Train the Dog Blog

It is heart-breaking for dog lovers who care about their pets to watch them scratching constantly. Itchy skin can become such an irritation that a dog will pull all its hair out of a patch and then still scratch its skin red raw. If this happens to your dog, then you know that something is radically wrong.

It could be a matter of canine dry skin, but this is very unlikely, if your dog is on a healthy diet. No, nine times out of ten, it has to do with an infestation of fleas or, less commonly, ticks. Therefore if you see that your dog is continuously scratching a spot, inspect it. That spot will normally be on the dog’s back just in front of its tail – one of the favourite places for fleas to collect.

So, the first thing to do is look for fleas and comb most of them out. This can best be carried out in the garden or you may get an infestation in your house as well, although if your dog has fleas this badly, then your house is probably already infested.

Once you are certain that the itchy skin issue has to do with fleas, you can get on and take care of your dog. Go to your vet’s or your pet shop (which is almost certainly cheaper) and get an insecticidal shampoo and flea powder for your dog and a permethrin based insecticide for your house. If they have a soothing canine skin cream, a small tube of that will come in handy too.

Leave the dog in the garden and get out the vacuum cleaner. Open the bag and give it a good squirt of permethrin or flea powder and zip it up. Vacuum clean your house from top to bottom in order to pick up fleas and any loose eggs.

Do not overlook the furniture and the curtains. When you have finished, spray the curtains, furniture and carpets with permethrin and put your own bedding on a boil wash.

Then take your dogs basket and blanket outside and shut the door. Do not go back in for an hour at least. In the meantime, shake out the dog’s basket and blanket and dust it with flea powder. Now you can turn your attention to your dog.

Give him a thorough bath in the insecticidal shampoo following the directions on the label. When he is dry, rub some skin cream or olive oil on to his red bald spot. It is better not to use human skin cream because it contains chemicals and your dog will lick it off, unless you put a ruff around its neck.

You may have to do all this twice in order to kill the new hatchlings, but some insecticides will kill the eggs as well. When you have got your dog back to normal, brush and bathe him more often in the future and be vigilant for fleas.

Another constant source of annoyance to dogs is mosquitoes. Mosquitoes normally bite dogs on the snout and the undercarriage and they suffer the same problems from bites as we do, except they do not whine about it.

Do not apply DEET or any chemical because the dog will lick it off and it is not to be taken internally. Instead, try a lemon based natural fragrance as mosquitoes detest the smell of citrus. Put a few dabs here and there every hour or two when the dog is outside after dark.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece writes on quite a few topics, but is at present involved with indoor mosquito repellent. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Mosquito Repellent For Dogs.

Bulldogs are the heart and soul of sofa friends. They love the sofa more than life itself and usually spend most of their time just sleeping it up. The challenge here is that they fail to get the exercise their body needs and thus suffer.

Because bulldogs are not the most cooperative dog, you need to think outside the box to get them to exercise. You have to generally get both of you off the sofa and out for a walk. You need to start this habit as soon as possible. The younger the dog is, the more they will respond to the training.

The important thing is not to do too much too fast; this will not get you a healthier dog, and it may get you a dead dog.

This comes from his structure. He has a body designed for sitting around and not for running. The lungs of a bulldog are also made in such a manner as to lead to the old panting habit if you push too hard.

Never run with your dog. This can cause the dog to overheat and even give him a heart attack.

You should give some attention to the heat if you are planning a walk. If it is too hot your poor dog will overheat and this, too, is a leading cause of heart attacks.

Hot weather is hard on you and your dog. Try going in the early morning or evening when the heat is not so intense. If your bulldog gets overheated, he may even have a heart attack.

Sleep, exercise, and nutrition are the keys to a great, healthy bulldog, so be sure that he is getting a good diet. This can be done by a little extra time in choosing a dog food.

Exercise is often the missing key to bulldog health, but remember that they are not designed for heavy things. Understand that you can push too hard.

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