then rabies) at home as well.

More Spock Pictures

Spock's been doing really well. We got him some new toys today, and he loves them. He also loves playing outside. Today we discovered that he is very much a runt. Instead of 9 pounds, the normal weight for an 9 week old corgi pup, he weighs exactly 4 pounds. This is not unheard of the corgi world. Anyway, here are some more pictures!

Note: his eyes are not that color!

Meet Spock

Mr. Spock is our latest pet. He is a puppy! He got his name from his ears, which, though tiny now, will eventually be very large and stick up. A Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppy, to be exact. Some friends of ours knew of someone giving away puppies, and they took one and we took the other. Spock is so cute! He is very quiet (except for whining a lot in the car), sleeps a lot, and is extremely calm.

This is a picture of him. The picture does not do him justice! He is soooo much cuter in real life!

Mom and Dad planned for Spock to be an outdoor dog, but a puppy this small (8 weeks old!) would probably not be able to keep warm, and he would be able to squeeze under the fence. Thus, Spock is now asleep in my bedroom :)

I have never seen a more mild mannered puppy then Spock, and he seems like he'll be a great pet.

Boston Terrier

Although the Boston Terrier is, of course, a terrier, these aren't in the terrier group, instead, they are classified in the non-sporting group.

Boston Terriers have their roots in fighting dogs, but now they are friendly, lovable pets.

Bostons are small to medium sized dogs, ranging in size from 10 - 25 pounds. 

One big problem with these dogs is the many health problems these dogs have. Being brachycephalic (having "smushed in" faces), this breed is prone to breathing problems, sensitive digestive system, heart murmer, they are prone to deafness, and most dogs of this breed have trouble giving birth.

Bostons are sweet, intelligent dogs, and if you are able to cope with possible health problems, these can be quite fun pets.

puppy

adult

Are Puppies Bad Pets?

I read another article on the dog channel website. Million Dollars= Puppy

Basically, the article says adult dogs are great, rescue dogs are better, puppies are horrible. Consider these quotes from the article.

"When I see an adult dog that needs a home, I think, 'There’s someone’s best friend. He just needs a chance'... When I see a puppy that needs a home.... I think.... 'just put your shoes, cell phones, throw pillows, and other loose valuables into a box, walk down to the closest body of water, and toss it all in.'"

"Puppies have little personality. They are blobs of fur with big eyes"

"An adult dog is thrilled beyond words to get out of the shelter and into a warm home – his gratitude is boundless. If you don’t believe it, adopt an abused or neglected dog from the shelter and watch him blossom. A puppy? Clueless."

 "Whenever someone announces, excitedly, 'I’m getting a puppy!' I actually groan."

Not surprisingly, the author goes on to say, 'I’ve adopted all of my dogs as young adults, except for one stray senior dog... I won't adopt any dog younger than two years old'. How could you say such things about puppies if you haven't even owned a puppy?

Here are some ways to keep your house from being destroyed by a puppy.

• Keep anything valuable totally away from the puppy
• Keep small things, like shoes, away from the puppy
• Don't let the puppy the carpet until he is fully housebroken
• Train the puppy not to chew on anything but chew toys. Clicker training works well for this.

And that part about puppies being 'clueless' about being adopted. Are shelter puppies happy animals? I say that they are worse off than adult dogs, as they are more energetic. A puppy definitely knows when you've adopted it!

Yes, puppies are more work than adult dogs, but if you want  a puppy and can care for and train a puppy, then go for it.

What Your Vet Won't Tell You- Shots At Home!

Dogs and Cats don't enjoy trips to the vet. It is often stressful for them. Also, shots at a vet's are expensive. giving your dog or cat vaccines at home is less stressful for you and your pet, saves you plenty of money, and is a lot less hassle than taking your pet to a vet.

It will cost an average of $150 for shots for a puppy. Getting the shots online (Drs. Foster and Smith is one good vaccine seller), would cost closer to $15 (not counting the Rabies shot, you have to go to a vet for that).

For a kitten, Vet Shots will cost about $100. At home shots-  about $10 (again, not counting rabies).

The Drs. Foster and Smith website has videos and instructions on how to vaccinate cats and dogs. It is quite easy, but you do have to be careful.

How to deal with dog and cat fur

Ask anyone who has an indoor dog or cat what the worst part of keeping their pet indoors is, and they will most likely say "the shedding."

So, if you have an indoor dog or cat, how do you deal with all that fur? By the way, in case you haven't guessed, if you have a non-shedding breed, this post won't be very useful for you.

You want to be able for someone to walk into your house, sit down, and not know that you have a dog or cat before they see the pet itself! This is possible, with some work.

Here are some things that you can do:

                                       On the pet:

Buy a FURminator grooming tool. These de-shedding tools, really do remove hair. There is a video on the site, and a 4.6 out of 5 star rating on Amazon.com to show it. FURminator claims that the tools will not only remove the dead fur before it gets all over, but it reduces shedding to up to 90%. One Amazon.com review said that it got a grocery bag full or fur off of their two Goldens. Wow! A grocery bag full less fur around the house. There is one draw back: namely, the price! The newest model of de-shedding tool for medium sized, long haired dogs costs- $54! A tool for a small, long haired cat isn't much less- $44. Amazon has the tools for as little as $15, so if you want to save, don't buy off the website!

Vaccuming your pet: You may have read about doing this in the book "Ramona's World." I does work, on both cats and dogs, though it might take some training to get them to accept it. It will not hurt the pet, but they might find it a bit uncomfortable before they get used to it.  Use the upholstery attachment.

                                    

                                                               On Furniture

Train your pet to stay off the furniture: It's no harder than teaching your pet to stop doing anything else. 

If you don't mind having a pet on the furniture, try the wet rubber glove method: It's just what it sounds like: get a bucket of water and a rubber glove. Put the glove on, dip it in the bucket, and rub your gloved hand on a furry couch or chair. Dip the glove again to rinse it, and repeat.

Or, use a cover: Put a slip-cover or sheet over the couch. Then, just wash it when it gets too furry. Wash it with out any thing else in the washing machine! You can take it off when company is coming. Just keep your pet away when the cover is off.

                                                    On Carpet

Squirt the carpet before you vacuum: Mix a couple squirts of fabric softener with lukewarm water in a spray bottle. Then, shake and squirt. Don't get the carpet too wet, and let it dry before you vacuum. This will make it easier to vaccum up the fur.

Baking soda: Sprinkle this around before you vacuum. This makes it easier to vacuum all the fur, and will also make the room smell better.

                                            On Hardwood Floor and Tile

Sponge it: Try using a barely damped kitchen sponge on the floor. This will clump up the hair, and make it easier to clean up. Sweeping will only make it worse, as the fur will go all over- not something you want to happen in your kitchen!

Swivel Sweeper: This is kind of a cross between a broom and a vacuum, and will work moderately well on pet hair. 

I hope those tips were helpful.

Labrador Retriever

The Labrador Retriever or "Lab" for short, is the most popular dog in America. Large and lovable, the lab comes in three official colors: Black, Yellow, and Chocolate. The Yellow coloring ranges from an almost white to a reddish color.

The lab is also very intelligent, and can be trained fairly easily. They tend to be very gentle with children and they can be trained to get along with cats. They can also make good guard dogs.

You shouldn't get a Lab if you can not play with it often and take it for at least one walk every day. Labs are active dogs! The intelligence of a Lab as well as its high energy level make for a perfect dog for dog sports. They also love swimming and, being "Sporting" dogs they are also great dogs to hunt with.

Labs really are great dogs so the fact that they are the most popular really isn't surprising.

If you are going to get a lab, try getting one from an animal shelter. I can almost promise you that there is a Lab at at least one of the animal shelters in your area (if you are American). Probably more than one. On petfinder I saw that in my city, there are currently 18 purebred Labs and 9 Lab mixes. Many of them were puppies.

But the Lab is not for every one. They may be too energetic for you or need more exercise than you can give them. I recommend that you foster a lab before you get one. As I have said, they are very common in shelters.

Most popular dog names

In 2011, these were the top 10 dog names.

1. Bella
2. Max
3. Buddy
4. Daisy
5. Bailey
6. Lucy
7. Molly
8. Coco
9. Charlie
10. Rocky

It wouldn't be surprising for at least one of these puppies to be given a name from this list.

Shih-tzu

The Shih-Tzu is a small, lovable, toy breed dog.  You may be wondering why it has such an unusual name. "Shih-Tzu"  literally means "Lion Dog" in English. I don't see why it has that name. Maybe the long, flowing hair of an unclipped  Shih-Tzu  was reminiscent to some people of a lion's main.

 


 Shih-Tzu are good with older children, but they are to small to tolerate roughness.

My friend's family owns a Shih-Tzu by the name of "Lucy". Lucy is normally quite well behaved. My friend says that she does not bark very much.

Another important point about Shih-Tzu is that they do not shed. As with any non-shedding dog (with the obvious exception of the hairless breeds) the Shih-Tzu's fur will need to be clipped. If not, the dog will get extremely long and hared to manage fur. Clipped dogs, like the one in the above picture also (in my opinion) look far better.