If you don’t laugh watching this, you’re probably in need of immediate medical attention…Chihuahua is the best salsa dancer I’ve seen.  (And I’ve watched Dancing with the Stars!)

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Golden Retrievers are one of the world’s smartest dogs. And, I know this is going to be controversial, they happen to be the BEST DOG EVER! Video proof below…

dog tricks: Golden Retriever Grace cleans the house

Cleaning the house is always such a chore, but Golden Retriever Grace does her part!

(Golden’s also speak Chinese)

Help! I can’t move!

Golden Retriever

Molly watching “Air Buddies”

My 3 month old golden retriever puppy named Molly, watching TV intently.

6-week old Golden Retriever puppy-palooza!

6-week old golden retriever puppies playing in a baby pool

Related articles…

• George Strait Has a New Family Member – a Golden Retriever Puppy (celebs.gather.com)
• The Golden Retriever That Loved Guitar Riffs (humor.gunaxin.com)
• Adopting an Older Golden Retriever or a Puppy? (therealowner.com)
• O’Rourke: Owning gregarious golden changes outlook (mysanantonio.com)

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Funny dog days are part of our constant effort to combat lolcats!  Dogs are funny too!

In this video – watch for gravity defying dog and much more. Just try not to laugh…

The world’s most funny dog video

The world’s most funny dog video

Very Funny Dogs

Movie of funny dog pics

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Tips and things to consider with your senior dog.  Why do older dogs “hide” their illness from us?

“If they acted sick [in the wild] …they would lose their position in the pack.”

This is an excellent video.  I’d never heard this explanation about older dogs, or dogs in general, before and it makes perfect sense!

Dr. Dressler of South Shore Vet Care talks about health tips for our Senior Dogs and Pets

Dr Demian Dressler of South Shore Vet Care in Kihei Hawaii, brings us up to speed about our Senior pets and shares a few health tips that can extend their life span.

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The following videos and pic will prove to you that Pugs are actually the ones in charge around here! Pugs Rock!

Pugs Can Sing and Love Batman

Pug sings Batman theme

Speaks for itself.

Pugs Skydive

Xtreme PUG SKYDIVING

Pug skydiving with his master at 10000 feet.

Pugs Are Wise

Pugs are Caretakers

PUG PUSHES STROLLER-PORTLAND OREGON

Music www.DaxJohnson.com . Follow Jenny twitter.com Jenny the Pug pushes her Nintendog Pug puppies around Portland, Oregon. She leaves from our home, goes under the St Johns Bridge, visits Waterfront Park, Downtown Portland, Union Station, Pittock Ma…

Pugs Care About The Planet

GREEN PUG RECYCLES! and changes lightbulb, carpools…

dailypuglet.com Pug sorts paper from plastic, rides mass transit, swaps carrots for cows and a whole bunch of other stuff that proves being green is totally easy! ** Song is Ray Charles’ rendition of Kermit’s ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green’ **

Pugs Can’t Swim

Pug Summer

Original music video by Neil Crevice. Featuring Richard the Pug. ***Lyrics*** Pugs cant swim and thats a fact… They sink to the bottom and dont… float back… Take it from me Neil Crevice… I had to throw him a flotation device… Cause he jumpe…

And After Running The World, Pugs Snore! (And Tweet)

Pugs Snoring

FOLLOW Minnie & Max on TWITTER @MinnieMaxPugs. Max & Minne doing what they do best…sleeping and snoring!

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Dogs… Love…. Food.
T-SHIRTS: http://talkinganimalmerch.com (all profits go to SPCA)
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/klaatu42
twitter: http://twitter.com/klaatu42

Thanks to IcePrincessXXIV for supplying the video of Clark!: http://www.youtube.com/user/IcePrincessXXIV

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After welcoming a baby in to the world you are probably concerned about how your dog is going to react.

Image via Wikipedia

Many people surrender their pets to shelters because of exhibited jealousy from their dog after a new baby’s arrival and fear of the infant being harmed by the animal. Yet many families have been successful in introducing their dogs to the new baby.

Introducing your dog to your baby is a process that needs time and the utmost of care to ensure a happy and safe welcoming process!

The steps to ensuring your dog acts appropriately around the baby when he or she is finally taken back to your home are twofold usually – preparing your dog for the infants arrival and introducing your dog to your infant.

Preparing your dog…

Preparing your dog for the baby’s arrival in advance is one of the best ways to help avoid friction and jealousy between your baby and your dog.

Your dog is used to your attention and pampering, some jealousy will naturally surface when your new baby becomes the center of attention. Taking some precautions, a few minutes of quality time and some extra treats can go a long way!

Dog and New Baby Introduction Checklist:

• Take your dog to your local Veterinarian for a complete checkup a few months before the baby arrives.
• Worms and parasites can be harmful to your baby so be sure to worm your dog before the baby arrives and at the normal intervals to keep on top of this problem. If your dog is not spayed or neutered, this is also the time to get it done.
• Encourage friends with infants to visit your home to accustom your pet to babies. Supervise all pet and infant interactions.
• Allow your dog to explore the baby’s sleeping, diaper changing areas, and related items such as baby powder, lotions, and diapers to become familiar with the new smells and objects. Apply baby lotion or powder to your hands, for example, and allow your dog to sniff the new smell. Dogs rely on their sense of smell, so familiarity with the new baby smells will help him or her recognize the baby as a part of the family. If possible, allow your dog to smell clothing that your baby has used before you bring the baby home.
• Accustom your pet to baby-related noises months before the baby is expected. For example, play recordings of a baby crying (there are CDs out now for this exact training purpose – (see www.soundtherapy4pets.com/ for CDs with baby noises), turn on the mechanical infant swing, and use the rocking chair. Make these positive experiences for your pet by offering a treat or playtime.
• Do not allow your dog to sleep on the baby’s furniture or play with the baby’s toys. Your dog should know that the furniture is not for him or her and should treat it as such. Provide toys for the dog that do not resemble baby toys. A dog may take the toy from the baby’s hand and unintentionally injure the infant.
• If the baby’s room will be off-limits to your pet, install a sturdy barrier such as a removable gate (available at pet or baby supply stores) or, for jumpers, even a screen door. Because these barriers still allow your dog to see and hear what’s happening in the room, your dog will feel less isolated from the family and more comfortable with the new baby noises.
• Use a baby doll to help your pet get used to the real thing. Carry around a swaddled baby doll, take the doll in the stroller when you walk your dog, and use the doll to get your pet used to routine baby activities, such as bathing and diaper changing.
• Finally and very importantly, be sure that your dog knows that you and your family are alpha over him or her – this is crucial to ensure you can reprimand your dog should any jealous signs show when the baby is brought home.

Introducing your dog to your infant.

The actual introduction of your dog to your newborn baby is of utmost importance and the first few meetings can often dictate how your dog responds to your baby in an ongoing basis. For this reason, it is crucial to undertake the introduction process slowly and properly.

Tips for the first meeting include:

• When the baby comes home, another person should hold the baby while you greet your dog. Your dog has missed you and it is important to pay attention to him or her when you first get home.
• Greet your dog happily and bring him or her a new toy as a gift to associate the baby with something positive. After your dog’s excitement about your homecoming has dissipated you should start introducing your baby to the dog.
• If you are unsure of your dog’s behavior, leash or restrain him or her during the introduction. Talk to your dog, pet and encourage him or her to get a good look and sniff the baby’s hands and feet.

Do not force a reluctant dog by pushing the infant in front of the pet. Allow the pet to explore the new smells at their own pace. Never leave your baby unsupervised with your pet. An infant is incapable of pushing the animal away and your dog may inadvertently smother the child. The actions of a baby may scare your dog and cause it to bite in self-defense. If your dog reacts aggressively, put him or her in another room until it is calm and try the introduction again.

After the initial greeting, you can bring your pet with you to sit next to the baby; reward your pet with treats for appropriate behavior. Remember, you want your pet to view associating with the baby as a positive experience. Again, to prevent anxiety or injury, never force your pet to get near the baby, and always supervise any interaction.

Life will no doubt be hectic caring for your new baby, but try to maintain regular routines as much as possible to help your pet adjust. And be sure to spend one-on-one quality time with your pet each day—it may help relax you, too. With proper training, supervision, and adjustments, you, your new baby, and your pet should be able to live together safely and happily as one (now larger) family. For more information on dog training techniques and how to deal with problem dog behavior (like accustoming your dog to children), check out Secrets to Dog Training. It’s the complete manual for dog ownership and is designed to fast-track your dog’s learning. You can visit the Secrets to Dog Training site.

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Destructive Chewing and How To Keep Your Dog From Chewing Everything!

The act of chewing seems to be a matter of individual preference among dogs: some have an innate desire to chew as a pleasurable activity in itself, and some seem to have no need to chew whatsoever unless they’re driven to it out of sheer boredom.

The phrase ‘destructive chewing’ may sound redundant, because by its very nature , all chewing is destructive. Your dog has strong jaws full of sharp, pointy teeth: just about anything she starts to chew on is probably going to show the effects of it inside of a minute. So just to clarify, when I use the phrase ‘destructive chewing’, I’m referring to inappropriate chewing: the kind of chewing that’s focused on your own possessions and household items, instead of on your dog’s own designated toys and chews.

The three main reasons why dogs chew:

• Most dogs have a natural desire to chew. It’s fun, it passes the time, and it’s a self-rewarding, self-reinforcing activity (for example, if she’s chewing on something that tastes good.)
• Chewing provides a nervous, bored, or lonely dog with an outlet for her emotions. To an anxious dog, the repetitive act of chewing is soothing ‘ it’s the doggie equivalent of comfort food.
• Under-exercised dogs often use chewing as a way of burning up nervous energy and giving themselves something to do.
• How to prevent destructive chewing -

Dogs are perfectly capable of learning not to chew your stuff.  You just have to put in a little effort first, that’s all.

1. Take control of the situation: manage your own possessions.

Your first step should be to dog-proof your home. Even if you have the best-behaved dog in the world, there’s still no reason to test her self-control after all, dogs explore the world with their mouths.

Dog-proofing your home means taking whatever you don’t want to end up in her mouth, and making it unavailable. Consider her size and agility when deciding whether something’s out of reach: can she jump? Can she climb, or leap onto something else to reach the desired object? How tall is she when standing on her back legs?

Common targets in the home include books, eyewear, clothing, shoes, garbage, and small crunchy appliances like cameras, cell phones, and remote controls.

It should go without saying that all food needs to be put securely away: don’t leave snacks on low tables (or even countertops ‘ you’d be surprised how acrobatic she can be when there’s food at stake!), put all food into containers or the pantry. Rinse your dirty plates clean of any food scraps before leaving them by the sink.

2. Prevent her from learning the joys of illegal chewing.

The more times she manages to snatch a jawful of a forbidden substance (a chair-leg, a pillow, a running shoe ) the more readily she’ll target those items in future. If you can prevent her from chewing your stuff in the first place, it’s a lot easier for her to understand what you expect of her. Practically speaking, this means confining her in a dog-proofed area until you’re confident of her understanding of the house rules.

3. Don’t set her up for failure by blurring the boundaries between her stuff (OK to chew) and your stuff (not OK to chew).

Don’t offer your dog cast-off clothes, shoes, or towels to chew and play with: realistically, you can’t possibly expect her to be able to tell the difference between your current shoes and the one she’s got in her mouth that you gave her five minutes ago.

4. Provide her with lots of tasty alternatives to your stuff.

If her environment is relatively barren of attractive, appropriate chewing objects, you can hardly blame her for targeting your possessions. Remember, most dogs need to chew; if she’s an adolescent (under three years) or a puppy (under one year), her needs will be even more pronounced. Go on a toy and chew shopping spree, then give her two or three to play with at a time. Rotating the available toys every few days will keep things novel and interesting for her.

5. Spend lots of time in active supervision.

Yes, it might be easier for you to just keep her penned up in her crate, run, or the yard, but that’s boring and horrible for her and hardly much fun for you either (if you wanted a pet that you don’t need to interact with, you’d have got a goldfish, right?) She can’t learn what you expect of her if she’s spending all her time boxed up in the dog-proof zone: she needs the opportunity to explore the boundaries of your expectations, so she can understand what’s appropriate and what’s not.

6. When you catch her chewing something inappropriate, interrupt her by making a loud noise: clap your hands or make an ‘Ah-ah-aaaah!’ noise.

Then, immediately hand her a tasty and dog-appropriate alternative (a rawhide bone or other chew toy) as soon as her jaws close around it, praise her lavishly. There is no better way to get your dog to understand that chewing ‘her’ toys equals praise from you, but everything else equals trouble.

- Maintain a productive attitude -

Above all, remember to keep your expectations realistic. You’re not perfect, and neither is your dog. There’s likely to be at least one incident where a cherished item is damaged by her curiosity.

Particularly in the early stages of your relationship, she’s still learning the ropes.  It is going to take awhile before she’s completely reliable (and even then, if she’s left by herself for too long or feels neglected, she may choose your stuff over hers to occupy her time and jaws with). Remember to give her time to learn the rules, and plenty of ‘you-time’ to help her learn faster and don’t forget to take precautions and keep things out of reach until she’s got the hang of the chewing rules!

For more information on dog training techniques and how to deal with problem dog behavior (like chewing), check out Secrets to Dog Training. It’s the complete manual for dog ownership and is designed to fast-track your dog’s learning.
You can visit the Secrets to Dog Training site here.

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When someone hears the name Fox Terrier, they may think of either a Wire Fox or Smooth Fox Terrier. While the two breeds are similar, the main difference is the coat and they are bred independent of one another. A Smooth Fox Terrier has a coat which is smooth and flat, yet thick, dense and hard. On the other hand a Wire Fox Terrier has a broken coat which has a dense, wiry texture to it. The coat color is alike on both dogs, and each can have a base coat of black and tan, or tan with some white spots.

Another thing that makes the dogs similar is that both were originally bred for hunting foxes. Fox Terriers were bred and trained to chase foxes into a hole and actually venture inside to retrieve the fox. Because the fox would often act out with aggression towards the dog, a Fox Terrier needed to be courageous enough to pursue the fox and not back down. Both breeds still display the same brave temperament today, never cowering when up against another animal, no matter what the size may be.

Throughout the years, a Fox Terrier was a blanket name given to a group of fox hunting dog breeds. The Wire Fox and Smooth Fox continued to be shown in professional shows under the same breed standard for several years. Research concluded the two dogs should not have been categorized together as one breed alone. Though many terrier lovers refer to the dogs as cousins, the belief is actually that the two dogs are not related at all.

Terrier lovers claim the Wire Fox is a descendant of the Rough Black and Tan Terriers, which hail from Wales. The Smooth Fox Terrier finds its origins in the combination of a Smooth Black and Tan, a Bull Terrier and a Beagle. The Wire Fox and Smooth Coat were eventually broken into different breeds. In 1985, the two breeds were actually separated and recognized as two distinct dogs. Now, each one is registered separately with the American Kennel Club and other professional organizations. Most people do not realize the Smooth Fox Terrier was a recognized breed in the United States for more than 15 years, long before the Wire Fox Terrier burst onto the scene.

Both dogs are similar size-wise, each weighing around 15-25 pounds and standing between 15-18 inches in height. Both breeds have a high energy level and active nature, and display a fierce streak of independence. One major feature of the terrier breed is their capacity to respond well to training, being naturally intelligent, the dogs love to participate in obedience and agility trials. The dogs also need training to avoid becoming bored and acting out in a destructive manner. Both breeds have strength, power and endurance that can seem to be never ending. The Smooth Fox and Wire Fox both make suitable breeds to bring into a home and will provide years of love and loyalty for their owner.

This article was written by John Jackson and has been contributed by http://www.greatdogsite.com For more information on the Smooth Fox Terrier, please visit our page http://www.greatdogsite.com/breeds/details/Smooth_Fox_Terrier/

Breed All About It – Smooth Fox Terrier

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Temperament: The Toy Fox Terrier may be a small dog but is very robust, as are most of the Terrier family. This is a hardy dog that is intelligent curious and active staying active all its life. This dog is loyal, loving, and is sensitive. This is a dog that has high levels of energy, and is inquisitive. This breed has got all the Terrier qualities and will still hunt and kill mice and rats, so small pets such as rats and rabbits are not a good idea with this breed.

The Toy Fox Terrier is small but will still need a firm consistent leader to meet its natural balance and to bring out the best in the breed. Small Dog Syndrome is not good and this breed, if they think they are the pack leader, will become yappy and over demanding. This dog is great to train and with its sharp intelligent brain learns quickly. The Toy Fox Terrier is used for assisting the disabled and can work well for hard of hearing and other disabled groups, around the home. This dog is good with children providing the child understands to be a small leader. The dog will stay puppy like all its life which is about 13-14 years.

Health issues: While, over all, this is a good healthy breed of dog there are lines that can get stifle or Legg-Calve-Perthes, a syndrome that is of the hip joint and is degenerative, both of which can be seen in the Toy breeds. Diet is important with this breed as allergies to corn, beet pulp, and wheat can develop.

Grooming: The Toy Fox Terrier is easy to keep smart and clean all that is needed is brushing the coat occasionally. This breed is a light shedder.

Living conditions: The Toy Fox Terrier is good for apartment living and is happy and active in an apartment, not needing a garden. This dog will still need good daily walks as it is an active breed and so needs to release a lot of energy and fulfill its need to have a great look around and explore.

For more information on different Dog Breeds, Dog Training and Teacup Puppies for sale including Yorkies, Chihuahuas and Morkies please visit our websites below. Be sure to Register for our Free Puppy Contest where you can register to win a Free Puppy valued at up to $1,500.00 with Free Shipping.

Teacup Puppies For Sale

Teacup Yorkie

My new toy fox terrier puppy – Divot

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