Dog Clothes Are Not Just For Our Amusement

By Isabelle Ganevy


I know we see the movie stars walking around with their Chihuahuas in their little pink skirts and ridiculous hats but even though it can be cute, or ridiculous, to see a dog in clothes it's not always all about our amusement.

If you have a smaller dog like a Chihuahua or a Miniature Pinscher and you live in a part of the world where it gets cold sometimes then you know how quickly these dogs become cold when trying to have fun outside.

A sweater adds the extra hair that their furry friends already are equipped with and allows them to enjoy themselves outside instead of shaking uncontrollably and giving up on the idea to come back inside.

It also allows them to go for a walk without shriveling up after a few minutes into it. This is important because dogs need to be walked daily for their mental and physical health and as easy as it is to pick them up and take them home where they can get warm they really should be getting the exercise that they need.

Yes they may look silly when you put their parka on but they will feel better because their focus is off of being cold and onto exploring and having fun. There are also times that you may need to buy something to cover up an open wound or infected area that could become worse if exposed to the wrong thing. I've seen dogs that have had surgery on their feet that have to wear booties if they venture outside at all.

There are also other reasons for booties that you just shouldn't ignore. For example if you live in a cold climate where there is ice, salt, and chemicals all over the sidewalks you are walking on then you can rest assured that your dog is not walking all over these chemicals and bringing them home only to lick off and ingest the minute he walks in the door.

In summer, the pavement can become excruciatingly hot. Everyone has tried to walk across hot pavement without shoes and felt the burning that it can cause.

Boots can also become a barrier between your dog's nails and their wound off of their feet. Just like a cone is put on them to prevent biting you can use boots to prevent scratching.

Yes a lot of times we buy a shirt that says 'top dog' and put it on our dogs to make us laugh or make them look cute but there are also practical reasons as well.




Isabelle is the owner of Dogs Clothes Online and owns three dogs, two who need weather protection and one who can lay in the snow for hours.

For all your dog clothes needs visit http://www.buydogclothesonline.com



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Now Your Dog Can Be As Fashionable As You

by Daisy Jonsson

You thought that it was only humans who could fill their wardrobes with the latest fashions? Not anymore, your pampered pet also can also join in the fun when it comes to dog clothing. From designer jackets to the latest in boots and sweaters, your pet now has a huge range of designer wear to choose from. Dog coats have become increasingly popular in the past few years, and there is a wide range of designs to choose from. Some of the most up to date design options among dog jackets include fake fur, padded jackets, turtle necks, hoods and special thermal hoods for the wintertime.

Dog jackets are available in every style for every occasion. There are sporty jackets that are great for walking in the park on a sunny day and silk and corduroy jackets for when you're taking your dog out to a party. If you have a female dog, the choice of dog clothing just gets better. You can dress your dog in cute and lovely dresses like floral prints or lined with fake fur trims and lace. Dresses for dogs are also available in various designs like halter neck, spaghetti style, tank tops and so on.

Male dogs can also look wonderful in shirts that now come in a huge range of designs from stripes and checks to plain and pastel. You can also get more formal shirts, with a bowtie, if you are taking your dog out to party or go for a nice polo neck for more casual wear. Jogging suits are also a must have in your dog's wardrobe but also try and get one that offers protection from the heat as well as rain.

There are unlimited colours for jogging suits so just make sure that you choose something suits the colour of your dog. If you have a brown dog, you can go in for soft colours like pale pink or emerald green. Sweat suits in pastel shades are a great choice if you have a white dog. So next time you go out shopping for something for your wardrobe, pick up something for your precious dog too!

Learn more about dog clothing. Stop by Poochie Heaven where you can find out all about dog clothes.

Article Source: ArticleSnatch Free Article Directory

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Dogs Growl, Grunt, And Whine - Recognize A Real Potential Fight Coming When You Are In The Dog Park

This is the thing about dog parks. Dog are interacting all over the place and you need to be able to recognize when the sounds coming out of them are just normal dog communication sounds or they are getting angry and aggressive.

Of course when you go to a dog park you expect everyone there to have control of their dogs or at least know their dogs are not aggressive or going to hurt anyone or another dog.

There's nothing that bothers me more than someone going to the dog park and freaking out if any other dog comes near their dog. Don't go to the dog park then! There are more places you can go where dogs are not off leash then places they are.

I have a very vocal Doberman/Rottweiler. She grunts and jumps around and looks scary doing it. But I know that her noises are just her way of talking. I also recognize when she's getting upset but so do other dogs.

So just because a dog is making noise does not mean that they are aggressive or going to hurt you or your dog. Dogs communicate just like every other animal in this world.

Even showing teeth is not always a bad thing. This is their way of giving a warning that they are not wanting to continue on with the behavior it's not a sign that they want to fight.

Normally fights start out of nowhere with very little body language signs and that is what to watch for. It's the tensed up look where they are carefully walking around each other that I worry about. Tail high in the air and almost mechanical looking. It's not their normal demeanor and if you are an attentive owner you will see it before a fight can begin. There should be a sign before a fight ensues.

This is not to say that a fight could not ensue in another way but in my experience, I've never see them start from growling or making noise.It's always been a few seconds of body language and then instant fight.

If you think it's about to happen whether you are sure or not - give them a quick 'hey' or poke to get their attention. You should be the pack leader and they should be listening to you. So when you make this noise they will break out of their stance and continue on with their walk.

Tip: One thing we do so that our dogs don't feel they have to be protective of us is to make them walk behind us. There is no running in front of us unless it's for a ball or something that we are throwing.

This assures to them that we are pack leaders and will handle any situations and they can just enjoy the walk.

5 Ways To Stop Excessive Barking Of Your Dog.

I found a video on YouTube that was talking about some town banning excessive barking to the point of giving owners a $600 fine. Now to me this is ridiculous. I understand excessive barking is annoying but who's call is it to make that it has become excessive barking?

I have a neighbor who complains about any barking at all.  Now if she had this rule in place she would be phoning all the time for all the dogs in 5 blocks of our house. Do they take her word for it? That would be ridiculous! Since it probably was just normal everyday dog barking.

And why is it dogs getting blamed for noise. I hear kids outside all day playing. They don't just play - they scream! For hours!

Or how about those annoying car alarms that are set way too sensitive and go off and off and off and off......

Now I'm not one to be too upset by any noise going on. It's part of everyday living. The kids remind me of childhood, the dogs remind me of nature, and the car alarms remind me that I'm not that paranoid. But there are many people like my neighbour out there and they are literally waiting by the phone for noise to happen.

So how do you keep your dog quieter - stop excessive barking?

1. Make sure they get lots of exercise.

Not just running in the backyard but a daily walk. This prevents boredom barking...they get to see the outside world. They also have to concentrate and behave which takes a lot of energy.

2.  Get their quality time in.

You bought a dog not furniture right? All animals need love and companionship and will act out if they don't get it. Spend some time playing with your dog or brushing him.

3. Outside dogs can become protective dogs.

They are the dogs that think the yard is there's too protect and will bark at anything or anyone going by. Dogs should be brought into the home as well as outside.

I'll have to do another post on this because I have a lot to say about it. But dogs do not protect your house from the backyard and you do not protect them leaving them there.

4.  Do not let them continue with their barking.

A little barking is okay for purposes that are common to dogs. But warning barks and nonsense barks are two different things. If your dog is in a state of

Bark - Bark - Bark - Bark and on and on then you should be stopping it instead of allowing it.

5.  Use them for what they are bred for.

This gives them a sense of purpose in life and a way to exert energy that may otherwise come out in barking. If they are vermin catchers than mimic it with balls or moving toys. If they are water dogs then let them play in the nearest lake.

The point is to find out what makes them tick and use them for it. They'll appreciate it and you'll appreciate the quiet.

Some simple steps will make your dog bark less and hopefully save you any complaints from impatient grumpy asses.

Raw Bones For Dogs

The Raw is very important when it comes to bones for dogs. The biggest reason being that cooked bones can splinter which is what gets caught in their throat/esophagus.

A friend of mine was just telling me about how her parents dog got into the garbage and ate a chicken bone. It stuck in the back of her throat and she spent hours trying to dislodge it without a whole heck of a lot of noise or gagging. Finally they checked to see what was going on and her dad pulled out a chicken bone that had splintered and lodged itself into her throat...I guess thankfully instead of going down any further.

We have been feeding raw bones to our dogs forever. They are a part of the raw diet and an essential part for their overall health. The thing is we feed bison or elk bones that are larger than their mouths and studier bones overall. Our border collie used to be able to break the bones apart but they never splintered.

If you get a pre-made raw diet, most companies will grind bone up in their raw food. At a health pet store I worked at we would get a lot of people complaining about finding large chunks of bone in the food. This is worrisome and dangerous because it could get caught in their throat if the piece is too large.

That's why you need to make sure it's ground up really good or is a large enough bone for them to chew on.

Bones are a source of calcium and phosphorus and the marrow contains some high quality nutrients.

Are they a huge factor into the diet? Maybe not as much as the meat and vegetables etc... but they do offer some nutritional benefits as well as a natural toothbrush for dogs.

Grainy food can stick to your dogs teeth just like it does to ours and if you feed kibble than it's most likely got grain in it.

A bone can clean that up. That's why there are all these preservative filled 'bones' that are not bones that are marketed as good for cleaning teeth. Why do they have to look like bones?

It's another form of what I call 'Our kibble is full of real meat and vegetables BUT don't feed your dog REAL meat and vegetables cause it's not good for them.' ... Whatever that means.

They are also a good way to expel energy and keep your dog busy.

But my caution here is that always supervise your dog. That way if you hear something that doesn't sound good you are there.

We always know what's happening our dogs and they don't get to chew bones alone.

So raw bones are left to the dogs owner discretion but keep in mind the rules:

1. NEVER COOKED BONES only raw
2. Supervised bone chewing only
3. Bone should be big and sturdy. Our favorite is elk or bison bones. Our little min pin can tackle a pretty big bone.
4. If they are pre-ground into a meal make sure there are no big bits in there.
5. Freeze bones that are for future use to keep them as fresh as possible.