March 2010

If you have a dog then you probably have some photos of your favorite pooch. You may also know how difficult it can be to get a good picture of your dog. As soon as you haul out the camera it seems like some dogs start turning their backsides to you. Other dogs start walking toward the camera to investigate which means all of your pictures are close-ups of their noses. And some owners only seem to get pictures of their dogs sprinting through the background. Don’t despair! Here are some tips for getting good photos of your dog.

1. Plan ahead. In order to get some good pictures of your dog you need to do a little strategic planning. That means letting your dog get used to the camera. If you only bring out your camera a minute before you want to take a picture your dog is going to walk straight to the camera to investigate it. Instead, take your camera out and let your dog get used to it. Take the camera out often. Wear it a while. That way your dog will be used to it and will act naturally. You should also consider some other factors before you take pictures. Is your dog wound up and zooming around? Then be in position for his action shots. Is he being lazy and mellow? Get in the best spots to take those shots.

2. Take lots of pictures. If you take just a few pictures of your dog you may get lucky and get a great picture but you’re much more likely to get good pictures if you set aside some time and take lots of photos. You can catch your dog doing all kinds of cool things and his personality will really come out in the pictures.

3. Consider the angle. Some of the best dog pictures are usually taken at your dog’s level. Many people take pictures standing up, looking down at their dogs but if you really want to get good pictures of your dog then get right down on the floor with him.

4. Look at your surroundings. You can take great pictures anywhere but it certainly helps to have good surroundings, free of clutter. Simple surroundings can help focus attention on your dog. A clean, sandy beach or green trees will make your dog look great. Watch for things growing out of your dog’s head like telephone poles. And try to keep some contrast in the background. If you have a black dog stay away from black backgrounds; stay away from light backgrounds for light-colored dogs, and so on.

5. Have fun. Don’t be afraid to have fun with your dog. Remember that you don’t have to make every photo look the same. Mix them up a little! Have some close-ups. Do some body shots. Take a head shot. Use different angles. And ask a friend to help. Sometimes having a friend playing with your dog can help, especially if your friend has a squeaky toy. Professional photographers often use squeaky toys to get a great facial expression from a dog.

Follow these tips and you should be able to get some great pictures of your dog. It’s all for fun so go out and have a great time with your dog and your camera.

Until next time……

Although you’ve heard the saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” in fact you can teach an old dog just about anything! It’s never too late to train a dog.

Whether you are bringing home an older dog from a shelter or rescue or you’d like to work with your own older dog, there’s no reason to delay doing some training with an older dog.

There are actually some advantages to working with an older dog. Older dogs may already know some commands. They have a much longer attention span than puppies. They can understand very quickly what you want them to do because they already know a lot of human words. And, older dogs already know how to learn. They know the routine of learning things that humans want to teach them.

Even if you are starting from scratch with an older dog and he doesn’t know any commands, chances are that he knows at least a few basic words such as “good dog” and “no.” He understands certain basic training concepts that you have to spend time teaching to a younger dog.

Older dogs are often eager to please, too. They may have seen a lot but they appreciate it when you spend time with them.

You do have to make some allowances for older dogs. An older dog may not be as active or as spry as a younger dog. Depending on the dog’s age he may have some health issues to take note of when you train.

For instance, if your older dog has some arthritis, then give him time when he sits and gets up and down repeatedly. This action may cause him a little pain. If you are doing training that requires your dog to do things quickly then give him some extra time. So, if your training requires strenuous physical activity for your dog, do make allowances for his age.

If your older dog has had some previous training you may need to “unteach” him any lessons that hinder your current training. If he’s had any bad experiences you will need to carefully re-train him around those experiences.

Even if you are interested in training an older dog for some kinds of specialized training, such as hunting or herding, many older dogs are able to pick up these jobs and excel. If they have a natural instinct and they enjoy the work they are even more likely to love the training and learn fast.

However, on the whole, there is no reason why you can’t train an older dog. You should find that their intelligence and their ability to focus is very great. They have often gained a great deal of wisdom in the course of their lives and they can apply this to the training you are giving them.

It’s never too late to train a dog. Spend time training your older dog and watch him come alive again. He may spring to life like a puppy all over again, enjoying his work and loving spending time with you.

If you’re a dog lover there are many ways you can become involved in helping dogs and doing volunteer work. It’s not even necessary for you to own a dog to get involved. There are lots of groups and organizations which are always looking for dedicated volunteers to help with dogs. The most important asset you can offer is a love of dogs and a willingness to get involved.

Your local animal shelter is a great place to start if you’re looking for a way to help and to become involved in dog volunteer work. Most shelters are under-staffed and actively rely on volunteers to do a great deal of the daily work involved in caring for animals. Volunteer jobs may include walking dogs, petting dogs to make them feel more at ease and bathing and grooming. The best way to find out what your local shelter needs in the way of volunteers is to call and ask, or drop by and talk to staff. They will most likely welcome you with open arms.

Animal rescue groups are another way for you to get involved in doing dog volunteer work. Here there are a number of directions you can go. Some groups are more formal than others and may work with breed parent clubs to rescue certain breeds and mixes all over the country. Other groups will rescue any dog they hear about in a local area if possible. There are rescue organizations for every specific breed, for hunting dogs, for bully breed dogs, for dogs with certain health problems — the list goes on and on.

Volunteer jobs range from fostering rescued dogs to driving rescued dogs from one connecting person to another to arranging the logistics for dogs that have been taken in. Dog rescue groups often comprise dozens of people who may not all know each other. Much of the work may be done by e-mail or phone calls and it’s sometimes hard to know who’s in charge. However, these groups do manage to rescue a lot of dogs and place them in new homes so this is a good way to get involved in dog volunteer work for many people.

If you’re interested in becoming involved in dog rescue you can talk to someone at your local animal shelter or with your local kennel club. Animal shelters and kennel clubs will both have rescue contacts to pass on to you. In fact, they often work together to get dogs in good homes. Or, you can search online for the kind of dog rescue organization that interests you.

Animal assistance organizations also need volunteers. Guide Dogs for the Blind, for instance, uses puppy raisers to raise puppies from a young age until the dogs are ready to learn more formal lessons in assisting blind persons. The volunteers teach the puppies basic manners and make sure that they are well-socialized by taking them out in public so they can see things and meet people. You can contact various assistance organizations directly either online, by phone or by writing to them to find out their requirements for volunteering.

There are many opportunities for people to get involved in dog volunteer work. The best thing to do is to consider the ways in which you might be able to help dogs. What are your strong suits? What are you good at doing? How would you like to help? Chances are that there will be ways for you to get involved. Try to talk to some people who are currently volunteering and find out what kind of volunteer jobs are available. They’ll probably put you to work!

Heartworms are a parasite found in dogs which are spread by mosquitoes. It is a very serious disease and, left untreated, can kill your dog.

At one time heartworms were only found in parts of the United States with mosquito problems but in the last 30 years they have spread to all of the lower 48 states. There is no part of the continental U.S. that is free of heartworms. Unless your dog takes a regular heartworm preventive of some kind he is at risk of developing heartworms after being bitten by a mosquito.

The basic heartworm life cycle is fairly simple. A mosquito carrying heartworm larvae bites your dog and transfers them into your dog’s bloodstream. There they will incubate for a few days until they migrate to your dog’s heart. At that point the microscopic larvae will begin to grow in your dog’s heart until they become very large. They can interfere with your dog’s heart action and pieces of the heartworms can break off which can also cause problems. The heartworms will also continue to reproduce.

Your dog probably won’t show any symptoms of having heartworms until the later stages of the disease. At that point the first symptom is usually coughing. This means that the heartworms have migrated to your dog’s lungs. They will usually be found in the veins and blood vessels leading to the lungs as well. They can also be found in your dog’s liver. From there they will infest other organs, along with your dog’s heart. As they infest organs the organs will begin to stop functioning and your dog will die. Your dog probably won’t be able to tolerate any exercise long before he starts showing any definite symptoms because he will be feeling weak and lethargic.

Fortunately, heartworm disease is easily preventable. There are a number of heartworm preventives in the market such as Heartgard, Interceptor, Revolution, Sentinel, Iverhart, and Ivermectin. Some preventives are given as monthly treats while others are daily pills. There are even long-terms injections available for your pet from your veterinarian. If you give your pet a regular preventive then there is no need for him to ever get heartworms.

In the United States heartworm medication requires a veterinary prescription. Your vet will recommend a test for heartworms before writing the prescription. This is a simple test that draws your dog blood and checks for the presence of heartworm microfilariae in the blood. If your dog’s blood is clear of the presence of heartworms then your vet will write the prescription. If there is any sign of heartworms then your dog will need treatment.

Treatment for heartworms usually takes two forms. There is a quick approach and a slower approach. The quick approach uses an injectable drug to kill the adult heartworms. It is given over the course of two days. It kills the adult heartworms in the dog’s heart and the surrounding blood vessels. There is some risk involved in this approach since the large heartworms will be breaking off and may cause blood clots. When the heartworms break up they are carried to the lungs where they lodge in the tiny blood vessels. They are eventually reabsorbed by the body but it is possible that your dog could have a bad reaction at this time while the heartworms are in the process of dying. Your dog will probably cough during this time and for the next seven or eight weeks.

There is a second, slower form of treatment that involves using the same chemical that is found in heartworm preventive. It kills off the young heartworms as they emerge and allows the older ones to simply die off. This does take a long time and you won’t see a dramatic improvement in your dog. However, it is less risky.

The best way to combat heartworms is to start your dog on heartworm prevention as soon as you get him. Even very young puppies can take heartworm preventive. If you keep your dog on heartworm prevention for his whole life then you’ll never have to worry about heartworms.

Heartworm season is on the way so be sure and get your dog tested and on preventative, you will be glad you did. We keep our dogs on preventative 12 month of the year just to be safe.