When should a female dog be spayed?

If you do not plan to show or breed your female dog; you should consider spaying her. You often hear that you should let your female go through her first season; before spaying her. There are important health benefits to spaying your dog prior to her first heat. For example, if you spay your dog prior to her first heat, she has a minimal chance of developing a mammary gland (breast) tumor later in life. To wait for her to go through one heat cycle before spaying significantly increases her chances of developing this type of cancer. Spaying your dog prior to her first heat also immediately eliminates the risk for pyometra, ovarian cysts, unwanted pregnancies and false pregnancies.

(provided by Brandykegs Saint Bernards)

Do Dogs Only See Black and White?

Research indicates that dogs do see colors, but that they can only distinguish fewer colors. The mechanisms used for color recognition in both people and dog eyes are called cones. Dogs have cones, but they have fewer cones than people. Thus, it is believed that while dogs can recognize and distinguish between certain colors, they do not see the full "rainbow" of the color spectrum that people do. Don't feel bad, though, because some aspects of dogs' visions far surpasses our own. For example, dogs can see much better in dim light than we can. In addition, dogs are much better at detecting motion than people.

(provided by Brandykegs Saint Bernards)

Shaving A Dog

Many people shave a dog during the hot summer months.  Some think this will keep their dog cooler, or it will cut down on the dog hair in their homes.  Your dog's fur coat actually insulates them from the heat or cold.  It also helps protect their skin from sun burns. 

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day!

 

Our Barrels and Bibs Blog is posting for the first time today; this blog will focus on the products we sell at our store.  Check it out!

Hypoallergenic Dogs

For those who have allergies finding a hypoallergenic dog sounds like a dream come true. 

Unfortunately, there is just no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog. While sometimes allergies may be caused by a dog’s fur, often the real source of allergies is a protein that is found in a dog’s saliva. This protein sticks to the dried flakes of skin called dander which all dogs shed regardless of their type of coat or the amount of fur or hair they shed. So please don’t be fooled by the promise of a hypoallergenic dog.

(provided by Brandykegs Saint Bernards)

Training A Saint

Barking can quickly become a nuisance.  If you let it become a nuisance then you are not being a good neighbor.  Some dogs bark constantly when their owners are not at home.  Dogs that bark that much should not be left outdoors; they are a huge nuisance for any of your neighbors who are at home. Try using a bark collar with a static discharge.  The static discharge needs to be sufficient enough to get your dog’s attention but not so strong that injury is caused.  In most cases people are not using a strong enough static discharge, so the dog is not responding and the barking continues.  Debarking a dog should be considered when you become aware that your dog is a real nuisance in the neighborhood.

(provided by Brandykegs Saint Bernards)

Training A Saint

Housebreaking a puppy is another very important part of training.  It is pretty predictable when a puppy is going to need a potty break; so be proactive and take them outdoors.  Once a puppy has eaten, take them outdoors and be sure to praise them each and every time they do their business outdoors.  If you have some playtime with your puppy, afterward take them outdoors.  When they wake up from a nap, first thing in the morning and last thing at night; take them outdoors.  Repetition will teach them to go outdoors to relieve themselves.  Continual praise when they go outdoors is so very important as well.  If people are not consistent with housebreaking, their solution is simply to keep the dog outdoors.

(provided by Brandykegs Saint Bernards)

Training A Saint

Training a puppy to walk on a leash without pulling requires a lot of time and patience.  I think it is something people give up on very early.  The way people deal with this problem is they stop walking their dogs, especially once they become large.  I think another way people deal with this is using dog parks; dogs are off leash in this environment, so the owner is not being dragged down the sidewalk and their dog is getting exercise.   There are many things you can use for leash training, head harnesses, chest harnesses, choke collars, choke collars with prongs, shorter leashes to name a few.  Techniques to use while walking, change directions, stop and don’t move till your puppy returns to your side and stops pulling, sharp yank on the leash when they are pulling to catch their attention.  It is not a onetime thing; success is achieved only with repetition and consistency.

(provided by Brandykegs Saint Bernards)

Training A Saint

Some people send their puppies to boot camp.  Their puppy may get trained at camp but will they be trained for their owner?  Training requires that the owner be actively involved with the process.  There are no shortcuts with training.  It is very easy to become frustrated with the training process, success is not immediate.  Training is time consuming; we should all try to be responsible pet owners and training our puppies and dogs is fundamental.

(provided by Brandykegs Saint Bernards)

Training A Saint

Until you have had a very unruly and difficult Saint Bernard; you probably have not given much thought to training.  We fall in love with the adorable Saint Bernard puppy and end up making some very big mistakes during that first year.  Early and continual training is necessary.  It is part of being a responsible pet owner.  Enrolling in a puppy class can be beneficial to your puppy and you.  If pet ownership is new to you, these classes help to point you in the right direction.  Of course, you have to actually go to all the classes and practice at home what you learn in each class.

(provided by Brandykegs Saint Bernards)