Raising dogs, especially taking care of the st. john’s water dog, is nothing new for humans. Some zoologists say that dogs were domesticated sometime between twelve thousand and 25,000 years ago—and that canines evolved from the wolf. Since those days, people have selectively bred more than 400 breeds, which vary in size from 4-pound teacup poodles to Irish wolfhounds, who have earned the distinction of the tallest dog. But the most widespread dogs are non-pedigree dogs—the one-of-a-kind dogs known as mutts. The st. john’s water dog is another favorite pick among canine owners. Many owners are unaware, however, of some of the most crucial st. john’s water dog care tips.
Cost of care for your st. john’s water dog
The annual cost of taking care of your st. john’s water dog—to include everything from food and treats, veterinary care, toys and license—can range between $420 and seven hundred eighty dollars. This is not even considering capital costs for spay/neuter procedures, collar and leash, dog carrier and dog crate. Tip: Be sure you have obtained all of the required items before getting your st. john’s water dog home.
Typical st. john’s water dog Care
Feeding the st. john’s water dog
- st. john’s water dog puppies between 8 and twelve weeks old need 4 bowls of food daily.
- Feed st. john’s water dog puppies 3 to 6 months old three meals every twenty-four hour period.
- Feed puppies six months to one year old two times every twenty-four hours.
- When the st. john’s water dog makes his first birthday, one bowl daily is usually sufficient.
- Many times st. john’s water dogs, however, prefer two lighter bowls. It is your job to learn your st. john’s water dog’s eating tendencies.
High-quality dry dogfood ensures a well-balanced diet for grown st. john’s water dogs and may be mixed with broth, canned food, or water. Your st. john’s water dog may dig cottage cheese, cooked egg, fruits and vegetables, but these should be less than 10 percent of his or her daily food. st. john’s water dog puppies should be fed premium-quality, name brand puppy food. Please try to cut down on “table food”, though, because it can cause mineral and vitamin imbalances, tooth and bone concerns, and might cause very finicky eating habits as well as obesity. Clean, potable water should be made exclusively, and make certain to wash water and food bowls often.
st. john’s water dog Care Tips: Make sure your st. john’s water dog gets plenty of daily physical activity
st. john’s water dogs must get some exercise in order to stay fit, stimulate their brains, and maintain good health. Exercise also really helps st. john’s water dogs fight boredom, which often leads to naughty behavior. Playing outside will cure most of your st. john’s water dog’s desires to dig, chase, herd, chew and retrieve. Exercise needs can depend on your st. john’s water dog’s age and his or her level of health—but 10 minutes in back of the house and merely a couple of walks down the street every day probably won’t be enough. If your st. john’s water dog is a six to eighteen month adolescent, her requirements will be more.
Grooming tips for st. john’s water dogs
You can help reduce shedding and keep your st. john’s water dog clean with frequent brushing. Check for fleas and ticks every day during warm weather. Many st. john’s water dogs don’t need to be bathed more than a few times per year. Before a bath, comb or cut out any mats from the st. john’s water dog’s coat. Rinse all soap out of the coat, or the dirt will stick to soap residue.
How to Handle Your st. john’s water dog
Puppies are obviously easier to manage. To carry the st. john’s water dog puppy, put 1 hand under the dog’s chest, with either your forearm or other hand supporting the hind legs and rear. Never try to lift or grab your puppy by his or her front legs, tail or nape. When you must pick up a bigger, full-grown st. john’s water dog, pick it up from underneath, holding his chest with one of your arms and rear end with the other.
st. john’s water dog housing
st. john’s water dogs need a comfy quiet spot in order to sleep away from all the breezes and away from the ground or floor. You might want to think about buying a doggie bed, or make one out of a wood box. Place a clean blanket or pillow inside the bed. Wash your st. john’s water dog’s bedding often. If your st. john’s water dog will be spending a lot of time outdoors, make certain she has access to plenty of cool water and covering in hot weather, and a warm, covered, dry shelter in the cold.
st. john’s water dog Licensing and Identification
Be certain you follow your community’s licensing rules. You should connect the license to your st. john’s water dog’s collar. The license, together with an ID tag or tattoo, could help secure your st. john’s water dog’s return should he go missing.
st. john’s water dog Behavior Info
Training Your st. john’s water dog
Well-mannered, companion st. john’s water dogs are truly a pleasure to raise. However, untrained, your dog can easily be a big pain. Training your st. john’s water dog on the minimums—”Stay”, “Come”, “Down”, “Heel”, “Off”, “Sit”, and “Leave it”—bolsters your relationship with both the dog as well as the relatives. If you’re the owner of a puppy, start training him on the right responses ASAP! Use little bits of food as incentive and reward. Puppies should start obedience class when they have been adequately immunized. Contact your local humane society or SPCA for information about training class recommendations. It is wise to keep your st. john’s water dog on a leash while in public, even while a pup. Be certain your doggie will come back to you whenever you tell her. A disobedient or aggressive st. john’s water dog shouldn’t play with kids.
st. john’s water dog Health
Your st. john’s water dog should see the vet for a complete check-up, immunizations and a heartworm screening every year, and promptly if she is injured or ill.
st. john’s water dog Oral Health
While many of us might simply dislike our st. john’s water dog’s bad breath, we must pay attention to what it might be a symptom of. Foul breath is usually a sign that your st. john’s water dog requires a dental examination. Dental plaque , which is brought on by bacteria brings a bad smell that necessitates professional treatment. Once your st. john’s water dog has had a cleaning done by a professional, the gums and teeth can be kept up by eliminating table food, feeding a special diet focused on maintaining dental health, and brushing regularly. Your vet can give you additional guidance on reducing periodontal ailments and halitosis. You can use a baking soda and water paste or a dog toothpaste once or twice per week to brush your st. john’s water dog’s teeth. Clean them with a sterile gauze pad, a piece of nylon pantyhose stretched across your finger, or a child’s soft toothbrush. Some st. john’s water dogs have periodontal disease, another name for gum disease. This painful condition can cause your st. john’s water dog’s loss of teeth and propagate disease to the rest of his body. The vet should clean her teeth at a typical physical.
st. john’s water dog Bad Breath
Even though the foul odors brought on by oral disease may not be very serious if detected early, sometimes bad breath may be indicative of fairly serious, persistent problems. A sweet, even pleasant smell may be indicative of diabetes, while intestinal or liver diseases may cause foul breath. Kidney disease might be the reason if your st. john’s water dog’s breath smells of urine or ammonia. Set an appointment with a veterinarian whenever your st. john’s water dog has halitosis along with other signs of disease like excessive urinating or drinking, depression or lethargy, weight loss, nausea, or decreased appetite.
st. john’s water dog Tick and Flea Issues
Daily checks of your st. john’s water dog for fleas and ticks during the warm seasons are vital. Use a flea comb to remove fleas. There are several new techniques of flea control. Visit your veterinarian about his options.
Heartworm problems in st. john’s water dogs
The heartworm is a parasite that lives in the heart and is passed from an infested dog to your st. john’s water dog by mosquitoes. Heartworm infestations are deadly. Your st. john’s water dog should have a blood test for heartworms each spring—this is important for stopping infections from the prior year. It is recommended that you give your st. john’s water dog a monthly tablet in the warm, wet time of the year in order to protect him from heartworms. Your st. john’s water dog should be on heartworm medication throughout a winter trip to a warmer climate. In some milder locations, vets recommend preventative heartworm medication be taken continually.
Medicines and Poisons
Never, ever give your st. john’s water dog medication that has not been prescribed by her veterinarian. One little ibuprofen tablet can create stomach ulcers in st. john’s water dogs. Keep rat poison and other rodenticides away from your st. john’s water dog. When you think your dog has been exposed to a toxin, contact the vet or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 24 hours a day for assistance.
st. john’s water dog Reproductive Surgery
It is recommended that female st. john’s water dogs be spayed—which is the removal of the ovaries and uterus—and males neutered—extraction of the testes—by 6 months old. You will significantly diminish your female’s breast cancer risk by spaying before adulthood. Spaying also eradicates the chance of a sick uterus, a traumatic problem in older females that can only be treated with surgery. Testicular cancer, prostate diseases, some hernias and certain aggressive behavior are preventable by neutering males.
st. john’s water dog Shots
- Your st. john’s water dog puppy should be immunized with a combo shot (called the “five-in-1”) at 2, 3 and 4 months of age, and then once each year. This immunization immunizes your puppy from hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, parainfluenza, and distemper. Your st. john’s water dog must be vaccinated for at least the first four months of his life.
- If your st. john’s water dog has not been immunized and is older than 4 months, he will need to be given two vaccinations asap, 2 to three weeks apart. Then you must vaccinate every year.
- Your st. john’s water dog puppy’s vaccinations should coincide with her socialization program. Many veterinarians advise that new owners bring their st. john’s water dog pups to socialization classes, as early as 8 to 9 weeks of age. They should have already received their first innoculations by this age.
Because laws vary so much around the country, contact your community doctor for info about rabies vaccination. For example, in NYC, the statute requires any pets older than 3 months must be vaccinated for rabies. The initial rabies shot must be followed up by another immunization a year later, and then every 3 years. There are several vaccines, many of which are appropriate for your st. john’s water dog. Others, however, are not. Your vet can give you his advice. Please note, if your st. john’s water dog gets sick because she is not properly innoculated, the vaccination ought to be taken once your companion animal is better.
Worms in st. john’s water dogs
st. john’s water dogs are commonly exposed to worms—especially in rural areas. Tiny eggs produced by hookworms and roundworms are transmitted through an infected st. john’s water dog’s feces. Even the healthiest of st. john’s water dog puppies carry hookworms or roundworms. Getting an accurate, early detection is the secret to treatment. This will make sure that the medicine is effective against the worms your dog has. A dewormer that eliminates roundworms, for example, can’t kill tapeworms. Your doctor can best define the culprit—and prescribe the right medicine.
Miscellaneous st. john’s water dog Care Tips
st. john’s water dog Supply Checklist
- Premium-quality dog food and snacks specifically for st. john’s water dogs and similarly-sized dogs
- Food dish
- Water dish
- As many safe toys as you can provide, especially chewable
- Comb & brush for grooming, including a flea comb
- Collar with identification tag and license
- Quality leash
- Dog carrier (for pups)
- Crate for training
- Box or dog bed with blanket or towel
- Doggie toothbrush
Warnings to be Heeded
Never feed your st. john’s water dog the following:
- Alcohol, beer, wine or liquor
- Chocolate
- Grapes & raisins
- Spoiled or moldy food of any kind
- Onions, chives and garlic
- Bones of chicken, turkey, or any other animal (choking hazard)
- Salt or salty foods
- Tomato leaves, stems and unripe fruit
- Dough
The scoop on poop
Unless you are at home, or in a fenced-in, secured spot, always keep your st. john’s water dog on a leash. And please, when your st. john’s water dog defecates on your neighbor’s grass, remove it! Don’t forget to check out these other articles about st. john’s water dogs
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