Owning dogs, in particular providing care for the lowchen, is old hat for humans across the world. Historians postulate that dogs were domesticated between twelve thousand and twenty five thousand years ago—and that all dogs evolved from wolves. Since those days, people have selectively bred more than four hundred breeds, which range in size from 4-pound teacup poodles all the way up to Irish wolfhounds, who have earned the distinction of tallest dog. But the most popular pooches are the non-pedigree dogs—the one-of-a-kind dogs known as mixed-breeds. The lowchen is also a popular choice among dog owners. Many owners are oblivious, however, of many crucial lowchen care tips.
Typical cost of care for the lowchen
The yearly cost of raising the lowchen—including meals and snacks, to veterinary care, toys and license—can vary between $420 and seven hundred eighty dollars. This figure doesn’t include capital costs for spay/neuter operations, collar and leash, dog carrier and dog crate. Note: Be positive you have all of your supplies before you get your lowchen home.
Typical lowchen Care
lowchen Feeding Routine
- lowchen puppies between eight and 12 weeks need 4 bowls of food every twenty-four hours.
- Feed lowchen pups 3 to 6 months old 3 meals daily.
- Feed pups six months old to 1 year two times daily.
- By the time your lowchen makes his or her first birthday, 1 bowl in a twenty-four hour period is adequate.
- Sometimes adult lowchens might do better with two lighter helpings. It is your duty to learn your lowchen’s eating tendencies.
Premium-quality dry dogfood provides a balanced diet for grown lowchens and may be mixed with broth, canned food, or water. Your lowchen may also enjoy cottage cheese, fruits and vegetables, and cooked eggs, but these should be less than ten percent of her daily nutrition. lowchen pups need to be fed excellent-quality, brand-name puppy food. Try to cut down on “table food”, however, since it can cause vitamin and mineral imbalances, bone and teeth problems, and may create very picky eating habits as well as obesity. Give clean, potable water exclusively, and make sure to wash food and water dishes regularly.
lowchen Care Tips: Make sure to give your lowchen plenty of daily physical activity
lowchens need daily physical activity in order to stay fit, recharge their minds, and maintain their health. Daily exercise also really helps lowchens fight boredom, which often has the potential to lead to to difficult behavior. Some outside playtime will quell many of your lowchen’s instinctual urges to dig, retrieve, chase, chew and herd. Activity needs depend on your lowchen’s age and her level of health—but merely a walk around the block every day and ten minutes outside probably isn’t enough. If your lowchen is a 6 to 18 month adolescent, her requirements will probably be a little greater.
Grooming tips for lowchens
You can help reduce shedding and keep your lowchen clean with regular brushing. Check for fleas and ticks every day during warm weather. Many lowchens don’t need a bath more than a few times during the year. Prior to a bath, cut out or comb any mats from the lowchen’s hair. Rinse all soap from the coat, or the dirt will stick to the soap.
lowchen Handling
Puppies, as opposed to adults, are obviously the easiest to handle. To carry the lowchen puppy, take one hand and put it beneath the dog’s chest, with either your forearm or other hand supporting her back legs and rear. Don’t attempt to grab or lift your puppy by his or her front legs, tail or nape. When you need to lift a bigger, full-grown lowchen, lift from the underside, bracing his or her chest with one arm and rump with your other.
lowchen housing
lowchens need a comfy quiet place in order to sleep away from all breezes and away from the ground. You might want to think about buying a dog bed, or think about making one out of a wood box. Place a clean blanket or pillow in the bed for cushion. Wash your lowchen’s bed covering frequently. If your lowchen 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 area during the winter.
lowchen Licensing
Follow your community’s licensing regulations. Make certain you attach the license to your lowchen’s collar. The license, together with an identification tattoo or tag, may help secure your lowchen’s return should she go missing.
lowchen Temperament Information
Training Your lowchen
A well-behaved, companion lowchen is truly a blessing to own. But when untrained, your lowchen will most likely be a big headache. Training your lowchen on the basics—”Heel”, “Off”, “Sit”, “Stay”, “Come”, “Down”, and “Leave it”—strengthens the relationship both with the pooch and the friends. If you own a puppy, begin teaching him or her the appropriate responses quickly! Use snacks as incentive and reward. Puppies should begin obedience classes when they have been sufficiently vaccinated. Contact your community humane society or SPCA for training courses. It is wise to walk your lowchen on a leash in public, even as a puppy. Be certain your doggie will come to you if you say so. An aggressive or disobedient lowchen shouldn’t play with children.
Knowing Your lowchen’s Health
Your lowchen should see the veterinarian for a thorough assessment, immunizations and heartworm assessment every single year, and immediately when she is injured or ill.
About your lowchen’s Dental Health
While many of us might object to our lowchen’s halitosis, it’s important to be aware of what it might represent. Bad breath is a symptom that your lowchen is in need of a dental check up. Plaque , which is caused by unhealthy bacteria creates a foul odor that can only be cured by the help of a professional. After a professional oral cleaning, the teeth and gums may be maintained by eliminating table food, feeding a special diet focused on maintaining dental health, and brushing regularly. Your vet can supply you with more data for reducing oral disease and halitosis. You should brush your lowchen’s teeth using a dog paste or a baking-soda-and-water paste a few times per week. Use a child’s soft toothbrush, a gauze pad or a piece of nylon pantyhose stretched over your finger. Sometimes lowchens get periodontal disease, another name for gum disease. Often, tooth loss takes place due to gum disease. Diseases can possibly also spread to the rest of your lowchen’s body. The doctor usually will clean the lowchen’s teeth as part of the typical health screening.
Halitosis (bad breath) in lowchens
Even though bad breath due to dental disease might not be serious if found early enough, some halitosis may also indicate fairly serious, persistent causes for concern. Liver or intestinal diseases sometimes cause stinky breath, whereas a sweet, even pleasant smell can sometimes be indicative of diabetes. When your lowchen’s breath smells like ammonia or urine, kidney disease is a possible cause. When you determine your lowchen has smelly breath in conjunction with other signs of disease, such as diminished appetite, vomiting, loss of weight, bad mood, too much urinating or drinking, set up a consultation with the veterinarian.
Fleas and Ticks in lowchens
When it’s warm, it’s of utmost importance for you to perform regular, daily inspections of your lowchen for fleas and ticks. Remove fleas using a flea comb. There are numerous new procedures of tick control. Talk to your vet about her or his recommendations.
Heartworms in lowchens
The heartworm is a parasite that resides in the heart and passes from a contaminated dog to your lowchen by way of mosquitoes. Heartworm infestations are fatal. It is extremely critical you ensure your lowchen has a blood test for heartworms each year in the spring. A once-a-month pill given during the warm, wet time of the year can protect your lowchen. If ever you vacation in a warmer-than-usual climate with your lowchen in the winter, he should be on the preventive medicine during the trip. There are some regions, usually the places with more moderate climates, where veterinarians recommend parasite pills be taken year round.
Medications and Poisons
Never give your lowchen medicine that has not been prescribed by a vet. Are you aware that one ibuprofen pill causes stomach ulcers in some dogs Keep rat poison and other rodenticides away from your lowchen. Make sure you immediately call your lowchen’s vet if you suspect your lowchen has eaten a poisonous substance. You may also immediately call the ASPCA Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 for 24 hour help.
Neutering and Spaying lowchens
It is recommended that female lowchens be spayed—the extraction of the uterus and ovaries—and males neutered—removal of the testicles—by six months old. You will greatly reduce your female lowchen’s breast cancer risk by spaying prior to maturity. Spaying also eradicates the chance of a sick uterus, a traumatic condition in older females that can only be treated with intensive medical care and surgery. Neutering male lowchens eliminates the risk of prostate diseases, certain aggressive behavior and some hernias.
lowchen Vaccinating
- lowchen pups should be vaccinated with a combo vaccine (called the “5-in-1”) at 2, three and four months of age, and then once annually. This innoculation protects your pup from distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, and parainfluenza. Your lowchen puppy’s vaccination program cannot be completed before 4 months old.
- If you have the rare lowchen who has not been vaccinated and is older than four or 5 months, she will need a set of two innoculations given two to 3 weeks apart, followed by a yearly vaccination.
- lowchen pup socialization and innoculation should go hand in hand. Many doctors advise that new owners bring their lowchen puppies to socialization courses, beginning at eight to nine weeks of age. At this age, they should have already received their first series of vaccines.
Because rules vary so much between different areas, contact your neighborhood veterinarian to get information for rabies innoculation. As an example, NYC rules state that pets older than 3 months be vaccinated for rabies. After the original immunization, you must have another immunization the next year, and then every three years after that. There are several immunizations, many of which are right for your lowchen. There are others that are not, however. Your vet can tell youmore about them. Also, if your lowchen gets sick because she is not vaccinated, do not administer the immunization until the dog has made a full recovery.
Tapeworms in lowchens
lowchens are commonly exposed to worms and possible infestation—especially in rural areas. Eggs that carry roundworms and hookworms are transmitted through a dog’s feces. Even the healthiest of lowchen puppies carry intestinal worms. An accurate, early diagnosis is the key to effective treatment. This will ensure that the medicine is successful against the parasite your lowchen has. A dewormer that eliminates roundworms, for example, will not kill tapeworms. Your vet can best determine the culprit—and decide the right medicine.
Miscellaneous lowchen Care Tips
Checklist of lowchen Supplies
- High-quality dog food and treats specifically designed for lowchens and similarly-sized dogs
- Food bowl
- Water bowl
- As many safe toys as you can provide, especially chewable
- Brush and comb for grooming, including flea comb
- Collar with identification tag and license
- Leash
- Dog carrier (for pups)
- Crate for training
- Box or dog bed with warm sheet or towel
- Doggie or child’s toothbrush
Warnings to be Heeded
Never feed your lowchen the following:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Coffee, tea, or chocolate
- Raisins and grapes
- Spoiled or moldy food
- Onions, garlic & chives
- Bones of chicken, turkey, or any other animal (choking hazard)
- Salt & salty foods
- Tomato leaves, stems or unripe fruit
- Dough
The “Bottom” Line
Keep your lowchen on a leash when you are outdoors, unless you are in a fenced-in, secured area. And please, when your lowchen defecates on your neighbor’s yard, dispose of it! Don’t forget to check out these other articles about lowchens
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