Visit nearly any pet store and you are likely to find that these stores welcome their customers to bring their pets along when shopping.  The folks who work at pet supply stores are nearly always ardent animal lovers and will be more than happy to expound upon how cute your dog or other pet is.  Beyond allowing your pet to receive lots of love and attention, it can also give you an opportunity to try things out before you buy them.  There’s no point in buying that cute sailor outfit if it simply won’t fit on Fido’s gigantic shoulders.

When you take your pet to the pet store however, there are a number of unspoken rules of etiquette a pet owner should follow.  Pet stores are full of all the kinds of things pets love and this means that there is quite the opportunity for disaster.  Consider these few simple rules:

• Don’t bring an animal if it is not yet house trained (unless it is adorable enough that no one will mind if it has an accident). While pet stores are used to all the waste a pet can make, it is not very considerate to make them clean up a mess that could have been prevented.
• Ask before you let your pet handle anything.  Letting your pet try out a new plush toy probably means that you will be forced to buy it.  No one wants to purchase a pre-chewed stuffed butterfly.
• Unless samples are provided, cracking open a bag of kibble to see if your pet will enjoy it is not advisable unless you already plan on purchasing it.
• Before going to the store, make sure your pet understands common commands to sit and stay and make sure you are comfortable that your pet will follow them.  A pet who will not follow your commands in public should not be allowed there.
• Keep your pet leashed at all times and well within your control.  Given the opportunity, a pet will find all sorts of things to chew on and tear apart in such a great place as a pet store.  No owner wants to pay for fifteen goldfish and two angelfish because Fido decided to go fishing.

Bringing your pet to a pet store does not need to be a high stress event.  As long as you are confident in your dog and your own ability to handle him well, you should not run into any problems and your dog will certainly enjoy the grand adventure.

Over the years dozens of dog breeds have sprung up.  By diligently breeding for certain traits, and breeding out other traits, we have been able to produce a great variety of breeds, many of whom are predisposed towards certain types of work.  There are the hunting dogs, the guard dogs, the companion dogs, tracking dogs, and even fighting dogs.

And then there are the herding dogs.  Those who owned herds of livestock always struggled to maintain their herds and keep animals together and from getting lost or running away.  To do so only with humans would be a very difficult task and would require a lot of man power.  And so the herding dogs were bred.  These animals were bred and trained to run with the flock  and to police them.  They would bark and snap at animals that might be straying and mainly saved the shepherds quite a bit of effort and time.

The Border Collie is notable among these herding animals for its great intelligence.  Thought to have been bred first in Scotland, these animals have proved their worth both as herding animals and companion dogs.  Black and white are the most common colors for these dogs though tans, browns, and even blue and brindle seen occasionally.

Because of their immense mentally faculties and the fact that they were bred to be on the move all day long, Border Collies require a great deal of exercise, both mentally and physically.  Going for long walks will not be enough to sate the Border Collie’s need for mental stimulation.  Their great intelligence makes these dogs a prime choice for tasks such as agility and agility training will provide a Border Collie with the mental and physical stimulation they require.

These dogs have an average lifespan of about twelve years and hip dysplasia, epilepsy, and Collie Eye Anomaly are the most common diseases or conditions that this breed faces.

Because of the tasks for which they are bred, Border Collies will often fixate on moving things and are more likely to chase things such as bicycles and cars than other dogs.  Lack of adequate exercise in all dogs, but especially with Border Collies, will quite likely lead to destructive behaviors and Border Collies have been known to chew their way out of houses and rooms.   The only way to avoid these behaviors is with exercise such that dog owners not prepared to exercise often with their pets should probably not choose a Border Collie as their next pet.

As much as dog owners love their pets and try to do the very best for them, very few have a good understanding of dog nutrition.  Too many pet owners buy a bag of kibble at the pet supply store without looking at the ingredients or quality and occasionally their pets suffer.   If you look at the ingredients in most commercial dog foods, the first ingredient you will find listed will be some sort of corn product or other grain.

Before we take a good look at nutrition and protein in particular, we need to understand the background of dog nutrition.  The dog’s ancestors were hunters and their primary form of nourishment came from animals they killed.  These carnivores would eat the meat of wild animals and their bodies adapted to accommodate this diet.

Really in the past fifty years or so, the pet industry has transformed pet nutrition from a primarily meat based diet to a diet that incorporates primarily grains with little real meat.  A pet owner must understand that grains did not ever constitute a part of the dog’s wild ancestor’s diet.

Meat contains a great deal of protein.  This essential building block for the body is composed of amino acid chains which the body breaks down and the reincorporates into its own muscles and cells.  Commercial kibble often contains only a small amount of meat and this meat is usually made of of low quality protein.  Often, pet food companies will take the scraps and spoiled meat from butcher shops and convert this into pet food.

The body itself makes amino acids but cannot make all of them.  A dog is incapable of making a number of different amino acids and therefore these amino acids must be acquired through diet.  If a dog does not receive these amino acids or does not consume enough of them, then his health will suffer.

The signs of deteriorating nutrition can be difficult to recognize for a pet owner and taking your pet to the veterinarian will not necessarily yield a proper result.  Lack of proper nutrients could end up causing a number of unfortunate health conditions and nutrition may not be seen as a cause by a veterinarian who is looking elsewhere.

The best weapon a pet owner can use to protect their pet’s health is knowledge.  Make it your business to read as much as possible concerning pet nutrition and talk to your veterinarian about the best way to keep your pet healthy and fit.

As with any species of animal you can be certain of finding a few bad apples.  Perhaps it’s a dog with a mean streak, or maybe two very dominant animals both want to be in charge and have to fight about it.  In any case, fighting dogs are something of an inevitability.  If you bring your dog to the dog park or into the home of a dog you must be at least prepared to stop a fight just in case.

But fighting dogs certainly are a bit scary.  They make a great deal of terrible noise, their great teeth are bared and they move faster than you can think, so how does one go about stopping such an incident.  Your first goal must be to keep yourself from getting hurt and your close second must be to keep the dogs from getting hurt. You will want to stop the fighting as quickly as possible and then separate the dogs.  Only then can you think about teaching the dogs some obedience.

Before we get started on the techniques for breaking up fights, a dog owner needs to know the difference from play fights and real fights.  Just because dogs are wrestling and even growling does not mean they are fighting in earnest.  When dogs play, there is always an undertone of dominance such that they will play much the way that they will fight but in a far more buoyant and fun manner.  In effect the two dogs are testing each other while having a great time.

A real dog fight will include certain bits of very distinct body language like lowering of the head, high tail, and teeth bared for more than just a playful second.

Water is a dog owner’s best friend when it comes to fights.  If you are at the dog park and have brought a gallon of water along to keep Fido hydrated, this can also turn into a fight break up tool.  Dogs splashed with water are likely to be startled long enough to allow you to get between them and put a leash on.  Similarly, air horns or other loud noises will startle dogs into stopping a fight for a moment.  You can’t expect this to end the fight but it will give you the moment you need to separate them.

Try not to throw yourself in the middle of the fight.  Even if neither dog means to hurt you, there is always the possibility that you will catch an armful of teeth that was intended for the other dog and it’s worth noting that we are a little more thin skinned than our canine counterparts.

There are many sorts of different working dogs.  There are those who herd sheep, those who hunt, those who protect, those who sniff, and countless other jobs in between.  Many of these animals have been bred over the centuries specifically for these tasks.  But then there are the service dogs and the therapy dogs.  These animals are not necessarily bred for the task but go through a rigorous training program to get them into shape for their jobs.

A therapy dog is much different from a service dog. Service dogs are generally the constant companion of the person who needs their help.  Seeing eye dogs, for example, must stay with their human because the dog is the human’s guide.  A therapy dog on the other hand is a dog that goes on visits, to put it simply.  The goal of a therapy dog program is to provide a little comfort and companionship to those who might not have any.

If you are considering training your dog for a therapy position, there are a few things you should consider.  Therapy dogs can simply not be boisterous or easily excited.  An animal with very calm and friendly personality is a much better choice.  Your therapy dog will be working with small children, the elderly, or the disabled and an over energetic dog is likely to make people nervous or accidentally cause an injury.

Before you even begin therapy training, you must be certain that your dog can perform the basic commands for a dog.  Being able to sit, stay, come, and lay down are the essential first steps to working with others. Your dog also must be housebroken.  Accidents while out in public are not appreciated.

Socialization is also incredibly important.  This is something best accomplished during your dog’s first six months but can also be done with older dogs.  Your dog must be comfortable around many different people, large groups, and cannot feel protective of you to the point where he will not allow others to approach you.  In short, you want your dog to experience as many different situations, especially with people, as possible but done so in a way that makes your dog feel safe and comfortable.

There is some training that goes along with this.  Therapy dogs cannot jump on people, bark at them, and even behaviors like licking or sniffing must be discouraged.

Once you feel your dog is comfortable and ready to be a therapy dog, you can have him take the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen test.  Only dogs who have passed this test are given the title of therapy dog.

As any animal behaviorist will likely tell you, fear and aggression are likely the two most prevalent behavioral issues brought in to be remedied.  Clearly a dog owner with an aggressive dog will want to remedy the problem before a person or animal is injured and equally a pet owner with a fearful dog will be interested in making their pet more confident in order to be able to enjoy taking the pet out in public or around people, whatever that fear may be.

Fear in dogs, while not necessarily harmful, can make life difficult for an owner.  A rescued dog afraid of people or a dog afraid of cars will have trouble going on walks or to the vet’s office.  Not only will life be difficult for the owner but a fearful dog may sometimes react aggressively to the thing that they fear which could cause injury or damage.

Besides taking your dog to an animal behaviorist for therapy, which may be your best option in some cases, there are a number of things a pet owner might do to either prevent or treat fearfulness in pets.

In order to prevent such behavior, the first and most important step is to socialize.  This is best done when your dog is a small puppy.  Puppies are much more open to new experiences and you should do your best to introduce your puppy to as many different experiences as possible.  Have as many people as you can meet your puppy and even to pick him up.  Take your puppy in the car, and bring him to coffee shops and on walks in populated areas.  A puppy who has been familiarized with many things will be much less likely to fear them or be nervous around them in later years.

But then there are those animals who you might adopt when they are no longer puppies.  These dogs may be rescues and could come from difficult circumstances that may have fearful of certain things or types of people.  Desensitization is often the only way to deal with such fears.  There is simply no way to sit your dog down to have a talk about being fearful.

Repetition is the key to desensitization.  You must expose your pet to the item or situation causing the fear in a safe and comfortable way.  Forcing your dog to confront a fear by pulling him towards something or forcing him to be near it will be counterproductive.  Instead, allow your dog slowly to see that the fear inducing item is neither scary nor harmful.

Dogs may become fearful of many things and for many reasons. It can be very difficult for a pet owner to live with a dog whose fears seem to dominate his life.  Learning to recognize these fears is the first step to helping your dog to overcome them.

Not all dog fears are easy to understand.  A dog may develop a fear for what seems to be a completely incomprehensible reason.  Then again some fears are fairly easy to figure out.  We can divide a dog’s fears into several different categories.

Fear of an object

Perhaps the most common fear for dogs is of the vacuum cleaner.  Very few dogs, upon first meeting a vacuum cleaner, brush off the the encounter as nothing to worry about.  Vacuum cleaners produce a lot of noise and also move around, admittedly not of their own accord.

Dogs will easily fear things that seem like they could be a threat to them.  How could an object that makes so much noise not be dangerous?  In such a situation it is important that you impress upon your dog that you are both in charge and can be trusted.  If your dog sees you calm and content around an operational vacuum cleaner, your dog may begin to see the vacuum cleaner as something not to be feared.

Fear of a situation

While dogs are not those to hold grudges and are much more likely to live in the moment, they do still remember.  Because of this it is possible that your dog will recall a certain event that took place in a certain situation or location.  If two people always argue loudly when they meet, your pet may associate those two people coming together with fear and will therefore be fearful whenever he sees the two together.

Fear of a person

Dogs are very forgiving animals and are not one to remember an episode when you were angry or frustrated.  At the same time, a dog may become fearful of a person if that person has done the dog harm in the past.  Even shouting loudly at a dog several times may make the dog nervous or unwilling to approach that person.  In more extreme cases, someone who has made a habit of hitting a dog or who vents his or her frustration on a dog regularly will find that the dog reacts fearfully.  This fear could turn easily into fearful aggression.

Shock is a condition that all pet owners should know about and few understand properly.  The medical definition of shock is a condition wherein the body’s vital systems are suppressed because of lack of oxygen.  This can be the result of a serious injury, poisoning, burns, serious dehydration, allergic reactions, heart failure, or airway obstructions.

Even though the symptoms of shock often do not seem to be dangerous, this is a life threatening condition and must be treated immediately.  An animal that is in shock may have recently been in a fight, hit by a car, or been shot.  While the outward injuries may seem only superficial, this animal still must be taken to the veterinary clinic immediately for treatment.  Learn how to properly transport your animal so that you do not cause more harm to your pet.

There are a number of signs that you can pick up on if your pet is suffering from shock.  The early signs – those that appear relatively soon after the injury or incident – can be pale colored gums, overexcited or subdued activity level, and a rapid and easy to find pulse.

Later signs include pale or bluish gums, an irregular or below normal heart rate (the heart is beginning to fail here), your pet may feel cold to the touch as his core temperature drops, breathing may either be fast or slow and breaths may be either deep or shallow.  In the end your pet will slip into a coma as his mental state slowly slips.

In many cases you will not be able to wait till you get to the vet clinic before administering any treatment.  Take some time to learn pet CPR and use it if your pet stops breathing.  Place a coat or blanket over your pet to keep a little bit of heat in and stop any bleeding immediately using pressure and bandages.  If your pet is biting out of fear or pain, put a muzzle on but only one that will not hinder breathing.  Once your pet is secured, transport him to the clinic immediately.

There are a few things that you should avoid doing when a pet is in shock.  Unless specifically instructed to do so by a veterinarian, do not give your pet any medications, even over the counter pain medications.  Also, do not pour water into a pet’s mouth as his deteriorating state may cause him to inhale the water which could be dangerous.  Keep your pet laying down and do not encourage him to walk.

As we integrate our dogs further and further into the family, it becomes shockingly easy to think of these animals as we would of the people around us.  Dog owners often find it immensely difficult to think of their pets as just dogs instead of anthropomorphizing them.  While dogs may possess attributes than seem human and may do things reminiscent of a human, they are still dogs and an owner must learn to work within that construct.

Treating a dog as a human, most often as a small child, is not a kind thing to do to a dog.  A dog’s needs and desires are different from our own and forcing our own desires and values on a dog can easily confuse him.

Dogs want just a few simple things.  They of course want nourishment and relative comfort, but after survival, the most important things out there consist of being a member of a pack, knowing one’s standing in the pack, and having territory as a pack.  A dog’s life center’s around this pack mentality.  It can be very difficult for humans who come from both a family and an individual view point.

A lot of people find that their relationship with their dog becomes difficult because of poor behavior on a dog’s part.  In some cases the dog has ceased entirely to respond to commands.  The problem here is that the dog has given up on the humans as good leaders. They have not shown him that they are capable of leading his pack effectively and he has in many ways taken over.

In the wild, canines become leaders by being strong.  They lead the pack by putting everyone else in their place and it is in this way that an owner of a dog must also lead the pack.  Dog’s respond to unwavering sternness.  The idea that you can coax a dog gently into obedience will only be effective with a dog who is already quite submissive.  Any other dog will react poorly to this.  A dog will only respect you as a leader if you prove that you can be a good leader.

Most dog owners are also under the mistaken impression that dogs have memories similar to those of humans.  In truth dogs have largely sense memory.  Certain smells or sounds will remind them of feelings of comfort or safety.  A dog who is away from its owner for a long time will largely forget that person.  That isn’t to say that a scent or sound of the owner will not bring back sense memories, simply that the dog will not dwell on that person.