Paws N' Claws Pet Clinic- The Pet Vet blog

Friday, 8 June 2018

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.

Sunday, 25 February 2018

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.