It’s not easy to recommend a dog breed to a friend. Everyone has a preference to the breed of dog that they want. Some may want a pure breed, other may want a mutt. So the thing to do to recommend a good dog breed to someone is that you need to know two things:

1. You must have an in-depth and personal experience with many different breeds. And more specifically, you must have multiple experiences with each breed. When you’ve been training dogs professionally for about 10 years, you’ve seen pretty much everything cross your path, at least three or four times. And for the more popular breeds, you’ve had literally hundreds of experiences that can put you in a very good position to analyze the pro’s and con’s of each breed.

2. You need to understand both the wants and needs of the family who is looking to adopt a new dog. A couple who have very dominant personalities and no children will generally be able to handle a dog with more horsepower than would a quiet, submissive couple with a few small children.

That being said, here are the top five breeds you can recommend to people that you don’t know very well:

1. Golden Retriever: These dogs have a soft, pliable and easily trainable temperament. They are very pain-resistant and very forgiving to the owner who accidentally steps on a toe or clumsily trips on the dog. Purchased from a good breeder, these dogs are a joy to own.

2. Poodle (any variety): These dogs score extremely high on both the trainability scale and on the intelligence scale. I’m always amazed at how quickly these dogs can pick up an new behavior. It’s almost like communicating to a human in dog clothing. If it wasn’t for the sissy factor, I’d probably own one myself. Professional dog trainers see very few dog owners who walk through the door with troubling behavior problems. If everyone owned a Poodle, we’d all be out of business.

3. Australian Shepherd: Not to be confused with the Australian Cattle Dog (also an excellent breed but not for the amateur or weak owner) the Australian Shepherd – if obtained from a quality breeder – is fantastic. I don’t think that there is anything you can’t train this breed to do.

4. Boston Terrier: These dogs are clean and quiet. They make a fantastic house dog and are very easy to get along with. A perfect companion for the elder dog owner, or just somebody who wants a very peaceful dog ownership experience with a breed that is not very demanding.

5. Shetland Sheepdog: Small, easily trainable and possessing a soft temperament, they are intelligent and – with the right training techniques – will learn new behaviors very quickly.

Enjoy the new TC Pet Stop Blog article Recommending A Dog Breed To Friends and here are some of the other pet and dog sites that I currently operate. Hope you can find all of the information about dogs and caring for dogs that you are looking for through these sites.

Dogs & Puppies Adoption
The Puppy Blog
Teri’s Dog Training Tips
Great Dogs Site
Great Cats Site

Rabbit insurance – Hmmmm – Does it really exist? So you have a rabbit, or are planning to get one, and you are wondering about rabbit insurance. It is great that you are thinking about provision for the care of your rabbit in case it needs expensive emergency treatment. But how easy is it to get rabbit insurance, and is it worth the money?

A rabbit is one of the cutest pets that you can own. They are not difficult to care for if you have the right conditions – a safe place for them to live, space in your yard. They don’t seem like they would be expensive or a lot of work. Because of this, many people go ahead and buy one without thinking too much about it. Often, they are given to kids as Christmas or birthday gifts.

But what happens when your rabbit gets sick? Suddenly you could have some large and unexpected veterinary bills. So you probably want to think about rabbit insurance.

Health care insurance for rabbits does exist, but it may not be not offered by every pet insurance company. You may have to search around a little. In many cases you will find rabbits included with a lot of other animals under general or exotic pet insurance.

Rabbit insurance usually only gives basic cover for illness, accident and emergency expenses. You cannot expect it to cover routine or preventive health care. You do not have as many options as you would with pet insurance for a cat or dog. In some cases you might be covered for the price you paid for the rabbit in the event of accidental death. Otherwise it is usually just for unexpected veterinarian’s fees.

Whether rabbit insurance is worth the cost to you depends on your circumstances and how you feel about your pet. In many cases, pet owners do not become so attached to a rabbit as they would to a cat or a dog. Rabbits are not such people-oriented animals and they do not usually have the freedom to roam around your house, so they don’t feel like one of the family in quite the same way. For this reason, you may be more likely to feel it is not worth spending a lot of money on its health care. However, if you have kids (and most rabbit owners do) you will also want to consider how your kids feel about the rabbit.

Many kids are devastated when their pet dies, and this would be especially true if they discovered from friends or online that their rabbit could have had veterinary treatment, but didn’t get it because you didn’t have insurance and didn’t want to pay out on the cost of medical fees for their pet. The consequences in your family could be terrible! So if you do take this approach and decide not to go for rabbit insurance, it is best to be upfront about this with your kids from the beginning – if possible, before you even buy the rabbit.

Enjoy the new TC Pet Stop Blog article Rabbit Insurance: Does It Exist And Is It Worth The Cost? and here are some of the other pet and dog sites that I currently operate. Hope you can find all of the information about dogs and caring for dogs that you are looking for through these sites.

Dogs & Puppies Adoption
Teri’s Dogs
Puppies & Pooches

Horse insurance is just as important as any other type of pet insurance and you will need to know what they cover and their costs. Horse insurance is often called equine insurance (from equus, the Latin name for horse). It is a specialist type of insurance that is usually provided by agricultural insurance companies rather than pet health insurance companies.

Even if you think of your horse as a pet, the ways that a horse is used means that the insurance provisions need to be different from those provided for cats, dogs and other smaller pets. Also, veterinarians often specialize in either small animals or large, farm animals, and horses come into the second category.

However, some equine insurance companies will also insure dogs. You may want to consider having a combined policy if you are one of the many horse owners who has dogs too. You may save some money by having all of your animals covered under one policy.

There are three major classes of risk that you will want to insure against. The first considers a horse as property, and insures you for the value of the horse in the event that it is stolen or suffers accidental death. (Most policies will not cover for your loss in the case of natural death).

The second is third party liability. This covers you in case your horse injures somebody or causes damage to somebody else’s property (including their horses). This may be an unlikely event but the compensation payouts can be high if it happens, so it is definitely something that you will want to have included in your horse insurance policy.

The third main class of risk is health care for your horse. This can cover veterinarian fees if your horse requires unexpected medical treatment. Most policies have strict rules about what is and is not covered here. Some policies only cover treatment for accidental injury, not for disease. Others will cover disease, but not if the horse was already suffering from it at the time that you took out the policy.

It is important to check your horse insurance policy carefully before signing up, to make sure that it includes everything that you expect. There is nothing worse than having the insurance company tell you that they will not cover the costs when you have a potential court case or your horse needs urgent medical care.

In addition, there are always limits on how much you can claim in any situation, and in many cases you have to make a contribution such as paying the first $100 of a claim.

There are so many variables when it comes to horse insurance, that it is very difficult to say how much it will cost without knowing more about your circumstances. Horse insurance rates can differ widely according to your use of your horse and the coverage that you need. A race horse will cost more to insure than a pony that is ridden only by your own kids. This is not only because the race horse is probably more valuable, but also because it is more likely to suffer an accident or injury.

If you have any kind of horse-related business, you will need to take out a specialist insurance policy that covers the risks of that business. For example, if you are breeding horses, you may want to insure against a valuable stallion becoming infertile. If you run a riding school, you will need liability insurance to cover a situation where a rider may be injured and sues you. All of this in addition to the cover that you would want for the horse itself.

Enjoy the new TC Pet Stop Blog article Horse Insurance: Cover and Costs and here are some of the other pet and dog sites that I currently operate. Hope you can find all of the information about dogs and caring for dogs that you are looking for through these sites.

Great Dogs Site
Cats: Our Feline Pets
Great Cats Site
All About Dogs

Wild pets are a great way to have pets without having them in your home. If for any reason that you can’t have a pet whether because of the limits of renting, or maybe because of a family member has allergies, having a wild pet is just one way to get around it.

Birds

Birds are the easiest to attract. There are all kinds of ways you can do this. Bird houses and bird baths are good for attracting birds. Bird feeders are another way to attract birds to your yard or porch. They are fun to watch and to listen to. There are many kinds of bird feeders. Some vary depending on the types of birds you want to attract.

If you want to attract hummingbirds, having a feeder that you put water and sugar in is perfect. These little guys are really fun to watch and if you are quick with a camera and have the patience to wait you can get some great photographs of them.

Of course there are many types of seed feeders that can attract a wide variety of birds. It just depends on the type of seeds you put in. And if you are really ambitious you can do a mix of peanut butter and suet and plug up the holes with this mixture and hang it. This can attract birds like Woodpeckers and other small birds.

Small Animals (And Some Birds)

Peanuts are a great way to attract small animals like Chipmunks and Squirrels, oh, and also Blue Jays. They love peanuts. They will swoop down and grab a peanut and fly off. You may only start out with a single Jay, but could eventually end up with more than you barganed for. Squirrels and Chipmunks are the same as Blue Jays. You will start out with just a few that become regulars and eventually end up with much more. They are really fun to watch and their antics are hilarious.

If you live out in the country you can attract a lot of small animals by putting out feeders for them. Depending on what you put out you can get all manner of small wildlife to eat at your door. It’s been known that rabbits, raccoons and even wild turkeys will come to visit.

Be aware that if you start feeding these little critters that they will come to depend on you feeding them. They will even know what time of day that you feed them and be there waiting for you. And if you are really, really patient you can even get them to eat out of your hand. If you can get to this point, cherish it, but always remember that these are still wild creatures and that they can and will bite if frightened or if they feel threatened.

Wild animals can make great pets as long as they stay wild. They come because you feed them. Learn from them. Enjoy their love of life and their play.

Enjoy the new TC Pet Stop Blog article Wild Pets and here are some of the other pet and dog sites that I currently operate. Hope you can find all of the information about dogs and caring for dogs that you are looking for through these sites.

Teri’s Dogs
Puppies & Big Dogs
Great Dogs Site
Cats: Our Feline Pets
Great Cats Site

How to buy a horse and some of the things you should think of before purchasing a horse. Before you go to the great expense of buying a horse, you need to evaluate how good a rider you are, and just how much do you really know about horses and horse care. Make no mistake, you need to really be honest with yourself as this is a huge commitment. Ask yourself what size and age of horse would work best for you as well.

Okay you have just fallen in love with a flashy looking equine and now what? What do you want to achieve and is THIS the horse for you? Are you going to be hunting, driving, barrel racing, trail riding or jumping? Are you going to ride at all? You can get horses just to ride for the enjoyment of it as well.

What about this horse’s temperament? Quiet, feisty, pushy, amenable, or grumpy? If you aren’t comfortable with horses, don’t get a pushy horse, as you will find it ruling you and not the other way around. If you are planning to just trail ride, don’t buy an eventing horse.

If you don’t have horse experience then do not buy a young horse and try to train it. Two newbies who don’t know much, do not make a good mixture. Wait until you have more experience or pay the price for your mistakes – such as injuries to you and your horse because you did not know what you were doing.

Take an experienced friend with you to check out horses. Better they help you assess the horse so you don’t wind up over horsed (buying a horse that is way too much for you to handle). Your experienced friend can also ride the horse for you to assess if it would work for you. If the current owner is riding the horse, and they insist you don’t need to try the horse – run, don’t walk as far away as you can, and keep looking.

A horse breeder like any other breeder of animals ALWAYS wants what is best for their animals. Before looking at a horse, do your research, check out the breeder and if you can find them ask questions of people who have purchased from them. Try other horse breeders if they have heard of the one you are looking at. Horse breeders like most breeders are a close knit group.

Enjoy the new TC Pet Stop Blog article How To Buy A Horse and here are some of the other pet and dog sites that I currently operate. Hope you can find all of the information about dogs and caring for dogs that you are looking for through these sites.

Puppies & Big Dogs
Teri’s Dog Training Tips
The Puppy Blog
Because You Love Your Dog

Here is an introduction for anyone interested in a Koi pond. Koi ponds have become a popular hobby in the world, and the reasons are clear as to why. Koi are beautiful, vibrant fish that can literally light your day. Koi come in many colors, varieties, and kinds, so it is likely that everyone in the world can find at least one type of Koi that would suit their likes. While Koi may be a welcomed beauty to your pond, they also have an interesting history attached to them.

In Chinese culture, Koi ponds are said to being good luck to their owners. Koi ponds are used as an overall plan to fulfill their lives. Other parts of the world consider Koi ponds as a form of relaxation and serenity. In the United States, more and more people seem to find Koi ponds to be fun more then anything else. No matter what the reason you find to have a Koi pond, they are sure to brighten your life.

However, Koi keeping should not be taken lightly. Koi, like any other animal, require time and money to maintain. The majority of first time Koi owners fail because they get the idea that keeping Koi is easy in some way. Do not let this discourage you though, as educating yourself will greatly improve your chances of succeeding.

It is important for you to learn all you can BEFORE you begin obtaining the things you need for Koi keeping. This way, you will not slip up and have to replace anything that you have already done or bought. Planning ahead will not only save your money, but it will potentially save your sanity as well.

It is important to learn the information for yourself rather then relying on other sources. People such as your product dealer and pond builder will have limited knowledge, but should not be trusted for a reliable source, as they are selling products and may be bias. Plus, once you are at home with your Koi, your product dealer or pond builder may not be available to help you in the event of a problem.

Koi Have Personality

You would not believe that Koi actually have personalities similar to other animals. They are social, and can even be trained to eat directly from their owners hands. The more time you spend with your Koi, the more you will notice each Koi has individual characteristics and traits.

Koi have been known to live for up to 200 years at time, but generally the average lifespan of a healthy Koi is about 30 years. So if you are looking for along time pet companion, Koi may be a good choice.

Building Your Koi Habitat

Before ever buying Koi, you must create a proper habitat for them. This is where information from your pond builder and supplier will come in handy. However, you should not rely on the opinions of just one person. It may be a good idea to do research on your own, before you go and purchase the materials needed for you pond. Because of it’s popularity, an unlimited supply of resources can be found on the topic of Koi keeping. Visit your local library, fishery center, or research online. There are quite a few things needed to sustain a habitable pond.

When it comes to pond size, bigger is always better. Koi have a habit of growing rather fast, so you have to consider pond size at the same time you are considering how many Koi you are going to put it in.

Your filtration system is extremely important. There are 2 types of filtration, mechanical and biological. Mechanical filtration relives the pond of solids such as dead algae, insects, and Koi wastes. It is important to have enough filtration to sustain the size of the pond, and the amount and size of your Koi. Biological filtration causes a nitrogen cycle, which is what removes dissolved wastes from your pond. Without biological filtration, built up waste will turn into ammonia and kill your Koi within just a few days.

Besides the technical aspects of your pond, you will also have the ability to create a visually appealing area as well. Waterfalls, fountains, and other water features will not only add a visual show to your pond, but it will also create movement and sound. A variety of plants and flowers are also available for your pond.

Enjoy the new TC Pet Stop Blog article An Introduction to Koi Ponds and here are some of the pet and dog sites that I currently operate. Hope you can find all of the information about dogs and caring for dogs that you are looking for through these sites.

Dogs & Puppies Adoption
Teri’s Dogs
Puppies & Pooches

Birds love to bathe whether it is in a birdbath, a puddle or just some dirt. Just like people, birds get hot and thirsty. Especially during the blistering summer months, your favorite flying friends may be roasting in their feathers. Help out your local birds and provide them with a shady spot to splash, play, bathe, and drink—a bird bath! Especially in areas that lack natural sources of water, such as springs, ponds, lakes, or streams, bird baths are essential for the health and happiness of birds in your area.

In addition to helping out your fine feathered friends, a bird bath will attract all sorts of birds to your yard and allow you and your family to enjoy their company.

Think of it: if you were a bird, where would you want to splash about? Would you choose a muddy, stinky puddle or a clean, fresh bird bath? The choice is not just obvious to humans, but birds have a distinct preference. Once you have decided to lend a helping hand to your local birds, make the trek to find a bath that fits into your style and design of your yard. There are tons of options, from baths that borrow style from the white marble columns of ancient Greece to fantastically modern creations that could double for an avant garde statue.

After you have brought your bird bath home, find a place to set up the bath well within sight of your outdoor and indoor spaces. Consider installing a bird bath near your porch, patio, deck, or house’s windows so that you can enjoy the birds from anywhere in your home. Fill the bird bath with cool, clean water and watch the bird flock around your bath.

In order to draw more birds, consider using a fountain bird bath instead of a traditional bird bath that holds still water. Birds love the sound of running water and prefer fountain bird baths dramatically over still bird baths.

If a fountain bird bath is out of your budget, consider creating your own fountain. Something as simple as a bucket with a hole drilled in the bottom positioned over top of your existing bird bath works just as great as expensive fountain bird bath, although it may not be quite as aesthetically pleasing.

Keep in mind that birds need bird baths year round, especially in some parts of the country that seem to be out of the grip of Jack Frost. Instead of putting your bird bath inside during the winter, purchase a model that can remain outdoors for the entire year. Heated bird baths work to ensure that ice does not form in the bath, but does not produce a birdie hot tub, so birds will keep coming to your yard regardless of the weather.

Enjoy the new TC Pet Stop Blog article and here are some of the pet and dog sites that I currently operate. Hope you can find all of the information about dogs and caring for dogs that you are looking for through these sites.

Great Dogs Site
Cats: Our Feline Pets
Great Cats Site
All About Dogs

Choosing the right rabbit for you and your family as a pet can be a very exciting process. There are currently over 40 recognized breeds of rabbits. Many of the breeds have multiple varieties and colors. Rabbits range in size from 2 pounds to over 10 pounds. So the choices are very abundant.

Many breeders give different answers regarding the preferred gender for a pet rabbit. This is compounded by the individual temperament of the rabbit. Often a doe (girl rabbit) that is not spayed, can become territorial when she reaches maturity. She may nip at you when reaching for her or even her food or water dishes.

Some does will eliminate that aggression when a familiar face does the feeding on a daily basis. Some does we’ve found to be non-aggressive, and yet others can become territorial towards everybody, but that is very rare. If you do not plan to breed your rabbit, and you want a doe, it is best to have her spayed to help reduce the chances that she may protect her den.

Bucks present a different problem all together. Bucks generally are not aggressive. However, spraying can be a problem. When the buck reaches maturity he may start to spray his urine everywhere to let the whole world know he is ready for a mate. Again, not all bucks will do this, and typically the ones that do, will only do so for a short period of time. This problem can be eliminated by having the buck neutered.

Grooming is another consideration. The wool breeds such as angoras and jersey woolies require extra work in grooming. All rabbits need a good routine of grooming by their caretaker, but the wool breeds require more time because of the nature of their fur type.

The best way to see and find out about rabbits is to attend a rabbit show. At the rabbit show you will find many breeders and most of the breeds of rabbits. To find a show near you visit our calendar page and search for a show in your state.

It is not recommend buying a rabbit without first seeing it, it is also recommend not purchasing a rabbit from a pet store. It is always best to be wary of pet stores as you are never sure of where they get their animals. It would be in your best interest to find a breeder in your area of the breed you think you would like. Visit with that breeder. See what the conditions are in the barn. Ask if you can hold a rabbit. Watch the rabbit’s reaction to their cage being opened.

Rabbits that love attention, will immediately come to the door, some will even make happy grunting type noises. Other rabbits will immediately o the back of the cage. If a rabbit moves to the back its probably not a good rabbit for you.

Most of all have fun. Enjoy your search for that perfect rabbit. There are many sizes colors and choices and finding the fit for you can be time consuming but will be very rewarding in the end.

Enjoy the new TC Pet Stop Blog article Choosing A Pet Rabbit and here are some of the pet and dog sites that I currently operate. Hope you can find all of the information about dogs and caring for dogs that you are looking for through these sites.

Puppies & Big Dogs
Teri’s Dog Training Tips
The Puppy Blog
Because You Love Your Dog

Here are 6 things that you have to consider before buying a bird. What to start with?

Do you start buy getting one from a pet store or a breeder. Getting any pet from a breeder is always the best route to go. Pet stores are not always reliable for getting pets. You never know where they get their animals and if they are healthy and clean.

First we have to consider the following :

What Can I Afford?

The price of on parrot varies in large bounds in dependence with the species. You can buy for example a budgie is the cheapest of the parrot family. The price of the cockatiel varies from pet store to pet store and can be the second cheapest. An Amazonian parrot and grey parrot is in the next price range, with the cockatoo for much more…… and the price of some parrots can be even more depending on where and who you get them from!

This is one of the initial questions which you have to answer.

How Much Space Will The Bird Need?

Larger birds and even some of the small ones are very active physically and need big cages and space in which to play.

Is There Any Free Time For The Bird?

Probably this is the most important question. Birds are intelligent, playful and mostly “ social ” creatures. Will you have time to play with your bird? To care properly of it? Will it have the chance to be a part of your family?

What Is The Life Span?

Consider the fact that birds live fairly long. A small parrot or cockatiel lives for 20 years and more! Amazonian or African grey parrot can live for 50, 60 and there are documented cases for birds that lived up to the respectable age of 100 years! Can you devote to this? The shortest lived is the budgie which ususally has a life span of 6-7 years depending on how well it is being looked after.

It is not unusual to inherit birds from previous generations. Don’t buy a bird if you think that you will soon get bored of it.

How Much Noise Does The Bird Make?

How Noisy is the bird? Will the neighbors complain? Budgies and cockatiel are comparatively quiet. They are suitable to look after in a flat.

A Moluxco cockatoo could live in flats if you have neighbors around you and six floors above or below you that like listening screams to cracking their ear – drums.

The African grey parrot tends to be one of comparatively non-noisy parrots. Certainly, there are individual differences between birds. Somewhere there could be cockatoo, that doesn’t make a lot of noise. If there really could be found such bird, an enterprising person could make a fortune of it.

Remember that noise is a subjective and relative sensation. A bird can be considered as “ non-noisy ” only in the background of another one that is considered as noisy.

How Destructive Can A Bird Be?

Do you possess antique furniture? Rare books? Remember that these birds have strong beaks,. Some of them are less inclined to “ nibbling ” than others, but nibbling is a ompletely natural behaviour for them.

Does The Parrot Need Special Food?

Lory parrots, for example, need a specialized diet. Do you have an opportunity and means to provide it? Once you have made a preliminary investigation and have decided what kind of parrot you want, you can go looking for it and buy it.

Remember, NEVER, NEVER BUY A PARROT IMPULSIVELY! There isn a lot to consider when buying a parrot or any other kind of pet.

Enjoy the new TC Pet Stop Blog article and here are some of the pet and dog sites that I currently operate. Hope you can find all of the information about dogs and caring for dogs that you are looking for through these sites.

Dogs & Puppies Adoption
Teri’s Dogs
Puppies & Pooches