Bichon Frise: A Big-Hearted Lap Dog

admin | Dog Breeds | Friday, 28 March 2008

(by Mike Mathews) - The name Bichon Frise in French means a curly lap dog and truly, he is a cute and curly dog who loves to spread happiness all around. While choosing a small dog breed, you can always bring home a Bichon Frise as they make popular pets. They are look somewhat similar to the Maltese but are bigger. Extremely intelligent, the Bichon Frise is a lively and happy-go-lucky dog. You will really be proud to own one.

Compatibility and Usage: The Bichon Frise’s size and nature does not make it a very good guard dog nor does it do well as a show dog however it adequately fills the role of the absolute family dog. Taking your Bichon for regular walks in the park where it can interact with other people and dogs would surely make the dog happier and livelier.

Physical Appearance: Most dogs of the breed have the characteristic non-shedding white coat although there are others that display off-white, beige or yellow-orange with dark shades around the ears. Purebreds have a white coat, black or brown eyes with the clearly identifiable mask around the eyes.

Temperament: The Bichon is a highly attractive dog due to its silky and curly hair and it greatly enjoys human company. It possesses an independent attitude, is intelligent, affectionate, bold and lively. It is very easy to live with and generally makes people very happy as a pet. Although it may be a little difficult to housebreak, its mannerisms, attitude and happy temperament makes it worth while to persevere in training the Bichon as it is very obedient once trained.

It is very sociable with other pets and humans but can also perform guard dog duties for its master due to its protective demeanor. When playing, they may exhibit some tenacious attitudes but otherwise they are a good choice for the companion of the young and old alike.

Caring & Health: Average lifespan is normally 12 years, give or take a year or two. The male of the breed has a maximum height of that reaches up to 12 inches while the female can be anywhere from 9 to 11 inches. Their non shedding coat requires regular grooming and can be a source of various types of skin allergies and skin problems, making grooming a regular necessity.

Regular brushing is necessary to remove the hair tangles of the Bichon’s coat; tedious as this may be, it contributes to making the dog’s coat puffier, more beautiful and highly attractive. Do not feed your dog with high fat content foods to avoid their common affliction, pancreatitis. To ensure your dog’s health, it is necessary to walk him regularly on a daily basis.

Bichons are also prone to skin irritations and allergy (if not groomed regularly); old age cataract, senility and diseases of the ear; although ear disease is very easy to treat. Owning a Bichon is no different than owning a cuddly, barking fur ball that would give all members of the family extreme joy and pleasure!

About the Author:

About the Author: Mike Mathews is a writer and editor of the acknowledged Dog-Breed-Facts.com website. His new ebook titled “Choosing a Dog For Your Lifestyle” is a great resource for the prospective dog owner. You can get a unique content version of this article.

8 Signs of a Healthy Puppy

admin | Dog Health | Thursday, 27 March 2008

Thousands of people across the world acquire a new puppy every single day! Unfortunately for those who are paying for one of these puppies, not all of them are completely healthy. We hope the list below will help you in determining whether or not the little puppy you are looking at is in good health. Of course, this list is not all-inclusive and is not meant to replace the advice of your Veterinarian.

We are simply providing this information as a starting point when you are actively searching for a new and healthy puppy. Spend a few moments with the puppy and look for the signs below.

1 EYES: A puppies eyes should look clear and shiny. There should be no signs of cloudiness or discharge from the eyes.

2. EARS: Do the pup’s ears look and smell clean? The inside of the ear should not look red or inflamed. Any odor or brown discharge could signal an infection.

3. NOSE: It should be slightly moist to the touch, but there should not be excessive discharge. The puppy should not be sneezing or sniffling persistently.

4. SKIN AND COAT: The puppy’s coat should be soft and shiny, without flakes or excessive shedding. Watch out for patches or missing hair, redness, bumps or sores. The pup should have a pleasant smell. Check for parasites, such as fleas or ticks.

5. REAR END: It should be free from debris and fecal matter.

6. ABDOMEN: You should be able to feel the puppy’s ribs, but the ribs shouldn’t poke out. The tummy can be round, but not swollen or potbellied.

7. KENNEL AND BEDDING AREA : This should be a relatively tidy area. Watch out for signs of diarrhea or vomiting.

8. BEHAVIOR: A healthy puppy may be sleepy, but not lethargic. A healthy puppy will be playful at times, not isolated in a corner. You should see occasional bursts of energy and interaction with littermates. When it’s mealtime, a healthy puppy will take an interest in its chow.

Healthy puppies have clear, bright eyes that are free from discharge
Again, this is just a short list of things to watch out for when you are searching for your new puppy. You should always have your new pet checked out (as soon as possible) by a Veterinarian and proceed as per their recommendations.

One more thing, all reputable breeders should offer to take back a pet that is deemed unhealthy by a professional Veterinarian.

About the Author
If you are looking for a happy and healthy miniature schnauzer puppy, make sure to visit Lonestar Farms Miniature Schnauzers. Their well-socialized and beautiful puppies are always healthy and adorable. They are all sold with a full 2 year health guarantee. They always have Top Quality Miniature Schnauzers for sale.

Dog Health - What You Need To Know About Allergies In Dogs

admin | Dog Health | Wednesday, 26 March 2008

The health of their dogs is a very important and crucial matter for the majority of owners. Most dog owners want their dogs to be healthy, fit, and to enjoy a long life. There is a major health issue that can affect a dog significantly, and this is dog allergies.

Allergies is dogs are among the most common health issues confronted by dog owners. This is genuinely something to worry about. It is a reality that nearly all puppies don’t develop allergies in their 1st year. However, a lot of dogs develop allergies due to their environment.

In case, your puppy exhibits any signs of allergy, you want to take it seriously and seek for treatment. Think that allergies will worsened over time if not treated properly on a timely basis. For very few fortunate dogs, allergies could get better overtime, but in general, once a dog develops allergy they are forever and they worsen over time.

You can spot allergies on your dog’s skin in the form of rashes, scratching, skin eruptions, loss of hair, moisture, ear infections etc. When dogs develop allergy, they tend to over wash themselves, rub, chew or scratch. This is not a good sign since they can develop skin outbreaks via scratching.

Dogs develop allergies because they’re exposed to pathogens or other materials and affect them afterwards. There are a lot of things that could bear upon your dog and develop allergies such as grass, bushes, molds, trees, mites and fleas. Fleas are the most common cause of your dog’s allergy.

You might not even be aware that your dog has fleas. Nevertheless, it only takes a brief period of time for your dog to get them. To preclude your dog from potential allergies, you should protect him against fleas. You could purchase some powerful products that you buy from the pet shop or your vets office to protect your puppy against fleas. These products could be used after a simple blood test.

Remember that fleas can attack from anywhere. Therefore you want to be doubly sure that your dog is living in a protective environment. If there are fleas in your environment you could see fleas in your garden, on your carpet, your furniture and even on your bedding. Hence, you would need to treat your house, pets and yards to eliminate fleas from the environment. The product, you select to use must be safe for the health of your pets. Make certain that the product you use is recommended by a professional veterinarian.

If your dog has been affected by small skin inflammation during the summertime, all you need is to give your dog an oatmeal bath and some antihistamines.

You might also want to visit the vet often if you need to give your dog steroids injections, steroid tablets, change their diet, get flea medicines, special baths and antihistamine. Some dogs also suffer from food allergies and need to be given special care.

You can purchase special diets for your pet dog in this instance. You also need to give only a particular diet to your dog for 60 days and withdraw everything else from their diet.

Allergy testing is the optimal way to learn what sort of allergy your dog is suffering from. You could as well conduct a blood exam to know precisely what they’re hypersensitized to.

Whenever you observe signs of allergy in your dog, you want to take him to a veterinarian as soon as possible. This is the best method to fix the problem. The earlier you detect it and try to fix it, the earlier your dog will get rid of the allergy.

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