A dog who suffers from separation anxiety exhibits a number of behaviors that point to the problem. If you’ve noticed that your dog howls incessantly when you leave him, even after you’ve closed the door on him, you could have a dog with separation anxiety.

Look for other signs. Does your dog chew on slippers and shoes in your absence and leave little “mementos” of his distress all over the floor when you leave him alone?  Does he run rampage through the house, overturning things, and generally messing everything at home?

The first part of dealing with separation anxiety with dogs is of course to admit you have a problem on your hands. Many owners fail to notice that their dog has a severe separation anxiety, assuming that they’ll grow out of it. That’s hardly the case.

If your dog has separation anxiety, try a few simple steps to minimize his anxiety to the point where he is totally comfortable with you leaving the house.

Try to condition him to get used to being without you.  Start by stepping out of the house and then re entering it 2 minutes later.  After a few days of this, stay out for a few more minutes, and then step in again. Increase the amount of time you spend outside the door.  Once he is able to stay an hour without barking or whining, he’s probably ready to stay the whole day without a fuss.

Don’t punish your dog if you find the house a mess when you arrive home. It’s just his way of showing anxiety.

If no amount of training or ignoring works, consult your vet about anti anxiety medication. This is a last resort, and should be tried if the problem refuses to subside after a few days of training.

Adopting a pup means giving a homeless animal shelter, care and support and also means getting yourself a loyal companion. Dogs soon become part of a family and both the owner and the dog begin to understand each other and develop a level of comfort.

When you adopt a pup make sure you get off to a good start. It’s important to take in a pup that has a good temperament rather than one than is good looking or a good breed. When you adopt it is also necessary to determine how much time you are can spend with the pet. It is also important to educate yourself about medical bills and other things you may spend on for your dog, so before you adopt it is necessary for you to understand the implications and whether you can bear the additional financial burden.

A pet can also be the ideal gift for a person who is lonely. However, before making such a gift, it needs to be seen whether the person who you are gifting the dog to can and is willing to take care of it. It would be very disastrous for both the dog as well as the owner if he/she is not prepared to own a dog, for whatever reason.

There are things that need to be looked into before a dog in brought into a house, but once the dog becomes a part of the household, it becomes like a member of the family. All dog owners think of their dogs as children or siblings. Why, there are people I know who have their dog’s name of the name plate!

Inherited disorders

• Labs are somewhat prone to hip and elbow dysplasia, especially the larger dogs, though not as much as some other breeds. Hip scores are recommended before breeding.
• Labs also suffer from the risk of knee problems. A luxating patella is a common occurrence in the knee where the leg is often bow shaped.
• Eye problems are also possible in some Labs, particularly progressive retinal atrophy, cataracts, corneal dystrophy and retinal dysplasia. Dogs which are intended to be bred should be examined by a veterinary ophthalmologist for an eye score.
• Hereditary myopathy, a rare inherited disorder that causes a deficiency in type II muscle fibre.

There is a small incidence of other conditions, such as autoimmune diseases and deafness in labs, either congenitally or later in life.

Originally, Doberman Pinschers were characterized by a deep, broad chest, and a powerful, compact, and square muscular body. That, however, has changed in recent years. Some breeders have predominantly bred, displayed, and sold a slimmer or more sleek-looking version of the Doberman Pinscher. And it has gained popularity very swiftly, especially among owners who show their Doberman Pinschers competitively. The conventional body type is still preferred by many casual owners especially to those who want the dog for protection.

Size and appearance apart, it is a Doberman’s unwavering loyalty, and ferocity in protecting his master that really makes this dog a popular one, and one of the most feared classes of canines.

Try to remember not to over-train her. She is still a baby, and in the same way that you wouldn’t expect of a child the same standards of behaviour that you would expect from an adult, you can’t expect your small puppy to have the same standard of behaviour as a well-trained adult dog. It is really just the very basics that you can encourage your puppy to follow, such as manners, house-cleanliness and socialisation, until she is mature enough to start more formal training.

One crucial point in considering your pup’s training is this: do not encourage her to behave in a way that will not be acceptable later on. For example, because people, especially your younger members of the family, find the puppy so cute, they may encourage her to jump up at them, a behaviour which would not be acceptable or practical in an adult dog. So from the start you must discourage jumping up. It is natural for a puppy to jump up when greeting anyone. Rather than reprimand her, simply ignore this behaviour and wait till she settles down and is not jumping up, before giving her attention. Remember not to encourage the behaviour by patting or praising her when she is in the ‘jumping mode’, as this will reinforce the behaviour.

And while we are on the topic of health issues, it is important to teach your puppy not to bite or nip people, even in play. One good way to make this point in a way that your puppy can understand is by reacting as if in pain to her playful nips. Going “owwwww!”, and adopting an exaggerated facial expression will let you dog know that this is simply not on, and will be far more effective than giving her a telling off that she will not understand. It is important to do this early on, as when your dog has a full set of adult teeth, those nips really will be harmful.

Talking of sleeping places, it is a good idea to make sure from the start that your puppy is given her own private sleeping place that is not used by anyone else in the family or another pet. Your puppy will benefit from short periods left alone in her little den. And don’t forget to reward your pup for being relaxed and quiet – that way you will reinforce the behaviour and increase its frequency. Your dog will learn that she doesn’t have to be noisy in order to get attention.

Do however try to make sure that your puppy receives attention and entertainment for short but regular intervals throughout the day. Long periods of being left unstimulated and bored can lead to disruptive behaviour later when your pup grows up into adulthood. Entertain your puppy by playing little games of fetch, which will not only stimulate her, but give her some exercise too.

The poodle has to be the classic fashionable dog of all time, with her curly coat she comes in many colours – black, white, red, apricot, silver and brown. Popular through Europe for hundreds of years, it seems that the modern day poodle comes from France, and her image does seem to be connected with the image of French fashion and sophistication. However, apparently, along with the greyhound, the poodle can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians. Dogs resembling poodles, with carefully clipped coats, can also be found as part of Roman sculptures.

The poodle is actually a retriever or gun dog, and despite appearing to be a chic accessory, is very intelligent, being skilled at herding, agility, obedience and tracking. Jackie, who keeps a poodle, says, “For some reason, people tend to see the poodle as a toy or an accessory, and they don’t realise what intelligent dogs they are. Just because they look so good, and so sweet, it doesn’t mean that they have to be stupid. I wouldn’t be without my lovely bright poodle.”.

The coat of a poodle is dense and the good news for dog owners that like to keep their upholstery free from dog hair is that the coat of the poodle generally does not shed. This does mean however that to keep the coat in showing condition a great deal of care and grooming is required. Most owners who keep a poodle simply as a pet rather than for showing ensure that the dog has a fairly simple cut that is easy to care for and does not require considerable grooming.

With stylish good looks, a pleasant temperament, and high intelligence, the poodle makes a marvellous pet.

Dog lovers who also love music may well be interested to hear that singer-songwriter Lily Allen, who shot to fame with the song “Smile” is also a dog lover, and she has a lovely English bull terrier called Maggie May.

Lily was very upset in December of last year when her dog was stolen from the back of a van in London. Fortunately Lily and Maggie May were reunited in January of this year, when a man phoned Lily claiming to have just bought Maggie May. Lily’s friends met the man and gave him some money in return for the dog. However, it is feared that the man and his associates may have been involved in stealing the dog.

It seems that in London, quite large numbers of dogs go missing, presumed stolen, each month. It is thought that some pedigree dogs are stolen so that people can resell them in order to get money to buy drugs. There is also a suspicion that the dogs could be stolen in connection with the organising of illegal dog fights. There is also the possibility that dogs are stolen so that the thieves will later be able to claim the reward when the distressed owner offers a decent sum.

In the case of Maggie May, it is not clear what the situation was. When Maggie May was returned, the fact that she had fleas made Lily and her friends wonder if Maggie May had been kept with other dogs.

Lily described herself as “overjoyed” to have Maggie May back.

You may wake up one day and discover that your lovely, svelte puppy has turned into an overweight dog. Oh no, how did this happen? Well, just as in the case of humans, it all comes down to diet and exercise. Puppies and young dogs tend to be more excitable and active, thus burning off the calories, but as your dog becomes calmer in his mature adult life, and a little less active, he may start to pile on the pounds. And this is the point where you need to do something about it.

First of all, let’s think about exercise. Has he been getting his daily walks? Have you been playing with him? If your dog is getting a little on the rotund side, it may be time to think about making that walk longer, or even trying to walks a day, if you can possibly fit it in.

Turning to diet, it could be that you have been overfeeding your dog. Perhaps, because he obviously loves his food, you have been overfilling his bowl a little? A few extra calories a day can really pile on the pounds over a long period. If you feel tempted to give him generous portions, you could think about accurately weighing out his alloted amount of food every day.

Another factor to consider is this: have other people been feeding him? A little questioning around the house may reveal that family members have been giving him treats and left overs – after all, he is so cute! A bit of family discussion, explaining the weight problem, may help to put a stop to this – as soon as people realise that the dog is struggling with a weight problem, they will feel less tempted to feed him a treat when he gazes at them imploringly. You could also muster some volunteers for the dog walking.

By the whole family paying special attention to your dog’s diet and exercise, you can all help him to stay slim and healthy.