A well housed horse is a happy horse

If you’re lucky enough to own a horse and you’re looking for ideas for keeping it on your own property then there are lots of affordable stables available these days.

There are many advantages of keeping your horse on your own land, the main one being you can be sure they are getting the best care as it’s you doing it.

While online the other day I came across these stables for sale and I was really impressed with the quality and size for such a great price.

There is a verity of design options so if you’re looking to house more than one horse you can. They are also made of a really good quality timber which is really important with the weather we get some times. There are other stables available for sale online but I do prefer timber stables personally. 

 

The most important thing is to make sure your horse is warm and cosy and most of all happy :0)

Have a great lawn even if you own a dog!

Every dog owner knows that you cannot have a garden to be proud of if you have a dog. Dog urine kills grass so you can always tell if someone had a dog by the unsightly brown and bald patches on their lawn.

I know this summer I wanted to have a BBQ and invite friends over but after looking at my back garden I thought who would want to hang out here! Muddy, with no grass, plants dug up! ugh.

But then I saw this website advertising artificial grass prices and thought ooo what’s this.

After checking out the website I was defiantly sold on fake grass for my bald garden dilemma. It looks real and comes in various styles. You don’t have to mess about mowing and watering and adding grass feed to it! Perfect, and to top it off no more unsightly lawn! Bring on the BBQs

Walking your dog safely at night

Anyone that walks their dog at night knows that its a time when you can only lead walk as you dont want your dog to wander off when you cannot see them.
Well these times have changed!

Yes, there is now a great range of glow in the dark pet accessories that you can by for you dog to wear. I personally like the flashing collars that come in a variety of colours and flashing choices.
I have recently bought a flashing heart shaped collar light from Pets at Home to attach to my dogs collar which I found worked quite well.

I also got him a safety jacket that is really good if you want to let your dog off lead on a dark field. Not only does it have the reflactive strips so you can see him in the tourch light it also is bright yellow so stands out really well.
There are loads of products available in pet  shops or online so have a look, and walk safe this winter.

Puppy Shopping List

So, your getting your new puppy and you are going shopping to get all the things you will need for the arrival. I remember when I had to make my list of things to buy for my pup and it seemed never ending, obviously I had far too many toys on the list ha ha.

By the bare essentials you will need can be found at any good pet shop outlet and doesnt have to be really expensive. The basics are;

• Bed
• Food and water bowl
• Food ( check what the breeder has been feeding so that your pup doest get a dicky tummy from changing the food too quick)
• Brush or comb
• A few toys that have different textures and noises.

Puppy collar and lead (there are soft material to get your pup used to them)
I had the hardest choice picking the dog collars and leads as there is so many to chose from. I liked the pattened ones but my other half wanted plain. We setteled for a nice purple one, that was sturdy and did the job.

Exercise for your puppy

Most people think when you get a dog you can just get out there walking them for hours in the summer sun. This is not the case as you could be causing injury to your new friend without realising it. The general rule is walk your pup 5 minutes for every month of their age, so a 12 week old pup would only need 15 minute walk sessions at a time, although you can go out 2 or 3 tames a day for 15 minutes at a time.

Another good tip I got from my breeder was getting glucosamine for dogs in tablet form. These can help your dog avoid joint pain when they get older especially in the breeds that are prone to hip problems.

So if you take care with your dog, make sure he is well looked after and exercised correctly you should get many happy vet free years out of them.

Is you dog wrecking your house?

Are you at your wits end with chewing? here are some reasons as to why your puppy chews.

Why do dogs and puppies chew?

In general there are three main reasons for your dog or puppy to chew:

Teething : This occurs between the ages 14-28 weeks. Chewing on objects helps sooth and loosen the gums around teeth, thus allowing ’baby’ teeth to fall out and proper teeth to grow through.

Exploratory Chewing: Occurs roughly from the age of 28-52 weeks. Just as human babies use their hands to explore objects, puppies use their mouths.

Calming / Stress Management: Chewing causes a chemical release of endorphins which have a calming effect on your dog. Many dogs chew to relieve stress and anxiety. This does not mean your dog is necessarily anxious, just that they know chewing calms them and makes them feel better.
How do I stop destructive chewing?

Since dogs have no sense of the value of the items they explore and chew, they can often be seen as destructive in our eyes. Rather than looking to inhibit chewing, you should be looking to focus your dog’s chewing on those items you are happy for it to chew on. The first step is to teach your dog to understand the difference between what is yours and what is theirs. To do this they must see toys as a reward, something that is special and very different to the chair leg for example. Here are some hints and tips to help achieve this:

• To start with, make only 3 toys available to your dog. Make them all different in taste, texture and shape.

• Use these toys and play regularly with your dog. This lets them associate these toys with good things and it is therefore more likely your dog will play with them when you are not there.

• Make one of the toys a hollow fill toy that can be filled with food and treats, further encouraging them to use them. See our article on how to use a Kong and the other activity toys that are available.

•  Remove valuable items or put them out of reach. Discourage your dog from chewing other objects (furnishings etc) with deterrents such as Johnstons Anti Chew. This has a bitter taste and if sprayed on furniture, its taste deters chewing.

• Keeping your dog confined when you are not watching them. Crate training is seen as one of the best ways to do this (see our article - Dog Crates & Crate Training). Alternatively you could use a play pen to restrict movement to a specific area.
  
• When you see your dog chewing the correct items, praise them. This gives further positive reinforcement around chewing the correct objects. Avoid over doing this such that it interrupts their chewing.

•  If you catch your dog about to chew on something they are not meant to, catch their attention with a firm "NO". Immediately give them something they can chew on and praise them when they do.

•  The best form of correction is from the objects themselves! Ok, this sounds odd and needs to be explained. If you discipline your dog for chewing an incorrect object, it can lead them to mistakenly believe they cannot chew at all, or cannot chew in your presence. If however, by chewing a certain object, a certain negative consequence occurs, it will deter them later. The best way to do this is to startle your dog with a squirt from a water pistol (on the back of their head) just as they are about to chew the object. It is important that the dog does not see you do this. It must think it is the object itself. This can be considered slightly aversive and is recommended as a last resort where all other methods have failed.

•  MOST IMPORTANTLY, keep it all positive and reward correct behaviour. Treat any mistakes as your fault for not correctly teaching your dog those items it can or cannot chew.

Info source from www.canineconcepts.co.uk

Summer is coming! Beware the BEEs

But there is the dark side of summer that lurks round plants and flowers! THE WASP!

Now you try telling your fluffy friend that these are not for playing with, but they don’t listen (obviously coz they don’t understand your explanation about pain, the vets ect ha ha) so you end up with a pet with a sting, and if in the face or throat this can affect breathing, which is a worry.

Funnily enough the standard thing to give your pet (well dogs from my experience, not sure about cats) is Piriton! Simples...so no more expensive trips to the vet in summer just get he Piriton in, and spend your cash down the pub instead yeeeeeeeeeey.

Is your pet healthy?

Everyone that owns a pet is aware of the costs of vet bills! They can really hit the wallet! But there are things you can do for you loved fluffy friend that can help their health and avoid unwanted trips to the dreaded vet :0)

Simple steps like feed good quality pet food, don’t over feed you pet, worm and de-flea them regularly. These simple steps can stop any unwanted infections, infestations and pain to your loved one.