Picking The Perfect Dog Breeds For Your Family Pet

By George Phillips


The American Kennel Club only recognizes 143 dog breeds, but you will encounter many thousands of possible mixed dog breeds, when trying to pick the perfect dog for your family. There are upwards of 70 million dogs in the U.S., so you definitely need to have some guidelines in place to bring home the perfect family dog.

You may want to visit your local library for books with pictures and histories of the many different dog breeds in order to narrow down the choices when trying to pick one of the perfect dog breeds for your family.

Another factor in picking the perfect dog breeds for your family may be price, as not everyone can afford some of the prices being charged for purebred dog breeds in your local pet store. Many of the most popular purebred dog breeds can have a price tag from several hundred dollars to well over a thousand dollars or more. Locally you may want to visit your local animal shelter to see what they have available.

If you have children you may want to pick one of the less aggressive, smaller dog breeds that have a gentle temperament and are perfect for kids.

You will find these descriptions in the dog breeds history when doing your research on the different breeds. One important consideration is, when a dog is not a purebred dog, the mixed breeds dog may have a temperament different from what is projected for the main dog breeds temperament.

If you rent, your landlord may have a no pet clause in your rental agreement, so be sure to check first as I have had that happen to me before I bought our present home.

You may be wondering what kind of dog I own as a family pet, mine is a purebred Bichon Frise. The Bichon Frise is a sturdy, happy, playful, adorable, smaller dog breed, which is great with kids.

George Phillips is the webmaster of The Better Home Living Guide and the Continuing Your Education Online website.

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How to become a top dog breeder

by John Pawlett


Many people want to become good dog breeders. Dog breeding and doing it properly is an expensive hobby. There is the picking up of a good bitch, waiting for her to become old enough before breeding, choosing the best dog for her to mate with, and undertaking all the health checks she needs, and ensure that the dog you need also passes through the same health checks. There are potential extra expenses during pregnancy, you have to pay a stud fee (or return a puppy), you have the time at your disposal, and can incur the expense of whelping. The puppies are to be kept for a minimum of 8 weeks before sending them to their homes.

There is the need to advertise and look for good homes before sending them to their homes. As a breeder, you also need to see that the dogs have had their shots before going. You may be and ardent dog lover and want to better a particular breed of dogs. You may devote your time and energy to bettering a particular breed of dogs. Often this requires breeding dogs of a particular bloodline, thus creating particular traits that will be passed down through future generations. There is the requirement to have one or two un-neutered female dogs. If you have two or three adult dogs, you may not even need to register your kennel.

A good dog breeder does not want to use dogs with major blemishes. The breeder may show the dogs to endeavor to have a championship before breeding them. This increases the value of the dog's future puppies. It also leads to the breeder networking with the people who know the most about the breed. The dog may not get a championship but a few wins and the dog exhibitors will take you more seriously. If one of the exhibitors has a dog with characteristics that will even out any of the flaws that your dog has, then you can breed show quality puppies.

If, as a dog breeder, you want to breed dogs for many years, you may want to choose a kennel name. The kennel name has to be registered with the corresponding Kennel Club. It may be a good idea to get a kennel permit. The permit will eventually be needed as you may require a few puppies to continue the bloodline. There is the requirement to get the permit before you are attached to your puppies. When you are breeding your dog for the first time, you should seek out a male dog that belongs to a practiced dog breeder. When the dog has bred, you need to take it to the veterinarian. You need to ask the vet about the birthing procedure. When the delivery time comes near prepare a quiet spot for your dog to deliver. These steps ensure that you are a successful dog breeder and you take care of your dog and ensure that the best dogs only breed to carry on the bloodline.

Healthy Homemade Dog Food Recipes

by Gurudwara Baba

As a pet owner, you are probably very concerned about the ingredients that go into commercial dog food. There have been recent recalls on dog food, which have now exposed it as being far from the best option to give to your pet. In many cases these food contain high amounts of fillers, artificial colors as well as unnatural flavors. In most cases, commercial dog food is made using low quality meat, which has been imported from other countries where standards of quality are not met. If you are at all concerned about your dog's health, then making your own healthy homemade dog food is a great option.

It is much easier than you would think for you to make healthy homemade dog food. The first step in this process is to discuss the matter with your vet. Often they will be able to give you some general guidelines to follow before you start the search for healthy homemade dog food recipes. They will carefully explain what quantities of the meals should be made up from meat, grains, and vegetables. They may even provide you with particular nutritional guidelines for you to follow for the breed of dog that you own.

Once you have gathered this information you can then start to search for recipes to use. There are a number of different ways that these recipes can be obtained. You can either go to the local pet store, bookstore or library to see if they have any books on the subject, or you can download recipes for free online. If you do go for the free ones then you need to look through the ingredients list carefully to ensure that it is both healthy and nutritional and meets your dog's particular eating requirements.

When purchasing the ingredients make sure you only use the highest quality, ones in your homemade dog food will ensure that it is healthy and nutritional for them. In order to make sure that you only produce healthy homemade dog food use the same sort of ingredients that you would use in meals for yourself, and not anything artificial which has been highly processed.

So it is wise to take your time when shopping for the ingredients for your dog's homemade food. When it comes to the meat you can actually use the much cheaper costing cuts in the dog's food compared to what you eat. Plus if you tell the butcher what they are for he may well provide you with cuts that he would not normally sell and offer at an even lower price to you.

Cooking healthy homemade dog food at home is easier than you would think. You can even cook food for your dog when you are preparing meals for the rest of your family. Once made you can then store the food in the refrigerator or freezer until it is needed. However, clearly label the container that this is food for the dog.

Also, if you cook their food in large batches it may mean that you will only have to cook for your dog once a week or even once a month, instead of preparing a fresh meal each day. By planning carefully what recipes, you are going to use and when to cook them you can make the process much quicker and easier to do.

Being sure that your dog is eating well is worth the investment of both your time and energy. So why not take the time to find out more about homemade dog food recipes that only use high quality ingredients, and then prepare them regularly for your pet. You will be amazed at the changes you will see in your dog's health and vitality once you have begun to cook healthy homemade dog food for them.

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Choosing A Crate For Your Standard Poodle

by Richard Cussons


Crate is one of the most indispensable tools used in training a dog of any breed - be it as dignified as a Standard Poodle or as great as a Great Dane. Apart from being an indispensable training tool, crate also provides security, safety, protection of household goods and safety during travel. Now that you have discovered the many benefits of crate and have decided to use it for your Standard Poodle, your next step is to buy one. But before you finally rush to the nearest pet store or make a purchase online, you should at least know the factors to consider when buying a crate.

Crates may be made of collapsible wire mesh, wood or molded plastic. Collapsible wire mesh crates are ideal for transport and have great air flow but difficult to clean considering the debris trapped within the meshing. While wooden crate fits appropriately with your furniture, it is difficult to move. Crate made of molded plastic is lightweight and easy to clean but do not collapse making it difficult to transport. Determine which style of crate best suits your dog's needs.

The size of the crate is another factor to consider. It should be large enough for your Standard Poodle to stand up without hitting his head and turn around at the same time lay down stretched out flat on his side. If you still have a puppy, it is wise to choose a crate size that will accommodate his adult size. It is always better to have a crate that is large than too small for a dog. To prevent your puppy from eliminating at one end and retreat to the other, better block off the excess space with movable wire or board partition. Movable wire or partition can be made or purchased from any pet supply stores.

The crate can become a den substitute - their home they can call their own, thus comfort should be considered. Look for one with a smooth floor and care to add some of his favorite toys and soft bedding material. Do not expect that your dog will gladly get inside the crate at once, but with proper introduction and association, he will eventually love to get in and out of that little sanctuary.

Pug Dogs Information - What Are Pug Dogs?

by Ken Tan

Pug dogs are great all around dog breeds, distinguished canine and the cutuest, most lovable dog out there! Pug Dogs are small sized “Toy” Dog, tiny little-built and sweet-natured breed that are so named because of its habit of staring in the air looking clueless even for it’s pug owners.

By nature, Pugs are companion dogs, which is suitable for family and safe with children. Throughout history pugs are commonly known as:

- natural theraphy dog - companion dog - stubborn dog - house dog

Pugs are definitely not trained for as: - hunting dog - police dog - seeing-eye dog for the blind - fighting dog in the once popular sport of dog fighting.

Pugs are clasified similar to Pekingese, Japanese Spaniels and Toy Poodles. Pugs are also known as Chinese Pug, Mops, Puggu, Carli and Dutch Bulldog.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) categorizes dogs into 7 groups of herding, hound, non-sporting, sporting, terrier, toy and working. And the largest sized registered in the Toy category is the Pug.

No doubt the Pug Dogs make for great utility dog but the greatest advantage to owning one is that Pug Dogs can be your most outstanding companion on four legs and great source of personal fulfillment.

By the way, the AKC registered over 150 different breeds totaling nearly one million dogs. To put that in perspective, the animal shelters in America rescue up to 12 million homeless dogs and cats every year and 25% of these are purebreds.

Devoted and glad owners of Pug Dogs have come up with a long list of attributes and traits of their favorite pet that include:

Even-Tempered Stuborn Strong and stable Sturdy built (although small-sized) Delicate (but not as delicate as other “Toy” dog) Loyal Expressive Extremely Affectionate Charming Lively Boundless energy Brave Canine clown Drive owners to distraction Easy going Compliant Courageous Devoted Family dog Friendly Intelligent Intuitive Keen judge of character Loving Loyal Patient with children People dog Easy going Playfulness Self-assured Smart Soulful Spirited People dog Good natured dog Wonderful pet

And you can add to the list…

The Pug Dog's history could be traced back to the Shang Dynasty in East China, where it was solely kept by monks. That probably explained why Pug is a natural therapy dog. Pugs were then spread over to Tibet, Japan and finally Europe. Pug breeds only reaches United States in the 19th century and recognised by the AKC in 1885. Since then, pugs were widely accepted at home and show ring. The Pug Dogs as we know it today is a large round headed face in proportion to its body sized. When stand up with its four very strong, straight moderate length leg, it stays firmly on the ground with poise. It’s muzzle is short and wringkle expressed around its face. Its usually available in fawn or black coloured.

Natural Therapy Pug dog: Within the canine world, Pug Dogs are small-sized dog standing at less than kneecap height for a full-grown pugs, and weighs some 14 to 18 pounds.

It has a striking charming palyful look with its short muzzle, big gigantic round eyes, short neck and muscled body, make pugs a very sturdy yet expressive silhouette. Also because of this, pugs often breath through its mouth, as much as through their nose.

The ears are cropped, and they are not shy from barking to get their owners attention. This specialy human kind of dog, perform what normal human being do, which includes snoring, grunting, growling, whinning, woofing and farthing!!

The shortened muzzle makes pug panting for breath any may cause health problem for the Pug Dogs.

The coat is short, shinny and smooth, and possesses a natural sheen that can be enhanced with rubdowns with a chamois cloth (especially after a bath).

Despite short coat, pug couldn’t protect him well from extreme elements of the weather and thus Pug Dogs should definitely not be kept outdoors. It is a housedog, sensitive to extreme temperature, and does not enjoy the summer heat or excessive exercises.

Pug Dogs come in attractive basic colors of fawn and black. The fawn coloured pug is usually chosen by pug lovers because of it enables pug lovers to distinguish its wrinkled faced with its coat color. Though, less known, the only Pug to earn Utility Dog Excellent degree from the AKC is a black Pug.

Personality-wise, Boxer is a cool dog that will not bark without cause. Its expressive face ��" the furrowed forehead and dark, soulful eyes - is a charming quality that sets the Boxer apart from other breeds.

If you your home is dull and boring, you will be assured that the presence of pug will definitely stirred up the environment and bring happiness to your home with pug’s playfullness and their devontion to its owner. It can changed the moods of its master and adopting one could bring you 9 to 11 years of joyful companionship. In exceptional cases the Pug can live up to 15 years.

Pug Dogs As Pet

Pug Dogs although low-maintenance (because of small consumption of food compared to other breeds), it require your consistent attention, exercise, human interaction, consistent obedience training and lots of love. You cannot leave them to their own design for too long or they get separation anxiety, lonely, bored and into trouble.

Although being a small but sturdy dog, as well as a highly intelligent one, Pug Dogs need both physical and mental stimulations to keep them even-tempered while still keeping their affections and loyalty in tact.

All the best!!!

Warm regards, Ken Tan A Pugs Enthusiast. Discover How You Can Make Your Pug The Happiest, Loving Dog Alive, Running Healthily With You... http://www.trainyourpugs.com

Get free information all about Pug Dogs at: http://www.trainyourpugs.com

My Pet Has Food Allergies! How I Can Treat My Pet?

by z.pduvedi


This is a basic description of popular dog foods based on cost and marketed as advisable for dogs with food allergies.

Quality food for less: Chicken Soup dog food offers more fruit and vegetable in their recipe and they incorporate potatoes, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, cranberries and spinach into the food.

Avider is manufactured from avocados to promote healthy, glowing, beautiful skin and coat. Vegetarian options are also available.

In the mid price range Eagle Pack make Holistic Select which are protein rich recipes with added prebiotics, probiotics and antioxidants. The chicken meal is hormone free and fruits and veggies are all human grade. Eagle dog food comes in dry and canned formulas in a variety of flavors.

High protein, whole grains, veggies and fruit constitute the ingredients of the blue dog food or the Blue Buffalo dog food, which is based on what humans eat. Dogs are less likely to be allergic since these foods contain unusual ingredients such as sweet potato and brown rice, and dogs have not developed sensitivities to these foods yet. These food varieties are available in the market as dry and canned; however some of their products were recalled from the market in 2007.

Similarly, Pinnacle's Canine Holistic Allergen-Free Formulas for dogs use foods in recipes such as trout and oats to which dogs are less likely to be intolerant. Nature's Recipe dog food contains no beef, wheat or corn products as these often are allergy-promoting ingredients. The makers of Inova dog food also make a protein rich food with fruits and vegetables, called Evo.

You will not find by-products such as wheat, corn, artificial flavors or colors, or chemical preservatives in Life's Abundance dog food. Key ingredients are chicken meal, fish meal, carrots, apples, spinach, celery, alfalfa meal, ground brown rice, antioxidants, live probiotics and chelated minerals.

The Abady dog food company makes frozen raw diets for dogs containing fewer unwanted foods such as soybeans, beet pulp, and others. Expensive canned and dry formulas can also be purchased.

IVD dog food ,known at present as Royal Canin, manufacture recipes which are breed specific, and special recipes like Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canine Hypoallergenic HP 19 that is a lactose and wheat gluten-free recipe.

Simply using these recipes might solve the problem quickly, but if you think your dog has food allergies, it is best to find the culprit and remove it.

If your dog is displaying symptoms of food allergies, schedule a visit with your vet as soon as possible.

What If My Standard Poodle Is Obese?

by Richard Cussons

A Standard Poodle may not be genetically predisposed to becoming overweight but that doesn't mean it can't happen. Every dog, regardless of breed, should be given close attention when it comes to food intake and exercise so as to prevent obesity. A healthy Standard Poodle with ideal weight can avoid the following health risks associated with obesity:

Heart Disease. Just like in people, obesity can be associated with high blood pressure or hypertension. The heart must pump additional blood to excess tissues and may eventually lead to congestive heart failure.

Breathing Problem. The additional body fat can increase pressure on a dog's lungs and interfere with normal function. The excess fat results in less space in the chest cavity thus restricts the expansion of the lungs. The lungs then have to work harder to supply the increased demand of oxygen.

Arthritis. In an overweight dog, the joints, bones and ligaments are required to carry excess weight. This could damage certain ligaments or joints making it harder to move around. Arthritis and hip dysplasia can eventually develop resulting to difficulty in going up stairs, getting into cars or just going for a walk.

Surgical Risk. The excess fat makes surgery more difficult for the surgeon as this may hinder the access to the organs you are looking for thus prolonging the procedure and increases the risk associated with anesthesia.

Decreased Stamina. An overweight or obese dog exhibits less physical activities because those extra weight can slow down a dog.

Other health risks are diabetes mellitus, decreased stamina, heat intolerance, skin problems and decreased liver and immune function.

To sum it all up, obesity, a what seems to be a minor health issue causes other complications that can decrease the quality and length of a dog's life. Dog owners should bear in mind that fat dogs don't necessarily mean healthy dogs. Losing weight is not easy but if you want to spend long years of companionship and love with your Standard Poodle, do your best to keep him fit. All it takes is your time, effort and commitment to achieve that weight of your dreams.