A dog is always a great companion for outdoors activities, including hiking. Keep in mind though that if you are going on a longer trip your dog needs some training, and don’t expose an older dog or one that is suffering from joint problems to hour-long straining activity. To get your healthy dog used to longer trips take some shorter hikes, starting a few weeks before the final trip.

Never forget to double up on water, your pooch needs to drink at least every 30 minutes, or more frequent, depending on temperatures and difficulty of the terrain. Offer your animal food in-between, and carry some snacks while taking short breaks at least twice an hour, preferably in shaded areas. Keep in mind that your dog can’t “tell you” if he is tired or exhausted.
(more…)

Summer is here, what a wonderful time to enjoy the outdoors with your furry friend! Be aware though that the damaging UV-rays can also affect your dog. If your animal’s skin is fair, put some sunscreen on his ears and nose. Should your dog have a very pink nose, you might want to think about protecting it with a permanent tatoo. Please see our article about >>>Tattoos a substitute for pigments.
(more…)

When your dog shows signs of destructive behavior, very often the cause is stress (and boredom). If your animal starts chewing up everything within it’s reach, barks excessively, even experiences diarrhea or vomitting, it might be a sign of needing more attention. (Vomitting and diarreha can also be caused by a change of food and several other diseases. Please check with your vet if in doubt!). Especially dogs that are kept alone and/or in crates for a long period of time have the tendency to either pester the owner for attention, or develop a liking for chewing up everything from your dress shoes to sofas.
(more…)

Proper nutrition is very important for your dog’s health. Overweight dogs have an increased risk of heart disease, arthritis and diabetes. Obese and overweight dogs become reluctant to exercise and longer walks and tend to move much less. The less they move, the more weight they gain. It is hard to put a dog on a strict diet to lose weight. Much better is to feed him dog a healthy, well-balanced diet that is nutritious so the problems won’t even arise!
(more…)

Dogs need exercise and love it. In order to keep your dog happy, healthy, fit and slim your dog needs to move and play. Exercise can be walking, running, playing, some even like swimming. As a general rule keep in mind that the dog should be active at least 3 times a day for 10 - 20 minutes each.
(more…)