If you have dogs and live in a place populated by free-roaming skunks – such as in a rural area, there’s an exceedingly good chance that eventually, your pet’s curiosity will get the better of him or her. Before the worst happens, you need to be sure you have a good de-skunking tool on hand. Skunks are nocturnal, so if you let your animal out after dark, chances are that’s when he or she will encounter one.

Just picture it: the clock has just struck 3 and your dog – let’s call her Phoenix – is champing at the bit to get outside and do her thing. Half asleep and dragging around with cobwebs for brains, you put her outside and wait, blinking in the darkness. There’s a cry and, concerned, you run toward her, only to have your olfactory system inundated by one of the most pungent, horrid animal smells known to anyone who hasn’t spent their life in a cave. Must be a skunk.

Most people would freak out and run around the house, rummaging through their pantry, medicine cabinet and who knows where else, wracking their still-fuzzy brain for some helpful tidbit. You must have the presence of mind to not be ‘most people’. Animals can sense fear, and in this unpleasant situation, your poor dog would freak out as badly as you. This would in turn only make the whole affair into a bigger mess than it needs to be. She would probably run into the house for safety, which is the last thing you want her to do. Keep calm; this will help sooth her, so that what comes next won’t be as traumatic, and you can get her clean all the sooner.

The chemical composition of a skunk’s spray is alkaline in nature. This means it has a high pH. Therefore, simply applying soap and water won’t work. The same goes for perfumes and other heavily scented cover-ups. To be truly effective, you need something with as low a pH as the skunk’s spray is high. Water, which has a pH of 7, is considered neutral. You ‘could’ pick up some overpriced stuff from a store – with ingredients you don’t recognize and probably can’t pronounce. Or, you can save money and use things from around the home. They’re cheaper, and just as effective.

First thing’s first, though. Do not let your pet back inside. Skunk spray is pervasive and it will get in/on everything, which means your carpet, furniture, clothes, you name it.

Barring the aforementioned expensive store bought stuff, home remedies are easily had. If you have fresh tomatoes on hand, tomato paste/sauce or any one in conjunction with another will work. Tomatoes are acidic, and this counters the spray. Some also advocate the use of vinegar. Don’t think of it as trading one stink for another. If not, try this recipe:

• 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide
• ¼ baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of shampoo or other mild detergent (like those for washing wool. These do not have the synthetic perfumes of most cleaners).

Whatever you have, and decide to use, cover your pet to a fare-thee-well (being certain to avoid getting it in her eyes!) and rub liberally and vigorously. You have to leave it on for a bit. Some say to leave on for five minutes, some say more. A little research in this area goes a long way. Rinse/repeat as necessary.

With this simple solution (no pun intended) in hand, when (not if – because it will happen eventually) your outdoors-loving pet gets sprayed, you can help the poor girl out, and soon enough, she’ll be as good as new.

Everyone loves horses. Horses are smart, strong, majestic animals that show affection but can also take care of themselves in ways that other pets can’t. Even cats need cat insurance for cat owners. Children the world over dream of owning a horse or a pony at some point in their lives, and that dream doesn’t leave them as they become adults.

Yet for most people, owning a horse is not very practical. Horses are extremely large animals that require a lot of feeding, a lot of exercise, and space for all of the droppings that horses tend to leave behind.

Enter Miniature Horses

Around the world, various organizations have begun to breed miniature horses. Miniature horses stand about as tall as a medium to large size dog, and are equally as intelligent. They are strong and powerful for their size (like horses), but are small enough to take indoors.

Benefits of a Miniature Horse

Miniature horses are extremely unique animals that may someday have a lot of benefits for future pet owners. Some of the benefits of miniature horses include:
• Long Lifespan – Miniature horses live an average of 20 to 30 years or more, and a few have lived as long as 50. This lifespan is greater than almost every common type of pet besides birds.
• Strong Animals – Miniature horses are powerful animals that can handle some of the physical stresses that they may undertake. They can be trained to do light labor without any health repercussions.
• Calm (in general) – Miniature horses are not as excitable as other pets, and won’t suffer from the same regular tantrums. They are prone to being frightened by predators. They also tend to jump at loud noises. But with a lot of time with your pet you can train them out of those behaviors.
Miniature horses are intelligent and easily trainable. As far as intelligence, lifespan and temperament, miniature horses make fantastic pets.

The Future Most Popular Pet?

Still, if you are looking for a new pet, miniature horses are not yet a viable option for most families. They are most often used as “Guide Horses” (like guide dogs) for the blind. They require a great deal of care and must sleep outdoors. They also make a big mess, need more exercise than dogs, and need to be trained out of scaring easily by a trained professional. This training takes a lot of time and effort.

They are also difficult to legally own, since they are still classified as livestock by most countries. With the exception of those that live on or around ranches, or have enormous yards, it is difficult to own and care for a miniature horse as a pet. It is not impossible, but it is an uphill battle that most families cannot win.

How the Future Will Change Pet Ownership

Despite these difficulties, do not be surprised if miniature pets become more popular with pet owners in the future. It wasn’t until 1999 that organizations began to look out for miniature horses and began to use them as guide pets. With such a short history, it is no wonder they are not commonly seen in big cities.

If you are looking for puppies for sale, it would be easy enough to find one. Yet society is always changing, and it would not be a surprise to see miniature horses become a popular pet with homeowners in big cities in the next several years. They will take a lot of work, and are going to need a great deal of care over the course of their life, but with long lifespans and an intelligence that rivals that of dogs, miniature horses may quickly become one of the most popular pets in the near future.

Dogs are some of the most unique creatures in the world. Almost everything they do is a behavioral reaction to their environment. Dogs don’t “think” in the traditional sense. They simply allow what occurs to occur and let their instincts and what they have learned cause them to act accordingly.

Your dog is born with a variety of instincts. Many of these instincts relate directly to pecking orders – hierarchies within a group of animals that affects how the pack makes decisions. If you own a dog you have most likely heard the term “alpha dog.” Alpha is the term given to the dog that is the leader of the pack. Every other pack member has its own place after the alpha dog. That means that no two dogs are considered equal. Each dog has its place in the canine leadership hierarchy.

How Does Status Get Earned?
How dogs figure out their place in the pack is also instinctual. Dogs have a number of behaviors that help them figure out who is first, second, third, and so on. The most common behavior is aggression. Dogs often play fight and show aggression to figure who is the strongest, and the strongest is the one that gets to be first in line. The remaining dogs fight it out until their place has been decided.
However, there are far more subtle ways that dogs figure out who is in charge as well. Dogs look for clues in their environment to help them understand their place. One example of how dogs figure out who is alpha is by sleeping arrangements.

How do Sleeping Arrangements Affect Pecking Order?
The alpha dog is the dog that is always in charge. When the alpha dog walks, other dogs are supposed to get out of its way. The same thing holds true with where the alpha dog sleeps. Wherever the alpha dog wants to sleep, that becomes its sleeping area, and no other dogs are allowed to sleep in that area.
If you invite your dog onto your bed to sleep with you, you are telling the dog that you are not necessarily alpha, because if you were alpha dog your bed would be off limits. In addition, it is very unlikely that you are going to sleep in your dog’s crate, so suddenly it appears to your pet as though its bed is off limits and your bed is fair game. If your dog is unsure if you are alpha, it will perform other unwanted behaviors as it tries to figure out its place within the pack.

You want to keep your dog out of your bed at all times. No matter how much your pet whines or how cute it looks, your bed is your bed, and your bed is off limits. Instead, you should get your pet its own bed to sleep on. This will provide it with a comfortable sleeping location that is all its own (which is useful for your dog’s comfort within your home) but ensures that your dog understands that you are still alpha dog in the pack.

What if You Want to Sleep With Your Pet?
If you really want to sleep with your pet, do so in areas that are already open to your pet. If your pet is already allowed to sleep on your couch, for example, then you should sleep with your dog on the couch. Just make sure that your primary sleeping area is always off limits to your dog to reduce any likelihood of bad behaviors by your pet.

Even if you have never been a dog owner, chances are you have come in contact with a dog that loves to lick. Hands, feet, faces – even arms – some dogs lick and lick and lick, as though they are a child with a Popsicle on a hot day.

This type of behavior starts off as cute. But over time it can become very annoying – almost a hassle. If you have a dog that licks, chances are you have also had a guest come over and exclaim “it’s okay! I like it!” only to express annoyance at your dog a few hours later when the licking has not stopped.
If you are a dog owner with a licking dog, chances are you want this behavior to stop. But stopping your dog’s licking is no easy task, and may require quite a bit of work on your end throughout the course of your dog’s life.

Why Do Dogs Lick?
Though many dogs exhibit the same behaviors, dogs do not lick for only one specific reason. There may be a variety of reasons that your dog chooses to lick your hands. Some of these reasons include:
• Affection – Licking is a form of grooming. Dogs groom those that they have affection for. Ergo, if your dog is licking you, it may be grooming you to show affection. This type of behavior should not seem that unusual. In fact, human beings often groom their partners without realizing it when they are truly falling for them.
• Attention – If you are sitting on your chair, enjoying your favorite TV show, and your dog comes up to your hand and licks it, chances are you give attention to your dog. Your dog recognizes that you give this attention, so when it is feeling lonely or ignored, it may walk up and lick your hand, even if the lick results in a scold.
• Taste –Guests that get their hands licked assume they must have something on their hand that attracted the dog. This is an erroneous assumption. Dogs actually do not have very strong taste buds – it is the reason they can eat their own regurgitation without finding it disgusting. What dogs LOVE, however, is TASTE. Dogs love flavors – any flavors – even if they do not ultimately lead to being full. Even if you just washed your hands, your skin will have a natural salty flavor that will attract your dog’s licks.
These represent just a few reasons that your dogs may lick. Dogs also lick because they are submissive, or because you once had food on their hand and they are hoping for more, or simply because it is a way to interact with you even while you are ignoring it. Dogs lick, and they lick for many different reasons.

How to Stop Your Dog From Licking
It can be difficult to train a dog out of licking. Many trainers recommend teaching your dog to lick on command in order to associate licking with the command (so that the dog does not want to lick without a reward). Others recommend giving your dog a new way to show affection. Both of these are effective methods.

However, another method is simply being firm and using negative punishment. If your dog licks your hand or foot, say “No” and move the hand or foot away from your dog so that they cannot lick it again. Do not look at the dog or acknowledge it. Simply say “no” and move your body so that your dog cannot continue licking.
For this method to be successful, however, you must never allow your dog to lick you without a command. Dogs do not understand when it is okay and when it isn’t. Either it is always not okay or it is always okay. Similarly, with guests you want to warn them ahead of time not to let the dog lick. If they tell you it’s “okay,” make sure that they understand that the dog will never, ever stop licking if they do not follow your rules. If they still choose to let your dog lick, and then complain later when the dog won’t stop, at least you warned them first and now you can mock them at your leisure.

Dogs are naturally fearful creatures. For their own safety in the wild, they have to be aware of all of their surroundings and comfortable with other members of the family. That is why it is vitally important that you use good practices when placing a dog in a new home. For a dog to be well behaved, kind and calm, you need to make sure that you have followed all of the tips below.

Tips For Introducing New Dogs Successfully

1. Make Sure Someone that Lives in the House is Home at All Times
For the first few days to one week after you have introduced your dog to your home, someone else needs to be home at all times. It may be a good idea to take a vacation from work and stay with your dog at all hours of the day. The dog has to get as used to you as it does to your house, and the only way to make sure your dog will be able to become less fearful about its new surroundings is if it feels safe when you are there with it.

2. All Family Members Should Have Treats and Train
As soon as your dog has grown at least slightly accustomed to your family member’s presence, you should immediately begin having all of the members of your family training the puppy from the beginning. Your dog needs to know it is not high on the totem pole, and the only way to ensure that is to have every member of your family both commanding and rewarding your dog with praise.

3. Start Crate Training
It is very important to give your dog a safe place that it can stay when it is feeling anxious. Crate training early will ensure it has that safe place. Dogs naturally feel safer in enclosed, tight spaces, and though it is hard to crate train dogs at first, a dog that is properly crate trained will be considerably more mentally healthy.

4. Take Your Dog on Long Walks
You should also be regularly taking your dog on long, tiring walks. The more your dog is tired out, the less anxiety it can feel in its new surroundings. Tired dogs are calmer dogs, and calmer dogs adjust better to their environment. Even if your dog is known to find only an hour walk sufficiently tiring, you should still consider double that simply to make sure that your dog is physically and mentally exhausted, so it will focus less on the anxieties it is feeling.

5. Take Proper Precautions With Old Pets
Finally, there are a variety of safe practices that you need to do if you already have pets in your home. Follow those instructions to the letter, because you need your dog to feel safe around all of the members of its new “pack” and that includes other dogs, cats, etc. The last thing you want is for your dog to be attacked by an old dog already living in the home. It could set your training back for weeks.

New Dogs to New Homes

Dogs do adjust fairly quickly when given the proper types of training. They need to, because in the wild they will have to be moving from location to location in order to forage for new food and stay safe from predators. But for you to train them effectively in your new home, you need to make sure you are prepared and ready to handle the responsibilities of bringing a new pet into the household.

How to train your dog to stop barking. Enjoy!