Owning dogs, especially providing care for the koolie, is old hat for humans across the world. Some historians believe that dogs were originally domesticated sometime between twelve thousand and twenty five thousand years ago—and that canines evolved from wolves. Since those days, people have selectively bred more than 400 breeds, varying in size from four-pound teacup poodles to Irish wolfhounds, whose three-foot stature has earned them the title of the tallest dog. But the most widespread canines are non-pedigree dogs—the one-of-a-kind dogs known as mutts. The koolie is another popular choice among canine owners. Many owners are uninformed, however, of many common koolie care tips.
Health care cost of the koolie
The annual cost of caring for your koolie—which includes everything from meals and snacks, veterinary care, toys and license—could vary between $420 and $780. This figure doesn’t include capital costs for sterilization procedures, a collar and a leash, dog carrier and dog crate. Note: Be positive you have all your items before bringing your koolie home.
Basic koolie Care
Feeding the koolie
- koolie puppies between 8 and 12 weeks old need four bowls of food in a day.
- Feed koolie puppies 3 to 6 months old 3 meals in a 24 hour period.
- Feed pups six months old to one year two meals in a twenty-four hour period.
- When the koolie hits his or her first birthday, 1 bowl daily is usually sufficient.
- Some adult koolies, however, do better with 2 lighter meals. It is your job to adapt to your koolie’s eating tendencies.
Top-quality dry dogfood ensures a well-balanced diet to full-grown koolies and may be mixed with water, canned food, or broth. Your koolie may also be fond of cottage cheese, fruits and vegetables, and cooked eggs, but these dishes should be less than ten pct of his daily nutrition. koolie puppies should be fed premium-quality, name brand puppy food. Please cut down on “people food”, however, because it can result in vitamin and mineral deficiencies, bone and teeth problems, and might lead to very picky eating habits as well as obesity. Give clean, fresh water only, and make certain to wash water and food dishes very regularly.
koolie Care Tips: Make sure to get your koolie some daily physical activity
koolies must have some daily physical activity so they can stay in shape, recharge their brains, and keep healthy. Daily physical activity also really helps koolies fight boredom, which often has the potential to lead to to difficult behavior. Outside playtime can quell most of your koolie’s instinctual urges to dig, chase, herd, chew and retrieve. Individual exercise needs are dependent on your koolie’s level of health and her age—but merely a couple of walks around the block every day and ten minutes in back of the house probably will not do. If your koolie is a 6 to 18 month adolescent, her requirements will be much higher.
koolie Grooming
Frequent brushing will help reduce shedding and keep your koolie clean. Check for ticks and fleas every day during warm weather. Many koolies don’t need a bath more than a few times during the year. Before giving him or her a bath, comb or cut out any mats from the koolie’s coat. Rinse all soap out of the coat, or the dirt will stick to the soap residue.
How to Handle Your koolie
Puppies are clearly the easiest to handle. While carrying the koolie pup, take one of your hands and place it under the dog’s chest, with either the forearm or your other hand supporting her back legs and rump. Don’t ever attempt to grab or lift your pup by his front legs, tail or back of the neck. If you have to pick up a bigger, full-grown koolie, pick it up from the underside, holding her chest with 1 arm and rear end with the other.
Housing the koolie
koolies need a comfortable quiet place in order to rest away from all drafts and away from the ground. You may wish to buy a doggie bed, or try making one from a wooden box. Put a clean comforter, blanket, or pillow inside the bed as cushioning. Wash your koolie’s bed covering frequently. If the koolie will be outdoors often, make certain she has access to shade and plenty of cool water in the summer, and a dry, covered, warm area in the cold.
koolie Identification
Follow your city’s licensing regulations. Be sure to affix the license to your koolie’s collar. This, along with an ID tag or tattoo, may help secure your koolie’s return should he go missing.
Info on koolie Behavior
Thoughts on Training Your koolie
A well-behaved, companion koolie is a blessing to have. However, untrained, your koolie may be a headache. Teaching your koolie the basics—”Come”, “Down”, “Heel”, “Off”, “Sit”, “Stay”, and “Leave it”—bolsters the relationship both with your koolie and your visitors. If you have a pup, begin teaching her the appropriate behavior quickly! Use treats as incentive and reward. Pups should join obedience class when they have been sufficiently immunized. Contact the community SPCA or humane society for details about training courses. You should always keep your koolie on a leash while in public, even while a pup. Be certain your dog will come back to you if you tell him to. A disobedient or aggressive koolie cannot play with others.
About your koolie’s Health
Your koolie should see the veterinarian for a full exam, shots and a heartworm blood examination annualy, and as soon as possible if he is hurt or sick.
koolie Oral Health
While many of us may simply dislike our koolie’s bad breath, we must be aware of what it might mean. Halitosis is a sign that your koolie needs a dental exam. Dental plaque , which is caused by germs results in a terrible stench that can only be freshened with the help of a professional. Once you have given your koolie a professional dental cleaning, the mouth may be be preserved in a healthy state by brushing the teeth regularly, feeding a specially formulated dental diet and treats, and avoiding table scraps. Your vet can provide you other information on reducing dental problems as well as halitosis. You can easily brush your koolie’s teeth with a doggie toothpaste or a baking-soda-and-water paste a couple of times a week. Use a child’s soft toothbrush, a gauze pad or a piece of nylon stocking stretched over your finger. Sometimes koolies have periodontal disease, frequently referred to as gum disease. Sometimes, loss of teeth takes place due to periodontal infection. Diseases can sometimes also spread to the rest of your koolie’s body. Your vet will sometimes brush the koolie’s teeth while performing her routine health evaluation.
Halitosis (bad breath) in koolies
Although bad breath due to oral disease may not be too serious if detected early enough, some odors may be indicative of fairly serious, persistent problems. A fruity, even pleasant smell may usually be a sign of diabetes, while liver or intestinal diseases may cause foul breath. If your koolie’s breath smells like urine or ammonia, kidney disease may be the reason. When you determine your koolie has foul breath accompanied by other symptoms of ill health, like loss of appetite, vomiting or nausea, weight loss, moodiness, including depression, excessive urination or drinking, plan a trip to the veterinarian.
koolie Tick and Flea Issues
Daily, regular inspections of your koolie for fleas and ticks during the summer are of utmost importance. Use a flea comb to remove and find fleas. There are many new technologies of tick and flea reduction. Get advice from your vet about his options.
koolies With Heartworm Issues
The heartworm is a parasite that lives in the heart and is passed from a contaminated dog to your koolie by mosquitoes. Heartworm infections can be potentially deadly. It is wise to make sure your koolie submits to a heartworm screen each spring—this is important to detect infestations from the past year. A monthly pill given in the warm, wet time of the year will help to protect your koolie. Your koolie should be on heartworm medication throughout a winter trip to a warmer climate. There are some areas, usually the areas with warmer temperatures, where veterinarians advise parasite pills be used all the time.
Poisions and Medicines
Never give your koolie medicine that hasn’t been prescribed by a vet. One little ibuprofen tablet can initiate stomach ulcers in koolies. Make sure your koolie is never exposed to rat poison and other rodenticides. If you suspect that your pooch has been exposed to a toxin, immediately call the vet or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 for twenty-four-hour animal poison help.
koolies: Spaying and Neutering
Female koolies should be spayed—which is the extraction of the uterus and ovaries—and males neutered—removal of the testicles—by 6 months of age. Spaying before maturity significantly reduces the risk of breast cancer, which is a usually fatal and common disease for more mature female koolies. The chance of a diseased uterus, which is another serious affliction that affects older females, can be eliminated by spaying while young. Neutering males prevents prostate and testicular diseases, certain types of aggressions and some hernias.
koolie Innoculations
- The combination vaccine (also called the “5-in-1 shot”) must be given to your koolie at 2, 3, and 4 months old and then once yearly. This shot immunizes your puppy from distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, and parainfluenza. Your koolie puppy’s vaccination program cannot be finished before 4 months old.
- If your koolie has not been vaccinated and is older than four months, he will need to be given 2 innoculations immediately, two to three weeks apart. Then you must innoculate every year.
- koolie pup socialization and innoculation should go together. You can take your koolie puppy to socialization classes by eight or nine weeks old, as recommended by many doctors. At this point, they should have already received their first immunizations.
Since laws vary between different areas, contact your local veterinarian for instructions about rabies shots. For instance, in New York City, the statute requires all pets older than three months of age to be vaccinated for rabies. The first rabies vaccine must be followed up by another shot a year later, and then every 3 years after that. There are many vaccines, many of which are effective for your koolie. There are others that are not, however. Ask your koolie’s vet for his recommendation. Note, if your koolie happens to get ill because he is not innoculated, the innoculation can be administered after your companion animal recovers.
Tapeworms in koolies
koolies are often exposed to worms—especially in rural areas. Microscopic eggs made by roundworms are transmitted through an infested koolie’s feces. Even the healthiest of koolie puppies carry roundworms or hookworms. An accurate, early diagnosis is the key to effective treatment. Early, accurate diagnosis maximizes the possibility that prescribed medication will be effective against your dog’s worms. A dewormer that eliminates hookworms, for example, can’t kill tapeworms. Your vet can best figure out the culprit—and decide the appropriate medicine.
Additional koolie Care Tips
koolie Supply Checklist
- Excellent-quality dog food and snacks specifically for koolies and similarly-sized dogs
- Food bowl
- Water dish
- As many safe toys as you can provide, especially chewable
- Comb & brush for grooming, including flea comb
- Collar with identification tag and license
- Leash
- Carrier (for puppies)
- Training crate
- Dog box or bed with blanket or towel
- Dog toothbrush
The no-no list
The following items should never be fed to koolies:
- Alcohol, beer, wine or liquor
- Chocoloate or any food with caffeine
- Grapes or raisins
- Moldy or spoiled food
- Onions, garlic & chives
- Bones of chicken, turkey, or any other animal (choking hazard)
- Salt or salty foods
- Tomato leaves, stems & unripe fruit
- Dough
Final Thoughts
Unless you are at home, or in a secured, fenced-in place, keep your koolie on a leash at all times. If your koolie does number two on your neighbor’s yard, her sidewalk or any other public location, please take care of it! Don’t forget to check out these other articles about koolies
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