Do Your Own Dog Checkup

Today's tip is about doing a daily check on your dog. Most of us likely don't do this. We figure, the dog looks healthy, he'll let me know when he's sick or hurt. But this is not always the case with dogs.

You should consider doing daily checks. Doing these can prevent unnecessary visits to the vet, and in the worst case, may save your dog's life.

While I don't make a habit of brushing my dogs' teeth, I do check their teeth often. I personally worked with a dog who, while doing some bite training, broke one of his canine teeth. He never flinched, yelped or anything, to let me know something was wrong. He acted completely the same throughout the day, until I examined his teeth that night.

It was then I noticed not only had he broken a tooth, he had pulled it all the way out. Had I not done my daily check, I could have missed this and he could have got an infection, causing more pain and suffering, as well as again, unnecessary vet bills.

A second example I saw was a dog who likes to play in weeds, and brush. The dog thought this was really a good time. A few days had passed and the handler called me to tell me his dog had a large abscess in his foot, in between his toes.

I told him he would need to take him to a vet. The handler took him to the vet, the dog had to be put under anesthesia, and have the abscess surgically opened and the foreign object removed. It was simply a "fox-tail" of a sharp weed, which got in between the toes, embedded in the skin, and because no check was done, became infected. That's a few hundred dollar visit and all the handler would have had to do was a daily check.

So, moral of the story: take five minutes and inspect your dog. Everyday, and/or every time there is activity outside the home. You start and the head, and work your way to the rear. Just smoothly run the hands along all parts of their bodies, checking for lumps, scratches, lacerations, bugs, ETC. Then open their mouth, look at their tongue and teeth. Make sure their gums are pink.

Open their ears, and check for any foul odor. Foul odor usually means infection. Look at their eyes. They should be clear and free of discharge.

Check each individual paw, and inbetween their toes for any foreign objects. Check the tail and legs.

Then last but not least, check their genital area, especially in males. You don't want any large pockets of water, or open sores or anything of that nature.

Once you've done this a number of times, you'll get to know your dog and you'll recognize the second something doesn't feel right or doesn't look right. This is a good way to keep your dog happy and healthy.

Thanks

Maligator Kennels

Should I Spay or Neuter My Dog?

Should I spay or neuter my dog? I'm putting this out there just an information resource. I do not mean to offend anyone on either side of this argument, or if you have or have not neutered or spayed your animal.

First off, if you decide, for whatever reason to spay of neuter your dog, understand you shouldn't do it it right away. If it's a must, wait until they are 2, when they have fully matured. Females, should NOT be spayed right away, but rather let them run a few heat cycles first, to get their hormones balanced. So again, I would wait until they are 2.

Some common myths about neutering or spaying are the following: it fixes mounting, wandering, unwanted puppies, aggression and marking behaviors.

 I will give you this, that it fixes unwanted puppies, but there's a much safer and less invasive way and it's called a fence. 

It doesn't fix mounting all the time, because mounting a dog can be a show of dominance.

It will only fix aggression issues if the aggression issues your dogs having are related to their sex drive. 

Male dogs and female dogs will still mark their territory, spayed or neutered. Really the only time in my personal opinion, that's all this, you should spay or neuter your dog is if you don't want their genetics passed on, or you're preventing a disease your particular dog has in their prostate.

I'm a firm believer in letting the dogs bodies function as they were designed to function, and not to mess with any of their equipment. Having said that, I do understand why people spay and neuter; for some of the reasons above, or because they like the comfort of knowing their dog can't reproduce.

But, consider if you decide to spay or neuter, you may not be fixing any of your unwanted problems, and you may be causing some health problems. Again, having said that, I do agree some dogs' problems have been fixed through this process, again, for some of the reasons listed above.

Comment if you have any questions or comments.

Thanks

Maligator Kennels.

Mya

This week, we took in Mya, a 10 week old boxer who was out of control. We boarded and trained her for 5 days.

Last night we took Mya home to her family. When she saw her owners, she was so happy, she let out a yelping whine and ran to them. It was a precious sight.

Kenna, my intern, and I sat down with the family and talked about her training and her progress. While speaking to the family, Mya showed how good her behavior had become by not once biting anyone or jumping on people, but rather laying down and socializing properly.

Mya's family was so impressed with her work and her progress.

The credit belongs to Kenna. She was dedicated and did wonderful work with this dog. Wonderful enough, that me, crusty ol me, brooding with testosterone, and "I'm a man and can't cry syndrome" that I gave her a thank you and good job, personally. Within ear shot of other people, guys. This is unprecedented. That's how well she did with Mya.

I have such a great time seeing dogs make progress but also seeing my interns do so so well.

Kenna did a great job with this dog and we couldn't me more proud of both her and Mya.

-Russ

Is My Dog Too Hot?

What are the signs your dog is too hot, and isn't dissipating their heat fast enough?

It's coming on summer, and the weather is getting warm. Soon we will be seeing, 70, 80, 90 up to 100 degree days. That's hot. Now imagine you're wearing a fur coat, with long, or short hair. Who cares right? That'd be hot.

To add even further problems to the mix, there's only two ways you can get rid of the heat your body has accumulated. One is through your mouth, the next is through your hands and feet. But, your hands and feet are on hot surfaces, like warm mountain sides, or sidewalks or asphalt.

You're going to get hot fast, stay hot longer, and cool down slower, and that can make things miserable, and life threatening if you don't get it taken care of.

Couple of tips for you on how to recognize overexertion and quick ways to cool down the dog at a safe pace.

First look at the dog's tongue. A tongue that's out, straight through their bottom K9s is good. They are getting rid of their heat. A tongue that's out, hanging to the side if their mouth, and sometimes curled, they are over exerted, and aren't getting rid of heat fast enough.

It's time to cool them down by giving them a little water, and if possible, getting their pads on a cool surface.

If you get passed this point, and your dog begins to lay down on its side, and doesn't really move, it's emergency time. Get them cool NOW. Shade, water, ice packs, something. This is not to be confused with your dog simply finding a place to rest.

Keep an eye on your dogs. It's important they get exercise, but don't push them passed their ability to get rid of the heat they have generated.

Make it a fun summer.

Maligator Kennels

Best Dog Brush

What type of dog brush should you buy? There are a ton of choices out there. We at Maligator Kennels recommend with 5 stars the Furminator. Whether your dog has long hair, short, medium, bows, bells or whatever: the Furminator is your brush.

These are not cheap brushes, but they are well worth it. It is wise to comb and brush your dog once a week or so. This gets rid of dead hair, plus stimulates their skin which produces the natural oils which helps keep their hair and skin healthy .

Thanks guys,

Maligator Kennels

What to Do When Your Dog is Whining

Dog tip : never ever ever ever ever respond to a dog whining by giving your dog comfort or help. EVER. When a dog is whimpering or yelping out of pain, that's ok to respond to their cry for help.

But never, ever respond to whining. You will create a whining monster who will drive you bald.

Thanks,

-Maligator Kennels

Water and Your Dog

How much water should your dog be drinking? What water is safe?

A few tips. I'm a huge proponent of letting your dog free drink, which means leaving water out for them all day, and letting them drink as they need. Having said that, you should still monitor how much water your dog consumes.

A good rule to go by is 1/2 to 1 ounce per pound is about the average. That's not an exact science, but a good number to keep in your head.

Too little water can lead to the obvious; kidney stones, dehydration, etc. To much water can be a serious medical problem in the kidneys and should be looked at by your vet. Plus it can lead to other problems such as stomach bloat, and other kidney problems.

Now. Dogs will be dogs. They are going to drink a little more or a little less, and they are ok. But if your dog is drinking 5 gallons of water in a day, they need to be checked out.

So what's safe for your dog? Toilet water? Bath water? Lake, stream, river, pond water? Your dog is pretty safe drinking most water. However, do not, I repeat, DO not let them drink am standing water.

Water in the toilet is standing water, but it's recycled regularly. Pond water, you should probably never let your dog drink. Standing water can carry bacteria and can give your dog Giardia. This will make your dog very very sick, and a vet visit will be required to get your pup better.

Giardia is a single-celled parasite that lives in your dog’s intestine. It infects older dogs but more frequently infects puppies. Dogs become infected when they swallow Giardia that may be present in water or other substances that have been soiled with feces.

Many dogs infected with Giardia do not get any disease. Giardiasis, the disease caused by Giardia infection, usually results in diarrhea. Having giardiasis for a long time can cause weight loss; poor condition; and even death.

So let your dog have fun, drink and be merry. But, keep your dog out of places where the water might not be the best. Hope this was a useful read.

Thanks,

-Maligator Kennels

Make the Paycheck Worth It

Daily training tip:

Remember one thing when training your dog. Lets say you've taught a dog a certain task, you know he/she knows it, but they just won't do it. Like sitting, staying, downing, heeling, recalling, etc.

What might be the reason????

Remember this. Even if a dog knows the task. Knows what they have been told to do. They will not do it, without motivation. Your dog has to be motivated to do it, in other words. Such as, " if I sit, I get my toy " or if I lay down, I get my treat."

Keep in mind. The reward or "paycheck" as I like to call it, has to be worth the work. The paycheck needs to last longer, and be more excitable than the work you've asked them to do.

Remember, you're not going to work your tail off for 4 bucks an hour. But you would for 40 bucks an hour. Make the paycheck worth it.

-Maligator Kennels

Rio

Meet Rio, our newest addition to our kennel.