How To Exercise Your Dog? Ask Your Veterinarian

Exercising Your Dog
Not only can exercise extend your furry friends’ lives, it can also expend some of their nervous energy and make them a little less likely to chew on the living room drapes
Source: www.healthypets.com

YOU know it’s good for you. You know that exercise can give you energy, help you maintain a healthy weight, keep your muscles and joints flexible, help you live longer, and above all, make you feel better.

For all the same reasons, your pets need to get up and get moving. Not only can pet exercise extend your furry friends’ lives; it may also expend some of their nervous energy and make them a little less likely to chew on the living room drapes.

The thing is, nobody’s filled pets in on all of these benefits of exercise. Without someone to lead the way, they’re not going to run laps or do leg lifts in their spare time.

So as a wonderful pet parent, part of your job is ensuring your animal family members get safe, enjoyable exercise on a regular basis — whether they’re cats, dogs, turtles, or ferrets! All pets need some physical activity to live a happy, healthy life.

Different pets need different amounts of exercise, so you’ll want to talk to your veterinarian before starting your pet’s workout program. With your veterinarian’s approval, you can embark on an exercise program that won’t seem like work at all — to your pet, it’s play.

Dogs on the run
Dogs can be great fun to exercise, because they can get you out and moving yourself. You don’t want to hit the ground running with your pooch, though. Just as with any animal — or person — you’ll want a doctor’s okay before you start your dog’s fitness routine.

“Begin with a visit to the veterinarian to discuss your plans and ensure your dog has a clean bill of health,” says Dr. Jay Geasling, member and past president of the American Animal Hospital Association. “After your veterinarian gives you the go-ahead, start your dog on suitable exercise for beginners.”

Just like people who aren’t used to exercise, dogs should start off slow. Moderately paced walking and swimming are a good way to start — they let canine athletes build their cardiovascular and muscle strength without putting undue stress on their joints.

A daily 10- to 15-minute walking or swimming session is a good start; you can build to an hour a day if Rover seems up to it. If, after a few months, he’s doing well and can handle long, fast walks without fatigue, he can graduate to jogging with you.

Once he’s adapted to the exercise, you and your dog can run and walk to your heart’s content, if you take a few precautions:

> Keep a close eye on your dog. Watch for any unusual signs of fatigue or trouble breathing. If your pup wants to stop, let him. Dogs that overdo it can suffer strained tendons or ligaments or other orthopedic problems.

> Don’t expect your fuzzy buddy to be a weekend warrior, even if you only get exercise on the weekends yourself. After a long week without exercise, your dog may be ready to get out and burn off energy. But because of their enthusiasm, many of the popular breeds, such as Labrador and Golden Retrievers, will overdo it.
> Safety first — keep Rover on a leash when you run. Even the best-trained dogs can run into the path of a car or a territorial animal. And if you have to run when it’s dark out, put reflectors on your dog’s collar as well as on your clothes.

> Concrete and asphalt are tough on the paws, especially on hot days. Try to run on dirt paths or grass as much as possible. Gravel, cinders, and road salt can also irritate paws.

> Take it easy in extreme weather. If it’s freezing cold or hot and steamy out, either keep your run short or play a little indoor fetch instead.

> The more active your dog is, the more water he’ll need. Make sure he has plenty of fresh water before and after your run. If you’re going for a long run, take some water along for him.

If your dog is getting bored with running or walking, take heart: there are other ways to get him the exercise he needs. A 15-minute game of fetch makes for a good workout.

Supervised play with other dogs is a good option too. Tug-of-war is not a good game because it can damage his teeth and may increase aggressive behavior. If you have the time and your dog has the inclination, you could even try running him through some agility obstacle courses, which incorporate a range of activities.

If you’re interested, your veterinarian may know of a dog agility organization in your area.

Source: How To Exercise Your Dog? Ask Your Veterinarian

Exercising Your Pets

Whether it’s a dog, cat, turtle or bird, this guide to exercising your favourite companion has got you covered

How To Exercise Your Dog

YOU know it’s good for you. You know that exercise can give you energy, help you maintain a healthy weight, keep your muscles and joints flexible, help you live longer, and above all, make you feel better. For all the same reasons, your pets need to get up and get moving. Not only can exercise extend your furry friends’ lives; it may also expend some of their nervous energy and make them a little less likely to chew on the living room drapes.

The thing is, nobody’s filled pets in on all of these benefits of pet exercise. Without someone to lead the way, they’re not going to run laps or do leg lifts in their spare time. So as a wonderful pet parent, part of your job is ensuring your animal family members get safe, enjoyable exercise on a regular basis―whether they’re cats, dogs, turtles, or ferrets! All pets need some physical activity to live a happy, healthy life.

Read more on how to exercise your pets.

10 Tips for Preventing Pet Behaviour Problems

Source: www.healthypets.com

Tips on Pet Behaviour

Make your pet so well-behaved, people will think it went to a Swiss finishing school!

1. Set rules immediately and be consistent.

2. Avoid situations that promote inappropriate behavior.

3. Observe the pet and provide what it needs (food, care, attention and entertainment).

4. Supervise the new pet diligently through undivided individual attention and training, and restrict the pet’s access to a limited area of the house until training is completed.

5. Set them up to succeed! Encourage good behavior with praise and attention.

6. Correct bad behaviors by providing positive alternatives (a toy for a slipper, scratching post for the sofa).

7. Never physically punish or force compliance to commands. This may lead to fear biting or aggression.

8. Don’t play rough or encourage aggression or play biting.

9. Expose pets to lots of people, animals, and environments where you want them to live.

10. See your veterinarian if serious or unresolved behavior problems exist.

Read more pet stories and pet tips on 88DB Lifestyle.

Healing Pets With A Holistic Approach

With so many people using alternative medicine, the demand for products and information on holistic veterinarian medicine has increased. Pawsitive Sensations’ Zoe Gan tells us how it works

Pet products for alternative pet medicine

HOLISTIC medicine is a practice that involves all aspects of the patients’ life when diagnosing and treating a particular condition. It is not a method of treatment but rather an approach to how treatment should be applied.

Just as holistic medicine applies to humans, it can also be a tool to treat animals. With so many people using alternative medicine, the demand for products and information on holistic veterinarian medicine has increased.

Zoe Gan, 29, an Engineering graduate who holds a certificate on dog massage from the Ohio-based Pet Massage Training and Research Institute, is the owner of Pawsitive Sensations (which dubs itself Singapore’s First Holistic Canine Care Centre).

Pawsitive Sensations was started in California, USA, in 2004 to provide professional and qualified canine massage techniques to the numerous dog lovers in Silicon Valley. Zoe says, “having moved back to Singapore, we hope to provide to Singaporeans what many dog loving owners in America have taken advantage of for so many years.”

She opened her shop near Turf City in September and now treats an average of 15 dogs a week – including her youngest client, a three-month-old puppy.

Read more about alternative medicine for pets.

It’s A Koi Weekend

At S’pore Expo, 1,500 koi compete for 1st Asia Koi Cup
By James P. Ong

TRY playing the game “Six Degrees Of Separation” see how separated you are from someone who owns a koi pond, and you’ll quickly realise that if it’s not someone you know directly, then it’s a friend or a relative of a friend. Such is the popularity of koi in Singapore.

This popularity will be even more evident this weekend when the Singapore Koi Club hosts the first-ever and “biggest Koi show in Asia.” An estimated 1,500 koi of world-class standard, consisting of 14 sizes and 16 varieties, will be flying in to take part in the three-day event at the Singapore Expo. About 300 vinyl tanks will be placed in the show ground.

Read more about the 1st Asia Cup Koi Show 2008.

Curing Your Dog’s Blues, Temper and Tantrums

It all comes down to love, actually.
by Stephanie Marilyn Martin

You return home from a hard day’s work to find that the house is in a chaotic mess. Torn newspaper strewn all over, the cushions in shreds and basically everything out of place. In the midst of it all, sits your proudly triumphant pooch.

Now you don’t want to find yourself in such a position because it could only mean an endless repetition of the same scenario for months to come. To save yourself the undeserved stress, learn to recognize early symptoms of stress and temper-related problems in your dog and nip it in the bud.

Like humans, dogs suffer from emotional trauma as well. There are many factors contributing to emotional trauma in dogs, most of them being reasons which stem from the canine’s growing years.

Read more on dog training and pet discipline.

Animal Star Signs

Understand your animal companion through astrology
By Esther Teh (Pets Magazine)

GIVEN that astrology has a profound effect upon our human world, so it also influences the lives of our pets. And just as the zodiac is divided into 12 very different personality types, it is perfectly natural that this should extend to animals.

For example a homely Cancerian dog is much more likely to prefer curling up by the fire than an adventurous Aries of the same breed who will constantly yearn to explore the great outdoors.

It’s the same with cats. Cats can be hedonists, lazy, friendly, aggressive or timid. All these different traits can be explained by studying the astrological influences that determine their character and behaviour patterns. Now check out your own pet’s horoscope to see what the stars say….

There’s More To Dog Massage Than Pampering

Rhythmic strokes, joint movements and deep kneading-yes, dogs deserve a massage too, whether it’s for therapy or relaxation, and they can get it at Pawsitive Sensations, $25 for 30 minutes
By James P. Ong

MONTY is an 11-year-old corgi who has been going for his weekly 40-minute dog massage since March 2007. The moment he enters the doors of Pawsitive Sensations, he goes straight to the dog massage room and assumes the lying position in front of owner and therapist Zoe Gan, who begins the session with long strokes on Monty’s body, and then progresses to rhythmic strokes, joint movements and deep kneading.

While Monty lies on his side, two ladies wait after him: Gemma, his master, and a helper. Every so often, the two pluck out fresh tissues from a plastic container and wipe the drool off Monty, who is fast falling asleep despite the constant rumble caused by two other dogs in the room.

For canine owners in Singapore, dog massage is something whose time has come. As more and more single people acquire dogs as a companion, those with a considerable dispensable income would like to pamper their bundles of joy not just with toys and accessories but also services.

Read more on There’s More To Dog Massage Than Pampering.

Treat And Prevent Fish Tank Diseases

It’s important to observe your pet fish for signs of sickness if you don’t want them to die prematurely or infect other fishes
By Stephanie Marilyn Martin

WHILE it’s easier to identify health problems in pets like cats and dogs, this is not the case with fishes. For fish owners, it’s easy to fall into the trap of neglect. In some cases, a fish tank is there solely for decorational purposes. The fishes in it are not paid much attention, except for the occasional time when the fish tank is being cleaned.

Veterinians say it is important to observe your pet fish for signs of sickness if you don’t want them to die prematurely or infect other fishes in the fish tank.

Visit 88DB.com to read more about how to treat and prevent fish tank diseases.

Proper Care For Your Hamster

All ye owners of pet hamsters and all ye future owners, buckle up and learn the proper techniques, tricks and trades of proper care-giving
By Stephanie Marilyn Martin

THOSE adorable furry animals called hamsters belong to the rodent family and are the most widely kept of small pets in the world.

Pet hamsters are interesting creatures that hibernate in low temperatures to preserve energy (often portraying the false notion of being dead). They are also creatures with ever-growing teeth, making gnawing a necessity to prevent overgrowing. Like most small animals such as rabbits, turtles, and fishes, pet hamsters require careful pet care and a proper environment to live in.

Read more about Proper Care For Your Hamster.