Oh My Dog: A Doggie Survival Guide

OH MY

DO

G GIE

ID U G S U RV I VA L

E

DEDICATED TO

Oh My Dog: Doggie Survival Guide is dedicated to my doggie, Daisy. She is the sweetest thing and inspires me to share love and pawsitivity. She has made me believe that everyone should know how it feels to unconditionally love a fluffy friend and have that same love returned. Today, Daisy will be your guide to learning all you need to know about doggie care.

OUR

Dogs are abandoned by their owners at high rates. They are left with strangers, in shelters, or on the streets. Abandoned dogs are able to feel stressed, depressed, and lonely. Although the number of dogs in shelters is declining, these dogs are still euthanized.

Oh My Dog is dedicated to providing new dog owners with the information and products they need in order to take care of their dog. We give one owner the information they need ahead of time so we will prevent one more dog from eventually being abandoned.

TABLE OF

FIRST STEPS

HEALTH

10

18

GROOMING

TRAINING

26

32

ONE FIRST STEPS

FIND A VET First and foremost finding a vet is one of the most important things to do when you first get a new friend. If you already have a veterinarian that you love, no worries! If this is your first furry friend, do some research to find the best, most trusted vet in your area that best fits into your budget.

To ensure the health of your dog

WHY SHOULD I FIND A VET?

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To establish a lasting relationship with vet

MICROCHIP What is the deal with the microchip? If your dog gets lost, the person who found them is able to take them into any vet where they are able to scan the microchip to find your contact information!

BEST AGE

7 to 8 weeks old

Average cost: $45

COST

HOW LONG DOES IT LAST?

About 25 years

13 FIRST STEPS

SPAY & NEUTER Depending on the laws in your state, spay or neutering your dog may be mandatory. The purpose of these procedures is to prevent the reproduction of dogs and reduce the number of dogs that are put into shelters or are left homeless.

Boys: 6-9 months

WHAT IS THE BEST AGE?

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Girls: 8 weeks old

Lasts 14 days

WHAT IS THE RECOVERY LIKE?

Don’t bathe

No running or jumping

15 FIRST STEPS

DOGGIE PROOF Doggie proofing is essential to the safety and health of your new best friend. When bringing a new dog into their new house, you want to make sure to keep things away from them that they should not be getting into. If needed, you should invest in baby gates to block off areas of your house that you do not want them to go into.

If you are still potty training, this might also be helpful to keep them in one specific room.

You will also need a fenced in yard if you live in a house. If you want them to be able to roam around your yard, make sure that they can not escape or be taken easily.

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Medicine

Small objects

LOCK UP:

Household cleaning agents

Some house plants

17 FIRST STEPS

TWO HEATH

GENERAL HEALTH There are many underlying things that can affect a dogs health.

Some of these include a dogs breed, sex, and/or age.

A dogs breed can severely influence a dogs health. Certain dog breeds are more susceptible to certain health problems. A dog’s breed can also affect the dog’s needed exercise and diet. Not all dogs are created equal, therefore, they all need to follow specific guidelines that will best suit them. It is best to talk to your vet about the health problems that your dogs might be facing due to it’s breed.

Exercise is very important to your dog’s general health. All dog’s need some exercise, but like mentioned before, the amount of exercise is primarily by the dogs breed, sex, and age. Exercise is important to dogs’ because it can help decrease a dog’s boredom.

This is incredibly essential in earlier months and years, when dogs tend to be most destructive.

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PAWS A dog’s paws are made tough, but they can still be gravely injured if not taken care of properly. Be cautious of weather conditions, as heat or frost can damage a dogs paws. To ensure your dogs paws are safe from weather conditions, practice this test: If you would not walk outside barefoot, do not let your dog spend too much time under the same conditions.

If your dog shows signs of distress, including limping or licking their paws, check to see if there is blistering or an object impaling their paws. If there is anything wrong with your dogs paws, remove them from the conditions they are in and consult with your vet.

If you live in an area of extreme heat or cold, ensure your dog’s paws’ health and use booties for your dog. It might take them some time to get used to but it is for your dogs protection.

21 HEALTH

FOOD Food makes a world of difference to the health of your dog. Some foods are great for their fur, skin, eyesight, and over all health.

Others can be detrimental to their health and cause them to be sick, or even die, if consumed. It is important to be aware of what is going in the food your dog eats, or the human food you give your dog as snack. If your dog seems to have any reactions to dog food, let your vet know as soon as possible, if not immediately. Your dog might be allergic to some of the ingredients.

Broccoli

Boneless salmon

Carrots

Peanut butter

Most fruits (excluding seeds & pits)

GREAT SNACKS

Cooked eggs

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TOXIC FOOD

Alcohol

Avocado

Chocolate & Candy

Cooked Bones

Dairy

Fruit seeds & pits

Garlic

Grapes & Raisins

Lemon & Lime

Macadamia Nuts

Onions

Salt

23 HEALTH

VACCINES Vaccines are essential to your dogs health and making sure nothing happens to them. If you have a puppy that has not received any vaccinations, make sure to contact your vet to see what vaccine schedule they abide by. If your new dog is older with the appropriate vaccines, make sure they are caught up on their shots, and make sure they continue to receive their shots. Make sure to keep an up to date schedule of your dogs vaccines.

Vaccines can prevent your dog all sorts of illnesses and life threatening diseases. If you have a puppy who has not received vaccines yet, make sure to not expose them to populated areas where other dogs have been or may be at. Wait to take them outside of your house or lawn until your vet recommends to do so.

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NECESSARY VACCINES

Rabies

Distemper

Parainfluenza

Adenovirus T2

Adenovirus T1

Parvovirus

Bordetella bronchiseptica

Lyme disease

Leptospirosis

Canine influenza

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THREE GROOMING

BATHING There are a number of tips and tricks to help your doggie have a good bath. It does not really matter where you bathe your dog, as long as it is an area where you both are comfortable, and your dog can fit.

If you have to bathe your dog outside with a hose it is a little harder to control all external forces. Just make sure that during warmer weather the ground is not too hot for your dog to stand on. A trick for this is to put down a cool towel or make sure to get the floor wet with cool water before stationing your dog there.

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Do not pour water on the face or ears, instead use washcloth

THE PERFECT BATH

Use water that is room temperature

Give your dog a bath every over week to every other month

29 GROOMING

FUR & BRUSHING Dogs skin and fur can be home to bugs, including fleas and ticks.

It is important for their comfort to check for these bugs if they show signs of discomfort or scratching.

Fur maintenance is dependent on your breed. Different breed have different types of fur or hair. There are a few different types of fur coats: smooth, double, wire, long, and curly.

Smooth coats do not need to be trimmed or cut, but they do need to be bathed and brushed regularly. Double coats may be long or short hair, this is all based on breed. Depending on fur length, these fur types may need to be groomed and trimmed. Wire coats are thick and can mat easily if not kept up with. It is important to keep up with this fur type. Long hair also needs to be kept up with often.

This hair can grow fast and needs to be trimmed semi-frequently, depending on your dog. Curly hair needs to be groomed and brushed with a sleeker brush. It is important to research the type of fur your dog has in order to pamper them the best.

Types of fur vary between breeds. Different furs need to be brushed, where as some do not. There are also different brushes that can be used for certain hair types.

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NAIL LENGTH A dogs nails can affect their everyday life. It is important to make sure they are not too long, as they can continue to grow and curve back into the paws.

The perfect length for a dogs nails is just as long as the pads of their feet. This means that when the dog is walking their nails should not hit the floor. If your dogs nails click and clack while they walk, their nails are too long.

When your dogs nails are too long and need to be trimmed you can trim them yourself with the appropriate training and tools. If you do not know how to trim your dogs nails yourself it is recommend that you take your dog to your vet where trained professionals are able to trim them. This is important because if you mess up while trimming your dogs nails, whether it be accidentally cutting them or over trimming their nails, it can severely hurt them. Make sure you are trained or you take them to someone who is.

31 GROOMING

FOUR TRAINING

TIPS & TRICKS When training your dog, you must be extremely patient. Dogs listen and watch your body language very closely. It is important to always be positive while training your dog, so they do not hold onto your negative tones.

It is also important to listen to your dogs body language. Since they cannot communicate back with us directly they tell us what they need through their behavior. If your dog is tired or frustrated they might start to behave differently or whine. If your dog is trying to tell you that they are tired or frustrated during the training process it is essential that you listen to them and give them a break or move on to something else for the time being.

Perhaps the most important tip about training a dog is consistency. If you do not work consistently with your dog, they will never be fully trained. It is recommended that while training a dog you should put roughly 10 minutes a day into training them.

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POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT Positive reinforcement is crucial training dogs while negative reinforcement is not recommended. Dogs tend to listen and behave better to positivity whether it be from your tone, facial expressions, or body language.

It is also important during this process to give your dog their reinforcement immediately after. For example, while potty training a dog it is best to treat them immediately after they potty outside.

When treating immediately after your dog does something good it allows them know exactly what they did to receive the treat.

35 TRAINING

TREATS Treats can be anything that reinforces good behavior. If your dog only responds to food that is okay. If your dog only responds to being pet and loved on that is okay too.

There are different types of food treats and your dog might respond differently to them. There are different levels of these treats as well.

A harder trick deserves a better treat where as an easier trick might not deserve much.

Types of treats depend on your dog and their own personality. Do not be worried if your dog would rather be loved on than get a hot dog.

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Low-value: For simple tricks, or reinforcing tricks they already know

VALUES OF TREATS

High-value: For trickier tricks or tricks your dog may not be understanding

Includes: Squeeze cheese, hot dogs, and peanut butter

Includes: hard dog treats & training treats

37 TRAINING

Capstone project by Miranda Melton