Raising dogs, in particular providing care for the laekenois, is old hat for people. Some historians have proven that dogs were domesticated between 12,000 and 25,000 years ago—and that dogs evolved from wolves. Since those days, we have selectively bred more than four hundred breeds, ranging in size from four-pound teacup poodles all the way up to Irish wolfhounds, whose 3-foot stature earns them the title of the tallest canine. But the most widespread pooches are the non-pedigree dogs—the one-of-a-kind dogs known as mixed-breeds. The laekenois is also a popular pick among dog owners. Many owners are uninformed, however, of many critical laekenois care tips.
Cost of care for your laekenois
The yearly cost of raising your laekenois—which includes everything from meals, to veterinary care, toys and license—can range between $420 and $780. This figure doesn’t include capital expenses for spay/neuter procedures, dog collar and leash, a dog carrier and a crate. Note: Make sure you have obtained all of the necessary items before you get your laekenois home for the first time.
Basic laekenois Care
laekenois Feeding Schedule
- laekenois puppies between eight and 12 weeks need 4 meals every twenty-four hours.
- laekenois pups 3 to 6 months old should be fed 3 meals a day.
- Feed pups six months old to one year old two meals daily.
- By the time the laekenois hits his 1st birthday, one feeding in a twenty-four hour period is sufficient.
- Some laekenoiss, however, eat 2 smaller bowls. It’s your job to learn your laekenois’s eating schedule.
Top-quality dry dog food ensures balanced nutrition for adult laekenoiss and can mix with canned food, water, or broth. Your laekenois may be fond of fruits and vegetables, cooked eggs, and cottage cheese, but these additions should be less than 10 percent of his daily food allowance. laekenois puppies should be fed a high-quality, brand-name puppy food. Try to cut down on “table food”, however, since it can cause mineral and vitamin deficiencies, bone and teeth problems, and may cause some extremely picky eating habits and obesity. Give fresh, clean water at all times, and be certain to wash food and water dishes very frequently.
laekenois Care Tips: Your laekenois needs exercise daily
laekenoiss need daily physical activity so they can burn calories, stimulate their minds, and remain in good health. Daily exercise also really helps laekenoiss fight boredom, which would often lead to naughty behavior. Exercise will curb many of your laekenois’s instinctual urges to dig, chase, herd, chew and retrieve. Activity needs are dependent on your laekenois’s level of health and his age—but merely a couple of walks down the street every day and ten minutes in back of the house probably will not cut it. If your laekenois is a 6 to 18 month adolescent, her requirements will probably be relatively higher.
laekenois Grooming
Regular brushing will help keep your laekenois clean and reduce shedding. Inspect for ticks and fleas every day during the summer or other warm weather. Most laekenoiss don’t need to be bathed more than a few times during the year. Prior to bathing, comb or cut out all mats from the laekenois’s hair. Rinse all soap out of the coat, or dirt will stick to the soap residue.
Handling Your laekenois
Pups, as opposed to adults, are obviously the easiest to manage. To carry the laekenois puppy, take 1 hand and put it under the dog’s chest, with either your forearm or other hand supporting his or her hind legs and rump. Never try to grab or lift your puppy by the forelegs, tail or back of the neck. If you need to pick up a larger, adult laekenois, lift from underneath, holding his chest with 1 arm and rear end with the other.
laekenois housing
Your laekenois needs a warm quiet place to be able to relax away from all the drafts and away from the ground or floor. You might want to think about purchasing a dog bed, or make one from a wooden box. Put a clean comforter, sheet, blanket, or pillow in the bed as cushioning. Wash your laekenois’s bed covering often. If your laekenois will be outdoors often, be certain she has covering and plenty of cool water in hot weather, and a dry, covered, warm area when it’s cold.
Licensing and Identification for laekenoiss
Your city has licensing rules to heed. You should connect the license to your laekenois’s collar. This, along with an ID tag or tattoo, can easily help secure your laekenois’s return should she become lost.
Info on laekenois Behavior
Training the laekenois
A well-behaved, companion laekenois can be a blessing. But when left untrained, your dog can be troublesome. Training your laekenois on the fundamentals—”Heel”, “Off”, “Sit”, “Stay”, “Come”, “Down”, and “Leave it”—will improve the relationship both with your laekenois as well as your relatives. If you have a pup, begin teaching him the appropriate behavior immediately! Use doggie snacks as an incentive and a reward. Puppies can start obedience class when they are sufficiently vaccinated. Call the local SPCA or humane society for details about training class recommendations. It is best to keep your laekenois leashed when, even while a pup. Be certain your laekenois will come to you when you say the word. An aggressive or disobedient laekenois should not play with others.
laekenois Health
Your laekenois should see the vet for a thorough check-up, immunizations and a heartworm assessment every single year, and as soon as possible when he is hurt or sick.
The Dental Health of Your laekenois
While many of us may object to our laekenois’s bad breath, we must be aware of what it may mean. Halitosis is a symptom that your laekenois should get a dental exam. Plaque triggered by unhealthy bacteria results in a foul odor that requires the help of a professional. Once you have given your laekenois a cleaning from a professional, her gums and teeth can be kept up by feeding a special diet focused on dental health, eliminating table food, and regular brushing. The veterinarian can provide you more data for eradicating dental problems and halitosis. You can clean the laekenois’s teeth using a doggie paste or a homemade paste made of baking soda and water a couple of times a week. You can clean them with a nylon stocking stretched across the finger, a sterile gauze pad, or a soft, child’s toothbrush. Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, often affects laekenoiss. Sometimes, loss of teeth happens because of periodontal infection. Disease can sometimes also propagate to the rest of your laekenois’s body. The veterinarian will usually brush the laekenois’s teeth during her regular health checkup.
Halitosis (bad breath) in laekenoiss
Even though dental disease itself is not life-threatening if it is found early enough, bad breath may be indicative of more serious, persistent issues. Intestinal or liver diseases also cause bad breath, while a pleasant, even sweet smell can often be a sign of diabetes. If your laekenois’s breath smells like urine or ammonia, kidney disease is a possible cause. Set an appointment with a veterinarian whenever your laekenois has halitosis along with other signs of disease like excessive urinating or drinking, depression or lethargy, weight loss, nausea, or decreased appetite.
Dealing with Ticks and Fleas in laekenoiss
When it’s warm, it’s important for you to perform daily, regular checks of your laekenois for fleas and ticks. Remove and find fleas with a flea comb. There are many new methods of tick and flea elimination. Get advice from your veterinarian about his options.
laekenoiss With Heartworm Issues
Your laekenois is at risk of heartworms if she is exposed to mosquitoes often. Mosquitoes transport heartworms from dog to dog. Heartworm infections can be fatal. Your laekenois should have a blood test for heartworms every spring—this is important for stopping infections from the prior year. A once-a-month tablet taken during mosquito season will protect your laekenois. Should you ever travel in a warmer-than-usual climate with your laekenois in the winter, she must be on the preventive medicine during the trip. In some warmer climates, veterinarians advise preemptive parasite medication year round.
Medications and Poisons
If you’re thinking about giving your laekenois tablets that was not prescribed for him by his doctor, don’t do it. For example, are you aware that one regular-strength ibuprofen pill will cause ulcers in laekenoiss? Keep rat poison and other rodenticides away from your laekenois. If you have reason to believe your dog has consumed a poisonous substance, contact your veterinarian or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 twenty-four hours a day for help.
laekenoiss: Neutering and Spaying
Female laekenoiss should be spayed—the removal of the ovaries and uterus—and males neutered—removal of the testicles—by six months of age. You can greatly diminish your female laekenois’s breast cancer risk by spaying before adulthood. Spaying also eliminates the chance of a sick uterus, a traumatic issue in older females that can only be treated with intensive medical care. Neutering male laekenoiss helps prevent prostate diseases, certain aggressive behavior and some hernias.
laekenois Immunizations
- Your laekenois pup should be immunized with a combo innoculation (called a “five-in-1”) at 2, three and four months old, and again once every year. This innoculation protects your laekenois puppy from parainfluenza, parvovirus, leptospirosis, hepatitis, and distemper. Your laekenois must be innoculated for at least the first four months of his life.
- If you have the rare laekenois who has not been vaccinated and is older than four or five months, he must have a set of two innoculations given 2 to three weeks apart, followed by an annual innoculation.
- Your laekenois pup’s innoculations should coincide with his socialization program. You can take your laekenois pup to socialization classes by 8 to 9 weeks of age, as recommended by most veterinarians. They should have received their first vaccinations by this point.
Statutes are so different between different areas, the best thing is to contact your neighborhood vet about rabies immunization information. As an example, New York City statutes declare that pets older than three months be innoculated for rabies. The initial rabies shot must be followed up by a subsequent vaccination a year later, and then every 3 years. There are a variety of immunizations, many of which are right for your laekenois. There are others that are not, however. Your veterinarian can give you her opinion. By the way, if your laekenois gets ill because she is not vaccinated, do not administer the immunization until the dog has made a full recovery.
Roundworms in laekenoiss
laekenoiss are often exposed to worms—in all areas, both urban and rural. Eggs that carry roundworms are transmitted through a laekenois’s feces. Most puppies, even from healthy mothers in good homes, carry intestinal worms. The secret to effective treatment is early detection. Early, accurate diagnosis maximizes the possibility that prescribed medicine will be highly effective against your laekenois’s worms. A dewormer that eliminates hookworms, for example, will not kill tapeworms. Your vet can best determine the culprit—and prescribe the appropriate medication.
Miscellaneous laekenois Care Tips
Checklist of laekenois Supplies
- High-quality dog food and snacks designed for laekenoiss and similarly-sized dogs
- Food dish
- Water dish
- Toys, toys and more toys, including safe chew toys
- Comb & brush for grooming, including a flea comb
- Collar with license and identification tag
- Quality leash
- Carrier (for puppies)
- Training crate
- Dog bed or box with comforter or towel
- Child’s toothbrush
The no-no list
Do not feed your laekenois the following:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Coffee, tea, or chocolate
- Raisins & grapes
- Spoiled or moldy food
- Onions, chives and garlic
- Poultry bones
- Salt or salty foods
- Tomato leaves, stems and unripe fruit
- Dough
The “Bottom” Line
Retain your laekenois on a leash when you are outside, unless you are in a fenced-in, secured place. And please, when your laekenois defecates on your neighbor’s lawn, take care of it! Don’t forget to check out these other articles about laekenoiss
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