Raising dogs, in particular providing care for the huntaway, is a specialty of humans across the globe. Zoologists speculate dogs were domesticated between 12,000 and 25,000 years ago—and that dogs evolved from wolves. Since those days, human beings have selectively bred more than 400 different breeds, ranging in size from four-pound teacup poodles to Irish wolfhounds, whose 3-ft stature has earned them the title of the tallest dog. But the most preferred canines are non-pedigree dogs—the one-of-a-kind dogs known as mutts. The huntaway is also a favorite pick with canine owners. Many owners are oblivious, however, of many of the most crucial huntaway care tips.
General cost of care for your huntaway
The yearly cost of caring for the huntaway—including food and treats, veterinary care, toys and license—could vary between four hundred twenty and seven hundred eighty dollars. This does not even include capital expenses for spay/neuter procedures, a collar and leash, a dog carrier and dog crate. Tip: Make sure you have all of your items before you get your huntaway home.
Typical huntaway Care
huntaway Feeding Outline
- huntaway pups between eight and twelve weeks old need four meals every 24 hours.
- huntaway puppies 3 to 6 months old should be fed three meals daily.
- Feed pups six months old to one year 2 times in a twenty-four hour period.
- By the time your huntaway hits his first birthday, one meal daily is usually adequate.
- Sometimes adult huntaways might prefer two lighter helpings. It is your duty to learn your huntaway’s eating habits.
Excellent-quality dry dog food provides a well-balanced diet to full-grown huntaways and can mix with broth, canned food, or water. Your huntaway may also enjoy fruits and vegetables, cooked eggs, and cottage cheese, but these dishes should be less than ten percent of his or her daily food. huntaway pups need to be given excellent-quality, name brand puppy food. You should try to limit “people food”, however, since it can cause vitamin and mineral imbalances, bone and teeth problems, and might cause some extremely picky eating habits as well as obesity. Give clean, fresh water at all times, and be sure to clean water and food bowls very frequently.
huntaway Care Tips: Make sure your huntaway does plenty of daily physical activity
huntaways need some exercise so they can stay in shape, stimulate their brains, and stay healthy. Exercise also seems to help huntaways avoid boredom, which often has the potential to lead to to naughty behavior. Getting out and about will cure most of your huntaway’s desires to dig, retrieve, chase, chew and herd. Individual exercise needs will depend on your huntaway’s level of health and his or her age—but a couple of walks around the block every day and ten minutes in the backyard probably is not enough. If your huntaway is a six to eighteen month adolescent, his requirements will be much higher.
Grooming tips for huntaways
Frequent brushing will help keep your huntaway clean and reduce shedding. Check for ticks and fleas daily during the summer or other warm weather. Many huntaways don’t need a bath more than a few times during the year. Before a bath, comb or cut out any mats from the huntaway’s hair. Rinse all soap out of the coat, or dirt will stick to the soap residue.
How to Handle Your huntaway
Pups, as opposed to adults, are obviously the easiest to manage. While carrying the huntaway puppy, take one of your hands and put it beneath the dog’s chest, either with your forearm or other hand supporting his or her back legs and rump. Don’t try to grab or lift your puppy by the forelegs, back of the neck or tail. If you need to lift a bigger, adult huntaway, lift from underneath, bracing his chest with 1 arm and rear end with the other.
huntaway housing
Your huntaway needs a comfortable quiet location to be able to relax away from all drafts and off the ground. You may want to purchase a dog bed, or try making one out of a wood box. Place a clean comforter, blanket, or pillow inside the bed. Wash your huntaway’s bedding frequently. If your huntaway will be spending a lot of time outdoors, make certain he has plenty of cool water and covering in the summer, and a warm, covered, dry shelter in the cold.
huntaway Licensing
Your town has licensing rules to follow. You should connect the license to the huntaway’s collar. The license, together with an identification tattoo or tag, can easily help you recover your huntaway should she go missing.
Facts on huntaway Temperament
Thoughts on Training your huntaway
Well-mannered, companion huntaways are truly a pleasure to raise. However, untrained, your huntaway may be troublesome. Teaching your huntaway the minimums—”Down”, “Heel”, “Off”, “Sit”, “Stay”, “Come”, and “Leave it”—will improve your relationship both with the huntaway as well as your neighbors. If you have a pup, start teaching her the right behavior as soon as possible! Doggie treats can be used as incentive and recognition. Puppies can join obedience courses when they are adequately vaccinated. Call the local humane society or SPCA for information about training classes. You should always keep your huntaway on a leash when, even while a pup. Just be positive your dog will come back to you if you say. An aggressive or disobedient huntaway cannot play with people.
The Health of Your huntaway
Your huntaway should visit the veterinarian for a thorough assessment, vaccinations and heartworm examination each year, and ASAP when he is hurt or sick.
Knowing Your huntaway’s Dental Health
While many of us may simply dislike our huntaway’s foul breath, it’s important to be aware of what it might be a symptom of. Foul-smelling breath usually signifies that your huntaway is in need of a dental check up. Dental plaque due to unhealthy bacteria results in a bad smell that necessitates treatment by a professional. After you give your huntaway a professional oral cleaning, her teeth and gums may be kept healthy by brushing regularly, feeding a special diet focused on dental health, and eliminating table food. The veterinarian can provide you with additional information on eradicating periodontal diseases as well as stinky breath. You can use a baking soda and water paste or a dog toothpaste once or twice per week to brush your huntaway’s teeth. Use a child’s soft toothbrush, a gauze pad or a piece of nylon stocking stretched over your finger. Periodontal disease,which is an infection between the gum and tooth, often affects huntaways. This painful disease can possibly cause loss of your huntaway’s teeth and also spread infection throughout the body. The doctor will usually clean your huntaway’s teeth during the routine health evaluation.
Bad Breath in huntaways
While halitosis caused by oral disease may not be too serious if detected early enough, sometimes those odors may indicate serious, long-term issues. A pleasant, even sweet smell can often be a sign of diabetes, while diseases of the intestines or liver may cause foul breath. Kidney disease is a possible reason if your huntaway’s breath smells of ammonia or urine. Set an appointment with a veterinarian whenever your huntaway 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 huntaways
In the warm seasons, it’s important for you to perform daily, regular inspections of your huntaway for fleas and ticks. Use a flea comb to remove fleas. There are many new techniques of tick and flea control. Ask your vet about these and other options.
huntaways With Heartworm Issues
Your huntaway is at risk of developing heartworms if he is exposed to mosquitoes often. Mosquitoes transport heartworms from dog to dog. Heartworm infestations are known to be fatal. Your huntaway should have a heartworm screen each spring—this is required for stopping infections from the prior year. A monthly pill given in the warm, wet time of the year can protect your huntaway. If you ever vacation in a warmer-than-usual climate with your huntaway in the winter, she ought to be on the preventive medicine during the trip. In some of the warmer locations, vets recommend preventative worm medication be taken all year.
Medications and Poisons
If you’re thinking about giving your huntaway medicine that was not prescribed for her by his veterinarian, don’t do it. Just one ibuprofen tablet is known to create stomach ulcers in huntaways. Make sure your huntaway is never exposed to rat poison and other rodenticides. If you have reason to believe that your doggie has ingested a toxin, immediately call your vet or the ASPCA Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 24 hrs. per day for instructions.
huntaways: Spaying and Neutering
Female huntaways should be spayed—the extraction of the ovaries and uterus—and males neutered—removal of the testes—by 6 months of age. Spaying before maturity greatly diminishes the breast cancer risk, which is a frequently fatal and common ailment for more mature females. The risk of a diseased uterus, which is also a serious disease that affects older females, can also be eliminated by spaying when young. Prostate diseases, testicular cancer, some hernias and certain aggressive behavior are all preventable by neutering male huntaways.
huntaway Shots
- The combo vaccine (also known as the “5-in-1 shot”) needs to be given to your huntaway at two, 3, and four months of age and then once every year. This shot protects your pup from distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, and parainfluenza. Your huntaway must be innoculated for at least the first 4 months of her life.
- If you have an uninnoculated huntaway older than 4 or 5 months, she must get a set of 2 innoculations given 2 or 3 weeks apart, followed by a yearly vaccination.
- huntaway puppy immunization and socialization should coincide. You can take your huntaway puppy to socialization classes by 8 to nine weeks of age, according to many veterinarians. At this point, they should have already received their first vaccinations.
Because rules vary so much around the country, contact a local doctor for instructions on rabies shots. In New York City, for instance, the law requires any pets older than three months of age to be vaccinated for rabies. The initial rabies shot must be followed by a subsequent innoculation the following year, and then every three years after that. There are many vaccines that could be right for your huntaway. Ask your huntaway’s vet for his opinion. Take note, if your huntaway gets ill because he is not properly immunized, the immunization needs to be taken once your companion animal has recovered.
Hookworms in huntaways
huntaways are commonly exposed to worms—even in urban areas. Eggs that carry hookworms are transmitted through a dog’s stool. Even the healthiest of huntaway puppies carry hookworms or roundworms. An accurate, early diagnosis is the key to effective treatment. Early, accurate diagnosis maximizes the possibility that prescribed medication will be successful against your dog’s worms. A dewormer that eradicates roundworms, for example, will not kill tapeworms. Your vet can best determine the culprit—and assign the right medicine.
Miscellaneous huntaway Care Tips
Checklist of huntaway Supplies
- Top-quality dog food and snacks specifically designed for huntaways and similarly-sized dogs
- Food bowl
- Water dish
- Toys, toys and more toys, including safe chew toys
- Comb and brush for grooming, including a flea comb
- Collar with license and identification tag
- Leash
- Dog carrier (for pups)
- Training crate
- Dog box or bed with sheet or towel
- Doggie or child’s toothbrush
Warnings to be Heeded
Never, ever feed your huntaway the following:
- Alcohol, beer, wine or liquor
- Caffeinated foods, like coffee, tea or chocolate
- Grapes and raisins
- Spoiled or moldy food
- Onions, garlic & chives
- Poultry bones
- Salt or salty foods
- Tomato leaves, stems or unripe fruit
- Dough
The “Bottom” Line
Unless you are at home, or in a secured, fenced-in area, keep your huntaway on a leash at all times. Whenever your huntaway goes #2 on a neighbor’s lawn, on the sidewalk or any other public place, please dispose of it! Don’t forget to check out these other articles about huntaways
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