Posts from — May 2007

The Curly-Coated Retriever is not an apartment dog. She needs at the minimum, a properly fenced in enclosure to romp and burn off her energy. Ideally, she should have access to recreational water occasionally because she lives to swim and fetch. She is generally good with older children. She makes a good watch dog and a great family dog but she may not get along with other pets.

Approximate Adult Size

The approximate adult size (two years old or older) of the male Curly-Coated Retriever is 25 to 27 inches to the withers (highest point of the shoulder). The female ranges from 23 to 25 inches to the withers and both will range from 65 to 80 pounds.

Special Health Considerations

Most dog breeds have certain inherited health problems associated with that specific breed and the Curly-Coated Retriever is no exception. Be on the look out for canine hip dysplasia (genetic based looseness in the hip joint that can lead to arthritis pain and lameness), cancer, skin disorders, and epilepsy. This disease list is an informative guideline only. Other diseases may also be significant threats, please contact your veterinarian for a complete list.

She should visit the veterinarian several times in the first year for shots, boosters and check up. Then, as an adult, she should visit the veterinarian yearly for shots and check up. As she gets older, six years and on, she should visit the veterinarian twice a year for check ups and shots. Remember; avoid feeding your dog sweets.

Grooming

The Curly-Coated Retriever has a coat of small, tight, water proof curls situated close to the skin. She does shed and should be brushed regularly. Brushing will help her maintain a clean and healthy coat, avoid mats and help you keep a closer eye on her health and strengthen your emotional bond with her.

Her teeth should be brushed at least twice a week with toothpaste and toothbrush designed for dogs. Brushing removes the accumulation of plaque and tartar which can cause cavities (rarely) and periodontal disease. Dog periodontal disease can lead to pain, loss of teeth, bad breath and other serious disease.

Her toenails may need to be examined for growth and clipped regularly. The toenails of the rear feet grow slower than the toenails of the front feet. Generally a guillotine type trimmer is the best for this chore and competent instructions to accomplish this can be found on the net.

Life Span

The Curly-Coated Retriever can live between 8 and 10 years with proper nutrition, medical care and excellent living conditions.

History

The Curly-Coated Retriever came from Great Britain. They are an old retriever breed prized by game keepers. They are a cross between the Poodle, Irish Water Spaniel, English Water Spaniel and the Newfoundland. They are commonly found in Australia and New Zealand. They were first registered by the American Kennel Association in 1924.

Some Registries

Curly-Coated Retriever Club of America
UKC United Kennel Club
NKC National Kennel Club
CKC Continental Kennel Club
APRI Americas Pet Registry Inc.
AKC American Kennel Club
FCI Federation Cynologique Internationale
NZKC New Zealand Kennel Club
KCGB Kennel Club of Great Britain
ANKC Australian National Kennel Club
ACR American Canine Registry

Litter Size

7 to 8 Curly-Coated Retriever puppies

Category

Sporting Gundog

Terms To Describe

Proud, responsive, affectionate, balanced, robust, strong, grace, elegant, hard working, sturdy, durable, independent

SPECIAL GOOD POINTS

Good watch dog.
High in obedience.
High in intelligence.
Love to swim.

SPECIAL BAD POINTS

Poor guard dog.
May not do well with other dogs.
Can be stubborn.
Needs exercise and a job to do.
She matures late, about 3 years.

Other Names Known By

Gamekeepers Dog, Curlies

Every dog is an individual so not everything in this information may be correct for your dog. This information is meant as a good faith guideline only.

About the Author

Mitch Endick is a short article writer, editor and website developer for the popular pet site petpages.com. petpages.com PetPages.com is a pet information site with free pet ads, dog classifieds, and puppy for sale info. Petpages.com also offers information on cats, fish, reptiles, birds, ferrets, rabbits, mice and even pet bugs.

Pomeranians are very popular dogs as they add joy and excitement in most any household due to the wonderful Pomeranian personalities that they tend to display. Although the Pomeranian is quite small, it is mighty in personality and there is no shortage of Pomeranian personalities at all! They are typically cheerful in spirit and spunky in nature as they are incredibly nosey and like to know everything that is going on around them at all times. The Pomeranian demands attention from the owners and those around it and has to be part of every event, simply put.

Although Pomeranian personalities differ between each individual dog, they also can provide an environment of added noise and can often be extremely time consuming. Typically if this dog is not given a lot of attention in the way of dog training, they will be excessively yappy and the barking may impose on neighbors not to mention the individual households. The Pomeranian personalities are very strong willed and without the proper training techniques, a Pomeranian can be very ‘spoiled’ and naughty. It can’t be emphasized enough how important early training and development is to ensure a smooth future with the Pomeranian as they can be quite hard to calm down the older they get while demonstrating the barking tendencies.

All About Pomeranian Personalities

You will never find a breed of dog that is so energetic and vivacious as what is clearly displayed in the Pomeranian personalities. This dog has a unique drive for life with a topping of dainty flair that makes them an attractive choice for any dog lover. Due to its categorization of the toy breed, many people assume they have the demeanor of the toy breeds however; the Pomeranian personalities largely display behavioral mannerisms of their close cousin, the spitz breed. They very often act loud and overexcited in the way they act as though they were a hundred pound rotweiller and although it can be quite entertaining, can sometimes be dangerous to the little dog because when faced with a much larger dog, will not back down.

The Pomeranian personalities are a definite attraction when choosing between distinct dog breeds however, left to their own device, will bark at absolutely anything that moves. It is highly recommended to begin to train these dogs from the time they are small and initially brought home to avoid unwanted Pomeranian personalities as they mature.

If you want to learn more about pomeraniansuccess.com/pomeranian/about” target=”_blank toy Pomeranian please visit our site which is free to the public. You’ll find the best tips on everything to do with pomeraniansuccess.com/pomeranian” target=”_blank Pomeranian puppies

Distemper is a viral disease that attacks the cells of the skin, respiratory tract, intestinal tract, and brain. It can cause a change in the dog’s appearance, nervous disorders, and death. Young puppies are at highest risk of catching distemper, although all unvaccinated dogs are vulnerable to it.

Distemper is sometimes called the “canine plague” due to its contagious nature. Infected dogs and many other animals, including wolves, raccoons, foxes, and minks, can spread the virus, mainly in their breath. A dog’s breath contains the virus particles in minute droplets, much as is the case with human measles. If the infection occurs through inhalation of the virus, it is spread throughout the body by the defensive cells that are trying to capture and kill it. However, you can rest assured for your personal safety because humans are not susceptible to contracting distemper.

What are the symptoms of Distemper?

A puppy may survive a very light infection showing only listlessness and a slight temperature. In acute cases, however, a wider variety of symptoms may appear. In the early stages of the infection, dogs will suffer from fever, a loss of appetite, lethargy, dehydration, vomiting, and diarrhea. A white or green pus-like discharge may run from the eyes and nose, the skin may become spotted with red, pussy abscesses, and the dog’s nose and footpads may become broken and dry. In the advanced stages of infection, brain damage and nervous disorders may develop. Your dog may shake nervously, become restless and moody, and experience blindness and paralysis.

How can Distemper be treated?

If your dog shows any of the symptoms of distemper, don’t delay. Call your veterinarian immediately. Treatment will be based on the stage of infection. Your dog may be administered canine distemper anti-serum, anti-convulsants, antibiotics to prevent secondary bacterial infection, fluids to cure dehydration, medications to stop the diarrhea and vomiting, eye ointment, and vitamins. If your dog survives this lethal disease, she can recover gradually from the symptoms with constant home care under the direction of your veterinarian.

Are there any preventative measures against Distemper?

The key to preventing distemper is vaccination. The first distemper shot should be given shortly after weaning and before a puppy is brought into a new home where she
will be exposed to other dogs. Start vaccinating your puppy against this disease at six to eight weeks. This will consist of a series of shots that end when your puppy is about fourteen to
sixteen weeks old.

During this time, keep your puppy out of any situation where she could come in contact with the disease. Afterward, annual booster shots are necessary to adequately shield your dog from infection. Ignore anyone who tries to persuade you that early immunization will last a lifetime – that myth was repudiated long ago.

John Edwards is a long time dog lover. Visit his website for dogcaretraining.com/index.php/115/treating-your-dogs-constipation/ dog constipation treatment and many more tips at:
dogcaretraining.com dogcaretraining.com

The great multitude of different breeds of dog and the countless differences in their size, points, and all around appearance are facts which make it hard to believe that they could have a common ancestry. For example, when considering the behavioral and physical differences between such breeds as the pampered Min Pin and the hard-working Husky, the disparity is so great, yet they are the same species. If the two were to somehow mate, viable offspring would be born. Yet the disparity is no greater than that between the Shire horse and the Shetland pony, the Shorthorn and the Kerry cattle, or the Patagonian and the Pygmy; and all dog breeders know the simple steps needed to produce a variety in type and size by breeding.

Before one can fully understand that dogs and their wild counterparts share a close ancestry, one must start by learning the basic physical similarities between them. The skeletal system of the two animals is an ideal place to begin study since they are virtually interchangeable. The spine of the dog consists of seven vertebrae in the neck, thirteen in the back, seven in the loins, three sacral vertebrae, and twenty to twenty-two in the tail. In both the dog and the wolf there are thirteen pairs of ribs, nine true and four false. Each has forty-two teeth. They each have five front and four hind toes, and a quick look at the outward appearance shows that describing a wolf is the same as describing a large dog.

Their habits are not that different, either. In the wild, wolves are known to howl in their packs, but as soon as a wolf is grouped with dogs, he takes on barking behavior. Although he is carnivorous, he will also eat vegetables, and when sickly he will nibble grass. In the chase, a pack of wolves will divide into parties, one following the path of the quarry, the other endeavoring to intercept its retreat, exercising a great amount of cooperation, a trait which is exhibited by many of our sporting dogs and terriers when hunting in teams.

Another major similarity between these two species is the sixty-three day gestation period. Usually, a wolf’s litter consists of about three to nine cubs, and they are unable to see for twenty-one days. They are nursed for two months, but at the end of that time they are able to eat half-digested flesh disgorged for them by their dam or even their sire.

Grant Carroll is a husband, proud father and co-owner of littlepamperedpets.com littlepamperedpets.com with a great selection of

Bella-Quisha showed up on our doorstep one day, and our family immediately fell in love with her. She was a beautifully marked Tabby with the distinguishing markings that race of cats always have: stripes from head to tail.

Everybody had a different name for her. My wife called her “Bella”, which means “beautiful” in Spanish (though my wife is not Spanish), and my daughter called her “Quisha”, which as far as I know, has no meaning at all. Nobody could agree on what her name should be, so we just gave her both names, hyphenated.

Her “meows” had a plaintive quality to them, so I named her “Poor Baby”. Every time she cried I automatically said the words “poor baby”, and I think she eventually came to the conclusion that “poor baby” was indeed her name.

Now, I’ve had at least one cat with me since I was four years old – around 57 years ago. In short, I have had a lot of cats, and I’ve become accustomed to the “personality” of cat, which varies from cat to cat but not as much as does the personality of dogs.

There was something, however, that was very different about Bella – some quality that one could only be defined as “wisdom”. Bella seemed to have some sort of basic understanding or “insight”. When you looked into her eyes, you could see that unlike most cats, she was looking back.

She seemed to know, and understand, who you were and what you were about.

I took her to our family veterinarian for her shots and made a comment on this unusual quality I perceived in her

“Of course she’s different,” Dr. Martin said. “Look at her forehead.”

What’s the point in that? I thought. I’d been looking at her forehead for quite some time and had seen nothing particularly unusual. But I went ahead and took another look.

“What do you see?” Dr. Martin said.

“Stripes. She’s got a lot of striped markings across her forehead, like all Tabbies.” I still couldn’t see anything unusual about her.

“Look again. The stripes are in the shape of an ‘M’.”

I took a closer look, and suddenly it jumped out at me. The pattern on her forehead was indeed in the shape of an ‘M’!

“She is a descendant of the cats who were in the stable the night the Christ Child was born. They were witnesses to that event, and for that reason they were given greater enlightenment that other cats. They bear the mark of His Mother. She put it on their foreheads, and they’ve born it ever since.

“They are the cats who saw Mary.”

An ‘M’, I thought. It was displayed very clearly. An ‘M’ for Mary.

I took Bella home, thinking that that was one of the strangest experiences I’d ever had. I’m not a Catholic, and I’d always had a basic instinctual aversion for such things. But I couldn’t help but think there was definitely something to what the doctor had said.

The cat was different; there was no question about it. And, she had a very clearly defined mark.

I lost my job. In the days and weeks that followed the stress of being out of work and my wife’s grieving over our “empty nest” wasn’t easy to cope with. Through all this trouble, however, Bella comforted us in some basic way. Bella seemed to know our grief, and she was there for both of us – with a definite, though indefinable, comfort.

After awhile, though, I noticed that she seemed to be gaining too much weight. She was crying more than usual, especially when I picked her up, and I quit responding to her cries with the words, “Poor baby” because they came so frequently.

She seemed to be in some sort of pain.

Finally I took her to the vet for her booster shots, and while waiting for my appointment, bragged to a lady on the other side of the waiting room about Bella, telling her how smart she was and what insight she seemed to have.

Then I was called into the examination room.

“Oh, you have a dead cat here,” Dr. Martin said.

“What do you mean?”

“She has a tumor; it won’t be long before it takes her.”

I was shocked beyond words. My pride and elation suddenly vanished, and I felt as if I’d been dropped into a pit.

“Isn’t there… Isn’t there something you can do?” I stammered.

“No, it’s too advanced. I can’t operate without killing her. She is in a lot of pain, and to be kind you should put her out of her misery.”

I was forced to leave her there to be euthanized. There was nothing else I could do. I gave the lady in the waiting room a miserable look as I left empty handed, my wonderful kitty suddenly gone. When I told my wife, her legs went out from under her and she sank to the floor, her eyes closed.

We had lost our comfort. Anger flooded me, but when I finally got over it, I asked the question, “Why did she have to die? She was such a comfort to us, and we loved her!”

And I did get an answer, “Because Mary wanted her.”

It took awhile, but I finally came to an agreement with that. God had given Bella to us, and if Mary wanted her back, she was in good hands.

And that was all right with me.

© John Young www.yourcatsecrets.com All Rights Reserved

Hi! My name is John Young. I’m a writer and a cat lover, having owned one cat or another since I was four, and that was over 57 years ago. I’ve written a new ebook, “Your New Cat’s First 24 Hours”, and have packed into it every shred of information I could find to help you introduce your new cat to your household and care for it from then on. Please check out my website at yourcatsecrets.com yourcatsecrets.com and sign up for my free newsletter, “Your Cat’s 9 Secrets”. Thanks!

Dogs have been around for as long as man can remember. And for many of us that’s a good thing because our lives have been made that much richer. There seems to be a breed to suit just about anybody. Good job because some of us are hard to please.

Obviously it depends where you live as to just what dog you can have. It’s no good owning a great big dog like the mighty St Bernard if you live in a flat on the 5th floor of a high rise. Apart from it being cruel it’s just not practical in any way shape or form.

No if that’s you then a much much smaller dog like the Chihuahua or a Pug or a Jack Russell is the order of the day.

Obviously another thing to take into consideration is the costs of dog food and the like. You don’t need me to tell you that big Bernie is going to woof down more chunks than little Chuiy.

Chihuahuas eat very little, but feeding costs can still be a bit high, since these dogs are often picky eaters. Recommended feeding for Bernie though is up to 4 cans (13.3oz) of a high-quality meaty product with biscuit added in equal amount or 5 cupfuls of a complete, dry dog food. This dog can eat 8-12 cups of food a day. Ouch!

If you’re looking for a dog somewhere in the middle then a Dalmation just might fit the bill. The Dalmation is a 45 to 65 pound dog that stands 19 to 24 inches in height. This dog is well muscled without being overly bulky or stocky and has loads of energy. A great dog to go for if you want a jogging partner.

Mr Rottweiler or St Bernie need a good sized yard to exercise in. Also remember these dogs as a puppy are still quite big dogs, so if you’ve got little toddlers yourself just be careful they don’t get knocked over or sent flying in some cases.

By the way don’t get hoodwinked by what you see in the films, Rottweiler’s, Doberman Pinscher’s and the like aren’t vicious dogs unless trained to be so. They can be the most loving and most gentle of pets, but they can be highly wary of strangers.

The Chihuahua on the other hand is just right for an apartment, weighing in as little as just one pound and being around 5 inches high.

Nevertheless these tiny dogs, (one of the world’s smallest breeds) don’t believe what they see in the mirror. They actually think they are as powerful as something like a Rottweiler, you’ve just got to admire these little critters and you can’t help having a little laugh to yourself when you see them yapping away in a threatening manner against a much bigger dog.

Wouldn’t you know it with a name like Chihuahua this little guy just had to come from Mexico?

Steve Jones is the owner of mynicedoggy.com” target=”_blank pictures of all dog breeds website.

The Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen is happy, energetic smaller dog that makes a great watch dog. They can be kept in an apartment as long as they can be walked for exercise. A properly fenced in yard is best for exercise but they are diggers and known as escape artists. Never leave them off the leash as they will take off after an interesting scent. They generally like other animals and will socialize with them. They also like children. As a reminder, never leave a child unsupervised with a puppy or dog.

Approximate Adult Size

The approximate adult size (two years old or older) of the Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen is 13 to 15 inches to the withers (highest point of the shoulder) and 31 to 40 pounds.

Special Health Considerations

Most dog breeds have certain inherited health problems associated with that specific breed and the Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen is no exception. Although considered a healthy breed, be on the look out for ear problems, Aseptic meningitis and hereditary eye problems. This disease list is an informative guideline only. Other diseases may also be significant threats, please contact your veterinarian for a complete list.

She should visit the veterinarian several times in the first year for shots, boosters and check up. Then, as an adult, she should visit the veterinarian yearly for shots and check up. As she gets older, six years and on, she should visit the veterinarian twice a year for check ups and shots. Remember; avoid feeding your dog sweets.

Grooming

The Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen has a long rough, harsh to the touch coat with a thick, short under coat. They should be brushed at least weekly. Long hair at the bottom of feet may need to be trimmed.

Her teeth should be brushed at least twice a week with toothpaste and toothbrush designed for dogs. Brushing removes the accumulation of plaque and tartar which can cause cavities (rarely) and periodontal disease. Dog periodontal disease can lead to pain, loss of teeth, bad breath and other serious disease.

Her nails may need to be examined for growth and clipped regularly. The toenails of the rear feet grow slower than the toenails of the front feet. Generally a guillotine type trimmer is the best for this chore and competent instructions to accomplish this can be found on the net.

Her ears should be checked once a week and be kept clean. If you have her professionally groomed, make sure ear cleaning and inspection is part of the package. No water or excess fluid should get in the dogs ears, and do not try to irrigate the ears. Ear cleaning is too complicated and critical to instruct here. Look for hair growing in the ear canal, excess wax, or moisture. If her ears have a discharge, foul odor or she seems to be in distress and you suspect an infection, or tumor, consult your veterinarian.

Life Span

The Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen can live between 10 and 14 years with proper nutrition, medical care and excellent living conditions.

History

The Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen come from the La Vendee district of France. They are a scent hound and were bred for hunting rabbits. They were first registered by the American Kennel Association in 1991.

Some Registries

Petite Basset Griffon Vendeen Club of Amnerica
UKC United Kennel Club
NKC National Kennel Club
CKC Continental Kennel Club
APRI Americas Pet Registry Inc.
AKC American Kennel Club
FCI Federation Cynologique Internationale
NZKC New Zealand Kennel Club
KCGB Kennel Club of Great Britain
ANKC Australian National Kennel Club
ACR American Canine Registry

Litter Size

4 to 7 Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen puppies

Category

Hound

Terms To Describe

Bold, tough, compact, alert, lively, confident, independent, happy, extrovert, confident.

SPECIAL GOOD POINTS

Makes a good watch dog.
Barely sheds.
Makes a nice family do.
Some enjoy the company of other animals.

SPECIAL BAD POINTS

Makes a poor guard dog.
May howl.
Will follow a scent so should be controlled.
Not a fast learner.
They like to dig.
They are known as escape artists.

Other names know by

PBGV

Every dog is an individual so not everything in this information may be correct for your dog. This information is meant as a good faith guideline only.

About the Author

Mitch Endick is a short article writer, editor and website developer for the popular pet site petpages.com petpages.com, a pet information site with free pet ads, dog classifieds, and puppy for sale info. petpages.com Petpages.com also offers information on cats, fish, reptiles, birds, ferrets, rabbits, mice and even pet bugs.

Ever catch your cat staring at a blank wall and wonder why?

More than likely she was listening to sounds coming from inside the wall.
Did you know that a “whole tone” (like in music) that we can hear, a cat hears it as 10 separate tones.

A cat can hear ultrasonic sounds (high pitched) that we cannot even imagine.

Dogs on the other hand are equipped with ears that hear the lower spectrum of sounds. They cannot hear as well as cats, but have a range of about 250 yards away, while a human is lucky if it can hear something that is 15 to 20 yards away.

A dog’s hearing is dependent its size. A small dog has small ears and can hear high pitched sounds almost as good as a cat can, while a large dog is better equipped to hear low sounds.

Research has shown that with the passage of time humans have lost some of the sharpness of their hearing and cats and dogs have sharpened theirs.

Nature has given humans a less complex set of ears, while our pets are blessed with superior pieces of machinery.

The outside of you pet’s ear is like a satellite dish that picks up the sound waves and moves them down the ear canal to an organ called the Corti, which has more than 7,500 working parts.

Your voice becomes a sound wave that then travels through miles of nerves, until it gets to the brain and your pet hears what you are saying.

Did you know that puppies and kittens are deaf for the first 2 weeks of life. During that time their hearing is really the picking up of body vibrations, so they are actually feeling your words instead of hearing them.

The ear canals open up little by little, and by the time they are 4 weeks old their hearing is almost up to Mom’s standards.

Cats really like high pitched voices better than lower level voices. Cats are more apt to pay attention to words that are spoken with a higher pitch.

Since we usually talk to our pets in our normal voices, most of the time they rather ignore us. If you want to get their attention, change the tone of your voice, speak some words softly, others a little more loudly and whisper to them. It is guaranteed to get their interest.

We humans use our ears for hearing and sometimes for adornment, our pets however, use their ears to convey their feelings.

Ears, along with other body parts, are all a part of a dog or cat’s language.

In many cases the shape of a dog’s ear depended on its job.

In a dog’s world ears have evolved from the pointy straight-up ears, wolves have, to the many looks of today, all dependent on what the dog was bred for.

The straight-up ears or the semi straight-up ears that you find on German Shepherds, Collies and most Terriers are great for hearing. These dogs have been bred as working dogs and/or for hunting, where good hearing is an important factor.

Dogs with floppy ears such as Labs, golden retrievers and hounds, have ears that are down to help muffle sounds and to help develop their sense of smell and sight for specialized hunting. They are called sighthounds.

Cropped ears (which is being frowned on more and more) was done to make Dobermans and Rotties and others look more fierce as the breeds were used mostly as guard dogs.

What do certain positions mean in regard to a dog’s mood?

Slightly raised ears mean I am a happy dog and all it right with my world. Ears that are raised high means I am interested in what’s going on. Flat back means I am afraid of something and ears that seem to be moving back and forth mean I am not sure how I feel. Straight back and fur ruffled means I am agitated or mad, watch out.

Cats on the other hand have ears that stand straight up, with the exception of the Scottish Fold. Straight up, perky ears means all is well in my world. Straight up and back means “MEOW” I am mad. Flat against its head and down means I am scared and very afraid, while swiveling around like an antenna means I am listening to something interesting.

Well, that’s it for the ears of our cat and dog world, I hope you learned something you did not know and that you will appreciate the great gift that hearing is, not just for our pets, but for us, too.

If you have enjoyed this article and wish to learn more about cats and dogs, please come and visit my web site cats-and-dogs-on-the-web.com cats-and-dogs-on-the-web.com

The Toy Poodle is an elegant, lively and clever small dog. They are remarkably intelligent and are said to be one of the most trainable breeds. These pint sized delights love to be with people, but are reserved with strangers. They may actually snap if provoked or startled. Despite their size they make excellent watchdogs and are generally good with other pets and children.

The Poodle was originally used in Germany and France as a retriever of waterfowl. Their origin is a bit controversial. They have been in Western Europe for at least 400 years, but it is unknown whether the breed was developed in Germany, France, Denmark, or the ancient Piedmont. Today, France is officially recognized as the original place of origin. Their high level of intelligence made them perfect for some incredibly interesting jobs throughout the years. In France they were made into circus performers. They were also used to locate truffles lying underground in the woods.
The Toy Poodle was made popular in the 18th Century by French Royalty and primarily became companion dogs.

Toy Poodles, like many other toy dogs can be prone to ear infections, runny eyes, heart disorders, and tooth decay. Cleaning their ears frequently will help prevent any infection. Simple routine dental hygiene can help prevent any tooth decay. Toy Poodles also must be regularly groomed. Fortunately, they shed little to no hair and are excellent breed for allergy sufferers.

Toy Poodles make both great rural and urban dogs. Although they do not require much exercise, they can be very active indoors. Frequent walks or access to a yard will help calm them. Moreover, these perky little dogs can be a fantastic addition to any home.

Nikki Carroll proud mother of four dogs and co-owner of littlepamperedpets.com littlepamperedpets.com with littlepamperedpets.com Designer Dog Clothing.

Visit Little Pampered Pets for littlepamperedpets.com/dog_clothes/small_dog_clothes.html Tiny Dog Clothes

When it comes to feeding your snake, you need to stick to pre-killed food.

There are a lot of reasons that people prefer to give their snakes live food. One of the most common is they feel that a snake in its natural habitat would eat live food so in captivity they should be given live food as well. I used to agree with them. However, it only took one incident for me to change my mind.

I was feeding my Brazilian rainbow boa like I usually did. I removed the driftwood from her cage but left the plants inside because she preferred to hide in them before she attacked. I put a medium sized rat in the cage as usual. As usual, she attacked quickly. However, she made a fatal error. She managed to get herself bit, and that caused her to puncture her lung. She died a few minutes later.

The main reason you need to stick to pre-killed food is for safety reasons. Yes, 99% of the time your snake will take care of the live food quickly and efficiently. However, it only takes one incident to kill your snake. Feeding your snake live food is simply an unnecessary risk.

There are other benefits to giving your snake pre-killed food. It’s more readily available in pet stores. The pre-killed animals are killed humanely and didn’t suffer. That’s not likely to be the case when putting live prey in with your snake.

If you’re worried about your snake not accepting pre-killed food, you’re likely unnecessarily worrying. Almost every snake will accept pre-killed food. It may take a few tries to get your snake accustomed to pre-killed food if it had been on a live prey diet previously, but almost every snake can be taught to eat pre-killed food.

The process of feeding your snake pre-killed food is really quite simple:

1) Thaw out your rodent in warm water for 30 minutes. Snakes won’t eat it if it’s frozen, so make sure it’s warm.
2) Dry it off.
3) Put the rodent in the cage.
4) If the snake appears uninterested, grab a pair of tongs and move the rodent around to make it appear alive.

Snakes make great pets and can be companions for years. Why risk unnecessary injury or even death by feeding your snake live prey?

Gary Ruplinger is the owner of BoaTips.com – a comprehensive snake resource site. If you’re interested in learning more about boatips.com pet snakes then be sure to stop by his website. You’ll find all the basics to caring for a pet snake, a great snake newsletter, and specific advice on how to care for 20 of the most popular pet snakes. If you have any questions during your visit, make sure you visit the boatips.com/forum snake forum and participate in discussions about this great yet misunderstood pet.