It is important to make sure that the choke collar fits the dog, so be sure if you’re able, to take the dog into the pet store to size him correctly and make sure that he has the right collar. Drop the chain through one of the loops on the choke chain, and make sure that the loop is large enough to go over your dog’s head. Next, you want to be sure that you have put it on correctly. With you looking down at the back of the dog’s head, make sure that the collar forms a ‘p’ as it loops around the dog’s neck. ‘P’ for puppy. This way the collar will tighten and loosen as needed, where the opposite way will have it locking when it tightens.

Before starting your walk, practice within your yard, keeping the collar up high on the dog’s neck. The underneath should be up under the chin, not down low on the front of the throat. Next, make sure that when you leave the house, you are the first out the door and first into the door. The dog is never to walk ahead of you always next to you, and never in front of you. A leader leads, does not follow and if your dog is leading, then naturally, it will see itself as the top dog.

As you walk, stay calm…relaxed…don’t tense up. Using short jerks on the leash to get your dog’s attention, (not hard enough to cause harm) to get him to walk where you want. When you stop, he stops…when you walk, he walks. As he becomes more accustomed to the way of things, expand your area and take him further. Again…the keys here are a properly fitting choke collar…the collar being put on correctly…and the handler remaining calm. You don’t have to yell, holler, scream or shout to train your dog. In fact…you should keep your commands to one word. And never use the animal’s name in a derogatory or disciplining manner. You want his name to be a good thing, not represent punishment or anger.

Ready to try out a choke collar? We have various sizes here:
View choke collars

Contact us if you need assistance choosing the correct size for your dog.

Water weighs about 8 lbs. per gallon. With the tank and gravel, figure about 10 lbs. per gallon. So, a 10 gallon tank will weigh about 100 lbs.

If you find something strong enough to hold your aquarium, you will want to make sure that it is also very flat. If the surface under the tank is warped – or not completely flat – you may get a pressure crack in the glass of your aquarium. This happens when the tank tries to bend to conform to an uneven surface and cracks.

A good way to check the surface is to set the tank up empty. Then, try to wobble the tank from corner to corner. If it does not wobble much, or less than 1/16 of an inch, then it is probably OK. If you see a gap that is more than 1/16 of an inch, you may want to shim it, or get something different to put your tank on. If you shim, use thin plastic that can’t be compressed.

It is always best to use an aquarium stand for tanks larger than 10 gallons. This is the safest thing for your aquarium.

Related products of benefit to your pet:
Fish Aquarium Stands

Sometimes fleas are difficult to see on your pet. A good way to check for fleas is to part the fur on your pet’s back and look down to the skin. You may actually see a flea or two.

If you don’t see any fleas, you may see little black flecks that look like dirt which may be flea droppings. To be sure, take some of these and put them on white paper with a little water. If the paper turns red these are flea droppings. Your pet probably has fleas.

Then it is time to use one of the good flea treatments for your pet to eliminate these little parasites.

Related products of benefit to your pet:
Flea , Tick, Worm & Parasite Products

Watching the fish can have a calming effect on these kids. As they watch the fish, they will get interested in them and can learn about both fish and nature. Also, listening to the hum of the filter or the water moving across the top of the water can be soothing.  Taking care of an aquarium is also a good way to teach responsibility for kids.

So get your kids involved with the care and enjoyment of your fish aquarium, and let them enjoy the benefits of have an aquarium in your home!

Chinchillas must be kept relatively cool; that is, not in too warm an environment.  They do not do well if they are kept too warm. Also, it is important to avoid getting their fur wet or to allow it to remain wet if it does get wet. Their fur will mildew if not kept dry.

A chinchilla has very thin, hollow bones, so you will want to exercise caution when handling them. When you pick out a cage, find a cage that is tall, as they like to jump up and down onto different levels.

Never feed them nuts as a treat, but they do like raisins and raisins are okay to feed them.  Put a container with the chinchilla dust bath in their cage about once a week. They love to take a dust bath.

Chinchillas can make a good pet. Just give them proper care, and they will do well.

If you have a cat or a dog, and your pet maybe is getting on in years, you may notice that your pet has put on a few pounds. Dogs and cats, as they age, slow down in metabolism and are just not as active.  Their slower metabolism combined with less activity may cause them to gain weight. Just like with us humans, too much weight gain can be very bad for your pet. With a lot of dog breeds, such as dachshunds, and other long bodied breeds, the back and spine can be hurt with extra weight around the middle.  Extra fat on dogs and cats can cause many health problems.  A little extra weight may not hurt much, but a lot of extra weight can be very damaging.

Try to limit your pet’s food intake by feeding a set amount of food, rather than feeding an unlimited amount.  If your pet is older, there are many senior, low fat , foods that can be fed. Try to avoid table scraps, as they can cause your pet to become a little heavy.  Even if your pet is not old, you can find lower fat, lower calorie foods for them.  There are even special feeding bowls to help slow down your dog’s eating.

SLOW FEEDING BOWL MED

SLOW FEEDING BOWL LRG

SLOW FEEDING BOWL JUMBO

Aside from the normal de-chlorinating products that you would use to get chlorine out of the water, you will want to use a bacterial enzyme product to help get the pond clean. This is especially important for ponds that have been full of water over the winter. They will be dirty, and in need of cleaning.  After you physically clean out leaves, siphon dirt out, and change or clean the filter pads, then you will want to add some of the bacterial enzyme product to your water.

A product such as ECO Microbe Lift will create a healthy pond environment. It helps reduce ammonia and nitrogen levels. It contains bacteria which help clarify cloudy water.  It improves dissolved oxygen levels, and digests organic sludge, thus reducing the frequency of cleaning needed.  It reduces buildup of waste from fish and food and it breaks down dead algae.

A similar product is APH Pond Eco Fix, which is a bacterial pond clarifier. This product is a good one to use after you have treated your pond for any kind of algae killer. This will break down dead algae, and increase oxygen levels in your pond.

In short, it is important to use a good bacterial pond product on a regular basis to help keep your pond healthy.

Some useful pond maintenance products include:

Pond Microbial Algae Cleaner

Pondzyme Pond Cleaner

Pond Sludge Reducer

ECO Microbe-Lift Bacteria

A lot of reptiles will need a certain spectrum of light that contains UVA and UVB light.  UVA is long wave ultraviolet and is of significant importance for reptiles. UVB  stands for medium wave ultraviolet B, and is the most important for reptile purposes.

In the wild, most reptiles synthesize their vitamin D3 from the UVB component of sunlight. Vitamin D3 is essential for the effective metabolism of dietary calcium in reptiles.

Carnivorous and omnivorous reptiles get a high amount of their vitamin D3 requirement from their food. However, plants do not contain D3 – instead they contain D2, which is far less efficient in calcium metabolism than D3. Herbivorous reptiles are therefore far more dependent upon the quantity and quality of artificial lighting than carnivorous reptiles.

If inadequate vitamin D3 is available , the animal will rapidly develop the condition known as Metabolic Bone Disease.  In this condition, bone density suffers and various other serious problems occur.  Symptoms include swelling, lethargy, general weakness, tremors, and softening of the shell in turtles and tortoises.

So, in general, if you are keeping a vegetable eating reptile, you will want to make sure that you are using a light with fairly high UVB levels. A light that has a UVB rating of 5, 8 or 10 is adequate for most plant eaters. Most of these bulbs will also have an adequate amount of UVA.  A good example of a reptile that needs a high UVB rating is an Iguana, as these are primarily vegetarian.

If you are keeping a carnivorous reptile, you won’t need as much UVB in the light.

Some good bulbs to use for reptile lighting include:

REPTISUN 2.0 FLUORESCENT 36-INCH

REPTISUN 5.0 FLUORESCENT 15-INCH

REPTISUN 5.0 FLUORESCENT 18-INCH

REPTISUN 5.0 FLUORESCENT 24-INCH

REPTISUN 10.0 FLUORESCENT 18-INCH

REPTISUN 10.0 FLUORESCENT 24-INCH

REPTISUN 10.0 FLUORESCENT 36-INCH

Puppies and kittens that do not get vaccinated soon enough can be exposed to some very dangerous diseases.  An un-vaccinated puppy will lose its mother’s immunity at around 5 or 6 weeks, and could then contract parvo, distemper, or other diseases, just by walking through the yard. These diseases can be life-threatening.

There are usually 3 sets of puppy and kitten vaccines.  They usually start at around 6-7 weeks of age, then should be vaccinated again about every 3-4 weeks.  At about 4 months of age, they should get their rabies vaccine, with their rabies tag.

After the puppies and kittens grow up, they then usually get an adult booster yearly.

Your vet will check your pet for worms and parasites, and will administer the proper product to get rid of these nasty parasites.  Some of the more common parasites that puppies and kittens get are: coccidia, roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms and fleas.  These are not usually life threatening, but they can cause your pet some trouble.

Cats love to scratch on things. They stretch in this way, and  it is important for them to have something to scratch. When you get a scratching post, or some cat furniture for your cat, you will want to make sure that your cat knows that it is for him or her. Put your cat on it, or spray the post with catnip, to help attract your cat. If you see your cat scratching on your furniture,  pick him or her up, and put them on the scratching post or their furniture.  Make sure that your cat knows that it is wrong to be scratching on your furniture.

Some good scratching posts include:

KITTY SISAL DOOR HANGER

KITTY CACTUS W/POM POM

KITTY CACTUS POST

KITTY CONDO 2 LEVEL

KITTY CONDO W/PERCH