It is important to both the physical and mental wellbeing of your dog to establish appropriate bedding, shelter and protection from the elements.
Kennels Bedding Dog doors Dog coats Nutrition Medications Toys Training tips
- Dogs need a kennel for shelter when they are outside
- To keep your dog clean, and to make life easier for you, the kennel should be able to be easily cleaned
- It must provide reasonable shelter from the weather (sun, wind, rain, cold etc), but still allow the air to circulate
- Make sure there is adequate room for it to move around, including the height of the structure
- A kennel which is mobile (easily relocated), may be useful
Pets Wonderland stock a large range of kennels in plastic and wood for dogs of all sizes. We also stock Houndhouse kennels, which are durable fabric collapsible kennels, perfect for travelling.
When chosing a kennel for your dog, ensure it will have enough room to walk in, turn around and stand up. Don’t chose a size too big, as your dog won’t be warm enough! Make sure there is sufficient ventilation while still providing shelter from the weather. Make sure you choose something really warm and cosy to put inside the kennel like a Snooza Futon. These are warm as they are made from wool, and are flea proof.
Our beds are all fully machine washable, and made from fabric which fleas can’t breed in.
For indoor use, the Fuzzyard beds are soft and snuggly and come in all sizes. The toughest decision is chosing which colour will look best in your lounge room!
If your situation permits your dog to be able to be “inside and out” of your home, you may consider a dog door to make this task easier for both of you. As a general guide, the size of the door needs to fit from the top of the animal’s shoulders to bottom of the chest.
There are different door types which will fit into existing glass, wood or security doors:
Transcat glass fitting doors for dogs and cats. They are clear and more discrete than some other doors. Having a clear door will encourage your pet to use it as they can see what is on the other side. These doors need to be fitted by a glazier and into a round hole in the glass panel. These doors are available in sizes to fit cats and small to medium sized dogs.
Dog Mate and Cat Mate Electromagnetic Door. This door is configured so that only the pet wearing the corresponding disc on their collar can get through the door. If there is a desire to keep other pets or animals out, this is the one to choose.
There is now a ‘super selective’ version of this door that allows you to have up to 4 cats for each door. Additionally, you can program the door to let some cats out, but not others. The door also has a tracking device that tells you which cats are inside and which are outside.
Dog Mate and Cat Mate Four way locking. This door is configured so that the dog or cat can stay in once inside, or stay out once outside etc. There is a weather seal around door to prevent rain and drafts getting in, and a magnet to catch the door and prevent it from blowing open.
Large dog doors have a security panel that can be slotted in to make the door secure if you go away. Most doors are fitted with a magnetic seal so the door swings shut behind pet and doesn’t swing in wind.
In most situations, replacement parts are available.
Dog Coats can provide another layer of protection for your pet, particularly in colder weather or if your dog spends the nights outside. As a general guide, the coat must fit from the base of tail to the base of neck and should fit snuggly around the body of your dog. Pets Wonderland stocks a large range of dog coats, from cute polar fleece hoodies to raincoats to functional drizabones and everything in between! If you aren’t sure about size that’s no problem, just hang onto your tag and receipt so we can swap it over for you.
At Pets Wonderland stores we only carry Premium Pet foods. These foods are innovative and precisely formulated nutrition for optimal health for your pet. Our preferred brands are ZiwiPeak, Royal Canin, Black Hawk, Hill’s Science Diet, and Advance. These foods are meat based, and completely balanced so your pet gets all the nutrition they need from one food.
Some brands provide ‘special needs’ foods for your dog or cat, to combat problems such as sensitive stomachs, sensitive skin, oral care, hairballs, obesity, and mature age.
Call into your local Pets Wonderland where our friendly staff will help you choose the right food to suit your pet’s needs. Also, ask about great loyalty programs and current promotions.
Pets Wonderland stocks a full range of medications for your pet for control of fleas, heartworm, intestinal worms and other parasites.
- Frontline Plus
- Advantage
- Revolution
- Advocate
- Drontal
- Sentinel
- Interceptor
- Milbemax
Contact your local store for help deciding which product best meets your needs.
Providing dogs with a variety of toys can help prevent destructive behaviour. It is important to give your dog a selection of both interactive and non interactive toys, and to change them over frequently to keep things interesting and fun!
Interactive toys are designed for you and your dog to enjoy together, such as Chuck-its, rope tug toys.
Interactive toys will keep your dog amused when he is alone. Toys like the Busy Buddy range that can be stuffed with treats and slowly release them as your dog chews them will keep inquisitive minds busy for hours.
Whether you need a comfort toy for a new puppy or something to withstand a tough chewer, your Pets Wonderland store will have plenty of dog toys for you to choose from!
Training your dog - easy tips ands solutions
Your dog will be a source of great joy for you and your family for a very long time. Dealing with your dog in a way that best introduces it into your family and environment will help you achieve this. There is effort involved and you will need to keep at it over time.
Family integration Toilet training Jumping Barking Lead training
Understanding your dog and its place in the family:
- Setting the rules and expectations for the dog and how it should behave with you (and your family) is your job. It is an important job, and you will need to start doing your job right from the beginning, when the dog is first introduced into your home
- Your dog is not a human being and instinctively, from having evolved as an animal that lives together in packs, may try to be ‘boss’ of your ‘pack’.
- You and other members of your family have to make your dog comfortable by showing it that it has a position in your family but that this position should never be higher than the position of you or your family members.
- Helping small children understand this and how to assert themselves when your dog may want to give them rough treatment, is essential in making for a safe environment
Be consistent about keeping the dog in its proper place so it is not confused. Other, less confident family members will more likely learn from your behaviour and treat the dog correctly.
Children and your dog:
- Children and dogs do not have an adult understanding of each other. Children can unintentionally hurt dogs, as can dogs hurt children.
- Owner supervision and guidance is required to safeguard the child and the dog, to teach the child to respect the dog and not to be overly rough with it, and to instil in the dog a set of behaviours that enable it to play safely with children. This is especially the case when young children and/or a ‘new’ dog are involved
- Having your child participate in the activities of feeding and caring for your dog, appropriate to their age, will help them learn about their pet and increasingly they will be able to take a greater role.
- A “time-out’ space should be provided, which is out of bounds to the child, to confine the dog to when its behaviour gets too unruly
It should be noted that small children should never be left alone with a dog.
Socialisation:
- Socialising your puppy means exposing it, within your care, to a variety of experiences; it is a job of showing it your world so that it comes to understand its new environment. It needs to be introduced to all the rooms in the house, to the garden, the shed, the car, the neighbours, and the pet goldfish. As it does the rounds, hopefully it develops confidence.
- You want your puppy to be able to mix well with other dogs. Give him opportunities to play with other puppies, under supervision.
- Create an in-door toilet area for your puppy and take it to there at times you might expect it needs to use it. Pets Wonderland recommends the use of Housebreaking pads which are much more effective than newspaper when house training a puppy. They have a pheromone scent in them to attract the puppy to the area, and are also absorbant like a nappy to avoid mess.
- After a nap, meals or drinks are the most likely times your dog will go toilet. It may show you, by sniffing or pacing about, that it needs to go. Watch for these signs.
- Have the spot near an outside door from the house so eventually the puppy can be encouraged to use the toilet outside.
- During this time it might be a trying time for you, remain cool and calm and give the puppy a chance to grow into this new habit.
- Heap praise on the puppy when is does the right thing, and reward him with treats and pats.
- In the case of accidents, Urine Free is the most effective cleaning agent. It will remove stains and odours no matter how long they have been there. Heavy detergents can’t break down the urine crystals as they remain firmly bonded to the surface of fibres. Urine Free uses bio-remediation, and breaks down and consumes the urine crystals. It can be purchased in a pack with a black light to reveal any accidents that may have gone un-noticed!
Pet Mistake Absorber is good for absorbing accidents from carpets. It is a powder that is sprinkled generously on the area, and then left to absorb moisture. It is then vacuumed up.
- Natural exuberance may be behind a dog’s need to jump up on people, especially when they arrive on the scene, but it is frequently an unwanted response. Some people can physically take it but others (small, elderly, frail) could be overwhelmed by it. Your dog needs to learn not to jump up on anyone.
- Try getting your dog to sit instead, as a welcoming behaviour. Use this, with rewards, in as many different situations as you can e.g. at the supermarket, playground, around the home. Whenever your dog changes from jumping up on people to the more acceptable response, reward it immediately.
- Don’t give attention to the dog if it is barking as this will encourage the behavior.
- If your dog barks at you for feeding, for walks, for outside play, engage in these things only when the barking has well ceased.
- While you’re away from home you will not want your dog barking. Minimise its response to external noises by leaving a radio or TV quietly on for company too, set it up with some activity to keep it interested e.g. an interactive toy such as a treat ball, or something to chew such as a rawhide retriever
Anti-Barking Citronella Collars are a useful tool for kindly discouraging persistently barking dogs. As the dog barks, they emit a short spray of citronella, which is harmless but unpleasant for the dog. In time, the barking habit is usually broken. Pets Wonderland offers a hire system for these.
Gentle Leaders are the most effective method of preventing dogs from pulling. The choker chain method is quite outdated now. The disadvantage of choker chains is they are so frequently misused – a dog must be specifically trained in order for them to respond to the chain, and it is not very pleasant for the dog.
Gentle leaders are not a muzzle. The strap sits across the dog’s snout and makes it physically impossible for the dog to pull ahead. There is also a strap that sits behind the dog’s head, putting pressure on the back of the neck which is naturally relaxing for dogs. These come with an instructional dvd that shows you how to train your dog. The dog may take some time to get used to the gentle leader, so use it for short bursts at a time initially, distract the dog with treats and rewards, and praise when the dog is walking correctly.