Useful Pet Tips and Some Odd Facts

1. Using metal water dishes outside in winter may be a risk, because your pet's tongue could stick to the frozen metal. In the summer, metal bowls can get very hot and burn your dog.

2. If you have a puppy that pees on your carpet: After soaking up most of the mess with a paper towel, sprinkle a generous amount of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) over the area and leave it to absorb both the traces of urine and the odor.

3. If your dog runs away from you and you finally catch up to it, no matter how angry you are at the dog, do not yell or smack it or your dog will never come to you when called for fear of being punished.

4. Do not leave your dog unattended on a choke chain. The chain could get caught and strangle the dog.

5. Do not leave your dog in the car unattended on hot days. Even with the windows open, temperatures in cars WILL reach deadly levels. It only takes five minutes! If you see a dog locked in a very hot car do something to try and help it before it's too late.

6. Do not make your dog walk on extremely hot or cold asphalt, cement, etc. The pads of their paws are not made out of steel. If it is too hot for you to walk barefoot, then chances are that it is too hot for your dog also.

7. To keep your dog busy, buy toys with little holes in them (such as a Kong), put both big and small pieces of kibble in the toy and give it to your dog. This will keep him busy for quite a while, presuming he has a few small ones that he gets out quickly. You can also wedge dog biscuits in the holes with a smear of peanut butter.

8. When your dog is teething, instead of have him chewing on couches, walls, etc., buy a few (cheap) washcloths. Soak the washcloth with water and put it in the freezer. When fully frozen, give it to the dog to chew. It will thaw out so have another one ready in the freezer. (Be careful when doing this with very small dogs, as they may get a chill. I have heard of small dogs getting too cold too quickly when chewing on ice.)

9. For teething puppies, mix chicken or beef broth (look for low fat, low sodium brands) with 1 ½ cups of water. Pour the mixture into ice cube trays to made broth ice cubes. They are tasty treats on hot days. (Be careful when doing this with very small dogs, as they may get a chill. I have heard of small dogs getting too cold too quickly when chewing on ice.)

10. Do not leave your pet in an area with dangling phone cords, drape cords or other items that it may strangle itself on. Be aware of electric cords that may be chewed by the pet.

11. I have a dog that used to love to dig. When I'd fill the hole and re-seed, he'd just dig it up again. One day I was watching him wander around the yard, and I noticed he took extra care not to step in his droppings. So, the next time I filled up a hole, I buried a little dung at the bottom and left some dung on top. He avoided the freshly-seeded grass, and his droppings made excellent fertilizer. This won't work for all dogs...I also have another dog that loves to dig. This trick does not work on her, as she does not care where she steps. Please note: the feces of dogs or any other meat-eating animal are NOT SAFE to use as fertilizer on plants that will be eaten by people, such as veggies, fruits or herbs. The feces can spread disease, even if it comes from a healthy dog.

12. Is your dog digging? Try putting cayenne pepper in the holes—they don't like the sensation when they go back to dig again.

13. Dog urination burns your lawn? Try giving them some tomato juice every day (either in a bowl or on their food) and it should solve the problem.

14. After soaking up the majority of urine or picking up the poop, baby wipes do a great job and pick up all smells with no stains left behind.

15. Male guide dogs always squat to urinate. This is so the handler can quickly determine whether the dog is urinating or defecating during potty breaks by feeling down the length of its back. This assists the handler in determining where the poop will land so they can clean up if the dog is hunched up to defecate..

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