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Old July 26th, 2010, 12:46 PM
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dollface dollface is offline
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New to dogs, prepare me for everything!

Now that I know what food is best for cats, is it the same for dogs? The very much believed "dry food is supposed to help clean a cats teeth" (NOT!), is it really gonna clean a dogs teeth too? I'm doubting it, but since dogs are unknown territory, I'm looking for all and any info

When we can afford it, all animals will be fed a raw diet.

I don't like dogs that jump, so what small dogs would be quiet and laid-back? My bf ultimately wants a Husky, so I'd like to get a small dog one day in order to build me up for owning a Husky.

So if anyone is up to the challenge of educating me all about dogs please feel free to jump in!
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Old July 26th, 2010, 02:24 PM
free free is offline
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dollface hate to burst your bubble but small dogs do jump up like big dogs. it's all how you train them. i have found people with bigger dogs do train their dogs not to jump while ive encountered most with small dogs haven't . don't rule out bigger dogs as some will be laid back and quiet, again it depends how much you exercise them. my sis has a lowchen that as a pup had the energy of a border collie none stop with tons of walks and playing sessions. scotty weighs all of 19lbs.
hope this helps
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Old July 26th, 2010, 08:30 PM
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dollface dollface is offline
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I've seen some small-medium dogs jump too and I do believe it's all in how the dog is trained. Ok so forget small dogs lol, any Husky owners here that could prepare me for taking care of this breed and how to keep them from hunting the cats?
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Old July 27th, 2010, 11:22 AM
Floppy Dog Floppy Dog is offline
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Starting off with a Huskey is a bit like jumping into the deep end of the pool after your first swimming lesson ever! Since Huskies were bred for sledding, they are very intelligent, very social, have an extreme amount of energy and their coat requires constant attention. Just ask anyone on the forum that does Huskey rescue.

Before you take on a breed like this, please do your research. You have to make sure you will have the time, energy and space to deal with its personality and needs. Generally speeking, they are not laid back dogs and they don't do well in smaller homes. That doesn't mean you can't train one to be calm, but it's going to take a lot of work and dedication.

Also, if you are planning to have a less "intense" dog first as a sort of training ground for yourself, be aware that most dogs will live from 10-15 years. Are you willing to have 2 dogs at the same time? If not, are you willing to wait that amount of time before you get a Huskey?
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Old July 27th, 2010, 11:41 AM
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luckypenny luckypenny is offline
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I strongly recommend you start by reading these two books (free downloads). A perfect starting point and applies to all puppies, regardless of breeds.

http://www.dogstardaily.com/files/BE...ur%20Puppy.pdf

http://www.dogstardaily.com/files/AF...ur%20Puppy.pdf
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Old August 2nd, 2010, 10:35 PM
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Stardust Stardust is offline
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Here are some things to avoid when picking a dog food:
1) By-products. By-products are what is left over after the processing plants remove what meat is fit for human consumption and send it to the grocery stores. By products can contain anything from chicken heads and feet, to cow hooves and horns, fur, feathers, blood, skin, bone, feces, and even dirt and sawdust from the floors. By-products are not kept fresh, and in some cases have even been known to sit in containers for 5 days or more before being picked up from the meat plant and taken to the dog food rendering plant.

2) Corn in any form, including “ground yellow corn,” “corn meal,” and “corn gluten meal.” Corn is what is called a ‘filler,’ and it serves one primary purpose in pet food – to make the animal feel full. Dogs and cats cannot digest corn, so it just passes right through the digestive system and you get the privilege of cleaning it up when it comes out the other end. It also makes dogs hyper, being that it is a carbohydrate. Dogs do not get their usable energy from carbs like people do; they get it from protein and fat. Some dogs are also allergic to corn, so just avoid any foods that contain any form of corn in their ingredients listing.

3) ‘General’ ingredients like “animal fat,” “animal digest,” and “meat meal” – you have no idea what these could contain (and you don’t want to know). Instead, you want to look for things that are more specific, like “chicken fat” and “chicken meal,” that way you know exactly what is in the food.

4) Chemical preservatives such as "ethoxyquin," “BHA,” “BHT,” and “propylene glycol (which is also found in antifreeze, body lotions, hair gels, perfumes, bubble bath, shampoo, smoke machines, and paint). Chemical preservatives make the food last longer, but every single one of them has been proven to cause liver and kidney failure, cancer, or other life-threatening diseases in lab rats. They will tell you that in small quantities, the preservatives are safe, but if you stop and think about it, your dog will be ingesting small quantities of these preservatives every day over his entire life span. They then build up to toxic levels inside his body and that’s when they become deadly. You want food that’s been naturally preserved. “Mixed tocopherols” is a natural preservative.

5) Brewer's Rice. White rice or brown rice are both okay, but brewer's rice is not. Why? Brewer's rice refers to the tiny pieces of broken rice that remain after the milling process is complete. These particles are so tiny that they will pass through a sieve with a 1.4 mm round perforation. Look on a ruler to see how small that is. Each mark between the inch marks is 1 mm. Brewer's rice is used as another filler in dog food.

6) Soy, in any form. Soy is another filler, like corn, and some dogs are also pretty allergic to it. It’s best to just stay away from foods containing soy altogether.

7) Sorghum is another filler. Sorghum is an Old World grass that is cultivated as grain and forage. Sounds like the perfect thing for a dog to be eating, don't you think?

8) Wheat – I only say this because some dogs are allergic to wheat. If your dog isn’t allergic to wheat, then foods with “wheat flour” are okay. It won’t hurt him unless he’s allergic to it, and then you’ll know because he’ll likely develop skin problems.

9) Salt, while found in many dog foods, is an unnecessary ingredient, so if the dog food you choose contains salt, make sure it’s down near the bottom of the list of ingredients, as there is usually a form of sodium in the added vitamins, and you don’t want to be giving your dog too much of it.

10) Brewer's yeast. Again, some dogs have a problem with this ingredient, so watch for skin problems and/or ear infections if your dog food contains brewer's yeast.

11) Flax is something else that some dogs do not tolerate well. Some dogs have no problem with it whatsoever, but others do. Usually dogs that are sensitive to flax will have soft or loose stools, but it usually does not cause an allergic reaction or anything super-serious.
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Old August 22nd, 2010, 08:32 PM
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dollface dollface is offline
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Thank you everyone for the replies, and the extra reading! What about dry food vs wet food?
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