American Bulldog ? Dealing with Dog Aggression
Dog aggression is an encompassing term that refers to a dog’s propensity to behave more aggressively than is normal. Dog aggression as a problem can be developed as the dog is growing up. Although there are several problems that dogs may develop, dog aggression is one of the most significant problems that can affect your pet. Although all dogs will display aggression from time to time, it being a common behavior among canines, abnormal dog aggression is still a problem that needs to be treated. If not, your dog’s aggressive behavior can be a huge disadvantage. The effects of dog aggression are varied, but all of them are nothing short of destructive.
What Causes Dog Aggression?
A lot of factors can cause dog aggression. Some cases of dog aggression can be hereditary, which brings to the fore the importance of looking into a dog’s family history before adopting it as a pet. Also, you might want to get a dog of a breed that is less sensitive to dog aggression. There are three types of dog aggression, and some of these types may encompass other problems such as noise and thunderstorm phobias. The differentiation lies primarily on what triggers the aggressive behavior. The first type of dog aggression is when the dog displays aggressive behavior as a response to anger, or as a way to dominate over an unfamiliar person or event that it automatically interprets as a threat. Dog aggression as a result of fear can also occur in dogs when they are faced with something that is strange and scary for them. The third type of dog aggression is milder, and in some ways, positive, because it springs from a need to protect their surroundings. Other than these, dog aggression can also be caused by other factors such as a traumatic experience, a phobia, and even medical illnesses.
How Do You Deal with Dog Aggression?
Overly aggressive dogs are very hard to handle. If you are a first time dog owner, or you have a new puppy, it is important to prevent dog aggression before it develops by training your dog to socialize. However, since there are several possible causes of dog aggression, the problem may still arise when the dog is already grown up. In such cases, you have to manage dog aggression nonetheless. Treating dog aggression is dependent on determining the true cause of the dog’s aggressive behavior. If your dog is displaying exccessive aggression, your first step should be to bring it to a veterinarian and have its condition diagnosed. Most cases of aggressive behavior in dogs can be corrected through behavioral modification. Professional dog trainers can also help you come up with a treatment for your aggressive dog. If your dog has dog aggression problems, your commitment to helping it overcome the behavioral problem is necessary.
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Preventing and Dealing With Dog Constipation
Constipation is something that everyone experiences in their lives, even dogs. When they don’t have the right diet or they don’t exercise enough, constipation can show up just as it appears in humans. This article will give you some solutions for your dog’s problem.
As I said before, the right diet and regular exercise are very important in making sure that the dog doesn’t have problems with their bowels. For a house dog, this means that they should be walked outside at least twice a day, while giving them the right diet. If he is constipated, a solution might be the addition of a teaspoon or two of bran in his meals. This makes the stool moister.
Softening the dog’s stool can also be achieved with psyllium added to their food. Used twice a day, half a teaspoon, plus giving him enough water should do the trick. Another possible solution is using mineral oil. Mineral oil might be a good idea when there is too much hard stool built up. The treatment should only last for 7 days and it should consist of two teaspoons of mineral oil, administered twice a day. You can also add water to the food to make it moist and for older dogs you can also add vegetables and raw meat to the diet.
Some things might let you know in advance that the dog will have problems in this area. If the dog has long hair, the feces can get entangled, so make sure the dog is groomed properly. Since dogs will often eat anything they can find, make sure they don’t ingest things they shouldn’t. Dogs can also get constipated because of medications, just as humans do. Stress can be another factor that will contribute to constipation.
Constipation can be a problem for dogs of all ages and breeds, but there are some things you should take into consideration and avoid doing. One of these is giving dogs food from your dinner table. Scraps are OK from time to time, but remember that they can provoke constipation or at least contribute to it.
If the food has sugar, flour, dairy or rice in it, then it can be the cause of the constipation. Don’t give the dog cookies, chocolate, ice cream or bread, as it’s not a food they are used to eating. As I said before, if the dog doesn’t drink enough water or has enough fiber in their diet, they can have problems with constipation. In some cases the reason will be a medical condition where the colon is inflamed.
If you see that the dog’s constipation turns to blood passing in small amounts, decreased appetite or lethargy, then it’s time to visit the vet. Make sure that you take care of your dog at all times and you don’t contribute to his health problems. Since the dog will love you no matter what, you are the one responsible for his health. Make sure he isn’t stressed and give him the exercise and the diet that he needs.
Dog constipation – articles and information on the dog constipation causes and dog constipation home treatments.
Dealing With Mites, Dog Skin Problems
So you treat your dogs very well. You give them their routine bath, the monthly visit to the vet and of course provide the medications that are prescribed to prevent any kind of skin inflammation or infections. But did you know that in spite of the best precautionary measures, dogs of any breed can easily become targets of some serious skin problems, caused by certain breeds of parasites?
An example of these parasites can be Mites. They are the principal agent that causes irritation that later exacerbates into inflammation. Below is a list, that includes the names of these mites, the symptoms shown by dogs when attacked by them and the requisite measures that must be taken to counter the infections.
? 1. Name of the mite: Demodex.
? Infection it causes: pustular dermatitis. If it gets infected in young puppies the skin problem is called juvenile pyoderma.
? Common name of the disease: Mange
? Symptoms: rashes around the head and shoulder of young puppies; hair loss, flaky or oily skin, characteristic mousy odour.
? Class of dogs generally attacked: carried by most dogs this parasite is harmless till the time that your dog doesn’t become too stressed. And puppies are a prime target due to weak natural defences or immunity.
? Preventive measures: take your dog to the vet within 24 hours of the start of the infection to prevent scarring. He might prescribe antibiotics to heal the infection and a special shampoo that reduces oiliness and takes care of the smell.
2. Name of the mite: Sarcoptes, commonly known as scabies.
? Infection it causes: by burrowing through the skin of the dog these parasites drill long tunnels, inside which they lay their eggs. They can also infect humans but in humans the infections dies down quickly. Yet one should be careful.
? Common name of the disease: Mange
? Symptoms: red spots on ears, hocks and elbows. The tunnels are visible on human skin.
? Class of dogs generally attacked: dogs of all ages.
? Preventive measures: the dog on the detection of infection must immediately be taken to the vet to prevent the spread of infection to humans. The vet may prescribe chemicals that are also present in insecticidal shampoos. To calm the dog down and prevent him from scratching the infection and worsening it, he may also be treated wit certain kinds of drugs.
Besides these two microscopic kinds there is another kind of visible mite; it is called the Octodectes. The unique fact about this mite is that it can actually be seen as white moving dots on dogs’ ears, with naked eyes. It causes inflammation of the ear.
So as you see, even the cleanest of dogs can fall victim to common parasites. There is nothing to worry about it; such an infection does not mean that you have been neglectful. Just take the right precautions and see your dog getting better in no time at all. And thus you have it, dealing with mites, dog skin problems.
Written by Kelly Marshall from Oh My Dog Supplies – the largest provider of dog car seat covers online