Euro Puppy BLOG

Even though the big difference dogs have from hamsters, these two popular pets still have some common characteristics which make them similar! Both dogs and hamsters have long hair coats. One may find different long haired dogs and also long haired hamsters which are called “Teddy Bear Hamsters”. Both long haired dogs and hamsters need grooming.

Grooming a long coated dog:
Lift the outer hair and start by brushing the undercoat on the back legs with a body brush. Brush the top coat down with a bristle brush and then comb the coat from the roots to the tips of the hair. Brush the undercoat on the front legs with a body brush. Brush the top coat down with a bristle brush and then comb the coat from the roots to the tips of the hair. Supporting the dog’s head to keep it out of the way, brush the neck and chest. Use the bristle brush, gently brush along the dog’s stomach without tickling it. Using a body brush, groom the undercoat across the shoulders and along the back. Gently comb the hair around the ears and face. Gently comb the tail, taking care not to tug at any tangles. Wipe away any staining and loose hair using a damp cotton wool/absorbent cotton pad for each eye.

Grooming a long haired hamster:
You may groom a long haired hamster especially when bedding gets stuck in her fur. You may buy a brush for hamsters to groom it or else you can use a soft bristled toothbrush. Hamsters will also enjoy a sand bath which will also help keep their coat clean. Chinchilla sand is best used for this, but you must make sure it is sand and not dust as this is too fine for hamsters. Place a small amount in a dish and place it in their cage, the hamster will slowly walk up to and will probably start to dig in it at first. They will then usually start to roll around in it on their back.

Both dogs and hamsters need exercise. Exercise can be described as the key to a dog’s and a hamster’s healthy appetite, as it burns off much of the energy supplied by food. It also helps to maintain its interest in life, a dog and a hamster which are always confined with no freedom become fat and poorly conditioned. Play is essential for exercise. There are many special dog and hamster toys available and plenty more that can be homemade. A ball is a traditional favorite to a dog. Make sure that the ball is too big to be swallowed and cause choking. Frisbees are also popular and dogs have proved to be immensely skillful in twisting and jumping up to catch them! Hamsters enjoy hamster balls, wheels, tunnels, tubes and ramps.

Homeopathy treatment is both used on dogs and hamsters. It is a treatment of disease with a substance that has the power to produce, in a healthy body, signs and symptoms similar to those displayed by the patient. Homeopathy treatment addresses the whole organism, rather than simply treating only the specific ailment or disease. It is a very gentle form of treatment to which both dogs and hamsters often respond positively. Herbalism is also used on these two types of pets. Dogs and hamsters have always sought out specific grasses when they feel ‘off colour’ and herbalism could be seen as merely an extension of this. The ability of herbal remedies to be used in a wide range of conditions has contributed to its recent increase in popularity.

Author: Nadia Vella
Site: www.hamster-club.com

Legend has it, that when Odysseus came back from the Trojan war 20 years later, he had to disguise himself so that no one would recognize him. He had to do this since his life was in danger, and he wanted to see what had happened during his absence.

The Goddess Athena helped him to disguise himself, and it was such a good disguise that absolutely NO ONE recognized him......


Image Credit: camil tulcan

No one except his dog. Argos. Like in the picture above, Argos waited patiently for his master to return. When he saw Odysseus, no disguise kept Argos from remembering him. He joyfully went upto him, wagged his tail one last time....and died.

Did you know that apart from the tail, your dog's nose also indicates their health? Lots of people intuitively feel that if their nose is hot and dry all the time, then it indicates a problem.

Though this has never been proven, I have a secret bias towards this theory myself. That apart, if your dog's nose has changed color, or is flaky, you might want to look more closely for early signs of sickness.



Image Credit: MikeBrowne

The scene of a dog lifting up his leg and peeing on a fire hydrant is iconic. It has come to be a symbol of disregard, and marking territory. However, by smelling another dogs pee, your dog can know not just the territory, but the size, and the health of the pee-er!

Apparently, the height from which the pee has fallen, gives an idea to your pooch whether to stay away, or step in with confidence. Nobody knows why they raise a let to do it though! Observations show that it's not really necessary!

Did you ever believe that dogs can surf? Almost 2000 spectators gathered at Imperial Beach in San Diego on the 29th of June to watch 60 dogs battle it out at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort Surf Dog Competition.

To cap it all, the dogs were complete with accessories like Sun Glasses, and life vest! The competition was won by the Jack Russel Terrier Zoey.

For those Rhodesian Ridgeback fans, who have wondered why a Ridgeback is indeed called a Ridgeback, one has to look at the cause of the ridge on their backs to get the real answers.

Taking the inititative to map the hair ridge trait in Rhodesian ridgebacks, scientists identified a segment of DNA that was found in Ridgebacks and the analysis revealed the precise genetic cause of ridges in this awesome African dog. A certain region contained three genes which were abnormally duplicated. These three genes are present in excess copies. When the genes are present in single copies, no ridge occurs - as in "normal dogs".

The same underlying genes are responsible for two traits: the rare white coat color in boxers and the inverted ridge of hair growth in the 3 Ridgeback breeds: the Rhodesian Ridgebacks, the Thai Ridgeback, and the rare Phu Quoc Dog of Vietnam, which is somewhat smaller than the Thai Ridgeback. Based on genetic-based hypothesis, both the Thai Ridgeback Dog and Phu Quoc Dog are likely to be descended from a so-called Funan Ridgeback Dog which originated over 1,000 years ago in Funan Era of the region. The Hottentot Dog or Ari Dog (as called by the tribe), a known African ridgeback ancestor of the Rhodesian Ridgeback, is now extinct. The possible genetic connection among the three remaining breeds is being investigated through DNA studies. So far, the only thing they have in common is the ridge on their backs.

In addition to showing a simple pattern of inheritance- suggesting that one gene or genomic region is responsible - the coat color and ridgeback traits are easily observed in dogs as well!

Euro Puppy is proud to have Rhodesian Ridgeback puppies for sale.

Ask the average person to tell you whether a dog is happy or not, and they will advise you to look at its tail -- if the dog is happy, the tail is wagging. Yes. But this is only partly true. Some tail wags have totally different meanings. This can be especailly important in understanding canine body language.

- A rapid tail wag, where the tail swings from side-to-side in a not very large, but constant way, is actually a sign of excitement rather than pleasure.

- A moderately fast, broad tail wag: the dog is trying to say either "I’m pleased" or "I like you."

- A slight tail wag with the tail held at its normal height, for example, usually appears when greeting someone. It can be interpreted as "Hello there," but can mean "I see you looking at me. You like me, don’t you?"

-A slow tail wag with the tail held lower than its usual height is a sign of insecurity. It often shows up when a dog is working on a problem -- trying to understand what is going on. During dog training, this can be interpreted as "I’m trying to understand you. I want to know what you mean, but I can’t quite figure it out (yet)."

- Once the dog finally solves the problem, the speed and size of the tail wags will usually increase until it becomes the broad wag that we interpret as happiness!

It is never easy to lose a loved-one. Dogs are family members. They either grow up with us, or join our circle of trust the moment they enter our family. Nature works in mysterious ways. Small dogs live for a long time. Large dogs live for a short time. A Havanese can live up to 19 years if properly cared for, while a Bernese Mountain Dog lives for about 8 years only. This is an important factor to take into consideration, when buying a certain breed. 8 years is not a long time. How can one say goodbye, when the time comes? Ok, so this is not a happy topic, but it is just as important as when one deals with dog training or canine nutrition. It is inevitable. Why avoid discussing it?

As far back as Ancient Egypt, royalty mummified their favorite cats and dogs to ensure that in the after-life they would stand proudly next to them as well. In many countries, today – especially in the US and Australia- pet cremation services are highly respected. Others choose taxidermy, to force immortality into the body of their pet dog. This is more common in Europe. In Eastern Europe for instance, taxidermy is still more common. The topic of pet cremations can be found in pet forums, but its popularity is not felt yet.



However, loss is loss. And if one treats a dog as a family member, then he or she deserves that final respect as well. Some may choose a burial. There are many companies these days that offer pet cremation services as well as grief counseling services. This can be especially important for children, so that they can accept and understand, what it means for a dog to pass away. Writing poetry or creating a pet memorial blog are also means by which one can digest grief. It is thus not surprising that most dog poems are about those dogs that have gone to doggy heaven.

In a span of 21 years, I have said goodbye to 3 Dobermans, 3 Rottweilers, 1 Rhodesian Ridgeback, 1 Staffordshire Bull Terrier, 1 Great Dane, 1 German Shepherd, 3 Pavement Specials (please note the capital letters, out of respect) and 3 birds. The cause: a Gypsy lifestyle, African snake bites, old age and dog fights. There were no cremation services...and taxidermy was not an option. Burial ...and poetry were. (Hmmmm...maybe we should've had a Havanese?) However you choose to say goodbye to your beloved pet is your own choice and own right. Either way is painful. Although the saying: - “It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all”- is true, the final moments are still the hardest to live with...

Any discussion of dogs' sense of smell ultimately leads to the greatest, most imponderable question about dogs ....this question has nagged kids and adults of many ages and one may even ask this question while sleepily stirring coffee in the morning and looking at Fido eat his crunchies...why do they have wet noses?

Scientists have many answers for this. One is that evaporation or moisture from the nose helps cool the dog. It is thus understandable, that dogs that have shorter muzzles, like the Pug or Pekingese may find it harder to breathe, and thus get hotter far quicker in summer. Another theory states that added moisture in the nose makes the dog more sensitive to odors.The most boring answer is that many dogs simply lick their noses with their tongues, thus wetting them. Ruling the last one out...how about going back to Biblical times and using a folk "tail" to explain it?

When God flooded the world- the story goes- all life on the planet was inside of Noah’s ark. The two dogs Noah had chosen constantly patrolled the ark, checking on the other animals, and generally just poking around as dogs do. One day, the dogs were taking their daily stroll when they noticed a coin-sized leak, through which water was rushing in at a rapid rate. One dog quickly ran for help, while the other dog gallantly stuck his nose in the hole to plug it. By the time Noah and his sons arrives to repair the hole, the poor dog was in great pain and gasping for breath, but a major disaster had been averted. According to this tale, dogs’ cold, wet noses are simply a badge of honor, conferred upon them by God in memory of that heroic act.

Say what you will, but I like this theory the best! *grin*

If you don't already think animals are far more spiritually advanced than we humans, think again.

Norbert Rosing's striking images of a wild polar bear coming upon tethered sled dogs in the wilds of Canada's Hudson Bay...definitely makes you re-evaluate your feelings...

The photographer was sure that he was going to see the end of his dogs when the polar bear wandered in. He held his breath as the animals encountered each other for the first time....but...to his suprise...








....the polar bear returned every night that week to play with the dogs. Now tell me what you know!