How To Cut Your Dog's Nails 07/25/2011
 When To Start Dogs are often reluctant to have their nails clipped, therefore, starting the process at a very young age is a good idea. Initially, get your dog accustomed to you simply holding and stroking their paws. Then progress to applying light pressure on their paws and nails - lightly pinching their nails between your finger and thumb. Reward them for allowing this. Then, after a lesson from your vets in how to cut a dog's nails, lightly trim a couple of nails a day. Just trim off the tips - this lessens the chances of you cutting too deep and frightening your dog off. If you feel uncomfortable, let your veterinarian do the cutting, but always continue to help your dog feel at home with handling his paws and cutters!  Talk to your dog in a soothing voice all the time and reward him with his favorite treat and a romp straight after. He will gradually grow accustomed to this unpleasant procedure and learn to at least put up with it. Tools You Will Need When you're wondering about how to cut a dogs nails, there are a variety of nail clippers and trimmers on the market. You can use a guillotine (generally for smaller dogs), and trimmers (Miller's Forge for medium-small dogs and Large for large dogs). Anatomy Of A Dog's Nail Knowing how to cut dog's nails is easier when you know the anatomy of a dog's nail. A dog's nail is constructed of a hard outer cover, which protects the quick which is the inner soft part containing blood vessels and tender nerve endings. In dogs with light coloured nails, the quick can often been seen as being faintly pinkish in color and is thus easy to avoid cutting into. In the more common black nailed variety, the quick it totally invisible. Therefore, knowing exactly how to cut a dog's nails in this case is imperative. In these cases, trimming off little nibbles instead of large slices is more advisable. Keep checking the clipped part of your dog's nail and look out for a dark spot in the middle of the newly clipped area - this shows the start of the quick - do not cut too far into this. Taking just tiny nibbles, you will then start to see a pale third inner circle. Stop there - or else you are likely to hurt your dog. Also, don't forget your dog's dew claws. Growing on the inside of his legs and not in contact with the floor, these do not get worn away and will sometimes curl completely over causing your dog to get snagged in undergrowth, his bedding, etc. This can be very painful, so do keep those neatly trimmed too. The best way how to cut a dog's nails is to have the dog lying on a raised table or other surface. Do remember to put a non-slip mat for your dog to sit or stand on so she doesn't slip and hurt herself. Having someone strong hold your dog in their arms while you quickly clip a couple of nails is another effective way of doing this. However, your dog may be as good as gold and let you cut their claws with no fuss at all - in which case you are a very fortunate person! Carefully read the instructions for the nail clipping tool of your choice. For example, with the guillotine, you need to cut from the underneath of your dog's claw upwards. Never clip downwards. ALSO ; When wondering when and how to cut dog's nails, little and often is the best policy. Just nibbling off the ends of each claw will be less stressful for your dog - and yourself! The point to aim for is to trim off any bit that protrudes over your dog's pad. Thus, when he stands, your dog's claws should not touch the ground. AND ; When you've accidentally cut into the quick and it starts bleeding, use a product like QuikStop, which is a reliable styptic powder that will stop the bleeding.  1 Comment What Can Your Dog Chew On When It's Playing? 07/15/2011
David LetterDog’s List of Things Dogs Cannot Do While Chewing a Chewtoy
 When Can You Hold Puppies? 07/09/2011
Apologies for the late posting! Webservice down, alas, here is a cute one to make up for it:  When Can You Hold Puppies? Puppies benefit largely from human touch but it needs to be done correctly so they don't have a bad experience. 1) Move slowly and reassuringly. . Do not approach if the mother is being protective. 2) Pet newborn puppies as soon as their mother cleans them and they are nursing. Your touch should be very gentle and you may run your fingers softly along their sides and back and slide your hand under their body, moving slowly and deliberately. 3) Lift a small puppy by sliding your hand under its tummy. If the puppy is large, use both hands and support the puppy’s head. Cradle a puppy’s legs close to its abdomen. Gently snuggle the puppy’s legs with both of your hands, making it feel safe. 4) Supervise small children around newborn puppies. In general, puppies shouldn’t be picked up, carried around or played with until their eyes are open and they can walk easily. This is around three weeks of age. Until then an adult may hold a puppy and allow a small child to pet it carefully. 5) Continue to monitor a child’s activities around a puppy even after three weeks of age. 6) Give newborn puppies lots of attention and human touch in order to increase their ability to interact later with their owners. Catching Up With Old Student Puppies 06/26/2011
We had the chance to catch up with Bella recently, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever who we trained from 3 months old. There's a handful in New York City, and she's definitely the cutest! The breed is meant to attract ducks to the edge of the water as the dog walks by. (The little white markings on Bella's face and coat innately cause curiosity among the swimming critters)    Stella, Carrying Her Favorite Toys 06/19/2011
 If you want your pup to carry something around, try it the easy way first. Stand close to your dog with their toy and play with it, and don’t let them have it! I know, it sounds mean, but trust me, when you drop it and they start carrying it around it’s pretty cute.  TIP: Don’t reward your dog’s new trick by giving him a treat – then he’ll just learn to spit out the toy as soon as he’s picked it up! If you absolutely need it back, make sure they know the command Drop It. Dog Shorts? Check. 06/11/2011
 Found in Miami. For Bad Breath, Go Here 06/03/2011
Dapper Dog Training traveled to the NYC Pet Show and manned the booth - but we also took a walk around to see what the best offerings were. One of these booths had a new take on doggie-halitosis. Using a natural seaweed from Sweden, the powder can be put in your dog's food AND swallowed and is completely safe. This is not a paid endorsement on my part, this is just a great, safe product! Here is the website: PlaqueOff for Dogs And here is the scientific study: PlaqueOff Scientific Study  I just love the fugly pug faces... Take Your Dog To The Beach! 05/26/2011
Take your dog to the beach instead of your back yard this summer! Listed below are some Dog Friendly links, and some easy vacation rules for beaches http://www.petfriendlytravel.com/dog_beaches http://www.dogfriendly.com/server/travel/guides/beach/ beach.shtml And, if you can’t take your dog away to a beach, think about Prospect Park swimming hole in NYC, or an indoor swimming pool just for dogs at Water4Dogs! www.water4dogs.com  Beach Etiquette for Dog Owners - Always keep your dog leashed when there is a leash law - Always clean up after your dog by using a poop bag or pooper scooper - Do not let your dog visit with other beach-goers or dogs, unless welcomed - If using an official off-leash area, your dog needs to be well-behaved and must listen to your verbal commands. In an off-leash area, always pay attention to your dog. How to teach Rollover! 05/19/2011
Meet Buzz. He’s a King Charles Cavalier. So Cute! He’s 2.5 months old and perpetually looks grumpy when he’s happy.  He’s learning how to roll-over   Here’s how you teach it: 1) Your dog needs to lay down first (if he doesn’t know it yet, catch him when he’s playing with a toy) 2) Point your finger while hiding a treat in your hand 3) In a circular motion, show your dog what direction to roll over. Try to point at his ear, then his behind, and then his other ear 4) Do the pointing slowly, and when your pup rolls on his back in order to get to the treat you can then point to the floor on the other side of him so he completes his circle 5) When he rolls over all the way say ‘Yes!’ immediately and reward your pup! 6) HINT: Every dog has their ‘angle’, you just have to find it. Don’t get too close to their mouth, or too far so he has to get up to get to your hand. How To Teach Leave It! 05/16/2011
 Meet one of our students Clark! ½ English Bulldog, ½ Frenchie. On the 2nd lesson, Clark learned how to leave some food alone. Here’s how you teach it: 1) Put food in your hand and close your fingers so your puppy can’t actually get any of the food out of your hand. Put your hand where your pup can smell it and say ‘Leave It’ over and over again until your puppy gives up. When he does, immediately say, ‘Yes!’ and give him a treat from your other hand (NOT from your ‘Leave it’ hand – that’s important). 2) When your puppy is good at Step 1, put the food on the floor, and say ‘leave It’. If your puppy goes for the food, cover with your foot and say ‘Leave It!’ 3) Practice until perfect ☺. You shouldn’t have to put your foot over the food after a few tries. 4) Hint: the food your put on the floor should be a big piece of something. That way if your puppy accidentally eats it, you can get it out of their mouth easily. | ArchivesMay 2012 CategoriesAll |
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