Paws N' Claws Pet Clinic- The Pet Vet blog: TOP 7 DOG BREEDS FOR URBAN LIVING

Paws N' Claws Pet Clinic- The Pet Vet blog: TOP 7 DOG BREEDS FOR URBAN LIVING:               Owning a  dog is an awesome experience and life changing too. All dogs are not the same. We may like a dog but some constrai...

TOP 7 DOG BREEDS FOR URBAN LIVING

              Owning a  dog is an awesome experience and life changing too. All dogs are not the same. We may like a dog but some constraints belittle our choices. space is one critical issue in raising a dog.A pet lovers dilemma in urban living is how to choose pets for small spaces. 

             Here I  have analysed Top 7 dogs based on the critical factors like space, temperament, exercise requirement and grooming ( not in that order)

MALTESE TERRIER.

     A member of Bichon family, Maltese is a very happy, healthy and long living little dog, well adapted to urban living. It tends to bark and at times the temperament changes while playing with children. As they do not have undercoat they shed little or no hair shedding. So, its best suited for people who have allergies. But they are prone for dental diseases and tear staining problems.

AUSTRALIAN SILKY TERRIER.

  Its one of the world's best small breeds which are wise and with good temperament, Well adapted with children and in urban living. It requires regular grooming and shampooing to retain its silkiness.Like Maltese these breeds are also prone for dental diseases.

BICHON FRISE

   Bichon frises are friendly and cuddly small pets which enjoys as much exercise as the owner provides. Its a companion breed and do not moult ( shedding of hairs) as they are bred to be hypo allergenic. They are prone for liver shunts and auto immune hemolytic diseseas.

CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL.

     This small spaniel is an admirable choice of most people as a family pet as its good temperament and quickly adapt to any environment and location. It enjoys a fair amount of exercise. As spaniels are hunting dogs they have the natural instinct to chase things. Its prone for cardiac diseases like mitral valve disorders..

BEAGLE

      Remember "snoopy "of "Peanuts"?? Beagles are most popular breeds and are choice of British royals because of its small size and calm temperament . They bond with everyone in the family especially with children. This scent hound breeds are astoundingly intelligent and so they are good watch dogs. They are prone for orthopaedic and ophthalmic diseases like hip dysplasia, cherry eye etc.

ENGLISH BULL DOG

      This is a medium sized gentle, admirable dog which makes a delightful pet. But they are categorised as one of the least intelligent dog breeds related to obedience training. These Brachycephalic dogs need much care during summer as they are prone for heat strokes. Due to its skin folds they acquire dermatological problems too.

PUG

      Pug is a cheerful, intelligent dog, popularized by a network company. It needs modest exercise due to its small size. Like bull dogs this Brachycephalic breed also need to be taken care in hot weather. They are susceptible to ophthalmic and respiratory disorders.

             As discussed above,these are the best dogs suited for limited space urban living. Some dog breeds even small breeds should be avoided as pets in apartment/gated community life style either due to hair shedding, bad temperament, requiring lot of moving space and vigorous execise. They are Rottweiler, Chihuahua, Dalmatian, Pit bull Terrier and Doberman.                                                                                                                               

NOTE                                                                                                                                        

The above list is suggestive only. But before selecting a pet its advised to contact your veterinarian to get a professional guidance .                                                                               

  HAPPY PETTING!!!

Paws N' Claws Pet Clinic- The Pet Vet blog: BATHING YOUR DOGS

Paws N' Claws Pet Clinic- The Pet Vet blog: BATHING YOUR DOGS:                              Bathing your dogs gives an opportunity to bond and share your affection which makes you more friendly wi...

BATHING YOUR DOGS

             

               Bathing your dogs gives an opportunity to bond and share your affection which makes you more friendly with your dogs. Its also a key to maintain good health. start bathing your puppy as early as possible. It is necessary to get them used to bathing at an early age so that we encounter less trouble later.

HOW OFTEN TO BATHE THE DOG?

           This depends on the dogs environment and type of the coat. Normal coat dogs needed to bathe once or twice a month while oily coated dogs needed frequent bathing as once a week. 

         Dogs with thick coats needed fewer baths and lots of brushing to get rid of dead hair and to retain their natural oils which keeps the dogs coat healthy.

PROTECT THE EYES AND EARS.

        keep your dogs eyes and ears protected while bathing. Utmost care should be taken that water shouldn't get into the dogs ears. The canine ears are L- shaped and this is the reason that dogs are prone to ear infections. So, stuff some cotton into the ears so that water will not get into the ears.

PROCEDURE FOR BATHING.

         Before going for a bath, brush your dog completely to remove the tangling hairs and dead hairs from the body.  Use shampoos or soaps according to the skin conditions recommended by your veterinarian.  Dog shampoos are formulated according to the pH level of the dogs skin. Never use a human shampoo. 

         Check the water temperature. It should not be too hot or too cold. Wet the skin and coat as much as possible especially in long coated dogs. Apply the shampoo or soap all over the body from tail to head so that the shampoo gets applied not only in the coat but also on the skin. If its double coated pre-mix the shampoo with water and apply it.  Apply it down on all four legs, all four paws.

        Lather your dog and ensure the shampoo gets evenly distributed to the whole body. Then rinse thoroughly . Take some time with long or dense coated animal and ensure that all the soap/ shampoo are rinsed off well. Wash the head and face seperately, raise its chin up and rinse with soapy water. use a wash cloth to clean his facial folds.

        Dry the dog by using a towel or blow-dry. Then clean up the eyes to remove the tears and dirt. Use an ear cleaner to clean up the ears. Pour  the liquid directly into the ear canal. Massage it gently and then swab out the wax and debris and lastly clean up the pinna of each ear.

         Most people clean up the anal sacs while bathing. But as a veterinarian i would not recommend to clean up the anal gland secretions while bathing unless impacted. Healthy anal glands empty their fluid on its own when your pet has a bowel movement. The fluid secreted by the anal glands contains a distinctive odour that identifies the dog of its own and also other dogs about its age, sex, health status etc. So, emptying is generally not needed during bathing.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR BITING PUPPY.

          Playing is a healthy activity that creates a good bonding between you and your puppy. This play behaviour is a normal behaviour in pups which starts from 3 weeks of age and it includes chasing, playbiting, barking, pawing, wrestling etc. This play behaviour helps to develop reflexes, coordination, physical and social skills which is necessary to interact positively within their packs.

         Pups develop primary or deciduous teeth as early as 3 weeks of age. It has 28 temporary teeth and so biting habits starts at this age itself. It is important to teach your puppy not to bite and that everybody in the family who plays with the pup has to practise it and not just one who teach him not to bite. 

 Here are some suggestions to train your puppy not to bite.

BITE INHIBITION.

            When we closely observe the mother dog and the litter mates, we can learn some techniques of bite inhibition. A dogs ability to learn to control the force of biting is called bite inhibition. This starts soon after the temporary teeth erupted especially during milk feeding by the mother and play fighting with their mother and litter mates. Generally  mother dogs when they are bitten by her pups, makes a yelping sound so loudly , growl and start showing her teeth to her pup. sometimes turns her back and completely ignore the pup. so from this action the pup gets the warning signal that they are hurt and learn to stop biting too hard.

TRAINING YOUR PUPPY.

            In the same way as their mother dog and litter mates we should also teach the bite inhibition technique at home. Whenever it bites during play, stop the play immediately and give a high pitched exaggerated yelping sound, give a scruff shake, or saying NO in a threatened voice, or turning around and tucking your hands, or tieing with a leash at one corner of the room or in an another room , turning your back to him,  for a short while. Then return to your pup and start your play again. so,this form of attention with drawl will be a calming signal  for the pup to stop biting too hard.

        When a puppy is pouncing on your legs and feet as you walk, stop moving. Hold a treat or a favourite toy as you walk. once it grabs the toy or the treat move again. praise your puppy for stopping to bite or for licking you.

         Puppies that were not trained in bite inhibition ,may grow up to develop behavioural problems.

Paws N' Claws Pet Clinic- The Pet Vet blog: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR BITING PUPPY.

Paws N' Claws Pet Clinic- The Pet Vet blog: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR BITING PUPPY.:           Playing is a healthy activity that creates a good bonding between you and your puppy. This play behaviour is a normal behaviour ...

Paws N' Claws Pet Clinic- The Pet Vet blog: FACTS ABOUT DOGS

Paws N' Claws Pet Clinic- The Pet Vet blog: FACTS ABOUT DOGS: Dogs  was one of the first animals to be domesticated by humans. All dogs are direct descendants of wolves. An adult dog has 42 teeth. ...