Dog Grooming and Dog Boarding
by Adrian

Before choosing a boarding facility for your dog it is important that you determine his or her requirements also you can give a try for our Dog Grooming tips. There are many options available such as home boarding (where dogs are cared for in a home environment), pet sitting (where a carer will come and stay in your home) and the more traditional kennelling. The first two options are ideal for very young dogs, dogs on medication, elderly dogs and dogs that simply enjoy a high level of human company and the comfort of home. Grooming Questions: Prepare a list of questions in advance. Any good boarding facility, whether home boarding or regular kennels should have the time to show you around while answering these questions. Make sure that what is on offer is feasible and therefore true.
Home Boarding. Home boarding should offer individual attention, and the utmost in care and comfort inside a home environment. When you arrive to visit, you should immediately feel comfortable and welcome. Since this is a more 'personal' service, you can expect your dog to receive the same home comforts as you have at your own home.

Kennel Boarding. If you are visiting a kennel facility, find out what they say they will do. If the kennel holds 100 dogs, and they claim to walk each dog three times per day, take a look at the amount of staff to determine if that is possible.

If they offer a varied diet and cater for special dietary needs, take a look in the food bowls and check that this is the case. A good facility should also ask you questions about the personality of your dog, his or her likes and dislikes -they will want to know about health and any dietary requirements. They will also ask that your dog is health warranted and this frequently means that your dog should have up to date vaccinations. They will also request an emergency contact number, your vet's details and frequently your pet insurance details.

Cost: Do not make the mistake of presuming that the facility that costs the most offers the best service. Frequently smaller facilities can offer more one-to-one attention and can cost less, however if a boarding facility is charging considerably less than others you should investigate this thoroughly. Weigh up the cost against the service offered. For example many facilities will have behaviourists and a vet on call. You will pay more for this, but it is well worth it.

Inspection: Staff should be available to give you a tour of the premises. Check for hygiene, security, space, noise levels, temperature regulation, ventilation to prevent disease and and maintain the comfort levels. Carefully note bedding and shelter. Take a look into food bowls and note the grade of food being served to the dogs - if it is not feeding time ask to see the food.. Make sure there are no dangers such as sharp edges, damaged runs or doors etc. Look for mentally stimulating and safe toys such as KONG toys and treat balls.

Understand the terminology: If a kennel offers ‘exercise areas’ this does not necessarily equate to your dog being exercised. A dog could be left in an exercise area with no stimulation, so ask for such terms to be defined. Opening times and operational times differ - check if and when your dog will be left unattended and most importantly for how long.

Communication: Speak to and watch staff. Try and get an understanding of how they interact with the dogs so for example if you have a large playful dog and he jumps up to greet you do not want this to result in him getting less attention because of this. Kennel staff should give as equal attention, as possible, to all dogs regardless. Ask their opinions on certain breeds and how they would deal with a first aid emergency to get an idea and overall feel for the facilities. Ask how they would deal with aggression or other behavioural problems, remembering that a good facility will promote reward and motivational based training and will understand that even non aggressive dogs may show aggression when boarded.

Recommendation: Ask your friends; family and vet to recommend a boarding facility, but remember you know your dog best.

Insurance: Make sure the boarding establishment has adequate insurance.

Once you've done your homework, you'll be able to drop your pets off, knowing that they are in good hands.... which means you can actually go off and enjoy your holidays!

Dog Grooming

About the Author
Adrian is a pet lover and well trained dog breeder.

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What Removes Cat Urine Odor? Thousands of Cat Owners Want to Know
By Jennifer Manning

Pet cats are wonderful. They're beautiful, intelligent and relatively easy to care for. But, they can present their owners with a special problem that begs for a solution -- finding what removes cat urine odor.

The most important part of eliminating cat urine stains and smells is in understanding why they choose to urinate outside of their litter box. If you can discover the cause of the problem, then you'll be able to work towards a solution of what removes cat urine smells.

Poor Location

Your cat might not like where his litter box is located. If it's placed in a busy, high--traffic area, they could decide to do their business elsewhere. Try moving it to another, less--busy area.

Dirty Conditions

Cats are relatively clean creatures and don't appreciate having to use a dirty litterbox that's filled to the brim with waste. Clean their litterbox often. And be sure to provide multiple litterboxes if you have multiple cats or a multi--story house.

Cat Health Issues

A health problem could be causing your cat to urinate in odd locations. If you observe your cat straining to pee, or there's blood in the urine -- take them to the veterinarian and get them checked out immediately.

Cats are Territorial

Your cat may feel threatened by another cat in the house or even one outside (on the other side of the window or door). An insecure cat may feel the need to spray objects with urine to mark their territory.

This behavior is more commonly seen in males than females. And having your cat spayed or neutered will help to curb this behavior, but it might not eliminate it completely.

If there are neighborhood cats on the loose outside your doors or windows, then you might want to invest in an outdoor cat deterrent. There are quite a few humane cat deterrents on the market.

Unfortunately, if it's caused by another one of your pet cats you might be forced to give up one of them -- or be prepared to clean up cat urine on a regular basis.

What Removes Cat Urine?

First you'll need to locate the cat urine stain -- which is pretty easy if you catch them in the act. But it can be a bit of challenge for older, dried spots. In this case you can use a black light to locate the urine stains. Black lights are widely available and relatively inexpensive.

Once you've located the stain, use a towel to soak up every drop of urine you can. Add water and use a blotting motion (do not rub the stain, as this spreads the stain over a larger area).

Your next step is to clean the stain using a product specially designed to deal with cat urine (Nature's Miracle is one of the most popular brands). These cat urine cleaning products are ammonia--free (ammonia based cleaners do no good), and contain special enzymes and bacteria designed to break down all the odor causing agents.

Now you can proceed with any other cleaning required -- such as shampooing the carpet or upholstery.

As you can see, what removes cat urine odor the best is prevention. Identify the reason your cat is not using his or her litterbox and fix the problem.

Learn more about What Removes Cat Urine at http://www.petcarejournal.com/what-removes-cat-urine.html - a website designed to provide you with pet care articles and resources that will help you get the most out of your pet keeping experience, no matter what type of pet you own.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Manning


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