Does Your Pup Have A Trick Knee? Limping Or Walking Stiff-Legged? Read Simon's Story To Find Out About Canine Luxating Patella!

If your dog walks like Simon does in the first few seconds of this video,



Then your precious pup may have a condition called trick knee in dogs (canine luxating patella). Simon did. And he was only a year old when the video was taken.

Before you get panicy, your dog may NOT need surgery to correct the condition. Simon did or he was eventually going to be permanently lame or blow out his ACL (anterior cruxiate ligament).

Regardless of whether your dog requires surgery or not, you're gonna want to read Simon's Story.

Why?

So you know what questions to ask your vet.

So you understand if you can postpone or forget about surgery.

If your dog does require surgery, you'll know what to expect pre- and post-surgery.

Recovery is a critical time period. Find out what problems can arise.

Read Simon's Story - you'll be glad you did!

Always Remember (And Never Forget): Stop Puppy Biting Before It Turns Into DOG Biting

Some time ago, when Alvin and Simon were wee pups, I wrote a squidoo lens about correcting puppy biting:
http://www.squidoo.com/puppy-training-problems


The bottom line in this lens - stop and correct puppy biting so that the biting pup does not turn into a biting DOG causing tons of damage to human skin. Then, it's a BIG problem. Little dog teeth hurt; big dog teeth hurt a lot more.

Recently, I read a Kingdom of Pets article about the OUCH command:

Whenever your puppy inflicts any amount of pain, whether you are playing or not, cry out sharply with "Ouch" or something similar. The important thing is NOT to say "No" or anything that makes the puppy think it has done something wrong. They simply need to figure out some boundaries. An "Ouch" command lets them know where to draw the line while not punishing them for bad behavior. After all, you are your puppy’s favorite thing in the world. The last thing they want to do is poke multiple holes in your hand.

Follow the correction by placing one of the dog’s toys in its mouth to redirect the behavior.

Good advice!

It's Tick Season In The Northeast - Is Your Dog Protected?

Just before the recent week of major rain every day, it was clear that tick season was in full swing in the Northeast; well at least along the Connecticut shoreline . . .

** The groomer removed a tick from Simon's belly.

** I removed a tick from Simon's muzzle.

** I found a tick in my hair (I was outside staining the deck)

Okay - they were all large, brown, and visible and we cut them up with scissors (the only way to kill them according to the groomer).

Deer ticks, the ones that cause Lyme Disease, are small. That means we killed common ticks. Unfortunately, because we're in CT, deer ticks carrying Lyme disease are still a threat. Simon and Alvin are protected against ticks year round with Frontline, whick kills ticks within 48 hours (and diables them as soon as they find the animal).

Make sure you protect your dog against ticks (and fleas):

Small Dogs Up To 22 pounds (Alvin)

Medium Dogs From 23 To 44 pounds (Simon)

Large Dogs From 45 To 88 Pounds