Pet dogs need plenty of care and this care should be both- physical and emotional. As you begin to take proper physical care of your pet, you may instantly become emotionally caring as well. Physical care for your pets involved regular exercises and feeding, grooming, and proper veterinary support when needed. Of these, grooming your pet holds special importance.

Grooming your pet dogs basically involves bathing and brushing. The frequency of these activities would be usually decided based upon the breed of your pet dogs. If you have a dog like Chihuahua with short hair, you would not need to comb it more than two times a week to remove loose hair.

In comparison to this, pet dogs with longer hair will need daily brushing or their coat will get matted. While you are grooming your pet dogs, you should also inspect the skin of your dogs for any other problems, especially their scalp. Obviously that if you find something amiss, you must take the dog to a vet. It is extremely important that you find and treat symptoms as early as possible.

The main thing to consider about brushing the pet dogs is to brush in the direction in which the coat of the dog is growing. You’ve got to use grooming brushs which are specifically designed for the sort of coat your dogs have. Often you might find tangles in the hair. You’ll have to work from the edge of the tangle to free the hair from it. When you’re brushing the hair on stomach of your dog, you have to be terribly careful as the skin out there’s very sensitive.

Besides regular brushing, canines also need bathing on a regular basis. The frequency of this gain de-pends upon the breed of your pet. Bathe your dog with special dog shampoos that are available in the market. Make sure that you use lukewarm water only. Brush your dog first before you take him for a bath. Pat your dog dry when you have bathed him.

Clipping nails of your pet dogs is another significant activity in the grooming regime. Long nails tend to cause foot problems in pet dogs. It is very important to start clipping nails early in the lifetime of your pet dogs because some grown up dogs may not take it so well.

If you want to make certain that your dogs have glossy and healthy coats, you would need to do regular and careful grooming. This way your pet dogs won’t only remain good looking but also very healthy.

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The Havanese is a Bichon Group breed, that includes Bichon Frise, Bolognese, Coton de Tulear, Lowchen and Maltese The Havanese is a lively small dog, toy dog that were bred to be good companions, so are good with children. They love to have peoples notice and will do tricks to catch peoples attention. This requirement for notice does not make them an ideal choice for a busy working couple. They will often follow owners around the house, but are rarely overly possessive of their “ family”, so are superb with other dogs, pets and other animals. They often like to eat with someone in the room, so stay there when they are eating, otherwise they may take their food with them and eat it as they walk, which can be messy. They are a “ true dog”, playing games such as football with all their strength. Like many toy dogs, they do not require long walks, but they do love attention. Professional dog trainers such as London Dog Training love them, as they are so responsive to positive reinforcement.

For dog care they are relatively simple. They do not shed much, so whilst not strictly non-allegenic, they may be suitable for a family with an allergic member.

The Havanese have a slight wavy double coat, which is light and soft, with a heavier undercoat.

The Havanese must be brushed every day, as the fur has a tendency to mat. If not a show dog, you can have the fur cut. Whilst they have a good coat, it is a coat to keep the hot sun off the body, not warmth inside, so in some areas you may need to buy sweaters for them.

It is advisable to dry them after a bath with towels, rather than a hair drier, which can make their skin too dry and prone to infections. It is a breed that the kennel clubs, prefer and dictate a natural look, avoiding the bows and preferring the hair over the eyes, that protected their eyes from the Cuban sun.

The Havanese now come in many different colours and patterns, but were originally white.
They have a solid appearance relative to most toy dog breeds. The Havanese weight ranges from four to six Kgs ( around twelve lbs). Its height measured at the withers is normally 250mm( roughly ten). It is an unusual dog in that the rump is higher than the withers.

The Havanese have a sprightly agile movement. Whilst they are relatively good swimmers, they generally shire away from water, but be prudent close to water if there is something for them to run after.

They have almond eyes, with medium sized ears that are well covered and hang down. They are inclined to ear infections, so routinely check their ears and clean them. Every so often they may require their inner hairs to be plucked by tweezers or hand. The tail sweeps over the back and is also well covered. They have a great sense of smell and are trained in some countries for search. The Havanese are easily trainable so are often used in circus shows, tracking, hearing assistance dogs, mould, termite and drug search.

The Havanese normally live fourteen to sixteen years. They being breed from a limited gene pool suffer from some genetic diseases. The most common being liver disease, heart disease, cataracts and retinal dysplasia ( blots on the retina). It is recommended only to acquire Havanese from parent dogs who have clear eye certificates. Havanese sometimes develop brown tear stains, this is more obvious on the lighter coloured dogs.

The dog was bred from the now extent Bichon Tenerife and was taken to Havana by traders and settlers. Being popular in Havana in Cuba. Globally the Havanese is a relatively recent breed, taking off in the seventies from only eleven animals in the United States. They were common in Cuba, prior to the revolution, but suffered afterwards. Rapid growth in popularity now makes it difficult to find a puppy.

A wonderful family dog that should be considered.

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The German Shepherd Dog also called the Alsatian comes literally from the German Deutscher Schäferhund. They are a relatively new breed of large-sized dog originating in the late 19th century. Originally a herding dog, particularly for sheep.

The German Shepherds strength, intelligence and obedience they are often employed in police and military roles. They are also one of the most popular breeds around the world.
The original dog was called Hektor Linksrhein. Hecktor so stunned Von Stephanitz that he purchased it and renamed him to Horand von Grafrath and founded the Society for the Alsatian Dogs.
Horand became the hub of the German Shepherd breeding programs and was bred with many other society member dogs.
The Alsatians popularity has grown quickly through the 20th Century, though taking dives in popularity in the early days due to health problems from poor breeding and after the world wars with anti German sentiment. To such an extent that the UK Kennel Club renamed it to “Alsatian Wolf Dog”, eventually the wolf dog appendage was dropped and in the late seventies, the breed officially became the Alsatian Dog. The German Shepherd popularity was helped by animal actors such as Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart. Now it is globally the third most popular dog breed.

They are a large dog of around 60 centimetres ( 22 and 26 inches) at the top of the back and weigh around 30 kilograms ( 49 and 88 lb).

The Alsatian’s face has a long square cut muzzle, a doomed forehead, a long neck, powerful jaws, large erect ears (that are often pulled back when on the move), black nose and brown, medium-sized eyes. With a bushy tail.

German Shepherds come in many colours, the most common being the tan/black and red/black types with black masks and saddles. Less common versions include the sable, all-black, all-white, liver and blue types, which may not fit country breed standards. Alsatians have a double coat. A dense close thick outer coat, which sheds all year round and a thick undercoat. There is also the rare long-hair variant.
Like many working dogs, German Shepherds were bred for their intelligence, and are considered to be the third most intelligent breed of dog (Border Collies is deemed to be number one by Stanley Coren in his book The Intelligence of Dogs). This intelligence combined with their strength makes the Alsatian desirable as police, guard, and search and rescue dogs, being able to quickly learn various tasks and interpret instructions better than other large breeds.
Alsatians are known for aggression and have been restricted in areas as a result. Statistically, in the United States, the German Shepherd is responsible for more unprovoked indiscriminate bites than any other breed, and have a known tendency to attack smaller breeds of dogs.

Additionally studies have shown that Alsatians are the third most likely dog breed to attack a person and in a different study, Alsatians were responsible for around fifty percent of the dog bites that required medical attention, compared to a more typical 20% of bites requiring medical attention, not a surprise with their strong jaws and sharp canine teeth.

There is no problem with the German Shepherd breed, it is the fault of the owners. As with all intelligent active dog (or child), if they are not regularly exercised and kept busy, they can become difficult. The Alsatian must have puppy socialisation and good training from an early stage. Unlike the collie, where a lot of its aggressiveness has been breed out from show strains, the Alsatian does not seem to have lost this character.

The Alsatian are great with the family they know, but can be over protective of their home and family – why they are a great guard dog. This can give them an aloof personality.

German Shepherds are rapid learners and are highly obedient and not easily distracted, but due to their tough character, you must be very forceful with them.
The Alsatian will need to have two good walks a day. They are not a dog for a busy family without time for attention. For this reason, busy couples often ask professional dog walkers such as London dog walking to help out by walking them for several hours a day.
Poor breeding has led to common genetic health issues, hip and elbow joint problems (dysplasia) which is painful for the dog and may cause arthritis. The German Shepherd also suffers from monorchidism (one testicle), weakness of temperament, and missing teeth, as well as folded or bent ears which never fully turn up when reaching adulthood. The German Shepherd is often has ear infections due to his large and open ears.

German Shepherds, like many deep bodied dogs are prone to bloat, this is a very dangerous and often rapidly fatal problem, so if in doubt consult a vet. This is a build up of gas in the stomach, caused by a number of different causes. The symptoms of distress for no apparent reason, a firm distension of the abdomen, general weakness, depression, problems breathing, hypersalivation, and retching without vomiting. A large percentage of dogs with bloat have cardiac arrhythmias (around forty percent), loss of appetite, vomiting and weight loss.

The Alsatian often suffers from Degenerative Myelopathy, or DM is a neurological disease and are predisposed to Von Willebrand Disease, a common inherited bleeding disorder, which shows in variable degrees of bleeding tendency, usually in the form of easy bruising, nosebleeds and bleeding gums. .

In spite of these problems, the German Shepherd is robust with simple dog care and the average lifespan of a Alsatian is around 9 years, which is typical for a dog of this size.

The German Shepherd has a great nose so is one of the often used in a wide variety of scent-work roles, including search and rescue, cadaver searching, narcotics detection, explosives detection, accelerant detection, and mine detection dog, amongst others.

So the Alsatian is a great intelligent breed that will love you, if you have the time and energy for him. Not advised for busy working families.

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In reality, there is no disease truly common in Dachshunds The overwhelming majority are born healthy and live long, mostly disease-free lives.Almost every dog can develop minor health issues even if they receive vaccinations and excellent life-long care. Even dogs that receive their vaccinations and excellent life-long care can develop some minor health issues in their lifetime.

However, there are some conditions that occur more frequently in Dachshunds than other breeds.

Diseases of the Adrenal Gland

Hyperadrenocorticism, or Cushing’s Disease, is one common disease of the adrenal gland. In Cushing’s Disease, too much of the cortisol hormone is produced, either by a primary tumor or the adrenal gland, or a malfunction of the pituitary gland, which is the master gland that tells the adrenal gland how much cortisol to produce. The elevated cortisol level results in excessive drinking and urination, hair loss, a pot-bellied appearance, skin conditions, and sometimes diabetes. Lab tests are performed to measure the cortisol levels and the ability of the adrenal gland to produce cortisol. Several different drugs can be used to decrease the level of cortisol. If adrenal cancer is present, surgical excision of the gland may be needed. Cushing’s disease is not limited to Dachshunds and can be found in other breeds, too.

The opposite condition is called hypoadrenocorticism (low cortisol) or Addison’s disease. Cushing’s takes some time to present itself, but Addison’s disease is a sudden episode of collapse due to an imbalance of the electrolytes and too low of blood sugar (glucose). The sudden illness results in an emergency visit to the veterinarian for fluid therapy and cortisone injections to correct the imbalances. Being as the sudden collapse resembles many disorders, Addison’s is the most difficult disease to diagnose. Specialized blood tests are needed to identify both Addison’s and Cushing’s Disease. Life long treatment with prednisone and electrolyte supplements will be needed to treat Addison’s disease.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)

Several eye diseases can affect Dachshunds, such as cataracts and progressive retinal atrophy. PRA is a degeneration of the retina, the lining in the back of the eye. The degeneration results with gradual vision loss and blindness. Because of the slow onset of the disease, it may not be diagnosed until the dog has already been bred, thus passing the condition to their offspring. Unfortunately, there is no cure or treatment for PRA. Other eye diseases. Regular eye exams can help detect these eye-disorders early.

Intervertebral Disc Disease

By far the most common disease of Dachshunds is related to the discs between the vertebrae (the bones of the spine). The disc is normally gelatinous and provides a cushion between the bones of the spine (back). In Dachshunds, this material sometimes ruptures and sometimes calcifies, or hardens. The disc protrusion causes pain and swelling around the nerves coming out of the spinal cord and sometimes compresses the cord itself. The herniated disc causes pain, a reluctance to jump up, partial paralysis and can progress to total paralysis. Most of the Dachshunds with disc disease can be managed medically with anti-inflammatory medications and pain medication. Holistic medicine, such as chiropractic manipulation and acupuncture, is sometimes used to relieve the pain. Immediate surgery to relieve the pressure on the spinal cord may help restore full function in the legs when there is a complete rupture resulting in total paralysis. The faster the surgery is performed, the better the chances of full recovery.

Researchers are using lasers to fuse or burn the discs in order to prevent future herniation. Being as this is such a common problem in Doxies, I do recommend purchasing health insurance for your pet. Spinal surgery for herniated discs is very expensive and I have had the uneasy task of performing euthanasia on several Dachshunds because the owner’s were unable to pay for the surgery. A few of my patients, which were partially paralyzed, did recover some function of their legs over time. Some dogs may recover without surgery, but it is impossible to predict.

Vaccination Reactions

Allergic reactions to vaccinations does seem to occur in the Dachshund more often than any other breed. Usually, the reaction is minor, resulting in swelling of the muzzle and face and occasional hives. Vaccine reactions can occur in any dog, so it always best to watch your pet for a few hours after a health check. With the advances in vaccines, fewer side effects do occur and the benefits far outweigh the risks.

Dachshunds can lead a very long and healthy life, sometimes upward to 15 years. Good dental care, proper diets, preventive health checks, vaccinations, and heartworm/parasite prevention can help your Dachshund live longer.  You can find more information concerning your dogs health at LuvUrDog.com as well Dachshund breed gifts.

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