Dog Lover Community

Keeping your dog safe is similar to keeping a child safe, you need to constantly be on alert. There are certain dangers a dog faces, especially in urban and suburban settings where the risk of running away and getting hit by a car poses a serious threat. Keeping your pooch protected on your property even when you’re not there to supervise, or keeping your dog from running off and becoming injured when playing around off leash, is reason enough to look for practical solutions. Below are three products that can help you and your companion enjoy some freedom while being safe!

Water Alarm

This product is designed to alert you should your dog enter the pool. Now I’m sure you’re thinking, my dog’s a great swimmer. And I’m sure he is. But the reality is dogs drown in swimming pools, simply because they can’t find the stairs. To keep your pooch safe this summer, look into the Safety Turtle Water Safety Alarm, or a similar product. This particular product works by attaching the Turtle to your pet’s collar: an alarm will sound at a base station in the house the moment he jumps in.

Fencing

There are numerous wireless pet fence manufacturers to choose from: Innotek and Petsafe are 2 very good brands. This form of containment makes it possible for you to create invisible boundaries on your property, so that your dog doesn’t run off. How does it work?

A transmitter (usually housed in the garage or basement) sends a radio signal through a concealed wire buried along the perimeter of the “fenced in” area. Your dog wears a special collar with a receiver that alerts him with a warning tone when he’s approaching the edge of the safe area, followed by a minor shock if he gets too close. Additional training, usually 7 - 14 days, is necessary to assist your dog in understanding and learning the boundaries of the fence.

It is important to note that while invisible fences work well with most dogs, they are not 100 % effective, especially if your dog is older, stubborn and not well trained. If you think this might be the case with your pet and you want to try this product, make sure you are on guard for a reasonable trial period to make sure your dog doesn’t figure out he can ‘jump’ the fence and run off.

You also need to check up on the fence once it is installed to make sure the perimeter wire is in tact, the batteries in your dog’s collar still work and if your dog has a heavy coat, the area where the collar makes contact is shaven. Also, check with the manufacturer about the radio frequency whether is it FM or AM. FM is preferable as AM tends to pick up stray signals that may give your dog a correction even when he is not near the perimeter of the fence.

Another disadvantage to this type of fence is that it does not keep other animals out. For this reason people often use this type of fence in conjunction with a standard fence to keep the dog out of a garden or pool.

Safety Light collars and vests

Safety collars and vests with flashers in general are constructed with reflective fabrics and have a flashing lights attached to them. Some, such asPolyBrite

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There are many styles of collars to choose from depending upon your dog’s size, disposition, as well as your personal needs. For many dogs, a traditional nylon or leather collar will suffice. However, there are collars for more specific situations as described below.

Traditional Collars: Traditional collars are available in numerous colors, styles, and widths. These collars should ride higher on your pet’s neck. Don’t use collars that are too loose, falling down towards your pet’s shoulder blades. When choosing a collar use a tape measure to determine your pet’s neck size, adding about two to three inches to insure proper fit.

When choosing a collar make sure it is snug allowing enough room to fit two fingers between your pet’s neck and their collar. For safety reasons, a collar should never be loose enough to slip over the pet’s head. The risk of losing a pet that slips away can increases when their collar is too loose. Also, loose collars may easily snag on objects, increasing the risk of accidental hanging and other trematic injuries as a result of being entangled due to loose collars. In addition it is important that collars are not worn in wire cages. Be sure your pet’s collar is not too tight which can restrict their breathing or cause coughing. Make sure you check the collar size frequently with your puppies.

Choose a collar and lead with the appropriate width that matches your pet’s size. Smaller, lightweight collars and leads are for small dogs and puppies, while wider, more durable styles are for larger, stronger pets.
Be sure you have a current nametag attached to your pet’s collar at all times.

Harnesses: Harnesses, will go around the neck and around the shoulders behind the front legs, are generally recommended for dogs who have upper respiratory disease as well as diseases of the throat or trachea. If a collared dog pulls on their leash, it places pressure on the throat and trachea, which can cause irritation and coughing. Harnesses are an excellent choice to help relieve that pressure.

Halter Collars ensure the best control over your dog. Giving you control of your dog’s head. Controlling your dog’s head, gives you control of your dog. Many brands of halter-type collars are available including the Halti Training Headcollar. These collars have a band that goes around the back of their head, and another band around their nose. These leashes snap onto the collar under the dog’s chin. When pulling on the leash, your dog’s head will pull down or to the side, makeing it next to impossible for your dog to move ahead or pull you forward.

Slip (Choke) Collars: Slip collars, also called “choke collars,” provide effective training and retraining methods when used correctly. Many times these collars are used for dogs whom are stubborn, pull when lead, or for those that do not respond well to training when wearing other collars.
If you need to use a choke collar, make sure you how to use it correctly. If not, have a trainer assist you in demonstrating its proper use. Using a choke collar correctly involves a quick ‘tug-and-release’ action which tells your pet a different behavior is desired. Only utilize these collars when training, making sure it is not worn in a crate, while avoiding use on pets with delicate tracheas.

Prong Collars: Prong Collars contain blunt prongs that face inward from the collar links. Designed solely for the most stubborn of pullers, they are a temporary training tool designed to change behavior on dogs that do not respond to any other type of collar. Unfortunate if they are necessary, we’ve found it best to make sure your training methods are being utilized correctly, which at times can eliminate the need to use this type of collar. However, there are situations and/or dogs that may require this type of collar, to insure the training is as effectual as possible.

Mike Steele

http://www.dog.com

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Using a Pet door allows you the freedom to control when and where your pet travels. If you’ve never thought about using one, take a moment to review these reasons to consider it:

Convenience

Pet doors eliminate the need to accompany your dog each and every time they need to go out. This routine can affect your life in dramatic ways. Using a pet door, you can allow your pet access to the outdoors for a number of reasons, but we feel the number one reason would be, their ability to allow you the chance to sleep in without worry, as your dog can used the door to relieve themselves whenever they may need to.

Comfort

If you leave your pet home alone all day while you’re at work, your pet will have to “hold it” for a long time, which can be uncomfortable at the very least.
Fewer accidents
Puppies and older pets, have a much harder time controlling their bladders for long periods. Access to the outdoors may help to eliminate the occurrence of accidents in your home.

Exercise

Many pets don’t get the necessary exercise they need. Allowing your pet access to the outdoors provides them the opportunity to exercise more, which leads to slimmer, healthier pets.
Door-Scratching
Pet Doors help eliminate the irritating and often destructive scratching many dogs opt for, when requesting your attention of their outdoor needs.

Stimulation

Sights, sounds, and smells from outside provide your dog with excellent mental stimulation, which can help to keep your dog acting younger and more alert.

Mike Steele

http://www.dog.com

Tags: dog, dog door, dog supplies, pet door, pet doorsdog, dog door, dog supplies, pet door, pet doors

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