Puggle Palooza

Contrary to popular belief, housetraining a puppy requires far more than a few stacks of old newspapers-it calls for vigilance, patience, and plenty of commitment. By following the procedures outlined below, you can minimize house soiling incidents, but virtually every puppy will have an accident in the house, and more likely, several. Expect this-it's part of raising a puppy. The more consistent you are in following the basic housetraining procedures, however, the faster your puppy will learn acceptable behavior. It may take several weeks to housetrain your puppy, and with some of the smaller breeds, it might take longer.
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Establish A Routine

Like babies, puppies do best on a regular schedule. Take your puppy outside frequently-at least every two hours-and immediately after he wakes up from a nap, after playing, and after eating or drinking.

Praise your puppy lavishly every time he eliminates outdoors-you can even give him a treat-but remember to do so immediately after he's finished eliminating, not after he comes back inside the house. This step is vital, because rewarding your dog for eliminating outdoors is the only way he'll know what's expected of him.

Pick a bathroom spot near the door, and always take your puppy to that spot using a leash. Take him out for a longer walk or some playtime only after he has eliminated. If you clean up an accident in the house, take the soiled rags or paper towels and leave them in the bathroom spot. The smell will help your puppy recognize the area as the place he is supposed to eliminate. While your puppy is eliminating, use a word or phrase, like "go potty," that you can eventually use before he eliminates to remind him what to do.

Put your puppy on a regular feeding schedule and feed a high-quality diet to make housetraining easier. Depending on their age, puppies usually need to be fed three or four times a day. Feeding your puppy at the same times each day will make it more likely that he'll eliminate at consistent times as well, and that makes housetraining easier for both of you.
Keep Your Eyes Peeled

Don't give your puppy an opportunity to soil in the house; keep an eye on him whenever he's indoors. You can tether him to you with a six-foot leash, or use baby gates to keep him in the room where you are. Watch for signs that he needs to eliminate, like sniffing around or circling. When you see these signs, immediately grab the leash and take him outside to his bathroom spot. If he eliminates, praise him lavishly and reward him with a treat.

Confinement

When you're unable to watch your puppy at all times, he should be confined to an area small enough that he won't want to eliminate there. The space should be just big enough for him to comfortably stand, lie down, and turn around in. You can use a portion of a bathroom or laundry room blocked off with baby gates. Or you may want to crate train your puppy and use the crate to confine him. (Be sure to learn how to use a crate humanely as a method of confinement.) If your puppy has spent several hours in confinement, you'll need to take him directly to his bathroom spot as soon as you let him out, and praise him when he eliminates.

Oops!

Expect your puppy to have a few accidents in the house-it's a normal part of housetraining. Here's what to do when that happens:

When you catch him in the act of eliminating in the house, do something to interrupt him, like make a startling noise (be careful not to scare him). Immediately take him to his bathroom spot, praise him, and give him a treat if he finishes eliminating there.

Don't punish your puppy for eliminating in the house. If you find a soiled area, it's too late to administer a correction. Just clean it up. Rubbing your puppy's nose in it, taking him to the spot and scolding him, or any other punishment will only make him afraid of you or afraid to eliminate in your presence. In fact, punishment will often do more harm than good.

Cleaning the soiled area is very important because puppies are highly motivated to continue soiling in areas that smell like urine or feces.
It's extremely important that you use the supervision and confinement procedures outlined above to prevent the number of accidents. If you allow your puppy to eliminate frequently in the house, he'll get confused about where he's supposed to eliminate, which will prolong the housetraining process.

Paper Training

A puppy under six months of age cannot be expected to control his bladder for more than a few hours at a time. If you have to be away from home more than four or five hours a day, this may not be the best time for you to get a puppy; instead, you may want to consider an older dog, who can wait for your return.

But if you're already committed to having a puppy and must be away for long periods of time, you'll need to make arrangements for someone, such as a responsible neighbor or a professional pet sitter, to take him outside to eliminate. Or you'll need to train him to eliminate in a specific place indoors. Be aware, however, that doing so can prolong the process of housetraining. Teaching your puppy to eliminate on newspaper may create a life-long surface preference, meaning that even as an adult he may eliminate on any newspaper lying around the living room.

When your puppy must be left alone for long periods of time, confine him to an area with enough room for a sleeping space, a playing space, and a separate place to eliminate. In the area designated as the elimination area, use either newspapers or a sod box. To make a sod box, place sod in a container such as a child's small, plastic swimming pool. You can also find dog litter products at a pet supply store. If you clean up an accident in the house, put the soiled rags or paper towels in the designated elimination area. The smell will help your puppy recognize the area as the place where he is supposed to eliminate.

Imagine how you would look and feel if you never bathed, brushed your hair, or trimmed your nails. To be healthy and happy, your companion animal needs basic grooming, too.

You can handle the brushing and other simple grooming procedures yourself. This type of regular grooming helps build a close bond between you and your pet, and keeps you informed of the condition of his fur, skin, teeth, nails and ears. In fact, it is not uncommon to discover lumps, infections and other problems during a thorough grooming routine.

Is This a Job For a Professional?

Should you take your pet to a professional groomer? The answer depends on the type of pet you have and your comfort level.

For example, many people feel comfortable grooming their short-haired cats, while owners of long-haired dogs prone to mats opt for professional grooming. If you fall into the latter category, this need not be a "hair-raising" experience for you, your pet, or the groomer. The key is finding the right groomer to provide quality grooming care for your pet.

What is Grooming?

Grooming is more than just a hair cut. It may include bathing, combing, brushing, clipping nails, cutting or shaving mats, cleaning ears and controlling external parasites.

Why Choose a Groomer?

You may not have the time, tools, experience or physical ability to adequately groom your pet. For example, some animals (like poodles) have their fur groomed into particular styles that require a professional. Or a pet may require regular or seasonal clipping, medicated or flea baths, removal of skunk odors or harmful substances or removal of matted fur.

Typically, a trained professional can more safely and humanely handle tricky procedures and temperamental or frightened animals. (Removing severe mats should always be done by an experienced groomer to avoid accidental cuts.) Keep in mind, however, that professional groomers aren't miracle workers; it's up to you to stay on top of your pet's grooming needs.

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Finding a Groomer

Start with a recommendation from a friend, veterinarian, boarding kennel, dog trainer, pet supply store, or animal shelter. Check the Yellow Pages under "Pet Grooming." You can also contact the National Dog Groomers Association of America; a link to its website, which is provided below.

Some groomers are registered or certified by a grooming school or professional association, but no government agency regulates or licenses pet groomers. Check with your local Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been lodged against a grooming facility. Then, after narrowing your search, call groomers to ask about services, costs, and hours of operation. Also request the names of a few current clients to interview.

Evaluate a Grooming Facility

Before selecting a groomer, tour the facility. Here are some factors to consider during your evaluation:

Is the facility well-lit?
Does it look and smell clean?
Does the staff appear knowledgeable and caring? Do they handle pets gently?
Are cages adequately sized? Are dogs and cats caged in separate areas?
Are pets monitored regularly to prevent overheating during blow-drying?
Does the groomer keep complete pet records (including grooming, medical, vaccination, and emergency contact information)?
How Much Does Grooming Cost?

Grooming costs vary depending on where you live, your pet's species and size, the severity of matting, and the simplicity or difficulty of the cut. Fees for a shampoo and brushing and/or cut can range between $40 to $60, depending on those factors. More extensive grooming services cost more. Expect to pay more for mobile grooming services that come to your home.

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How Can I Ease My Pet's Fears?

It's important for your pet to tolerate being groomed, regardless of how often you take him to a professional. To train your pet, groom him briefly when you're both relaxed. For example, begin by gently massaging his coat each morning as you feed him. Gradually introduce a brush or comb. Each day, increase the grooming time and work on different areas. Reward your pet for cooperating. The more comfortable your pet feels with home grooming and around strangers, the better he'll tolerate professional grooming.

Preparing for the First Visit

For the health and safety of both your pet and the groomer, make sure your pet is up-to-date on veterinary treatment, including vaccines and sterilization. Spayed and neutered pets are generally calmer, and sterilized dogs are less likely to bite. (Sterilized pets also enjoy many health benefits and do not contribute to pet overpopulation.)

A pet who is particularly nervous or difficult to handle makes the grooming process stressful for both your pet and the groomer. If this sounds like your pet, work with an animal behavior specialist or dog trainer.

Give Them the 4-1-1

When making the appointment, inform the groomer about your pet's needs. To provide special handling, the groomer must know in advance whether your pet is geriatric or has a chronic health condition.

Also warn the groomer about any habits that could interfere with safe and successful grooming. Keep in mind that groomers are not licensed to dispense tranquilizers; if your pet needs sedation to be groomed, find a veterinarian who employs a groomer.

Short and Sweet Goodbyes

Finally, when you drop your pet off at the groomer, bid your pet good-bye quickly: Emotional departures will increase your pet's stress level. When you pick up your pet, both of you will enjoy that clean, mat-free coat that makes pets-and their people-more comfortable.

Being a pet owner is never easy. While pets bring us joy and companionship on a daily basis, they also require training, veterinary care, time, love, attention, and even tolerance. Tolerance is especially necessary when a pet owner is allergic to his or her companion animal.
Studies show that approximately 15 percent of the population is allergic to dogs or cats. An estimated one-third of Americans who are allergic to cats (about two million people) live with at least one cat in their household anyway. In a study of 341 adults who were allergic to cats or dogs and had been advised by their physicians to give up their pets, only one out of five did. What's more, 122 of them obtained another pet after a previous one had died. It's clear the benefits of pet companionship outweigh the drawbacks of pet allergies for many owners. Living comfortably with a companion animal despite being allergic to him requires a good understanding of the allergic condition and an adherence to a few rules.

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All cats and dogs are allergenic (allergy-causing) to people who are allergic to animals. Cats tend to be more allergenic than dogs for allergic people, although some people are more sensitive to dogs than cats. Contrary to popular belief, there are no "non-allergenic" breeds of dogs or cats; even hairless breeds may be highly allergenic.
Dogs with soft, constantly-growing hair-the Poodle or the Bichon Frise, for example-may be less irritating to some individuals, although this may be because they are bathed and groomed more frequently. One dog or cat of a particular breed may be more irritating to an individual allergy sufferer than another animal of that same breed.

The source of irritation to pet-allergic humans? Glands in the animal's skin secrete tiny allergy-triggering proteins, called allergens, that linger in the animal's fur but also float easily in the air. Allergens are present in the animal's saliva and urine, too, and may become airborne when saliva dries on the fur. The severity of reaction to these allergens varies from one person to the next, ranging from mild sniffling and sneezing to life-threatening asthma, and can be complicated by simultaneous allergies to other irritants in the environment.

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If your or a family member's allergies are simply miserable, but not life-threatening, take these steps to reduce the symptoms:

Create an "allergy free" zone in the home-preferably the bedroom-and strictly prohibit the pet's access to it. Use a high-efficiency HEPA air cleaner (available at almost any home and garden store or discount department store) in the bedroom. Consider using impermeable covers for the mattress and pillows because allergen particles brought into the room on clothes and other objects can accumulate in them.

Use HEPA air cleaners throughout the rest of the home, and avoid dust-and-dander-catching furnishings such as cloth curtains and blinds and carpeted floors. Clean frequently and thoroughly to remove dust and dander, washing articles such as couch covers and pillows, curtains, and pet beds. Use a "microfilter" bag in the vacuum cleaner to effectively catch all the allergens.

Bathing your pet on a weekly basis can reduce the level of allergens on fur by as much as 84 percent. Although products are available that claim to reduce pet allergens when sprayed on the animal's fur, studies show they are less effective than a weekly bath. Even cats can become accustomed to being bathed; check with your veterinarian's staff or a good book on pet care for directions about how to do this properly, and use whatever shampoo your veterinarian recommends.

Don't be quick to blame the family pet for allergies. Ask your allergist to specifically test for allergies to pet dander, rather than making an assumption. And understand that allergies are cumulative. Many allergy sufferers are sensitive to more than one allergen. So if you're allergic to dust, insecticides, pollen, cigarette smoke, and cat dander, you'll need to reduce the overall allergen level in your environment by concentrating on all of the causes, not just the pet allergy. For example, you may need to step up measures to remove cat dander from your home and carefully avoid cigarette smoke during spring, when it is difficult to avoid exposure to pollen.

Immunotherapy (allergy shots) can improve symptoms but cannot eliminate them entirely. They work by gradually desensitizing a person's immune system to the pet allergens. Allergy-causing proteins are injected under the person's skin, triggering the body to produce antibodies (protective proteins) which block the pet allergen from causing a reaction. Patients are usually given one dose per week for a few weeks to months (depending on the severity of the allergy) and then can often manage with one injection per month.

Additional treatments for allergies to pets are symptomatic, including steroidal and antihistamine nose sprays and antihistamine pills. For asthma, there are multiple medications, sprays, and inhalers available. It is important to find an allergist who understands your commitment to living with your pet. A combination of approaches-medical control of symptoms, good housecleaning methods, and immunotherapy-is most likely to succeed in allowing an allergic person to live with pets.

Of course, if you do not currently have a pet and are considering one, and know you are pet-allergic, be sure to consider carefully whether you can live with the allergy before you bring a new pet home. Except in the case of children, who sometimes outgrow allergies, few allergy sufferers become accustomed to pets to whom they are allergic. Too many allergic owners obtain pets without thinking through the difficulties of living with them. And too often, they end up relinquishing pets, a decision that is difficult for the owner and can be life-threatening for the pet.

Many of us enjoy the companionship of pets. In fact, according to a 2008 survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, 63 percent of American households include pets. These animals don't ask for much-just a short list of basics such as food, shelter, veterinary care, and, of course, our companionship. Pets offer far more in return, teaching us about love, improving our emotional and physical health, and providing us with unconditional affection and friendship.

Pets Make Good Teachers

Companion animals are natural teachers. They help people of all ages learn about responsibility, loyalty, empathy, sharing, and unconditional love-qualities particularly essential to a child's healthy development.

Through helping to care for a pet, children also learn to care for their fellow human beings. There is an established link between how people treat animals and how they treat each other. Kindness to animals is a lesson that benefits people, too.

Pets Can Be Therapists

Given the right animal, people, and circumstances, pets can indeed serve as "therapists." In animal-assisted therapy programs, a companion animal may visit with hospital or nursing home patients. For the program to be safe and effective, the animal must be carefully screened and the pet's caregiver must be trained to guide the animal-human interactions. When a specific therapy is desired, a credentialed professional should monitor the program. Even in less formal animal-assisted activities, where the animal is introduced to an individual or group with no specific therapeutic goal, patients and staff often experience improved morale and communication.

Pets Can Serve as Helpers

Specially trained assistance dogs provide people who have physical and mental disabilities with the profound gift of independence. Assistance dogs are not classified as pets under the law, and they are allowed in public places where pets are prohibited. These dogs serve as the hands, ears, or eyes of their human partners and assist them by performing everyday tasks that would otherwise be difficult or impossible. Dogs may also detect changes in behavior, body language, or odor that precede seizures in their human partners, alerting them so that they may seek a safe environment.

Pets Can Be Healers

Pets are good for our emotional and physical health. Caring for a companion animal can provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment and lessen feelings of loneliness and isolation in all age groups. It's well known that relaxed, happy people do not become ill as often as those who suffer from stress and depression.

Animal companionship also helps lower a person's blood pressure and cholesterol levels. And studies show that having a dog increases survival rates in groups of patients who have suffered cardiac arrest. Dog walking, pet grooming, and even petting provide increased physical activity that strengthens the heart, improves blood circulation, and slows the loss of bone tissue. Put simply, pets aren't just good friends, they are good medicine.

Can Pets Benefit the Elderly?

Because many Americans are living longer lives these days, sometimes elderly people find themselves living alone because they have outlived loved ones, or because they live far from any family. There is a way, however, for the elderly to find new meaning in their lives, and to redefine what it means to be "young at heart"-by adopting a companion animal from a local shelter.

We already know that the many physical benefits pets confer onto people work for all ages, whether you're eight or eighty. If you're older, a pet can offer you a sense of well being, a sense of encouragement, and even a reason for living. Being responsible for another life can add new meaning to your own life, and having to care for and provide a loving home to a companion animal can also help you remain active and healthy.

You may want to consider adopting an older animal, however, rather than a puppy or kitten or a rambunctious "teenage" pet. Older pets are move likely to be calm, already housetrained, and less susceptible to unpredictable behavior. Older animals are often more easily physically managed by elderly persons than stronger, excitable younger animals; yet older pets still confer the same medical and emotional benefits on their owners as younger animals do. Animal shelter staff can help potential adopters find the most suitable animal for their lifestyle, ensuring a great match between pet and person.

Puggles - Charming Companions

Puggles are incredibly loving and friendly dogs. They love to be in the laps of their master and fellow family members, just as they love to be outdoors running and enjoy the fresh air. Due to their incredibly social and affectionate nature, the Puggle is considered an excellent family pet and is wonderful with both children and other family pets.

Keep in mind that although they are affectionate, and Puggles can look serious when calm and quiet, they are not ideal guard dogs and will welcome virtually any stranger into their home. That being said, they are quite the watchdog and love to bark to say "hello" or to alert their family to strangers. Aside from barking, you should also be warned that a Puggle may have also inherited the howling trait from their Beagle genes. You may find howling cute at first, but it is a noise that will quickly irritate you and your neighbors.

Puggles are a relatively intelligent breed. That being said, they can be difficult to train, especially when it comes to housebreaking. However, the Puggle is a clown at heart and easily catches on to tricks and adopts certain behaviors that bring out their true character.

The average Puggle stands about 13-15 inches at the shoulders and is approximately 15-30 pounds. Some Puggles may actually be bred smaller by combining a pug with a smaller Beagle. This Puggle breed is known as a "Pocket Puggle", and they only differ from the regular Puggle variety in that they are slightly smaller in size, typically by 10 pounds.

As far as health is concerned, Puggles are sensitive to extreme climates and are susceptible to overheating and catching colds just like their Pug ancestors. The Puggle can still develop snoring and other breathing problems such as wheezing, even though their muzzle is slightly longer than a Pug. Breathing problems can develop from vigorous exercise, which the average Puggle tends to enjoy due to their Beagle heritage. Therefore, you need to make sure that your Puggle doesn't overexert yourself.

Puggles also enjoy eating and have hearty appetites. Care needs to be taken to ensure that this breed doesn't overeat, as obesity can become a health concern. Other health risks include ear infections and cherry eye. Nevertheless, despite their health issues, the Puggle can generally live a healthy life of 14 years or more.

Puggles do require a sufficient amount of exercise on a daily basis in order to keep them trim and happy. They love to play and should be taken on walks (twice daily for 15 - 20 minutes) weather permitting.

Grooming a Puggle is easy as they are considered a low maintenance dog. They only need an occasional bath ( A few times per year), as rubbing their coat with a damp towel and giving it a brush on a regular basis (few times per week) keeps their coat glossy and clean. Although the Puggle does not have as many wrinkles as a Pug, their wrinkles and face still need to be wiped daily to ensure they are clean. You also need to check and clean their ears once a week to avoid infection.

Puggles shed quite a bit, especially during spring. Therefore, they are not a hypoallergenic dog and will leave hair around the home wherever they go.

You need to keep all of the above information in mind if you are considering making a Puggle a part of your family.