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What to Look For In a Dog Supplement

The market is exploding with products claiming to improve the health and wellness of individuals using vitamins and nutritional supplements. People are now seeking the same products to complement the health of their pets. The benefits of appropriate nutritional supplements are overwhelming and can add several healthy years to your life, as well as your dogs.

Dogs Age Faster Than People

Longevity is attributed 30 percent to genetics and 70 percent to lifestyle. Up to 90 percent of diseases in dogs are due to the degenerative processes associated with aging.

Does Your Dog Act His Age?
Because dogs age seven times faster than people, major health changes occur in a short amount of time. Dogs are considered puppies for about one year, adults from age two to six, and seniors at age seven. Giant breeds, like Great Danes, age even more quickly and are considered seniors at age five. Signs of aging in dogs occur slowly, but generally begin at maturity, somewhere between age one and two.

Dr. Denham Harman's Free Radical Theory of Aging, applies to people and pets, including dogs. This universally accepted theory states that aging is a process in which the body's systems deteriorate faster than the body can repair them.

The changes occur due to oxidative damage caused by harmful compounds called free radicals. Free radicals are toxic, electrically unstable molecules. As we age, they are produced more quickly.

Free radicals damage your dog's body similar to the way oxygen causes iron to rust. They are detrimental to your dog's genetic material, his DNA and RNA, his cell membranes and enzyme systems.

Free radicals are formed each time we take a breath. Exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays, as well as to environmental toxins, pollution, heavy metals and stress contribute to free radical formation. Your dog's diet and drugs, such as antibiotics, are also factors.

Free radicals weaken your dog's natural defenses and have been associated with the development of up to 90 percent of the age-related degenerative conditions we associate with aging:

Cancer
Heart disease
Arthritis
Diabetes
Cataracts
Premature aging

Our life span, as well as the length of your dog's life, is ultimately determined by how quickly free radicals cause harmful oxidative changes to occur. Therefore what you feed your dog, as well as the supplements you choose for your dog are both very important.

Help Your Dog Enjoy a Longer, Healthier Life

Your Dog's Diet
You are what you eat, and that's just as important for people as it is for dogs. What you feed your dog directly affects his health and wellness. The longer and more consistently you give your dog an optimally balanced diet, the greater his chances are of living a longer, healthier life.

Dogs, like people are omnivores and can naturally exist on a diet of meat, fruit and vegetables. Consult with your vet to determine the best diet for your dog. Commercial varieties worth looking into include organic, natural diets such as Prairie made by Natures Variety.

Homemade, natural diets take more time and effort but in many cases are well worth the extra effort. Vegetarian and raw food diets are another option that, with careful supervision, may provide complete and balanced nutrition for your dog.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, a Border Collie in England named Taffy, lived to the spry age of 27 eating an all-natural, organic diet.

Healthy Dog Snacks
Fruits and vegetables are healthy, low calorie snacks many pets enjoy. Those rich in antioxidants are especially beneficial for your dog:

Oranges
Tomatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Carrots
Cantaloupe
Asparagus Tips

Oranges are rich in Vitamin C, tomatoes are filled with Lycopenes and sweet potatoes are a source of Vitamin E and Beta Carotene. Carrots and cantaloupes also provide Beta Carotene for your dog.

Antioxidant Supplements for Your Dog: Sooner Not Later
Recent research documents that antioxidants provide very bright prospects for increasing the quality and length of your dog's life. In addition, scientists have found that sooner is better than later as far as your dog's potential health benefits. Antioxidant supplementation started as a puppy, before free radical damage has occurred, can increase the healthy lifespan of your dog by up to 20 percent.

Antioxidant supplements, including Vitamins A, C, and E, the minerals Selenium and Zinc, and the nutrients Alpha Lipoic Acid and Coenzyme Q10, are the body's natural defense against free radical damage. They can help to protect your dog by neutralizing free radicals and decreasing the resultant levels of oxidative damage.

Other noteworthy antioxidant supplements for your dog include:

Bioflavinoids, which help to decrease allergic reactions, asthmatic attacks and have anti-cancer benefits for your dog.

Green Tea, whose antioxidants may decrease the risk of heart disease and cancer and help protect the blood vessels nourishing your dog's heart and brain.

Lutein, a plant pigment from marigolds, helps to protect your dog's eyes and may reduce the risk of cataracts.

Melatonin, a potent antioxidant that acts to normalize sleep patterns. It also protects your dog's brain and has been used successfully with cancer therapy.

The effects of antioxidants are beneficial and act synergistically for people and dog's undergoing cancer therapy. In well controlled studies, people and pets treated with antioxidants (with or without chemotherapy and radiation) have tolerated treatments better and experienced less weight loss. More importantly, they enjoyed a better overall quality of life and lived longer than individuals receiving no supplements.

Nutritional Supplements for Your Dog's Bones, Joints & Cartilage
Glucosamine is an amino sugar naturally produced in your dog's body from glucose, which is your dog's blood sugar, and the Amino Acid, Glutamine. It helps the cartilage between the joints retain water so the cartilage can act like a cushion to absorb shock and withstand compression. Glucosamine is vital to protecting the health and integrity of your dog's bones, joints and cartilage. It helps to:

Decrease joint inflammation and pain
Promote cartilage repair
Aid healing of damaged joints
Increase mobility in dogs with arthritis and hip dysplasia

Glucosamine is also a normal component of the urinary bladder in dog's and cat's and may help to relieve urinary disorders.

MSM (methyl-sulfonyl-methane) is a natural source of sulfur that works along with Glucosamine to help protect the health and integrity of your dog's bones, joints and cartilage.

Essential Fatty Acid Supplements for Your Dog
Essential Fatty Acids are vital to life and support all bodily functions in your dog. They help to keep cell membranes soft and pliable, so your pet's cells can absorb dietary nutrients. They enhance your dog's skin and hair coat and are needed for the normal development of the nervous system and brain.

Fatty Acids are vital to brain health and help to preserve mental clarity. They decrease the risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia in dogs, cats and people. Fatty Acids may reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure, as well as provide therapeutic effects in your dog for:

Arthritis
Lupus
Inflammatory bowel disease
Cancer therapy
Kidney disorders

Flea allergies, food intolerances and bacterial skin infections can often be relieved by providing your dog with fatty acid supplements.

The proper balance of Fatty Acids helps to reduce wear and tear on your dog's body by decreasing stress triggered increases in cholesterol and the stress hormone Cortisol. Research indicates that the ratio of 5:1 of Omega 6 to Omega 3 Fatty Acids seems to provide the greatest clinical benefits, surpassing that of any individual Fatty Acid alone.

Amino Acid Supplements for Your Dog
Glutamine is the most abundant Amino Acid in the body. It is the major energy source for the cells that line the digestive system and strengthens your dog's natural defense system known as the immune system.

Glutamine promotes healing of the digestive system thereby reducing bowel disorders. It spares protein and reduces muscle loss during periods of injury, stress and high endurance activities. Therefore it is especially beneficial for pets recovering from trauma and for working and show dogs.

Glutamine also has many anti-aging effects. It helps to preserve memory and to prevent the harmful effects of Cortisol, the hormone that is responsible for accelerating the aging process in people and in your dog.

Digestive Enzyme Supplements for Your Dog
Digestive Enzymes are produced by the salivary glands, stomach, pancreas and liver and are released into the digestive tract. Enzymes help your dog's body to breakdown proteins, fats and carbohydrates in his food so they can be absorbed and utilized.

Your dog's production of enzymes naturally decreases with increasing age. Illnesses, stress, food intolerances, allergies and drugs like antibiotics also have a negative affect on enzyme production and function. This can result in a variety of digestive disturbances ranging from flatulence and gas to diarrhea, life threatening dehydration and malnutrition.

Digestive Enzymes are vital to maintain your dog's overall health. They improve the efficiency of digestion so your pet's body can utilize the nutrients essential for energy production and ultimately for life itself.

They help the body to recover from disease and promote restoration of good health in your dog. Enzymes are useful to reduce pain and swelling after exercise or trauma and help speed up recovery rates. Enzymes support your dog's immune system thereby enhancing his ability to ward off disease and infection. They have been also been used effectively in cancer therapy for people and pets.

Papain is an enzyme that has aspirin-like effects to decrease swollen, painful inflamed tissues in your dog. Bromelain is an enzyme found in pineapple stems that inhibits the spread of lung cancer in mice.

Digestive Enzyme supplements may be beneficial in dogs with digestive problems, immune disorders including rheumatoid arthritis and arthritis, cancer and a variety of bowel disorders. They are especially useful in older dogs with reduced digestive ability.

The Anti-Aging "A" Supplement List For Your Dog:

Vitamin A/Beta Carotene: Antioxidant enhances immunity, essential for your dog to utilize protein in his diet
Vitamin C: Antioxidant, needed for tissue growth and repair, enhances immunity, needed for your dog's body to utilize Vitamin E.
Vitamin E: Antioxidant, prevents heart disease, promotes wound healing, needed for your dog's body to utilize Vitamin C.
B-Complex Vitamins: As a group, B vitamins help your dog to maintain healthy nerves, skin and muscle.
Coenzyme Q-10: A powerful, newly discovered antioxidant. Essential for immune function, beneficial in heart disease and gum/dental disease for your dog.
Alpha Lipoic Acid: Antioxidant. Helps your dog to restore energy metabolism.
Selenium: Antioxidant. Works with Vitamin E to help your dog fight infection. Beneficial to dog's skin and hair coats. Deficiencies linked to cancer and heart disease.
Zinc: Essential mineral your dog needs for protein synthesis, promotes healthy immune system, aids wound healing. Critical for hundreds of biological processes in the body.
Omega 3 & 6 Fatty Acids: Essential component of cell membranes in your dog and is needed for healthy heart, brain function and skin and hair coats.
Bioflavinoids: Enhances absorption of Vitamin C, has antioxidant effects and promotes normal blood circulation for your dog.
Glucosamine and MSM: Promotes normal healthy bones, joints and cartilage for your dog.
Digestive Enzymes: Essential for your dog to utilize and absorb nutrients from his/her diet.
Melatonin: Immune modulator, antioxidant, triggers restful sleep for your dog.
Ginseng: A metabolic tonic to promote brain health and overall wellness for your dog.
L-Glutamine: Amino acid needed for your dog to energize the cells of his digestive system so dietary nutrients can be properly absorbed and utilized.
Colostrum: The first milk your puppy receives from his mother. Provides your dog with antibodies to protect him against disease and aid immune function.
Exercise: 20 minutes twice a day minimum for your dog.
Balanced, natural diet: Feed your dog at least two meals daily. Fresh organic and natural sources are best.
Relaxation: Stress and anxiety affect pets and people adversely. Set aside an hour a day to relax and enjoy your dog. Consider massage, yoga and music.
Positive mental attitude: The mind-body connection is a potent promoter of well-being for you and your dog.
Pure water: Fresh, non-chlorinated water is essential for people and for your dog.

You have recently welcomed a new cute and cuddly puppy into your home. A healthy diet is essential for a long, happy life together. What things do you need to consider when selecting your puppy dog's diet? Always talk to your vet about a proper puppy dog diet. Remember that a puppy dog's diet is not the same as an adult dog's diet. Avoid a trip to the grocery store to grab a bag of adult dog food to feed your pet. This will not meet the nutritional needs of a healthy puppy dog diet.

You can choose to feed your new puppy one of several options. Natural and organic puppy dog diets have become more popular in recent years. Some pet owners prefer to feed a raw diet to their puppy. Most people choose to use kibble as the main component of the puppy dog's diet. For this reason, I will focus primarily on this choice.

As you wean the puppy, a high-quality puppy food with tiny kibble is best. A puppy dog's diet should include all the essential vitamins to create a healthy diet for excellent growth. Feed your new puppy three or four times a day. Your puppy dog's diet should consist of puppy food moisten with water. Do not moisten the puppy food with milk. The milk acts as a laxative in your puppy dog's diet. The water will create a softer, more palatable cuisine for your pet.

As the new puppy grows and becomes accustomed to eating the kibble as a regular part of his or her diet, you will want to gradually decrease the amount of water. If you plan to feed dry dog food in the future, expect to transition the dog's diet earlier than later. Continuing to moisten the dog food may make transition more difficult later in life. By six weeks of age, your puppy dog's diet can be solid kibble.

Your puppy should be permitted all the kibble he or she wants during the initial phase of the weaning process. Make sure you present the puppy the new diet of puppy food at regular times. Around five months of age, your puppy dog's diet should decrease to only two feeding time's per day. By this time, you should establish a specific quantity of food per day to ensure a healthy diet and weight for your dog.

Talk to your vet about how much to feed your new puppy. All puppies look cute, round and cuddly at some point during their first few months. It can be difficult to know when your puppy is overweight. Your veterinarian will help to advise you on this issue. It is a good idea to open up the door of communication between you and your vet now. Both vet and owner only want what is best for the new puppy.

Feeding your new puppy a healthy diet does not have to be difficult. Talk to your vet for advice and information. Always choose a quality food as the main source of nutrition in your puppy dog's diet. A healthy diet for your puppy will set the stage for a healthy dog in the years to come.

Have you ever wondered why dog food comes in this huge bag filled with tiny kibbles of compressed unknown ingredients? Much of what goes into dog food is not high-quality in nature. Blood meal, bone meal, and fat frequently come from animal carcasses containing potentially harmful drugs or disease. Is it time to consider something better for your dog's diet?

Before marketing and advertisers took over the world of big business, what did dog's eat? We take a look at how dog's in the wild gain adequate nutrition. A wolf, for example, survives from a kill. The contents of the animals stomach are eaten first. Doing this, the wolf takes in grains and vegetables, as well as, enzymes needed for good nutrition. Next, the wolf devours the meat and some bones. Protein and calcium have now been added to the diet. This natural diet in the wilderness has been effective in maintaining quality health over the years. Unlike the domesticated dogs of today, such animals generally have excellent immune systems.

When your dog's diet consists primarily of unhealthy animals, can you not assume that your dog will become unhealthy, as well? Today, veterinarians have seen more health problems with dogs than ever before.

The natural raw diet feeds the immune system of your pet. Your dog's diet will contain natural foods that provide the body what it needs to repair itself and perform at its best.

The raw diet is prepared one time a day. It is not complicated and well worth the time and effort to ensure the excellent health of your dog. Always consult your vet before altering your dog's diet. The raw dog diet has helped many dog's combat health issues such as arthritis, skin problems, and weight trouble.

Ingredients of the raw diet include meat, veggies, and grains. Approximately half of the diet is meat. Vegetables, fruit, and grain cover the rest.

When preparing the dog's diet, feed the dog about the same amount of the raw dog diet as you would kibble. This is a good starting point. From here, you can adjust the diet as necessary to meet your dog's specific needs.

Contact a local butcher to purchase ground turkey, for example. Each day prepare a bowl of 50% raw ground
Turkey with some wet oats. Juice some vegetables such as carrots and swiss chard and add the juice to the mix.

Juicing the vegetables helps to digest the enzymes for your pet. This is similar to the wolf consuming the contents from a stomach. Your dog's diet will need a variety of different vegetables daily to maximize the potential for best vitamins and nutrients.

Carrots should always be the base and alter other veggies daily. The carrots will regularly supply potassium, calcium, vitamin A, B, C, D, and E. Greens offer vitamin A, C, and chlorophyll. Apples are good for vitamin C.

Certain veggies have healing properties. Kale, for instance, helps to remedy digestive disorders. Watercress and mustard greens help to cleanse the intestines. Parsley helps the metabolism and thyroid. Celery has numerous advantages. It helps with chemical imbalances, blood flow, and is a natural diuretic. Beets are good for the blood. They offer copper and manganese.

Some foods to avoid include broccoli, cabbage, and turnips. These create intestinal gas. Cucumbers, onions, and potatoes do not digest well in a dog's diet.

Flaxseed is a fabulous addition to the raw diet to encourage healthy joints and coat. The omega 6 and 3 fatty acids help with such conditions.

The raw diet for your dog can combat several health issues. The natural diet allows your dog to eat what nature intended. You know what foods are in your dog's diet. The raw diet is high in quality and healthy for your pet.

You hate to admit it, but your furry pal is getting a little older. You want to ensure that your pet is happy and healthy for many years to come. You have heard all of the hype about the new dog diets for older pets. Is there really a difference between dog food for adult dogs and kibble recommended specifically for seniors? How do you know when to switch your pet to a different diet?

The best resource for information about dog diets is your pet's veterinarian. Only you and your vet know the specific needs of your pet the best. Discuss with your vet your concerns and questions. He or she will be able to advise you on what changes, if any, need to be made to your dog's diet.

If your older dog does not have any health problems and maintains a healthy weight, there is no need to change your dog's diet from adult to senior dog food. On the other hand, if your dog has trouble keeping the weight off or digestive issues, you may need to switch. If weight is the only issue, consider slightly lowering the amount of dog food you give to your pet. This may be all the change your dog's diet requires.

A senior dog is classified as a dog in the last third of their life span. Larger dogs, for instance a Great Dane, live to be about 9 years old. Around the sixth year of life, you may want to consider a senior dog's diet. A poodle, on the other hand wouldn't reach senior status until
About age ten due to the longer life expectancy. Primarily, the decision to change your dog's diet should be based on health condition rather than actual age in years. Your vet will help you to determine when the right time is to alter your dog's diet.

Dog food especially prepared for senior dogs typically has less calories. This helps to combat any weight issues. The senior dog food also contains more fiber for the different needs in your dog's diet. As dogs age, they tend to suffer from constipation. This extra fiber will help remedy this problem.

Renal failure can be another medical problem for senior dogs. How can your dog's diet help this problem? Reducing the amount of protein in your dog's diet will decrease the work load for the kidneys. For this reason, senior dog food frequently has lower protein content than regular adult formulas.

Whenever possible, allow your dog to eat dry dog food to encourage excellent dental health. The dry kibble helps to reduce plaque and tartar buildup. If your older pet refuses to eat the food dry, you may need to moisten it with water or purchase moist, canned varieties.

If your vet recommends, supplements may be helpful as part of your senior dog's diet. Some pets are unable to eat properly due to oral issues. Other older pets are unable to gather all of the nutrients from their food for various health reasons. Supplements such as daily vitamins and glucosamine can be beneficial to maintaining a healthy diet for your dog.

Glucosamine helps to encourage joint health. For senior dogs, glucosamine can combat arthritis and hip displasia.

Vitamins C, A, and E may prevent the natural aging process and encourage better health for senior dogs. Talk to your vet about adding such supplements to your dog's diet.

You want what is best for your pet. Your senior dog needs to have a diet that meets their special nutritional requirements. You and your vet can work together to decide what is the best diet for your senior dog. Your dog's diet directly affects his or her health. Take care of your pet by monitoring your dog's diet closely with the aid of your veterinarian.

Did you know that most food that is fed to dogs today has extremely low nutritional content? If you feed your dog commercial dog food, you may be slowly killing your dog. Perhaps you think this is a little dramatic? Think again. If humans are fed a diet of unhealthy foods, they probably won't show any adverse signs for quite some time. But fed over many years, people will become sluggish, sick, and eventually die from degenerative diseases much earlier than they would otherwise pass from this life.

The same goes for dogs.

All commercial dog food which is extruded (cooked) at very high temperatures cannot be anything but bad for our dogs, whose natural diet in the wild is mainly fresh, raw meat. Even after dogs became domesticated, and then kept as pets, for decades they were fed home cooked food and table scraps, before anyone thought of commercialising dog food and selling cans of mush, or pieces of highly questionable biscuit-looking food called "kibble".

Dogs used to live longer than they do now.

Examine baked and kibbled foods for the presence of burned spots on the biscuits. The presence of large numbers of burned biscuits indicates that the food has been cooked at such high temperatures that the nutritients are likely to be almost non-existent.

On the other hand, if dry products are damp, soft or stale, it means that they have been improperly processed, become damp in transit, become damp during storage, or that they are old.

Dry products that become damp quickly deteriorate from the action of mold and eventually bacteria. Sometimes the only indication that mold is beginning to attack a dry food is the musty odor smelled when a bag is opened. At other times it may be seen as a white, hairy beard or a bluish-green or black velvety coating over the food. Any food found to be moldy should be destroyed immediately and never fed to dogs.

Does any of this sound like food you would eat yourself???

If not, then even though it's labelled as "dog food" and could possibly have some form of nutritional content (if you're lucky), why feed such substandard rubbish to your dog? It really can be harmful over the long term. Why else do you think so many dogs suffer from degenerative diseases like heart disease, cancer, kidney failure, and more? These diseases were previously unknown in companion animals. Now they're commonplace. And the increase in incidence of these degenerative diseases in dogs and other animals has occurred in direct proportion to the practise of giving pets raw food or table scraps, to giving them commercial pet food.

The answer?

Feed your dog a raw, or primarily raw, fresh food diet. The large part of the food should, of course, be meat. If you're not a fan of raw food, then by all means give your dog home cooked food, made from premium ingredients which you would use for your own food. Of course, you can give your dog all the fat and offcuts from the meat that you don't want. Dogs need some fat (unlike us!)

And if you really need the convenience of a pre-prepared dog food, then go for a top quality dog food – NOT one of the commercial brands found on your supermarket, or even pet store shelves. Even many vets have no idea about correct animal nutrition, believe it or not, and promote commercial dog foods that are peddled to them as "premium" food, when they're nothing of the kind.

How do you know what a superior quality dog food is? Check for both the ingredients and the method of cooking. The ingredients should be primarily meat – not meat byproducts, a small proportion only of grains of all types, and preferably some fresh vegetables, fruit or herbs. As for the cooking method – the lower the heat, the better. Don't go for anything that has been extruded (which is most kibble), or canned at high temperatures. If the method of cooking is not stated, then make further enquiries of the manufacturer, or go for one that does state the cooking method – freeze dried or baked are acceptable.

When you bring the new puppy home, the first thing you will want to do is feed him. What kind of food do you use? What are his nutritional requirements? Will he like what you give him? Make sure your vet is involved in his diet planning.
Make sure the dog's food is healthy and tasty. Try to find something for the stage of life he is in. For example, if he is a puppy, buy him puppy food. Decide on what you are going to feed him before you bring him home. This prevents last minute decisions that might not be healthy for your pet.
Dry food is quite popular. It is easy to store and usually tastes great. It is also good for helping keep the teeth clean.
Soft and moist food are great for your dog to eat because he will eat most of the food and get the added nutrition.
Canned food have the highest water content. These also contain less nutrition, so you may need to feed your dog more than usual to equal out the nutrition they may need.
Look at the levels of vitamins and crude materials on the label. Is there enough fat, protein, calories and other nutrients? Is the food tasty and is the price too expensive? These are things to consider when buying puppy food.
If your dog becomes finicky and will only eat certain things, this is sometimes due to change in diet. Allow the dog time to adjust. If he still won't eat, try a new food. If he still doesn't cooperate, you may need to take him to the vet for a checkup to make sure nothing is wrong.
Some people feed their dogs from the table. This is like in between meal snacking and kills th dog's appetite for when it is time for him to eat his food. Avoid feeding the dog off the table.

A healthy puppy should be clear-eyed, somewhat roly-poly, loose-skinned, free from any skin trouble, hungry for its meals, and lively. It should not be timid or shy.

If the puppy seems warm or sleepy most of the time, ask one of your parents to take its temperature. A dog's temperature normally is between 38 and 39 degrees Celsius. If its temperature rises above 39 degrees, call your veterinarian.

When you buy your puppy, ask what shots it has received and when it got them. If it has not received shots to prevent distemper, infectious hepatitis, leptospirosis, and rabies. take it immediately to a veterinarian to have them. Then get yearly boosters.You should also find out whether your puppy has been wormed. Most puppies have worms at some time.

For the first few days, you should feed your puppy the same diet as the owners did. If you wish to change the diet, do so gradually. Each day, feed a little of the new food mixed with the old.

Puppies 6 to 10 weeks old maybe fed 4 times a day. From 10 weeks to 6 months, 3 times a day should be enough. After 6 months, twice daily will serve. And after 1 year, once a day-plus a biscuit for breakfast-is ample.

Meat should be the main part of your dog's diet. Fresh, canned, or frozen beef or horsemeat are good choices. It is not necessary to cook the meat, but it should be served at room temperature. With the meat, mix a dog meal or kibbled biscuit soaked in hot water, soup, or milk. You can get the meal or biscuit in the supermarket, feed store, or pet shop. Puppies need vitamins and minerals, and your veterinarian can give you vitamin tablets that your dog will enjoy chewing.

Other foods you may safely give your dog are well-cooked chicken, lamb, beef hearts, liver, and leafy vegetables. Hard biscuits of the right size for the dog's mouth and dog candy will be appreciated too. A little cooked rice or dry toast may help the dog in illness or when it is recovering.

A puppy loses its baby teeth when it is between 4 and 5 months. It will be grateful for beef hide or rawhide strips to chew. You can buy them at supermarkets and pet shops. These strips are also very helpful in keeping the puppy from chewing your shoes and the furniture. Pet shops and markets also carry special hard marrow bones that help in teething and in keeping the new teeth clean and healthy.

Leave a bowl of water so that your dog can have a drink at any time-but remove the supply of water at 5 or 6 PM when you're housebreaking a puppy. This will help the puppy go through the night without mistake.