Pet Advice: How to Clean Your Dogs' Ears

Are Two Better Than One? Finding a Companion for Your Pet
by Lauren v., Dallas Pet Scene Examiner

Some animals can do very well in pairs. As long as they don't mind sharing YOU, their human companion, getting a friend for your current furry household member can be a good decision.



Hopefully, before coming to this conclusion, you've already done some importance assessments of your current situation. Getting a new pet should never be taken lightly. The reasons are compounded when it will also alter the lifestyle of a pet you have already made a commitment to care for. Have you asked yourself if you are ready for the added work involved with feeding, walking, exercising, grooming, and caring for another pet? How well does your current pet react to another animal in your home? Is your pet territorial? Does he/she prefer male or female companions? Is your pet spayed or neutered? Will the new pet be spayed or neutered? Is your pet dominant? Submissive? Easy to get along with? What is the energy level of your current pet? How close in age will your pets be? Will you have time to train another animal?

These questions are very important and will guide you through the steps to find the perfect new addition to your home. And don't think that just because there is another warm body around, this will offer a good substitute for YOU. If a busy schedule keeps you away from home most of the time, you could end up with TWO bored and destructive pets instead of just one. And if one learns bad habits, he/she will likely pass on the same behavior to the second animal.

Temperament Matching

The first step, assuming your pet is a good candidate for welcoming another member to the family, is to determine the temperament you are looking for. Having two dominant personalities simply will not work. Neither will having a pet who wants to sleep and matching it with a pet who does nothing but antagonize him or her throughout the day. Gender may also affect the ability of two pets to live together in peace.

Where to Look

When the real search begins, make sure you bring the current pet with you. It is important to make the first introduction away from home and to see how they respond to each other from the start. This will not guarantee they will get along down the road, but at least you will know ahead of time if they will definitely reject each other.

Animal shelters are always a good start. They tend to have a variety of breeds, ages, sizes and temperaments. And you will be saving a life. Just be careful that this will not expose your current pet to any illnesses homeless animals can sometimes carry.

Another possibility is by going to a private rescue. There are breed rescues as well as those that have pure and mixed breeds. They often keep the animals in foster homes. These tend to have more information about personality traits and will be able to tell you how an animal interacts at home, away from the noise and confusion of a shelter. Both shelters and rescues normally have a period of time when you can return the pet in case of issues at home.

The final possibility is from a reputable breeder. There is a wealth of information out there about where and how to find a good breeder where you will have the best chance of a receiving a healthy, well-adjusted animal. Sometimes, adult pets are also available after a show career or having been returned from a previous home for some reason.

Take your time, be sensitive to your current pet, and understand that it can be a harder match to make than starting from scratch. But also know that in the end, your reward is earning the trust and bond of a second animal, as well as the companionship shared by the two happy pets that you love.

Secrets To Effective Dog Training
by Kayye Nynne

There are a good number of reasons why you should train your dog of which the following include some of the more obvious :

1. Housetraining: Unless you are partial to the aroma of dog poop and pee then it would certainly make sense to, at the very least, have your dog housetrained. Yup! There's no way round it, but that cute bundle of fur otherwise known as a puppy, unless taught to the contrary will quickly and happily turn your pristine house not only into his playground but also into his personal toilet. And make no mistake, this is not a problem that is going to disappear with age; any dog that is not housetrained be it a puppy or adult will soil your residence until it is taught not to!

2. Socializing: An unsocialized dog is generally an unhappy dog because such an animal finds it extremely difficult to interact comfortably with strangers or other dogs (and animals). This type of dog is characteristically nervous and highly-strung, which condition manifest as a dog with a hair-trigger response to aggression at the slightest perceived provocation (usually more imaginary than real) or a dog that slinks around in a constant state of fear. It matters little which errant behavior is displayed, the fact is either existence will be detrimental to the dog's well-being.

3. Bonding: A well trained dog is a happy dog. When you and your dog understand one another well your relationship is going to be that much richer for it.

The only way to achieve that level of harmony in your relationship with your dog is if you both work at understanding one another; and that will only be achieved through proper training. Besides dog training should be fun for you and your pooch, especially since it challenges and stimulates your dog's mind. As frequently happens with human adolescents, a bored dog is going to be driven to destructive behavior; this is especially true in the smarter breed of dog.

Types of Dog Training

These days there are quite a number of different dog training techniques, enough to accommodate everybody dog owner out there. Some are very popular and come highly recommended whilst others seem to be a throwback to a more primitive time and age when we didn't understand man's best friend as we do now. The following lists some of the more commonly used methods of dog training:

1. Reward Training

Currently a big favorite in dog training circles, this technique employs the use of treats to reinforce good and desired behavior patterns executed by your dog. When used correctly this is a pretty effective training technique but its downside is that it is fairly easy to abuse the system and thus nullify its effectiveness by giving your dog treats at times other than during dog training sessions.

2. Clicker Training

Clicker training is a classic Pavlovian technique that utilizes conditional training through sensory association. As the name suggests the clicker, which is a plastic box with an inbuilt metal strip that makes the actual clicking sound, is used in conjunction with a treat or something your dog finds highly desirable to reinforce and encourage a particular behavior. In time the treat reward is removed yet the dog still associates a given behavior with the sound of the clicker and thus performs that behavior in the absence of the treat.

3. Whistle Training

Dogs have far better hearing than people and can hear frequencies that our ears cannot pick up. It is on the basis of this premise that the ultrasonic whistle functions which means that since you cannot hear it but your dog can (supposedly) it can be a little tricky getting to grips with its use.

4. Dog Whispering

Yeah sounds a bit corny doesn't it and most likely the name of this method is an obvious offshoot reference from the 1998 Robert Redford movie (starring amongst others a young Scarlett Johansson) titled the Horse Whisperer themed around a man who had an uncanny ability to communicate with horses. Anyway these days Dog Whispering is now a broadly accepted term and its training technique is based on understanding a dog' body language and the many unvocalized signals that are part and parcel of dog communication.

These four examples above are just a few of the dog training methods available and in fact there are a whole slew of collar based training methods that have not been listed here partly because some of them are archaic and barbaric such as electric collar training or prong collars.

In summary, this article barely touches the tip of the iceberg as far as dog training is concerned but the thing to remember is that utilizing dog training in the everyday life of your pooch will greatly enrich the relationship the two of you share.

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About the Author
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How To Deal With Puppy Aggression
by Maryann

Puppies are cuddly and cute; however, the seemingly innocent puppy biting and chewing can get serious to your friends, neighbors and visitors if they are not dealt with at an early age. When it comes to aggressive puppy behavior, you need to address it immediately.

For starters, you must train and socialize your puppy at an early age. Training starts the minute you bring your puppy home. So to avoid aggression in puppies to need to recognize some of the signs. Puppy aggression does not just mean puppy biting; it is also barking and lunging at people as well. Therefore, if not properly treated at an early age, it can develop into serious dog aggression and will be much more difficult to fix, as they get older.

To understand the puppy aggression there are number of reasons for puppy aggression, some are

1- Being alone for long periods. Boredom and anxiety often lead to aggression that comes out of frustration 2- Being bullied by other dogs or people. Make sure that your children and friends are not teasing your puppy. 2- If the puppy has been physically hurt and has discomfort, whether from a fresh cut or a genetic disease, this can cause the puppy to become aggressive. 3-Research the breed that you are interested in, since some breeds have traits where they can become aggressive. So do your homework.

Whatever the reason, sometimes it takes more than simple dog obedience training to handle a dog's aggressive problems. I would seriously recommend puppy training with a professional if you were having difficulty training the puppy.

Here are some solutions:

The absolute best way to deal with aggressive behavior is to prevent it in the first place! The good thing with a young puppy is that is that puppies are more impressionable and willing to learn so the first time your pup growls, bites, or chews, immediately say "NO" in a firm, confident voice.

If you act quickly and consistently enough, your puppy will realize that his behavior is not acceptable to you since you set the rules as the alpha leader.

Establish yourself as the leader from the start. You make the set rules. You can cuddle and pet your puppy when he or she is calm, not excited. Do not work your puppy into frenzy and then expect him to stop and not show his teeth or some snarling when you unexpectedly pick him up. Rough play is not a good idea.

Do not scare or yell at your puppy. Puppies are easily startled, they are not going to understand what you want them to do. Use a firm tone rather than physical punishment or a loud voice. Reward your dog with treats and praise for being obedient when your puppy sees that behaving well is a good thing, he will be much less apt to act out aggressively.

Puppy teething. Puppy's teeth between the ages of three and six months, and at this time they become more playful and full of mischief. Puppies biting and chewing are common because it allows the puppies to soothe their aching gum's. Be understanding of your puppy's biting, give him something cold to chew on to ease the discomfort in his gum's.( similar to a baby, who is teething) A good idea is to put one of your pup's toys in the fridge overnight, then give it to him to chew on the next day. This will provide comfort to your puppy and will help soothe the teething pain.

Socialize your puppy to prevent any aggressive behavior. Expose him to different situations and people .Being around dogs and people your puppy is less likely he will develop common aggression problems later in life.

About the Author
Need help with training your puppy? Do you have aggression problems?

If you enjoy this article please visit my blog happyownersandpets.blogspot.com

Dog Breeds with Names
by Dennis Estrada

The dog evolved from the grey wolf. And, there are many dog breeds that were created in the process. We breed the dogs according to our needs. The most popular are sport, toy, terrier, hound, shepherd, pulling, rescue, and guide dog breeds. Here are some examples with dog names.

Sports are play time for dogs. It tests the wit, and agility on various breeds. Dog sports are entertaining to watch. Often, the media covers the sporting events. The most popular are Frisbee Dog, Long Jump, Hurdles, Dock Jumping, Rally Obedience, and Sheep Trials.

The terriers are small dogs that fit into tiny and cramp places. The dogs are trained to enter dens and burrows to hunt for rodents, game, and pests. The dogs need good eyesight for dark burrows, and dens. And, the dog claws are meant to dig to go in the dens and burrows. There are over twenty seven terrier dog breed like Border, Scottish, and Wire Fox Terrier.

The hounds are bred for hunting. The nose can picks up and follow the scents from far away. Many hound dogs are working dogs. They work at law enforcement to pick up the scent of narcotics. The Greyhound which is thinner, leaner, and taller can run so fast. Dalmatians may fall under the hound group. It is characterize by short white fur and black spots. Thus, a good dog names for Dalmatians are Spot, or Spotty.

The two common shepherd dogs are German shepherd and Border collie. German shepherd is a strong, loyal, and intelligent breed of dog with strong sense of smell and hearing. Often, law enforcement employs the breed. Since the fur is typically orange and black, Cinnamon is a popular dog name. After you baked the Cinnamon, it is usually color orange and black with white glaze.

German shepherd is a breed of dog with German origin. German shepherd breed started at around 1890. So, it is basically a new breed. Even though breed is new, it is one of the most popular breed of dog.

Border collie is mid-sized dog with white and black fur. Border collie is great in open space like the farm as the dogs likes to run. Farmers often use the dogs to herd sheep. Farmers trained the dog to go in any direction with a simply blow of a whistle. White and black fur covers the head that may resemble a bandit look. Hence, many dog owners select Bandit as the dog name.

The Siberian dogs were imported to Alaska during the 1908. Today, the dog evolved to Alaskan husky. It is full of stamina, endurance, strength, and speed. On sled dog competition, Alaskan husky is a popular choice. The dogs can efficiently pull the sled even in cold winter climate.

When we are hit with a strong earthquake, the quake may bring down a few buildings. In the rumble, a rescue team may use dogs to find survivor. Dog uses the amazing sense of smell, and hearing. Dogs in the hound family group have excellent sense of smell. Also, dogs are good swimmer. Some are trained to rescue the drowning victim. There are numerous records of dog that saves somebody from floods, storms, river, or any body of water.

Guide dogs help navigate the dog handler with poor vision or blind. If there are obstacles, the dogs direct the dog handler to get around the obstacles. The golden retrievers, Labradors, and German shepherd are most likely choice for the task.

About the Author
Dennis Estrada owns and operates the dog names, origin dog names, and dog names meaning website.


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Cat Pet Training - Effective Positive Reinforcement Techniques
By Kelvin Westly

Timing is absolutely critical cat pet training in terms of using positive reinforcement. The reward for your cat good behavior must occur almost immediately, if possible within seconds. Otherwise your cat may not associate the reward to that particular action.

For instance, you can throw a piece of dry cat food for her to chase as a reward for any good actions such as using the scratching post. Many cats enjoy chasing (hunting) for their food and it's definitely good exercise for them.

Consistency is the key in cat pet training. Everyone in your family should try to reward the same desired behavior. Any inconsistency such as rewarding when she is done with her scratching post and is walking towards you will only reinforce that there's reward for walking towards you.

Using Positive Reinforcement in Cat Pet Training

Food treats, praise, petting or even a favorite toy or game are just some positive reinforcement you can use. You should reward your cat for every time you catch her performing the desired behavior such as scratching the scratching post. Instead of taking your cat to the post and holding her paws and demonstrating to her what she's supposed to do will most likely frighten her and have the opposite effects of encouraging her to use it. Rather, you should try to entice her by placing a toy dangling on the post or spraying catnip (if she reacts positively to it). In this way, she will be more likely to perform the behavior again since it's more comfortable to her. It's important to always keep in mind to view her world from her point of view.

Once your cat starts on this desired behavior, you may want to reward her with treats constantly. For instance, reward for every three out of four times performed. As times goes by, start rewarding her lesser from about half the time to one-third of the time and so on, until you're only rewarding her with praises and an occasional treat. But keep in mind that you will still have to carry on praising her every time. In this way, you won't need to carry with you a pocketful of treats, but it's definitely worth it to surprise your cat once in a while.

The Plus and Minus of Punishment

Punishment can take different forms. It can be verbal, postural, or physical and is meant to make your cat immediately associate something unpleasant when she does something you don't want her to do. To make your punishment effective in any cat pet training, it must be delivered when your cat is engaging in the undesirable behavior - caught red-handed. Even if the punishment is delivered a few seconds later, your cat will not associate that punishment to that behavior. Instead, the punishments seem to be random for her.

Remember, cats are still animals. They do not have a sense of morals and definitely do not act out of spite or revenge.

Never use physical punishment that involves discomfort or pain as this may cause her to bite, defend her or resort to more undesirable behaviors. Hold your cat's neck skin and shaking her are just some forms of undesirable punishments. Punishments that might associate with other stimuli is also not very good. For example, a cat that is punished for getting too close to a new baby might even become more aggressive towards babies in the future.

That's why physical punishments are not advisable in cat pet training as it may erode your cat's trust and frighten her. Instead, the most effective punishments are those that do not come directly from you.

For example, you may apply double-sided tape on your couch when your cat enjoys scratching it. Cats rarely like sticky paws and they will perceive the couch as delivering the punishment. In this way, your cat will not even have any undesirable behaviors when you are not around.

Another important key element to take note is that you will need to help your cat understand what you want her to do and provide appropriate outlets for her normal cat behaviors.

One of the reasons why cats are such fun companions is when they're not sleeping. Many enjoy playing. Playing actually will help your cat develop physically as well as behaviorally. Having sufficient play outlets can reduce undesirable behaviors. You can also build great bonds with your cats by using the power of playing and eventually enhancing the quality of life for both of you during a cat pet training session.

Kelvin Westly is a caring and passionate cat owner. Click here to discover more about the tried and tested cat care and training tips here at: Cat Pet Training by using lesser time and effort on your cats.

Visit his blog for more cat tips at: Cat Care Secrets Revealed Blog for more cat care tips.

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

Eleven Ways To Become A Good Rider (Or, Eleven Ways to Learning To Ride Horses)
by Llisa Corwin

Loving, riding and showing horses is the coolest pursuit on earth. I jump my horses--we call them show hunters--but it doesn't matter what disciplines you pursue as long as you love the animals. You might ride western pleasure, cutting or reining on a Quarter Horse. You might show saddle seat on a Morgan or Saddlebred. You may love riding dressage or jumping on Warmbloods. There are many ways to ride and an incredible number of breeds of horses that will carry you. If you've always wanted to ride, do it! Riding feels like flying slowly, with a big, furry friend as your magic carpet. Find a qualified instructor to supervise you as you get started. Begin on a very calm, suitable horse. And, since a sense of humor is the only way to deal with horses, keep this humorous list in mind . . . .
The Eleventh Way To Become A Good Horse Rider: Learn to whisper to horses so persuasively that the Horse Whisperer guy himself starts following you around, mesmerized.

#10: Read a great book on learning to ride horses. Find the horse you'll learn to ride on. Sign him up for a book club and make sure he has read the same book you have, so that you're starting out on the same page.

#9: Take ballet for twelve years. Become fluent in German, the language of Dressage. Invent a new strain of pilates which involves clenching a saddle between your thighs as you lift weights. Memorize Horse Trainer Alois Podjasky's writings backwards in the original language (is that Polish?). Then, if you're still young enough to mount up, take a million riding lessons.

#8: Put on appropriate riding clothes. Dip yourself in molasses and roll in carrot slices. Now go to your first horseback riding lesson. See? How could anyone so beloved by hungry horses everywhere not be a great horseman?

#7: Hang out behind Olympic rider Rodrigo Pessoa's house. Wait till he throws away some old riding breeches. Put them on.

#6: Get a jump on your peers by winning a Grand Prix jumping competition in utero. (You'll need your mother's cooperation for this.)

#5: Practice putting leg bandages wraps on your cat. If you can wrap a ticked-off feline, you can bandage any horse anywhere!

#4: Practice curling your lip up and making a funny face when you smell something weird--Horses do this all the time. Even if your horse doesn't appreciate our efforts to communicate, you'll be a big hit at parties.

#3: Invent a complicated new bit for your horse's bridle. Make the mouthpiece out of lollipop. Horses will think you're a genius!

#2: Find a way to get horses to free-jump without the actual jump. Then sell lots of fake, invisible jumps. Become very rich. Use the money to buy more riding lessons.

And The First, Best Way To Become A Good Horse Rider: Wait until you're 85 years old. Move to a town where no one knows you. Walk around in well-worn breeches and riding boots. Name a year-end award after yourself. Let people think you were a great rider.

About the Author
I am Llisa Corwin. I am single, white and female, and likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future. AI have one very, very large critter and two vvery small pets. I'm trying to make money from a business in my home. I must keep my critters--yes, including a horse--in the manner to which they have become accustomed, so wish me luck! Find more at http://LlisaSuccessfulLife.blogspot.com, where I offer a $4.00 Rebate on an excellent book about learning to ride.

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Cats Will Be Cats, No Matter How You Calculate Their Age
Arizona Central

Today's question:

I have two cats. One is 13 calendar years old and the other will soon be 8 calendar years. The older one behaves the same as the younger one. Should they be acting the same when there is five years' difference in their ages?

Well, they're cats, aren't they? They're going to behave however they darn well want.
I guess the question is how much difference there is between 8 and 13 in cat years.

If you work at it hard enough, which I certainly didn't, you can find all sorts of charts and formulas for converting human years to cat years.

The average lifespan for a house cat is about 15 years. The average lifespan for a human, at least in First World countries, is about 75 years. So you could say a cat year is about the same as five human years. But there is more to it than that.

For starters, a cat is a grown-up - physically and sexually - at 1 year of age. People are pretty much physically and sexually mature at around 15. (Emotional and intellectual maturity are a different matter.) So a 1-year-old cat is more or less 15 in human years.

Next, most of the charts show that at 2 years of age, a cat has the same maturity level of a 25-year-old human, although it still can't drive a car or buy a beer.

After that, the averages seem to come out as one cat year per four people years.

That would make your 13-year-old fur ball about 69 and your 8-year-old about 49. Should that make a difference in their behaviors?

Let's face it: There are only so many things a cat can do - sleep, eat, maybe play a bit and then go back to sleep. So I wouldn't think 20 years would make all that much difference in the way they carry on.

How Pets Lead to Happier, Healthier Lives
By Kalani Smith

Happiness
Companionship, a shoulder to cry on, a friend who will never tell you that they're too busy to have dinner with you, or that will steal your boyfriend or tell you that you look fat in those jeans. Our pets bring so much into our lives, laughter, joy friendship, and at times frustration, but did you know that owning a pet is actually healthier and makes one happier than non pet owners?

Loneliness and Stress
The stress and loneliness are two of the biggest factors in our modern lives for things like heart disease and cancer. Studies show that when we are petting our dogs that not only does our blood pressure and heart rates drop, but so does the animals. So the relationship we have with our pets is mutually beneficial from a health stand point. In addition having pets can reduce hypertension, lower cholesterol levels even help us to recover from illnesses quicker. Studies have shown that those recovering from a heart attack are as much as five times likelier to survive than non-pet owners for example

Exercise
For those of you who are dog owners the benefits are even greater. Dog owners are generally much more sociable than non pet-owners because its usually easier to meet other people who have an interest in your animal. In addition they get a lot more exercise, which leads to a less sedentary and more active lifestyle.

Children
Children who grow up with dogs also have higher self-esteems and better cognitive development. There's also the added benefit of learning responsibility, and compassion as they are caring for another living creature from a young age.

Overall having pets leads to a richer more fulfilling life and perhaps in some ways they help us to become better more caring people. Animals and humans both gain a lot from the mutually beneficial bond that we build with them.

For more news and tips on dogs and other pets please click on the link below.

Kalani Smith is the founder of http://www.MyDogsPaws.com

She owns a Jindo and a Border Collie. For the latest news training tips and videos please come visit us at http://www.MyDogsPaws.com

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



Bathing Your Bird - A 5-Step Procedure For Giving Your Pet Bird a Bath
By Debbie Davis

A lady said to me once, "I love taking bird baths...I simply throw some water up and run from under it!" But when you're in charge of giving your pet bird a bath, there's a little more to it than that.

The most important thing you can do for your bird is notice what works and adapt what you do around it. Some birds like joining you in the shower; others enjoy mist from a bottle, a dip in a small bowl, the sink, or your hands. Respecting your bird's individuality in its preferences for bathing is yet another way that you bond with your bird, and increase the love and respect that you share. Here are 5 steps that will make bath time a consistently fun time for you and your bird.

1. Just Water Please-Clean, fresh water is all that's needed. If you have lead pipes, add a filter to your tap (for your sake and your bird's) or use bottled water. This will eliminate any chance that they will ingest traces of lead as they preen. Using soap or anything other than water causes a loss of oil from their skin which weakens the skin and may lead to unhealthy feathers, disease, and infection.

2. Test the Water-Just like with an infant, always test the water before introducing it to your bird. Water should be warm and close to their body temperature for the most pleasant experience. Water that is too cold will cause their temperature to drop, and of course water that is too hot can burn-neither of these are good for them physically or will make them want to take a bath again. Having the water feel good to the bird will go a long way towards having them look forward to baths.

3. Make It Warm and Cozy-Bathe your bird in a place that is warm without being drafty, and increase their comfort by bathing during the middle of the day. They can easily become chilled when wet, and having 4 or 5 hours of warm air will help them dry out thoroughly before they are exposed to colder nighttime temperatures.

4. Keep it Light-A little water goes a long way. Birds are able to use their wings to toss the water all around, so completely saturating the feathers is neither needed nor recommended.

5. Finish with a Treat-Bathing is essential to any bird's health, and finishing with a small edible treat for a bird who loves water is simply icing on the cake; and for a bird who does not like the water, it can help them grin and beak it!

Another way to keep your bird healthy is to use a HEPA air purifier to remove airborne pollutants from your bird's air. This keeps their air passages clear and lessens the chance of disease and infection. PurerAir.com offers the Bird Dander Purifier which can be seen at http://purerair.com/bird_dander_air_purifier.html

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

5 Tips to Make Cleaning Your Dog's Ears Easier
By Luke Blaise

Cleaning your dog's ears can be a very frustrating experience. But by changing how you do things you can make the whole experience at least a little more enjoyable for you and your dog.

Dog's are prone to a wide range of ear problems. In fact it is estimated that at least 20% of the cases a veterinarian sees is related to ears.

One way to prevent and treat ear infections is through regular cleaning of your dog's ears. Here are some quick tips to make this more enjoyable.

1. Only use cotton balls to clean your dog's ears. Never use cotton tipped wooden sticks. This can break off and cause severe damage in your dog's ears. Only your veterinarian should do deep ear cleanings.

2. Find a good ear cleaner and fill your dog's ear canal. Then close the flap and massage it into the ear canal for at least thirty seconds or as long as your dog allows. Then let your dog shake its head. This massaging and shaking action and loosen a lot of debris making the cleaning so much faster.

3. Use friend to help you do this. Many times dog owner's become frustrated because they have trouble holding onto the dog and doing the cleaning as well. Using two people to accomplish this makes the whole job go faster and easier.

4. If possible elevate your dog. Squatting down on the floor to try and clean ears is hard on the knees. If you happen to have a grooming table or some other elevated surface to use that is great. When you are in a comfortable position not only will you do a better job, but you will enjoy it more.

5. Do not pluck the hairs in your dog's ear canal. When a hair is plucked from the ear canal a drop of serum forms. This serum is a great place for bacteria and yeast to grow. This is why you often see ear infections in Shih Tzu and other dogs that have been recently groomed. Hair in the ear canal should only be plucked if there is a medical reason to do so.

Remember if you think your dog has an ear infection or other problem, see a veterinarian as soon as possible.

I hope these 5 tips make cleaner your dog's ears easier for you. The most important thing to remember is to be very careful and to do no harm to the ear canal.

To learn more be sure to visit: Common Dog Ear Diseases.

To learn about the treatment of ear infections visit: Dog Ear Infections.

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

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