PARRONTCHAT BIRD SUPPLIES

Cotton Dog

Bathing Your Dog

Great care should be taken when bathing you dog; his ears must be protected from the water with large cotton wool balls. If water enters the ear canals he may get an ear infection. The symptoms of an ear infection are a shaking of his head and a constant discharge from his ears.

How often you bath your dog depends on his breed. If long haired breeds are bathed too often their skin and coat will not protect the dog as well as they should. However sometimes it is unavoidable if the dog has messed its self due to illness then it would be necessary for the sake of hygiene.

Ensure that bath products used stipulate that they are suitable for dogs. Human shampoo and soap is not suitable to use on your dog. Human shampoo and soap could irritate the skin of your dog. If you use a new product be sure and read the label.

Dogs love water if you take him out to where there is river or stream let him have a swim in it. Ensure that you are organized with the lease to hand and a towel. When bathing your dog organize yourself before hand and make sure you have everything You Need within reach.

As with humans if you use conditioner on your dog at bath time his coat will be easier to comb.

If you don't clean your dogs ears properly you could damage them as they are very delicate. In order to clean your dogs ears properly you need to ;-

Use cotton wool balls in his ears at bath time to prevent water getting in his ears and causing an infection.

Every four weeks clean your dogs ears with a cotton swab, your vet may make a recommendation as to a mild cleansing agent but you could use mineral oil. Take the swab and gently clean both the inner and outer parts of the dogs ear but being careful not to push any wax into the ear, leave a little wax in the ear as this will protect the ear canals.

Clean under the ear flaps and remove any foreign objects that may be stuck in the fur around the ears.

Trim any long hair around his ears as this can cause an infection. The air circulation will be improved by trimming the hair.

Call your vet if necessary if you dog has any wounds, cuts or scratches to his ear flaps that have become infected.

Clipping your dog

Clipping a dog is an art. Skin disease can be caused by dirt accumulation in a dog's coat. Clipping of a dogs coat or nails must be done very carefully so as not to cause any injuries.

Clipping can expose any skin complaint or parasite that your dog may have. Pet Health Parlors are available for the clipping of your dogs coat and nails. If you you're your dog yourself take care not to cut his coat too short in the winter, also you may cause your dog injury which could cause bleeding if you clip his coat and nails too short.

If you do your own clipping sharp good quality clipping instruments are available from most pet shops remember it is not advisable to clip you dog if he is ill.

About the Author

Jayne Waldorf invites you to visit
www.caredfordogs.com
today to download your free gift "Dog Care by David & Shery Russ" Jaynes' web site includes information covering the following subjects -All about dogs, Dog Training, Dog Health, Dog food secrets, Dog dieting, Dog biting and much more.

cute cute cotton dog

Sew a Warm Raincoat for Your Dog

Making a warm and waterproof coat for your dog is quite simple, and means that you and your pooch can get more exercise over winter.

Suitable Fabrics & Notions

For the fabric, you want 2 layers. An outer layer of waterproof fabric (or fabric that can be made waterproof), and a warm layer for next to their fur.

Suitable fabrics for the outer layer include Gore-Tex, nylon and waterproof canvas. For the inner layer consider lambswool, synthetic lambswool, or polar fleece. The amount of fabric you require will depend on the size of your dog (see next section to calculate the amount of fabric required).

We'll also need some Velcro to fasten the coat at the neck and stomach. Try to get some Velcro at least 2" wide (or 5cm). This coat needs 2 x 4" pieces (or 2 x 10cm pieces) of Velcro. If you have a tiny dog, 4" is probably overkill – use your discretion.

The final item we need is Heavy Duty cotton webbing (this folds over the inner and outer layers and is stitched in place). Again the amount required depends on the size of your dog.

How Much Fabric to Buy

We need 3 measurements from your dog. First measure the LENGTH of your dog from the base of his neck (about where the collar sits) to just past his tail (we want the coat to extend a little past the tail).

Next, measure the WIDTH by measuring from half way between your dog's knee and hip, up over the rump, to the same spot on the other side.

Now we need to measure the NECK allowance so measure from mid shoulder to mid shoulder, allowing the measuring tape to droop a little as if it were a fastener on a dog coat.

The amount of fabric you need to buy is the LENGTH plus half of the NECK measurement by the WIDTH, so if your dog's LENGTH is 22.5" and WIDTH is 23.5" and NECK is 16", you need to get inner and outer fabric that measures 30.5" by 23.5".

The amount of webbing you need is LENGTH x 2 plus WIDTH x 2 plus NECK x 4 . So for my dog above I will need 45" plus 47" plus 64", a total of 156" or 13'.

(Special Note: - the extra webbing allowance Neck x 4 is for the strap which goes underneath the coat at your dog's waist. A double neck allowance will cover most dogs, however if your dog or Dog Breed is particularly thick around the middle, you may need additional fabric and webbing).

To Make Your Pattern

Now draw out your pattern.

Place both pieces of fabric with right sides together, the waterproof fabric on top (facing you). First, draw a square which is your WIDTH on one side, and LENGTH plus ½ NECK on the other side. (See this diagram here www.sewing4dummies.com/dogcoat.html). You may want to quickly pin inside this line to hold both pieces of fabric together.

Now mark off the spot where your LENGTH measurement is, exactly half way across the WIDTH (see diagram above).

Using tailors chalk, round off each of your edges, and draw out the scoop for your dog's neck. The width for the two top pieces which go around your dog's neck should be at least 2.5" (for the Velcro fasteners), but can be wider if you have a larger dog.

Pin and cut.

Now, using the spare piece left over from the neck scoop, draw another rectangle at least 2.5" wide (for the Velcro fasteners), but can be wider if you have a larger dog, and the NECK measurement long. This is for the fastener which goes around your dog's waist.

To Make Up

Before you start sewing, it is a good idea to check the coat on the dog. Just place one of the pieces on your dog to see whether the neck allowance is enough or too much – check the amount of overlap for fastening at the neck. Also check that the waist fastener, when attached, will fit around your dog.

Also, depending on the fabric you use, you may need to swap over your sewing machine needle for a more sturdy one, as these fabrics can be quite hard to penetrate. Test on a scrap piece of fabric first.

Now we're ready to sew. Turn the dog coat pieces around so that they are right side out. Starting on one of the sides, pin the cotton webbing around the entire outer edge of the dog coat, being sure that it is evenly spaced. Stitch in place.

Do the same with the waist closure piece. Now stitch the waist closure piece onto the dog coat at a point that is comfortable for your dog.

We now need to attach the Velcro pieces on the neck, waist closure and side. Remember that one piece needs to be stitched on the outside, and one on the inside to ensure proper closure. Pop the coat on your dog to check the best place to put your Velcro.

Stitch in place, and that's it.

About the Author

Diane Ellis has been sewing since she was very young and got her first sewing machine at 6 years old (albeit a miniature one!). She sews purely for friends and family, and enjoys making her own patterns, and using her skills to decorate her home. She is the co-author of the website www.sewing4dummies.com where, for a limited time, you can sign up for a free 6 part sewing course called Easy Fun Sewing Projects.

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