Dogs are basically social creatures and they belong to packs.  Your dog belongs to your family, whom he considers a pack, and whom he has to follow.  You must be in a position to communicate with him, understand and respect him and read his body language.

First of all it is important for you to prepare your family dog for the baby that will be arriving soon.  Start by teaching him commands, if you haven’t done so already.  Shower a lot of praise and positive reinforcement every time he obeys your commands.

Use some creative methods to get your dog familiar with a baby.  You could just use some dolls dressed in the baby’s clothes, have a baby carriage in the house and wheel it around.  Maybe you can even get tapes of babies crying, so that your dog gets familiar with the sound.

If your dog has a habit of jumping on people, just start training him not to jump.  It may cause serious injuries to the baby if your dog begins to jump on it.  The dog may not mean to hurt, he is just happy to see you, but teach him to sit and not jump.

Often dogs guard food, bones, balls or toys and anyone who attempts to take them away from him may face a baring of teeth or growling.  Probably he does not do it to you, but for your baby, it is a risk, because the dog might just snap at the baby’s fingers or toes.  Train the dog that growling and guarding objects are unacceptable behavior, and if necessary you can take the help of a professional trainer to retrain your dog.

Once the baby arrives bring home a blanket or a towel used by the baby, which has not been washed.  Let your dog get familiar with the scent and encourage him when he investigates the scent.  Use positive phrases to show that you are also excited about bringing the baby home.

When mother and baby arrive home, the mother should greet the dog without the baby.  Obviously he will sniff her and then he will also pick up the baby’s scent.  Keep a close watch on him.  Let the dog be on a leash and make him sit down, praising him and talking to him all the time.  Let the dog come closer to the baby, and if he is calm, you can even allow him to walk loose and do his bit of sniffing again.

After frequent sessions of this exercise, your dog will get familiar with the baby, but you should never leave him alone with the baby.  The dog may unintentionally hurt the baby, because it cannot gauge its own strength and may just be excited and jump on the baby.
Remember to give some time to your dog every day without the presence of the baby.  Continue to play with him like throwing his favorite toy, but no violent games like tug of war or wrestling.  You must always be the leader in the game with your dog.

By and by introduce the presence of the baby at the time you are having fun with the dog.  Just be relaxed and happy, and the dog will also reciprocate. It is lovely for children to be growing up with dogs and make it a happy experience for both of them by careful planning, training and awareness.

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Many people think that becuase they have allergies they can not have a dog, and that is not true! I have suffered with allergies all of my life and have always owned dogs!

If you suffer from allergies, there are dog breeds that are hypoallergenic. These dog breeds are considered to suitable for those who suffer from allergies.

Here are some things to consider if you are looking for a hypoallergenic dog.

1. The dog breed. There are dog breeds that are single coated, hairless, low shedding, and retain their hair and dander. They release less allergens compared with other dogs. They are called the hypoallergenic dog breeds. You need to be prepared on this to avoid frustration. No dog is completely 100% hypoallergenic, all dogs produce dander but with hypoallergenic dog breeds it is such a small amount that very few people experience allergy symptoms.
2. You will want to make the time to brush you dog as much as possible, so consider this before bring a dog home. Brushing your dog regularly will ensure that dander will not float in the air. Dander will stick to the brush and not in the air where it will be free for you to breathe.

If you already have a dog and are suffering from allergies caused by your dog here are some tips.

1. Bathe your dog once a week. This is to ensure that dead skin and dirt will not linger in the dog’s coat. It will less likely to cause allergic reaction.
2. If you are sensitive and are prone to allergies, make sure that your dog does not enter your bedroom. Give him his own space to roam and do his thing, not where you and your kids frequent. This is to ensure that should he release dander, it will not affect you as much.
3. Vacuum your home regularly. This is to ensure that any allergen may be picked up and not float in the air.
4. Avoid sleeping with your dog. Of course, the coat, the dander, or even the dirt he picked up from walking outside may cause allergic reaction.

Dog Breeds For People With Allergies

Here is a short list of dog breeds popular for people with allergies.

• Chinese Crested. There are two kinds of Chinese crested the hairless and the powder puff. Both are good for people with allergies, the hairless of course do not have much hair to shed. The powder puff on the other hand has long hair but the hair is intact in its skin and shed less often.

• Poodles. They are quite small and their single coat does not shed as much. They are lovable especially for families with kids.

• Terriers. They are short coats and single-coated breeds. They do not have undercoat and thus do not release dander as much.

• Shih Tzu. They have full coat with wooly undercoat and thus do not loose much dander as their coats are tightly knitted together.

There are many other hypoallergenic dog breeds. It is good to seek the advice of dog breeders, if you want a dog in your home. If possible, try to spend sometime with the dog before bringing him home. This is to ensure that your body has adjusted to his presence.

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There are several places now that are allowing pet owners to bring their pets. More and more cities are showing an interest in allowing people traveling with dogs. We often hate to leave on vacation without a member of our family and we all know that despite the fact that they are dogs they are a part of the family.
Seeing their sad faces as we leave the house is very discouraging and it is nice to see many places opening up to having pets in their buildings. Making sure we keep it that way is also important so here are a few things to keep in mind when traveling with dogs.

1. Make sure you pet is well trained and listens to your commands: The worst thing to have happen is to have a dog on vacation and be asked to leave because they are not obeying you.

2. Make sure your pet is used to travel: Just because you are ready to travel doesn’t mean they are. If you are not sure take them out in a moving vehicle to see how they react. If they are not comfortable plan to take them on short trips for as often as necessary before you go on the big trip. This will give your pet time to prepare. They can get scared just like you!

3. Make sure you have the proper tools to remove droppings while away: if you use a scoop and doggie bags ensure that you have them on hand while traveling and that you have enough. Also make sure that there are places to stop on the trip to allow them to use the bathroom.

4. Bring things your pet enjoys can help keep them calm while traveling: Making sure that you’re pet has his favorite bone or toy may help calm them on the journey. If you are traveling long distances your pet can get anxious and may need some distraction.

5. Trying to stop often so they can stretch their legs: if you have to travel far you might think about stopping for a few hours to help them stretch their legs and get out of the vehicle a bit. A good 30 minutes to an hour of exercise can do them well on a long journey.

Useful Things To Have When Traveling With Dogs
Oasis Travel Canteen
Pet Voyage Travel Bowl
Oversized Pet Car Seat

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