7 Simple Ways to Prevent Struvite Crystals in Your Dog

By Laura Ramirez

Are you sick and tired of taking your dog to the vet for recurring struvite crystals? Preventing struvite crystals is actually a lot easier than you think. It is certainly less expensive and stressful than waiting until your dog has a problem and then taking him to the vet. Here are 7 simple ways that you can prevent dog struvite crystals at home.

1. Make sure your dog has plenty of fresh, clean water to drink in order to prevent struvite crystals. One of the main causes of struvite crystals in dogs is dehydration. Don't give your dog tap water because it is contaminated with many harmful chemicals. Give your dog filtered water because it is chemical-free and can assist your dog in flushing out harmful bacteria and toxins and decreasing inflammation.

2. Alleviate stress in your dog's life. Preventing struvite crystals is a lot easier in dogs that live a stress-free life. Make sure to give him plenty of interactive play time everyday and take him out for walks at least twice a day. Also make sure to leave your dog with chew toys anytime you are not around to play with him. Give him massages and affection whenever possible.

3. To prevent struvite crystals, avoid giving your dog commercial food, especially dry food. Commercial dog food is full of artificial ingredients such as colorings and preservatives that are harmful to your dog's health. Another problem with commercial dog food is that it is packed with carbohydrate-rich grains. Eating too many grains can alter the pH level of your dog's urine and make your dog more susceptible to forming struvite crystals.

4. One of the biggest steps in preventing struvite crystals that you must take is to make sure your dog gets enough exercise. Exercise helps to maintain your dog's overall good health and is also helpful in stress relief. Take your dog out on a walk at least twice a day.

5. Make sure your dog always has a place to urinate. By taking him out on frequent walks you can be sure that he has plenty of opportunities to urinate. You should also designate an area inside the home as a place for him to urinate if you are outside of the home for long periods. If he holds his urine in for too long he can get struvite crystals more easily.

6. Don't give your dog too much protein-rich food either. Foods high in protein contribute to the amount of minerals in the urine, can change pH levels and make it easier for struvite crystals to form.

7. The best way to prevent struvite crystals is to give your dog a homeopathic remedy. Homeopathic remedies keep your dog's bladder and urinary tract very healthy and promote a healthy flow of urine. They also strengthen your dog's immune system. They are 100% safe and natural so you can give them to your dog everyday without worrying about side effects. They are easy to administer too unlike mainstream medications which often come in pill form. Homeopathic remedies come in a convenient granular form that you can sprinkle on your dog's tongue or in his food.

So there you have it. Rather than waiting until struvite crystals form and your dog is in pain, why not prevent them with the proper care at home? Preventing struvite crystals in your dog is very simple if you follow these seven tips. After all, prevention is the best medicine and you could prevent a lot of hassle for you and your dog if you follow these easy tips for care at home.

Laura Ramirez is a passionate researcher of natural remedies which heal disorders and keep pets vibrant and healthy. Find out more about safe, effective ways to maintain your pet's urinary tract health at http://www.pet-ut-health.com.

Do You Know Good Dog Treats Recipes?

By Jennifer P. April

If you're reading this, you're probably looking for good dog treats recipes. There are a lot of dog treat recipes online but they're not all created equal. Do you know what ingredients are good for your pet and which ones can be harmful?

Raisins, chocolate and macadamia nuts can all be harmful to your pet. Peanut butter on the other hand is harmless and dogs love it!

If you're looking for dog treats recipes, skip the ones filled with butter and other unhealthy ingredients. Believe me, your dog isn't going to notice if the treats are not filled with lard and butter. He will appreciate something healthier just as well. Really, he will!

Most dogs like peanut butter, cheese and any kind of meat. You can go whole wheat, soy flour or no flour. You can bake chicken livers for your pet for a healthy and simple treat or you can get fancy and make pupcakes complete with frosting and a candle for a celebration!

One of the best parts of dog treats recipes is the versatility. You can take a basic dog treat recipe and add lots of healthy things your dog will enjoy and that will help him or her to look or feel better.

Flaxseeds are one of my favorite add ins. Flaxseeds can be found in larger supermarkets or places like Whole Foods, you can buy them ground so they look more like flax powder than seeds and it only takes a teaspoonful or so to add a rich nutty flavor while helping Lucy's coat and skin to shine. They also help strengthen the heart, nervous system and brain. Plus, flaxseeds help preserve the treats. That's a lot of power!

Dog Treats make great gifts for the dog lovers in your life too.

So what are you waiting for? Grab some dog treats recipes now and start baking!

Sign up for my free monthly ezine Baggins Bites Discover more dog treats recipes at http://www.all-natural-dog-treat.com and sign up for my free monthly ezine Baggins Bites - it's filled with tips on connecting with your dog and dog treat recipes.

Reasons For Keeping Puppy Pictures

By Eliza Maledevic

For those who own a dog, there is an established connection between the two of you. Thus, importance is also established and you can be attached to your dog in a certain level. Some think of them as a friend, a best friend or family. With this kind of attachment, it is normal for the pet owners to want to preserve the memories that they have with their dog. Added to this, you should also know that the normal lifespan of the dogs is shorter so there is a big chance for the dog to die before us.

There are many ways for you to preserve the memories of your dog and one of which is keeping puppy pictures. By taking pictures of your dog, you will be able to preserve his presence and even be reminded of what the dog looked like when it was still alive. Thus, you should take as many puppy pictures that you can as your puppy is still alive.

Anyone who has a camera and knows how to operate it can take a picture of a dog. But they may have a more difficult time to capture a kind of picture that is steady and caught the subject the right time. Thus, this entails that the photographer or owner knows when you take a picture. It is difficult to make a dog pose for the camera but there are many instances when the dog can unconsciously pose. Thus, you should know how to capture these moments. Patience would be the most important factor and you can even take more time understanding your dog so that you will know his needs and what he will do next. There are trained dogs that are fairly easy to take puppy pictures but if your dog is not trained, thus you should know that this would take more of your time and efforts. The subject is not still so you should always have a camera ready to take a shot. You should be quick since most dogs can trick you and avoid taking pictures or they can already shift to another position even before you took a shot.

You should also consider bringing a good quality camera since you would need to make sure that you caught the effects that you want. To have better puppy pictures you will need to understand your puppy more. This will help you predict his movements and act faster than his moves. You will also know his expressions and the best possible time to take puppy pictures. After taking these pictures, you may want to keep the pictures safely stored in albums so that the memories would really stay for a longer time.

Eliza Maledevic Ayson writes for Jump2top.com - SEO Company

Puppy Housetraining - 3 Tips For Beginners

By Anthony W Robinson

We all know that feeling when you look into an adorable puppies face and you just know you have to take him home. I know I've done it. For many, once they get the adorable little guy home and he's using your house as his personal potty, it's not quite as adorable. The good news is, there are steps you can take now to get that puppy housetrained! The things I'm about to reveal to you are critical in your quest for success in puppy housetraining.

The first thing you need to do is get your puppy on a schedule. You need to feed and water him at about the same time every day. By doing this, you'll also begin to regulate when he needs to go out to relieve himself. One common mistake that new puppy owners make is to leave his food accessible to him all day. This is absolutely wrong. To get him on a schedule, set his food out for 15 minutes at a time. If he doesn't eat, pick it up. By doing this, he'll get the idea that when he sees that food dish it's time to eat. Having food available all day will result in him snacking all day instead of eating a full meal. All day snacking means he'll always need to go potty since he can't hold it for very long.

Next, make sure that you are taking your puppy to the same spot in the yard every time, and giving him the same command. This will teach him that when you're outside, it's a business trip. Do not play with your puppy when you take him out to go potty. He'll get distracted and forget why you took him out. Then when you let him back in, he relieves himself in the house.

Finally, make sure that you reward your puppy when he goes outside in the proper place. Remember that he wants to please you and will do whatever he can to make you happy. Let him know that it makes you extremely happy when he does his business outside. When I say reward him, I mean shower him with affection and praise like there's no tomorrow. Treats also work well, but there is not substitute for your attention and approval.

For further information on typical doggie behavior, including a fantastic resource for training how-to's and loads of detailed information on preventing and dealing with problem behaviors, check out http://puppyhousebreaking.blogspot.com/

Know and Grow Your Huskies the Right Way

By Alex De La Cruz

Huskies are one of those breeds that are widely known as sled dogs in colder regions. They are used to carry people or goods and are considered as a very big help especially if there are no snow mobiles handy or only a limited number of them can be used. But today, they qualify as pets. Different breeds of huskies include the Alaskan husky, the Mackenzie River husky, Sakhalin husky, Tamaskan husky and Siberian husky. Although they grow large, huskies are gentle and friendly animals. They are related to wolves but don't be deceived by their size so don't let them serve as guards for your houses.

They don't make a good watcher because even if someone is a total stranger they would be nice. As pets they also need proper caring and attention to ensure their health and well-being. To care for your huskies, take note of the following. Just like humans, they also need companions. They are used to live with a pack so try to give your husky a friend. It would be better if you introduce its companion as early as possible so that it would be familiar enough especially if it is some other animal like another breed of dog or cat.

Next, make your house husky-proof. Build fences that would be high enough to keep your dog inside. They are active animals and they get lost more often so make sure that they wouldn't be able to jump over your fences and your doors are always closed. But don't let them feel that they are like prisoners inside. Try to walk them as many times a week as you can because they also need exercise especially if they can't have as much freedom to run and leap inside your yard. It would be best if you can walk your husky personally.

Train them so that they would make less mess in and around the house. They are considered intelligent so training them would be easy. You can train them by yourself or you can also seek help from professionals if you really want a more formal, complete, and updated approach. And lastly, don't forget to give your husky its regular check-up. It needs the help of veterinarians to ensure that it gets all the proper care it can to stay fit and healthy especially if it needs medications. Although they will eventually attain bigger bodies don't feed them too much. Huskies just like humans get fat and it can cause them diseases too.

Make your husky happy. Be sure that when you bought or adopted it you are ready of the responsibilities when it comes to taking care of it. Treat them as your friend or better yet as a part of your family. Dogs have feelings too you know and they are very affectionate. You know that taking care of a dog is not as easy as it seems. Sometimes you have to give up something very important to you as its owner just to be with your pet when it needs you the most. But after all these, you know that just a greeting from them (in a form of a bark, of course) after a heavy days' work or licking your face, it's all worth it.

The author of this article Alex De La Cruz is a Dog Trainer who has been successful with several dog training courses for many years. Alex decided to share his knowledge and tips through his website http://www.doggyweb.info. You can sign up for his free newsletter and enjoy a healthy and submissive dog.

A Puppy For Christmas - Really?

By Nathalie Lafleur

Have your kids been harassing you for months to get a puppy? You may be gradually warming up to that idea and now that Christmas is coming up soon, you might be thinking: why not give the kids a cute little puppy on December 25th. If you have been considering the idea of giving a puppy to your kids for Christmas, please read this article very carefully.

First, the Holiday Season is probably the worst time to get a dog. A puppy needs a routine and we all know how crazy our schedule is during that time of the year. Remember that you'll have to get up once or twice in the middle of the night to get your puppy outside to do his business. So, if you're already tired from shopping, cooking and the office parties, not having full night sleeps won't help!

A dog is not a toy that you throw away once the magic of the first couple of months is gone. A dog should be considered an integral part of the family exactly as your kids are. You don't give your kids up for adoption if they break your favorite vase, so a dog shouldn't end up at the shelter if he chews on your favorite pair of slippers. In fact, if your puppy destroys anything in the house, you should bang YOUR head on the wall.... A puppy has to be supervised and needs safe toys to chew on.

Another thing you have to plan before getting a puppy is the costs associated with it. Getting a puppy requires you to get a crate, toys, food, bowls, leash, collar, etc. Furthermore, your puppy will need a vet checkup, his annual shots, etc. Also, as we talked earlier, if you don't want to lose both your dog and your slippers, you will have to train your cute little puppy. Put on your list of things to do for your dog a puppy socialization and/or an obedience class.

You also have to plan what you are going to do with your dog when you go on vacations. Will you bring your dog with you, ask a friend or family member to babysit or have him stayed at a good kennel? You'd be amazed by the number of dogs who end up at the humane society because the owners decide to leave the country for a couple of weeks and don't want to pay $20 a day in kennel fees.

If you think that a dog belongs in the garage or tied to a chain in your backyard, please DO NOT get a puppy. Dogs are social creatures that absolutely need the interaction with their pack: you. They need to be with you, to live with you, to play with you, to feel protected by you. In other words, they want to be in the house with you. And for that dog to be a well-behaved pet inside the house, he has to be housetrained. Consequently, housetraining your puppy will be your first job as a new dog owner.

If after reading this article, you know that a puppy would be a great addition to your family. You don't mind at all spending the time and money required to train and live with a well-behaved and happy dog, then I would be more than pleased to help you with your first job.

As a dog trainer I have helped thousands of new dog owners housetrain their puppy. My method is simple and stress-free, but most of all it works for all breeds. Visit: http://www.puppy-housetraining.com for more information and tips. Being prepared and knowing what to do when you'll bring your puppy home makes a huge difference. Discover how to housetrain your puppy today.

Puppy Aggression - What Puppy Aggression?

By Tobias Charles

How to stop Puppy aggression - Before it starts.

If you have recently bought a new puppy and want to get off to the best possible start try these top puppy tips...

Prevention is better than cure.

* Ask the breeder who you have recently bought your puppy off for a piece of blanket or something that smells of his old environment. This is great little trick and will start your relationship on the right footing.

* If you are bringing your puppy home from the breeder or are taking your puppy in the car at any time - try some D.A.P spray...

D.A.P Spray

* D.A.P. stands for Dog Appeasing Pheromone spray - Spray this fantastic little wonder around your car about five to ten mins before you take your puppy in it.

* You can also spray some (or better still- get a D.A.P diffuser) and install it near to where your puppy sleeps.

* The reason why D.A.P spray works so well to calm your puppy and to help prevent any aggression is because it simulates the pheromone that the bitch secretes to help her calm and relax her newborn puppies.

Violence breeds Aggression.

* It is now an acknowledged fact that aggressive behavior towards your puppy will turn you puppy into an aggressive adult.

* It's very true - if you show any aggressive behavior towards your puppy like shouting it will unnerve and scare your puppy.

* Puppies and dogs use any form of aggression as a very last resort.

* Nervous puppies/dogs are far more likely to be aggressive.

A puppy and dog for that matter needs to feel safe and secure in their environment. If a puppy/dog feels that they cannot predict or control their environment to some extent then this will breed frustration, anxiety and finally aggression - remember this in your training program.

If you found this article useful then you can find more dog and puppy training tips here. For more information on why dogs become aggressive visit here.