It has become very clear over the years that we really love our pets. There are new gadgets coming out every day for our pets. If you have a high bed and a small dog you can buy steps to help your dog get into bed with you. If you have a dog that is afraid of clippers there is even a gadget for that. There is nearly a gadget for anything you can think of for your pets. If your pet sleeps in their own bed there are tons of designer beds that you can buy for them as well. If you have an outside pet there are many different designs of houses that you can buy for them. You can even get climate-controlled houses for your outdoor pets. There are single story and two story houses with motion lights on them.

When winter comes around you can buy your pets clothes. You can buy them winter coats and boots for going outside. One plus to the boots is that you can take them off of your pet at the door and then they won’t track mud through the house. In the summer you can buy them hats and sunglasses. If you are concerned about your pet getting sick you can buy pet insurance. Pet insurance can help with the vet bills if they ever get injured or sick.

There is no doubt that our pets are very important to us. Over the years they really become a part of the family. No matter what kind of pet you have there are ways to pamper them. There are even pet spas now. Our pet’s love us and it is great that there are so many ways that we can show them how much we love them.

Many people have a problem with dog owners allowing their dogs to stay outside all of the time. I was talking to the fine people at Synergy Vets the other day, and they tell me that this does not mean however that it is inhumane to leave dogs outside as long as they are being properly cared for. If there is plenty of room to run, a doghouse that it can seek shelter in, and plenty of food and water, there is nothing wrong with keeping a dog outside. The dog often times acts as a deterrent from strange people walking through the yard. This is an especially good thing if you have young children playing outside.

The thing is though; it becomes abuse, even if not intended, when the dog is left outside in extreme temperatures. If it reaches below freezing then it is time to bring the dog inside until the temperatures warm back up. For those who are unable to leave their dog inside all day while they are at work or school, it is generally fine in most areas to allow the dog outside during the day as long as it is brought in when the temperatures drop lower at night.

The same thing goes with extreme heat. If you are barely able to stand outside for more then a couple of minutes without feeling as though you are going to fall over or pass out, then it is time to bring the dog in. Whenever there are weather advisors about harsh temperature or storms, it is time to bring the dogs inside. Even if you have to allow them the basement for shelter, it is much better then having them outside getting sick, without being able to help themselves. As soon as you took ownership of the dog, you agreed to take care of it at all times, including harsh weather conditions.

It has been several years since we had a pet in our home. The last few creatures to share our residence were hamsters; two of the Syrian variety to be precise. Our first one was named ‘Ziggy’ (due mostly to his zigzag stripe, but also because of the uber-cool Bowie character) and he was a thoroughly friendly little chap. However, after Ziggy went to the great hamster ball in the sky, we bought Hammy…

Hammy (not the world’s most original name for a hamster) was one in a million. Anyone who says that animals cannot have strong personalities does not know what they are talking about. This little guy was certainly his own man. How many hamsters have you heard about that will sit and watch the television for half an hour? I am not anthropomorphising either; he would sit with his snout pushed through the bars of his cage, taking in the latest happenings in Albert Square or digging fresh tunes on Jools Holland.

Hammy was also a true gent. When it came to his daily ablutions, he had his own private room. There was a small plastic ‘house’ in his cage and he would always go inside this to do his number twos. It is a cruel fact of life that some sweet-looking hamsters can actually be quite nasty; but not our Hammy. In the few short rodent-years of his life he never once tried to bite anyone. He was the gentlest creature I have ever come across. Hammy had a weakness for raisins and when he took one from your fingers he would do it slowly and delicately; not because he was timid, but because he had an inbuilt sense of etiquette.

I would strongly recommend the Syrian breed to anyone who is getting a hamster. They make wonderful pets and have a lovely, quiet nature. I got this tip by my friend who works permanent vet jobs up north, you can also send them to nirvana and back simply by grooming their long locks with an old toothbrush!

Bird seed, although not necessarily bad for your bird, can be severely detrimental to both its health and happiness, if its diet has no variety. Many parrot owners simply feed their pet bird seed only. This must be avoided. Not only will your bird eventually suffer from malnutrition (bird seed lacks many important nutrients and vitamins), but your parrot will become quite unhappy.

Feeding your parrot high quality pellets should be considered the staple of its diet. However, try not to limit your bird to only pellets and bird seed.

Like all intelligent creatures, parrots want variety in their diet. Feeding your bird only seed may cause depression and apathy. Always try to “spice up” your parrot’s diet: offer your parrot biscuits, fruit, vegetables, nuts or even other foods such as pasta or legumes. Don’t be afraid to give your parrot food that you consider is healthy only for you.

You must be aware of your parrot’s behaviour as well. Offering your bird a full carrot may scare it, and as such, he is unlikely to want to eat it. This is especially true if you do not regularly offer your parrot fresh fruits or vegetables. Be sensitive to his concerns. If he shows trepidation, try offering a smaller portion at first, or even mixing small pieces in with the pellets and seed.

All breeds of parrots have different needs. The above tips are designed for general use. For specific nutritional needs of your parrot, you must conduct a fair bit of research on your own, and always consult your veterinarian, try to focus on ones with permanent vet jobs, it is always easier to deduce what may be wrong if the vet knows the history of the animal.

To begin with, your rabbit’s house (or cage) should be rather large. Don’t just grab a bread-basket sized cage, throw a blanket in there and call it a home. A rabbit’s cage/house should be big enough for it to walk (or hop) around with ease. It should be big enough that your rabbit can stretch out from ears to toes two or three times over.

Don’t make your rabbit’s cage to low either. Make sure your pet can stand up and not touch the top of the cage using his hind legs. This will give your pet a feeling of expanse and not feel trapped.

Give your pet a home with multiple layers, like a ledge or a shelf. This will give your rabbit a variety of places to sit, sleep, or lounge about. This is also a good idea because the critter will get some much needed exercise even when confined to a relatively small space.

Make sure the floor of the rabbit’s home is at least comfortable for its sensitive paws. Consider a plywood base, followed with thin blankets on top. This will give it a soft feeling, but it will not encumber your pet. It can still move around with ease, and have comfort while it does so.

You may want to consider a dog pen. These are usually rather large, comfortable and have many additions that will keep your rabbit equally happy. Whatever you choose, make sure your rabbit will be happy to spend time within it. Nothing would be worse than to buy a pen that your rabbit has no desire to get into.

Poodles, as opposed to other “toy dogs”, are surprisingly intelligent. This makes house training them a fairly easy endeavour; however, there are some do’s and don’ts that should be addressed.

Negative reinforcement, although very common with pet owners, is not a good strategy for house training your poodle. “You catch more bees with honey than with vinegar,” my mother used to say, and it’s true. Instead of punishing your poodle for bad behaviour, such as soiling the rug, try rewarding good behaviour, such as giving him a biscuit when he “goes” outside (or on your neighbour’s flower patch). Poodles are a sensitive creature, and need constant praise. Spare the rod, spoil the poodle.

If you catch your poodle “going” where he isn’t supposed to, avoid spanking, and yelling. The simplest solution is to pick him up gently, and put him where you want him to “do his business”. Do not rub his nose in the mess, or scathe him.

A poodle puppy focuses on surface types when it chooses where to “relieve” itself. Some prefer hard surfaces, like your ceramic tiles in the kitchen, while others are attracted to soft surfaces like grass, sod, or carpets. Find out which type of surface your poodle prefers, and then train accordingly. If for example your poodle prefers soft surfaces (which is more likely), then you are in luck. He is unlikely to want to “go” on the kitchen floor, but rather he is willing to wait until he has a chance to go outside. Once again, reward good behaviour.

Watch your poodle. He will tell you when he needs to “go” and when he doesn’t. Once you’ve learned his body language, you’re almost there. Poodles are naturally house trained, and they prefer not to “go” where they eat and sleep. If you find your poodle “doing his business” on the living room carpet, try putting his bed and food dishes in that room. He will try his best to not associate the living room as the toilet.

All dogs have a different walking pattern–even dogs of the same breed who grew up together may be at odds; some will want walking five times per day, while others will laze around the house or be happy mooching with a chew between their paws and one walk lasting only fifteen minutes.

Whatever your dog, here are some things to keep in mind while out walking:

1) Take the dog out of either the front door or the back, but don’t keep swapping and changing—this may be confusing. If the dog associates leaving the front of the house, for example, with going somewhere in the car, then by going out of that door the dog may be unwilling to go on a boring walk around the village.

2) Is your dog very stubborn? Does he or she refuse to walk anywhere? Many dogs exhibit this characteristic; it can either mean they are tired, or it can mean that because one member of the family is out at work, they don’t want to leave because they wonder if that person might come back.

3) Get several people of the family used to walking the dog: if one person exclusively walks the dog then the dog will become attached and despondent with the idea of going out with anyone else.

4) If the dog suddenly stops while out walking, making plain he or she is finished walking and would like to be carried, don’t give in and pick the dog up. Persist with pulling the lead; If this doesn’t help then give the dog a hug and talk to it. Dogs respond better to friendly communication than being ordered around.

Breeds such as the Shetland Sheepdog make truly fantastic pets: they look great, have a naturally playful temperament about them and can also be shown off at shows to mass applause. But the last thing you are likely to see on Crufts is any problem concerning their long hair—in fact, it can be very difficult to work with, and be a ongoing problem that many new dog owners are completely unaware of; grooming can give you a bad back, and can make you regret having such a breed after all.

Here are a number of tips (that I got from Synergy Vets) to help make it that much easier:

1) Never wait months on end without doing any grooming; doing so little and often means it’s that much easier to keep up with.

2) Put your dog on a table or something off the floor for grooming; don’t groom a dog on the floor—it may feel OK at the time, but later on, and with repetition, it’ll slowly begin to hurt a great deal.

3) Be careful about pulling the hair too much; depending on the length of hair it’s usually best to hold it with one hand at the roots, and comb gently through with the other.

4) Just behind the ears often accumulates a lot of dead fur—these can, strange as it sounds, look like physical growths: like extra ears! The longer these are left, the more compact they will become, making it seem as though they belong there. Give them the chop as soon as you see them!

Planning to take that much needed vacation or do you have to suddenly leave for a business trip and worried about where to keep your furry friend. Pet sitters can come to your rescue here. And with numerous choices available to you here are some tips to find the best pet sitters to take care of your darling companion:

· Contact your friends and family to find references about reliable pet sitters and if you get contacts of a dependable person don’t hesitate to make a call and schedule an appointment immediately with them and ask if they are ready to take in your pet

· You can even contact your groomer, dog trainers and vet for references. You will come across the best pet sitters by contacting pet care professionals, I have found great ones through Synergy Vets.

· The internet has surely made our lives easy and you can again make use of online yellow pages to find a pet sitter closer to your locality. You can also make use of a good pet care website to find a suitable pet sitter located close to you. Make use of popular search engines to find the pet sitter staying close to your place as most sitters won’t like to spend money on gas to come to your home and take care of your adorable pets.

· If you have just moved into the new area then you can take the help of your real estate agents as they would be well aware of what all services are available near your area and would be able to guide you towards finding a perfect pet sitter

Last but not the least keeps your eyes and ears open. If you find someone lovingly taking care of a dog and taking them out for a walk irrespective of the weather then you have hit the bulls’ eye and found a perfect caretaker for your pet.

Its winter and the temperatures outside are steadily falling. As people wrap themselves in layers of warm clothing, here’s a quick walk-through of what pets need to stay safe and well in this season:

• Keep pets inside. Wild animals may get along perfectly well outside but pets need warm places throughout the winter. If your pet must stay outside provide a clean, warm and dry shelter to keep out the cold wind. It must be elevated above the ground so that no moisture seeps inside.
• Provide your pet with a warm bed to snuggle into. A bed of straw will do well.
• While it’s okay to buy a sweater for your pet, especially if you have a short haired dog, remember that the cold creeps in through its feet. So after a walk outside wipe the legs and stomach well.
• Be extra careful when walking your pets outside. The antifreeze, coolants and other chemicals used outdoors during winter are lethal for your pets.
• Pets, like people, can’t resist snuggling up to a warm fire during the winter. Be careful that the tails and paws are away from it.
• Ensure that their drinking water is always fresh and doesn’t freeze.
• Never leave your pet in the car alone in winter. That’s as good as locking it in the refrigerator.
• Take your pet to the vet before the cold really sets in for a through checkup. He will advise you about the kind and amount of diet needed during the cold season. Also ask your vet about special care for older pets with problems like arthritis. Look for registering your pet at a animal clinic that supports permanent vet jobs, it is always helpful if the vet knows your pets history.

Winter is a beautiful time. With a little care you can make it beautiful for your pet as well.