"Whenever men take the law into their own hands, the loser is the law. And when the law loses, freedom languishes."Robert Kennedy
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An Introduction to Dog Beds
Some people are so attached to their pets that they wouldn’t dream of asking them to simply curl up on the floor to go to sleep. Pet owners, especially dog owners, have created an industry for dog beds that rivals the bedding industry for humans in both ...
Can Your Pet Be Really So Picky?
Most of pet owners know that their much loved four-legged members of the family come with a lot of personality and unique, sometimes almost human-like behavior. For instance, my cat would act as a peacemaker when she smells the human fight. If I become ...
Training Your Dog To Save a Life In Water
Occasionally watching Animal Planet does have its advantage. You can really learn how to train your dog for different situations.There was a program on in August, 2005 about a dog that loved to swim in a nearby lake. Whenever the dog left the house, you ...
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My friend had a dog that rarely had any physical activity. The dog was only let out into the backyard to go to the bathroom. The dog was overweight with its stomach hanging to the ground and had a long list of health problems including heart disease. This is not only cruel to animals but it affects their life in various ways. Unfortunately my friend's dog passed away at an early age due to its lifestyle.
Keeping your dog fit will improve his quality of life as well as the aging process. When he reaches his peak, your dog will continue to have a youthful presence and may even pass its life expectancy. Quality of life has an important impact on your dog. Letting your dog have regular physical activity will minimize the amount of age related illnesses. Physical activity will also keep the weight off your dog and increase its psychological well-being.
Before you try and keep your dog fit, you must understand that diet is important in keeping your dog healthy. What your dog eats and how much he eats will impact his physical activity. If you feed your dog things that are high in fat or salt, you'll risk your dog's health. It is truly expensive to buy the best dog food on the market but you must understand that it is expensive for a reason: it is the best possible way to keep your dog healthy. Cheaper dog foods are high in fat and salt content that they do nothing for your dog except make it unhealthy. Your dog needs food that are high quality, and meat-based. You mustn't feed your dog too much either as it will increase the dog's fat cells.
A dog must exercise each and every tissue in its body in order for physical activity to be rewarding. You should get your veterinarian to check your dog out to make sure he is suitable for physical activity. Some dogs require more activity than others. Appropriate activities should be chosen for specific dogs. These include jogging, rollerblading, biking, playing fetch, cross-country skiing or even walking. There are many other activities that are not listed that you can perform with your dog.
Before you take your dog out for one of these activities, try running with it for a mile or so to assess its endurance. If the dog cannot keep up with you and shows certain signs of fatigue (panting, dry mouth, trying to find shade, stops to drink water, abnormal gait and does not want to continue) then obviously the dog needs to cut down on the
distance. Try to do this again the next day and if he shows further signs, then a veterinarian should check him out. For most dogs, these signs don't always occur. If this is the case, then increase the distance every few days so your dog gets used to running longer distances. This can be done by increasing the distance by a half mile to a mile. Always check your dog's paws for cuts as this may cause discomfort.
The best possible way to exercise your dog is by cycling. This increases your dog's muscles. Your dog will be less likely to have any injuries. Try having your dog run without a leash and on a soft surface. Like humans, running on a hard surface hurts the joints. Choose gravel paths to ensure that your dog does not have any injuries. Swimming is also good exercise for your dog. Try having your dog swim in calm waters. Throwing a stick and making your dog fetch it is perfect in the water. It really gets the dog's muscles moving.
Below is a chart of interval training for your dog. Each training exercise allows different muscles to be used.
BEGINNER: 1 km trot 1 km slow/easy gallop (canter - for horse people) 1 km trot
ADVANCED: 1 km trot 1 km slow/easy gallop 1 km trot 1 km slow/easy gallop 1 km trot
HARD CORE: 1 km trot 1 km slow/easy gallop 1 km trot 1-2 km hard gallop 1 km trot 1 km slow/easy gallop 1 km trot
You can usually tell when your dog has been fully exercised. If the dog drops to the ground and sleeps, then you have probably overdone the amount of exercise. If your dog comes up to you and wants to play fetch, play fetch with him so that he can use up the energy. If your dog wants to take a nap and relax then you've most likely found a perfect exercise program for your dog. Exercising with your dog will allow you to form a strong bond together. If you have a dog that does not exercise, it will most likely be a troublemaker by chewing furniture, barking and perhaps even develop aggressive behaviour. Sounds like a teenager doesn't it? Vet checks should be scheduled yearly to make sure that your dog is healthy and that it is getting the appropriate exercise and diet that it needs.
About the author:
Cindy Frendo runs her own puppy training and dog training school from her hometown of Ottawa, Canada. She also runs her own website at puppytrainingrevealed.com
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 Temple Grandin On 'The Best Life For Animals' (NPR)
In her new book, Animals Make Us Human , Temple Grandin examines common notions of animal happiness and concludes that dogs, cats, horses, cows and zoo animals — among other creatures — possess an emotional system akin to that of humans.
Chilly Weather Keeps Animals Active (WEEK-TV Peoria)
The cold temperatures may keep some of you from visiting the zoo. But if you want to get a good look at animals in action, zoo keepers say now is the time to go.
Plants And Animals At The Drake (ChartAttack.com)
Plants And Animals' Matthew Woodley during the band's Parc Avenue CD release party at the Drake Underground in Toronto.
Found animals (The Herald-Mail)
The following animals recently were found and taken to the Humane Society of Washington County.
Barn fire kills hundreds of farm animals (UPI)
TOLDEO, Ohio, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Investigators are searching for the cause of a fire that killed hundreds of goats and other farm animals in Oregon, Ohio.
Talking to animals (Redditch Standard)
BRADLEY Green's very own Dr. Dolittle claims her ability to 'hear' animals' problems straight from the horses mouth has helped her solve pets' bad behaviour.
Shelter-skelter: Too many animals are still being killed (The Oklahoman)
At the annual rate that Oklahoma City’s animal welfare division must euthanize cats and dogs, about 100,000 animals are killed in any five-year period. That’s tragic and the inevitable consequence of pets being abandoned and/or not being kept from reproducing.Animal shelter workers and volunteers would always prefer that no domestic animal be euthanized. The emotional burden is tremendous.The ...
Animal Protective League saves neglected animals (FOX 19 Cincinnati)
CLEVELAND (AP) - Every day Jed Mignano and fellow investigators for the Cleveland Animal Protective League fan out across Northeast Ohio, responding to reports of abused and neglected animals. They educate pet owners and rescue animals from deplorable conditions.
Diamond dust shows comets hit 12,900 years ago: study (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Soil rich in diamond dust discovered across North America reinforces a theory that falling meteors caused the extinction of mammoths and other animals, said a study in the journal Science.
Animals may shrink in size because of global warming (New Kerala)
London, Jan 5: Ecologists have suggested that as a result of global warming, species will shrink in size, as bigger creatures will have more problems losing heat.
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