6 winter exercise tips for your dog

Yes, it’s cold outside, and the number of daylight hours is short, but your dog does not hibernate, and it’s important that your dog get daily exercise. Vital for a dog’s physical and mental wellness, exercise is also a crucial part of the relationship between Pack Leader—you—and dog. On those days when bad weather makes walks impractical, you can still give your pup the exercise she needs with these six ideas for great winter exercise.

1. Play a game with your dog. 
Hide-and-seek is a wonderful way to get your dog up and moving and mentally engaged. You can hide a treat or her favorite toy, but it’s better to make her come find you. Start by throwing a treat to get her to go away from you, and then hide in another part of the house. This game can really tire your pup out as she rushes around searching, and it’s good for reinforcing the “come” command.

2. Challenge your dog’s nose. 
Dogs have incredibly powerful scenting abilities, so exercises that require your pal to use her nose are especially stimulating. Make her work for her dinner by creating an obstacle course she has to get through to find her food. Hide her meal in a box, or, better yet, put it in a Kong Wobbler or a Buster Ball.

3. Dog treadmills and indoor walking. 
There are treadmills on the market designed specifically for dogs. But if you cannot afford one of these, use a human treadmill—but take the right precautions. Spend a few days familiarizing your dog with how it works. Use a slow speed and stand in front of the treadmill with a treat. Over three or four days, slowly increase the speed and the amount of time your pup spends on the treadmill. Work up to the same amount of time you normally spend on walks.

4. Sign your dog up for a class. 
Sign up for an indoor agility or swimming class. Flyball provides good exercise, and a class comes with the added benefits of allowing your dog to socialize and boosting her mental agility by learning something new. Also, many cities have facilities with doggie swimming pools.

5. Practice targeting.
Being indoors gives you a great opportunity to practice targeting with your dog. Teach her to touch her nose to the back of your hand on command; this will make her focus on a target. It’s a great exercise because it gives you an activity you can do together. And once your pup has learned how to do this, you can use it whenever you want her to stop what she’s doing and focus. For example, if you’re out walking and she becomes excited when she sees another dog, you can use targeting to redirect her attention. Plus, your dog can’t bark when she’s touching her nose to your hand!

6. Don’t be a wimp…get outdoors!
 Most bigger dogs love snow, and they can get a great workout by plowing through it. Spend 30 to 40 minutes in the snow, and your dog will get a workout that leaves her exhausted—and her muscles toned. When you come in, be sure to wash your dog’s paws to clean off any salt. 

If you're looking for pet supplies, pet stores, pet friendly hotels or dog friendly restaurants, specialty veterinarians, animal rescue, pet adoption, pet sitters and pet sitting, pet services, pet friendly services, dog parks and cat friendly bed and breakfast inns, etc- for all types of pets, birds, fish, dogs, cats, horses, reptiles, rabbits, sheep and goat, farm animals, small pets and pocket pets, etc- visit our site. It has all the free pet information and pet links you will ever need for your pet. And is totally free for anyone to use!

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Learn About Your New Kitten

A new kitten can be a magical time for the whole family, but a pet is a big commitment that requires a lot of time, effort and love. The good news is you'll be repaid tenfold with a lifelong loving companion.


With this in mind, there's a lot to think about when you welcome a new kitten into your home. For starters, there's making sure you choose the best type of breed for your family. Then there's safety - checking that your house is safe for your kitten is an important first step.


Stepping into a new family can be a stressful situation for your kitten as well. New faces, new animals, and sometimes a new climate can take its toll. That's why it's important you consider the gradual introduction of your kitten to each of the elements of its new home.

Tips for bringing a new kitten home and settling them as quickly as possible.
Here are a few pointers on welcoming your new family member:

• Bring your kitten home at the start of a weekend. This means you’ll be able to spend more time with your pet and she/ he can meet everybody.
• Ask your breeder not to feed your kitten before you pick her/ him up. This will prevent kittens feeling car sick on the way to their new home.
• Give your pet her/ his first meal after she/ he is settled into her new home. This way, kittens will learn to depend on you.
• For the first few days, leave your kitten in a quiet place and slowly introduce her/ him to the other rooms in your house.
• Introduce your kitten to as many people as possible. This helps kittens lessen their fear of strangers.
• Choose a name for your kitten and start using it often. Always call her/ him by name when you feed her/ him so she/ he becomes familiar with it.

Learning as much as possible about your new kitten is the best first step to a long and rewarding relationship. 

If you're looking for pet supplies, pet stores, pet friendly hotels or dog friendly restaurants, specialty veterinarians, animal rescue, pet adoption, pet sitters and pet sitting, pet services, pet friendly services, dog parks and cat friendly bed and breakfast inns, etc- for all types of pets, birds, fish, dogs, cats, horses, reptiles, rabbits, sheep and goat, farm animals, small pets and pocket pets, etc- visit our site. It has all the free pet information and pet links you will ever need for your pet. And is totally free for anyone to use!

Don't forget to "Like" us on Facebook (and receive a special gift) and you can also follow us on Twitter. Did you hear us on Atomic Dog Radio? Click here to listen to the show and our interview. Let us know what you think. Did you see our commercials? Visit us on You Tube and Tell a friend!

Pet Businesses- please update or add your information. - To edit and/or update your information Click here: http://www.barleyslist.org/. It is a good idea to go to BarleysList.org frequently and update your profile. There are no fees or memberships to sign up for. This service is free to all users and is designed to connect pet owners to pet related businesses. If you are having any trouble with the site please email me or call me directly toll free at Liz@BarleysList.org or 877-78BARLEY. This site is for pet related businesses only.

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How To Protect Koi Fish Pond From Predators- 10 Pond Fish Care Tips

Koi fish predators are everywhere when it comes to koi ponds but how do you keep and protect your koi fish from predators. First off some koi predators are raccoons, snakes, frogs, cats, kingfishers and the worst predator of all the blue heron. All of these predators pose some risk to your koi but what can a pond owner do to protect koi from being eaten.

The first thing to protecting your koi from predators is getting to know the predator themselves. One thing that a raccoon is afraid of is deep water as they usually fish in rivers from a log or in shallow water. What a koi owner can do is when planning your pond at the beginning is to make sure you leave steep edges that will help stop or prevent racoons from fishing for your koi and help keep your koi fish safe from predators.

The worst koi fish predator of all is the blue heron. Herons can literally wipe out a whole pond before you even know they were there. These birds look magnificent but to me it’s my worst nightmare being a koi breeder myself. I’ve seen these herons try and come eat my koi on a daily basis multiple times a day. The good thing is that there are certain things koi pond owners can do to help protect their koi fish from predators.

1. Set up pond netting over your garden pond to protect your koi fish.
2. Place koi castles or tunnels in the pond so they can have a place to hide.
3. Set up a scarecrow sprinkler system that’s motion activated that scares those nasty little koi fish predators.
4. Set up fishing line spaced very close together. Once the birds feet hit the fishing line it scares them away.
5. Install a floating alligator head or hippo in your pond as this will scare pond predators away.
6. Install koi decoy in pond that will help protect your koi fish and give them a chance.
7. Install a Garden Defence Electronic Owl that will help deter pond predators from coming and eating your koi fish.
8. Install a Heron decoy that will help deter herons from stopping by your koi fish pond.
9. Get a dog! Your pet would one of the best ways to keep wildlife away from your pond. Hopefully he’ll stay out of it too!
10. Buy yourself a ultrasonic sound device that sends noise only wildlife can hear. This will keep pond predators away too. Animal Away is a great animal control product that works well.

If you're looking for pet supplies, pet stores, pet friendly hotels or dog friendly restaurants, specialty veterinarians, animal rescue, pet adoption, pet sitters and pet sitting, pet services, pet friendly services, dog parks and cat friendly bed and breakfast inns, etc- for all types of pets, birds, fish, dogs, cats, horses, reptiles, rabbits, sheep and goat, farm animals, small pets and pocket pets, etc- visit our site. It has all the free pet information and pet links you will ever need for your pet. And is totally free for anyone to use!

Don't forget to "Like" us on Facebook (and receive a special gift) and you can also follow us on Twitter. Did you hear us on Atomic Dog Radio? Click here to listen to the show and our interview. Let us know what you think. Did you see our commercials? Visit us on You Tube and Tell a friend!

Pet Businesses- please update or add your information. - To edit and/or update your information Click here: http://www.barleyslist.org/. It is a good idea to go to BarleysList.org frequently and update your profile. There are no fees or memberships to sign up for. This service is free to all users and is designed to connect pet owners to pet related businesses. If you are having any trouble with the site please email me or call me directly toll free at Liz@BarleysList.org or 877-78BARLEY. This site is for pet related businesses only.

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How To Raise a Chicken As a Family Pet

Most people think of Chickens as backyard roamers, or maybe the next item on the dinner plate. But there is another way to own Chickens, and that way is raising them to be your companion. Many people find this hard to believe, but Chickens can be just as loyal as Dogs. They will sit in your lap, come when they hear their name, and even cuddle with you for hours straight. The story of my first Chickens began in September 2009. I never expected to have loved them as much as I do to this day, but things turned out to be what I never knew possible. Okay, so you're wondering why I haven't started explaining how to do it, right? That's because I wanted to tell you how mine turned out, and then, you'll have a look at how you can raise your Chickens to be some of the cuddliest in the world.

1. Let's say your Chick is a few days old. Of course it is very small and hasn't been handled much, so the first thing to do is to gently pick it up by hand. Make sure not to startle it. Place it on your lap, right below your shirt, and cover it with your hand. Rub its head and let it fall asleep in your shirt. Be sure not to do this when your Chick is newly hatched because it will need heat to dry up its down feathers in order to fluff up after being wet from the Egg. Continue to do this cycle on the first few days of caring for your Chick.
2. After a week or two, your Chick should develop some feathers. It should be lively and active enough for some playtime. You can pat your knees and call it by its name for it to come to you. My chick always ran happily to me and tried to jump into my lap.
3. At the age 4-5 weeks old, you can introduce your Chick to the outdoors. Make sure to provide a safe environment for your bird. Don't let it free until you trust it to know good from bad, and make sure there are no cats or dogs nearby that could harm it. Pick it up from the ground and sit somewhere safe where you and your bird can cuddle while it still gets the fresh air from being outside.
4. At the age 6-7 weeks old, your bird can stay outside if it is used to it. You should visit it daily with treats and Yogurt for good behavior. Sit it on your lap for a morning cuddle. Remember that at this stage of life, your Chick should be able to jump up to you perfectly well. Practice tricks to build the ultimate relationship with your bird.
5. At weeks 8+, your Chick should be used to its every day life. By this time, you can expect your Chick to love you more than anything else in the world. Morning cuddles, coming to its name, tricks and Treats- There is so much more to list. You'll be pleasantly surprised with your results. I actually put Chickens on the top of my 'Favorite Animals' list because I experienced something that, like I said, I never knew was possible.
Then by the time your Chicken is 21+ weeks old, depending on maturity,  it may get into mating. Expect your eggs around 25 weeks old. But that's a totally different story. Broody Hens, crowing Roosters- That won't matter that much when you live the life you are given with hand-raised, loving Chicks.

That's the way to raising your Chicks to become wonderful, loving, lap pets that you will always have by your side.

If you're looking for pet supplies, pet stores, pet friendly hotels or dog friendly restaurants, specialty veterinarians, animal rescue, pet adoption, pet sitters and pet sitting, pet services, pet friendly services, dog parks and cat friendly bed and breakfast inns, etc- for all types of pets, birds, fish, dogs, cats, horses, reptiles, rabbits, sheep and goat, farm animals, small pets and pocket pets, etc- visit our site. It has all the free pet information and pet links you will ever need for your pet. And is totally free for anyone to use!

Don't forget to "Like" us on Facebook (and receive a special gift) and you can also follow us on Twitter. Did you hear us on Atomic Dog Radio? Click here to listen to the show and our interview. Let us know what you think. Did you see our commercials? Visit us on You Tube and Tell a friend!

Pet Businesses- please update or add your information. - To edit and/or update your information Click here: http://www.barleyslist.org/. It is a good idea to go to BarleysList.org frequently and update your profile. There are no fees or memberships to sign up for. This service is free to all users and is designed to connect pet owners to pet related businesses. If you are having any trouble with the site please email me or call me directly toll free at Liz@BarleysList.org or 877-78BARLEY. This site is for pet related businesses only.

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From Wolf to Woof: The Evolution of Dogs

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- European hunter-gatherers domesticated wolves more than 18,000 years ago, with evolution turning them into today's dogs as household pets, U.S. scientists say.

DNA studies by researchers at UCLA showed domestic dogs were genetically grouped with ancient wolves or dogs from Europe, not with wolves found anywhere else in the world or even with modern European wolves, the university reported Friday.

"We found that instead of recent wolves being closest to domestic dogs, ancient European wolves were directly related to them," evolutionary biologist Robert Wayne said. "This brings the genetic record into agreement with the archaeological record. Europe is where the oldest dogs are found."

The researchers studied 10 ancient "wolf-like" animals and eight "dog-like" animals, mostly from Europe. All more than 1,000 years old, most were thousands of years old, and two were more than 30,000 years old. Dogs, they concluded, evolved from ancient wolves that inhabited Europe and are now extinct.

The domestication of predatory wolves likely occurred among ancient hunter-gatherer groups rather than as part of humans' development of sedentary, agricultural-based communities, the researchers said.

"The wolf is the first domesticated species and the only large carnivore humans ever domesticated," Wayne said. "Other wild species were domesticated in association with the development of agriculture and then needed to exist in close proximity to humans. This would be a difficult position for a large, aggressive predator. 

"But if domestication occurred in association with hunter-gatherers, one can imagine wolves first taking advantage of the carcasses that humans left behind -- a natural role for any large carnivore -- and then over time moving more closely into the human niche through a co-evolutionary process."

If you're looking for pet supplies, pet stores, pet friendly hotels or dog friendly restaurants, specialty veterinarians, animal rescue, pet adoption, pet sitters and pet sitting, pet services, pet friendly services, dog parks and cat friendly bed and breakfast inns, etc- for all types of pets, birds, fish, dogs, cats, horses, reptiles, rabbits, sheep and goat, farm animals, small pets and pocket pets, etc- visit our site. It has all the free pet information and pet links you will ever need for your pet. And is totally free for anyone to use!

Don't forget to "Like" us on Facebook (and receive a special gift) and you can also follow us on Twitter. Did you hear us on Atomic Dog Radio? Click here to listen to the show and our interview. Let us know what you think. Did you see our commercials? Visit us on You Tube and Tell a friend!

Pet Businesses- please update or add your information. - To edit and/or update your information Click here: http://www.barleyslist.org/. It is a good idea to go to BarleysList.org frequently and update your profile. There are no fees or memberships to sign up for. This service is free to all users and is designed to connect pet owners to pet related businesses. If you are having any trouble with the site please email me or call me directly toll free at Liz@BarleysList.org or 877-78BARLEY. This site is for pet related businesses only.

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5 Surprising Cat Facts

My love of knowledge has been a guide in my life and has taken me far from the Idaho dairy farm on which I grew up. It’s one of the reasons why travel has always been so important to me — I’ve been to more than 80 countries, and my wife and I have taken our children to many as well.
Even when I’m not in motion, I like to keep learning. And it should come as no surprise that much of what interests me has to do with pets. While the human-animal bond has always been of special interest to me, the fact is that the quirkier bits of trivia appeal to the perpetual student in me — particularly when it comes to cats.

The Element of Surprise
I love to surprise others, and I hope I catch you saying “I didn’t know that!” with these five crazy cat facts.
A cat’s tongue is magic. Well, not really. But it sure seems that way if you watch a slow-motion movie of a cat drinking water. A cat’s tongue breaks the surface of the water and returns to the mouth too quickly for the human eye to follow well, dragging a column of water up with it. The cat’s mouth then captures the water before gravity pulls it down. We know this because an engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology used one of the University’s specialized cameras to record the motion at 120 frames per second, then analyzed the result. The result was published in the prestigious journal Science in November 2010. MIT professor Roman Stocker told Wired magazine that this discovery could have implications when it comes to the design of robots.

Cats have more bones in a key part of their spine than people do. Cats have a combined 20 thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, compared with 17 in people. The number of bones in the mid-spine region accounts in part for the power and flexibility cats have when it comes to fast acceleration and leaping ability. Cats are capable of attaining speeds of more than 30 mph for very short distances — just a few yards — which is a perfect skill if you’re a stalk-and-pounce predator. And cats can jump several times their height, flying over fences to the disgust of many a cat-chasing dog. Their other anatomical oddity is a free-floating collarbone, which can enable a cat to fit through an opening the size of its whisker span. That is, unless he’s fat, which too many cats are these days.

 Some calico cats are male. Yes, I still hear people saying that all calico cats are female, along with tortoiseshell and related “dilute” versions (gray instead of black fur, and shades of yellow instead of bright orangey-red). If you were to make a bet that a calico is female, you would probably win, but there’s no guarantee: Approximately one calico in 3,000 is male, thanks to a genetic oddity known as “Klinefelter syndrome,” in which an animal has X and Y chromosomes, making it a male, but also has an extra X chromosome (which allows for the expression of the calico coat pattern). By the way, betting that an orange tabby is male isn’t as good a bet, for reasons I have previously explained.

Cat sex isn’t fun. That’s because the feline penis is barbed, with about 100 painful points that scrape the inside of the vagina during the mating process. That’s why female cats yowl in pain when they’re bred and why male cats are often smacked by the claws of their angry mate — she’s lashing out. Biologists believe the scraping in part works to remove the sperm of other males, but mostly what the pain does is stimulate the female to release a hormone that starts to ripen the eggs in her ovaries. The procedure is the same for lions and domestic cats — and every feline in between. It certainly tells you how powerful the mating urge must be for cats to reproduce despite a procedure that doesn’t seem particularly satisfying.

Kittens are born with blue eyes. In this, cats are like people. That’s because melanin, the substance that determines eye color, isn’t in full play at birth. The more you have of it, the darker your eyes, but that’s only part of the story. When babies open their eyes, the melanin in the irises starts to express itself, thanks to exposure to ultraviolet light. (When an animal is an albino, there is no melanin in the irises, which appear pink because of the blood vessels in the eye.) Cats have an astonishing range of eye color, from China blue to brown, with amber, green and hazel in between. Some cats have eyes of two different colors, and a few even have irises of two different colors. But they all start out with baby blues.

By Dr. Marty Becker, Vetstreet.com

If you're looking for pet supplies, pet stores, pet friendly hotels or dog friendly restaurants, specialty veterinarians, animal rescue, pet adoption, pet sitters and pet sitting, pet services, pet friendly services, dog parks and cat friendly bed and breakfast inns, etc- for all types of pets, birds, fish, dogs, cats, horses, reptiles, rabbits, sheep and goat, farm animals, small pets and pocket pets, etc- visit our site. It has all the free pet information and pet links you will ever need for your pet. And is totally free for anyone to use!

Don't forget to "Like" us on Facebook (and receive a special gift) and you can also follow us on Twitter. Did you hear us on Atomic Dog Radio? Click here to listen to the show and our interview. Let us know what you think. Did you see our commercials? Visit us on You Tube and Tell a friend!

Pet Businesses- please update or add your information. - To edit and/or update your information Click here: http://www.barleyslist.org/. It is a good idea to go to BarleysList.org frequently and update your profile. There are no fees or memberships to sign up for. This service is free to all users and is designed to connect pet owners to pet related businesses. If you are having any trouble with the site please email me or call me directly toll free at Liz@BarleysList.org or 877-78BARLEY. This site is for pet related businesses only.

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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of BarleysList.org.

Hilton Hotels Recently Launched Hilton: Pet Friendly

Hilton Hotels recently launched Hilton: Pet Friendly, a program designed to make traveling with pets easier. Beginning this summer, cats and dogs will be welcome at most Hilton Hotels & Resorts throughout the United States and Canada. Your best friend will not only be welcome, they’ll enjoy special amenities, too. It all starts at check-in where your furry friend receives a Creature Comfort welcome package. Plus, you can choose from a special menu of items available at the concierge desk to make your pet’s stay extra special – featuring walking trails, grooming services plus tips from Pet Shelters Across America.

Click here for a list of Hilton Creature Comforts.

To learn more about Hilton’s pet policy, guests can visit www.hilton.com/pets or contact the hotel at which they would like to stay for pet-specific information.

Article found at: http://www.petsacrossamerica.org/News_2.html