Four Tips To Avoid Behavior Problems With A New Puppy

I don't know about your dogs, but Alvin and Simon are sorta well-behaved - when they choose to be. And sometimes they behave badly, like this morning when they tried to dig a hole for the foundation of their new dog house and came in covered in mud.

But they can behave well - I asked them to pose for the picture below, and they actually sat still for a few minutes. Miracles abound!


According to Dr. Becker, the holistic vet, you can avoid puppy behavior problems by following the following tips (additional references are below each section):

Bring your puppy to the vet as soon as possible for an examination. A sick pup won’t adjust well to his new environment, even if the illness is minor. It’s also hard to gauge a new dog’s real temperament and personality if he’s feeling under the weather.

Crate train your puppy. It’s much easier to housebreak and supervise a crate-trained puppy. Dogs are natural den dwellers, so if you make all your new pet’s crate experiences positive ones, he’ll quickly come to view it as his ‘bedroom’ – his own quiet, safe space. References: http://www.squidoo.com/dog-and-puppy-crate-training-tips and http://www.squidoo.com/More-Crate-Training-Tips

Make sure your new puppy gets plenty of rest and quiet time in her crate or another enclosed, safe area of your home. Puppies are babies and require lots of sleep. In addition, your new pup needs to learn to be alone and not to expect constant attention from human family members. Reference is http://www.squidoo.com/puppy-house-training-schedule

Socialize and train your puppy. In order to create a balanced, well-behaved adult dog, puppy owners must be extremely conscientious about socialization and training. There is nothing more important in raising a healthy, well-adjusted dog than insuring she is thoroughly socialized and receives basic obedience training, at a minimum. Reference is ezinearticles: http://ezinearticles.com/?Puppy-Socials---Are-They-Necessary-Or-a-Passing-Trend?&id=3020622

Also refer to http://www.squidoo.com/solving-puppy-training-problems

Canine Luxating Patella (Trick Knee) Surgery And Recovery - Simon's Story

So your pet has been diagnosed with luxating patella or trick knee or floating kneecap. His kneecap keeps sliding out of its bony groove. Your thoughts are likely as follows:

Is he going to be lame for the rest of his life?

Is surgery necessary?

What happens if your dog doesn't get surgery?

Suppose I elect surgery - how long is the recovery period?

What if the repair doesn't work?

And then there's the financial aspect (sad, but true). Can you afford thousands of dollars in vet and animal hospital bills?

Want to get the answers?

You can surf the net for a few hours and get some of these questions answered.

Or you can read Simon's Story - from the time he was diagnosed with luxating patella in dogs to the end of his recovery period.

Once you finish Simon's Story, you'll know if you should pursue the non surgical route, what questions to ask your vet, and how to make sure your pet has a successful recovery.

Here's excerpts from Simon's Story - Click the pic and check it out!

What To Do When Your Dog Has Diarrhea - The Boyz Get Real Sick!

By this time, I'm used to Alvin's infrequent bouts of vomiting, but this time Alvin vomited AND had very loose stools. Two days later - Simon left puddles of vomit and diarrhea when I left them home for a whole 1 1/2 hours.

What do you do when your dog has diarrhea and/or vomiting? If it persits for more than a day, the dog has a good chance of getting dehydrated. Since that can lead to more severe medical issues, you need to bring him to a vet.

In Alvin's case, the vet checked him for dehydration, gave him a shot to stop the vomiting, and presecribed a special dog food.

He recovered in about 2 days. In the meantime, Simon started with a much more severe case of vomiting and diarrhea.

Another trip to the vet - same treatment with the addition of bloodwork, an antibiotic shot, and an entire day of fasting! Simon fasting? Okay, so he's a little overweight. But Simon not eating is a very unhappy canine. As I write this he is moaning because he had a few spoonfuls of the special dog food and thinks my lunch belongs to him. What a sad face!

Today, Alvin is fully recovered and Simon is on the road to recovery. The blood work showed no pancreatitis (a very good thing)!