• 4. Heartworm. Transmitted by mosquitoes, heartworms can be found in dogs older than 1 year. The young heartworms live in the veins and the older ones live in the right ventricle in which expands one side of the heart. The signs are exhaustion, vomiting and a dry cough.  Prevention: Provide mosquito net for the dogs living areas. A heartworm pill should be given once a month during mosquito seasons. The dog should be wormed every three months for three days in a row and you should have their blood check by the vet annually.

Ectoparasites live on the dog and cause skin diseases.

• 1. Ringworm is an infectious fungus, which grows on the skin and within the coat. The signs are weak, broken hair and irritated, scaly, inflamed skin. Prevention and treatment: Bathe the dog with shampoo once a week. Apply Phulsin medicine mixed with sulphur on the coat in the case of hair loss.

• 2. Scabies. The signs are severe itching at the edge of the dog’s ears and around the face, hair loss, spots of dry blood due to scratching.
  Prevention and treatment: Clean the dog and its residing area. Apply Odelen medicine on the infected skin.

• 3. Lepercy is caused by a parasite called demodexdenis. Symptom: Hair loss in areas on the face and elbows or all over the body. It is usually found that there is some kind of bacteria living on the skin and it causes red inflamed skin. Prevention and treatment: Bath the dog regularly. Feed it with a highly nutritious food. Antibiotics and special shampoos are the common treatments.

Suggestions for a dog’s health care

Age Suggestion

• 3 weeks old - Must be wormed
• 4 weeks old - Needs vaccinations against rabies (especially for the puppies whose mother has never been vaccinated before) 
• 7-9 weeks old - Needs vaccinations against Canine distemper and Parvo, Get health check, fecal check and wormed
• 10-12 weeks old -Needs vaccination against Canine distemper and Inflammatory Bowel  disease for the second time.
• 3-6 months old - Needs vaccination against Rabies , Get feces check and wormed
• 1 year old and older
• ...Need vaccination against Rabies once every year.
• ...Need vaccination against Canine Distemper and Parvovirus once every year.
• ...Need a health check, fecal check and wormed every six months.
• ...Needs heartworm check.

1.When you first get your dog to its new home, give it time to adjust to its new environment
2.Housebreaking. Train the dog to relieve itself in the proper areas. .Praise it when it has done well and give corrections when it has done wrong.
3. Feeding. Feed the dog at specific meal times only. Never “free feed�? If there are many dogs, separate their feeding bowls away from each other. Train your dog not to accept food from strangers.
4. Sleeping. Train your dog to sleep in a specific area, whether in a crate or a pen. Provide the dog with comfortable bedding.
5. Corrections.  In order for a dog to form proper behaviors it is up to the owner to know when it is time to correct the dog or when the dog should be praised. Implementing either at the wrong time can make the dog confused or repeat unwanted behaviors. Always consult professional trainers if there is uncertainty.
6. Commands and recall. When giving a dog a command or calling it back to you, it is important to use short and sharp commands.  Inflections in tones of your voice are very effective. Keep the commands short and simple so the dog is not confused.

Behaviors

Behavior interpretations:

Touching noses- greeting and inspection

Rolling on its back - Submission and surrendering.

Tail wagging –Happy and excitement.

Lying on its side- relaxed and content

Erected and stiff tail- Alert and on guard.

Tail between the legs - Timid, shy or fearful.

Urine marking- Claiming its territory

Licking -The sign of love and friendship. To other dogs it is a sign of submission , usually a lower ranking dog will offer this to an alpha.

Front legs lifting -To ask for food, or something it wants. Begging

Digging - To bury food, an instinct from its ancestors. To prepare a place for sleeping. To get ready for whelping (for a bitch).

Pacing  - Guarding and can be a sign of stress

Pacing (and sniffing the floor) �?looking for a spot to relieve itself.

Barking - A sign of having fun for 2-3month old puppies. A sign of self-confidence for the 4-6 month old puppies. To alert for danger.

Eating leaves or grass –A do will usually do this if it is feeling it and it will be accompanied with vomiting.

Attacking �?A dog will not usually attack a bitch or a small dog. A dog attacks when it is fearful or it feels threatened. It is a defensive behavior.

Sniffing �?A dog uses its smell to track, detect and is a large factor in its communication with other dogs. It is also an aid to help in its direction finding. The dogs sense of smell is 20 times greater than a humans and is so to compensate for its limited vision. 

Chasing - This is a natural instinct and is referred to as “prey�?drive. It is part of their hunting instinct to chase anything that moves suddenly or quickly.

Biting - A dog bites when it is threatened, guarding its resources or it is afraid. It is a dog’s defense. Jealousy, possessiveness, fear and resource guarding are the most common triggers.

Fear Exhibition - If a dog has been harmed by someone or something, it will have a strong recall, thus showing fear the next time it is confronted by it.

Destructiveness - This is often caused by separation anxiety. The dog may act destructively when it is left alone too long, is stressed and/or upset. It may chew thing, urinate, defecate, etc. This is usually a fear of being alone as the dog is unsure of itself. Dogs and puppies need to chew. It is their way of dealing with stress, developing their teeth and jaws. You should always provide a dog or puppy the proper chew toys or items. You must correct the dog or pup at the moment it is chewing something wrong. Never make a correction after the occurrence as it will not know what it did wrong.

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