Dog And Child At Home

While we see gorgeous photos of children hugging dogs, cats and horses and pets loving children by licking them or staring at them lovingly, it is not so harmonious relationship at home. Especially when the child enters the toddler-hood and learns to crawl and walk, pets may look at your child differently. While natural hunting instincts of a large or medium-sized dog may lead him to think that the small moving creature is a prey, smaller dogs may be afraid of the child. They tend to run away from the children. Parents should train the dog to sit or stay near them, while the child is on the prowl by rewarding him with caresses and pats. Trained dogs normally never hurt the child until it is for self-defense but still supervised interaction between your child and dogs is necessary to make them both comfortable with each other.
Teach your child to respect your dog and not to tease it too hard or too often. Keep your child away from exploring your dog's possessions such as its toys, food or water bowl and its litter box and they should know that biting or kicking the pet may hurt it. Discourage them to twist or pull your dog's ears and tails, pinching it and poking fingers or other sharp objects into its eyes. Small and toy dogs often suffer in the hands of the children who like to kick them off or scream in its ear and do not let it sleep properly. Thus, special should be taken to save it from children's tricks. Children need to be taught that pets are not toys and that they feel the hurt too and that they can hug them and pet them gently but should not cause them pain.
It is important that a dog should know its place in the family hierarchy. Dog may feel rejected with a new arrival in home or may like to lick the child and be licked in return. But supervision is always a must when your child and your dog are together. If it is not possible, you may place the child in the playpen for the short period when you are not around. By the toddler age, child is old enough to learn the acceptable and non-acceptable behavior with the dogs and how to interact with them. Dogs may be allowed to enter the nursery but they must be taught to hold a down-stay. Kids find dogs as funny playmates while dogs take them to be littermates. Though, your dog may tolerate a little bit of pulls and yanks, too much of naughtiness may set him against the child. Teach the child and the dog to play together interactive games such as 'Fetch' and 'Hide and Seek' that does not involve rough play.

Advice For Take Care Of puppy

I had a fun day today working with Boise Bully Breed Rescue at a local Petco to raise awareness and educate the public on all things dogs. One thing that was troubling to me, however, was the number of people I saw with VERY young puppies in the store. I saw a handful of well-intentioned new pet owners with little tiny pups under 8 weeks of age. This is concerning on two very serious levels.
The first, and simplest, is that puppies so young have not had their second round of shots and are therefore very susceptible to Parvo. Parvo is a HIGHLY contagious disease that affects almost exclusively puppies, but anyone or anything can carry it. It can be on your shoes, your ten year old dog, a grocery cart and many other places. It can be deadly, is always painful, and is expensive to treat. It is just not safe taking a puppy out before they have had their second round of shots. Ask anyone who has dealt with Parvo...it is very scary and you wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy.
The second, and this is what bothers me the most, is that every person I spoke to said they got their puppy at around 4-5 weeks of age from a breeder. PLEASE, please, believe me, that any breeder willing to sell you a dog before 8 weeks of age is not a person you should get a dog from. Do not walk, RUN if someone ever offers you a pup that young. No reputable breeder who knows what they are doing would ever give a pup away so young. Most of the time there are behavior issues down the road.
Why? Because the mother provides nourishment until around 4 weeks of age, then she begins to ween the pups...but her job is far from over. One person today told me their breeder told them the mother stopped nursing at 4 weeks so that's why she was selling them so early. That is a huge red flag that the "breeder" knows little to nothing about a dog's development process.
In the process of weening her pups the mom teaches them boundaries that they just don't learn fully any other way. Between 6-8 weeks they learn bite control and body language from their mother and litter mates. Let me be clear... THE MOTHER AND LITTER MATES ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO CAN TEACH A DOG THIS THE WAY NATURE INTENDED. Yes, you can do some of it with another dog or yourself, but you will NEVER be able to replace those crucial weeks fully.

More Halloween Pet Photo Contest Entries! Get Your Vote In!

　　Don’t forget to vote for your favorite pet in the Annual ThoughtsFurPaws Halloween Pet Photo Contest! Here are some more entries for you to vote on…

　　Bonnie

　　Donald Treat Dog Dispenser

　　Jimmy as King Tut

　　Penny and Toby as Snooki and Paulie D

　　Pepper as a Belly Dancer
Don’t forget to check out the other Halloween pet photo contest entries too – here, here and here are some tips for a safe Halloween for pets!

Collared today: Gidget and Gabby

　　
　　Gidget and Gabby (Cheryl Ingoe)
Related

Photos: Pictures: The dogs of BARCStoberfest 2011 　　
Halloween called the most dangerous time of year for pets 　　By Jill Rosen The Baltimore Sun
6:30 a.m. EDT, October 31, 2011NAMES: Gidget and Gabby
OWNER: Cheryl and Mike Ingoe
HOW THEY MET: Both pets were acquired from breeders in the mid-Atlantic region
AGE: Gidget is 1, Gabby is 3
HOME: Kingsville
BREED: Gidget is a Papillon, Gabby is a West Highland White Terrier
FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Treat time, walks and belly rubs, in that order
FAVORITE FOOD: Venison jerky treats
FUNNIEST MOMENT: The “girls” are at their cutest when we pull into the driveway and they are sitting side-by-side on the back of the couch looking out the bow window waiting for us to get home. Also, when Gidget uses her behind to “bump” Gabby to get her to play.
IF GIDGET AND GABBY HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: A daily walk is essential for health and happiness!

My Dog Pet

What started out as a heavy and distressing turn of events for one dog owner has ended up as cause for celebration.

Harley, a 6-year-old pug from Manville, Rhode Island, recently won the third Annual VPI Hambone Award — an honor bestowed on the dog, cat, or exotic pet with the most creative mishap — for ingesting (and subsequently passing) more than 100 small rocks.

His owner, Lori Laverdiere, still doesn’t understand what prompted Harley to eat the rocks in the first place, but she is relieved to have her pal back at home after a scary overnight visit to the vet in June, when he was given medicine to facilitate the expelling of the rocks in what sounds oddly similar to humans passing kidney stones. Ouch!

Harley’s championship prize package includes a ham-shaped trophy and a bag filled with toys, treats, and an emergency pet kit.

VPI also awarded emergency pet kits to the second-place winner, Chico the Chihuahua, for surviving a tug of war on his leash with a Great Horned Owl; and the third-place honoree, Stella Artois, a Labrador who unfortunately got a big tin can of green beans lodged in her jaws after a (we say) unsuccessful attempt at dumpster-diving.

These awards were determined after narrowing the puppy playing field from 12 nominees who were culled from more than a million insurance claims received by VPI Pet Insurance. What a bittersweet and clearly occasionally amusing task that must have been! We’re glad that these winners are now safe and sound with their families.

Dogsters, what’s the strangest thing your pup has encountered or, well, swallowed?

I have to admit, I’m a huge fan of big brands and designer pieces. I just can’t help loving amazing design and high fashion. And yes, that goes for what I bring home to my dog as well. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t love well-constructed, handmade clothes and accessories available on wonderful websites like Etsy.

My dog Miles and I love to comb through this extensive site to find unique pieces with a price tag we love. To show our enthusiasm over all things handmade with love, this week we’re going for the effortless look found on Etsy.

The Snap It Dog Jacket — Created with a high-quality cotton denim fabric and lined with gray cotton flannel, this cool jacket by Bean Town Handmade comes with its own snap-on pouch. If you’re kind enough to spend your hard-earned cash to keep your pooch looking stylish, the least he can do is carry his own poop bags and maybe a few of your small personal items.

Denim Squirrel Dog Toy — I don’t know about you, but my dog loses his mind at the mere mention of the word “squirrel.” He’ll never catch one in a million years, so I like to keep him happy with squirrel toys. I love this one made from recycled scraps of blue jeans. Denim is tough, so it’ll take him a while to rip the stuffing out of this one.

Custom-Embroidered Dog Portrait Canvas Pillow Cover — I’m crazy about commissioning portraits of my dog. It’s the kind of art I’m excited to invest in. This gorgeous embroidered dog portrait pillow is such a special way to immortalize my dog in pillow form.

Sloppy Drinker Canvas Dog Bed — My dog is a neat little water licker, but I know there are lots of sloppy drinkers out there. Don’t worry, it’s okay to call out your dog for being a sloppy drinker. In fact, it’s pretty hilarious.
Brass Arrow Earrings — While tribal-inspired prints and pieces are trendy at the moment, I guarantee you’ll reach for these everyday arrow earrings for seasons to come.

Urban Driftwood Dog Feeder — Driftwood Dog Feeders by Go Pet Design are must-haves for dog owners who love reclaimed rustic wood. The feeder’s modern and organic look is a perfect complement to a design-savvy home.

Blue Seersucker Dog Collar — If you’re on the hunt for a classic collar that will have your dog looking his most handsome, go with this red, white, and blue plaid seersucker collar by Nola and Spenser. It’s timeless preppy perfection at its best!

Organic Wool Jersey Skirt — Perfect for a stroll in the park or a play date at your local dog park, this gray jersey skirt is easy to wear with a tank or a tee. Throw on a cardigan and some tights when temperatures start to cool down, and you have one cute skirt to wear year-round.

Oak Leaf Headband — Call me prissy, but I have a strong attraction to headbands. This beautiful freehand-embroidered oak leaf headband made of shimmery silver silk dupioni with gray embroidered veining needs to make its way into my fall collection.

Hand-Knit Dog Sweater with Alligator Applique — I can only knit scarves, but if I could learn how to knit anything else, it would be adorable dog sweaters with alligator appliques just like this one from Simply Made by Liz.