How to Stop Your Dog Digging up the Flower Beds

Posted by Clare Bristow | Leave a Comment

dog-digging Digging comes naturally to every dog, and some dog breeds excel at it - Terriers are renowned diggers and Schnauzers are pretty good at it too.

What I've found is that you can't stop a natural behavior, and you are setting yourself up for failure and a great deal of frustration if you try.

If your dog is digging up the flowers, the best thing you can do is redirect his digging somewhere else - to his very own [tag]digging pit[/tag].

A good sized digging pit is 6 feet by 3 feet and up to 2 feet deep; you can make it smaller if you are short of space.

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Keywords: Behavior Dog Training, digging pit, dog behavior problem, dog digging problem, dog digging up the flowers

Filed Under Behavior Dog Training, Blog

Puppy Supplies - The Basics You Need to Buy

Posted by Clare Bristow | 8 Comments

I still get embarrassed when I think back to how much stuff I bought for Zoe before I picked her up from the breeder.

It's so easy to get carried away in the pet store, but in reality you need very little - all our family dogs survived perfectly well on not very much!

Here is my list of what a new puppy needs:

A Bed - dogs do like the security of their own bed - somewhere they can go to and know they won't be disturbed.

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Keywords: crate train your puppy, dog bed, dog bowls, dog crate, Getting Ready for Your New Puppy, Kong, puppy supplies, what new puppy needs

Filed Under Getting Ready for Your New Puppy, Blog

How to Treat a Puppy With Fleas

Posted by Clare Bristow | Leave a Comment

puppy-with-fleas It's not unusual if your puppy gets fleas - if he does you will want to deal with them as soon as possible. If left untreated a flea infestation can cause anemia, as the blood is literally drained from your puppy by the fleas, and your puppy's health can deteriorate very quickly as a result.

One of the best ways to remove the fleas is to use a flea comb and comb them out. Stand your puppy on a towel so you catch the fleas that fall out - these should then be dropped into warm soapy water to kill them.

Another way to remove the fleas would be to pick them out with your fingers - maybe not such a pleasant task, but still effective. Again, dispose of the fleas in warm soapy water.

A third way to control fleas is to give your puppy a bath in slightly warm water and use an anti-bacterial dish detergent. Be careful not to get any soap in his eyes or ears, and I'd pick out any fleas on the head and neck area.

Not only are these three flea treatments cheap, they are also great ways for you to bond with your puppy and get him used to being handled - there has to be a positive outcome from getting fleas!

I'd caution against the use of over the counter flea products for dealing with dog fleas - many of these contain pesticides that can do long term damage to your dog's nervous system.

With a small puppy I'd suggest the methods I outlined above for flea control or discuss with your vet using topical products such as Frontline, Advantage and Revolution - these do contain insecticides but are designed to have fewer toxic effects on your dog.

As well as treating your puppy, you will need to make sure your house is free from fleas. Only 10% of the flea problem is on your dog, the other 90% lives in your carpet, on your furniture, in the yard etc - click here to read about dog fleas and how to how to control them.

Keywords: dog flea, dog flea control, dog flea treatment, how to get rid of flea on my dog

Filed Under Parasites - Fleas and Ticks, Blog