5 Interesting facts about dogs that might come in handy

I've done it.... buy a book on dogs, read the first couple pages and wish that there was a Cliff's Notes on the book so I could skip the read and get to the good stuff. 

Good News...save yourself some bucks and read my latest entry and come back every week for more :)

1.) I've done it, you've done it...change the dogs food to save a couple bucks. but FYI rapidly changing the dogs food is not good for the dogs digestive system. (and not good for you if you have to walk your dogs when duty calls). 

If you do decide to change the dogs food, do it gradually (over a 7 day period) increasing the ratio of new dog food vs. old dog food a little each day until your dogs food bowl is 100% NEW FOOD. [Don't wait for their food to be out and don't change their food every month depending on the money you will be saving, learned my lesson long ago]

2.)  #1 dog health problem is OBESITY. It's not easy to get your dog back in shape but if you love your dog, you MUST! 

(speaking from experience)

-Exercise and proper nutrition is important. Or in my case, feeding my dogs separately and taking their leftovers away after they're done.

-Trust me, those puppy eyes are deceitful....don't give them scraps from the table and if you do, make sure its good for them like unseasoned chicken (that would be considered a snack so don't over do it)

- Measure the amount you feed your dogs in cups and take into consideration their snack intake

"I'm not fat, i'm big Bone"-DENIAL

3.I read in Fancy Dog Magazine that "Children that live with dogs or cats during their first year of life are sick less frequently than those without pets." so don't be afraid that the dog will bring too many germs around the baby, it might end up being a good thing. 

[no animal was hurt in the taking of this photo]

4.) Dogs are pack animals just like wolves (make the connection) so if you have more than one dog, try to figure out who's the alpha but in the end the ALPHA should be you, the owner. If it's you and a partner (husband, sister, etc) you will need to decide who is in command. 

You will need to establish this early on so that you are able to control your pet and stop the NO-NOs from happening.

TRUST ME all three of my dogs know I'm the boss!

5.)  A common myth is that dog's sniff each other's bums to say HELLO! Although the myth is semi-true, the reason actually has more depth. The aroma that the other dog's anal glands emit tells the SNIFFER important details about them. Everything from health, pregnancy status, what they ate recently, aggressive levels,emotional state, etc.

Imagine if humans could gather that much information about another through a hand shake.