Hiking With Your Dog: What To Take With You By Ben Anton

Taking your dog on a hike with you can be an enjoyable experience, provided you have the right hiking gear to accommodate the both of you. Taking your best friend along shouldn’t bog you down with extra gear but you will need to consider where you are going and how long you plan to hike in order to ensure you have what you need for a safe trip.

Whether hiking for an afternoon or taking an overnight trek, you should make sure to stock your backpack with the following items to help Fido, Lassie or whom ever you take with you have as much fun as you do.

• Adequate water for both you and your dog. If you know that there will be water sources along the route, carry a water bottle with you that you can refill if needed. If you are unsure about water availability, pack 1-2 quarts of water for your dog for a day hike plus enough for yourself. Collapsible dog bowls are good for dogs that may not drink from a stream or from a water bottle.

• A leash. Most trail ways require that your dog be on a leash or harness while hiking. A leash will also help keep order should there be a lot of dogs on the trail with you.

• First aid kit items. Most pet injuries while hiking occur on the pads of their feet. The pads can easily be cut on sticks, stones and roots in the ground. You should stop hiking intermittently to check your dogs paw pads for cuts or blisters. Have the appropriate bandages and disinfectants with you in case this happens.

• Proper ID tags for your pet. The dog tags should include information on your pet’s vaccination as well as your home address and phone number. Make sure the rabies tag that you received from your veterinarian is attached to your dog’s collar.

• Clean-Up Items. Zip-lock bags are great for hiking trips to reduce the odor of the feces while on your hike. Be sure to pick up all your dog’s feces while hiking using paper towels or your bag and dispose of it in a garbage container. Also carry a towel to clean off your dog should he or she get into dirt or water. • Snacks or Treats. Your dog will get tired just as you will. Make sure to pack a few treats to keep him energized until you get back home. However, you don’t want to over-feed your dog while hiking or they may get sick. Treats can also be helpful in getting your dog’s attention should they run off unexpectedly.

Above all, make sure your dog is up to the challenge of an afternoon hike. Make sure they are healthy and well-nourished before setting out on the hike. Older dogs should be treated to a trail way with a level terrain and with little to no incline. Small dogs should be taken on well groomed trails that won’t have a lot of low hanging brush or leaves that may cause eye or skin irritation.

Pay attention to the signs your dog may give while on a hike that there is something wrong. If they avoid the sunshine or lay underneath leaves they may be dehydrated and need to stop for a long drink of water. If their stride becomes labored or if they favor one paw over another, they may have gotten a sliver or cut on their pad. Your dog will tell you what they need while outdoors so long as you listen.

~Ben Anton, 2008

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=259592&ca=Pets

Choosing The Right Fish Habitat For Your Aquarium By C Swarens

If you have decided to bring pet fish into your home, one of the first things you will need to determine is the type of habitat you will create. You may be surprised to learn that there are actually many different types of habitats for you to select from. In addition, the type of habitat you choose to create will determine the type of fish you can put into your tank.

A community tank is a tank that may contain a variety of different fish, but all of the fish species in a community tank need to be non-aggressive against each other. This way, the fish can live in the same tank without hurting one another. This does not mean, however, that you cannot have aggressive fish in your tank. Rather, you need to choose the fish in your community carefully. This way, one species will not dominate and harm the other species. Some types of community tanks you might want to create include:

• Cichlid tanks

• Tetra and Liverbearer tanks

• Fast moving tanks

By combining the right types of fish together, they will be able to live together peacefully.

Cichlid Tanks

Cichlid tanks come in two major forms: African and South American. When it comes to cichlids, you can mix a variety of African cichlids together or you can mix a variety of South American cichlids together. You cannot, however, mix African cichlids with South American cichlids. If you do, disaster may strike as the two different types of cichlids fight over the territory.

With African cichlids, you need to make certain your fish have plenty of places to hide. These fish tend to enjoy having rock formations, caves, and plants in which they can hide. Ideally, you should maintain a pH balance of 8.0 for African cichlids. South American cichlids, on the other hand, need to have plenty of space to move because they tend to get quite large. Some fish that fall in this category include severums and Oscars. Since they tend to get so large, you should have a tank that is at least 50 gallons big in order to keep them happy.

Tetra and Livebearer Tanks

Tetra and livebearers can be kept in smaller tanks than what you would use for cichlids. In fact, a tank that is only ten to twenty-nine gallons big is large enough. The pH should be in the mid 7s for most livebearers, though tetras prefer the pH to be somewhere in between 6.5 and 7. Either way, it is best to keep plenty of plants and decorations in the tank, as these fish tend to enjoy playing with their decorations.

Fast Moving Tanks

Fast moving fish include fish such as tiger barbs, zebra danios, and sharks. For these fish, you will want to obtain a high tank that provides them with plenty of space to roam. Although these fish don't really have anywhere to go, they like to get their fast. The temperature in these tanks should be kept somewhere around 70 to 80 degrees.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=260724&ca=Pets

Exercise Your Dog With Games By Mikael Rieck

The best exercise for your dog, both physically as well as mentally, could be the various games which you can play with it. The health of your dog could be determined by how active it is in mind and body. Playing games to improve your dog’s fitness is far better than to just take it for a walk or jog as it will lead to both the physical and mental well being of the dog. A few of the games which you can play with your furry friend to maintain its health are:

1. Frisbee: One of the best games, which you can play with your dog is Frisbee. This game involves complex movements and calculations which the mind of the dog has to perform so as to comprehend the trajectory of the disc to catch it. This will act as the mental exercise for the dog. Apart from this, the game also involves running and jumping which will give the dog the physical exercise it needs.

2. Hide and seek: Hide and seek is a great game, which you can play with your dog to enhance his sensing capabilities. By playing this game, the dog will learn to use his senses better so as to track you down. This enhancement of the senses will help the dog’s development.

3. Chase: This game involves you taking some object, which is of value to the dog and running, and the dog will chase you down. Try to outrun and try to run in varied patterns so that the dog has to use the mind and the body to catch you. The game is great for the health of both you and the dog as you will also end up getting some exercise. Similarly, you can reverse the role and let the dog run with something, which you have and you should chase the dog.

4. Fetch: The classic game of fetch involves you throwing an article like a stick or a ball and your dog will run to retrieve it back. In this the dog can get physically healthier and mentally more alert as well. To improve mental alertness of the dog you should sometimes just pretend that you throw the stick and see if the dog runs.

5. Wrestling: mild wrestling with your dog over stuff can increase his strength. But in this game care should be taken that the game doesn’t get out of control. Don’t overdo it or else either the dog or you will get hurt. Also playing this game a lot is not good as it could hamper the way the dog looks to you. It is better to play this game only occasionally.

These are just 5 out of the many commonly played games by dog owners with their furry friends. You can even develop your own personal game with your dog depending on its nature. It is very important the game which you play matches the behavior of your pet, so choose wisely and enjoy yourself.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=258285&ca=Pets

Bathing Your Dog By Jayne Waldorf

Great care should be taken when bathing you dog; his ears must be protected from the water with large cotton wool balls. If water enters the ear canals he may get an ear infection. The symptoms of an ear infection are a shaking of his head and a constant discharge from his ears.

How often you bath your dog depends on his breed. If long haired breeds are bathed too often their skin and coat will not protect the dog as well as they should. However sometimes it is unavoidable if the dog has messed its self due to illness then it would be necessary for the sake of hygiene.

Ensure that bath products used stipulate that they are suitable for dogs. Human shampoo and soap is not suitable to use on your dog. Human shampoo and soap could irritate the skin of your dog. If you use a new product be sure and read the label.

Dogs love water if you take him out to where there is river or stream let him have a swim in it. Ensure that you are organized with the lease to hand and a towel. When bathing your dog organize yourself before hand and make sure you have everything you need within reach.

As with humans if you use conditioner on your dog at bath time his coat will be easier to comb.

If you don’t clean your dogs ears properly you could damage them as they are very delicate. In order to clean your dogs ears properly you need to ;-

Use cotton wool balls in his ears at bath time to prevent water getting in his ears and causing an infection.

Every four weeks clean your dogs ears with a cotton swab, your vet may make a recommendation as to a mild cleansing agent but you could use mineral oil. Take the swab and gently clean both the inner and outer parts of the dogs ear but being careful not to push any wax into the ear, leave a little wax in the ear as this will protect the ear canals.

Clean under the ear flaps and remove any foreign objects that may be stuck in the fur around the ears.

Trim any long hair around his ears as this can cause an infection. The air circulation will be improved by trimming the hair.

Call your vet if necessary if you dog has any wounds, cuts or scratches to his ear flaps that have become infected.

Clipping your dog

Clipping a dog is an art. Skin disease can be caused by dirt accumulation in a dog’s coat. Clipping of a dogs coat or nails must be done very carefully so as not to cause any injuries.

Clipping can expose any skin complaint or parasite that your dog may have. Pet Health Parlors are available for the clipping of your dogs coat and nails. If you you’re your dog yourself take care not to cut his coat too short in the winter, also you may cause your dog injury which could cause bleeding if you clip his coat and nails too short.

If you do your own clipping sharp good quality clipping instruments are available from most pet shops remember it is not advisable to clip you dog if he is ill.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=258911&ca=Pets