Recently a friend visited us bringing along her much loved dog. She was intested in learning a few basics about training the dog to sit,stay and come back to her when called. What stood out though as I surveyed this lovable but unfit dog was just how over weight it was.
It seems strange that when a dog is so much cared for as part of the family, it's owner is completely unaware of how much harm they are doing by overfeeding. The situation will be much worse if the dog is not getting enough exercise. If you are worried by this problem the best thing to do is contact your vet, have the dog weighed and ask advice on diet. Don't kill your dog by being too kind.
There is a useful information on diet at
http://www.germanshepherd-training.co.uk/
Wednesday 28 January 2009
Friday 23 January 2009
Dangerous Toys
Dog Training Stories
Although this blog is to be about adventures in dog training, there are a number of related issues which I will include from time to time.
The first of these follows below.
A Cautionary StoryI would like to share a curious experience I had with the Jack Russell.About 18 months ago Trixie had amongst her toys, a smallish "pink" (don't ask) rubber bone. She loved to chew this but when I noticed that there were small bits of pink rubber appearing in her poo (apologies to those of you of a sensitive disposition) I decided that this toy had to go.Now fast forward TWELVE MONTHS .
Trixie became ill. She was constantly trying to be sick but only producing foam from her mouth. She was in great distress and had to be taken to the vets. An x-ray revealed a blockage in the intestine and an operation was needed. The amazing result was a lump of PINK rubber which was positively identified as part of the toy I had thrown away twelve months earlier. It had stayed in her stomach for that time until some manoeuvre caused it to enter the digestive tract.
$600 later (the Vet's bill), I realised that toys can pose a hazard.If this is a problem that worries you make sure you purchase dog toys that are made of firm rubber or similar safe substances and remove them as soon as they start to deteriorate and break up. It may seem expensive to do this on a regular basis but it is much cheaper than the vet's bill.
.
Although this blog is to be about adventures in dog training, there are a number of related issues which I will include from time to time.
The first of these follows below.
A Cautionary StoryI would like to share a curious experience I had with the Jack Russell.About 18 months ago Trixie had amongst her toys, a smallish "pink" (don't ask) rubber bone. She loved to chew this but when I noticed that there were small bits of pink rubber appearing in her poo (apologies to those of you of a sensitive disposition) I decided that this toy had to go.Now fast forward TWELVE MONTHS .
Trixie became ill. She was constantly trying to be sick but only producing foam from her mouth. She was in great distress and had to be taken to the vets. An x-ray revealed a blockage in the intestine and an operation was needed. The amazing result was a lump of PINK rubber which was positively identified as part of the toy I had thrown away twelve months earlier. It had stayed in her stomach for that time until some manoeuvre caused it to enter the digestive tract.
$600 later (the Vet's bill), I realised that toys can pose a hazard.If this is a problem that worries you make sure you purchase dog toys that are made of firm rubber or similar safe substances and remove them as soon as they start to deteriorate and break up. It may seem expensive to do this on a regular basis but it is much cheaper than the vet's bill.
.
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