Month: February 2009

What Are The Pet Adoption Considerations?

Posted by on February 23, 2009

In any decision that you do in life, you must think hard about it in order to arrive at the best choice as much as possible. In the end, it is also you who will suffer or who will benefit from anything that will arise from that. Pet adoption considerations must also be at the top of your mind if you want to venture into this situation.

Why would you want to adopt?

Your reasons can be as simple as you want to gain a companion. The choice of your pet is depended upon the way of your living. You don’t want to get an animal that will require a lot from you physically if you cannot really afford the time to give it to them. You can just settle for a tamer one like a fish, rabbit or parrot that will serve as a companion white they really don’t ask you for too much attention. It will be enough for you to give them their basic necessities like shelter, warmth and food.

You may also want to acquire a pet because you merely want to make a difference and help in this good cause. You may have a soft spot for animals especially for those that have been left in shelters or have been cared for by charitable institutions. This is a good omen and can lead you towards a brighter future in caring for pets. Just make sure that you are ready for the responsibilities that will be required from you when you opt to trek this route.

Never give pets as a gift.

This is a must. The reason for this is very obvious. The recipient of the gift may not be ready to owe up to the responsibilities that your gift comes with. What do you think will happen to the animal when they are handed to an unwilling owner? You may have your own reasons why you give the pets as gifts. You may think that you’ve already assessed the recipient based on the facts that you know about them. But for sure, there are certain spots that you do not know about them. The pets may end up in shelters or may also be given out to others. The worst thing that could happen is for the pet to be ignored and may cause its health to diminish.

What are the other considerations?

Owning pets will give you lots of joy. But these are animals. In is difficult to train them to keep themselves neat and clean. So expect the unexpected. Prepare yourself to clean up your pet’s mess that may be distributed even on your favorite parts of your house. You can teach your pets tricks and share with them some manners. But you must not expect them to follow what you are saying all the time. They may be intelligent but you are superior than they are. You cannot expect them to do the right things all the time. You may be surprised to see eaten foods or chewed papers or shoes at times.

If you are not prepared for such situation, what are you going to do? The most probable thing is that you will vent your anger at your pet. You may want to decide to get lost of them the instant they did what seems to be inexplicable. These pet adoption considerations can help you open your eyes and mind if you can be trusted to be a responsible pet owner.

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Potty Train A Puppy Is Quite Easy

Posted by on February 23, 2009

potty train a puppy

Mention the words potty training and most dog owners will shudder with the thought of it. However, understanding how to potty train a puppy takes both energy and patience and requires a lot of time and countless walks. There is also the diligent clean up of accidents to contend with. Timing is the key and should begin immediately upon bringing your puppy home. Before beginning to potty train a puppy, let’s take a look at a few tips on the process. It is the first stage of a bonding process that will result in a happy and healthy relationship.

There are many potty training tips, but to begin with, feed your pet at the same time every day. Remember to remove food within four hours of bedtime and withdraw the water dish two hours before bedtime. It is recommended that you feed your puppy a dry food so that his stools will be more solid. A routine is the key to success. That also means you too have to stick to a routine by going to bed and getting up at the same time every day.

Toilet training for puppies involves taking your pup outside first thing in the morning. Put him on a leash and guide him to the place that you want him to use. Repeat this activity around 10 to 15 minutes after every meal or drink and right before bedtime. If, after 10 minutes, there is no potty action, then take the puppy back to its crate. Wait another 10 to 15 minutes then take him out again. Do not engage in play until the business at hand is complete. Sometimes puppies don’t finish on the first try, so give him time to be sure he won’t have to go again in a few minutes.

While you potty train a puppy, crate or confine him when you can’t watch him. It is essential to confine your puppy to rooms with washable floors until he is house trained. If you see your puppy start to relieve himself in the house, then say “no” firmly, pick him up, and take him out. When he’s finished, put him in a safe area and clean up the mess. Don’t yell at your puppy or punish him for accidents and please don’t rub his nose in it. If you discover an accident later, just clean it up and move on.

Keep in mind your patience will be rewarded while you learn how to potty train your puppy. Young puppies don’t have complete control of their bowels or bladders, so they may not realize, until it is too late, that they need to go. A puppy is a baby and needs time to adjust to acceptable potty training protocol. While you potty train a puppy, his access to carpeting and furniture should be limited. Remember to teach him where he needs to go and be as patient as possible when you potty train your dog, as accidents will happen.

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Puppy Obedience Training: Scolding Never Achieves Much

Posted by on February 23, 2009

A new puppy is going to be your constant companion for a good many years and to ensure that the time that you share with him will be filled with joy you will first of all need to look at different kinds of puppy obedience training methods. Once you find a few options it is then up to you to decide which of them is most suited for your puppy. That you should begin training your puppy when he is still quite young is a given. What’s more, you can also choose between doing the puppy obedience training on your own or you can seek out a professional to do the training for you.

Fond Memories

Though there are many advantages to getting a professional to do the puppy obedience training for you, it will however still mean that you won’t have too many fond memories to enjoy later on. It is therefore a good idea to think about imparting puppy obedience training on your own. Obviously, there are right ways as well as wrong ways of going about puppy obedience training. The proper way means that you should approach the task with a positive bent of mind and also have the right attitude before even setting out to train your puppy.

The wrong way means approaching the puppy obedience training with a negative bent of mind and also being in a foul mood because of the difficulties that will be encountered along the way. However, you should not make common mistakes and instead must do things the proper way by for example choosing an appropriate place where you can begin the puppy obedience training. A backyard is as good a starting off place as any other place and so too is a living room.

Some of the simpler commands that must be taught to the puppy are “Sit” and “Stay”. Every time your puppy follows his puppy obedience training command you must then give him a treat and also praise him so that he understands that he is doing something right. However, at the same time there is not much that can be accomplished by scolding your puppy whenever he fail to obey the commands given by you.

Repetition is the key to succeeding with puppy obedience training and so you will need to be patient and consistent so that you give your puppy clear and unambiguous commands which must be obeyed at all times.

Puppy training pads are often used by pet owners to teach a puppy where he should do his poop. The best way to ensure that your puppy obedience training efforts pay off is to first call out your puppy’s name and follows that with the command you wish him to obey. Calling his name ensures that your puppy understands that he is being spoken to and this will ensure that he will respond to the command that follows his name.

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Crate Training A Puppy

Posted by on February 23, 2009

It is a good idea to think about crate training a puppy as this will prove to be very useful whenever you have to leave your pet by himself, especially at those times when you have to go out at night or are otherwise away from home for extended periods of time. At the same time, crate training a puppy also benefits your puppy because he will get some space to call his own and this space will allow him to feel secure knowing that no one else has any right to use this space.

Buy A Crate That Is Of The Right Size

To achieve more success when crate training a puppy you need to first of all purchase the right crate that should also be large enough in size to allow him to move about freely and which will also be large enough for him after he has grown to his full size. Of course, you can also choose to buy a different crate for him once he is fully grown; however, buying a one-size-fits-all crate does have its own uses.

When you begin crate training a puppy you will notice that your puppy will show a certain amount of curiosity regarding his crate and so it will pay to place the crate in a central part of the home where he can sniff it and become accustomed to his crate. Next, you should deposit all of the toys as well as his blankets in his crate and also ensure that the crate is comfortable for him so that he can spend more time in it.

Your puppy will take a certain time to get used to using the crate and so, when crate training a puppy you need to always exercise patience and not try and rush him too much. It is important that you also inculcate in the mind of the puppy that his crate is his second home and not some kind of jail.

In the beginning, crate training a puppy requires placing your puppy into the crate and leaving him there for about fifteen minutes and at the same time ensure that you stay well clear of the crate during this time. After that you can let him out and perhaps give him a treat and also praise him for having used the crate. With repetition, these simple steps should help you succeed in crate training your puppy and you can also gradually allow him to spend more time in the crate till he becomes very accustomed to it.

House training your puppy is a necessity because only after your puppy is properly housebroken can you truly enjoy keeping a pet in your home. After your pet starts to show that he likes to go to his crate to take a nap you can then relax knowing that you have succeeded with crate training a puppy.

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Summary of the Major Hotel Companies Policies on Pets

Posted by on February 12, 2009

If you’re contemplating taking your pet on a holiday vacation, you’ll want to find pet friendly hotels and know the policies of each company.  In order to find out whether the hotel you are considering allows pets, the easiest thing to do is call.  However, we’ve compiled a list of the pet policies for many of the major hotel chains right here.  Hopefully this will ease your mind and help with holiday preparations…

AmeriSuites is a pet friendly hotel that understands pets are an extension of your family. That’s why most of their hotels doors are open to guests with four-legged friends. We gladly welcome our guests traveling with small pets and dogs at all properties, subject to state and local laws. The following represent their pet friendly hotel policy:

Service Animals accompanying persons with disabilities are always accepted.
Pets must weigh under 30 lbs.
Pets must not be left unattended in the hotel room or suite
A pet fee of $10.00 is required for each pet.

Quality Inns charge a fee of $10.00 per night per pet but do not charge any other fees. They may require a $50.00 damage deposit, which is refunded if the room is in order at check out. Quality Inns accept any well-behaved pets with a maximum of 3 per room, but dogs are limited to 50 pounds. They do not currently require a veterinarian certificate. Most properties have designated rooms for people traveling with their pet. Pets may not be left alone in the room unless in a cage. Many properties can provide you with the names of pet sitters.

Sheraton hotels within North America will welcome dogs as guests into their hotels, in accordance with local health codes. W Hotels will also welcome cats. These hotels will pamper pooches with luxurious custom pet beds and other amenities, such as floor mats, food bowls, ID tags, and more. All guests checking in with a dog will receive a “welcome kit” to include information on nearby areas for exercise and other goodies to help make traveling with your dog more enjoyable.

Some dog friendly motels may require an extra per night charge and/or a deposit. There is a weight limit of 80 pounds (40 pounds at Westin). However, dogs exceeding the weight limit and pets other than dogs may be accepted into the hotel at the General Manager’s discretion. Pet owners will be responsible for their canine companions and for any excessive damage they may cause. You will be required to sign a pet waiver upon check in. Additional restrictions may apply and full hotel details are available upon request.

Four Seasons Hotels allow small pets only (generally under 25lbs). Pets must be fully trained and appropriately restrained by guest. Pets must comply with local legislation requirements. Pets must be kept on a leash when in the hotel or on hotel property unless it is in the guest’s room, and must not be left unattended. If guest requires a pet-sitter or pet supplies, they should contact the concierge with advance notice.

Additional restrictions:

- Pets are not allowed in any food and beverage outlets, health club and pool areas of the hotel. This exclusion does not apply to guide dogs.
-Guests are responsible for cleaning up after their pet on hotel property and in the neighbourhood.
- Any disturbances such as barking must be curtailed to ensure other guests are not inconvenienced.
- Guests must contact the housekeeping department to arrange for a convenient time for servicing their room.
Guests are responsible for all property damages and/or personal injuries resulting from their pet.
Guests agree to indemnify and hold harmless the hotel, its owners and its operator from all liability and damage suffered as a result of the guest’s pet.
The hotel reserves the right to charge guest’s account commensurate to the cost of such damages.

La Quinta has over 350 pet-friendly locations from coast to coast. Cats and dogs up to 50 pounds are accepted in all guest rooms (unless prohibited by law). Housekeeping services for rooms with pets require pet owner be present or pet must be crated. No fees or deposits are required.

Saving the best for last, Loews Hotels offers a standardized “Loews Loves Pets” program at the chain’s 16 hotels across the US and in Canada. Well behaved pets of all types (except some aggressive breeds) are welcome. The Loews program offers specialized services and first-class amenities designed to make pets and their owners feel at home when traveling together.

Amenities include a personal welcoming note from the hotel general manager with a listing of pet services available at the hotel, including dog-walking routes, veterinarian information, pet shop and grooming locations, pet attractions, pet-sitters, pet-friendly restaurants, and other resources.  They also add specialized bedding for dogs and cats, complimentary bag of pet treats and a pet toy, special pet place mats with food and water bowls, and a special “Do Not Disturb” sign.

Their Room Service Menu items include dishes such as grilled lamb or chicken with rice for dogs, grilled liver or salmon with rice for cats, and for health conscious cats and dogs Loews also offers a vegetarian entrée. Additional Pet Services include pet-walking and sitting services which can be arranged through the concierge desk. The Loews “Did You Forget Closet” includes: dog and cat beds in different sizes, leashes and collars, and pet videos; guests can also purchase essential items through the “Did You Forget Closet” including: kitty litter boxes, pooper-scoopers, and pet toys. Rooms for guests staying with pets undergo special cleaning procedures including the use of specially-filtered vacuums to remove pet allergens in preparation for subsequent guests.

Hopefully this information on pet friendly lodging will help you during your holiday travels, whether you’re search for pet friendly hotels Florida, France, Australia, or anywhere in between.  Sometimes, you need everything you can get to ease your pet travel worries…

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