Dog survives 8 days trapped in rubble after Colo. explosion

LuLu-an 8 month old Springer Spaniel was rescued after being caught in rubble for eight days. The explosion took place in Breckinridge Colorado and critically injured her owner.

Read LuLu's Story HERE

Petco's Guide to Buying Leashes, Collars and Harnesses

Buying new quality leashes, collars and harnesses for your dog should be done on a regular basis. I know my Havanese is do to get a new harness soon.

Many people have dogs who have put on or lost weight and aren't sure of what size to get their dog.

Below is Petco's guide to help you determine what is the best product and size for your particular pooch:

Petco's Guide to Purchasing the Best Leashes, Collars and Harnesses HERE

Dog Sitting For Seniors

Dog Sitting For Seniors
By Evangeline Samuel

Many people who have dogs or other pets are concerned about who will care for their pets when they go on vacation. Some people can afford to leave their pets in good kennels. There are even great doggie motels with all the luxuries of a spa where the pets can stay. But then there are some, like my mom, who do not like to have to put their dogs in a kennel for fear that he will not be cared for like she does. But there are Senior Citizens who are looking for a job they can do to subsidize their Social Security income. Many Seniors are willing to dog sit, or pet sit for you. AARP reported that not only is this a good job for Senior Citizens, but it also helps them stay healthy. Dogs and animals have a way of keeping us from being stressed out, and thus keep us healthy.

Dogs are great companions and when trained well, can do a lot of things to help us around the house. There are dogs who can help diabetics, by alerting them when their blood sugar goes down. Dogs are even taught to call 911 if you have a heart attack or seizure or are unresponsive. Dogs are trained to pick up things that have fallen and are out of your reach. The other day I saw where a dog even helped his owner at the ATM machine. Dogs are great Guide dogs for the blind. If you are good with dogs, you could even sign up to train puppies to become Guide Dogs.

Patience is a great virtue in training dogs. Yelling at a dog does not help. Dogs respond to love and quiet commands. They do better when they are rewarded for their obedience. At first you can reward him with a treat but eventually, just praising him for doing a good job helps. Dogs have so much love to give. As we get older and are alone, and a dog makes a great companion. He does not talk back or argue with you. He is honest, loving, and faithful. What more can we ask of them. If as a Senior Citizen you don't want the responsibility of having a dog at home, taking care of them part time for others will give you the joy and peace you need. And this will also get you out of the house whether you feel like it or not, thus making you feel less lonely. Dogs are looking for love and they will shower you with love, so this is a win-win situation for both the dogs and the Senior Citizens.

I know this for a fact because I have fibromyalgia and am over 50. I was afraid to adopt a dog because I did not feel that I could take good care of one. But my daughter brings her dog home when she visits and sometimes I get to keep her for a while when they go on vacation. She is such a sweet dog and keeps me company wherever I go. I do feel better when she is with me. And when she is not, my daughter tells me about all her antics and it brings me joy.

Evangeline Samuel PhD is a retired nurse who enjoys her daughter's dog, Kate's company and has created a website called puppydazzles to provide her and other dog lovers with luxury dog apparel, designer dog beds, and boy dog shirts among other things.

Mark Your Calendars-June 18 2008-Ugliest Dog Competition!

Yes, we'll have to wait on the edge of our seats until this upcoming June 18th to see who will be crowned "Worlds's Ugliest Dog"!

But fortunately you can go the competion site and vote on this years contenders!

Here we have photos of competitors "Squiggy" and "Pee Wee Martini". I trust their owners do not let them near mirrors.

To view all the contenders lined up so far please go to:

The World's Ugliest Dog Contest Site Here!

California Dog Parks

It's that time of the year when owners want to take their poochies to socialize with other poochies in a free and fun atmosphere.

Here's the link to California Dog Parks Here!

Video: How To Brush Your Dog's Teeth

Here's a great video by Veteranarian Janet Tobiassen Crosby on how to brush your dog's teeth:

Black Dog Syndrome

An unfortunate trend has developed in recent years. It's called "Black Dog Syndrome". The most common dog to be "put down" in animal shelters are black dogs, especially "Big" black dogs. The attendants say there are several different reasons for this.

Because black doesn't show up well in photos, it's hard to make a black dog look good in shelter adoptee photos. Black dogs of all types and sizes actually suffer from this, it's not just a "big" black dog problem. People also associate big black dogs with violence and attacks. When they think of an angry, aggressive, threatening dog-the image of a "Big Black Dog" comes to mind.

Here's a site that caters to discussing the "Black Dog" problem we have in this country. If you have a black dog make sure it's spayed or neutered at the appropriate time. A situation like this should be treated with sensitivity and compassion. Why must all "Black Dogs" die simply because their black? It reveals a flaw in the ability of Americans to distinguish between reality and fuzzy rumors and old news stories lurking in the back of our minds. A "Black Dog" is just as kind, funny, talented, fun, smart, lovable and likeable as dogs of any other color for Heaven's sake! Wake up folks and when considering a new shelter pet-focus in on showing compassion to "Black Dogs"! Open up your home to one and you won't regret it.

Site To Learn About the "Black Dog" Problem Here!

Famous Dogs: Apollo and Zeus-The Lads on Magnum P.I.

Who can forget "The Lads" of 80's tv show "Magnum P.I."? They were two especially well trained and well behaved Dobermans who hated Magnum and always did their best to give him a bad time.

Their names were "Apollo" and "Zeus". In real doggie life, their names were "Brutus" and "Dominique". They had to be flown in to Hawaii from Los Angeles and were trained by Scott Hart. They earned $1,000 a week!

7 Habits Of Highly Effective Dog Owners

7 Habits Of Highly Effective Dog Owners
By Eric Letendre

One of my favorite things to do is to read. I read books on everything. I read books on dogs, relationships, psychology, fiction, and business.

One book that I read a few years back was "7 Habits Of Highly Effective People," by Steven Covey. I personally thought the book was okay but I loved the title.

I always thought that a great title for a book would be "7 Habits Of Highly Effective Dog Owners." I thought that it would be a great title because I have worked with dog owners that were highly effective dog owners and all of them followed the same basic steps.

In fact, for years I have been teaching that...

In Order To Have A Good Dog Your Have To Learn To Be A Good Dog Owner.

On Saturday I got to work with a great little lab puppy. He was a lot of fun to work with. The owners, who I have known for a long time (I helped them train their last dog who recently passed away) are perfect examples of this principle.

Here are the seven habits all good dog owners have in common:

1. Training

All great dog owners spend some time training their dogs. Training is the best way to communicate with your dog. Your dog has no idea that they are not supposed to pull on leash, to not jump on guests, or to come back when you call them.

2. Exercise

Our dogs spend a lot of time waiting around for us. We go off to work, we're busy, we have appointments to keep, and our dogs are just hanging out waiting for us to do something with them.

Dogs are extremely social and want to interact with us. Every dog needs two forms of exercise - mental and physical.

3. Good food

Not all dog foods are created equal. Feeding your dog a good diet is very important. Look at some of the labels on dog food. Some of them are loaded with chemicals, dyes, sugar and low grade products.

Just last night I had my niece and nephews over for dinner. Just spending a few hours with them I could see the effect food had on their behavior. The same holds true with dogs. A poor diet can result in bad behavior and poor health.

4. Leadership

Dogs are social pack animals. They survive by living together in packs. In order for that pack to survive they need to develop a social structure with a leader. When you dog comes into the house, you need to become the pack leader.

By becoming the pack leader your dog will know where they fit in. Becoming the pack leader does not mean that you have to be forceful. It simply means that you need to control the activities that are important to your dog which are sleeping, eating, playing, and social contact.

5. Play

Dogs live to play. Ever watch a group of puppies together? It is one of my favorite things to do. A group of puppies will jump, run, tug, and have a great time together. Playing with your dog is a great way to exercise and bond with your dog. It will also fulfill an important need in your dog.

6. Management

Good management skills are crucial. When a dog is young they usually get into a lot of trouble by chewing, stealing, jumping, etc. The owner, as the leader and teacher, needs to manage the dog's behavior when they are young. As the dog gets older and learns how to live with us humans, we do not need to manage as much.

7. Patience

Some of the best dog owners I know are the ones who are patient. Having a dog, especially a young one, can be very trying.

Follow these steps and you'll be a highly effective dog owner.

Eric Letendre the author of The Amazing Dog Training Man invites you to visit http://www.amazingdogtrainingman.com for leading edge dog training tips, instructional video clips and articles that will help you train and understand your dog. You can also get free dog training updates with a free Smart Dog Newsletter subscription, available at http://www.amazingdogtrainingman.com

Learn How to Express Your Dog's Anal Gland

Watch this video to learn how to "Express" or drain your dog's "anal gland". Something that's very important to do for most dogs. Some dogs that drag their rear end on a rug or outdoors are doing so because they need this glad drained.

Learn How to Express a Dog's Anal Gland in This Video!

How To Trim A Dog's Nails

How To Trim A Dog's Nails
By Jason Beachy

As a dog owner you will eventually need to decide how you're going to keep his nails clipped. Neglecting to clip a dog's nails can result in broken nails, ingrown nails and nail bed infections. Trying to walk with ingrown or long nails is very painful and causes a pronounced limp. If you have never clipped a dog's nails and are unsure of how to do it, take your dog into the vet or groomer and watch them do it.

If you can, start when your pet is a puppy. At this stage you can probably clip their nails by yourself. However if you have a full grown dog that isn't used to getting his nails clipped you may need some extra help.

When to trim the nails:

You should have the nails trimmed every three to four weeks. However you may find it easier to only clip a little off at a time and do it every week. If you hear clicking nails it's time to clip them, they need to just touch the floor but not click. Some dogs wear their nails down naturally, taking your dog over concrete on walks will help wear his nails down naturally as well.

The tools:

Nail trimmers. Either a guillotine type trimmer or scissors type. Or you can use a Dremel tool - more on that later.

Styptic pen. If you cut too much of the nail off you'll clip the blood vessel inside the nail and cause it too bleed. The styptic pen is applied to the nail for a few minutes to stop the bleeding. You can find these at Walmart or your vet's office. Some handy household items you can use as substitutes are flour, baking soda or cornstarch.

Nail file. Use this to smooth the nails after clipping them.

For a large dog, have him lie down either on his side or on his stomach. If he's unruly and moves a lot having him lie on his stomach will let you lean over him and hold him down as you clip the nails. Take the paw and hold it firmly in your hands, you'll need to be able to hold the toe you're clipping as well. Clip the nails from the bottom up at almost a 90 degree angle. If the nail is white you can see the pink quick, or blood vessel inside the nail. Take only one or two small clips off if the nail is black. Regularly clipping off small amounts will move the quick back.

If you look at the edge of the nail you'll see the top part is black and the bottom part is whitish. As you get closer to the quick the top part will start becoming whitish gray. When you see this it's time to stop and start filing the nails. Don't forget to trim the dew claws. This nail grows from the side of the foot on the inside.

Using a dremel or electric filing tool:

The Dremel tool is a quick way to file and smooth a dog's nails. People who use this tool are quick to point out that it does not crack or pinch the nail like clippers are prone to. Once you are comfortable using a tool like the Dremel to trim nails you'll find that is a quick and easy way to get nicely trimmed nails.

The learning curve may be a bit steeper and some dogs do not like the noise. Others however react more to clippers so you'll just need to see what your dog is more comfortable with. Remember that long hair can get caught in the Dremel rotator get yanked out quite painfully. The head, legs and tail should be restrained if the dog is nervous and wants to move around.

When using the dremel or an electronic file it should be swiped over the nail to trim them. Never apply pressure with the dremel, let the friction of the band grind the nail down. The grinding causes the nail to get hot very quickly, so only touch the nail for about 3 seconds at a time. After you have made one swipe on each nail on one foot, go to another foot or wait until the nail is no longer hot. There are several other websites with more in depth instructions on how to use a dremel tool, if you're serious about using it, it would be well worth your time to look for more detailed instructions.

For more tips and instructions on how to care for your dog and other pet related information please visit my author profile. You can also go to my personal website for my Japanese chins at http://www.ultimatechinpuppies.com