Dog Badge

June 29th, 2010 by admin

The French Bulldog, no matter how odd it may seem to some people, has been the choice for many celebrities. Their stocky and muscular, yet diminutive frame has been seen strolling with high profile people not only because of their peculiar looks, yet also because of their demeanor. Martha Stewart, Reese Witherspoon, musician Brandon Boyd, and Nat and Alex Wolff, are just some of the celebrities which own a French bulldog.

Many have attested to their being the perfect pet, but to maintain their good looks and to ensure their health, you have to know how to properly groom your French bulldog. Don’t worry, with their small bodies, French bulldogs won’t need much of your time for grooming. In fact, you only have to give them full grooming every two months or so. But, you still have to see to it that they are kept clean all the time.

Prepare the things you need first before getting your French bulldog, this will ensure that once you get started, you will be able to continue without having to keep on standing up to look for the things you need. Basically, what you will need is a tub filled with warm water, not hot, but about room temperature, cold water may shock the dog. You will also need some scissors, special dog shampoo and conditioner, a dog brush and a rubber brush, some baby wipes, and a towel.

Before bathing, decide whether you want to keep the whiskers on your French bulldog. Some owners prefer it off, while some likes it on, it’s your preference. Then, using the baby wipes, clean out the folds on the face of your dog. The folds may contain some grime and dirt. You can then bathe your pet with the dog shampoo. You may use a rubber brush while bathing the dog, this will help spread the shampoo and also remove dead hair from the body.

After bathing, dry the dog with a towel rubbing vigorously yet gently. The continuous rubbing will also help in removing more dead hair. This is not only healthy for your dog, but also, it will help keep shedding minimal, this means you won’t get much dog hair on your furniture. Its not necessary to use a dryer at this stage. A dog brush will then be used after the towel to smoothen and flatten the coat of your French bulldog.

To help absorb the moisture left after the bath, apply some baby powder on the facial folds of your dog. This will eliminate infections and itchiness plus odor. Then check the hair on your dog’s ears, excess hair can be trimmed to get a clean and even edge. To make the coat of your French bulldog even shinier, a coat conditioner can be applied. With a brush, you can spread a small amount all over its body and flatten the hair at the same time.

Now you have a French bulldog ready for the silver screen!

June 22nd, 2010 by admin

Teaching a dog search and rescue skills can be incredibly rewarding. Even for owners who don’t plan on getting their dog into this field as a career should still at least consider helping their dog to learn these skills. Whatever the case may be, there are important search and rescue dog training techniques that need to be included. The first step is to work on your dog’s personality and make sure they have all the basic characteristics that make a good search and rescue dog.

The first step is to work on your dog’s personality. Large breed dogs are always best for search and rescue, because of course a Chihuahua is not going to be exactly helpful when you’re trying to find someone and have them rescued. There are a few different search and rescue skills that a dog can learn. Or you could choose to have them work on all areas of search and rescue.

To become an air scent dog dogs must learn how to track people down just by sniffing the air. These dogs search for people hidden and trapped under piles of snow as a result of an avalanche. One of the best search and rescue dog training techniques is to hold the dog on a leash and have someone else walk ahead of the dog by a few feet holding a treat or toy. The best search and rescue dog training technique to get a dog started with these skills is to hold them a few feet away from another person who is holding a toy or treat.

Make sure that the dog’s not struggling or trying to force their way out of your grip and towards the object. This can be especially challenging when you’re using treats because at first most dogs are going to chow it down before you can stop them. This teaches the dog to retrieve and not just attack without getting a command. This technique can certainly take a bit of time to work on but with practice the dog will learn to understand.

You can also make it a bit more challenging and bury the object under a pile of grass or snow and see how long it takes the dog to retrieve it. This is someone who has experience training dogs and who will get you the results you want for a price. Especially if you plan on getting the dog into this field professionally, their skills need to be concrete. Whether you hire a trainer or take the task on yourself, search and rescue dog training is an incredible skill to teach to your dog.

June 14th, 2010 by admin

The French Bulldog is considered to be one of the most likeable and enjoyable of the bulldog breeds. Although there are not as numerous as other bulldogs, many people today have shown their interest in this small and stocky breed. And like any other dogs, the French Bulldogs have been known to be susceptible to various health conditions. A good number of these conditions are related to the way their body is structured, so these conditions are just particular to the French Bulldog.

Although the Frenchie is regarded as one of the healthiest in the bulldog lineup, there are several congenital diseases which this canine is susceptible to. Here are some of them.

• Von Willebrand’s Disease – Much like to hemophilia to humans, this disease is also a bleeding disorder that French Bulldog’s suffer from. This condition prevents the blood from clotting which can result to many complications. In connection to this problem is the development of a thyroid condition. Breeders and vets have developed a program that tests French Bulldog at an early age to determine if the pup is afflicted with this health concern.

• Brachycephalic Syndrome – This health concern can result to a soft palate or cleft palate to a Frenchie. Many vets and breeders find it virtually impossible to treat a cleft palate. So, French bulldog pups are commonly put to sleep when discovered that they have this condition. For French Bulldogs that have an elongated soft palate, they are discovered to suffer from difficulty in breathing and passing out after an exercise activity.

• Eye Health Concerns – French bulldogs have been known to suffer from a variety of eye concerns. While it is found in most other breeds of bulldogs, the French bulldog can also suffer an everted third eye lid, or what many breeders would call as mthe Cherry eye. Other eye issues that French bulldogs may encounter are corneal ulcers, juvenile cataracts, glaucoma, and retinal fold dysplasia. It is imperative that any French bulldog owner should clean the skin folds under the eyes and ensure that it is dry to avoid the occurrence of infections.

• Megaesophagus – This condition encompasses several malformations and disorders and its combinations, whether multiple or double, in the esophagus. Complications that can be deemed serious would be the vomiting of food and/or phlegm after food intake or an exercise, this is called passive regurgitation. This complication mostly leads to aspiration pneumonia. A compacted airway can prevent the dog from dispelling heat from its body which can be harmless to other dogs, but to a French bulldog, it can be lethal.

These are just some of the many different health concerns that any French bulldog owner should look out for. There are still a variety of other concerns like back and spinal diseases known as chondrodysplasia, skin allergies, and cysts. Frenchies have also been known to require surgery when giving birth.

It is always best to consult your vet to understand fully what ails your French bulldog, this way, you can address the health concern more accurately and effectively.

June 8th, 2010 by admin

Dogs should always be properly trained. Even if they don’t have a lineup of fancy tricks, they should at least understand the basics and know how to be well-behaved. For anyone who’s interested in getting into the dog training business there are a few important steps they’ll need to follow to have the best chances of success. Anyone can start up their own dog training business as long as they’re willing to put in the time and effort and work hard.

Most dog training businesses can be safely run from a home, as more often than not the dog trainer will be traveling to clients’ homes in order to train their dogs. This is more convenient for you as a businessperson but also ensures the best results because the dog will be learning in their home which is the most comfortable environment for them. Having the right training is also one of the first things you’ll need to get out of the way to start up this business. Besides, in most cases you’ll be traveling to clients’ homes in order to train the dogs.

It’s important to have the right supplies on hand if you’re going to be a dog trainer. A psychology major will be helpful, as are degrees in veterinary services. You will need to start working on different marketing techniques which are going to help and drive traffic to your business. These are going to make the dog more eager to work with you and have things you can offer as positive reinforcement.

In order for any business to have success, effective marketing strategies must be enforced. You can even get business by word of mouth when you visit your local dog grooming stations, vet clinics and even parties or get togethers of your friends and family. It’s important to train every dog carefully and be nice towards them. Dog trainers need to have patience, especially considering that some dogs can be quite the challenge to train.

With some dogs their owners may only want you to work on certain aspects of training with them. Retrieving objects, dropping objects on the ground, sitting and house-training are a few of the most important areas of dog training. The old adage that an old dog can’t learn new tricks is not true but it can certainly be more of a challenge than dealing with puppies who are eager to learn. The dog training business can be a very enjoyable and lucrative one, as long as you go about things in the right way.