Bark City Doggy Daycare

If you own a dog, there is a good chance you will at some point have to break up a dog fight. Especially, if you often take your furry friend to the dog park . Dog fights can be scary and can result in injury to you or your dog if you are not mentally prepared to deal with one. The worst thing you can do is A) Scream at the top of your lungs. This only escalates the situation. B) Grab a dog's head and/ or neck area. This will result in you getting bit. and C) Keep a hold of the leash, if your dog has one on. This will result in entanglement and possible injury to one of the parties involved. If your dog has a leash on and is in a fight, the best thing you can do is immediately drop the leash. So, what should you do if you happen to find yourself in the middle of a dog fight? First and foremost, keep your cool. Next, here are some helpful tips: When it comes to dog fights, the best thing to do is recognize the situation before it arises by knowing how dogs communicate. Usually,...

 How often and how much should you be feeding your dog? There are two schools of thought when it comes to mealtimes: Free feeding or scheduled feeding. Both have pros & cons and it really depends upon  your lifestyle as well as your dog's personality & health. Which ever way you feed your dog, it is important that you are feeding them a high quality dog food that is recommended for your dog's specific breed. It is also recommended that you only feed the recommended daily amount to avoid obesity .  Free Feeding Free feeding is easier on the owner, for sure. You don't have to worry about getting home at a specific time to feed your dog. Believe me, animals are creatures of schedule. They know when dinner time is right down to the second. Free feeding is also good for active pets and puppies that need the extra calories.  The downside of free feeding is that there is an increased risk for obesity if you do not monitor how much food your dog is getting in a day. ...

Hypothermia is a dangerous drop in body temperature and can be caused by more than just being outside in the cold for long periods of time. There are a lot of factors that play into whether or not your dog is at risk of hypothermia, some of them include: Very young or old dogs. Dogs under anesthesia. Smaller breeds, because they experience faster loss of body heat.  Diseases of the hypothalamus (example: hypothyroidism). The hypothalamus is responsible for regulating and maintaining body temperature.  Shock And... of course... if your dog has been out in the cold or the skin/ fur has been wet for a long period of time. So, how do you know if your dog has hypothermia? A dog's normal body temperature is higher than a human's. The normal range is from 101-102.5F. When it drops to a human range of body temperature (97.6- 99.6F), they are in danger of hypothermia. In fact, if your dog's body temperature drops below 98F, you should seek a veterinarian immediately. ...

I've already written about 8 Things That Drive Your Dog Crazy , Top Ten Rules For Children Around Dogs and Why Socializing Your Dog With Other Dogs is Important . All of these are important topics to raising a well-rounded, balanced dog. But, one topic I have yet to write about are human behaviors that are downright ruining the dog. There are many of these behaviors, but I will just focus on the five most prevalent: Yelling at an aggressive / barking dog : This just doesn't work, because your dog doesn't speak human. Dogs that are barking excitedly or fearfully are stressed out. When you yell at them while they are barking, you are just adding to the stress which ultimately leads to more barking. They basically think, "Oh, hey! Now I have my human barking too! Yes!" A better idea is to distract your dog from whatever is causing the barking with their favorite game. OR, even better, teach your dog how to bark on command. I know this seems counter intuitive, ...