Why Should You Dress Your Dogs?

Dog fashions can be fun! Your dog can look flirty, funky, flashy or glamorous. Never before in the history of our dog have there been so many fun choices to make. There are clothes and shoes, and an overwhelming choice of collars, leashes and dog carriers.

Dog fashions can also practical. If all you are interested in is keeping your dog warm on chilly days and nights, you certainly will find the perfect sweater, jacket of fleece shirt. We as humans really share a common trait with our dogs. We both love attention! We enjoy dressing our dogs up in the latest of dog clothes, hats and jewelry because it is interactive. People stop and talk about it. The same is true when we humans dress up in the latest of fashion. It's fun. It opens up channels of communication with others and gives us the attention, whether we admit it or not, we all crave.

For those of us with little toy dogs, the days of putting on a plain acrylic sweater are over. Top dog clothes designers are making trendy, fashionable dog clothes. There are dresses out there that match the same little dresses you might have worn as a kid. There is rainwear, real leather and faux fur, boots and hats, necklaces and hair jewelry by the dozens. It is actually enough to make your head swim! If you are indecisive like I am, that is. This revolution in dog fashions is just as varied as human clothing. You can spend hundreds of dollars on an outfit or very little and still have your little dog looking fabulous. Dressing your dog is here to stay.

Clothes for Warmth:

If you and your little toy dog will outside in Maine in the winter, it truly matters that your little guy is in a nice, warm coat. Sure your main objective here is to keep the little guy warm, but it is more fun if that coat is "mink," or even faux fur. Wow! How cute can that be? Real cute! Even long-coated little dogs sometimes need a little help keeping warm. Small dogs do lose their body heat much faster and are prone to hypoglycemia. A fleece t-shirt inside is also great to help keep your little guys from losing too much body heat.

Clothes for Worried Dogs:

When you are a Teacup Shih Tzu and you only weigh 5 pounds, you will have lots to worry about if the larger size Shih Tzu is around. Dressing the little guys in clothes will actually relieve some of the tensions between them and their rivals - the bigger guys. It creates calming to wrap up your little guy in something warm and cozy like a fleece t-shirt or sweater for inside. It gives the little guys more confidence.

Dogs like attention. When you dress up your dog in a beautiful party dress, people pay that attention. Your little dog will probably respond with lots of tail wagging and an increase self confidence. Most dogs love to interact with people and clothes are very good conversation starters. Dress your dog up in something really, really pretty and unusual and have fun watching her/his reactions when people stop and tell him or her just how precious they look. People won't be able to resist smiling and petting your little dog. Dressing up your pet in beautiful dog fashions is definitely a way for the two of you to meet new people anywhere you decide to go.

Written by: Connie Limon Visit http://smalldogs2.com/ShihTzuCastle and http://www.camelotarticles.com

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How to Stop Your Dog From Whining

If your dog is an adult, there are a variety of reasons why he/she may be whining:

• Something hurts
• Nothing to do/ a little lonesome
• Has to go outside the house
• Is nervous or afraid of something

In order to know what steps to take to get your dog to stop whining you will need to know what is causing it. The cause may be justified but even still you will need to know so you don't cause further damage and cause your dog to whine even more regularly. There are also dog training courses and programs to help you with this.

• When she's whining because something hurts

If your dog's whining has been sudden and then consistent afterward it is probably because of some kind of discomfort. Check her over to see whether there's any bruises or open wounds. First, check for the obvious signs: Is she favoring one leg over another or moving about strangely? As you check her over remember to try to be gentle: if she is hurting, you don't want to make it worse. Run your hand down her tail to check for lumps, too. Even if you can't find anything seriously wrong, if you believe she's whining out of pain, schedule an appointment with your vet.

• When she's whining because she is lonely and bored

You will know if your dog is whining because she is bored if she is pacing all around the house, following you constantly and seeming unsettled. The best cure for this is simple exercise. Get her out of the house and run a few laps or play fetch. A tired dog is a happy dog so it is vital to implement exercise for your dog into a regular routine. But it is important to do this before she starts whining. Otherwise your dog will think "Whining gets me a trip outside for some fun", and this dog psychology will have you being the slave of your dog's cries. Spend time with her and make sure she has plenty of toys to play with in your absence.

• When she's nervous or afraid of something

Usually, it'll be obvious to tell if your dog is whining out of fear or anxiety. If she's afraid, it means there's a direct cause to her fear - like a thunderstorm or another dog outside. Any change in a regular routine can cause anxiety and so can sensing your anxiety. Yes, dog's do feed off our energy as well. Don't punish or correct her for whining out of fear or anxiety but do not encourage it either by automatically comforting her. It may sound heartless, but for her own sake it is better to ignore her, otherwise she will never learn to cope with her own fears and will be insecure. When you validate your dog's fears you will also be telling her to keep it up and that it's fine to be afraid of things like thunder, even if all you are doing is trying to soothe her with pats on the head. Don't baby her; instead however, distract her with something she likes, or get her to do some tricks. Change the gears in her brain to something other than her fear and she will see that it really is nothing to be afraid of.

• If she has to go outside the house

Whining to go outside is actually a good thing and a sign of a well-trained house dog. She is trying to communicate with you that she does not want to go in the house. Every dog owner will usually know the certain expression a dog will give when it's time for this. The obvious answer is to let her out and to encourage this behavior by having a treat waiting for her when she comes in. Try to make this a regular thing if she is a house dog that will be in the house mostly. She will not only know that it is good to go outside and not inside but she will know to come back inside when she is done for that tasty treat.

Further Reading

For more information (that I highly recommend) on dog training techniques and the ultimate guide to dog training and behavioral problems visit here: http://www.squidoo.com/what-is-the-best-dog-training-book

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Fishless Cycling - A Better Method For Your New Tropical Aquarium

Once you have set up your tropical aquarium the next step is to 'cycle' it. This process is the production of beneficial bacteria that will process the waste ammonia from your fish and convert it into nitrites and then relatively harmless nitrates. After adding fish to an uncycled tank the toxic ammonia and nitrite levels will rise to a dangerous high until there are sufficient numbers of bacteria to convert them into less toxic nitrates. In order to overcome this methods have been devised to encourage the growth of the bacteria. The traditional method is to add a few 'hardy' fish that will produce ammonia to encourage bacteria growth while the tank is 'cycling'. This method is very stressful for the fish, many of which die or are damaged by the process. The toxic ammonia burns the gills and leads to permanent damage. At the end of the 'cycling' you are left with fish in poor condition which you may not want in your aquarium.

A better, more humane method to cycle the tank is to use a fishless cycling method. It uses household ammonia as a source, rather than live fish, and a bacteria culture obtained from a healthy tank or purchased from an aquarium supplier.

The Bacteria Starter Culture

You can obtain a starter bacteria culture by adding some gravel, filter medium or rock from a healthy, aged tropical fish tank. If you do not have a source there are commercial products available, for example StressZyme or Hagen's Cycle. The culture will give a quick start to producing a colony of bacteria but you can also use this method without a starter culture. It will take a bit longer then to cycle your tank.

The Ammonia

Purchase some unscented, additive free 100% ammonia. Some aquarium supply shops are now selling ammonia for this purpose. If you know a chemist or science teacher they may be able to get you some pure ammonia from a laboratory supplier..

The Tank Temperature

The bacteria (Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter) thrive best at higher temperature than is usually used for a tropical tank so during the cycling increase the temperature to between 30 and 35 C (85-95F). When you add the fish you can turn it down again.

Testing Kit

A testing kit to check the ammonia and nitrite levels is essential to test the levels and to indicate when cycling is complete.

The Fishless Cycling Method

Extra aeration is recommended while cycling as bacteria need oxygen to grow. Increase the aeration through the tank and filter if possible. You could add an extra air stone or even use an extra pump if one is available. Add your bacteria culture, then add about a teaspoon of ammonia for a small tank. Increase this for a larger tank. Allow about an hour for the ammonia to circulate then test. The ammonia level should be between 5 mg/L (or 5ppm). Add some more ammonia if the level is too low. Leave the tank alone for a few days then test again.

At this stage the ammonia level should begin to drop and the nitrite level to rise. This means that the bacteria are doing their job of processing the ammonia. Add some more ammonia when it drops to zero to give the bacteria more to work on. The nitrite level should rise until it reaches a maximum then begin to drop as the nitrites are converted into relatively harmless nitrates. Three or four days after the maximum nitrite levels are seen the nitrite level should drop to zero. The cycling is now complete.

Change about 50-70% of the water, carefully so as not to disturb the filter or the gravel bed where the bacteria are colonised. Reset the temperature to 25°C, or the recommended temperature for your intended fish and allow the temperature to stabilise for a few hours. Retest for ammonia and nitrites and if the levels are zero you can now begin to add some fish.

It is possible after cycling the tank to add all the fish in one go but this will result in a spike in the ammonia and nitrite levels which is stressful for the fish and could cause them to become diseased. adding the fish slowly will allow the bacteria to grow to cope with the added levels of ammonia excreted by the fish. Even for a fully cycled tank it is advisable to gradually add the fish. aim to take about a month to fully stock the tank.

A fishless cycling method is more efficient and produces a fully cycled tank in a much shorter time than the traditional method of using hardy fish. It is also more humane and you will not be left with unwanted, often damaged fish, at the end.

For more information about aquariums and fish keeping check out Cheap Aquariums for Sale or Cheap Acrylic Aquariums

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