Quality Characteristics to Expect from a Good Breeder

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 06:30:00 GMT

Quality Characteristics To Expect from a Good Breeder

In your search for a place to buy your new dog, you will come across many places from which to choose. You will find a plethora of dog breeders and kennels advertising their services via the Internet, the newspaper and in dog publications. Although these breeders advertise, this is not enough for them to be considered reputable as anyone can create a web page or put an ad in the newspaper and call themselves a breeder.

If you encounter a breeder that has a plethora of puppies in various varieties, you may discover that this breeder may not breeding for the sake of breeding, but may be actually running a puppy mill, created for the sole purpose of making money. These types of breeders are likely to breed more than one different type of purebred dog together, thus creating a litter. These breeders may also be cruel and abusive to the adult dogs by not providing the dogs with adequate maintenance and vet check ups. Moreover, this type of breeder does not sell top quality pure bred dogs that can be used on dog shows and are contributing to the genetic debacle that affect dog breeds generation after generation.

A good quality, reputable breeder is easy to spot. Look for a breeder that:

- Breeds only a couple of breeds and knows a lot about each breed that it does sell.

- Only resells litters, which means that the breeder sells the puppies prior to them being born. More times than not, these breeders will have waiting lists of potential dog owners, because the breeder puts the female dog’s health first over making puppy sales. Quality breeders will only allow a female dog to have one litter every year or two.

- Has a good reputation among other local breeders. This normally entails being registered as a breeder with local breed registries and being registered with the Kennel Club.

- Has no problem with allowing you to take a tour of the facility and encourages to see the current litter that they have breeded.

- Maintains a tidy, spacious, well-aired kennel containing happy, healthy adult dogs.

- Interacts great with the other dogs in the kennel and recognizes them by name. Observe how the dogs respond to the breeder. Provides litter registration papers and AKC, CKC, KC paperwork.

- Gives you information on the championship lines of the parents, in addition to veterinarian certifications and hereditary condition test outcomes.

- Offers a wellness warrantee for your puppy.

A respectable breeder will be willing to work with new dog owners and will be a great reservoir of advice and information on your dog breed. Many breeders will need new dog owners to agree to have their spayed and/or neutered and will require documentation of the procedure.

In most regions, there are caring and loving dog breeders that can assist you in finding a puppy that meets your standards. Investigate and locate a breeder that you want to work with when getting the dog of your dreams.Content provided by Kirk Washington of Oh My Dog Supplies, check out our diverse collection of dog grooming shampoo online.

The Truth About Puppy Mills and Pet Chain-Stores

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 06:05:00 GMT

Never buy a dog from a pet store. The article could end right here, but you probably want to know why not. Puppies in pet stores are usually from puppy mills. Reputable breeders don't sell their pets in stores. They sell them personally, and make their pet farm an open book. They know each pup from each litter and what parents were put together to make this offspring. They have studied the breed and know what to look for in the event that any of the pups are not up to par. They love their dogs. That is the most important differential between a pup from a reputable breeder and one from a puppy farm. They make a conscious and concerted effort to carefully choose the home the pup is going to. And strangely enough, they frequently will try to convince buyers to rescue a dog before buying one. They never breed a dog before it is two years of age, and they do something called a "Limited Registration", which means that if you don't get the pup spayed or neutered in an acceptable time frame, they have the right to reverse the sale. If you absolutely have your heart set on getting a purebred, you can still do so with a rescue dog. There are many, many rescue organizations which are specific to breed. Just make sure you do all your investigative work as to the pros and cons of the breed in question before you go ahead. The cost will be much lower, but unless you were planning on being a breeder yourself, or raising a show dog, you don't need a papered purebred. If you choose to go the rescue route, visit Petfinder. It's an amazing site that will help you find your dream pet. Seriously, you land on that page? You won't come out for an hour, easy. They have pets split up by breed, age, location, whether they get along with other dogs, cats, kids, if they have health problems, and more. Once you start seeing what dogs are out there, you will more than likely see a few that have been rescued from puppy mills, and you'll know why people are so adamant that puppy mills never see one dime of profit. Those dogs are not cared for, at all. They are left in their own excrement, while their coats mat and they develop skin rashes because of it. They don't get toys, fun, walks, or kind words. They are bred until they break, and then they are destroyed. So the next time you see a puppy in a window, look beyond the glass. Now you know where they came from and what their parents suffered for the almighty dollar. You know that nobody knows anything about who their mom and dad were, if they were second or third generation brother and sister. You know they may not last the year due to severe health problems from inbreeding. So just keep walking, and find a family pet the right way.Content provided by Carl Washington of Oh My Dog Supplies where you can find a incredible selection of gates for dogs online.

The Benefits of Taking in a Rescued Dog

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 06:55:00 GMT

The Benefits of Taking in a Rescued Dog

There is always a real need to save dogs. In this cruel world, dogs are abandoned, abused and lost. They are strays or their owners surrender them. Some dogs end up on death row. There life on earth is cut short because of the whims of some human being. You can change the fate of a dog by rescuing it.

You need to remember certain things when you decide to take on a rescue dog. They are:

1. This is not the same as you picking a cute little puppy from a breeder.

2. Your dog is not a blank slate. It has a history and baggage.

3. This dog may have to unlearn many things. These can include fear and mistrust of people.

4. The current norm you are providing may appear strange to this dog.

5. Each dog is an individual. Each dog has its own issues or nonissues.

6. All rescue dogs are not the same. Each presents a unique situation running the gamut from physical and emotional neglect to placement after the death of a beloved owner. Some rescue dogs were sporting animals. Greyhounds, for example, have a limited circuit life. This decreases if they fail to win.

7. You need to not focus on the past. You need to concentrate on what you need to do. This may be as simple as loving the dog.

8. Remember, while you do not know your new dog, your new dog also does not know you. It is a level playing field, a new slate for the two of you to write on.

9. If you must remember anything, it is this. This is a voyage of exploration. Embark upon it with expectation of every thing and anything happening.

When you decide to bring home a rescue animal, consider the basic elements involved in caring for the dog. This is not rocket science. There are but four simple points to embrace and follow.

1. Provide all the care you can for this lovely creature.

2. Love the dog with all your heart and then some more. This does not mean ignoring any faults. It does not mean you forget discipline and training. You do not ignore the basic requirements to improve the behavior of yourself and your dog. It may be more difficult. You may have to adopt new and unique methods of training. You may have to help the dog unlearn older habits. In some instances, it may be easier. The dog may be well trained or even gifted. Combine the training with love, affection and treats. Training will help you and your dog get to know each other better. Love will ensure the bond extends beyond the roles of teacher and pupil.

3. Do not dwell on the past. While you may wonder about the dog’s past, you may never know the whole picture. You need to understand it, but do not speculate. Do not jump to conclusions and do not make it your focus. You must focus on the here and now.

4. There is one other thing you must do if you adopt a rescue dog. It is this. Provide him or her with a good life.

Article provided by Christine Gerard of Oh My Dog Supplies, check out our awesome selection of car seat covers online.

Avoid Tragedy with a Pet Fire Evacuation Plan

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 04:55:00 GMT

When disaster strikes in your home, particularly a fire, it is imperative that you have an evacuation and escape plan for your pets. Not only can this help save their lives, but it can give you peace of mind that your beloved pets will be safe in the face of danger. There are three critical steps to take to make sure you have an appropriate pet evacuation plan in place in case of fire in your home: develop a plan, rehearse the plan, and have the right tools around the house.

First, a pet evacuation plan requires you to design an evacuation route and assign roles to your family members. In a fire emergency, it is necessary to get everyone out of the house as quickly as possible without having people stay behind and endanger themselves to search for the pet. Figure out where everyone will meet, how they will get out of the house, and where the pet is most likely to be.

The second key step is to rehearse the evacuation plan. Rehearse the plan with your family to make sure everyone is clear about the meeting point and what the escape routes are for each room. Per most fire codes, every room in the house has at least two ways to get outside, typically through windows and doors. While breaking windows in the rehearsal process is far from necessary, make it clear to family members that it is ok to break windows to get out of the house if there is a fire. Open windows can also help pets escape.

The last key step to having a pet evacuation plan is to have the right tools. Make sure all of the smoke alarms are working, because hearing the warning of a fire means you, your family, and your pets will have more time to escape. Make sure all family members also know the locations of fire extinguishers as they can help keep minor fires from turning into major disasters.

In the end, even the best laid plans can become difficult to follow in the face of a fire in your home. Because your own life and your family members' lives are the most important, if you cannot find your pets do not hesitate to evacuate yourself. When you get outside your home let the fire department know how many pets you have and whether or not any of them are already outside. Firemen and women are trained to rescue pets as well as people, so giving them all the information will help keep you, your family, and your pets safe.

This article was provided by Fireprotectiononline.co.uk, the leader of the ever popular dorgard fire door retainer and other quality fire marshall supplies.

Featured Articles

Quality Characteristics to Expect from a Good Breeder

The Truth About Puppy Mills and Pet Chain-Stores

The Benefits of Taking in a Rescued Dog

Avoid Tragedy with a Pet Fire Evacuation Plan