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BOXER DOGS: Dysplasia, Health and Training
Did you know that Boxer dogs can suffer from a life-threatening disease called hip dysplasia? Many of us may be surprised why this kind of disease can affect our pet dogs, but this is really true...
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BOXER DOGS: Dysplasia, Health and Training
Before Adopting A Boxer Dog
There are many advantages of adopting a Boxer dog. But before the excitement of taking home the not-so-fortunate abandoned dog urge you to rush to the nearest shelter, you must consider many things. Here are some points to consider before you finally go for it.
- Identify your reason why you need a pet. Do you want a pet that could protect you and your family? Or do you prefer a working dog that is a good guide dog, hunting dog, service dog or therapy dog? Another reason could be because of companionship, someone you can cuddle, stroke lovingly, comfort you in times of turmoil, listen to you or will just spend some quiet moment with you. The reason why you want a pet is often the basis in choosing what breed suits your needs. Some breeds, like the Boxer dog breed is perfect for any household because of its versatility. A strong working dog that is safe to the family, even with children and will protect you even if it will cost him his life.
- Aside from breed, as well as size, fur length and age, think about the behavior of the dog. Choose a more aggressive or at least, strong dog if you want protection for your home and your family. If you simply want a dog you could play and hang around, then you might want to settle in getting a small toy breed.
- Think about your lifestyle. Remember that a dog, especially Boxer dog, requires vigorous exercise and activities to keep up with his active stamina. If you are busy as a bee and cannot provide your dog the proper exercise as well as care and grooming he needs, then you may not be ready to have this animal right under your care, or at least, right under your roof. Lack of time is one of the reasons why owners abandon their dogs in shelters.
- Consider your resources. You should be capable of providing things for the continued health of your dog. There are dog foods, dog beds, food and water bowls, leashes and other stuff to buy. You must also bear in mind that dogs do get sick sometimes thus necessitates the need for veterinary appointment. Veterinary bills could rise up especially if the disease requires a lifetime treatment and if there is no pet insurance to pay that mounting bill. Most owners only realized this when they are faced with the situation and there available option is to turn over the dog at the nearest shelter or euthanized the poor animal.
- Ask the family, or your companions at home, if they all agree with the idea. Nothing felt better than having everybody welcome you and accept you as a new member of the family.
Don't rush into taking a dog home. The best thing you could do is to think carefully the consequences of what you intended to do.
Hip Dysplasia in Boxer Dogs: A Life-Threatening Disease?
Did you know that Boxer dogs can suffer from a life-threatening disease called hip dysplasia? Many of us may be surprised why this kind of disease can affect our pet dogs, but this is really true. Not only humans can have hip dysplasia; dogs can have it, too.
Hip dysplasia or hip arthritis in layman's term, is a legacy disease passed through the genes and can also be acquired through some environmental factors. Most often, loose-hipped Boxer dogs that mate with one another will give birth to a dysplastic Boxer puppy.
Obesity is also a risk factor for the development of arthritis. Obesity in dogs is usually caused by dog food over-supplemented with extra proteins, vitamins and minerals to make puppies grow faster. This fast growth of puppies can create orthopedic problems in some breed of dogs like Boxer dogs that may lead to hip dysplasia and arthritis.
When a dog has dysplasia, it has an abnormal development of the ball-in-socket joint that makes up the hip. In a dysplastic hip, the ball and the socket do not fit together comfortably resulting to painful and damaging friction. When a dog bears its weight on the joint, the friction strains the joint capsule that produces joint fluid.
The straining damages the cartilage and leads to the release of inflammatory proteins within the joint. Thus the cartilage is eventually destroyed and inflamed and with pain symptoms associated with arthritis.
Just like any other breed of dogs, Boxer dogs with hip dysplasia experience the same sign and symptoms like decreased activity, difficulty rising, rear limb lameness, reluctance to use stairs especially in going up, reluctance to jump or stand on hind limbs; swaggering movements, and so on.
Some owners opt for surgery or even a total hip replacement for a complete recovery from dysplasia. Complication, however, can oblige the removal of the implants. There are also non-surgical methods for treating hip dysplasia such as pain medications, weight loss programs, controlled exercise, and physical therapy. These methods can be very effective in some cases. However, these treatments do have their limitations, too.
In order to reduce the incidence of hip dysplasia on Boxer dogs, careful breeding is the best measure of prevention. Refrain from breeding two dysplastic dogs. However, it is not always easy to avoid breeding dysplastic Boxers since it is so difficult to detect hip dysplasia in dogs that do not show signs of arthritis. And so, some veterinary clinics use PennHIP x-ray technique in order to detect hip dysplasia early on.
A carefully planned diet is also a good way to prevent the disease. Avoid feeding your puppies with over-supplemented, high-protein food in order to avoid rapid weight gain. Dogs fed with calorie-limited diet will reach the same adult size more slowly but with reduced possibility of developing arthritis.
It is always best to consult with a veterinarian regarding specific diets and feeding schedules to minimize the risk of developing this life-threatening hip dysplasia. Many veterinarians recommend x-rays of at-risk breeds like Boxer dogs, so have your Boxer checked by his vet in order to keep him healthy and active for a long period of time.
Boxer Dogs: Time To Trim The Nails
Notice those horribly long nails of your Boxer dogs? Have you been dying to trim those nails but just can't get a hold at them? Some dog owners, especially inexperienced ones find it hard to trim the nails of their dogs. Trimming the nails of a dog is probably one of the most challenging tasks every dog owner may encounter. But as much as it is challenging, it is also an important part of grooming that must be done regularly.
There are a lot of ways a dog owner can do to make this task easy. Here are some tips that you may find helpful:
- Start trimming his nails when he is young. Starting this procedure at an early age will make your dog think that it is just part of his life.
- Get all the needed tools. Purchase dog toenail clippers at any pet stores or from your veterinarian. Nail clippers come in several types - guillotine type and scissor type. Ask your vet or groomer for advice about what type of nail clipper is best for your dog. Remember to ask on how to use the tools. Have styptic powder ready in case the quick was cut. When the nail begins to bleed, apply pressure using styptic powder or a substitute such as baby powder or cotton.
- Clip the nails after a bath when they are soft.
- Make sure the clippers are sharp.
- Start at the tip of the nail and cut a little at a time avoiding the quick (the pale pink tissue near the top of the cut edge).
- Trim your dog's nails once a week or at least twice a month. It is better to trim a small amount on a regular basis than to trim large portions. This will prevent the quick from growing close to the end of the nail.
By learning how to trim your dog's nails at home, you do not have to see a vet to do the procedure thus prevent your veterinary bill from increasing.
Effective Tips In Training Boxer Dogs
Being energetic and highly intelligent, training Boxer dogs is somewhat a challenge especially to inexperienced dog owners. Boxer dogs think independently and tend to follow their own will thus making the training challenging yet rewarding. Dog owners must be armed with proper and effective training tips and tools in order to successfully train their Boxer dogs. Below are some of the training tips I find effective in training a Boxer dog.
Start early.
Start training when your Boxer is still a puppy. Start socializing your puppy as early as three weeks old. Basic commands such as sit, down, come and fetch should be trained to puppies eight weeks of age.
Training should be fun!
Include lots of praise, treats and anything that will make training fun for your dog. Puppies have short attention span so keep training sessions short and enjoyable. Training sessions should last approximately 10-15 minutes with breaks in between sessions.
Avoid force or violence.
Avoid training based on physical punishment. Punishing your dog either physically or verbally may end the undesirable behavior but inappropriate use of this training method may lead to a loss of enthusiasm in training, stress and even aggression.
Vaccines are important.
Make sure that your puppy is vaccinated before sending him to a formal training school. Vaccination will prevent him from various diseases that he may acquire from kennels or pet stores during training.
Communicate with your dog.
Communication plays an important role in training a dog that is why you must always understand what your dog is trying to tell you. Through body language, you can tell that your dog is happy, confused, nervous, excited, scared and so on. A stressed or distracted dog will not learn efficiently so set aside training for the moment if you think that your dog is not in the mood for training.
Suitable training method.
Find which among the training methods is suited for your dog. Positive reinforcement training method is one of the widely used training methods. In this method, something is added in the situation to increase the chance of exhibiting the behavior again. Positive training includes clicker training, toys, treats, praise or play. If your dog does not respond well to positive training, you can use fear training method or training based on corrections. These training methods can be combined if necessary using positive training predominantly and occasionally incorporating fear training.
Use training tools.
There are various tools to aid you in training your dog. This includes leash, different types of collars, crate and others. Choose which is appropriate for your dog and best suits the lesson or trick you are going to teach. Just remember to use these tools properly because misuse may lead to accidents that could injure or worst, kill your dog.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Richard Cussons is a writer with knowledge on Boxer dog and other breeds of dog. Discover more Boxer dog training tips at boxersavvy.com.
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