Top Tips for Looking After Your Dog on a Budget

The economic downturn has made us all very careful with how we spend our money (no bad thing I suppose!). But when it comes to our dogs, we don't want them to suffer as a result of our tighter budgets. We want them to have the best possible care, just for less if we can manage it. Well, of course we can and Battersea Dogs & Cats Home offers a helpful advice sheet suggesting a number of ways we can go about it.

So, if you're concerned that you're still spending more than you'd like on your dog(s) but don't know where to cut back, try some (or all) of the following tips:

• keep your dog stimulated with simple games and exercises (playing fetch in the park, practising obedience while out walking) rather than leaving them to amuse themselves with expensive toys 
• limit toys to the ones you have, alternating their use to keep your dog's interest 
• use a complete dry food rather than pouches and tins of food (which are more expensive) 
• use part of your dog's daily food allowance for training purposes rather than buying separate treats 
• take your dog with you on holiday (to dog-friendly hotels and cottages) rather than forking out for boarding kennels 
• insure your dog (to avoid huge vet bills should they become ill or injured).

The advice sheet (which was written in November 2008) is available to view/download from the Responsible Owners page of the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home website.

A Dog Is Not For Christmas

Bella, a few weeks old
(c) Louise Lambert

As all responsible dog owners know, Christmas is absolutely the worst time of year to bring a new puppy into your home!

The idea of a cute little furry thing with a red ribbon round its neck sitting under the Christmas tree waiting to surprise someone is the stuff of dreams and cheesy films. All too often puppies are given as if they're toys, not real life creatures with emotions and needs, and with no thought given to the amount of care and attention they will need, particularly in the first few weeks of their lives.

So what happens? Before the holidays are even over, dog homes up and down the country are having to take in pets that new owners have not been able to cope with.

What puppies need in their first few weeks with you is a calm and welcoming environment to help them settle into their new 'family'. They also need the undivided attention of one person who will be responsible for training and socialising them from the moment they arrive. Christmas is not a time of calm for most families. It's a time of noise, parties and lots of comings and goings. The worst possible environment for a small vulnerable creature who has just left its mother to find itself in!

My daughter and I really wanted a dog - and had our hearts set on a Labrador. But my husband was not keen. Too much responsibility, he said - so that was that. But over time he obviously started thinking more and more about it and taking in what we were saying (we did go on about it a bit!), because one Christmas, among the gifts I got from him was a book on Labradors! He had given us his blessing to bring a dog into our lives and by the following spring we had a beautiful 8-week old puppy - Bella - living with us. That was nine years ago and she is still as loved now as she was all those years ago. It was hard work for the first few weeks and I can't image how we'd have coped with her if she'd come to us over Christmas!

So my advice to anyone thinking of getting someone a dog for Christmas is this - buy them a 'dog information pack' instead, with books on dogs (different dog breeds, how to train and socialise them, etc.) and the details of a reputable breeder, or perhaps a dog rehoming centre, that you've already been in touch with and will contact again after the holidays.

Believe me, it will be worth the wait. And in the meantime, you'll have lots to talk about!

Nervous Dogs, How to Help

By Debbie Connolly

By the time I get to see a dog whose behaviour is so nervous their quality of life is compromised the dog is reacting to just about anything. It often starts with one issue and then spreads over time. There is one common factor, their owners have rewarded and encouraged the behaviour however unwittingly and the real level is usually lower than it appears.

How to Toilet Train a Puppy

By Ian Nicholson

(c) Sigismund von Dobschütz

Toilet training a puppy is not quite as simple as toilet training a baby. It would be a lot easier if, like with a baby, there was a nappy to collect and dispose of. Instead you have a young dog that does not see any problem with wanting to toilet when and where he needs to. With a puppy it happens very quickly and once the urge to toilet is there, it will carry on regardless of where it is situated, and that could be inside your home.

How To Stop Your Dog Pulling On The Lead

(c) Loupeznik

By Gary Walker

It's very likely that dogs have been pulling ever since the first time someone tried to walk one on a lead. They just hate being restrained. So when you pull them back they instinctively pull the other way.

Now, the dog is not doing this to exert dominance, or make you angry. He just wants to explore all the interesting things surrounding him. It's all so exciting that he can't wait to take it all in.

Now that you know that, use it to your advantage. Begin to teach your dog, that the walk is going nowhere, until he calms down and stops pulling. Here's how to do it.

Dog Training Tips: Dealing with dog aggression

By Gary Walker

Dog aggression is frightening, especially when it is totally unexpected. But the good news is that, in most cases, aggressive canine behavior is quite easy to nip in the bud. With the right method, aggression can be trained out of most dogs.

The Barking Dog: 10 simple ways to solve this problem

By Daniel Reid

(c) Bobob5511

How to stop a dog barking. Before you can stop the constant or excessive barking you have to figure out why your dog is doing it in the first place.

The reasons can vary from boredom, alerting the family when there are intruders, separation anxiety, aggressive barking towards people or other dogs, territorial barking or just looking for attention. It is a dog behaviour problem which can be solved.

Puppy Socialisation

By Hop Scotch

Socialisation is just another way of talking about your dog learning how to be a dog. It's a bit like raising a human child. Humans have to know certain things to get along in society – manners, how to meet new people, how to handle new experiences. Dogs need the same kind of training.