Dogs

Spaying or Neutering Your Dog

The only way to be sure your dog doesn't produce unwanted puppies is to get your female dog spayed or your male dog neutered (castrated). Intact male dogs and bitches in heat have an uncanny way of finding [more…]

The Long and the Short of Coat Styles for Your Yorkshire Terrier

Just because many standard photos of Yorkies show the long hair and top knot (tied with a bow) doesn't mean that that's the only acceptable coat style. It's not. In fact, any clean, brushed Yorkie is a [more…]

Dealing with Your Dog's Digestive Dilemmas

Your dog's digestive system is an amazing mechanism that takes in food, grinds it up, and converts it to nutrients that can be absorbed and used by your dog's body. The digestive tract converts food into [more…]

Knowing What an Ideal Yorkshire Terrier Looks Like

The first Yorkshire terriers were brought to the United States in the early 1870s, and they came as parlor dogs — companions to the wealthy families that were so keen on them. Their popularity slowly grew [more…]

Grooming Your Dog's Hair with a Clipping

Before you cut your first dog hair, make sure you treat your dog safely and plan how you're going to clip her. Your dog needs to be clean and have all mats and tangles brushed out of her coat before you [more…]

Making Arrangements for Euthanizing Your Senior Dog

Euthanizing a beloved senior dog is probably the most traumatic experience you'll ever face in your time with her. Because you loved your senior well, you can't avoid the pain that comes with such a loss [more…]

Leaving Your Puppy Home Alone

To be a good neighbor, you need to keep your puppy quiet when you're away from home. No puppy enjoys being left alone — she's sociable by nature. Don't be surprised if she thinks of some activities to [more…]

Dealing with Your Chihuahua's Health Issues

While Chihuahuas have fewer genetic defects than many breeds (maybe because so many breeders try hard to eliminate problems), no breed is perfect. The following sections show you some idiosyncrasies — [more…]

Puppy Training: Stopping Nipping and Mouthing

Mouthing and nipping are two different issues. Mouthing is a lesser infraction; it's more of a communication skill to get you to do a particular thing. Less pressure, less annoying, but still not particularly [more…]

Caring For a Pug's Ears and Wrinkles

Looking at your Pug's short-haired coat, you probably find it hard to imagine that he needs much primping and preening to keep him clean, but even Pugs need some grooming. His ears need to be wiped out [more…]

Handling the Problems of Old Age in Your Dog

One of the more difficult parts of having a canine friend is that you must watch him or her age. As they age, dogs experience many of the same physical and mental changes that humans do. They find it a [more…]

What to Do with Doggy Doo

Americans haven't always been so concerned about cleaning up after their canine companions. Until fairly recently, people let their doggies do their thing, and then left the doo on the streets and sidewalks [more…]

Helping Your Dog Battle Fleas, Ticks, and Worms

Parasites are the ultimate opportunists, living on the skin, in the intestine and just about anywhere they can gain a foothold. Luckily, with the excellent veterinary preventive medicine programs available [more…]

Undoing the Dewclaw

Many puppy buyers are not aware that some breeds, such as the Doberman pinscher, have their dewclaw, an unnecessary toe on the back of the leg that's an evolutionary leftover, removed to give the leg a [more…]

Clipping Your Poodle

Your Poodle needs to be clipped on a regular schedule — whether you do the clipping yourself or pay a professional. Any clips other than the required show-ring clips are [more…]

Understanding a Dog's Sense of Smell

A dog's nose not only dominates her face, but her brain, as well. In fact, a dog relies on her sense of smell to interpret her world, in much the same way as people depend on their sight. Although this [more…]

Identifying Health Problems Common to Jack Russell Terriers

In spite of the efforts of responsible Jack Russell breeders to rid the breed of all genetic problems, some disorders still pop up from time to time. This article shows you discusses some of the more common [more…]

Training a Puppy Not to Jump on You

Training a puppy not to jump on you when you get home requires discipline — from you. First, you need to understand why a puppy jumps. Eye contact is a top method of canine communication. Our eyes are [more…]

Caring for Your Jack Russell Terrier's Coat and Skin

Depending on your Jack Russell Terrier's outside activities, you should only have to bathe him every month or less. Of course, if your terrier is out rolling in the dirt on a daily basis, you may have [more…]

Feeding a Golden Retriever Puppy

Your Golden Retriever puppy has a built-in timer that prompts him to eat on schedule. Give him three meals a day for the first three months and then feed him twice a day for the rest of his life. Most [more…]

Shih Tzu: A Temperament Made for Companionship

One of the Shih Tzu's more endearing qualities is his temperament. Shih Tzu have been bred for generations to be the ultimate companion dog. Here are some of the reasons why those magnetic personality [more…]

Deciding Between a Male and a Female Rottweiler

When it comes to choosing a Rottweiler for a pet, the sex of the dog could make a difference — unlike with other breeds. Although both the male and female Rottweiler are capable of becoming excellent companions [more…]

Looking for the Picture-Perfect Chihuahua

The Chihuahua is a graceful, alert, swift-moving, compact little dog with a saucy expression and terrier-like qualities of temperament.

Manchita (the name of the perfect Chihuahua described throughout this [more…]

Your Puppy's First Veterinary Exam

Your puppy's first trip to the veterinarian is almost as much about educating you as checking out the puppy. Besides your many questions and concerns, you need to bring two things with your puppy to the [more…]

Bringing a New Adult Dog Home

Remember the saying: "You never get a second chance to make a first impression"? The idea works with dogs, too. No matter how happy you are to bring him home, no matter how much you want to make up for [more…]