Category: Best Dog Blogs

Protect Your Dog from Cold Weather

Posted on by Orla O'Keefe

Protect Your Dog from Cold Weather

Every year, thousands of dogs and cats die from exposure to the extreme cold weather. In the North East, where wind chills can dip well below zero at night, protecting your pet from cold weather is vital for their safety. Nuzzle lays out our tips to keep your pet safe in the cold weather.

4 Ways To Protect Your Pet From The Cold Weather

  1. Bring Them Inside

This seems obvious, but there is still an old-school mentality that dogs are ok outside in freezing temperatures because they have fur.

The reality is, while fur does insulate them a bit, it’s no different from you going outside in a light jacket, then trying to sleep on the frozen ground.

Dogs can go for walks, and play, in the snow and cold weather. But, sleeping outside is dangerous. Short term exposure during exercise or play is fine because your dogs are moving around, which raises their body temperature slightly. Plus, when things get too cold (and wet, if they’re playing in the snow), they can come inside to a warm home to dry off.

A sleeping dog generates little body heat. The ground, cement, and wooden decks offer almost no insulation. Even if they have a dog house to protect them from the wind, the overall temperature can be deadly.

Never leave your dog outside for long period of time if the temperature is below 45-degrees.

  1. Avoid Salt

In the city, it can be tough to avoid rocksalt scattered on the sidewalks and on the street. In the suburbs, you’ll find salt on driveways, and on sidewalks in commercial centers. This salt can burn your dog’s paws.

The best practice is to avoid areas that are heavily salted during snow storms. But, this isn’t always possible. So, bring a towel with you to wipe your dog’s paws anytime you are walking in a salted area. Check for redness, swelling, and cracks in their paw pads, and between their toes.

Wiping their paws with a damp towel can also save them from licking away the irritants, which cause problems internally as well.

  1. Bring a Towel on Walks and to the Dog Park

Bring a bath towel on long walks, or for trips to the dog park. Towels work really well as blankets to warm a cold dog. If you think they’ve been out too long, or their paws and legs are wet and icy from the snow, gently wipe away any moisture, then wrap your dog in the towel. This will bring their core temperature up, and keep them from suffering from hypothermia.

Brining a towel is a good idea in the case of emergency, as well. If you are locked out of your house, need to take a long detour, or become lost, that towel can insulate your pup and save her life.

  1. Dump the AntiFreeze

Antifreeze is deadly for dogs (and cats). If you have any in the garage or yard, dump it. The sweet smell attracts pets. It is deadly when ingested. If you see any in your neighborhood, avoid it. It can save your dog’s life.

The Best Names For Your Siberian Husky

Posted on by Orla O'Keefe

The Best Names For Your Siberian Husky

Known for their striking blue eyes and playful, chatty demeanor, Siberian Huskies make amazing family companions. And as with any dog, coming up with a name is no walk in the park – after all, they’ll have this name for life! If you’re struggling with what to name your Siberian Husky, we’ve rounded up some of the best – from well-known ones to quirky ones.

Akira

Akira means intelligent and also refers to the Japanese manga series created by Katsuhiro Otomo – which inspired the film “The Matrix.”

Alpine

Alpine means snow-covered – just like the Husky’s fur.

Balto

One of the most famous Siberian Husky’s, Balto led a team carrying diphtheria serum from Anchorage all the way to Nome, Alaska in 1925. He helped prevent an outbreak of the disease and his famous run is now commemorated by the annual Iditarod dog race.

Cherokee

Cherokee is a popular Native American dog name and refers to the Iroquoian language, which has had its own script since 1820.

Chinook

A warm wind found on the Pacific Northwest coast of the United States.

Dakota

Dakota refers to a member of the North American Indian people in the upper Mississippi valley and the surrounding area.

Eskobar

An interesting name, Eskobar means “spoiled” and refers to those who always get what they want.

Glacier

A glacier is a large ice mass that moves slowly.

Juno

Juno, or “Juneau” is the capital of Alaska but makes a great name for a Siberian Husky.

Kazu

Kazu is short for “Kazuki,” meaning peaceful.

Kremlin

A Turkish word, Kremlin means “fortress” and refers to a dog that is trough and strong.

Laika

Laika was the name of a mixed-breed Siberian Husky known to be the first dog in space.

Lonestar

Lonestar refers to someone with superior skills but bad luck.

Maverick

A maverick is someone who rebels from a group.

Nikita

Nikita is a great name for a Siberian Husky and means “little child.”

Nova

A nova is a star that suddenly becomes brighter.

River

River can refer to a free-spirited pup.

Sierra

The sierra is a rugged range of mountains.

Teeko

Teeko is a strategy game that was invented in the late 1930s but can be a cute name for a Husky.

Tundra

A widely popular name for Huskies, a tundra is a flat, treeless Arctic region.

Willow

Willow refers to a deciduous tree with small, narrow leaves.

Winter

Winter is a great name for a Siberian Husky with mostly white or all white fur.

Zaria

Zaria means “sweet, shy, and behaved.” This is a great name for a dog who prefers to lounge around.

Zorro

Zorro means fox in Spanish and is a great name for a sly, clever Husky.

VETSTREET.COM

Ultimately what you name your pup is up to you – but if you’re stumped, consider one of these fun names for your Husky pup.

How Much Should I Feed My Dog?

Posted on by Orla O'Keefe

How Much Should I Feed My Dog?

Why is it that no matter how much dogs eat they are always hungry? While some dogs just love to eat, others may not be getting be the proper amount of food. But how do you know how much food you should feed your dog? We’ve got your answers.

While there is no fixed amount dogs should be fed, there are certain guidelines you can follow to determine how much your dog should be eating.

Most dog food labels have feeding guides but the size of their meal depends on the type of food, how many times they are fed per day, their size, metabolic rate, how much exercise they get, and more.

As a general guide for how much you should feed your dog based on their weight, here is a table based off PetMD:

Dog WeightAmount Per Day
5 lb½ cup – 5/8 cup
10 lb¾ cup – 1 cup
20 lb1 ¼ cups – 1 ¾ cups
40 lb2 ¼ cups – 3 cups
60 lb3 cups – 4 cups
80 lb3 2/3 cups – 5 cups
100 lb4 ¼ – 6 cups

The amounts are based on a 24-hour period. The majority of adult dogs should eat two meals per day whereas puppies often need three or more. So, you can divide the total amount recommended into two. When raw feeding dogs, a mature dog can be fed approximately 2-3% of their body weight daily

Another factor to take into account is lifestyle. If you have a particularly active dog, you may need to feed them a little more. But, if you have a more sedentary dog, the total amount should be a little less.

To get a general sense of how your feeding schedule is going, you can use visual cues (or a scale) every two to four weeks to see if your dog is losing or gaining weight.

Dogs who are a healthy weight will show signs of an “hourglass” figure. This means that when you look down on your dog from above, their abdomen should be narrower than their chest and hips.

They will also have their ribs not visibly seen but easily felt with light pressure. And, their chest should be closer to the ground than their stomach when standing.

Feeding your dog too little can cause them to suffer from nutritional deficiencies and feeding them too much can cause obesity and health problems such as congestive heart failure, musculoskeletal problems (osteoarthritis, intervertebral disk disease), and Cushing’s disease.

Though it can be confusing, use these tips to make sure you feed your dog the right amount of food to keep them happy and healthy!

How to Train Your Dog The Most Important Command

Posted on by Orla O'Keefe

How to Train Your Dog The Most Important Command

When it comes to training dogs, there are tons of commands and tricks to teach him or her, but there is one command in particular that can end up saving your pup’s life:  COME.

Let’s say you’re on a walk or in the park with your furry best friend by your side, then he gets distracted by something that gets tossed out a passerby car window; he goes to run for the object amidst heavy traffic. This is one of many times when ‘COME’ will be crucial for your dog to know.

If you want to take the extra step to make sure your dog is safe and stays out of harm’s way, ‘COME’ is a good place to start.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Make sure your dog is on a leash.

2. Hold onto your end of the leash and tell your dog “come” once, and walk backwards. You should walk fairly quickly.

3. Continue to move in that direction until your dog finally reaches you.

4. Once your dog gets to you, you excitedly praise your dog for correctly coming.

5. Give him a treat for correctly coming.

6. Repeat, and eventually lose the leash once the action is naturally done, and you’re confident in his understanding of the command.

And don’t forget–practice makes perfect!

Study Confirms, Your Dog Understands What You’re Saying.

Posted on by Orla O'Keefe

Study Confirms, Your Dog Understands What You’re Saying.

A recent study published in Science, by a team of Hungarian journalists finds that your dog understands both emotion and the lexicon of our word

What does this mean for you?

The next time someone gives you trouble for those conversations with your dog you can tell them that science is on your side. It looks like those of us that spend hours talking with our pets aren’t so crazy after all. The bad news,  next time you try and trick Fido by telling him it’s time to go to the vet in a happy voice, he’s not going to be falling for it.

To conduct the study, the team lead by Attila Andics trained 13 different dogs, mostly golden retrievers, and border collies to sit completely still for a 7 minute MRI.

Atilla then played a recording of phrases such as good boy, clever, and that’s it. They were all played in a praising tone, a neutral word in a neutral tone, a praising word in a neutral tone, and a neutral word in a praising tone.

Amazingly, the dog’s reward center only responded positively to both a praising word in a praising tone. This proves that our pets not only understand our expressions and vocal tone but also what we tell them.

So next time you spend some one-on-one time with your pet,  watch what you say. Your dog understands you.

Curing Behaviour Problems In High Energy Dogs

Posted on by Orla O'Keefe

Curing Behaviour Problems In High Energy Dogs

Dog behavior expert Caesar Milan is fond of saying “Every dog needs a job.” Many disagree with Cesar’s methods, but it’s tough to argue with this philosophy.

The reality is, your dog was bred to perform a task. Even mixed breeds have the need to “work.” Many undesirable behaviours: digging, howling, excessive barking, etc. can be attributed to your dog’s need to do its job going unfulfilled.

Your Beagle howls when it spots a rabbit because it has a hard-wired. They need to alert the pack, and the hunter, that it’s found game.

Your Australian Shepard nips at the kids feet when they run because it has a need to herd.

Your small, mixed breed dog suffers from explosive barking fits every time someone walks by your home. This is because it’s job is to alert you that there is a threat approaching.

Exercise Helps Control Dog Behaviour

If you’re losing your mind with your dog’s behavior issues, first know that they are all fixable.

The good news is that walking your dogs will solve a lot of issues. All dogs, regardless of breed, have a need to walk. This is their need for moving forward in search of food and shelter. When you deny a dog this simple task, it can cause a buildup of mental and physical energy and this leads to destructive behaviors.

Two, finding breed-specific tasks is a great way for your dog to realize it’s need to work.

If you have a mixed breed, finding out things she likes to do will not be hard.

Start with Basic Behavior Training

What kind of dog do you have?

Not surprisingly, Labs will enjoy retrieving a ball, stick, or Frisbee and bringing it back to you. You don’t need to duck hunt because your dog is hyperactive. But, finding a way for them to replicate soft-mouth carrying an object to you is an excellent way for them to feel fulfilled mentally and physically.

Playing scent-related hide-and-seek games can be a great way for nose-dominate dogs like hounds (and all dogs, really) to perform work tasks. Hide an object they’re familiar with in your home or yard. Walk them through the finding and retrieval process. Repeat and reward.

No matter what breed you have, toys like Kong that allow you to hide treats or food inside of the toy, leaving your dog to use its brain to figure out the puzzle will help with their mental health and cut down on destructive behaviors.

Swimming, if your dog like water, is an excellent way for your dog to exercise mentally and physically.

Agility training is great for herding breeds, sporting breeds, and small dogs that love to run around. You don’t have to turn your yard into the World Breed Championships. Just a simple obstacle course will be like Disney for your dog.

Training Your New Puppy or Dog

Posted on by Orla O'Keefe

Training Your New Puppy or Dog

Training your dog is great for your dog and the owner. It will shape their future, and vets will tell dog lovers that a well trained dog is a happy and healthy dog. Sufficient training will shape your dog’s personality and if you want your dog or puppy to be set for life, you should begin training early. Here we list our key behavioral and training tips to get your dog started.

A caveat on our training methods, we believe in positive reinforcement and are providing recommendations using treats as a reward.

Basic Training Commands

There are 4 life-saving commands – sit, stay, come, leave. “Sit and Stay” will teach your dog how to be patient. These commands are required to calm your dog and control their enthusiasm. “Come” is the command to get your dog’s attention and summon them to you. This is very important to stimulate their mind and help them be submissive. “Leave” is the command to temper their bad behavior and is for when they lock on one item. If your dog is able to focus on multiple objects at once then they will develop more cognitive functions.

Learning Their Space Within Your Home

It is essential that every dog has their own chill zone. They should have a space they can maintain and adore. This is usually their bed. Having a place in your home that they can “lair” allows your dog to have consistency. Most dogs will take to this like a duck to water, but some dogs will need to be persuaded. This will occur often when they get a new bed or crate. We recommend that you do a reward for your dog, every time you can coax them to their new spot. Dogs will then naturally develop an affinity for this place.

Teaching Your Dog Boundaries

Dogs react nicely to boundaries, so long as they’ve been clearly outlined. The key to this training method is using your voice. You must be firm. If your dog keeps chewing on your couch, you must be firm with your “NO.” Do not fall for their puppy dog eyes. If your dog climbs on the sofa, then you should firmly get them down but reward them with a treat when they are down so they know being off the sofa is good. The hard part for most owners is that you must be consistent. It is very easy to confuse your dog if you don’t set clear and defined boundaries.

Go Potty

Dogs that are adopted when they are older are generally house broken however that does not mean that they will not have accidents while they try and get used to their new surroundings. The tried and true method of teaching your dog where to go to the bathroom is to walk to the place you desire them to go. When they “go potty” there, you should reward them and compliment them. This is a good time for them to get a treat and if you continually reinforce the behavior, this will provide your dog with structure and create a desired routine.

How to Be Home Alone

Home should not be overly hard if you have managed to train your pup to enjoy their crate or bed. Usually, as you gear up to leave, your dog will approach their crate or bed and will lay down. This isn’t them feeling sad, this is them making themselves feel safe. Puppies are the hardest age to train. They are very needy and look to you as their parent. The best way to train a puppy is to leave for a short time and reward them before you leave and after you return. They must know that you will come back, that is their fear. This a wonderful means to establish trust between your dog and you. They will be more at ease once they start to trust you completely.

Dog Training Tips: How To Stop Your Dog From Jumping On People

Posted on by Orla O'Keefe

Dog Training Tips: How To Stop Your Dog From Jumping On People

Your dogs are happy to see you when you walk in the front door. Puppies will explode into an energetic fit of affection when you come home, when someone enters your house, or when they see a doggie friend. Most consider it cute to see their puppy run around, jumping on everyone, and skidding across the floor in excitement.

But, puppies grow up. Even small dogs can become a nuisance with constant jumping. It’s not difficult for a small or medium sized dog to trip you accidently, or to knock over children.

Bigger dogs are strong, and often heavy enough to knock over furniture, and people when they jump. This behavior needs to be stopped before it becomes overwhelming.

Why Do Dogs Jump On People?

Some behaviorists feel that dogs jump up onto people, trying to get close to our faces, because this is a genetic trait passed down to them by wolves. Wolf puppies greet adults by licking their faces, and mother wolves will often eat then regurgitate the food into the pup’s mouth.

Obviously, modern dogs do not eat this way, but the trait may have been passed down.

Other behaviorists feel that the behavior is simply the expression of excess energy. A way of greeting other dogs (playfully) and of greeting humans. Dogs licking their person’s face seems to go way back into the history of the human-canine bond. Humans ok’d the behavior, and dogs for generations have picked up on that and passed the process down.

Whatever the reason, excess jumping can lead to behavior problems and injury.

Wait Until They’re Calm

This is one of the easiest training methods to implement with dogs of all ages, and sets the tone for all other aspects of training, such as walking next to you on a leash.

Simply being patient and waiting until your pup calms down before showering them with attention is the best way to get them to stop jumping out of excitement.

This isn’t cruel. It can actually be good for your dog. Running around with reckless abandon can lead to injuries (slipping the wrong way on hardwood floors can lead to broken legs, torn ligaments, and muscle strains).

In older dogs, that kind of explosive excitement can cause heart problem (accelerated heartbeat).

How to Practice Patience

This will not be easy. You probably appreciate that your dog is so excited to see you. Waiting until they’re calm may take a few minutes, but you can help them avoid injury, and avoid injury to your guests.

Step 1: Walk in Calmly

One of the biggest mistakes we make is to play into the craziness. Using a high-pitched voice to greet your furbabies, speaking rapidly, jumping around with them, or rough-housing can all elevated their excitement.

Practice walking into your home calmly. If you have a bag, briefcase, or groceries, this is a good way to focus on walking forward, putting your things down, and giving your dogs a minute to let that energy dissipate before playing with them.

BOY HOLDING TREAT FOR WAITING DOG

Step 2: Say Hello, but Don’t Give Too Much Attention

It’s ok to say hi and acknowledge them, but do so with a calm, even voice then move on. Put your stuff away, wash your hands, then make eye contact. If you’ve taught them how to sit, this is a perfect time to give the command.

Once they’re sitting, you can give attention and affection.

  1. If Excitement Elevates, Back Off

Once they’re calm and you begin petting them, they may become overly-excited again. They may start jumping again. If so, back off, ignore them until they re-calm, then try again.

This may need to be repeated several times.

Do this every time you come home for several weeks. You’ll notice a difference after only a few days, but re-enforcement is key.

Tire Your Dog to Stop Jumping

  1. Take Short Trips

Time is a factor is this process. Being out of the house for 4 – 8 hours while at work gives your pup a lot of time to build nervous energy. To a dog, you’ve left an may never be coming home. Activity is great and trackable with Nuzzle.

Practicing short trips in and out of the house is a good way to reinforce calmness, and teach them that you will return.

Walk to the mail box, the end of the hall, down to your car, out to the store. Start with being outside your house for 5-minutes. Then 10, then a half hour, and so on.

It won’t take long for them to learn.

  1. Get Your Friends On-Board

Having friends, family, and other visitors follow the rules is paramount to success. Teach them to come in, calmly acknowledge your dogs, then wait until they’re calm. Remember, visitors provide your dog with such a great opportunity to cop some extra love and affection. This leads to even more excitement. But, if you have all visitors enter and follow the rules, your dogs will quickly learn that if they just wait, sit, and stop jumping, they’ll be showered in love and attention.

House Training Senior Dogs

Posted on by Orla O'Keefe

House Training Senior Dogs

Has your  senior dog been having accidents in your house?

Does she frequently forget to tell you it’s time to go out?

Do you notice accidents at a certain time of day? Or, after a you’ve bene out of the house for a certain amount of time?

As your dog ages, she may develop problems with potty training. There are several reasons this happens:

  • A senior dog’s digestive system may not run as efficiently as it did when they were a pup. This leads to an irregular bathroom schedule
  • Your dog may have trouble holding it in. Just as with humans, as dogs enter their golden years, they may have more trouble holding it in while you’re away at work
  • There can be lag time between your pup’s brain tell her “it’s time to go out” and her ability to get to the door
  • Seniors often have to go to the bathroom more frequently than puppies
  • Did you rescue your senior pooch? She may have never been potty trained

First, make sure that accidents aren’t happening because of a medical issue. Take your dog to the vet and have them perform a Senior Blood Panel. This will find any issue with their bladder, kidneys, liver, and other essentials.

  • Once you’ve established that it’s not a medical problem, figure out if the issue is behavioral.

House Training: Puppy vs Older Dog

First, know that unless there is a medical issue, any dog, regardless of age, can be housebroken.

There are many differences in training a puppy vs an older adult dog

However, with both puppies and seniors, the key is consistency.

How to House Train a Senior Dog, Fast

These rules are meant for senior dogs, but you can apply them to puppies and adults as well.

Be Consistent with Their Meal Times

Aim to feed your senior pup at the same time every day. Remove their bowl between meals. The senior appetite is different than that of a puppy. Your senior may only pick at her food at meal time, then go looking for more later. This leads to inconsistent bathroom habits. By removing the bowl, you are letting them know that they can eat their fill – but, only at dinner time.

Feed your dog at the same time every day and take their bowl away between meals.

This will also help set up a routine of eating, resting, going out. All dogs love routine, but seniors especially thrive on consistency.

Keep a Bathroom Schedule

When training a puppy, you set up a bathroom schedule. It helps teach the pup system when it’s time to go. This goes a long way in preventing accidents because the dog’s system starts to process food on with regularity, eliminating the need for surprise trips to the bathroom.

With seniors, this is even more important. Your senior dog’s system isn’t as efficient as it used to be. Consistency in feeding and bathroom break times helps balance their system.

Senior Rescue Dogs: your rescue may not have even been house trained. If so, don’t fret. This can be an advantage because you are only teaching, and not teaching plus breaking ingrained bad habits.

Puppies should go out four times per day, minimum. Seniors should go 6 or more. They won’t relieve themselves every time, but giving them the opportunity cuts down on accidents, and helps eliminate accident-anxiety. 

Be sure to give you senior time to do her business once outside. Rushing your dog will only create more anxiety.

Rewarding Success

When she does her business outside, make sure you’re right there to reward her with treats, praise, play, or a walk.

Startle, Don’t Scare

If and only if you catch them in the act of eliminating (not 5 minutes later!), clap so that you startle them out of what they’re doing.

Then take them outside and offer them praise and treats after they finish eliminating.

Watch Them Closely

Be sure to keep a close eye on your seniors. They may not be able to tell you it’s time to go in time, and they may also feel shame if they have accidents. The best thing to do is to watch them closely, looking for patterns that let you know it’s time to go outside. 

Clean Up

Accidents happen with dogs of all ages, just as they do with humans. Dogs are not machines. When your senior pup has an accident, be sure to clean the area as best as possible to remove the scent which could encourage them to use that spot again. 

Popular Dog Breeds For Seniors

Posted on by Orla O'Keefe

Popular Dog Breeds For Seniors

Having a dog provides many health benefits to their human counterparts: decreased blood pressure, increase in oxytocin – the feel-good brain chemical, lower stress levels, increased physical health, and more. But, what about dogs for seniors? Isn’t a dog too much work? Doesn’t the training and exercise and clean up outweigh these health benefits? Does it make sense for seniors to get a dog?

NO, in fact, multiple studies have shown that dog ownership increases lifespan. It increases “good” health markers, and provides loving companionship for older adults. Even in assisted living housing, dog ownership has been shown to have a myriad of positive effects.

Being smart about which breed to choose is key. And, adopting an adult or senior dog cuts out much of the problems associated with puppies. These can include high energy, house-breaking, behavior issues, destructiveness, etc. With older dogs, those problems are long gone. They need less physical activity – a good walk or two will bring great benefit the dog, and their human.

With that in mind, which breeds are best for seniors?

  1. French Bulldog

French Bulldogs are not overly athletic, and are rarely known to be high energy. A 20-minute walk per day is enough to keep them fit mentally and physically. They’re also affectionate dogs, and will happily keep you company while watching TV, reading the paper, or just sitting on the porch relaxing.

  1. Maltese

Maltese are on the small end of the size spectrum. Though they’re long-haired, if you keep their hair clipped, they’ll shed very little, so clean-up won’t be much of an issue.

The Maltese is not high-energy, and is bred to be extremely attentive to their human. This makes them a great companion dog because they really do become part of the family, and can be useful for seniors that live alone. Maltese are often used in assisted living facilities because they can be trained to bark in emergency situations, alerting medical staff that help is needed.

  1. Beagles

Young beagles can be a real handful. But, senior beagles make fantastic companions, love walks, make great watch dogs, and are perfect for the more fit-minded seniors.

Beagles are extremely food-motivated, so you may have to lock away the goodies. But, they’re also extremely loyal. And, like the Maltese, will sound the alarm when something goes wrong.

Beagles are best in houses, rather than assisted living. While older beagles don’t howl as much as their younger pack mates, they can still let the neighborhood know when something is amiss.

  1. Poodles

The poodle has remained one of the most popular dog breeds, consistently, since World War II. They are especially popular with seniors because of their even temperament, willingness to be trained, and loyalty. Miniature poodles are small in stature and make a great companion for apartments, assisted-living quarters, and any home.

Toy poodles have become more popular, but remember that they come with some health risks (they’re fragile and can be injured easily). Both the toy and miniature are ok with one walk a day and lots of affection.

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    Most of my day is spent playing with dogs. When they nap, I’m here working on my blog. You’re welcome to reach out and connect with me.

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