What you need to know about Siberian Huskies

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Would You Like To Know More About Dog Breeds?

Each year, more and more new dog breeds are added to the already growing list. Currently, the American Kennel Club, or AKC, recognizes over 150 different breeds and has seven different groups to categorize them. These groups include; sporting, working, toy, terrier, hound, herding, and non-sporting breeds.

The working category of breeds refers to those canines who aren’t merely pets or companions for humans, but rather are working animals that are now or have been trained to perform certain tasks. The working breed category includes: border collie, boxer, german shepherd, great dane, labrador retriever, rottweiler, st. Bernard, siberian husky.

Terriers are a lively group of dogs that were originally bred for hunting small animals such as rabbits and foxes, with most types coming from the British Isles. This category includes some well known dog breeds such as: american pit bull, australian, boston, bull, cairn, fox, jack russell, rat, scottish, welsh, west highland.

Also called teacup or tiny, the Toy category features the smallest of dogs who generally weigh under 20 to 25 pounds and include: Bichon Frise, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Chihuahua, Dachshund, Havanese, Maltese, Papillon, Pekingese, Pomeranian, Pug, Shih Tzu, Toy and Miniature, Poodles, Yorkshire Terrier.

There are also categories that use other criteria to describe dogs, such as those that are considered hypoallergenic or non-shedding. Some of these include: Airedale, Basenji, Cairn, Kerry Blue, Norfolk, Tibetan, and Welsh Terriers; Chinese Crested, Poodle, Schnauzer

A growing number of ‘designer dogs’ that mix certain breeds are becoming popular. These include many dogs that are part Poodle:

- Labradoodle (Labrador and Poodle)

- Cockapoo (Cocker Spaniel and Poodle)

- Goldendoodle (Golden Retriever and Poodle)

- Maltipoo (Maltese and Poodle)

- Schnoodle (Schnauzer and Poodle)

Dog breeds may also be grouped by the size and weight of the dog.

- Toy breeds are 10 pounds or less.

- Small breeds are 10 to 25 pounds.

- Medium breeds are 25 to 50 pounds.

- Large breeds are 50 to 75 pounds.

- Extra large breeds are over 75 pounds.

While any dog can be trained to be good around children and toddlers, there are those who seem to have an extra affinity and tolerance for kids. And of course, any dog who is not trained or poorly socialized will not do well with children. Some of the breeds known for being good for families with children include:

- Basset Hound

- Bulldog

- Collie

- English Setter

- Golden Retriever

- Newfoundland

- Samoyed

- Standard Poodle

How to Choose the Right Dog Breed for You

There are many different variables to consider when trying to decide on the right breed of dog for you and your family. Before trying to pick which type of dog would do best in your home, ask yourself the following questions:

Training: All dogs require some type of obedience training and house training, but some need a bit more work than others. Do you have the time and patience necessary to train certain types of dogs?

Size: Do you have the room in your home and yard to accommodate a dog, and if so, what size?

Exercise/walking requirements: Do you have the time and energy it takes to see that a dog has the proper amount of exercise they need to stay happy and healthy?

Grooming and shedding: Is anyone in your home allergic to animals? Do you have the resources and time to devote to grooming your dog on a regular basis?

What You Need to Know About Dog Seizures

Witnessing a dog or other pet having a seizure can be frightening, especially when it’s your pet that loses control, falls over, chomps its teeth, salivates, drools, whines, paddles its paws, and possibly loses bowel and urination control. Eyes can enlarge (dilate) and your pet is unresponsive. Seeing a seizure happen to your dog or pet, you might panic and feel helpless.

Hopefully, your dog will never have a seizure experience. But, this information will help you understand the possible causes of seizures, and what to do and why if your dog has one, and the various treatment options available.

Epilepsy in dogs is one of many causes of seizure.

Some dog breeds are more prone to epileptic seizure. However, causes for “hereditary” epilepsy are not known for certain. Included in this group are: Keeshond, Tervueren, Cocker Spaniel, Poodle, Collie, German Shepherd, Irish Setter, Golden Retriever, Dachshund, Labrador Retriever, Saint Bernard, Miniature Schnauzer, Siberian Husky and Wire-haired Terrier.

Dogs with allergies to dog foods with chemicals, preservatives and artificial flavors can have seizures.

Other causes include liver and kidney disease, tumors, poisoning, and low blood sugar.

If your dog is having a seizure, stay calm.

Although difficult to do, a calm, quiet, reassuring voice will comfort your dog. Remove objects that could be dangerous to or hurt the dog, or place pillows or wrap blankets between the pet and the object. Slide something soft under your pet’s head, keeping your hands and face away from its head so not to risk a possible bite. Gently stroke the dog’s hip or side, but be positioned on the opposite side of the feet and toenails. Muscle spasms can curl paws into claws that can rake your skin. Dim lights. Keep the environment as quiet as possible.

Write down observed details about the dog’s seizure to report to your veterinarian.

Your veterinarian will want to know the time of day seizure occurred, time length of the seizure, time between each seizure if recurrent, if your dog urinated or defecated, if seizure hit suddenly or progressed from body twitching, when your pet regained consciousness, how long before your dog appeared normal again, and whether anything occurred leading up to the dog’s seizure. Were there possible triggering events such as loud noises like fireworks, unusual items ingested or excessive activity or exercise?

Some veterinarians will want to see if your dog experiences a subsequent seizure.

Some will immediately perform blood tests, checking for anemia, liver and heart functions, calcium, glucose, and electrolyte levels. The veterinarian may run screens for toxins, take x-rays, or perform an electroencephalogram, although test results may not reveal reasons for the dog’s seizure. Your veterinarian might wait to see if the dog has another seizure and may suggest medications. If the diagnosis is epilepsy, the dog has an excellent chance for a normal life with proper medical care and follow-up.

After seizure, dogs often appear lost or drugged. This state can last a few minutes to several hours depending on the severity of the dog’s seizure. Your dog may respond to you, but react slowly. Seizures are exhausting. Your dog will probably want to sleep afterwards. Check your pet occasionally without disturbing its rest.

Eliminate the source of the seizures; you may be able to eliminate future seizures from occurring.

If your dog’s seizures are due to chemical toxins, eliminate those toxins as much as possible. In any case, feed a diet of human grade food and treats that are free from chemical preservatives, fillers and by-products.

Natural approaches can help some pets, either prior to stronger medications or in addition to them, so you may be able to use lower doses.

Varieties of treatment options include a natural diet, nutritional supplements, homeopathy, herbs, conventional medications and acupuncture. Sometimes, placing an ear acupuncture tack in a dog’s ear will stop seizures, and this requires only one acupuncture visit. Or, your pet can be treated with traditional Chinese acupuncture.

Alaskan Klee Kai – Dog Breeds – Great Facts Everyone Should Know

In this article we will firstly look at the simple stats of this great breed, then move on to an in-depth look at whether you will be suited to this dog.

Breed group: Nordic

Weight: Toy: 10 lbs; miniature: 15 lbs; standard: 23 lbs

Height: Toy: 13 inches; miniature: inches; standard: 15-17.5 inches

Overview

The Alaskan Klee Kai have been developed by Linda Spurlin during the early part of the 1970′s in Wasilla, Alaska. After an unintentional mating between an Alaskan Husky and an unknown smaller dog, Linda Spurlin took a liking to this offspring. She ended up breeding a prototype dog that was suppose to act as a companion dog as she was so stunned with the good looks and size of these dogs. In order to reduce the size of these dogs, she developed this breed with Alaskan and Siberian Huskies – and also using American and Schipperke Eskimo Dogs in order to abolish problems with dwarfism. This breed was first known as the Klee Kai, but in 1995 the name changed to the Alaskan Klee Kai. Even today these dogs are fairly rare.

Temperament

The Alaskan Klee Kai seems to be very shy and wary of strangers, but will alert their owners by barking. These dogs are average guard dogs, and they will not attack someone seeing that they were bred to be companion dogs. But they are outstanding watch dogs, and will always alert you of something when necessary. Alaskan Klee Kais are very clever dogs that are very committed to their owners. They love the attention and company of their families. These dogs get along well other pets and children they have been raised with.

Care

This breed is average shedding dogs, and will require a brushing on a regular basis. These dogs should not be bathed too often, only when it is really necessary. Make sure that you use a good shampoo to prevent possible skin irritations. Also check the ears of the dog for too much dirt, hair or too much wax build up. Their nails can also be trimmed to keep their paws in a good condition, and to ensure that they don’t have any discomfort when walking.

Training

It is important to be consistent when training the Alaskan Klee Kai. The training environment should be fair and positive. This breed is very clever, but also very independent. Although they are compliant, they are not always obedient. But you will be glad to know that this gets better as these dogs get older. It is important to get this dogs socialised from a very early age onwards.

Health problems

Although these dogs are very tough, there have been some concerns uttered about an inherited bleeding disorder. Apart from this disorder, the Alaskan Klee Kai is fairly healthy.

Alaskan Husky – the Facts Every Owner of This Dog Breed Should Know

The Alaskan Husky is not truly a ‘breed’ of dog in the traditional sense. The name is actually a classification for this working and sled dog. There is no written breed standard for Alaskan Huskies and it is not a registered breed or show dog. Alaskan Huskies are the descendants of several dogs: Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute, Border Collie, German Shepard and possibly a few others.

Most Alaskan Huskies have brown eyes, but can also have blue or blue-brown combinations. They are about 20 to 24 inches high and average about 35 to 65 pounds, giving them a slim build. Since this dog is used primarily for work, colors and markings are unimportant in breeding and vary widely from dog to dog. Alaskan Huskies can be pure black, totally white and everything in between. Tails can be long and curly or barely there. The ears are often times prick ears, but some Alaskan Huskies have ears that droop.

They do not need a lot of maintenance, as their coats tend to be short to mid-length, but do require extra brushing twice a year during shedding season (particularly in the spring when shedding is the heaviest). The coats are wooly and thick (a protective measure when in their native environment) so they are better suited to cooler climates. Living on average about 10 to 15 years, the Alaskan Husky is good with children, but not other household pets as they have a strong hunting instinct and may turn on them. Though playful, loving and generally docile, the Alaskan Husky is not a good indoor pet. They can be difficult to housebreak, and get bored easily, especially if left alone. Alaskan Huskies will become destructive, tearing things or running around in circles. They also need a lot of room to run as they have a lot of energy and need to exercise frequently.

If outside, Alaskan Huskies do need to be watched closely as they will dig under fences in order to hunt or run. They also do not make good watchdogs, as they will greet everyone with friendly barking and have been known to play with any stranger entering their territory. As a result of their mixed heritage, Alaskan Huskies have relatively little health problems, though some are prone to gastric torsion (bloat) and if they do not get enough exercise will quickly become obese, leading to other health problems.

There is a website that has great information on Alaskan Huskies and most other breeds of dogs. It has details that pertain to a dog breeds health, grooming, living conditions, best food choices and more, the website is called: Dog And Cat Facts, and can be found at this url:

http://www.dogandcatfacts.com

By Robert W. Benjamin

Copyright © 2006

You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on your web site as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and without modification except for formatting needs or grammar corrections.

4 Things You Need to Know About Siberian Husky Puppies

Siberian husky puppies are usually purchased at a very tender age by families keen to raise this huge, magnificent dog. The gentle temperament of these dogs, as well as their liveliness, makes them popular family pets. This is in addition to the dog’s hardy nature as well as its ability to adapt to both hot and cold conditions. When raising your Siberian husky puppies, there are a number of important things to be noted. In this article, we provide you with 4 things you need to know about Siberian husky puppies.

One of the first things to note when raising a Siberian husky puppy would be a well-balanced diet. A Siberian husky puppy requires sufficient nutrition in order for it to grow into a healthy adult. Consult your breeder for advice on the dog’s dietary needs. In any case, it would be a good idea to feed your puppies freshly prepared food. This should consist of a substantial amount of protein and include chicken, pork, beef or fish. Food should be cut into bite sized pieces to facilitate chewing and digestion. A daily dose of greens is also necessary for the puppies. Mix these well into the meats in order to appeal to the puppies.

It is also important to take your puppy for regular checkups at your local vet. Make regular scheduled appointments with your vet to ensure that your puppy is in good health and growing properly. Your vet would be able to dispense valuable advice to you regarding your Siberian husky puppy’s diet and general well-being. It is necessary to be equipped with knowledge on your puppy’s well-being in order to ensure that it grows healthy into a full grown adult. Also, vets are able to spot tell tale symptoms of illnesses which might occur from time to time on your Siberian husky puppy.

The Siberian husky is a very active dog. As such, house training and social skills as a puppy is essential for its healthy growth. You could either train your puppy yourself or hire a professional dog trainer if you do not have the time. Simple skills such as toilet training, not damaging furniture and social skills with outsiders are a must for your Siberian husky puppy. As with the case of all forms of dog training, make use of the element of conditioning by rewarding your husky puppy when he performs something desirable and discouraging it with a firm “no” when he performs an undesirable action.

Last of all; make sure you bring your Siberian husky puppy for regular exercise. Exercise is not only necessary to keep your dog in good shape and preventing obesity, it is also important in familiarizing your husky puppy with its living environment. Health problems often develop in dogs that lack exercise. Introduce your Siberian husky puppy to your neighbors. This allows it to develop greater people skills which are necessary for its growth in time to come.

Raising a Siberian husky puppy requires time, effort and ultimately commitment. While not an easy task, it would definitely provide you with a great deal of satisfaction as you watch it mature with each year into adulthood.