I Love Animals

Your doggy can be friendly. However, sometime it turns out to be the exact opposite. They can be adorable at times nonetheless; sometimes they can into your nerves. They can destroy things and mess around. But, it does not stop there. Dogs do bite and when they do their trouble becomes your trouble as well.Dogs can make real troubles. In fact, they are called the great escape artists. This is because even if your house has a fully fenced yard, dogs find ways to break out and roam around the neighborhood at your detriment.A dog kennel can be just the right place for your best friend pet. It serves as dog’s home away from home. Dog kennel lets you spend time out without being bothered by the thoughts of your beloved pets. With a large dog kennel around, you will never need chains and ropes.A kennel keeps your dog safe and protected. It will also keep your dog from endangering other pets. It reduces the chance of your dog getting into a fight. There are many diseases and poisons that can put your dog at risk. Hence, it is better to keep them around to secure their safety.The aftermath would be your peace of mind.Kennels should not be confused with cages. The latter lacks space for the dogs to exercise and enjoy. It lacks the warmth of a home. Certainly, your pampered dog needs something to shelter it. Since it is crucial to look for the right kennel, you have to be sure that you get the most suitable doggy suite.Here are important considerations in choosing a suitable suite for your doggy:Compare prices. You can do this personally or online. It is best to balance quality and price. Remember that not all expensive kennels are of high quality.Choose a reputable kennel store. As they say, trust the trustworthy. This way you will not be wasting money for low-quality kennels.In purchasing dog kennels, the general rule is - the bigger the better. In addition, you can also consider buying a portable kennel. This kind of kennel is advisable for individuals who travel a lot and taking their doggies with them.Large department stores and pet stores offer a wide selection of dog kennels. However, they come in standard sizes. If you have a very big pet that requires a large dog kennel, you can have special order. Custom-made kennels are also fabulous. Customization allows you to decide on the size, shape, material and other special items concerning dog kennels. That fact made it more wonderful.

Nobody likes ticks.

In fact, when it comes to ticks I can’t think of a single redeeming quality.

While you may see the occasional ant farm or flea circus, the tick competes with the cockroach on the “likeability” scale!

Here’s what you need to know to defeat them and prevent them from spoiling you and your dog’s Summer fun…

What Makes a Tick “Tic”?

Did you know that ticks aren’t insects? They belong to the same family as spiders (arachnids). That may explain why we humans find them especially unappealing!

The fact that it behaves like a tiny vampire makes the tick even more detestable. Technically, a tick is a blood sucking mite that can expand 20 to 100 times it’s size as it feeds. (Gross). And ticks can spread Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted fever, making them potentially lethal.

Ticks use their sharp mouth pieces to attach themselves to your dog’s skin. Their favorite spots are the head, neck, ears, or feet. The scariest thing about them is the fact that ticks can go unnoticed.

Tiny as they are, they can attach themselves to you or your dog without being seen or felt. And especially if your dog has a dark coat, ticks will often continue to go unnoticed until they’re well engorged with blood.

At that point, you still may not see them, but you’ll certainly feel them by running your fingers or a fine toothed comb through your dog’s coat. (I still remember finding one on our black poodle when I was a child. It looked like a small school bus, so I can only imagine how long it had been there! )

The Spring and Summer months are when ticks are most prevalent, but any time your dog has been in a heavily wooded area, she should be checked. Ticks like wooded, grassy, and damp areas best.

Two types of ticks are most commonly found on dogs–the brown dog tick and the American dog tick. But deer ticks and western black-legged ticks will feed on dogs too. Of course, the tick was captured before having a chance to feed. The average tick begins it’s adventures approximately the size of a sesame seed. After making a meal of your dog’s (or your) blood, it may reach the size of a small grape! ( I swear, the one I saw looked like a school bus̷
Aside from the risk of contracting Lyme disease or spotted fever from ticks, there’s another concern: Too many ticks feeding on a single dog can cause severe anemia or a condition called tick paralysis.

Does and Don’ts of Tick Removal

A tick can be spotted fairly easily against a background of pink skin or a light colored coat. Check your dog all over, but especially around the head and neck, ears and paws. Against dark skin and coats, ticks virtually disappear, so you’ll have to feel for them. Another option is to run a fine-toothed comb or flea comb through your dog’s coat to loosen ticks that haven’t “latched on” yet.

Please pay special attention to the following:

• Don’t use your bare hands. Latex gloves will protect you from from the tiny organisms that live on ticks and spread disease.
• Do grasp the tick with a tweezers or forceps by the head and pull slowly but firmly, taking care not to leave any of it in the skin.
• Do clean the bite site with rubbing alcohol and apply antibiotic ointment.
• Don’t hold a lit match to the tick or try to smother it with chemicals like kerosene or petroleum jelly. At best, you’ll irritate your dog’s skin and at worst burn it. The tick won’t bat an eye.
• Do drop ticks into rubbing alcohol to kill them Don’t attempt to flush a live tick down the toilet or drain, or throw it in the waste basket. It may crawl back out. (The thought of that gives me the willies!!)

How to Avoid and Prevent ticks

Control and prevention of ticks is especially important in avoiding diseases associated with them.

What areas should you avoid? Wooded areas, tall grass, low brush, and damp areas are all attractive to ticks. They also are found in greater numbers in areas such as the Northeastern United States. No place is completely safe, though, since a person or animal can “give ticks a ride” from one place to another by carrying them on their skin, clothing or coats.

In parts of the country where the tick population is especially heavy and the risk of Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever especially great, your vet may suggest your dog be vaccinated against ticks. Weigh the pros and cons with your vet if that’s what he or she recommends.

There are plenty of products on the market designed to repel and/or kill ticks. (Never use tick products designed for dogs on a cat — it could kill her). Personally, I like all natural products for controlling fleas and ticks. All conventional products designed to kill/repel fleas and ticks are poisons of one kind or another, and can pose some risk to your pet. Garlic tablets, herbal shampoos, and botanical oils are among your choices. There’s also a spray to relieve hot spots and irritated skin.

No more ticks!

At last, you and your pet can stay healthy and tick-free.Your dog will sure be glad you took the time to read up on ticks! Remember, natural products help your pets fight parasites better by keeping them strong, healthy, and toxin-free!

Here’s a simple way… to help your horse learn twice as fast.

We are all pressed for time, seems there is just not enough of it. There is the job, family duties, maybe social events, all competing for our time. Our horse is ignored and we end up with a 10 year old “greenbroke” horse, which can mean anything from they buck or, spook sometimes, to they still need to be gee-hawed to go left, or right. They may still be trying to figure out go and whoa. Well I have found some easy ways to double the results I get when training horses, you can do the same if you will try.

Tip #1 - Rub you horse all over

You must be able to rub your horse from one end to the other, neither end is more important than the other. You should, be able to handle the mouth and ears as well a rubbing under the tail, start stroking with the hair on each side of the tail. When the horse unclamps the tail and raises it, you can then rub under the tail.

You must be able to do this or you may have to go back and redo the training later, like I did. I had a paint stallion in for training and he already had four months put on him by an other trainer, but he still was spooky and not a nice ride at all. I noticed that he did not like his ears touched but I was trying to hurry and moved on. Three weeks later he threw himself over backwards while being bridled. You better believe I spent about three days on ears 101, then bang he got it and changed, was one laid-back easygoing pussycat from then on.

Be smart and learn to rub your horse, rub don’t pat or slap them, that is not soothing to them. What would you like a back rub or a back slapping?

Tip #2 - Stop punishment when wanted behavior occurs.

Whoa! you say, what’s this punishment talk? Well I would like you to realize there are a multitude of things we do to a horse that are “punishment” in the horses mind, maybe not your mind, but definitely in the horses mind.

Here is a little list of punishments according to the horse:

1. pulling on a rein

2. using a spur

3. using a quirt or whip

4. using a stud chain

Do I want you to quit using the above? No, just stop using them when the horse does anything close to what you want. Let me give you some examples;

You pull the left rein to turn your horse left, the second he starts left quit pulling, if you want to turn left more ask again, as many times as you need to but reward the horse for the try.

You put your spur against your horse to move over, when he moves the slightest amount take that spur out of there, do it again if you have to, but reward that try and soon you won’t even need to wear those spurs as the horse will move off your leg, because you reward that try.

Tip #3 - Reward your horse for the right behavior.

Now you can consider the end of punishment as a reward, and that is true, but the term reward will be used to mean giving something extra to the horse for trying to do the “right” thing. If you can find a way to reward the try in the horse, you will have your dream horse, that partner you wanted or some of you maybe had as a kid. Kids can be givers easier than adults, my grandson gave me a kiss today, my brother never did, because he was almost an adult when I was born. Learn to be a kid again, reward your horse with:

some grain

a soothing voice

a rub on the neck

a drink of clean cool water

a handful of grass

a modern horse treat

a chunk of carrot

a slice of apple

getting off his back

The list is almost endless, the trick is to give the reward at the right time for the right behavior. quit training at the good spots

If you will take the time to follow these tips, you can double the size of your horse training toolbox. You probably already know the punishment side of training use it right and add the reward side to double your training results.

Put your ego aside, be a giver to your horse and they will give back to you in ways you can only imagine.

So, you finally decided to get a Maltese puppy. You spent many hours talking to Maltese dog breeders and surfed the Internet countless times to find the perfect Maltese puppy for you and your family. You went from pet shop to pet shop, to dog associations, to animal societies, looking and meeting Maltese puppies until you have found the right one.

Question is: Now what? Your Maltese puppy needs a name!

Throughout his lifetime, you will use the Maltese puppy name over 35,000 times. So, make sure that you choose a name that you and your family will use to refer to that loving Maltese of yours.

Here are some tips in finding the perfect name for your Maltese puppy.

Remember that dogs understand brief commands. Names should therefore be easy to remember. Don’t expect that your Maltese would be able to respond to you immediately when you named him “John Dewey McArthur”.

The name of your puppy should not sound like the rest of the commands. For example, do not call your dog “Stacy”. It’s too close with the command “stay”. Having a name like that will only confuse the Maltese.

Remember that you will be using the Maltese’s name in public. Remember the joke circulating in emails when someone has a dog named “Sex” and gotten the dog owner into trouble? “Boner” might be funny for your drinking buddies, but may have a different reaction when you are in a veterinarian clinic or at a park.

Ask your kids what they want to name the Maltese puppy. Let them participate in name decision process. If they want to name the Maltese “Champ” or “Tootsie” so be it. Reserve your funky names when in front of other people.

You may believe that it would be an honor for your Uncle Tom or best friend Bobby if the Maltese is named after them. Maybe naming your baby after them might honor them, but naming your Maltese puppy after them won’t.

If you decided to bring home a Maltese that is quite older, it would be probably better to stick with its old name. But, what if the name of the Maltese is “Barney”, the name of your-ex whom you had a bitter breakup? Then, stick with other sounds similar to it.

Once you’ve picked a name, see if it works out. If not, then there are tons of dog names available to replace it.

With these tips, naming your Maltese puppy should be fun.

There are arguments as to the origin of the Whippet. Some of the fanciers of the breed will tell you that this is an ancient breed that has been around since at least the fifth century A.D. A more common belief is that the Whippet was purposely bred down from the Greyhound when small Greyhounds were crossed with Terriers to produce an exceptionally useful rabbit hound and racer. At first called “Snap dogs”, these racy little hounds were used extensively for rabbit coursing by the local farmers in Great Britain. In order to produce more stamina in the breed they were crossed with bull terriers at one point.

These fast hounds were often coursed as many as twenty five or thirty times a day after the hares. The Whippet was often called “the poor man’s greyhound” and indeed they lived the life of their larger cousin , curled up by the fire on a winter’s night and running the rabbits daily during the summer months. When rabbit hunting lost its following, the little dogs were used as racing dogs and given a handicap based on weight. Because of this the smaller Whippet, weighing around 16-17 pounds, was more in favor than the larger Whippets that were formerly used for rabbit hunting, as those often weighed in at around 22-25 pounds.

When racing became the sport of favor, the smaller Whippet was prized above all else, being fed sometimes even better diets than their owners. The farmers wagered heavily on the races and a fast Whippet was a treasure. Because of the value placed on a fast dog, only the fittest and speediest were used for breeding and the Whippet became even racier and more refined of bone through the years.

Eventually the dog show fanciers took to the breed and by the turn of the century the dog had been admitted into the Kennel Club of Great Britain. It was appreciated and admired by the dog fancy for it’s elegance and racy lines, combined with a grace of movement that was unequaled in other racing hounds. Today they are shown internationally.

This is a breed with a light skin and delicate structure, often it is possible that the dog will injure itself by running into tree limbs and such. Whippet owners usually try to keep the pens that the dogs are in free from trees and shrubbery. Also it is a breed that suffers from the cold and needs to be kept indoors in the winter. However there are relatively few genetic diseases or other notable problems.

The Whippet is favored by more than dog show exhibitors, as agility and lure coursing and other active dog sports continue to rise in popularity. The dog continues to be bred with speed and endurance in mind and dog show exhibitors have not given in to any fads which would alter the function of the breed, as has happened in some instances with popular show breeds. Consequently the Whippet remains much as it has through the centuries, a hound which enjoys the show ring as much as the chase. Furthermore this is a dog that enjoys human companionship and is exceedingly gentle and with a sweet look about its face, reminding one of a fawn or deer….a breed which adapts itself very well as a therapy dog.

House training is undoubtedly the one aspect of dog training that is essential to ensure that your dog becomes a valued member of your family. As with many other aspects of dog training, the best method of achieving a successfully house trained dog is to use your dog’s own nature to your advantage.

A wonderful thing about dogs that can make house training much easier, is that dogs are instinctively very clean animals. The majority of dogs would rather not soil the areas where they sleep and eat. In addition, dogs are very good at developing habits. This can be used to your benefit in relation to establishing a set place for your dog to urinate and defecate. For example, dogs that are used to eliminating on concrete or gravel will prefer to eliminate there rather than on grass or dirt. It is possible, and desirable, to use these natural canine tendencies when house training your dog.

The first step in house training your dog is to set up your training area. A small, confined space such as a bathroom, or part of a kitchen or garage, works best as a training area. This method of training differs from crate training. Crate training is great for puppies and small dogs, but many larger adult dogs find a crate too confining if they haven’t been used to it from an early stage.

It is important that you spend as much time in the training area with your dog as possible. Use this area to play with your dog, and let your dog eat and sleep in the training area. Provide your dog with a special bed in the training area – this can be anything from a store bought custom dog bed to a large towel in an appropriately sized box. At first, you will probably find that your dog will want to eliminate in this area, but once your dog has recognized the training area as his or her own space, he or she will be much more reluctant to soil it.

The next step in house training is to set up a toilet area for your dog. Your dog must have ready access to this place every time he or she needs to eliminate. It is also important for you to accompany your dog into the toilet area until he or she gets into the habit of eliminating in that area. This will help reinforce to your dog that there is one area for toileting, and no other.

Regular meals for your dog assists in making the house training process easier for both you and your dog. Feeding your dog on a regular basis will also have the added benefit of creating a regular schedule for your dog’s toilet habits. Once you know when your dog is likely to need to eliminate, it will be simple to guide your dog to the established toilet area.

Once you have your dog using the toilet area on a regular and systematic basis, it is very important to not confine your dog without access to the toilet area for long periods of time. If your dog is unable to hold it, he will have no option but to eliminate in the training area. And this occurrence will confuse your dog. He will no longer associate the toilet area with being the ONLY area in which he can eliminate. You will thus be making your job of house training your dog more difficult for yourself.

When your dog is consistently eliminating in the toilet area and not soiling the training area, it is time to extend that training area to the rest of the home. This process should be done slowly, starting with one room and slowly expanding to the rest of the house. The area should only be extended only once you are sure of the dog’s ability to control its bladder and bowels.

First expand the training area to another single room, and allow your dog to eat, play and sleep in that room, but only when supervised. When it is not possible to supervise the dog, place it back in the original training area. Then, after the dog has accepted the room as an extension of the original training area, the area can be extended.

Once your dog has become used to sleeping in the bed within the training area, you can move the bed around the house, relocating it from room to room. But when you are not with your dog, he or she should be confined to the training area.

You can speed up the house training process, but it is important to proceed cautiously. It will be much easier to take your time in the beginning than to have to retrain a problem dog later. You should always praise and reward your dog each and every time it uses the established toilet area. It is equally important not to punish your dog for mistakes. Punishment will only confuse the dog and slow down the house training process. You wouldn’t consider punishing a baby for soiling its diaper, would you? Or even a toddler for soiling his or her pants from time to time? Your dog is the same as a human child in this respect – he needs time to learn both to control his toileting, and what you require of him.

The Pug is known as the Carlin in France, Mopshond in the Netherlands, Mops in Germany and Chinese Pug or sometimes the Dutch Pug in Great Britain. So how did he come about with a name of the “Pug?” The name Pug may have come about from the shape of the dog’s head or the name refers to the dog’s resemblance to a marmoset or monkey.

The Pug was developed as a pet and entertainer. His clownish face and happy demeanor wins friends just about everywhere he goes. The little Pug is an ancient Oriental breed and was probably first developed in Tibetan monasteries prior to the first century A.D. He resembles the Pekingese and other Oriental breeds. The Pug was seen in Japan in early years as well. Some claim the Pug originated from Mastiff stock. This is not a proven fact and is doubted by many because several other toy breeds with large heads and curled tails came from the Orient. It is more probable that the Pug was carried from China by Holland’s trading ships and on into the Netherlands where he became the Clown Prince of many European courts in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

The Pug is said to be a wonderful companion. He fits in nicely with young families if the small kids are well informed about handling small dogs. The Pug makes a good companion to the elderly and is sufficiently active enough for young adult as well.

Pugs love to run and play. A backyard is usually enough space for their exercise. They enjoy leashed walks and make good hiking partners in cool weather or shady environments.

The Pug is affectionate, ready to please and sensitive. The Pug can provide hours of entertainment for its owner with many comical antics. He is sensitive to the moods of its owner. They are trustworthy, loyal and socialize easily with other pets. The Pug can exhibit a jealous streak if not given enough attention and may even pout. He is extremely trainable.

The Pug’s coat is short, lies flat, and requires regular brushing and combing to control shedding, which can be a lot. A rubber slicker brush is effective in removing loose hair and a grooming glove is often used.

The Pug’s coat is fine, smooth, soft, short and glossy. It is neither harsh nor woolly. The colors are usually fawn or black. They have a black mask, ears and facial wrinkles. The nails should be black.

The Pug is easy to maintain. It only needs regular brushing. The overnose wrinkle and ears should be checked daily and kept clean. If a sore develops, a vet should be consulted. Special attention should be given to the Pug’s eyes. The eyes should be kept clear and a vet consulted if not clear. The older Pug’s eyes are particularly vulnerable and occasionally require eye drops.

You will need a brush or a grooming glove, a selection of combs is useful. Brush the coat daily. Bathe in a suitable natural-ingredient shampoo and rinse well.

It was raining, and I did not want to leave my Golden Retriever in the house alone. I put him in the laundry room, and planned to be back within the hour. One hour became two; when I finally got home, my beloved, handsome two year old dog had chewed through about five rolls of paper towels. My “How is my sweet dog?” voice changed to “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE??” in about half a second. My dog cowered in the corner, begging me to forgive his destructive behavior. I quickly began picking up the shredded paper and found myself lecturing my dog about why he should not chew paper towels. I soon stopped myself, realizing that a ten minute lecture was not going to train my dog. I started to look up ways of correcting dog behavior and found some helpful tips online.

First and foremost, I learned that all dogs chew. It is a fact of life, and one that all dog owners must understand and accept this fact. (Puppies especially need to chew because of teething.) Part of the paper towel fiasco was my fault. I didn’t leave my dog any other toys to play with while I was gone, and I was gone much longer than I thought. My dog was not used to being cooped up in the laundry room for long periods of time and was most likely chewing because of stress, anxiety, or simple boredom. Dogs often become restless when alone and chewing relieves that stress and energy.

Second, I learned that I should leave a variety of toys for my dog to chew, whether I am home or not. Tennis balls, rope toys, Kongs, compressed raw hide are all good choices and add some variety to my dog’s chewing life. Whenever I see my dog chewing on his toys, I praise him for his behavior. If I catch him chewing on one of my shoes or my couch, then I firmly scold him with a verbal warning and then direct him to one of his toys. As soon as he starts to chew on his toy, I praise him. Dogs need a lot of praise and consistent behavior in order to learn not to chew. Don’t set your dog up for failure. If you don’t want him to chew up your shoes, don’t give him an old shoe to play with. Also, if there are items that you think he might be tempted to chew, put them out of his reach.

As with any dog training issue, stay patient and be consistent. If your dog is chewing up your house, it will take awhile to change his behavior. If the toys don’t seem to be helping, there are some safe products you can buy to spray on items you want your dog to avoid. Sometimes it also helps to hire a professional trainer to get some additional tips on training your dog. Don’t give up on your dog. Hang in there and put the paper towels on a higher shelf!

Some common parasites affecting shih tzu and dogs in general are: Chiggers, coccidiosis, fleas, flies, giardia, heartworm, hookworms, lice and mange.

There are three basic forms of parasitism: Internal organs, blood and skin. The geographical region in which you live will determine which parasites can affect your shih tzu.

Worms are a common parasitic infestation and one cause of diarrhea. The presence of diarrhea, however, does not mean a definitive diagnosis of “worms.” Definite diagnosis is made by a veterinarian, under microscopic examination, of a fresh fecal or blood sample. Only a veterinarian who has made the determination of the type of parasitic infestation should prescribe medications to treat the infestation.

Chiggers affect man and dogs and are prevalent in southern U.S. Areas. Eradication if chiggers is generally best achieved by manual removal. Prevention is somewhat effective if you will limit your shih tzu to manicured grass.

Coccidiosis cause an enteritis condition of cats and dogs. Coccidiosis is most common in puppies and kittens. Symptoms are mild to severe bloody diarrhea, lethargy and weakness from dehabilitation of nutrients caused by the diarrhea, anorexia and death if not treated. Coccidiosis is seldom fatal when treated with the proper medication by the veterinarian who diagnoses the parasite in a timely manner. Coccidiosis is always present among canines. Some canines become carriers and have no symptoms themselves. Excessive stress can cause symptom producing coccidia in very young puppies and kittens that can become life threatening if not treated properly.

Fleas are most common to dogs of any breed including the shih tzu. Fleas constantly bite and can produce allergic reactions in some shih tzu or any breed of dog. A sensitive dog will scratch and chew to relieve the itch, only to produce a “hotspot” or some other type of skin dermatitis which can lead to a secondary infection.. Fleas can also act as temporary hosts in tapeworms’ life cycles. A dog can acquire a tapeworm as it chews and ingest the fleas. Tapeworms can be effectively treated by your vet. The best protocol is to avoid fleas altogether. Flea control is comparatively easy through a wide selectin of products including soaps, shampoos, sprays, powders, dips, natural and herbal treatments.

Giardia is usually found around remote bodies of water. It can occur in dogs or shih tzu of any age and can be transferred to humans. Onset is usually sudden. Symptoms are diarrhea, lethargy, lack of appetite and weight loss. Diagnosis is made by fecal microscopic examination. Resolution is successful provided treatment is initiated early.

Heartworm occurs in two forms throughout the lower forty-eight states. One is harmless, the other if left untreated is deadly. The heartworm is carried by mosquito bites. Diagnosis is made through a blood test. Regular prophylactic treatment is available and highly recommended.

Hookworms are found primarily in the southern portions of the United States. Infection may also be transferred to puppies from the mother’s milk. For this reason, all newborn puppies need to be regularly dewormed starting at 2 weeks of age up until at least 12 weeks of age following the recommendations and schedule of your own personal vet. There are a variety of dewormers available that completely eradicate the problem of hookworms.

Mange occurs in one of two forms: Demodex or Sarcoptes. Positive diagnosis can be made only by a veterinarian under microscopic examination of skin samples taken from an affected area. If treated early, mange can be completely cured. Treatment is usually by therapeutic shampoor or dips once a week for several weeks. Prevention of the mite infestations that can cause Sarcoptes mange is recommended. Ask your vet for appropriate mange mite medication to prevent the disease. The same mites that cause mange in dogs and shih tzu can cause ear mites and ear infections.

Sure, he’s adorable. That bouncy, little fluff ball boasting the new-puppy smell surely warms the heart and puts a smile on a proud, new pet owner’s face. But that puff ball is now all your responsibility! That means it’s up to you to keep the little mongrel healthy and up to date on all his shots.

You may be asking yourself, “Didn’t he get his puppy shots at the shelter where I got him?” Maybe – but there’s a little more to it than that. Immunizations keep puppies healthy and happy – after all – those natural antibodies from their moms only last for about six to eight weeks.

So, here’s what to expect when you take your four-legged friend to the vet:

• The First Visit – (6 to 8 weeks old) Your veterinarian will give him a combination vaccine (DHPP) to protect him from four dangerous diseases: Canine distemper, infectious hepatitis, parainfluenza, and parvovirus infection.

• The Second, Third, and Fourth Visit – (9 to 12 weeks old) He’ll get a second DHPP vaccination and possibly vaccinations against coronavirus infection, leptospirosis, Lyme disease, and kennel cough, depending on his risk for those diseases.

• The Fifth Visit – (13 to 16 weeks old) He’ll get another DHPP and any others your veterinarian recommends, plus his very first rabies shot.

• The Last Visit…finally! – (15 to 16 months old) He’ll get all of them again, then you’ll both be done.

After that, it’s all fun and games for you and your new pup – with the exception of those yearly boosters he’ll need. These help keep vaccine levels high enough to offer ongoing protection. PETCO’s website has a great article on this if you need more information (http://www.petco.com/Page.aspx?pc=Article&PetTypeID=1&TopicID=12&id=2240&nav=153).

By the way, don’t worry about the scary needles; they probably intimidate you more than your unwitting puppy. Just give him a little doggie treat when it’s all done and he’ll quickly forget it ever happened!