How Often Should You Bathe Your Dog?

Do you give your dog a bath regularly? How often is often? This question has been nagging me for some time now. Reading through recommendations of veterinarians as well as asking friends who also have dogs, I learned that there really is no rule as to how frequent you should give your dog a bath. It all depends on your dog's activity and whether it sleeps with you in bed. 

But when and why should you bathe your dog? Most dog owners think that it is high time to bathe them when they get stinky. But this should not only be the time to bathe them. Dogs should get a bath because most of them love to get dirty. When they are outside, they love to run around, get covered in mud, roll around on the ground and in something stinky, or worse, dead (!). Giving your dog a bath on a regular basis actually helps promote healthy skin and coat. By removing excess dander, dirt and oils, the hair follicles are stimulated, resulting to a healthy dog hair and skin. Dogs that have chronic skin problems would require more frequent baths than usual using medicated shampoo.

For indoor dogs, a good bath once a month is the rule of thumb. For stinky dogs, at least once in two weeks is a good frequency or as needed. Caution should be taken though. Because over-bathing your dog is also not good because it could result to dry skin, flaking and can negatively impact the natural oils on their coat. When bathing your dogs, use a dog shampoo that is perfume-free, hypoallergenic and has aloe and oatmeal in it. These ingredients have a soothing effect and help condition your dog's skin.

So there you have it! For a good-smelling pooch, a healthy skin and shiny coat, give your dog that much deserved bath it needs. Your dog will thank you for it!

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Suki Is Two!

It's already fall... The leaves are beginning to fall and she loves the fragrance of the autumn air.

Our little Suki just turned two last Sunday, and oh my, aren't we sooo glad that she came into our lives! Who would have thought that this wild ball of fur would turn our lives update down. We couldn't even imagine our life without her now...

Just cuddling and hanging out with family.

She is one ball of happy, wild, slimy, sweet, needy, cuddly, adorable FUR! She drools when she wants a piece of what you are eating and gives you her look that you can't resist. She loves to fart especially when you are beside her and it just STINKS A LOT! She is a springer - she would jump at you just because. She hates it when it rains and doesn't want her paws to get wet, so she could be stubborn if you force to go out for a walk on a cold rainy day. She sheds a lot, it doesn't matter what season. She snores very loud, louder even than the husband, that he can't sleep too when Suki sleeps with us. Hihi! But despite all these, we are not complaining. 

Getting a bite of her favorite snack: carrots, anyone?

She is one sweet dog - she is content to just sleep beside us whenever we hang out in the living room. She is family to us, and I am her Mama. Imagine having little kids at home who would follow you around, even to the bathroom? Suki does that too! Suki is our french bulldog. She is our family pet, but she is more than that. I guess you can say that she is our 2nd baby. And we thank God she is in our lives. May we get to spend more years with her.

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How to Select the Perfect Pet Bed For Your Dog

Did you get a dog not that long ago? You may have made the decision with the family to get a pet for everyone to love and spend time with. Now that you are the owner of an adorable and loving animal, you should make sure that you have the perfect bed for your pet to sleep in when it is going to sleep for the night and when it is taking naps during the day, especially if you are not too fond of having the animal sleeping directly on the floor. There are a few different steps you can take to make sure that you are choosing the perfect bed for your pup.

Make Sure It Is the Right Size

Even if you are planning to let your dog sleep in your bed with you because it has been deemed safe, you may still want to make sure that your pet is sleeping in its own small bed on top of your mattress or sheets to avoid getting too much hair from the animal all over your clean sheets and blankets. The first thing you need to look for when selecting the right bed for the animal is something that is spacious enough. The exact size of the product you are going to need will depend on the breed of the animal and how big you are expecting it to grow.

If you have adopted or purchased a dog that is known for staying small throughout its lifetime, such as a chihuahua, you are not going to need the largest option available. However, if your dog weighs nearly a hundred pounds and is expected to grow even larger, you are going to need to make sure you are finding something that is going to accommodate its size. You can start to shop for dog beds online with VPD to check out the many options that are offered, including options for both smaller animals and larger animals.

Check Out the Materials That Are Used

Always pay attention to the types of materials and fabrics that are used to make the different beds that are available for your pet. The reason it is important to do this research is because you want your dog to like sleeping on the bed and the only way to make sure the animal enjoys sleeping on it is to make sure it is as comfortable as possible. Fake fur is often used on top of additional padding to make a pet bed feel more comfortable for the animal. The fur provides extra warmth during those times when it may feel chilly inside the house because it is so cold outdoors.

While getting something with fake fur may be ideal if your pet gets cold quite easily, you may not necessarily need something with fur if it is often warm in your home. Instead, you may prefer something that is made from materials that are more lightweight and known for their ability to keep animals cool on hotter days.

Know What You Will Need to Do to Keep It Clean

Aside from making sure the product is spacious and comfortable enough for your dog, you should find out how to keep it clean. Most of the options are easy to keep clean because they can get thrown into the washing machine with some detergent. However, other options may not be as easy to clean and may require more work, so you need to know how much effort you are going to need to put into keeping the mattress clean for your dog.

If you want to get a nice pet bed for your new dog, you need to make sure it is large enough for the animal, made with comfortable materials, and easy to keep clean. There are tons of large and spacious options available in plenty of colors and designs.

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Where is Suki?

So the family is on the road for some much needed vacation. It has been months since our last family break and since it's the school break of our daughter, we might as well spend it in our home country. And because getting there in our Heimat requires long hours of flying, our Suki is not allowed to be with us on board.

Flying her through a special transport service for the four weeks that we will be away is out of the question. Aside from it being too expensive, something that this family cannot afford just yet, it would also be very risky considering her breed and all the health risks that go with it.

Spending the afternoon at the park while our girl is having her ballet classes.

So where is Suki now? She is in the good hands of Pino in his dog pension in Ludwigsburg. Suki enjoys it there I think. She loves to be in the company of other dogs too although she loves it best to be cuddled by us and being the center of our attention.

But for the 4 weeks that we will be away, she will be vacationing too! - with Pino at Pinos Hundehotel Paradiso in Ludwigsburg in the company of dogs with from different households whose owner friends are away on vacation too. We will be missing our four-legged friend, I mean we are missing her already. But we are assured that she in good hands, in the able hands and care of Pino.

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Suki

Hello everyone! Meet the new member of our family - Suki!

She just loves her red little squeaky ball.

Suki is our five-month old french bulldog. She is one handful puppy - she loves to play, bounce about the house and sleep on our couch. She has invaded and claimed our couch for her own just a few weeks after she arrived in our house.

My not so little girl and Suki cuddling after getting home from school.

So why the name Suki? It is a Japanese word which means "to like". Everything about her is just adorable and who wouldn't like, or even love, this little creature? She is our little princess and our daughter just loves her. It is actually her dog since she has been saving up for a dog since she turned six. We finally decided on getting one because we thought that it would help her how to take responsibility for another living being.

Suki is our little bouncy four-legged family member. I must admit it is a lot of work cleaning up after her, but it is all worth it. All the stress and exhaustion from work would all go away whenever I come home and see her all so happy and excited to see me arrive. :) She still has a lot to learn and we still have a lot to teach her. We hope that she will be with us for many years to come. 

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