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All pets should be regularly vaccinated against rabies. Typically the first shot is done at a few months old, and additional shots are done every 1 or 3 years thereafter; your vet should track this and remind you when shots are due for each pet. Depending on where you live, doing this may be required by law, but even if not, it’s still a good idea. (There ...
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As long as she doesn't destroy the rope, I wouldn't worry.
Traditional rope toys are made of cotton or a comparable natural fiber because they are intended to be chewed on and ingested in small amounts. As long as you only play tug of war or the dog only carries it around, they are no problem.
The problem arises when the dog actually chews through strands of ...
11
This is a medical emergency!
A vet must make an x-ray of the stomach as soon as possible to verify whether or not the dog actually swallowed the battery. If he did indeed, the battery must be removed as soon as possible by a means the vet chooses. If the battery is intact, vomitting might be the easiest solution, but if the battery is punctured, it may cause ...
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Foremost, I will note that policies for vaccinating against rabies might differ for different areas. My knowledge is most applicable to the United States.
As for pets, not only should you get them vaccinated for rabies every one to three years, it's a legal requirement.
Humans, on the other hand, only receive regular vaccinations if they are at an unusually ...
9
There are different types of lip licking and there are different reasons for them.
She might like your petting so much and becomes so relaxed that she actually starts drooling. Once you stop petting that sweet spot, she notices her drooling and licks her lips.
She might also have been taught that she shouldn't lick people. Some dog owners allow their pets to ...
7
Does she actually obviously damage this rope toy? You say in a comment that she destroyed a different rope toy (that had a ball attached), but if she doesn't show any signs of causing damage to this specific rope toy then she's unlikely to wake up one morning and immediately rip it to a dangerous state. You should monitor it for wear over time and be ready ...
5
I can understand your fear, but dogs should not be chained at all. Where I live it's even illegal to keep a dog on a chain because it's considered animal cruelty.
Dogs cannot understand that you want to protect them by keeping them on a chain. They also cannot understand why they cannot move to a certain place if there's no wall or obstacle in front of them. ...
5
Just in case anyone comes across this and it helps them, we persevered with outside toilet training, and he is now going outside every time and we've only had a couple of accidents.
At night, we have gone from him waking every 1-3 hours, to once per night, with a quick trip outside, then back in the crate until morning. This has only taken 1 week, but when ...
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For safety reasons: It's impossible for a dog to balance on a toilet seat designed for humans. Imagine climbing on a toilet seat and squatting down to do your buisnes perched on top of the seat... now imagine having tiny and slippery dog paws. It's not a valid option.
Some friends had an elderly dog who started peeing in the shower when she became ...
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I actually disagree with Elmy here. If your dog could swallow a large chunk of the rope, they may choke and die.
To prevent this, I would consider:
getting a tougher toy/rope that your dog won't be able to destroy;
keeping your dog under more supervision;
buying alternative toys so you can take the said toy away when you aren't watching your dog and ...
4
At 4 months of age a puppy can regulate their own body temperature well enough. Any temperature that's appropriate for an adult dog of that breed is also appropriate for the puppy. That mostly depends on the thickness of the fur and the body size, but even small dogs with thin fur have no problem with temperatures around 20°C.
Puppies cannot regulate their ...
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Very sudden changes in behavior can be a sign that there's a medical problem, no matter how young or old the dog is. For example, she could have impaired vision, making it hard to recognize you and read your body language. She could also be in pain, making her shy away from touch to avoid more pain. Where this pain comes from is another question... There ...
4
Since you need a brief answer, I'll make this quick.
There are some types of wet food (like Freshpet, which comes in a tube, get it here This is made with mostly human food that is modified for dogs.
The next thing you can do is get a customizable recipe, which will taste good to her and also will be gentle on her stomach. (link here)
In the meantime, try ...
4
Yes, it is realistically possible, not only hypothetically.
Research was done (I do not have ready any link) and it was proved that dogs can learn more than a few hundred words - and their meaning too.
In our family, my dog (unusually big Pekinese) surely understands the meaning of the words for the following categories:
names of the people in our family (...
4
This kind of behavior indicates insecurity or anxiety, not aggression. The snarling and snapping are both part of dogs' body language and communication. She says "don't get any closer to me, I'm not feeling safe".
It's very important that you don't punish her for this kind of communication.
Either she gets even more insecure and anxious, because ...
4
Guarding a farm or property is one of the fundamental tasks certain dogs were historically bred to execute. Guarding a farm or a herd of sheep from wild predators or human thieves was existential for the farmer or shepherd.
The dogs job never was actually attacking the intruder - be it a human or wolf, for example - but to bark and either scare the intruder ...
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This answer is part of Pet's Spring Cleaning Campaign. This question is old, but this answer will still help people with the same problem.
Do dogs need dog friends?
It depends.
If you (your dog's owner) are often away, such as being at a full-time job, your dog will need something to keep them happy and not lonely.
rover.com says:
Yes, dogs do get lonely. ...
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This answer is part of Pet's Spring Cleaning Campaign. This question is old, but this answer will still help people with the same problem.
Pet crate or should I fold the seats and let her roam free inside the car? Or should she be in the front seat, or maybe on top of my lap while I drive?
Absolutely not on your lap while driving. That is a safety hazard. ...
3
This answer is part of Pet's Spring Cleaning Campaign. This question is old, but this answer will still help people with the same problem.
It is completely your neighbor's responsibility, legally (severity varies by area) and ethically.
They are not your dogs. They are your neighbor's dogs. Your neighbor is expected to control them. They also belong on your ...
3
Yes, but it's complicated. The glycemic index of dog foods depends on various variables, like which carbohydrates are contained in it and how much fiber and which type(s) of fiber the food contains.
This study compared the glycemic indices of different dog foods with starches from different sources:
The GI [glycemic index] (±SE) [standard error] of the ...
3
If it's growing, you should get it checked by a vet.
From the position in front of the hind legs, it could be one of his nipples that is swollen. That could either point to an infection or to the equivalent of breast cancer.
If it's not a nipple, the red color could indicate an abscess or similar localized infection in the skin. In that case the infected ...
3
The only thing I can recommend for you is establishing a new habit.
It would be ideal if you took a walk with her in the morning or did some other activity every day at (roughly) the same time. Now, start giving her a small amount of food after that activity. Wait 10 - 15 minutes for her to start eating, but don't stare at her the whole time or she might be ...
3
This is an easy question that I speak from experience. It means you've hit a "sweet spot" and your dog likes it. For example, my dog's "sweet spot" is near the base of her tail. It's nothing to worry about and is just like you sighing when you scratch an itchy spot.
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In any case where there's a registration ID system, there's a risk of fraud. If the breeder offers up the ID number to anyone who comes along and asks, it's child's play for a disreputable breeder to pose as an "interested buyer" who simply wants to check the IDs. Once they have the ID numbers in hand, they can then use that information to create ...
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Without being able to cite any sources, the general answer is no.
I've heard that many dogs enjoy walking the same path every day, because
It gives them a routine and they know what to expect. Especially anxious dogs feel safer when they can predict what's going to happen.
Dogs have much more sensory input than humans. For example, they smell who was there ...
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I doubt they are "fighting". This sounds more like rough play. Rough play is common between dogs, especially puppies.
Aggression or rough play?
It's important to be able to distinguish between aggression and rough play.
If one or both of you dogs are showing any or all of the following signs, it is true aggression:
Very rigid body
Raised tail
...
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I see from your profile page that you're in the Phillipines. According to this World Health Organization page on the occurence of rabies worldwide, dogs are the most likely vector for rabies in the Phillipines, and thus as a responsible dog owner it's a smart thing for you to have your pets and yourself vaccinated against rabies.
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Couple of things rabies vaccination scheme are regulated on jurisdiction to jurisdiction bases. This in turn is subject of how prevalent the possibility of exposure or endemic disease is?
Are your pets exposed to feral animals or wild settings where you don't know what they have been up to? Dogs you can keep on leash, but cats - they roam around everywhere. ...
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Going along with what Elmy said in the comments:
Mothers can detect birth defects as they can detect cancer in humans, You should get it checked out. It could be that the mother is protecting the one pup from the other pups for some reason although I have no idea why. If I could guess, it's because the pup doesn't need to drink that much so the mother would ...
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I cannot provide any objective, scientific studies, but our dog learned to respond to different people using different words for his name or commands.
One member of my family likes to call him by a pet name that sounds close to his actual name and he reacts to both. One family member uses a specific whistle sound (that no-one else can reproduce) to call him ...
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