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Tips for Running With Your Dog

If your dog is healthy, loves to run, and is capable of running a respectable distance, you have the makings of a wonderful running partner—whether Labrador or toy poodle mix. Dogs don’t mind if you rouse them at the crack of dawn and never fuss about runny noses or side stitches. But unless you happen to share your life with a born side runner (like Dalmatians, once bred to run alongside fire engines), you may have to teach your dog the human version of running. Dogs like to go faster than people, check out interesting smells along the route, and chase the occasional cat. If you haven’t done so already, the first step is to teach your dog good on-leash manners during walks. Then proceed to walks interspersed with periods of jogging and finally graduate to full runs. Build distance and time slowly—in increments of 10 minutes, for example—to ensure

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Lyme Disease in Dogs

Lyme disease is a tick-transmitted disease most prevalent in the northeast, the upper Midwest, and the Pacific seaboard states, but found throughout the U.S. Awareness is important, as dogs are 50 to 100 times more likely than humans to come into contact with disease-carrying ticks. Common symptoms include lameness (especially recurrent), fever, lethargy, and swollen lymph nodes. Ticks must be attached to your dog for 48 hours for him to contract Lyme disease, so daily checks and quick removal dramatically ups your chances of keeping your pooch healthy. To remove a tick, put on gloves, dab the area with rubbing alcohol, then use a pair of tweezers to grab the tick as close to your dog’s skin as possible (if you accidentally leave parts of the tick behind, it can cause serious problems). Pull straight up; don’t twist or jerk the tick. Disinfect the area, wash your hands, and sterilize

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The Afghan Hound

This sleek, silk-coated aristocrat of the canine world was originally bred for life in rough mountainous terrain, but now spends more time at the doggie equivalent of the runway: the dog show. Afghans, like other supermodels, require a great deal of grooming and maintenance. A sighthound bred to catch deer, gazelles, and leopards, the Afghan boasts a top speed of 40 miles an hour and a 270-degree field of vision. The stunning exterior and strong personality of Afghans have inspired writers and artists all through history, not least Picasso, who depicted his beloved Afghan Kabul in both paintings and sculpture. Appropriately, the human companion of Prissy the Afghan in Disney’s One Hundred and One Dalmatians is an artist. Who better to appreciate a dog as graceful as a ballet of swans? To re-home an Afghan, search online for a rescue group near you.

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A Greener Home For A Healthy Dog

Chemicals and toxins in your household—from furniture polish to bug bombs—may put your dog at risk. Long-term exposure to many cleaning solutions can cause cancer or damage your dog’s liver or central nervous system. Greener cleaning can help: Pest control. When possible, stick to natural methods like sticky or non-lethal traps. There are many options for each type of pest, e.g. tannic acid to combat dust mites and brewer’s yeast to fight fleas. Carpets & flooring. Choose safe, low-toxicity materials made from natural fibers with little or no chemical treatment or opt for eco-friendly flooring like hardwood, cork, bamboo, or tile. Cleaning. Nix air fresheners (a big air polluter) and use baking soda to neutralize odors, and natural oils like vanilla and lavender to make your home fragrant. Stick to green all-purpose cleaners.

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The Many Benefits of Dog Sports

If you think of the practice of dog sports as a competitive and fairly serious business, you’re only about 10 percent right. Just as in human athletic pursuits, the vast majority of dog sports enthusiasts are hobbyists; happy amateurs not much interested in ribbons or plaques. So what hooks people? The numerous benefits two- and four-legged sportsmen alike reap. For starters, a quick alphabetic inventory reveals something for every ability and temperament: agility, caniscross, disc dog, dock diving, earthdog, flyball, freestyle, herding, lure coursing, mushing, nose work, rally-o, tracking, treibball, and weight pulling. An exhaustive list would be much longer, of course, and still wouldn’t include the many fun, creative activity classes trainers, dog facilities, and dog groups might offer. On the two-legged side of the benefits scoreboard, consider the ageless appeal of all this variety. We expect kids to enjoy playing sports with furry friends, but don’t underestimate the delicious

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Dog – Child Etiquette

Dog – Child Etiquette The risk of being bitten by a dog is low compared to other common causes of accidents, in or out of the household, but that’s no consolation to those who find themselves on the business end of a pair of canine choppers. Kids especially are vulnerable. They tend to get excited around dogs and might approach too suddenly, shout too loudly, or dish out well meant but unwanted hugs. To keep kids safe, here’s a primer on what to teach them: Don’t know the dog? Avoid. Lesson number one for kids is to avoid dogs they don’t know. Never approach an unfamiliar dog, especially one who’s tied up or confined behind a fence or in a car, regardless of the dog’s size or overpowering cuteness. Know the dog well? Respect the space. Just like people, dogs have personal space we should respect, particularly during dinnertime, naptime

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The Cairn Terrier

This confident, active, tenacious little ragamuffin is the smallest of the Scottish terriers, and was originally bred for hunting rodents and small game like otters, foxes, and badgers. A Cairn’s paws are made to dig—literally. The front paws are bigger and flatter than the hind paws, making it easier for the dog to get into “cairns,” the rock dens where his quarry lived. Cairns also sport a weather-resistant outer coat, highly expressive ears, and enough personality to steal any picture. Case in point: the unforgettable Toto in The Wizard of Oz was a Cairn (“he” was a she called Terry). Quick to learn and always up for a game, Cairns are happiest when they get plenty of exercise and stimulation. Despite their modest size, they are terrific little athletes that, with patient training, can excel at agility, tracking trials, K9 Nose Work, and Rally obedience. To give a Cairn Terrier

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Dementia In Dogs

Dementia in dogs—also known as “canine cognitive dysfunction”—is similar to Alzheimer’s in people and is caused by changes in the brain’s chemical balance. The condition often gets off to a slow start with mild, almost imperceptible changes but can speed up quickly. If your dog is getting on in years, be on the lookout for symptoms like disorientation/confusion, anxiety, restlessness, irritability, apathy, lack of self-grooming, loss of appetite, and changes in sleep cycles. We don’t yet have a way to cure dementia in dogs any more than we do in humans. But you can make a great deal of difference to your dog’s condition by keeping up a stimulating daily routine of exercise, play, and training. Your veterinarian may also recommend adjustments to your dog’s diet as well as nutritional supplements like Omega-3, vitamin E and C, selenium, beta carotene, and L-carnitine, all known to have a positive effect on

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Beyond Fetch: Games To Play With Your Dog

A game is a great way to exercise your dog’s body and mind, and spend a little quality time together. What’s in your repertoire? Here’s a selection of games you can play indoors or outside: Homegrown agility. If your house is big enough, create a makeshift obstacle course for your dog from rolled-up towels, cardboard boxes, blankets hung between chairs, etc. Or, if the weather is good and you have a yard, build your course outside. Hide-and-seek. Grab a handful of yummy treats or your dog’s favorite toy. Ask your dog to sit and stay, then you go hide in another room. Call your dog and when he finds you, reward him with a treat or a play session with his toy. Repeat until you have had enough—your dog likely won’t get bored anytime soon.  The name game. Get two of your dog’s favorite toys and remove all other toys

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Understanding Fear In Dogs

When we think of a scared dog, what usually comes to mind is a trembling animal hiding in a dark corner or under the bed, whining, his tail tucked. Nonstop barking doesn’t often make the list. Nor do shredding of clothes, gnawing through window frames, or growling and lunging at visitors. But these can all be symptoms of fear in dogs. Fear-based behaviors vary so widely that we frequently don’t recognize them as fear-based. Instead we think the dog is being stubborn or naughty or is trying to run the household (the long-discredited dominance theory), which means we end up trying to solve the wrong problem. Clues in canine body language can help us identify fear and anxiety—fear-based behaviors always come with some physical, postural giveaways. It might be muscle tension, a tightly closed mouth or one wide open showing all the teeth, crouching, dilated pupils, yawning, ears held back,

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