Archive for the 'Pet + Animal Products' Category

The Easiest Way to Hold a Hog Roast

Hosting a hog roast is the ideal way of catering for vast numbers of people in an informal setting, it’s very very simple and easy.Hog roasts have always been a sign of richness and successfulness even in the roman times but in these modern times a whole hog presented, spit roasted, golden brown and dripping with flavour. It used to be that only the richest and most powerful were able to hold such events, yet in this modern day it is achievable for anyone to host a hog roast, as there are many companies that will do all the work for you.. This includes supplying the animal you wish to spit roast, a chef and all the cooking equipment, and any other sort of side dishes and sauces. If you want to produce a sense of spectacle and an atmospere of drama without doing any of the hard work that is required in hostig a hog roast then use a hog roasting company. Your guests, friends and family will all be impressed by the dramatic sight of a hog roasting slowly, and the event you’re having whether it be a wedding, birthday or just a party will be remember for the food. So don’t hesitate when thinking about how to cater your party, simply find and use a hog roasting company.

Online Snake Database

Snake Estate - Online Snake Database

Snake Estate

Snakes - General Information

If you’re looking for a new friend or something to keep you company I suggest picking up a snake as a pet. They’re one of the easier reptiles to take care of and make great showrooms. You can impress your friends with your new hobby and even attract some women. Snakes

Snakes In My Dreams

Snakes and dreams can be interpreted in many ways. Some find themselves dreaming about snakes on a daily basis. This can be good but at the same time be bad. Depending on the type of person and type of dream you’re having you’ll notice that the snake means different things.

Snake Resources On the Internet

Snake Estate
DMOZ offers a list of internet snake sites that are humanly selected in order to provide the user with an amazing online experience. You’ll notice that the selection of sites featured on DMOZ are extremely relevant to any species of snake. Be sure to check their listings and expand your knowledge on snakes. Snakes
My Snake Blog is one of many personal snake blogs on the internet. You’ll be able to view photos, videos, information & feedings of many snake hobbyist. Create your own blog today and bring your snake stories to the world! Snake Blog

French Bulldog Complete Profile

Key Facts:

Size: Small - medium
Height: About 30 cm (12 inches)
Weight: Bitches: 10.9 kg (24 lb)
Dogs: 12.7 kg (28lb)
Life Span: 15 years
Grooming: Easy
Exercise: Undemanding
Feeding: Undemanding
Temperament: Cheerful & intelligent
Country of Origin: France
AKC Group: Non-sporting
Other Names: Bouledogue Francais

Physical Characteristics:

General Appearance: Kind expression, compactly-built and sturdy.
Colour: Brindle, fawn or pied e.g. brindle/white with white predominating.
Coat: Short, smooth, fine and lustrous.
Tail: Set low, short and either straight or kinked.
Ears: Bat-shaped ears, rounded at the tip and of medium size.
Body: The body is solid and compact. The thick neck runs into a back with broad shoulders and a narrower loin. The forelegs are wide due to the rounded chest.

Temperament:
Courageous, clever and playful. French Bulldogs thrive on human company as they were originally bred for companionship. They are very intelligent and never noisy or boisterous. They are tolerant of children and ideal companions for the elderly. This breed doesn’t like to be left alone often and can become jealous if their owner’s attention is directed elsewhere.

Grooming:
There is little grooming needed for the French Bulldog. Occasional brushing is adequate and the ear passages need to be kept clean. The facial creases should be treated with a special lotion occasionally.

Exercise:
This breed does not require much exercise and so long as they receive adequate attention, no long walks are necessary. In summer or hot weather it is best to avoid exercise due to their short nose.

Feeding:
These dogs enjoy their food and their diet needs to be controlled.

History:
This breed was once known as the Boule-Douge Francais. It is presumed that the French Bulldog evolved from a miniature British Bulldog - a breed that never gained popularity. These miniatures migrated to France and some were crossed with a local terrier strain. This cross-breeding was aimed to retain the pugnaciousness and add terrier abilities for good ratting. The outcome produced a breed that had both erect bat ears and the Bulldog’s rose shaped ears. Over time as the breed became established, only the dogs with bat ears were recognised.

Additional Comments:

French Bulldogs enjoy being part of the family and going everywhere with them. They should not be kept in a kennel.

About the Author

This article provided courtesy of http://www.dooziedog.com/dog_breeds/french_bulldog/

Dog Training - Who’s Training Whom?

You know, as I think on training things more, something comes to mind. Sometimes you have to wonder who is training whom? Afterall, as we humans are trying to train our canine companions to comply with “house rules” about keeping the “den” clean (i.e., going outside to potty), we find we have to learn things as well.

For example, when puppy is only 8 weeks old, you have to learn to watch her to see when she’s getting ready to relieve herself so you can hustle her outdoors and start teaching her that is the proper place to go. Usually, if a puppy has her nose to the ground for more than a couple of seconds, that is one of the signals that she’s hunting a place.

You probably already know that puppies cannot go more than an hour of busy playing without needing to relieve themselves. So, you start watching carefully and take the furry child out when she starts to look around for a good place.

Between three and four months old, puppy begins to gain some control of bowel and bladder and you two have begun to agree on a signal that outside is a good idea. The people that will tell you their puppy was perfectly house-trained sooner, are perfectly trained themselves. I’m not saying that’s bad, just that it’s so.

Eventually, the lesson will sink in with the dog, but then, you run into the dog teaching you her signal for needing to go outside. My Jack Russell mix will go to the door and bark once, then jump up at the door. If I don’t notice, she’ll repeat it until I do.

My Border Terrier, on the other hand, has a much more subtle signal. He’ll come and stand by my chair. At first, I thought it was his way of telling me he wanted attention or scratching. He would stand there facing more or less away from me, but near enough to be petted. He finally trained me to understand that is his way of asking to go outside. As a secondary method, he’s managed to teach the JR mix to bark like she has to go out, but then, when I respond, it’s him that has to go, not her. She’ll back away from the door.

My “heart dog,” a full-blooded Jack Russell Terrier, used to trot between me and the door. The more imperative that she go out, the faster the trips. She’d come and look at me, then trot to the door. Come back and look, then to the door, until I got the hint.

Now, you can modify this behavior to some extent by encouraging a particular signal be used. Scratch at the door, ring a bell you’ve hung from the door, come and place a paw on your arm, just about anything that will get you up out of your chair to let her out. Perhaps it’s a certain tone to the bark–a rather high-pitched yip? Maybe it’s that breathy whine with the mournful look?

The upshot is, to be able to teach your dog a signal you decide on for this particular behavior and need, you first must learn what the dog’s signal is indicating the need. So, who is training whom?

C. Rogers Upson has been training dogs and studying them for nearly 40 years. Her website is Dog Potentials and she has two dog-related stores at Keeping to the Borders and Dog Potentials-The Store.

Healthy Treats vs. Table Scraps for Your Pet

Are you a treat giving pet owner or do you give more of the table scrap brand of love? This is the time when this question is the most relevant. Guests are visiting and feeding our pets plenty of table scraps. Actually, the majority of us sneak a morsel or two to our pets during meals and though there is nothing really wrong with this, we want to be cautious about starting the wrong kind of trends.

For example, when you reward begging with table scraps, expect to start seeing those same yearning eyes night after night from then on. It is quite hard to “untrain” pets from expecting such a treat. And who can actually blame them? Do you want a dog that sings the “No Food Blues” at your feet and a cat that uses the meal table as a trampoline every night? Here are a few more reasons why you might just want to reconsider table scrap giving:

Table scraps can be the gateway to weight issues. Our pets often end up with the fat from our plates that we did not want.

Scraps do not necessarily offer the same level of nutrition that quality treats may provide. Much of table scraps are in fact empty calories.

Table scraps are a major cause of digestive disorders. The richness and/or fattiness of our foods can sometimes harm your animal’s digestive tract.

Mary Shelley created a monster, you may have create a thief. If a pet is used to getting food from the table, do not be surprised if you catch him or her eating the leftover turkey that you left on the kitchen table. A head in the garbage can is not all that uncommon either.

You may also create a picky eater. If you get your pet too used to human type food, he or she may not even want to eat their own food.

But if you must give your pet table scraps,

try to remember that they should be used as treats and not the main course.
The best scraps are probably: meat (without the bones), cooked or even raw vegetables, cooked grains, eggs and brown rice. Let us not forget dairy products. You know that cats in particular adore milk. Luckily lactose intolerance is usually not found in pets.

But try to avoid these particular ones: Chocolate, fatty meats, stuffing with raisins, raw eggs when baking (cats really like them), cooked and raw bones (much too dangerous).

This article initially appeared in the December 2005 issue of the Healthy Pet Net newsletter.

Ryan Joseph is a writer/researcher of pet and other issues. More info. and healthy, holistic pet products such as Life’s Abundance Food and Treats can be found at http://www.dog-food-nutrition.com and http://premium-cat-products.com/