DIY Network

Dr. Karen's Tips Information on crate training, clothing and exercising your dog From "Barkitecture" episode DBAR-106

Dr. Karen has some advice to offer the Honebrink family.

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Dr. Karen discusses crate training.

Crate training

Dr. Karen has some tips on crate training a puppy. Start training a puppy slowly and always with lots of positive reinforcement. This process creates a safe place for the puppy, somewhere they will always feel good to come to. Also, puppies tend not to dirty their own area, so this will also aid in housetraining. When introducing the dog to the crate, give them a soft blanket and some water. You can also include a toy. Dr. Karen recommends that you use a cone shaped rubber toy that you stuff with peanut butter and then freeze, this will keep the dogs entertained for hours. Let puppies out of the crate every few hours to stretch and do their business, but adult dogs can be kept in there for up to eight hours.

Greyhounds have little body fat and may need a sweater in the cold.

Dog Clothing

There are different types of clothing for dogs. Due to Lily's racing past, she is very used to wearing clothes. Lily has very little body fat therefore would benefit from a sweater during colder weather. Even during cold weather an exercising dog can overheat, so open bottomed outfits work best. The most important piece of clothing for a dog is their collar with ID tags.

Exercise

Exercise is great for your dog! It provides a lot of health benefits. Exercise keeps the heart fit, the muscles toned and it keeps those joints rich in nutrients. There are a lot of different ways to exercise. You can take animals out for a walk, you can throw Frisbees or you can throw the ball to them. There are a couple of important things to know though. One thing is that dogs should warm up before any vigorous exercise activity. They can warm up by walking or you can actually do stretches with them. The second thing is when you exercise your dog you don't want to start out with a real hard exercise. Don't take him out jogging three miles the first time. Gradually increase the amount every day. If you have a dog in a crate, they are going to be pretty stiff from being cramped up all day...so those dogs are going to need a little more warm up.

RESOURCES :

Greyhound Pets of America
Website: www.greyhoundpets.org

The American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
Website: www.aspca.org

Petfinder.com
Website: www.petfinder.com