Owning dogs, especially providing care for the rafeiro do alentejo, is a specialty of people across the world. Some historians believe dogs were originally domesticated between twelve thousand and 25,000 years ago—and that canines evolved from wolves. Since then, people have selectively bred more than four hundred different breeds, varying in size from four-pound teacup poodles all the way up to Irish wolfhounds, who have earned the title of the tallest dog. But the most preferred canines are the non-pedigree dogs—the one-of-a-kind dogs known as mixed-breeds. The rafeiro do alentejo is another popular choice among canine owners. Many owners are unaware, however, of many important rafeiro do alentejo care tips.
Cost of care for the rafeiro do alentejo
The annual budget for rearing your rafeiro do alentejo—which includes meals and treats, to veterinary care, toys and license—can range between $420 and seven hundred eighty dollars. This is not even including capital expenses for spay/neuter procedures, collar and leash, dog carrier and a doggie crate. Tip: Be positive you have obtained all of the necessary items before you get your rafeiro do alentejo home for the 1st time.
Typical rafeiro do alentejo Care
Feeding the rafeiro do alentejo
- rafeiro do alentejo puppies between eight and 12 weeks need 4 bowls of food daily.
- Feed rafeiro do alentejo pups 3 to 6 months old three meals in a day.
- Feed puppies six months old to one year old two meals a day.
- When your rafeiro do alentejo makes his first birthday, 1 bowl daily is typically enough.
- Many times adult rafeiro do alentejos might eat 2 lighter bowls. It is your responsibility to adapt to your rafeiro do alentejo’s eating tendencies.
High-quality dry food ensures balanced nutrition for grown rafeiro do alentejos and can mix with canned food, broth, or water. Your rafeiro do alentejo may also be fond of cottage cheese, fruits and vegetables, and cooked eggs, but these should be less than ten percent of his or her daily allowance. rafeiro do alentejo pups must be fed top-quality, brand-name puppy food. Please try to limit “table food”, however, because it can result in mineral and vitamin deficiencies, tooth and bone issues, and may create some extremely picky eating habits as well as obesity. Clean, potable water should be made always, and make sure to wash water and food bowls very regularly.
rafeiro do alentejo Care Tips: Make sure to get your rafeiro do alentejo some daily exercise
rafeiro do alentejos need daily physical activity so they can stay in shape, stimulate their minds, and maintain good health. Daily exercise also really helps rafeiro do alentejos avoid boredom, which would often lead to destructive behavior. A little fun and games would appease most of your rafeiro do alentejo’s instinctual urges to dig, retrieve, chase, chew and herd. Exercise needs can depend on your rafeiro do alentejo’s level of health and his age—but ten minutes in back of the house and just a walk around the block every day probably won’t do. If your rafeiro do alentejo is a 6 to eighteen month adolescent, his requirements will be higher.
Grooming tips for rafeiro do alentejos
You can help keep your rafeiro do alentejo clean and reduce shedding with regular brushing. Check for fleas and ticks daily during the summer or other warm weather. Sometimes rafeiro do alentejos don’t need a bath more than a few times a year. Before the bath, cut out or comb all mats from the rafeiro do alentejo’s hair. Carefully rinse all soap from the coat, or the dirt will stick to the soap.
rafeiro do alentejo Handling
Puppies are clearly the easiest to manage. When carrying your rafeiro do alentejo puppy, place one of your hands beneath your dog’s chest, with either the forearm or your other hand supporting her hind legs and rear. Never attempt to grab or lift your puppy by the front legs, back of the neck or tail. When you need to lift a larger, adult rafeiro do alentejo, lift from the underside, bracing his chest with one arm and rump with your other arm.
rafeiro do alentejo housing
rafeiro do alentejos need a comfortable quiet spot to sleep apart from all breezes and off the floor or ground. You might want to purchase a dog bed, or make one out of a wood box. Place a clean blanket or pillow in the bed. Wash the rafeiro do alentejo’s bedding frequently. If your rafeiro do alentejo will be outdoors often, make sure she has access to plenty of cool water and covering in hot weather, and a dry, warm, covered shelter in winter.
Licensing and Identification for rafeiro do alentejos
Be certain to heed your city’s licensing regulations. Make certain to connect the license to your rafeiro do alentejo’s collar. This, along with an identification tag or tattoo, could help secure your rafeiro do alentejo’s return if she happens to go missing.
rafeiro do alentejo Temperament Information
Training your rafeiro do alentejo
A well-behaved, companion rafeiro do alentejo can truly be a blessing to own. However, when untrained, your dog can be a big headache. Training your rafeiro do alentejo on the basics—”Come”, “Down”, “Heel”, “Off”, “Sit”, “Stay”, and “Leave it”—strengthens your relationship with both your pooch and your company. If you own a puppy, begin training him on the appropriate behavior as soon as possible! Meals should be used as a lure and recognition. Puppies can start obedience classes when they have been adequately vaccinated. Call your local SPCA or humane society for details about obedience school recommendations. It is best to walk your rafeiro do alentejo on a leash when, even while a puppy. Be certain your doggie will come to you if you tell him to. An aggressive or disobedient rafeiro do alentejo can’t play with others.
Knowing Your rafeiro do alentejo’s Health
Your rafeiro do alentejo should visit the vet for a full diagnosis, immunizations and heartworm assessment annualy, and as soon as possible when she is sick or hurt.
Knowing Your rafeiro do alentejo’s Oral Health
While many of us might object to our rafeiro do alentejo’s foul breath, it’s important to be aware of what it may be a symptom of. Foul breath is a symptom that your rafeiro do alentejo needs an oral check up. Plaque , which is caused by germs creates a foul odor that can only be cured with professional treatment. Once your rafeiro do alentejo has had a professional dental cleaning, the teeth and gums may be kept healthy by eliminating table food, feeding a special diet focused on maintaining dental health, and brushing regularly. The vet can supply you with additional tips on minimizing oral disease and halitosis. You should clean your rafeiro do alentejo’s teeth with a dog toothpaste or a baking-soda-and-water paste twice weekly. Brush them with a piece of nylon pantyhose wrapped around your finger, a gauze pad, or a soft, child’s toothbrush. Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, sometimes affects rafeiro do alentejos. Frequently, loss of teeth takes place as a result of gum disease. Disease can possibly also spread to other areas of your rafeiro do alentejo’s body. The veterinarian will usually brush the rafeiro do alentejo’s teeth during the regular health checkup.
Bad rafeiro do alentejo Breath
If your rafeiro do alentejo has foul breath, gum disease might just be the tip of the iceberg as far as his health issues. Diseases of the intestines or liver can also cause stinky breath, while a fruity, even pleasant smell can usually be a sign of diabetes. Kidney disease may be the reason if your rafeiro do alentejo’s breath smells of urine or ammonia. If ever you determine your rafeiro do alentejo has bad breath and other indications of disease, like loss of appetite, vomiting or nausea, weight loss, bad mood, increased drinking or urinating, set up a checkup with your dog’s vet.
Fleas and Ticks in rafeiro do alentejos
When it’s warm, it’s important for you to perform regular, daily inspections of your rafeiro do alentejo for ticks and fleas. Find and remove fleas using a flea comb. There are many new technologies of tick elimination. Talk to your veterinarian about her recommendations.
Heartworms in rafeiro do alentejos
This parasite lives in the heart and is passed from an infested dog to your rafeiro do alentejo by mosquitoes. Heartworm infections can be potentially fatal. It’s very critical that you ensure your rafeiro do alentejo takes a blood screening for heartworms each spring. A monthly tablet given throughout mosquito season will protect your rafeiro do alentejo. Your rafeiro do alentejo should be on heartworm medication throughout a winter trip to a warmer climate. There are some regions, usually the regions with hotter climates, where vets recommend worm pills be used continuously.
Medications and Poisons
Remember to never give your rafeiro do alentejo medication that hasn’t been prescribed by a vet. For example, are you aware that one regular-strength ibuprofen caplet will sometimes cause stomach ulcers in rafeiro do alentejos? Make sure your rafeiro do alentejo is never exposed to rat poison and other rodenticides. When you suspect your doggie has consumed a poison, notify your vet or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 for twenty-four-hr. animal poison assistance.
Spaying and Neutering rafeiro do alentejos
Male rafeiro do alentejos should be neutered – the removal of the testes – and females spayed – the removal of the uterus and ovaries – by six months of age. Spaying before maturity significantly diminishes the risk of breast cancer, which is a frequently fatal and common illness for older females. The chance of a diseased uterus, which is another serious condition that affects older females, can be removed by spaying when young. Neutering male rafeiro do alentejos prevents testicular and prostate diseases, some hernias and certain types of aggression.
rafeiro do alentejo Vaccinations
- rafeiro do alentejo puppies should be vaccinated with a combination vaccine (called a “5-in-1”) at 2, 3 and four months of age, and then once yearly. This immunization protects your puppy from distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, and parainfluenza. The rafeiro do alentejo must be immunized for at least the first 4 months of her life.
- If your rafeiro do alentejo has not been immunized and is older than 4 months, he will need to be given two immunizations immediately, 2 to three weeks apart. After that you must immunize annualy.
- rafeiro do alentejo pup socialization and vaccination should coincide. You may take your rafeiro do alentejo puppy to socialization courses as early as eight or 9 weeks old, as recommended by most doctors. They should have received their first immunizations by this age.
Because regulations vary so much between different areas, contact a local doctor for info on rabies innoculation. In New York City, for example, the regulation requires all pets older than three months of age to be vaccinated for rabies. After the original shot, she must have another shot the next year, and then every 3 years after that. There are several innoculations that may or may not be effective for your rafeiro do alentejo. Your vet can give you his opinion. By the way, if your rafeiro do alentejo gets ill because she is not immunized, do not administer the immunization until the dog has made a full recovery.
Tapeworms in rafeiro do alentejos
rafeiro do alentejos are commonly exposed to worms—even in urban areas. Tiny eggs made by roundworms and hookworms are passed in an infected rafeiro do alentejo’s feces. Even the healthiest of rafeiro do alentejo puppies carry hookworms or roundworms. The secret to effective treatment is correct diagnosis. This will make certain that the medication is effective against the parasite your rafeiro do alentejo has. A dewormer that eradicates roundworms, for example, can’t kill tapeworms. Your veterinarian can best determine the culprit—and prescribe the best medication.
Miscellaneous rafeiro do alentejo Care Tips
rafeiro do alentejo Supply Checklist
- Top-quality dog food and treats specifically for rafeiro do alentejos and similarly-sized dogs
- Food bowl
- Water bowl
- Toys, toys and more toys, including safe chew toys
- Comb and brush for grooming, including flea comb
- Collar with license and ID tag
- Quality leash
- Carrier (for pups)
- Crate for training
- Dog box or bed with sheet or towel
- Child’s toothbrush
Warnings to be Heeded
The following items should never be fed to rafeiro do alentejos:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Chocolate
- Raisins & grapes
- Moldy or spoiled food of any kind
- Onions, chives and garlic
- Poultry bones
- Salt and salty foods
- Tomato leaves, unripe fruit and stems
- Yeast dough
The scoop on poop
Retain your rafeiro do alentejo on a leash when you are outdoors, unless you are in a secured, fenced-in place. Whenever your rafeiro do alentejo does number two on your neighbor’s lawn, the sidewalk or any other public location, please take care of it! Don’t forget to check out these other articles about rafeiro do alentejos
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