Dog Training - Your Dog's Facial Expressions & What They Mean
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Amy_M_Chan]Amy M Chan
If you have just brought a new dog home and your dog training has gone underway, you might have come to wonder how you can communicate better with your dog and vice versa. Although some people swear by looking right into a dogs eyes for behavioral cues, it's still quite difficult for most new dog owners to decipher what their dogs are thinking. It is much easier to read a dogs expression by watching for its body language and more importantly, its facial expressions.
Dogs who look about with dilated pupils and a wide-eyed look are usually frightened while dominant or dogs with an aggressive stance will have an unblinking fixed eye stare towards its target. It is important to be able to notice the difference between the two and you can easily tell from other facial factors.
For instance, when a dog gets aggressive, it barrs its teeth and the lips are pulled back exposing its canine teeth. Growling often follows as well as snarling. Dogs have evolved as family pets but at the core, they are still predators similar to wolves. Do not ever stare an aggressive dog in the eyes as this will provoke the dog and it might attack you.
If you have young children and a dog, you will need to be extra careful as most dog related injuries are caused by the fact that young children cannot tell the difference between a frightened dog and a happy one, and one can can easily be mistaken for the other. You see, children four years and younger have not developed the ability in recognizing and interpreting dog behaviors like adults can. So be extra careful with dogs around your children.
Other tell-tale signs you can look out for are dog's ears. The ears give very important cue as to the dog's intent. When your dog is giving you its full intention or has noticed something of interest, it will perk its ears up. In an aggressive encounter with another dog, the more dominant one will have its ears erect as well as pointing forwards while the submissive dog will flatten its ears or point it slightly backwards as a sign of fear. Of course, this is only apparent in dogs with short ears than in floppy ear dogs. Dogs with longer and bigger ears that flop also do this but it is more subtle and you will need to pay more attention in order to notice it.
What about friendly facial expressions in dogs? Dogs who are happy and invite the presence of human has a neutral relaxed face. They might show signs of a smile (which is more like an opened mouth grin without teeth barring), and their ears will be relaxed. Other body language signals might be a wagging tail.
In conclusion, being able to read your dog's facial expressions is crucial to successful dog training. With this information in mind, teach your children and other family members the distinction between a fearful or aggressive dog versus a friendly one.
Amy Chan is an author and publisher for several online blogs and websites which focus on children's and women's health, shopping and nutrition. She also writes content for house and kitchen decor magazines. Check out some of her new topics about modernizing your kitchen with [http://www.electronickitchenscales.org]electronic kitchen scales and also how futuristic [http://www.electronickitchenscales.org/digital-bathroom-scales-beautiful-yet-functional-weighing-scales.html]digital bathroom scales can help you build more muscle and lose fat.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amy_M_Chan http://EzineArticles.com/?Dog-Training---Your-Dogs-Facial-Expressions-and-What-They-Mean&id=3107602
Friday, October 23, 2009
Raising a Healthy Dog
Raising a Healthy Dog
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Erika_Ayala]Erika Ayala
Dogs cannot tell you if they are in pain or if they are not feeling well. They cannot verbalize their feelings. Part of taking care of them is making sure that they are healthy. Dogs are very good with hiding the pain that they are experiencing. They may have headache but they still jump at you when they see you arrive in the house. How can you make sure that your dog is healthy? There are 3 important things you need to consider: healthy diet, enough exercise and enough time for their socialization.
You need to give your dog the proper diet. You can make your own dog food at home or you can buy dog food from the grocery or supermarket. Dogs need a lot of protein in their diet. Make sure that you give them sources of protein such as meat and fish to maintain their health. They also need protein for the health of their coat. When giving them canned dog food, research on the brand name. Certain brands of dog food have harmful ingredients for your dogs.
Dogs also have muscles and joints and they need to move them around so that they will not develop arthritis. Giving your dog the opportunity to exercise and move around will also prolong their lives because they will not get sick easily.
It is also very important that you give your dog the chance to see people and other dogs. Dogs are naturally social animals and they will feel lonely when they don't get to see a lot of people. Walk them out into a place where there are a lot of people. When they do, they will not be aggressive when somebody new arrives at home. They will also be very happy seeing many people and especially other dogs.
Another important thing for your dog's health is a good comfortable bed.
Check out [http://www.pinkdogbedsale.com/waterproof-dog-bed.html]Waterproof Dog Bed
Erika Ayala writes for several sites including [http://www.pinkdogbedsale.com/]Pink Dog Bed
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Erika_Ayala http://EzineArticles.com/?Raising-a-Healthy-Dog&id=3140305
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Erika_Ayala]Erika Ayala
Dogs cannot tell you if they are in pain or if they are not feeling well. They cannot verbalize their feelings. Part of taking care of them is making sure that they are healthy. Dogs are very good with hiding the pain that they are experiencing. They may have headache but they still jump at you when they see you arrive in the house. How can you make sure that your dog is healthy? There are 3 important things you need to consider: healthy diet, enough exercise and enough time for their socialization.
You need to give your dog the proper diet. You can make your own dog food at home or you can buy dog food from the grocery or supermarket. Dogs need a lot of protein in their diet. Make sure that you give them sources of protein such as meat and fish to maintain their health. They also need protein for the health of their coat. When giving them canned dog food, research on the brand name. Certain brands of dog food have harmful ingredients for your dogs.
Dogs also have muscles and joints and they need to move them around so that they will not develop arthritis. Giving your dog the opportunity to exercise and move around will also prolong their lives because they will not get sick easily.
It is also very important that you give your dog the chance to see people and other dogs. Dogs are naturally social animals and they will feel lonely when they don't get to see a lot of people. Walk them out into a place where there are a lot of people. When they do, they will not be aggressive when somebody new arrives at home. They will also be very happy seeing many people and especially other dogs.
Another important thing for your dog's health is a good comfortable bed.
Check out [http://www.pinkdogbedsale.com/waterproof-dog-bed.html]Waterproof Dog Bed
Erika Ayala writes for several sites including [http://www.pinkdogbedsale.com/]Pink Dog Bed
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Erika_Ayala http://EzineArticles.com/?Raising-a-Healthy-Dog&id=3140305
How Common is Glaucoma in Dogs?
How Common is Glaucoma in Dogs?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Sara_Le]Sara Le
Although glaucoma in dogs is a serous illness, it is fortunately not terribly common. On occasion you may meet someone who has a pet dog, and they will tell you that the dog, which appears otherwise quite normal, is blind. Unless the blindness is the result of an accident, chances are the underlying cause is glaucoma. Since most dogs you will see are not blind, it is obvious that only a small percentage are affected by glaucoma.
The truth is, dogs can contract glaucoma just as humans can. Cats, for some reason, rarely get the disease. As in humans, glaucoma can result from genetic defects, and indeed glaucoma in dogs has a tendency to affect some breeds much more than others. Glaucoma which is the result of genetics, or otherwise inherited, is referred to as primary glaucoma. When glaucoma results from another eye disease, such as eye cancer, cataracts, or eye inflammation, it is called secondary glaucoma.
The front part eye, in both the human and the dog, is filled with a fluid called the aqueous humor. This fluid, which is totally transparent, is continuously being produced, and at the same time is being drained from the eye by canals, such that a constant pressure is maintained. Glaucoma is the condition where for some reason, usually blockage of the drainage canals, adequate fluid is not being drained away, and the pressure inside the eye begins to increase. If not treated, this pressure will have an adverse effect on the retina and the optic nerve, and can quickly lead to blindness.
Dogs who contract glaucoma often get it on one eye first. Even when blindness occurs in that eye, we seldom take notice, as the dog is able to adjust and get along with vision in one eye only. The internal pressure, called the intraocular pressure, can often become twice that experienced by a human with the disease, and may cause the dog some pain. Unfortunately, our pet dogs have no way of telling us that they have lost sight in an eye, or that they are experiencing pain in one or both eyes.
When glaucoma in dogs is detected, it is more difficult to treat than is the case with humans. Dogs of course will not take medications such as eye drops on their own, and while surgery to open a drainage canal seems to be an obvious solution, keeping the canal open is not always so simple. The approach to treatment in dogs therefore is usually to attempt to find some way to decrease the eye's fluid production. This approach is usually only temporary, especially on the case of primary, or genetically induced, glaucoma. Eventually surgery will be necessary to treat the affected eye or eyes. Lifetime treatment is usually required to prevent a recurrence of glaucoma and even so, about one-third of dogs having had the surgery will have to undergo surgery at least one additional time.
Glaucoma in dogs, while difficult to treat, is also more difficult to detect than is the case with humans. It is a fortunate this disease is a seldom thing and is unlikely to affect most pets.
Find tips about [http://www.smallbreeddogs.net/schnauzer_poodle/schnauzer_poodle.html]schnauzer poodle, [http://www.smallbreeddogs.net/standard_schnauzer_puppies/standard_schnauzer_puppies.html]standard schnauzer puppies and other information at the Small Breed Dogs website.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sara_Le http://EzineArticles.com/?How-Common-is-Glaucoma-in-Dogs?&id=3126857
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Sara_Le]Sara Le
Although glaucoma in dogs is a serous illness, it is fortunately not terribly common. On occasion you may meet someone who has a pet dog, and they will tell you that the dog, which appears otherwise quite normal, is blind. Unless the blindness is the result of an accident, chances are the underlying cause is glaucoma. Since most dogs you will see are not blind, it is obvious that only a small percentage are affected by glaucoma.
The truth is, dogs can contract glaucoma just as humans can. Cats, for some reason, rarely get the disease. As in humans, glaucoma can result from genetic defects, and indeed glaucoma in dogs has a tendency to affect some breeds much more than others. Glaucoma which is the result of genetics, or otherwise inherited, is referred to as primary glaucoma. When glaucoma results from another eye disease, such as eye cancer, cataracts, or eye inflammation, it is called secondary glaucoma.
The front part eye, in both the human and the dog, is filled with a fluid called the aqueous humor. This fluid, which is totally transparent, is continuously being produced, and at the same time is being drained from the eye by canals, such that a constant pressure is maintained. Glaucoma is the condition where for some reason, usually blockage of the drainage canals, adequate fluid is not being drained away, and the pressure inside the eye begins to increase. If not treated, this pressure will have an adverse effect on the retina and the optic nerve, and can quickly lead to blindness.
Dogs who contract glaucoma often get it on one eye first. Even when blindness occurs in that eye, we seldom take notice, as the dog is able to adjust and get along with vision in one eye only. The internal pressure, called the intraocular pressure, can often become twice that experienced by a human with the disease, and may cause the dog some pain. Unfortunately, our pet dogs have no way of telling us that they have lost sight in an eye, or that they are experiencing pain in one or both eyes.
When glaucoma in dogs is detected, it is more difficult to treat than is the case with humans. Dogs of course will not take medications such as eye drops on their own, and while surgery to open a drainage canal seems to be an obvious solution, keeping the canal open is not always so simple. The approach to treatment in dogs therefore is usually to attempt to find some way to decrease the eye's fluid production. This approach is usually only temporary, especially on the case of primary, or genetically induced, glaucoma. Eventually surgery will be necessary to treat the affected eye or eyes. Lifetime treatment is usually required to prevent a recurrence of glaucoma and even so, about one-third of dogs having had the surgery will have to undergo surgery at least one additional time.
Glaucoma in dogs, while difficult to treat, is also more difficult to detect than is the case with humans. It is a fortunate this disease is a seldom thing and is unlikely to affect most pets.
Find tips about [http://www.smallbreeddogs.net/schnauzer_poodle/schnauzer_poodle.html]schnauzer poodle, [http://www.smallbreeddogs.net/standard_schnauzer_puppies/standard_schnauzer_puppies.html]standard schnauzer puppies and other information at the Small Breed Dogs website.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sara_Le http://EzineArticles.com/?How-Common-is-Glaucoma-in-Dogs?&id=3126857
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
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