Dogs Have Emotions Too!

Some people don't believe or want to understand that dogs have emotions, but they do.

Having owned dogs myself, it is clear that dogs experience different emotions and have feelings, just like humans do.

Our Kangal mix boy shows his emotions all the time, here are a few examples:

* He is happy/excited when we come home, when he gets a tasty meal/snack, when he gets a new toy, when he is on his walk.

He shows this by jumping up at us, wiggling around, having a big sweeping tail wagging, giving out licks and initiating play with his house mate - a German Pointer.

* He is sad when we go out.

He shows this by finding one of his favourite teddies and carrying it back to lie down with him for comfort.

* He is afraid/scared when he can hear a thunderstorm or fireworks.

He comes to us for reassurance, he paws for us to stroke him and he goes to hide under a table or in his tent. (yes he is lucky he has a tent!)

* He sulks when we tell him off for pulling his teddies apart or removing the eyes from them.

He does this by lying down with his head positioned away from us and refuses strokes.

* He is sometimes stubborn when he doesn't get to walk the way he wants to go.

He will lay down and refuse to walk any other way.

* He is grumpy when he doesn't feel well.

He goes off into another room to lie on his own and if you to try to interfere with him, he gives us a side way glare, as if to say leave me alone.

So this is how I can tell that dogs do have emotions, thoughts and feelings and these are the ways in which our boy shows it!

Ticks.........a dogs worst nightmare!

Ticks on Dogs

This time of year it is common to see ticks, if you live in a country that has a warm humid climate there will be ticks present. Ticks can be found in many different countries around the world and it is important to protect your dog against ticks before they attach on to your dog.

How to prevent ticks

Prevention is best with ticks, I always use Frontline Spot on Flea and Tick Drops, (suitable for small, medium, large and extra large dogs) which can be found in my online store. I have used this with my two dogs and we have never had any problems with ticks.

Tick diseases

Ticks carry many diseases such as Lyme Disease, Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Tick-borne Meningoencephalitis, Colorado Tick Fever, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, plus many other diseases.

How ticks get on your dog

When your dog walks through a wooded area or long grass he has a greater chance of a tick/s transferring onto his head and body as ticks lie in wait for their victims to brush past them and them climb aboard.
Once onto the head or body they either attach themselves straightaway or have a crawl around to find an ideal sucking spot.
The ticks dig their mouth part into your dog and feed on the blood, the tick will not loosen itself until it has finished its meal, which could be hours or days.

How to remove ticks 

Removing a tick from your dog can be done but you have to be careful as if you do not pull it out in the right way you can end up leaving the mouth part behind or making the tick bring up infective fluids which will get inside your dogs blood stream. Tweezers can be used if you know how but otherwise you can get a tick remover tool, like the tick twister, which can be found in my online store it is specially designed so that you can get ticks out of your dog safely and at ease.

If you live in an area with ticks be sure to apply the Frontline flea and tick drops on to your dog, this is done easily and is normally applied on your dogs hairline behind his neck, this will stop the ticks from attaching on to your dog and your dog will stay tick free.

Breeds of Dogs

There are many different breeds and types of dogs, there are small dogs, big dogs, long haired dogs, short haired dogs,  flat nosed breeds, long snout breeds, pure breeds, mixed breeds, plus many more kinds and they all fit into different dog groups, depending on their traits and what they were originally breed to do.

The different types of groups are;

* Hound Group - These dogs are bred for hunting and use their sight and sound to follow a scent trail.
An example of a breed in this group would be a Basset Hound.

* Gundog Group - These dogs were originally bred to hunt birds in many different landscapes and terrains.
An example of a breed in this group would be a German Shorthaired Pointer.

* Non Sporting - These dogs were not bred for hunting or anything specific and do not fit into the other groups, so they have their own group.
An example of a breed in this group would be a Dalamation.

* Terrier Group - These dogs were bred to hunt vermin such as rats, mice and weasels, sometimes these dogs will go down holes and chase out the prey. In latin 'Terra' means earth, referring to the Terriers going underground to hunt out the prey.
An example of a breed in this group would be a Cairn Terrier.

* Working Group - These dogs were originally bred to assist humans in some way, whether it was search and rescue or guarding and protecting.
An example of a breed in this group would be a Kangal.

* Herding Group - These dogs were bred to assist humans in the movement of livestock, they only assist in rounding up cattle and not in protecting cattle.
An example of a breed in this group would be a Border Collie.

* Toy Group - These dogs are referred to as the toy group because of their size and because of their main role as being a lap and companion dog.
An example of a breed in this group would be a Chihuahua.

These groups listed are the main groups that every breed of dogs come under, so now you will have a better understanding of which group any specific dog is a member of.

Dogs Do the Most Funny Things

We have learnt so much from spending time with our two babies, they continue to amaze us with their quirky and funny ways and they certainly enrich our lives and make our house, a true home.
Our dogs certainly do the most funny things, read on to find out below;

A few of our boy's funny habits: -

* He uses his paw to communicate with us, if he wants something or if he wants to do something.

* He wakes our other dog up in the mornings and paws her to get out of bed, as if to say 'come on its walkies time'.

* He loves eating snowballs.(tasty treats!)

* He thinks that when people put their hand into their carrier bag, that they are getting some food our for him. (ahhh bless him)

* He lifts his paw up for our help if he gets a thorn or something stuck in it.(cute or what?)


A few of our girl's funny habits: -

* She waits until we have left the house then gets straight out of her bed to hunt for things.(naughty girl!)

* She only seems to want to play with our other dogs toys, not her own.

* She wants to play ball all day (and I mean all day!!!)

* She sometimes doesn't take no for an answer.

* She cries if she is cold and wants a blanket. (ahhh how sweet!)


Do your dogs have any funny, cute or naughty habits?

Animal Quotes

If you care for animals you will love the three animal quotes below, the quotes are trying to give these three strong messages off:  for humans to understand animals, for humans to love animals and  for humans to help animals.

Enjoying Christmas with Dogs

Christmas is a fun and festive time of year, when spirits are high and happiness is all around. This time of year  is not only exciting for us humans but it can be an equally appealing time for dogs too.

Read below for tips on enjoying Christmas with dogs:

We must take care to ensure the safety of our dogs at Christmas, by following the advice below we can 
be sure that Christmas is a safe and joyous time for all.


*Traditional festive plants such as Poinsettias,  Lillie's,  Mistletoe and Holly are all poisonous to dogs, so if you already have any of these plants they should be kept well out of your dogs way.

*If you have a real Christmas tree, care should be taken to hoover the needles up as soon as they drop, as the needles can get stuck in your dogs paws or other areas on his body and cause a lot of discomfort and even infection.

*This tip also applies if you have a real Christmas tree, be sure to cover over, at least the water in the tub that the tree sits in but if you can the whole base of the tree, as this water is actually very toxic to dogs.

*Care should be taken with Christmas tree lights as some dogs may try to chew the wires and this can lead to your dog getting electrocuted , so try to hide the wires or keep them out of your dogs reach.

*Decorations can be very appealing to dogs because of all the bright colours, the different shapes and textures, so try to avoid having delicate decorations that may break easily, as these will provide a serious danger to your dog if he gets hold of one.
Care must also be taken with tinsel, if tinsel is ingested it can cause terrible problems with your dogs gastrointestinal tract, so be sure to keep tinsel out of your dogs reach.

*Lots of yummy food and drink is consumed over the Christmas period and it may be tempting to feed your dog some of the tasty food and drinks that you are eating, however it is important to note that Christmas pudding, fruit cake, nuts, raisins, chocolate, coffee and alcohol are very dangerous foods for dogs.

*Joints of meat are often cooked over Christmas and although it is tempting to give the bones to your dog, avoid doing this as all cooked bones are dangerous to dogs and only specific raw bones are ideal to give your dogs, this is because many bones can splinter or cause obstructions and blockages inside your dogs body.

Now for the fun part, here is some exciting things you can do with your dog over the Christmas period:

*Bake some cookies for dogs, your dog will love watching you prepare the cookies, smelling them cook and finally getting to sample some. Just google the phrases 'dog biscuits recipe' or 'dog cookie recipes' and you will find that many free recipes are available online.

*Take your dog somewhere different for a walk or take your dog on a longer walk than normal, they love their walks so it will be gratefully appreciated.

*Wrap your dogs Christmas pressies so he can have the fun of being handed his present and going off to unwrap it, your dog will love seeing the prize fall out after he has worked his paws and teeth on it.
Do not use sellotape or staples, these can be dangerous if ingested.

*If you have a Kong put some yummy treats inside or pack it with a tasty filling so your dog can amuse himself  by working out how to get the treats or filling out. Kongs for dogs are a great way to stimulate their brains.

*Prepare your dog a Christmas dinner, only use lean meat and vegetables that are safe for dogs, these kind of vegetables include carrots, broccoli, peas and beans.

*The most important one, spending time with your dog, sometimes not doing anything, just relaxing in the same environment as your dog makes your dog happy, calm and content. Dogs are at their happiest when their owners are around and just they love chilling with their owners.

So by following the above advice you will have that extra peace of mind and security, but you can also have some Christmas fun with your dog too, this will lead to you being happy and thoroughly enjoying Christmas with dogs.

A Dogs Christmas Video

 'A Dogs Christmas' Video - Very Cute - Enjoy!