Posts tagged "puppies"

By Dr. Marty Becker, via Vetstreet

Q. My daughter wants a puppy, but we've looked at the shelter a couple times and most of the dogs are full-grown. I don't want to deal with someone else's problem dog. I want to raise mine right. Is it time to buy a puppy?

A. If you're committed to the idea of a puppy, think carefully about where you buy him. I don't recommend buying from websites and pets stores, because those puppies often come from substandard breeders known as "puppy mills." Getting a puppy from a reputable breeder, however, who provides certification of genetic testing and raises litters inside the home with proper socialization is an option worth considering.

SEE ALSO: 8 Best Super Bowl Ads Featuring Animals

But honestly, I'd rather you wait for a shelter pup--or better still, I'd like you to realize how unfair you're being about an adult dog. The idea that an adult dog is somehow "damaged goods" as an adoption prospect is strangely pervasive, especially among people for whom an older dog would be perfect: novices with neither the time nor the experience to raise a puppy properly.

Last year, I adopted my beloved Gracie, a Labrador–Pit Bull mix no one else wanted. She's an absolutely wonderful dog, and I'm nuts about her!

Healthy older dogs have years of loving left, and they deserve a chance. An older dog can slide easily into your life and will bond with your family just as surely as the dog you take home as a puppy. Mature dogs of five years and older are also good candidates for adoption because you avoid the extended adolescence common in many breeds. And older dogs are everywhere, available from private homes, rescue groups and shelters. If you're interested in a purebred and are willing to take an adult dog, a rescue group specializing in your breed can be the deal of the century - these volunteer organizations may offer older dogs for lower adoption fees because they're harder to place.

SEE ALSO: Pet Adoption – What You Can Expect

An older dog can be a marvelous find, but you still have to be selective. While expecting to work on some things as your new dog gets used to you is reasonable, you do want to avoid those animals who have too many problems, especially if one of them is aggression. I highly recommend that you find a shelter or rescue group that evaluates their dogs and provides them with basic training. I also recommend signing up your new dog for a training class to help work through the rough patches.

Bulldogs aren't the most active breed there is. They're not sporting dogs, and you won't need a huge backyard for a bulldog to run and play in. They make great apartment pets because they love loafing around just like you do.

Maybe that's why it seems like bulldogs take just a little bit longer to figure out this whole walking thing. It sure is cute to watch them try. Don't give up, little guy.

Squeak!

What is this puppy dreaming about?

(a) The puppy is dreaming of a world where there's a puppy for every boy or girl, and a loving boy or girl for every puppy. In this world, boys and girls never go to school; the children stay home and play with their puppies all day long, and never get tired or watch TV or play video games.

(b) The puppy is dreaming of place where there's no pavement; there's only grass to play on in every direction as far as the eye can see, and it's always freshly cut. Also, there are no leash laws, because all puppies behave themselves and never poop where they're not supposed to, and nobody ever yells at them for pooping in the wrong place.

(c) The puppy is dreaming that it's her birthday. She wakes up and runs to her owner. "Happy birthday, girl!" says her owner, and he wrestles with her and scratches her belly for a whole hour. Then the puppy's owner says, "Come on; let's go for a car ride!" They drive for two hours and the puppy gets to stick her head out of the passenger-side window the entire time. Then they pull up in front of a factory that only makes rawhide bones and tennis balls. "I just bought this place," says the puppy's owner. "It's for you!"

(d) The puppy is dreaming that dream about showing up to obedience school naked again.

During the holiday season, some families choose to bring a new pet into the household before the New Year begins. And as with all four-legged friends, these furry additions need lots of attention, lots of love - and lots of pet gear.

For new puppy owners, the amount of products necessary to keep that wriggling ball of fur happy might seem overwhelming at first. To help first-time pet parents navigate the store aisles, our friends at Zootoo rounded up some of their favorite products for new puppies.

Featuring soft but sturdy rubber and a special size for smaller pooches, the Puppy Flyer from Kong introduces your dog to the classic game of fetch without overwhelming him. The easy-to-grasp material is formulated with puppies in mind, but is durable enough to keep this interactive toy intact throughout your canine's early years.


A no-fuss way to care for your young dog's skin and coat, My FURst Waterless Puppy Shampoo from FURminator uses natural components such as chamomile, papaya leaf, and aloe vera to help prevent irritation while keeping your puppy smelling and looking as clean as he is cute. And the waterless formula also cuts down on grooming messes.


A sturdy, well-designed feeder, the 3-Piece Bowl Set for Dogs from Martha Stewart Pets combines a non-skid plastic base, stainless steel bowl, and small rubber lid to keep your puppy's chow and water from ending up all over the floor during mealtime. And the set is durable and dishwasher-safe, making cleanup a snap.


Start your puppy's diet off right with Natural Choice Slices in Gravy Puppy Food from Nutro. This single-serving offering combines vegetables such as peas and carrots with vitamin supplements that are ideal for growing canines. And our tester puppy found the meaty beef and chicken flavors irresistible.


Informative and knowledgeable, Puppies for Dummies, 2nd Edition by Sarah Hodgson is a comprehensive reference book covering just about every topic related to puppies - from selecting a puppy to bringing your four-legged family member home. And the book's behavior and training tips are particularly useful for first-time dog owners.

The title of this video on YouTube is "Puppies Go Into Attack Mode." That's fairly tongue-in-cheek, of course. These puppies aren't really attacking, unless you can attack something with kisses. But we'll tell you this: if this really was an attack, it's exactly how we want to die.

You already know that giving someone a puppy as a gift is a terrible idea. Yet what about lots of puppies? OK, still a terrible idea. But, but, but--couldn't we just... borrow them? Just for one day?

Puppies aren't puppies for very long before they grow into full-grown dogs. That's why it's such a bummer to see one stuck in a cast. That's too many of those precious, fleeting puppy weeks to spend temporarily disabled. But boys will be boys, girls will be girls, and puppies will be puppies. We're sure this little pooch earned his owwie doing something he loves to do, and we're equally sure he'll be right back to it as soon as he's mended, just hopefully a little wiser and more cautious.

[via Reddit]

" Hey!
Hey!
Hey!
Hi!
Hi, I'm the dog!
I'm your dog!
I'm the family dog!
Hey, it's really nice to meet you! Do you wanna play?
Hey, do you wanna play with me?
Let's play!
Here's my ball! Hey, here's my ball! Here, take my ball!
Throw the ball!
Hey, throw the ball!
Hey, throw my ball!
Hey!
Hey!
OK, I'll wait a while until your brain starts making memories and your physical coordination kicks in and then you and me are gonna be best friends!
Hey, you and me are gonna be best friends forever!
I love you!"

Fostering dogs is a wonderful way for animal lovers to enjoy a furry companion even if they can't provide long-term, permanent pet care. Of course, anyone with a heart will become attached to a pooch even during a temporary stay, so it can be hard to say goodbye when the time comes.

When a Redditor adopted a puppy recently, they brought it home to find this incredibly sweet note hidden among its papers, obviously written by the child of the puppy's foster family. While the little boy or girl who wrote the note must be sad to have given up Garrison, we hope they understand the immeasurable good they did in helping the puppy find a loving home.

Now who's cutting those onions?

With so many puppy videos and so little time, we've gone the extra mile and begun cataloging some of the finest YouTube offerings, separating each collection by breed in a feature called Puppy Party!

Today's round-up features the terrific tamaskan.

It's summer, you guys. True, we're three weeks away from the actual summer solstice, but everyone knows the "official" starting day of the season doesn't mean anything. Like anyone's going to wait until the end of June to start having summer fun. Memorial Day has passed, and that means it's time to put on your shorts and flip-flops and head down to the beach or pool to get tan and maybe have a swim. Or if you're more the draw-the-shades-and-hide-from-skin-cancer type, it's time to crank up the air conditioner and hunker down for a few months. But that doesn't mean you can't still go for a swim... in your mind!

This cute puppy has the right idea. He might be afraid to risk catching melanoma from the harmful rays of the sun, but he still has enough imagination to enjoy a long, relaxing doggy paddle in a fantasy ocean or lake. To be honest, we're not sure what it is in this dog's brain that equates lapping waves with the frigid breeze of an air conditioner's fan, but who are we to question the mind-bending power of anybody's imagination? Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...

We were just thinking recently that we were pretty sick of the whole time-lapse-aging-video meme. A bunch of self-involved people vain enough to take their own portrait every day for five years, seven years, 10 years--then showing all the photos in rapid succession on a YouTube video with some faux-dramatic musical bed. It was clever and even fascinating the first time, but that was several years ago at this point. Enough is enough!

Of course, as soon as we saw this video of a puppy age over the course of his first year of life, we backpedaled fast enough to reverse time. We literally traveled back in time to when we said "enough is enough," and then we didn't say it. Because we haven't had enough of this. Everyone needs to do this. We want this kind of document for every breed of puppy and every color of kitten. Don't let us down, Paw Nation readers. Start snappin'!

With so many puppy videos and so little time, we've gone the extra mile and begun cataloging some of the finest YouTube offerings, separating each collection by breed in a feature called Puppy Party!

Today's round-up features the terrific toy fox terrier!












What's cuter than two toy fox terrier puppies playing at tug of war?

Hookworms are a common intestinal parasite that afflict household dogs. As part of a Paw Nation series providing background about the medical problems your pet may suffer, we spoke to Dr. Jonathan Murray, owner of Parker Veterinary Hospital in Charlotte, N.C., to get some insights about the condition.

What are the signs that my dog has hookworms?
The hookworm is a small worm (1/4 to 1/2-inch long) that lives in the intestine of the dog. Given its size, it cannot usually be seen in the feces. Your veterinarian can analyze the feces to determine if the worms are present. The signs of hookworms depend on the worm burden and the dog's age. Dogs with only a few hookworms may show no signs at all. In cases of severe infection, signs may include lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea with or without blood, weight loss, dehydration and pale gums.

With so many puppy videos and so little time, we've gone the extra mile and begun cataloging some of the finest YouTube offerings, separating each collection by breed in a feature called Puppy Party!

Today's video roundup features the cuddly cockapoo!