Unless you’re the proud of owner of a Basenji (the non-barking dog breed) there is every chance that once in a while your dog lets rip with a bark or barking session and you have no idea what they’re trying to say. Well wonder no more, we explain the common reasons behind 10 different dog barks….

1. Continuous rapid barking, midrange pitch: “Call the pack! There is a potential problem! Someone is coming into our territory!” Continuous barking but a bit slower and pitched lower: “The intruder [or danger] is very close. Get ready to defend yourself!”

2. Barking in rapid strings of three or four with pauses in between, midrange pitch: “I suspect that there may be a problem or an intruder near our territory. I think that the leader of the pack should look into it.”

3. Prolonged or incessant barking, with moderate to long intervals between each utterance: “Is there anybody there? I’m lonely and need companionship.” This is most often the response to confinement or being left alone for long periods of time.

4. One or two sharp short barks, midrange pitch: “Hello there!” This is the most typical greeting sound.

5. Single sharp short bark, lower midrange pitch: “Stop that!” This is often given by a mother dog when disciplining her puppies but may also indicate annoyance in any dog, such as when disturbed from sleep or if hair is pulled during grooming and so forth.

6. Single sharp short bark, higher midrange: “What’s this?” or “Huh?” This is a startled or surprised sound. If it is repeated two or three times its meaning changes to “Come look at this!” alerting the pack to a novel event. This same type of bark, but not quite as short and
sharp, is used to mean “Come here!”

Many dogs will use this kind of bark at the door to indicate that they want to go out. Lowering the pitch to a relaxed midrange means “Terrific!” or some other similar expletive, such as “Oh, great!” My cairn terrier, for example, who loves to jump, will give this single bark of joy when sent over the high jump. Other dogs give this same bark when given their food dish.

7. Single yelp or very short high-pitched bark: “Ouch!” This is in response to a sudden, unexpected pain.

8. Series of yelps: “I’m hurting!” “I’m really scared” This is in response to severe fear and pain.

9. Stutter-bark, midrange pitch: If a dog’s bark were spelled “ruff,” the stutter-bark would be spelled “ar-ruff.” It means “Let’s play!” and is used to initiate playing behaviour.

10. Rising bark: This is a bit hard to describe, although once you’ve heard it, it is unmistakable. It is usually a series of barks, each of which starts in the middle range but rises sharply in pitch – almost a bark-yelp, though not quite that high. It is a play bark, used during rough-and- tumble games, that shows excitement and translates as “This is fun!”

Sweeney Dog  York have walked close to 30,000 dog walks over the past three years,and have seen most types of dogs and behaviour. For walking services in York ring 01904 890666

If you would like to join the Sweeney Dog network, have a look at our franchise option

Inspirational Quotes about Dogs

If you haven’t got your dog chipped yet, we recommend you arrange for this asap. Here at Sweeney Dog we have a trained Micro-chipper . We aim to provide a complete pet care service, including dog walking, exclusive brand pet food, pet home care .

All vehicles used by Sweeney Dog have ventilation systems, all have window tints to reduce heat build up, and all vehicles are fully equipped with purpose built cages. The cost of equiping a vehicle is over £1000. We could cut costs but this would put the dogs at risk and the impact on the high standards that we set ourselves.

Don’t take risks with your dog, and make sure you choose a dog walking service

that  doesn’t compromise on safety of your pet.

Dander, which is attached to the hair, is what causes most pet allergies in humans. Did you to know that there are breeds which have consistent, predictable coats that do not shed hair and produce less dander.  Research in America  suggests that the dogs that come  into this category are:

Bedlington Terrier : Bichon Frise : Chinese Crested : Poodles (all sizes) : Irish Water Spaniel : Kerry Blue Terrier : Maltese :

Schnauzers (all sizes) : Portuguese Water Dog : Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier.

Sweeney Dog are the leading dog walking business in York and offer franchise opportunites across the UK

]]> http://www.sweeneydog.co.uk/uncategorized/advice-for-allergy-sufferers-who-want-to-own-a-dog/feed/ 0 http://www.sweeneydog.co.uk/dog-walking/how-to-calculate-a-dogs-age-in-dog-years/ http://www.sweeneydog.co.uk/dog-walking/how-to-calculate-a-dogs-age-in-dog-years/#comments Wed, 22 Dec 2010 12:57:21 +0000 bernard http://www.sweeneydog.co.uk/?p=590

A popular misconception is that dogs age 7 years for each calendar year. In fact, canine aging is much more rapid during the first 2 years of a dog’s life. After the first 2 years the ratio settles down to 5 to 1 for small and medium breeds. For large breeds the rate is 6 to 1, and for giant breeds the rate is 7 to 1. Thus, at 10 years of age a Great Dane would be 80 years old while a Yorkshire Terrier would only be 64.

If you’ve taken in a dog whose age is unknown, there are some ways to determine his age. Here are some things vets check to get a general sense of how old a dog is:

The Teeth: Dogs usually have a set of permanent teeth by their seventh month, so if you’ve come across a dog with clean pearly whites, he is likely a year old or thereabouts. Yellowing on a dog’s back teeth may put the dog between one and two years of age, while tartar build-up at a minimal level could mean you have a dog between 3 and 5. Missing teeth or severe wear usually means the dog is a senior and could use some special dental care.

Muscle Tone: Younger dogs are more likely to have some muscle definition from their higher activity level. Older dogs are usually either a little bonier or a little fatter from decreased activity.

The Coat: A younger dog usually has a soft, fine coat, whereas an older dog tends to have thicker, coarser (and sometimes oilier) fur. A senior dog may display grays or patches of white, particularly around the nose.

The Eyes: Bright, clear eyes without tearing or discharge are common in younger dogs. Cloudy or opaque eyes may mean an older dog.

Use this chart to calculate your dog’s age:

The age at which a dog can be considered elderly varies widely among models. In general, the larger the dog, the more quickly it declines. For instance, a Great Dane could be considered “senior” at age 5, while a smaller toy poodle would still be spry at twice that age. Remember, however, that just because a dog is chronologically old doesn’t mean that an endless series of malfunctions is in store. In many cases an elderly dog can enjoy many healthy, active, pain-free years.

One of the best ways to prolong the life and improve the functions of an elderly dog is to carefully regulate its food in terms of quality and amount. Older dogs exercise less and thus need fewer calories. And since age reduces their ability to digest and absorb nutrients, high-quality food specifically formulated for their needs is a necessity. Excessive amounts of poor quality protein, phosphorus, and sodium can aggravate kidney and heart problems, so most such foods contain smaller amounts of higher-quality protein, along with reduced quantities of other elements. Levels of vitamins, zinc, fatty acids, and fibre, however, are increased.

If you are interested in owning and running your own dog walking business, follow the link to Sweeney Dogs exciting franchise opportunity. You could be turning over £100k+ after three years just from dog walking. Hurry as we currently offering a special opening offer discount price.

Please be careful what you and your family feed your dogs at Xmas, sometimes a treat is poison and you would never forgive yourself.

1. Chocolate :
2. Chocolate contains Theobromine, a compound that is a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic. When affected by an overdose of chocolate, a dog can become excited and hyperactive. Due to the diuretic effect, it may pass large volumes of urine and it will be unusually thirsty. Vomiting and diarrhoea are also common. The effect of Theobromine on the heart is the most dangerous effect. Theo bromine will either increase the dog’s heart rate or may cause the heart to beat irregularly. Death is quite possible, especially with exercise. Symptoms of chocolate poisoning include: vomiting, diarrhoea, tremors, hyperactivity, irregular heartbeat and seizures.
3. Larger quantities of chocolate can poison or even kill a medium or large dog. An ounce or two of chocolate may not seem like much but it can be lethal to a small dog that weighs 10 lbs. or less. After their dog has eaten a large quantity of chocolate, many pet owners assume their pet is unaffected. However, the signs of sickness may not be seen for several hours, with death following within twenty-four hours.
4. White chocolate is the least toxic, dry cocoa powder, the most Cocoa powder and cooking chocolate are the most toxic forms. These forms of chocolate contain ten times more Theobromine than milk chocolate. Even licking a substantial part of the chocolate icing from a cake can make a dog sick. The next most dangerous forms are semi-sweet chocolate and dark chocolate, with white  and milk chocolate being the least dangerous.
5. Grapes and Raisins
6. Although the minimum lethal dosage is not known, grapes and raisins can be toxic to dogs when ingested in large quantities. The symptoms are gastrointestinal signs including vomiting and diarrhoea, and then signs of kidney failure with an onset of severe kidney signs starting about 24 hours after ingestion.
7. they very toxic and can  cause Acute Renal Failure (kidneys). In lesser cases  it also, it causes them to stop eating and develop diarrhoea.
8. Onions & Garlic: Onions cause hemolytic anemia, which means that the red blood cells break down leaving the dog short of oxygen. Onion poisoning can occur with a single ingestion of large quantities or with repeated meals containing small amounts of onion. The condition generally improves once the dog is prevented from eating any further onion. The poisoning may occur a few days after the dog has eaten the onion. At first dogs affected by onion poisoning show gastroenteritis with vomiting and diarrhea, weakness and show little or no interest in food. The red pigment from the burst blood cells appears in an affected dog’s urine making it dark colored. The dog will experience shortness of breath because the red blood cells that carry oxygen through the body are reduced in number. Other symptoms are elevated body temperature, confusion, and increased heart rate. Seek veterinary care immediately.
9. The quantity of onions, raw or cooked, required is high enough that dogs can generally tolerate small doses of onions without any problem and moderate amounts of onion without apparent signs of onion poisoning. All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic. Left over pizza, Chinese dishes and commercial baby food containing onion, sometimes fed as a supplement to young pets, can cause illness.
10. While garlic also contains the toxic ingredient thiosulphate, it seems that garlic is less toxic and large amounts would need to be eaten to cause illness.
11. Tomatoes and Tomato Plants:
12. These contain atropine which can cause dialated pupils, tremors and irregular heartbeat. The highest concentration of atropine is found in the leaves and stems of tomato plants, next is the unripe (green) tomatoes and then the ripe tomato.
13. Caffeine:
14. Beverages with caffeine (like, tea, coffee or some fizzy drinks ) acts as a stimulant and can accelerate your pet’s heartbeat to a dangerous level. Pets ingesting caffeine have been known to have seizures, some fatal.
15. Macadamia  and other Nuts:
16. The toxic compound is unknown but eating as few as six nuts without the shell has been known to cause elevated body temperature, accelerated heartbeat, tremors in the skeletal muscles, and weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters. Affected dogs have difficulty or are unable to rise, are distressed and usually panting. Some affected dogs have had swollen limbs and showed pain when the limb was manipulated.
17. Bones:
18. Cooked bones can be very hazardous for your dog. Bones become brittle when cooked which causes them to splinter when broken. The splinters have sharp edges that have been known to become stuck in the teeth, caused choking when caught in the throat or caused a rupture or puncture of the stomach lining or intestinal tract. Especially bad bones are turkey and chicken legs, ham, pork chop and veal.
19. Symptoms of choking are:
20. i.    Pale or blue gums
21. ii.    Gasping Open-mouthed breathing
22. iii.    Pawing at face
23. iv.    Slow, shallow breathing
24. v.    Unconscious, with dilated pupils
26. Raw bones:
27. (uncooked in any way) like chicken necks or beef knuckle bones are generally considered safe and help keep your dog’s teeth healthy by removing plaque. A caution – bones have a high calcium content and too many can cause severe constipation.
29. Xylitol (sweetener in many sugar-free gums and candies):
30. Sugarless candy containing xylitol has been recognized by the National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) to be a risk to pets (first published July 2004). This compound can cause liver damage and death in some dogs. This information is recent and some vets may not be familiar with xylitol poisoning..
31. 10. Raw eggs :
32. (Raw): Raw egg whites contain a protein called avidin, which can deplete your dog of biotin, one of the B vitamins. Biotin is essential to your dog’s growth and coat health. Additionally, raw eggs are often contaminated with bacteria, such as salmonella, and you could end up giving your dog food poisoning in addition to biotin deficiency.
33. b. Symptoms of biotin depletion are hair loss, weakness, growth retardation and skeleton deformity. If your dog is suffering from these symptoms the situation is urgent, and veterinary treatment is needed.
34. Cooked eggs are high in protein and make an excellent treat. It is only the raw eggs that should not be given to your dog.
36. Good Luck  and best wishes for the festive period
38. Sweeney Dog is a successful business that is available as a Franchise . If you are interested in starting your own business this may be just what you are looking for. a low cost , low risk solution, that has huge potential of  of turnover in excess of £100k+ per annum

Remember also not give chocolate or grapes. Both these can dangerous to your dogs and in some cases can lead to their deaths.

Keep your dogs healthy this Christmas

She has been all over with The Sweeney Dog Team, down to the river , out with a huge Irish wolf hound or a St Bernard and always enjoys her walks and mixes well , especially with the smaller dogs and has really benefited from the socialisation that the year has given her.

Sophie

Sol got this stick and watch his tail go as he plays with the stick – must be the fastest tail in York

Watch the tail go on this springer as he enjoys a stick

As long as you are dressed properly, even walking dogs in the snow is great fun. if you would like to start your own dog walking business, Sweeney Dog is offering a franchise option so you yo can share in our successful business model,. see our website for details