CHASING Have you ever chased your dog? You’ll maybe catch him once, but never again Your dog should chase you! Run away from your dog; hide from your dog. Give your dog a treat when he finds or catches up with you Need help? Telephone 087 760 7695 or send a message.

BRAND NEW PUPPY? Contact me for advice on Facebook, or phone 087 760 7695 House-training tips Tip 1: Nighttime If you keep your dog in the house, his sleeping area should be a small confined area. The sleeping area should be large enough for him to have a sleeping area and an area with newspaper in case of accidents. Go with him outside so that he can do his toilet just before bed. Make sure to get up and go outside with him if he cries in the night Get up early to take him outside in the morning as your very first chore.

Purebred (Pedigree) Puppy Beware of scams. Phone the Irish Kennel Club 01 453 330 and make sure your puppy is registered. Why? Some breeders will tell you that they will ‘send on’ the puppy’s registration papers after you have purchased, paid for, and taken the puppy. Frequently this never happens. All pedigree puppies should already have their papers before they leave their first home. The Kennel Club will provide the papers in good time and the puppy must come to you with the certificates – make sure they are not fakes. If you don’t get the papers with puppy, then your puppy may have been bred by a puppy farmer. You’ll pay a high price, for a puppy that is not a pedigree puppy. ALL puppies should be 8 weeks old (or more) when they leave their first home, should be microchipped, vaccinated, treated for worms and the breeder should provide you with certificates to prove this.

Puppy Farming – Beware! Mixed breed dogs, sometimes known as Goldendoodle, Labradoodle, Cavachon, Cockapoo, Maltipoo are easily bred by unscrupulous cruel breeders. The bitch can be bred every time she comes into season since no pedigree is required. No breed or health records are required. Conditions can be inhumane and filthy. They often sell puppies for the Christmas period. Protect dogs by refusing to buy from such people. Observe the kennel conditions, insist on vaccination certificates and microchip records with your puppy. If you want a mixed breed dog, go to a rescue centre and help stop puppy farming by getting your dog from a rescue centre

PUPPY FOR CHRISTMAS? Don’t forget this puppy will live 12-16 years and will need all the attention of a small child for the first few months. Once adult your dog will need to be walked every day and kept in a clean spacious area. Please phone for free advice on 087 760 7695

Dog Tips Smelly dog? You can keep your dog smelling sweet by changing his bedding every week, or more often if it gets wet.

RINCEIOR HAS A BROKEN TOE Amazingly, Rinceior only showed a slight limp and a lack of ‘competitiveness’ when playing ball! Turned out she had broken one of her toes and here she is in her plaster cast. Getting the plaster cast on was a challenge and the vet, three other people and the surgery all got covered in plaster. We are using one of our own fully waterproof dog boots (Proactive Paws Dog Boots) to keep it dry, and to stop her chewing it

BUYING A PUPPY? WHAT ABOUT A COCKERPOO, OR LABRADOODLE? If you buy a mixed breed puppy, such as a cavapoo, cockerpoo, labradoodle etc. you may unknowingly be buying from a puppy farmer. How? Mixed breed dogs are not registered with the Kennel Club. Therefore the bitch can be bred from twice a year, every year of her life making such breeding economic for the puppy farmer. Such breeding is extremely cruel. (The Kennel Club restricts the number of litters a pedigree dog can have to 4 during her lifetime). So, if you want to own a mixed breed dog, go to a rescue centre and get one there. Help stop puppy farming.

ELDERLY DOG? Has your dog slowed down, started to sleep a lot, shows little interest in food, even looked a bit wobbly on their legs? Here’s some things to check Inner ear infection – this can cause symptoms that look like a stroke, but is treatable by your vet Lack of interest in food – if your dog is sleeping and is woken up to give it food, it can take a little while to ‘come round’. Wake your dog before you prepare the food, and build anticipation by giving a few small bits of the food to the dog by hand. Then give the bowl to the dog Slowing down and sleeping – your elderly dog will sleep more, but is in even more need of regular exercise. Make sure to take your dog for a walk every day. Try to walk on soft surfaces such as grass since sometimes their paws get arthritis and can be sore. Your vet can help with this too – or sometimes boots for your dog will help.

ARE LOOKS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING? Carefully look at your selected breed, and choose a breed suited to your family. Here is a very good and honest website to help: http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/dogbreeds/

Is your dog getting old and slow? Sometimes a simple visit to the vet can really help. Many old dogs suffer from arthritis and can be inexpensively helped with the appropriate medication. Others may have heart problems, which is also often treatable.