Welcome to K9Domain,
Warm greetings to K9Domain. This site is geared towards anyone and everyone that wants to learn more about our canine companions. There is useful information for people who own dogs, people looking to own dogs, and those that simply love them to death. New articles should appear in the "Recent Site Updates" section below, so please stop on by often to see whats new.
Some of the content on this site may include controversial topics such as "Is garlic good for dogs" and "How often should I bathe my dog". Topics like these will usually be marked by three asteriks (***) which means that research has been gathered to put together an answer. These sections will also include a reference section to back up the information provided and to show where some of the ideas were acquired from.
Seeing how this site is for instructional purposes there is no problem with using it as a reference to show friends or to give an answer on forums. Provided that the proper credit is given (in the form of a link), any part of the site is available to use in your answers or your articles. Pictures on this site are not gathered off other sites or taken from search engines. Friends and family have lend the pictures to given pages, so please do not use these pictures without asking permission. The only exception to this rule are pictures that are linked by a URL, those are given a hyperlink to give proper credit to the sites that are using them. Thank you.
Hope you like what you see, thanks for visiting K9Domain!
-Steven L.
New Content
Getting A Dog: Socialization 11/03/09:
Everyone would like to own a well balanced and well behaved dog, but these kinds of dogs don't simply appear out of the blue. One must put forth a lot of effort to properly socialize a dog so that he is able to grow up to be a balanced dog. How it is carried out and with whom is totally up to you and depends on your environment. Ideally the socialization period for most dogs is from when they are 3 weeks and is done when they turn 12 weeks. Now this doesn't mean that you can't socialize a dog sooner or later than that time frame, however it is much easier to do so during that time. Breeders have the responsibility of socializing puppies since the day they are born by handling them and making sure they are comfortable with human touch. When puppies are homed (typically about 7+ weeks) the owner then has to make sure that the puppy is exposed to a myriad of situations, people, and animals....Read more about Properly Socializing Puppies
Getting A Dog: Materials You'll Need 11/5/09:
Leashes: it would be a good idea to get two kinds of leashes, a retrackable one and a regular 6 ft one. The regular leash can be used for walks where you need more control such as with appointments with the vet, retrackable leashes are good for training and allowing the dog to roam and explore without being out of your control. However this is completely up to you.
ID Tags which should contain the dog’s name, your address and phone number will facilitate finding and claiming your dog should he ever get lost.
While dog toys may not seem important they definitely are, in the absense of toys a young puppy will satisfy his chewing urge on things that you may treasure such as shoes or the legs of expensive coffee tables. Having a few toys on hand helps give the pup a bit of variety and this helps prevent boredom which can possibily result in the dog chewing on inappropriate things...Read more about List of things for your new dog
New Hyperactive Dog Page 11/09/09:
Hyper dogs can sometimes cause many problems and headaches if one doesn’t know how to deal with them. Many times these kinds of dogs may need more exercise at others they can be calmed down with aromatherapy and massages, but in some rare cases hyperactivity can be a medical condition which would need veterinary assistance. The following page contains more detailed information on how to help alleviate this problem and help you teach your dog how to be more relaxed and calm.
Dogs with too much energy can indulge in a number of unwanted behavior such as digging, chewing, coprophagia, or barking. The cause of hyperactivity will depend on your dog; many breeds such as the jack russell, border collie, labrador, and husky (to name a few) have been bred to have above average energy to be able to do their jobs efficiently. Getting these kinds of breeds without knowing the energy levels can constitute a serious surprise for a dog owner. Other times a dog’s breed may have nothing to do with it, but rather the lack of mental and physical stimulation make the dog redirect the extra energy in something that we may not find amusing in the least....Read more about Hyperactive Dogs
New Dog Games Page 12/07/09:
Many of the common problems dog owners face are largely due the lack of physical and mental stimulation, these problems include but are not limited to chewing, barking, digging, jumping, and lead pulling (more on these issues on the Dog Problems page). Each different breed of dog will require a certain amount of exercise and mentally stimulating games, finding out what works best for your dog is the owner’s job.
While it may not seem like it both mental and physical stimulation are equally important, a dog can still become destructive if they too little of one. For instance, putting a dog on a treadmill is great to physically tire out a dog but does very little in the manner of mentally stimulating the dog. However once again everything depends on the individual dog. One might suffice with a quick jog on a treadmill while another may not.
Lastly we cannot ignore the fact that games are not only beneficial for the dog but also for their human owners. They give a motivation to get out and exercise and can be one of the reasons that pet owners tend to have a little longer life than people that don’t have pets...Read more about Dog Games.