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Reasons We Love To Dress Up Our Dogs

by Trish



Something that was once reserved for cold wintery days and perhaps Christmas-time is now a huge trend seen around the world every day – dressing up your pets.


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Whether it’s a reindeer, a fairy or Katy Perry, there is bound to be a variety of obscene outfits out there for your pooch.

Dogs already come with their own fur coats, so why do we feel the need to dress them up in all sorts of get-ups?

Weather

Winter coats for dogs are completely necessary when the temperatures outside drops extremely low. Although dogs have a layer of fat that adds insulation that is usually sufficient, sometimes they may need that extra bit of help. Each dog’s coat will vary depending on their breed, and it will shed or develop throughout the year.

Dogs that live in sub-zero temperatures, like sledge dogs and huskies, can deal with cold weather because their paws and coats have evolved to deal with it. However, the standard domestic dog cannot withstand very low temperatures, which is why there are coats and jumpers designed to help them.

There’s such a variety out there, including waterproof, knitted, down-filled jackets and actual raincoats.

However, it seems that the functional has now been replaced with the fashionable and the downright comedic at times.

Fashion

Since Paris Hilton was seen carrying her Chihuahua in her tote handbag, small dogs have been one of the must-have fashion accessories. And when the dressing up trend exploded, small dogs were the first ones to get put on the canine catwalk.

Dressing your pooch up in tiaras and jewels, as a cupcake or a cheerleader and having them by your side is the latest in haute couture and the cutest accessory that you’ll love forever.

Comedy

Initially, the odd Santa Claus outfit at Christmas was as funny as it got in terms of doggy dress-up. However, as the trend became more popular, the outfits got funnier and wackier.

You can now dress your dog up as a hamburger, an oompa loompa or a leprechaun to take along to your next fancy dress party with you – and let’s face it, they’ll probably outshine you and be the hit of the party.

Most dog costumes are made ensuring that the dog’s comfort is paramount. However, if you do sense that your dog is uncomfortable in any way, then do take it off them as you do not want an unhappy hound!

Becky loves dressing up her Chihuahua in cute costumes – she also spoils her with luxury dog beds from www.thestylishdogcompany.com

photo by:

Filed Under: Featured, Pets Tagged With: Comedy, dog costumes, doggy dress-up, dogs, dress up, fashion accessories

Pros And Cons Of Invisible Dog Fences

by Trish

Pet owners use invisible fences as a way to keep their dogs safe. It is especially welcomed by pet owners who might not have the special permits required to erect physical fences in their backyards. If you’re thinking about installing an invisible or electronic fence, you’ll naturally want to learn about the pros and cons. Only then you can completely decide if it is a good solution for you. The pros and cons of invisible fences are described below.

Pro of Wireless Dog Fences

  1. Wireless dog fences are much cheaper that their more traditional counterparts. They are also easier to maintain as you won’t need to patch holes or fill up dirt that your dog dug up in a bid to escape.
  2. You won’t have to deal with complaints from neighbors about an unsightly fence. The fence is buried underground or wireless so there will be no unsightly structures in your backyard.
  3. You can easily adjust the areas where you want your dog to wander. It’s simple to reduce or add more wire for in-ground structures and it is even easier with wireless systems using the controller.
  4. A switch on the dog’s collar can be used to adjust the voltage applied when the dog crosses the boundary. This is essential if your dog is getting pain or burns from the system.

Cons of Invisible Dog Fences

  1. It’s true that some dogs will not respond well to this type of training to keep them within a defined boundary, so discontinue use of the fence if your dog is not responding.
  2. Some dogs are intelligent enough to find their way around a wireless fence. For instance, large dogs might do vertical jumps over the upper limits of the fence and won’t receive shocks outside this region.
  3. The wireless fence will keep your dog within a confined area, but it will not keep other animals outs. This is something to take note off if you live in an area where there is threat of wolves, coyotes, raccoons and other intruders. It also will not stop someone looking to steal your dog.
  4. Rats can dig up and chew on the wires and reduce the barrier. When this happens it might be difficult to locate the area where the damage has been done.
  5. Some dogs could be reckless and charge outside the boundary when there are other pets in the area. After the excitement abates the dog, remembering the shock, might not want to go back into the confined area.
  6. The final disadvantage comes in the form of neighbors and other passersby. If you have a particularly ferocious dog, they might be wary or fearful of the dog that is seemingly free to roam wherever he wants. To combat this you can install a sign to indicate that the dog is confined within an invisible fence.

About Author

Crystal is a passionate blogger who loves to write on various lifestyle topics. Recently she got a electronic dog fence from flexpetz.com for her pet dog that had a habit of running away into the neighbors.

Filed Under: Pets Tagged With: backyard, boundary, cons, dogs, invisible dog fences, jump, permits, pets, Pros, shocks, system, wanders, wild animals, wireless dog fence

Time to relax

by The Diva

I’m trying to relax this weekend. This past week was fairly busy. I’ve been working to get my house in order – cleaning and sorting things out, getting taxes done and on top of that I’ve also been busy trying to get my old job back. I had appointments with my family doctor and the Occupational health doctor at my workplace this past week and it looks like in a couple of weeks I may very well be working in the Emergency Ward again. Yeah!

I also saw an old friend for a little while this week too. Man his place was a mess! I guess he’s become a bit of weight lifter or something in his spare time. There was exercise equipment in one corner, magazines and xenadrine ripped reviews. He looked good though so I guess it’s working for him. He has the absolute cutest little dog. I have to get my dog and his dog to meet. I’m sure they’ll get along famously!

Ok … as I said … time to relax, that’s what the weekend is for after all isn’t it? And if I’m going to be going back to work again sometime soon I’m not going to have that many weekends left anymore because I’ll be working at least every second weekend.

Filed Under: Health and Fitness, Home and family, Items to Try, Pets Tagged With: appointment, back to work, cleaning, cute, doctors, dogs, friend, Health, house, job, no weekends, nurse, relax, sorting, spare time, taxes, weekend, work weekends

Canine Training Tips

by The Diva

Learning about dog training is the first step you take prior to actually training your dog. There are plenty of sources you can go to, but at times it just results in information overload.

Dog training isn’t really all that hard. An important thing to recall is that most dogs just want to make their owner happy. The issue is communication. Obviously there is a language barrier, and you need to get your pet to figure out what you want.

Canine training can be summed up with just a few tips. Lets take a look at some of the methods that I have used in order to train my dog, making both he and I happier.

Try to avoid the negatives that often come with training. Hitting or striking your dog, either by hand or with an object will only teach the dog to fear you. A stern verbal NO, is OK, but do not go any further physically, or you risk alienating your dog. Focusing on praise and rewards when your dog acts as he should is the better way to go.

Praising your dog will reinforce the correct behavior. Loving or petting your dog for acting positive behaviors is of course nice, but experience has shown better results happen when food treats are distributed at the time the behaviors observed. When you really think about it, food motivates humans, so to it works with our four legged friends.

Body movement can also influence your pet’s behavior. Many canines can actually can actually sense and read your body language before any verbal communication is given. A technique that works well in doing this is to match a verbal command with a particular movement of either the hand, arm, or even leg.

Refusing to give up is the final key to successful dog training. Sure at times it is frustrating. It would certainly be easier to give up, go sit on the couch and watch your Direct TV, but you need to be consistent in your training. Nobodys dog is going to train himself, and training always takes longer than you would like. It is so important to keep this in mind when things are difficult with your dog. Things won’t always fall into place, so don’t give up at the first sign of trouble.

Training your dog can be both a challenging and rewarding experience. Keeping these brief tips in mind will help you keep on track in your natural dog training efforts.

Filed Under: Pets Tagged With: animal training, canine, canine training, dog training, dogs, natural dog training, visual signals

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