Raising dogs, especially providing care for the west siberian laika, is old hat for people across the world. Zoologists say that dogs were first domesticated sometime between 12,000 and twenty five thousand years ago—and that canines evolved from wolves. Since those days, people have selectively bred more than four hundred breeds, which range in size from 4-pound teacup poodles to Irish wolfhounds, who have earned the title of the tallest pooch. However, the most preferred pooches are the non-pedigree dogs—the one-of-a-kind dogs known as mixed-breeds. The west siberian laika is also a favorite pick among canine owners. Some owners are uninformed, however, of some of the most important west siberian laika care tips.
Typical cost of care for your west siberian laika
The yearly budget for taking care of the west siberian laika—which includes meals, veterinary care, toys and license—could vary between $420 and seven hundred eighty dollars. This is not even counting capital costs for spay/neuter operations, collar and leash, a dog carrier and dog crate. Tip: Be sure you have procured all your supplies before bringing your west siberian laika home for the first time.
Basic west siberian laika Care
Feeding the west siberian laika
- west siberian laika puppies between 8 and 12 weeks need four meals every 24 hours.
- west siberian laika pups 3 to 6 months old should be fed three meals every twenty-four hour period.
- Feed pups 6 months to 1 year 2 bowls of food in a day.
- By the time your west siberian laika makes his first birthday, one feeding a day is adequate.
- Some adult west siberian laikas might do better with 2 lighter servings. It’s your job to adapt to your west siberian laika’s eating tendencies.
Top-quality dry dogfood ensures a balanced diet to grown west siberian laikas and can mix with water, broth, or canned food. Your west siberian laika may also enjoy cottage cheese, fruits and vegetables, and cooked eggs, but these dishes shouldn’t add up to more than 10 percent of his daily allowance. west siberian laika pups should probably be fed a high-quality, name brand puppy food. Please cut down on “people food”, though, since it can cause vitamin and mineral imbalances, bone and teeth issues, and might cause some extremely picky eating habits and obesity. Clean, potable water should be available always, and be certain to wash water and food bowls very often.
west siberian laika Care Tips: Make sure to give your west siberian laika plenty of daily exercise
west siberian laikas must have daily exercise to stay healthy, recharge their minds, and maintain their health. Daily physical activity also seems to help west siberian laikas fight boredom, which can often lead to difficult behavior. Outside playtime would cure many of your west siberian laika’s desires to dig, chase, herd, chew and retrieve. Individual exercise needs will depend on your west siberian laika’s age and her level of health—but ten minutes outside and a couple of walks around the block every day probably will not cut it. If your west siberian laika is a 6 to eighteen month adolescent, her requirements will be much higher.
west siberian laika Grooming
Regular brushing will help keep your west siberian laika clean and reduce shedding. Inspect for fleas and ticks every day during the summer or other warm weather. Most west siberian laikas don’t need a bath more than a few times a year. Prior to giving him or her a bath, comb or cut out any mats from the west siberian laika’s coat. Carefully rinse all soap from the coat, or dirt will stick to soap residue.
How to Handle Your west siberian laika
Puppies are obviously the easiest to handle. When carrying the west siberian laika pup, place one of your hands beneath the dog’s chest, either with your forearm or other hand supporting the hind legs and rear. Never attempt to lift or grab your puppy by the forelegs, nape or tail. If you have to lift a bigger, full-grown west siberian laika, pick it up from the underside, bracing his or her chest with 1 arm and rear end with the other arm.
west siberian laika housing
Your west siberian laika needs a comfy quiet location to sleep apart from all the drafts and off the ground or floor. You might wish to think about purchasing a dog bed, or feel like making one out of a wooden box. Place a clean sheet, blanket, comforter, or pillow inside the bed for cushioning. Wash the west siberian laika’s bed covering frequently. If your west siberian laika will be outdoors much, be sure he has shade and plenty of cool water in hot weather, and a covered, warm, dry shelter in winter.
west siberian laika Licensing and Identification
Your area has licensing rules to heed. You should attach the license to the west siberian laika’s collar. This, along with an identification tag or tattoo, can help you recover your west siberian laika if she happens to go missing.
west siberian laika Temperament Facts
Training Your west siberian laika
A well-behaved, companion west siberian laika can truly be a a joy. However, when left untrained, your west siberian laika can possibly be a lot of trouble. Teaching your west siberian laika the fundamentals—”Stay”, “Come”, “Down”, “Heel”, “Off”, “Sit”, and “Leave it”—strengthens your relationship with both your dog and the friends. If you own a puppy, begin teaching her manners ASAP! Use a snack as an incentive and a reward. Pups can be enrolled in obedience courses when they are sufficiently vaccinated. Call the community humane society or SPCA for information about obedience schools. It is best to walk your west siberian laika on a leash in public, even while a pup. Be positive your west siberian laika will come to you every time you say the word. An aggressive or disobedient west siberian laika should not play with children.
Your west siberian laika’s Health
Your west siberian laika should see the vet for a thorough check-up, innoculations and heartworm screening each year, and as soon as possible if she is injured or sick.
About your west siberian laika’s Dental Health
Although we might simply dislike our west siberian laika’s foul breath, it’s important to be aware of what it may be a sign of. Bad breath usually indicates that your west siberian laika requires an oral check up. Dental plaque triggered by unhealthy bacteria causes a foul smell that can only be freshened with professional treatment. Once your west siberian laika has had a cleaning from a professional, his gums and teeth can be kept healthy by brushing the teeth regularly, feeding a specially formulated dental diet and treats, and avoiding table scraps. The veterinarian can provide you additional tips for eradicating oral ailments and stinky breath. You should clean the west siberian laika’s teeth with a dog paste or a simple baking soda and water paste twice weekly. Brush them with a sterile gauze pad, a piece of nylon pantyhose stretched across the finger, or a child’s soft toothbrush. Sometimes, west siberian laikas are prone to periodontal disease, a pocket of infection between the tooth and the gum. Often, loss of teeth occurs due to gum infection. Infection can possibly also propagate to the rest of your west siberian laika’s body. The vet should brush his teeth as a regular part of your west siberian laika’s health appointment.
west siberian laika Halitosis
Although the foul odors brought on by periodontal disease might not be that serious if found early enough, sometimes bad breath may indicate more serious, persistent problems. A sweet, fruity smell can often be a sign of diabetes, while liver or intestinal diseases may cause foul breath. Kidney disease is a possible cause when your west siberian laika’s breath smells like ammonia or urine. Set an appointment with a veterinarian whenever your west siberian laika has halitosis along with other signs of disease like excessive urinating or drinking, depression or lethargy, weight loss, nausea, or decreased appetite.
west siberian laika Flea and Tick Issues
Daily checks of your west siberian laika for fleas and ticks in the summer are crucial. You can find and remove fleas with a flea comb. There are many new technologies of flea and tick management. Talk to your vet about his or her options.
west siberian laikas With Heartworm Issues
This parasite resides in the heart and passes from an infested dog to your west siberian laika by way of mosquitoes. Heartworm infections are known to be deadly. It is wise to give your west siberian laika a blood test for heartworms each spring—this is necessary to catch infections from the previous year. You should also give your west siberian laika a once-a-month pill during mosquito season in order to protect her from heartworms. Your west siberian laika should be on heartworm medication throughout a winter trip to a warmer climate. There are some areas, usually the locations with more moderate climates, where veterinarians recommend worm pills be given throughout the year.
Medicines and Poisons
Do not ever give your west siberian laika medication that has not been prescribed by a vet. Are you aware that just 1 ibuprofen pill could cause stomach ulcers in west siberian laikas? Keep rat poison and other rodenticides away from your west siberian laika. Be sure to notify your west siberian laika’s vet when you believe your west siberian laika has consumed a poison. You may also contact the ASPCA Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 for 24 hour help.
west siberian laika Reproductive Surgery
Female west siberian laikas should be spayed—which is the removal of the ovaries and uterus—and males neutered—extraction of the testicles—by 6 months old. Spaying before maturity greatly diminishes the risk of breast cancer, a common and often fatal problem of older females. The chance of an infected uterus, which is also a serious disease that affects older females, will also be eliminated by spaying before 6 months. Testicular cancer, prostate diseases, some hernias and certain types of aggressions are preventable by neutering male west siberian laikas.
west siberian laika Innoculating
- The combination vaccine (also called the “five-in-one shot”) should be given to your west siberian laika at two, 3, and four months of age and again once per year. This immunization immunizes your west siberian laika puppy from distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, and parainfluenza. The west siberian laika puppy’s vaccination regimen cannot be finished before four months old.
- If you have an uninnoculated west siberian laika older than 4 or 5 months, she must get a series of 2 vaccinations given 2 to 3 weeks apart, followed by an annual immunization.
- Your west siberian laika pup’s socialization should coincide with the innoculation program. Many veterinarians recommend that new owners bring their west siberian laika pups to socialization courses, beginning at 8 or nine weeks old. They should have received their first immunizations by then.
Because statutes are so different around the country, contact your neighborhood vet to get instructions on rabies innoculation. As an example, NYC rules declare that pets older than three months must be immunized for rabies. The first rabies vaccine must be followed by a subsequent vaccination a year later, and then every three years. There are several innoculations, many of which are right for your west siberian laika. Others, however, are not. Your vet can tell you about them. Please be aware, if your west siberian laika happens to get ill because she is not properly vaccinated, the shots needs to be given once your pet has recovered.
Intestinal Worms in west siberian laikas
west siberian laikas are commonly exposed to worms—especially in rural areas. Microscopic eggs produced by intestinal worms are passed in an infested dog’s stool. Most puppies, from all environments, even those with healthy mothers, carry roundworms or hookworms. The secret to effective treatment is early detection. This will ensure that the medication is successful against the worms your west siberian laika has. A dewormer that eliminates hookworms, for example, won’t kill tapeworms. Your veterinarian can best define the culprit—and decide the most effective medicine.
Miscellaneous west siberian laika Care Tips
Checklist of west siberian laika Supplies
- High-quality dog food and treats designed for west siberian laikas and similarly-sized dogs
- Food dish
- Water bowl
- Toys, toys and more toys, including safe chew toys
- Brush and comb for grooming, including flea comb
- Collar with identification tag and license
- Leash
- Dog carrier (for pups)
- Training crate
- Box or dog bed with comforter or towel
- Doggie toothbrush
The no-no list
Never feed your west siberian laika the following:
- Alcohol, beer, wine or liquor
- Chocolate, coffee, or tea
- Grapes and raisins
- Moldy or spoiled food
- Onions, chives & garlic
- Poultry bones
- Salt and salty foods
- Tomato leaves, unripe fruit & stems
- Dough
The scoop on poop
Keep your west siberian laika on a leash when you are outside, unless you are in a secured, fenced-in space. And please, when your west siberian laika defecates on your neighbor’s lawn, remove it! Don’t forget to check out these other articles about west siberian laikas
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