Getting A Second Dog

admin — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 12:42:17 +0000

At some stage, most dog owners will consider getting a second pooch. Another dog will provide company while the family isn’t home and if you already have a routine for one dog, adding a second won’t be much more work, right? Sounds great in theory, but in reality, it can be hard work making the pairing a happy one.

Before you buy

Make sure the pooch you have is well trained and socialised. This dog will be the ‘example setter’. If your current pet has behavioural problems, such as nuisance barking, be aware that the new dog may copy the behaviour.

Take time to read up on breeds that are likely to get along with your pet. As a general rule, it is better to get a dog of the opposite sex to the existing one. If you have an older dog, a small, quiet breed will be a better companion than a rowdy puppy of a much larger, active breed.

Meet and greet

You may be able to introduce the dogs in a relaxed manner by just letting them sniff and play. But if you’re not sure how they’ll react, take them for a walk in neutral territory, away from your home. When they show friendly behaviour to each other, move the exercise to your backyard.

It will help if you have some knowledge of dog behaviour and body language. For example, a wagging tail doesn’t always mean a dog is happy – a stiff, straight-up tail that wags is a dominance signal and may be a sign of aggression. If the dog’s tail is held horizontal and wagging, it’s usually a sign all is well. If the dog’s tail is tucked between its legs, this signals fear.

Alpha dog

When the dogs do meet off the leash, they’ll establish who’s dominant – there’s usually neck grabbing and a scuffle. It’s important you always support the dominant dog, or it will continue to challenge the subordinate one.

Feed, pat and give him attention first. Don’t expect dogs to share bedding or food. Also, don’t risk a confrontation by giving them treats, such as raw bones, in the beginning. Once they’ve set up their hierarchy, give them all the treats you want, within reason of course!

Plush Toys

admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:00:44 +0000

Dogs are intelligent creatures and giving them toys is one way of both keeping them entertained and out of your way when needed. Actually, dog toys can prove to be a good entertainment for both the dog and the dog owners.

And apart from the fun and distraction factors, dog toys are helpful in developing the dog’s mental and physical capabilities, can keep them from becoming bored and destructive, can boost training sessions and can even help keep the dog’s teeth clean.

There are a great many variety of dog toys available and one popular type is the plush dog toy. In turn, you can find a large range of plush toys for dogs in the market in all sorts of price ranges, from the really cheap to the really expensive.

There are dog plush toys shaped like octopuses, whales, turtles, horses, cats, birds, snakes, monsters, dogs, bears, dolls, and so on. I found one absolutely adorable pink piglet plush toy. It’s so cute in fact that it would be a crime to hand over that little piggy to the dogs.

Much better to get plush toys with a little less personality like a ball or a cube. Or something technical minded, like the plush dog toy called ‘iBone’, which I thought was simply hilarious.

Another toy I liked was a Loofa Sausage Dog, which looks good, can be carried around easily by your pet , and is tough enough to withstand much mauling and shaking.

Then there was a yellow duck toy, which I again liked more for my own sake than for my dogs. It quacks when you squeeze it. Just irresistible. There comes a time in every pet owner’s life when you could do with a friendly quack or two.

I also found a ‘Tear Apart’ plush toy, which is a stuffed toy with its different parts fastened together with velcro. The dog can have a great time in shaking and tearing the toy apart and then you can have your fun turn in putting it all together again.

Pet Supplies » dog owners

Getting A Second Dog

Plush Toys