The Swedish Elkhound is a spitz type breed with a wolf-like appearance. The rectangular shaped body is covered with smooth and close lying light to dark coat. This thick double coat is made more impressive by cream or light gray markings on the cheeks, sides of muzzle, chest, belly and legs. A tightly curled scimitar shaped tail is another feature that gives this breed an impressive appearance

Obviously, a Swedish Elkhound’s job is to hunt elks. Strong, courageous and energetic are apt descriptions for the Swedish Elkhound. This breed was specifically developed to be a working dog. The breeding was aimed at creating a taller and bigger dog with a strong constitution . The dog has to adapt well to the rigors of hunting in heavily forested areas and to be able to scale rocky ledges and traverse deep snow in pursuit of prey. Indeed, the Swedish Elkhound, the breed that was developed is a remarkable hunter of elk, moose, lynx, bear and other game. This breed is also known as Jamthund which means bear hunter in the local dialect.

This is a versatile breed. Although specifically developed to be a hunter, the dog has remarkable abilities to perform other jobs as well. The Jamthund is acclaimed for being an outstanding utility dog, sled dog, guard dog and herding dog . This brave and intelligent dog has become an army dog as well and was honored by being chosen as the national dog of the Swedish Marine. The Swedish Elkhound was designated as the official service canine of the Swedish Air Force.

A Swedish Elkhound is a bold and aggressive hunter but the dog is noted to have a stoic demeanor. The calm and stable temperament, the friendly nature and the strong attachment the dog forms for its people are the most wanted qualities in a companion dog. A Swedish Elkhound is a breed that makes an ideal family pet as it has lots of love to give the family and noted to be gentle and kind with the children.

Learn more about the Swedish Elkhound breed at Sarah’s Dogs.

Visit Maytag Parts today, won’t you?

But let’s face it, as cool as this kinda site is — and my site IS cool — Maytag Parts are a bit…well, boring. Right? So, since I love dogs and as a service to you, I have gathered the 5 really, REALLY bad reasons that people get dogs and why you should avoid them.

5 Very Bad Reasons to Get a Dog

There are as many good reasons to get a dog as there are dog lovers.

But according to the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) there are also bad reasons that people get dogs. Unfortunately, this is not a joke and can result in neglected, abandoned or even abused dogs.

Here are the ASPCA’s 5 wrong reasons to get a dog.

Bad Reason #1 – You Are Lonely

This is different than getting a dog for companionship. Dogs make wonderful companions. But you must be willing to commit to the long-term needs of you companion and not get one to satisfy your short-term longings.

Bad Reason #2 – To Teach a Child to Be Responsible

Sure letting your child help care for your pet is a good idea — but the primary caretaker should always be an adult. It’s not fair to the dog to use it strictly as a teaching tool.

Bad Reason #3 – Because You Feel Sorry for the Puppy in a Pet Shop

Pity is not a good factor in choosing a long-term pet. Come-on, you probably feel sorry for ALL the puppies. And kittens. “They look so sad.”

Think “Long-term.” 12 – 15 years long term. Choose a dog you will be happy with down the road.

Bad Reason #4 – Because Your Home Needs Protection

If this is your main reason, install an alarm system. You don’t have to feed, walk and care for it. Reliable guard dogs require extensive and expensive training and more socialization and exercise than other dogs.

A dog that makes a good guard dogs often do not make a good pet.

Bad Reason #5 – As a Surprise Gift

Could ANYTHING be more inappropriate as a surprise gift? It’s a living creature for heaven’s sake. One that will live for many, many years.

If your friend wanted a dog, they would probably have one. In any case, if they do want one don’t you think they will want to pick it out themselves.

If you want to shock them that badly, order a Stripper-Gram. Or funny boxer shorts.

Not a dog, please.

Read realistic knowledge in the sphere of stop sweating start living – please go through the page. The times have come when concise information is really only one click of your mouse, use this opportunity.

What methods does a dog have to combat the heat? Panting like barking is a trademark of dogs.. Panting is the dog’s unique cooling system that prevents the brain from overheating and effecting the circulation of cooler blood to all parts of the body. A dog does not need to exert too much effort to pant. When the dog lolls the tongue, the cooling system switch will be turned on and excess body heat will be gone. The tongue therefore plays a very important role on how a dog manages the heat.

Because of the location of the very few sweat glands, a dog cannot cool the body if it is running on hot pavement. In this case, regulating body temperature will be achieved by the tongue. When the tongue is lolled, evaporation is facilitated on its surface. While the dog pants, a steady stream of air cools the tongue, the mouth and the blood vessels in the head. The blood made cooler by the dog’s panting will now be circulated to the parts of the body achieving a normal level of body temperature.

Dog panting can have other causes. Hot weather causes dogs to pant excessively. Stress, excitement and strenuous activities would make a dog pant. Because of their physical structure, short faced dogs have the tendency to pant excessively. Medical concerns like seizures, lung and heart disease would cause a dog to pant.

Dogs normally pant but pet owners have to be watchful. Panting is one of the symptoms of heatstroke. Dogs find it hard to manage heat. Cars and other confined spaces will be dangerous to a dog especially on hot weather. Heatstroke is one of the common causes of canine deaths.

Dogs are interesting animals. Learn more about why do dogs pant and read more about heatstroke symptoms, prevention and treatment at Sarah’s Dogs.

Chewing is innate in dogs. Puppies at the age of three months would be noticed trying the strength of their gums and teeth . Nature has not provided dogs with hands thus the mouth and the teeth are used by puppies to explore their environment . Puppies are very curious fur balls and the only way by which they can learn about their world is to gnaw thing . A puppy’s inclination to chew gets stronger when it starts to teeth. Teethers are commonly given to teething babies to lessen the pain and to strengthen the gums. Puppies would manage their own teething pains by gnawing the brand new rug or the leg of antique furniture. Destructive chewing can have other consequences. A life threatening blockage can be an outcome of the dog’s indiscriminate chewing habit. Indiscriminate chewing in puppies can be managed easily by providing the confined pet with safe chew toys. The excessive chewing habit is noticed to gradually decrease as the puppy matures.

A well behave dog that has unexpectedly developed an excessive chewing habit would naturally concern a pet owner. The dog’s unwanted behavior can be due to an underlying reason. The dog’s destructive chewing behavior can be triggered by boredom, loneliness or inactivity. Knowing why dogs chew is only the first step. It is also a priority to know what to do when it chews. Dogs are one of the animals that crave interaction. A cat can satisfactorily exist lying around and being idle all day but not a dog. It is necessary for a dog to have someone to interact with. In spite the famed canine intelligence, dogs are expected not too know the value things. A dog craving for the company of its favorite person would make do with a shoe that has the person’s lingering scent. A dog has to have outlets for the pent up energies. A dog that is cooped inside the house with no toys or no playmate would find its own entertainment.

Learn more about destructive chewing and combat excessive chewing in your dog by reading more about what to do when your dog chews.

The substance theobromine that is found in chocolates is what makes this world’s most loved treat toxic to dogs. Theobromine the chemical that is similar to caffeine is found in cocoa beans from where chocolate is derived. Theobromine serves as a stimulant and causes frequent urination, affects the kidneys and the heart muscles as well as the central nervous system. The toxic effects of theobromine in dogs is caused by dog’s inability to digest this substance. Because of the dog’s inability to digest the theobromine substance, continued consumption will cause an accumulation in the dog’s system until a variety of medical concerns happen because increased level of toxicity.

Dog owners can share the chocolate bar with the pet or allow the dog to have a slice of the Black Forest cake. Apparently, a dog will not show signs of poisoning if only a small amount of these kinds of chocolates are consumed. A good news to dog owners that are unaware of the harmful effects of chocolates to the dog is the fact that the toxicity of this food is dose dependent so that the pet has to consume from 100 to 150 milligrams of chocolate per kilogram of body weight before the pet will be affected. The level poisoning would depend on the type of chocolate consumed. The toxicity level is much lower in white chocolates because this type of chocolate contains very little theobromine. Because of the low theobromine content, a dog has to consume 200 ounces of white chocolates before clinical signs of poisoning can be noticed. Milk chocolates and semi-sweet chocolates contains more of toxic substance thus a substantial amount consumed will be dangerous to the pet. The baking chocolate is considered to be the most dangerous among all types of chocolates. Dog owners don’t normally give the dog baking chocolate but knowing the voracious appetite of these animals, it is still possible for the dog to gorge on the dangerous food. The dog has to have medical attention ASAP. It is always good to know what to do if your dog eats chocolate.

A dog that has a bone on its mouth will have a sneaky look while looking for a the best spot to hide the bone. As soon as the ideal hiding place is found, the dog will dig madly and speedily bury the bone. Do you know why your dog is burying bones Does your pet know why it is hiding the bones? Burying bones is an instinctive behavior thus dog experts believe that man’s best friends don’t really know the reasons why they have this habit.

Dog experts believe that almost all of the behaviors and habits of modern day dogs are deeply rooted from their past. From the time dogs have existed, they have been burying bones. Although dogs became man’s best friend only for thousands of years; these animals have existed for over a million years. Primitive dogs have lived harsh lives in the wild and the habit of burying foods has been a great help to survive. Primitive dogs have lived difficult lives in the wild. Apart from the need to avoid the predators, dogs have to fight other animals for the prey because food is scarce.

Humans hoard food. Squirrels fill their nest in tree hollows with acorns and nuts. Ants are acclaimed for being industrious as they make it a point to fill their anthill with food. Dogs bury bones to hoard food. In the wild, dogs would not know when the next meal would be. Dogs would have to bury the food so that it cannot be discovered by other animals. What was hidden will be uncovered when hunting is nil. The dog will unerringly find the buried prey although it is possible that what will remain are the marrow-rich bones.

Dogs these days never lack food. Dogs need not bury bones to survive but they do because it is an instinctive behavior. This is why dogs will still bury bones. Dog owners would just be surprised to find treats and bits of food hidden on the dog’s bed. Because digging and burying bones and other food is instinctive in dogs, pet owners just have to take in stride the inclination of the pet to rearrange the garden to bury its “treasures”.

Considering the dietary indiscretion of our four legged friends, it would not be surprising to see them throwing up. Dogs have huge appetites not only for edible but also for non-edible objects. Naturally, the dogs system will expulse objects that are not supposed to be in the dogs stomach. Apparently, dogs know that they only need to throw up to remove the foreign objects from their stomach. We know that dogs have such huge appetites. Dogs can finish off significant amounts of food in so short a time. The dogs habit of gulping down food will result to vomiting if the dry food that fills the stomach absorbs moisture and expands. A dog may have chronic or acute bouts of vomiting. Throwing up, similar to bouts of diarrhea is common in dogs thus pet parents should not be too concerned more so if a change in behavior is not noticed in the pet. Acute vomiting is normally not a life threatening situation. Often times throwing up is a onetime occurrence and after the offending contents of the stomach are expulsed, the pet would be back in its normal voracious-eating self. Acute vomiting though can be life threatening. Dogs are very curious animals. Although intelligent animals, knowing that a substance is poisonous or that an object can create a blockage is beyond a dogs ability to contemplate. These situations call for urgent medical attention.

Chronic vomiting can be due to an undiagnosed medical concern. Chronic vomiting can be caused by distemper, parvovirus or by intestinal parasite infestation. Allergies, pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease are other causes of chronic vomiting. Chronic vomiting can result to poor digestion so that the bodys absorption of nutrients will be hampered and the dog will have a much lowered level of energy, poor appetite as well as a less than appealing coat appearance. Vomiting is common in dogs thus dog owners are usually not concerned with the condition of the pet however because chronic vomiting can have serious effects on the health of the pet it is imperative that medical attention be given.

This has been the most popular online dog training guide for years and for good reason. Sit Stay Fetch includes all of the information you need to go from being a novice to a true expert in dog behavior. It’s also affordable and can be downloaded on the internet in a few minutes. On top of that, it has a total satisfaction guarantee with a two month full money back refund period. This means there is no real risk in trying it.

When you download Sit Stay Fetch you will have instant access to all of the information you need to have to fix all dog behavior problems. And the techniques in this DIY guide are so effective that you are likely to see immediate results.

This may sound “too good to be true” but SitStayFetch has already worked for thousands of dog owners just like yourself so there is no reason that it won’t work well for you too. With a professional trainer such as Daniel Stevens explaining everything he knows about dogs you will definitely learn how to make your dog listen to all of your commands.

And remember that SitStayFetch comes with a true “no questions asked” two month total cash back refund period. This means that if you are not pleased with the guide for any reason at all you can easily get all of your money back.

That being said, some people will prefer to hire a pro dog trainer to train their “best friend” for them. If you are one of those people and you happen to live near Austin then I recommend hiring this Austin, Texas Pro Dog Trainer.

A veterinarian may be able to come up with the right diagnosis. However, they may refer your dog to a veterinary dermatologist, who is a specialist in treating skin conditions in animals.

If allergies are suspected, the first thing a veterinarian will usually ask is if the pet is on a flea-control product. Flea allergies are quite common and the easiest to control. There are many options for flea control on dogs and in their environment.

Once flea allergies are ruled out, and if the itch is non-seasonal, food allergies are checked next. Food allergies are not related to a season, whereas most atopic allergies begin as a seasonal problem.

Dogs that develop atopic allergies usually show symptoms when they are 5 years of age, but food allergies can be a problem at any time. They are high up on the list of suspects when a dog first exhibits itchy skin at an age of over 5 years, or less than 6 months.

When testing for food allergies, the dog is put on an “elimination diet” for around 10 weeks. This means it is fed food that consists of a protein and carbohydrate that the dog has not eaten before, such as venison, duck, and potatoes.

Veterinarians offer these special foods, and some may be found in pet stores. Another option is to feed the dog a homemade diet of foods based on recommendations from the veterinarian.

If the dog’s itching subsides, the allergen is considered to be one or more food ingredients. To confirm this, the owner can reintroduce the regular diet to see if the symptoms return.

To find the specific food responsible for the allergy, the dog owner should feed the special diet again and add one ingredient at a time from the old diet. This should be done for at least a week until the itching increases, indicating that the last added ingredient is an allergen.

Or, the owner may choose to stick with the special food to avoid causing the dog discomfort each time an allergic ingredient is fed. Either way, whilst being tested for allergies, it should not be given treats, chewable medications, table scraps, or rawhide toys.

To check a dog for atopic and contact allergies, veterinary dermatologists use an intradermal allergy test, or skin reaction test. The dog is mildly sedated, a small area on the side of it is shaved, and small amounts of potential allergens are injected into the skin. Should the dog be allergic to a particular substance, the skin will become slightly inflamed at the area of the injection.
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Learn More: Dog Allergies Treatment

There are a lot of varieties of dog collars available in the market. You can get them in different materials and collars etc. Based on your preferences you can select a dog collar that you simply feel is best suited. You can get the dog collar of your choice readily available at several pet stores as well as at a web-based shopping portal. The need is to determine what sort of material and design you want for your pet and search on the suitable location.

Buckle Collar is a popular collar that is well liked by many owners. It is also called flat collar and is created from leather or nylon. You will discover other materials like hemp, polyester etc used for making such collars in some rare cases. The buckle is similar to a buckle in a belt with holes and a Pin that fits in the holes. Even a fast-release buckle can be used in these collars. A strong leash can be attached to this belt. Identification and other medical tags can be attached to this kind of collar.

In case you want to have a collar that also safeguards your dog from various infections and allergies that can be caused due to licking and scratching a wound then you can use Elizabethan Collar. These collars come with a truncated cone shape. Nylon Collars are also quite common as they have special quick release mechanism. Do your dog faced with fleas problem? Perhaps a flea collar can be the solution. These collars will help keep fleas away from your dog.

There are also special break away collars present with which the dog can free itself in case there is an extra pressure exerted on dog’s neck. Such collars come in handy in case of a situation when a collar can get fixed and strangle the neck of the dog.

There are also fashionable and great looking collars available which add a zing to the look of your cute pet. Some collars like Chanel dog collars are really expensive but they look really great on your dog.

Whew! That’s a lot of collars to consider. I hope that you will find one that suits your dog!