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Health and Wellbeing Dog Library - For All Breeds
We believe you will find the information useful and interesting.
Published and updated on by Pet Usuals Team
"I am not a dog..I am a writer.." (c) Pet Usuals
New off leash dog area in Springwood, QLD
Recently built brand new facility full of good looking green grass has shelter from the rain, CCTV cameras and it is located just 3 minutes away from Springwood shopping centre. New facility has shelter from the elements of weather and very nice, freshly developed green grass. Located in the nice green leafy area this will be a hit with the local dogs!
More off leash dog areas planned
Great news for all Brisbane dog owners!
The foreshore areas at Sandgate, Nudgee Beach and Manly West may become soon the off-leash areas for dogs!
Surely your dog is well mannered and will enjoy this thoroughly :)
More about: off-leash dog parks
Published on by Pet Usuals Team
Teaching Your Dog To Ride in the Car
When you finally decide to teach your puppy to ride with you in the car you have to make some considerations.
When you take you puppy for the first ride, he will be much happier if he can cuddle up next to you on the seat.
Though the local rules and regulation may differ in Australia all dogs must be restrained when in the car as far as we all concerned.
These are general tips for training and therefore we will not go into road rules besides of mentioning that you need to obey the rules.
Hundreds and hundreds of puppies take their first ride in the car and they never get sick. However many puppies will only use to riding in the car after multiple sessions.
So be patient and take an old blanket or a towel handy in case he drools or is sick.
First trip can be very short. As the puppies get accustomed to the car's motion the time can be gradually lengthened.
Keep windows open enough to get a fresh air inside while moving and choose the quiet road for a start.
Right from the start it is a good idea to teach your puppy to sit quietly in the car.
For a start have someone else to drive the car and you seat with the puppy and make him behave.
Every time the puppy will try to stand up say "No, sit". And make puppy sit by pushing his rear down.
When he sits praise his action quietly. You may find that it may take a lots of time to teach but it well worth it to have a well mannered dog in the car.
More about: dog in the car, older dog, puppy, puppy training, puppy tricks
Travel tips for pets during Holiday Season
For some pet parents, a trip is no fun if the four-legged members of the family can't come. But traveling can be highly stressful, both for you and your pet. With thoughtful preparation, you can ensure a safe and comfortable trip for everyone. Below are our top tips to help keep your pet safe on your next road trip.
Pack a pet travel kit
Prepare a pet travel kit before you leave. A good pet travel kit should include:
* food
* clean water
* bowls
* a leash
* poop-bags
* a waste scoop
* grooming supplies
* a favorite toy
* medication if needed
It is a good idea to make sure your pets identification details are up to date before you leave and to add a tag on their collar with your contact details in case they get lost.
Before you leave, check your pet is up to date on their vaccinations, worming, flea and tick protection. This will help your pet stay happy and healthy on their holiday.
Keep your pet safe with a well-fitted and secure restraint.
A survey by the NRMA on 450 dog owners in New South Wales, results showed that more than 40% of pet owners said that they didn't restrain their dogs while in the car. From this group, 70% placed their canine companion on the back seat, 15% in the luggage area and 4% on their lap!
There are many different types of car restraints available, you just need to find what works best for your pet. If you choose to use a crate, ensure it is well-ventilated and secured to your car to prevent sliding. The crate should be large enough for your pet to stand, sit, lie down, and turn around in. If you choose to use a harness, ensure it is a specifically designed car harness and fitted securely to a seat belt.
Food, water, and those pee-breaks!
If your pet suffers from anxiety, motion sickness, or just doesn't travel well, speak to your vet about suitable treatment options. To avoid those tummy upsets, we recommend feeding your pet a light meal no earlier than three to four hours before leaving. Make sure your pet has plenty of clean drinking water available – and that you have backup water in case the bowl tips over. Don't forget to Stop, Revive, Survive for those important pee-breaks for both you and your pet!
Never leave your dog unattended in a parked car. Temperatures can rise quickly, causing dangerous heat stress to your pet.
Best Dog Parks on Gold Coast
Dog friendly places:
10. HINTERLAND REGIONAL PARK, MUDGEERABA, On-Leash.
9. DREAMTIME BEACH, KINGSCLIFF, dog friendly beach.
8. PIZZEY PARK, MIAMI, enclosed agility area.
7. ALBERT PARK, BROADBEACH WATERS, lake, barbecue area.
6. DAMIEN LEEDING PARKLAND, OXENFORD, off-leash enclosure.
5. FRASCOTT PARK, VARSITY LAKES, fenced off-leash area.
4. MUSGRAVE RECREATIONAL PARK, SOUTHPORT, human friendly, fully fenced, agility area for pups.
3. GOLD COAST REGIONAL BOTANICAL GARDEN, BENOVA, large open area, not fenced.
2. PALM BEACH, GOLD COAST HIGHWAY, parkland, a cafe with dog-hitching post.
1. THE SPIT, TIP OF THE GOLD COAST, canine-friendly.
More about: dog parks, dog walks, Gold Coast for dogs, dog-friendly place
Published on 30by Pet Usuals Team
Low Cost Homemade Budget Dog Food Considerations
Myth of home made budget dog food is alive and well!
Often many people do not realise the true cost of dog's meals when they opt out to prepare these by themselves.
While arguing that the benefits are enormous because it is a "natural" food which you have prepared yourself many of us forget that the true costs of doing so
are quite high and and not necessary the benefits are high as well.
Cost busters recepies surging in popularity however, often questions like this: "Is this safe for me to add carrots to my dog's food?" we can hear from people who decided to opt out for the dog food challenge.
We are not to disappoint you these meals can be quite healthy, so is the commercial food if this is a quality commercial dog food not just a rubbish sold for almost next to nothing because the large part of it are corn or grain fillers.
With the proper quality commercial dog or cat food you have however one distinctive advantage.
When selected correctly and providing this is not a "cheap cereal" from the supermarket it can substantially lower your costs while maintaining the best possible balance of the animal health.
Put this simply for comparison sake in terms of the price.
One of the popular recepies for two meals for the large dogs includes the 1 kg of meat (turkey) roughly at 10 (or even more now) dollars per kilo.
Add to it brown rice, carrots, some other veggies and there you have it! Right?
Not that fast..Include the amount of water (next to nothing, but did you actually filtered the water first?), your time, electricity costs, trips to the shops, markets etc and you may be in for real surprise that you are feeding your dogs or cats at the maximum rate and at much higher costs including your time you spend for cleaning after the meals has been finally prepared! In some cases we have seen people spending half of their weekend preparing laboriously food for their dogs when in fact they could have spend this time on a beach walks with them!
Not everything of course can be defined by the only simple cost of effectiveness of the process of preparation of the food your time etc. After all we all love our pets!
But the balance you strike in ordering some components as frozen chicken mince for e.g. or various mixes which are produced by experienced food processing companies and on the industrial scale not only will lower your costs but also may provide you with the much needed better balance of micro elements. As an example Chicken mince at 2.95 or less per kilo? Or at $5.95 or less per kilo b.a.r.f. mixes?
It is personal choice however and we only can provide you the best possible raw or dry food but you and your pet will decide for yourself ofcourse!
And by the way did you wash those dishes you used for preparation or have they been leaked clean already :) ?
More about: budget dog food, dog food review, feeding puppy, great dane feeding, labrador feeding, large dog feeding, petfood, puppy, raw, to kibble or not to kibble
Published on by Pet Usuals Team
Separation Anxiety
These signs occur when the dog lost the sight of the owner or left alone.
Extreme cases may sometimes be incurable and persist for the rest of the life of the companion dog.
Train you puppy from the early age to stay calm without you and the problem solved!
Some vets however suggest it can be "pre-programmed" in the dog on the genetic level.
What to do if you have such a dog?
How Do Dogs Sense Fear?
You probably were in the situation. On a nice sunny day you at the park are trying to bypass the dog on the sidewalk. Suddenly the reaction from the dog is far away from the pleasant and to make the matters worst you trying to show how brave you are and go "head on" towards the dog thinking that the dog may let you pass.
You may be thinking, “I’m ok, it is just a dog, I can handle it!” and to walk directly towards the dog. To the dog your walking straight towards them means that you want to interact. For them it is a simple choice and you may get an unpleasant reaction from the dog, depending of course how the dog has been trained! You need to be careful in doing so.
Walk in an arc around the dog. That might mean you step off of the sidewalk, even may be onto the wet grass, but not necessarily. It doesn’t take a big radius to signal to the dog that you mean to pass right by and that is all you are intended to do.
Keep your hands to yourself, do not stare at the dog, be relaxed do not stop in frozen posture, have your side to the dog rather than going face-on. When your side turned to dog the animal perceives in most cases that you are not a threat. Have you stopped and got frozen? Guess what! The dogs tend to stop and get frozen too....just before they are ready to start to fight! What are you signaling to the dog by your body language?
Often you may have stopped and asked the dog's owner: "Is your dog ok?" This is a very silly question and no one who owns the dog would give you an answer you are hoping to hear. What if you will hear back: "'No, is not ok. Max can be dangerous.." Even if the answer: "Yeah, he is ok.." received..please do not trust that owner's judgement. Just know how to behave yourself in the presence of the dog and you will be fine.
So, how exactly they sense fear? Dogs are not vicious monsters, think of the dogs as another persons you don’t know and you may have met in the office building in the elevator. Keep your hands to yourself, do not raise the voice - we are people tend to raise our voice when we get nervous, blink instead of staring, do not stare into the dogs eyes, have your side to the dog rather than going directly face-on.
Hope these simple tips will help you to "survive a dangerous encounter in the park" with the dog you do not know!
Dogs read our body language better than any human would do. So the more you learn about the dogs behavioral patterns the more you will see how they interact and it will make your walks in the park are much more pleasant and hopefully you will see a positive side of dogs instead of being in constant fear of them. Feeling threatened or being nervous or anger often cannot be hidden from a dog wit it acute senses.
The dog rolls and show you a belly.."Oh!.This cute puppy wants a belly rub!" ..No..it means actually.."I give up, please stop!" Have you seen like puppies do that often in the presence of other larger adult dogs? Same logic is applicable. Dog is turning away from you when you are trying to pet the dog, dog is asking for a distance ..it is not asking for continued petting!
We hope you liked this post! .. Now it is a time to get a belly rub :)
Long leash as effective means of walking and training.
Leash when properly used can be a very effective option and it is the main tool to control your dog's movements during the walks.
We often have seen people who are "jerking" the leash, pulling strong and abruptly on the leash too tight and so on without realizing that the damage they do to the dog's neck can be irreparable!
In fact the number of options on the market are exist of all different kinds to make you comfortable when you are walking the dog. Have you thought that the leash - it is also should be comfortable for the dog too?
In this review we will consider a so-called track-n-train leash with ultra-greepy webbing produced by EzyDog.
This leash can be use very effectively for long distance training up to 5 meters.
Not all dogs are listening to your command when you walking them and may wonder around making your dog walk difficult.
This leash is not particular suitable for teaching them not to wonder around, it is more suitable to train them to respond correctly to 'Come' command.
And generally to learn to obey your command. It is also very handy when the dog or the puppy is doing jumps over the obstacles and there is a need to
correct the "returning - not -returning behavior".
Also it is a very good option to train a dog or a puppy for the basics of the 'Seat' and 'Stay' commands.
With some effort from your side, yes - not only the dog have to show the willingness to learn, you can effortlessly control the curvature of this learning.
Giving commands and holding the dog gently on the long and loose end of the leash to prevent the dog or a puppy to get away from you as soon as the opportunity presents itself and this is the option which allows also to let the puppy start learning to go out to the longer distances from you and come back to you when you call.
Not to mention the long walks in the parks where dogs required to be on the leash at all the time but the short leash does not allow you to enjoy the walk as well as for the dog's lack of enjoyment due to inability to wonder offside a little bit. After all you on the park walk!
Give it a go and see if it works for you and your dog! And remember the leash has two ends! :)
The product code on our website: TNT101, TNT102
Lurking danger in backyard for puppies
This light is so attractive!
The young puppies can be very inquisitive. Check you backyard for potentially dangerous implements such as low cost plastic solar lights.
The plastic stuff in the backyard can be very attractive as a chewing toy for your young puppy you just brought to your home. Some plastic solar lights for e.g. can be made from the plastic which shatters easy enough to form an acute and sharp parts large and small. See the photo on the Fig 1. to illustrate the point.
Fig 1. This light was not strong enough for puppy's teeth!
Published on by Pet Usuals Team
Interesting facts about cats
Your cat can win a staring competition
Cats can go unblinking for ages, unlike humans cats don't need to blink to keep cat's eyes lubricated
Cats are faster runners then humans
A domestic cat can reach up to 48 km/h. The fastest human on Earth can only run 43 km/h!
Your cat knows how to keep clean
Cats can spend one third of their waking hours grooming themselves.
Cats have a wonderful night vision
Only one-six of the light level that humans need is required for the cat's eyes at night!
Cats have different front and back paws
Most cats have five toes on their front paws and four toes on their back paws.
Cats can dream
Yes, they can see dreams!
Cats love heat
Historically your cats ancestors lived in the desert and your modern cat have a good tolerance for warm temperatures.
Cat like dogs as well usually hiding their illness
It is because in the wild showing any weakness makes them vulnerable to predators.
Cats are good jumpers
A cat can jump up to five times higher of its own height!
Cats do not have collarbones
This allows your puss to squeeze into tiniest of spaces!
Dogs - Flea and Other Parasites
What is a parasite?
A parasite is a plant or animal that lives on or inside another living organism (called a host). A parasite is dependent on its host and obtains a benefit, such as survival, at the host's expense.
Are there different kinds of parasites?
There are two basic types:
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Internal parasites (endoparasites) such as heartworms, hookworms and roundworms live inside the body of a host dog.
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External parasites (ectoparasites) such as fleas, ticks, ear mites and sarcoptic mange mites live on the body of their host dog.
How dangerous are parasites to my dog?
It depends on three things: the type of parasite, the degree of infection or infestation, and your pet's individual reaction. A mild flea infestation may be of no great consequence to some dogs, while others may show hair loss, itching and discomfort. Severe flea infestations can lead to significant skin disease, anaemia or even death, especially in young puppies. Infestations by ear mites can cause inflammation of the outer ear (i.e. 'otitis') that can be further complicated by secondary fungal and bacterial infections characterised by an unpleasant odour and a crusty brown discharge. Sarcoptic Mange Mites can cause severe itchiness, hair loss and discomfort. These mites can also infect humans who come into contact with affected dogs.
Canine heartworms are potentially deadly yet completely preventable parasites. Immature worms are transmitted to dogs during the bite of a host mosquito. Over time, these immature worms migrate and grow inside the dog to eventually become adult heartworms that reside in the large blood vessels of the lungs and the right side of the heart. The eventual effect of their presence, if left untreated, is heart failure.
Dogs with unidentified heartworm disease are usually brought to veterinarians because of general symptoms such as coughing, lethargy, exercise intolerance or a loss of appetite. Heartworm and fleas is much easier to prevent than treat, because preventative treatments like Comfortis, Bravecto, Nexgard, Advantix, Advantage, Heartgard,Drontal, Milbemax, Sentinel are safe when used as directed, effective, economical, easy to administer and non-invasive.
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