5 Reasons To Get a Dog When Retiring

If you are looking for the perfect retirement gift for Mom and/or Dad, you may want to consider getting them a dog. Likewise, if you are the person retiring, this may be the perfect time to adopt a dog from a shelter. A canine friend can enrich a retiring person's life in many ways. 

Here are 5 reasons to get a dog when retiring.

1. A dog can improve your physical health a great deal. Dogs need to be walked a few times a day and it's not something you can put off. This keeps you constantly motivated to take walks. In a way, the dog is walking you, not the other way around! Walking of course is a great way to keep your cardiovascular system in shape, i.e. it is good for human health and for dog health. Walking your dog is also a way to ensure you'll get outside and fill your lungs with some healthy fresh air. Even in a tidy house, stale inside air can be highly polluted. Frequently going outside is also great for your psyche. If your dog doesn't seem interested in walking every day, one way to motivate her is to go on a walk right before feeding time when she gets her favorite dog food!

2. Having a dog can also work wonders for your social life. It is very natural for dogs to stop and interact with other dogs as you walk along. This often leads to their humans pleasantly interacting as well. Of course, it is important that a dog be properly trained and socialized so that they get along with other people and different breeds of dogs they will encounter when walking or while playing in the park. There are various techniques that can be used to accomplish this. A friendly dog meet and greet is a great conversation starter. People who would never speak to one another otherwise may quickly become fast friends when they are out and about with their dog. 

3. A dog can also improve your interpersonal life at home too. Often times, when one or both spouses retire, this major change can create new conflict within a marriage. A dog helps to assuage this in much the same way as children do by becoming a shared focus of positive attention. You and your spouse both love the dog and want what's best for him or her, and thus you work cooperatively toward that goal, improving your relationship in the process.

4. Dogs also help older adults remain young at heart. They reduce stress and anxiety by being a constant comfort. The act of gently stroking a dog can make anger and sadness melt away. This is why "therapy dogs" are now being used in nursing homes and hospitals. Interacting with a dog reduces cortisol levels. Cortisol is the "stress hormone" and it can lead to health issues like depression, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, obesity, and heart disease.


5. Dogs can help you keep mentally keen as well. You naturally want to learn more about canine health so you can keep your dog healthier, give them a higher quality of life, and help them live longer. Toward this end, you may end up researching topics like what type of dog feed to feed them, how to keep their fur in good shape, what type of ancestry your particular dog breed may have, the various health issues associated with your dog breed, and how to keep them happy. Learning about dogs and applying this to caring for your own dog becomes a fascinating and rewarding hobby. The best part is that the more you care for your dog, the richer and more rewarding your own life will be.

Be sure to feed your dog a high quality dog food so he or she will stay in top form. A dog fed a lower quality dog food may act sluggish, have persistent, skin allergies, and more easily suffer from disease!

Dog Dental Care For a Pomeranian Husky

A Pomeranian Husky is a very popular designer breed created by crossing a Pomeranian with a Husky. It is well known that Pomeranians are more prone to dental problems than other breeds so special care must be taken to prevent gum disease and tooth loss. Unfortunately, Pomeranian Huskies usually inherit their dental traits from the Pomeranian, not the Husky, so it is extra important to provide regular dog dental care for them.

Give Your Pomeranian High Quality Dog Food

Be sure to give your Pom high quality dog food that contains no corn, soy, fillers, or low quality meat by products. The higher the quality of dog food, the less trouble your dog will have with gum disease and decaying teeth.

Start Them Out As a Puppy

Dogs adapt better to having their teeth cleaned if you start them out as a puppy. For Pomeranian Huskies, you should start around 8 weeks old. To get them used to the idea, for about a week, you can simply rub your finger along their gum line. Talk sweetly to them as you do so and turn it into a bonding time they enjoy. The following week, you can use a finger brush to massage their gums. This will help keep their gums healthy and get them used to a foreign object being inside their mouth. The third week, you can use a dog tooth brush with a small dab of dog toothpaste. There are enzymes in dog toothpaste that kill bacteria and prevent plaque from turning into tartar. Never use human toothpaste because it can hurt, or even kill, your dog.

Get Into a Daily Routine With Your Pomeranian Husky

While it is recommended for all dog breeds that you clean their teeth at least twice a week, with Pomeranian Huskies, you should brush their teeth at least once a day. Make it part of a daily grooming ritual that your dog learns to enjoy because it means being the center of attention with their favorite human. You may also want to combine this ritual with play time and/or a walk outside as a reward for being "good" while you brush their teeth. You should also talk softly to them and praise them as you brush their teeth. Positive reinforcement almost always works better with a dog than scolding them when they don't do want you want them to do.

Never Use Human Toothpaste - It Bears Repeating!

Many human toothpastes use xylitol, a sugar substitute, to make it sweet tasting. While xylitol is not toxic to humans, it is harmful, even deadly, to dogs. Also, even if you use a human toothpaste that states it does not have xylitol, you should not use it on your Pomsky. This is because of the grit particles used in virtually all brands of human toothpaste. We spit this out so it does not hurt us. However, dogs swallow toothpaste and this grit can cause abdominal damage and pain.

Professional Teeth Cleanings

It is generally recommended that dogs have their teeth professionally cleaned once a year. However, with the Pomeranian Husky's propensity for dental issues, you should keep a very close watch for any plaque build-up. It can be helpful to examine your Huskeranian's teeth with a bright light and a magnifying glass. If you notice any plaque build-up, regardless of regular brushing at home, you may want to talk with your veterinarian about having your dog's teeth professionally cleaned at least twice a year. Be careful not to add sweet things to your Pom's dog food as this will increase their plaque.

Final Thoughts

Dog dental care is important for all breeds of dog. However, it is even more important for Pomeranian Huskies since they are so prone to plaque build-up leading to gum disease and loose teeth. For this reason, you should be sure to be extra diligent about cleaning the teeth of your precious little Pomsky!

Dog Food: The Importance Of Not Leaving It Out In the Summertime

I recently visited a friend who has a toy poodle. She loves her dog dearly but she was doing something that I just had to say something about. She was leaving canned dog food out for her poodle all the time. In the month of August, when she leaves the house, she leaves her thermostat on about seventy-five degrees to save money and the house actually gets much hotter than that due to the fact that she has several uncovered sky lights and lots of picture windows. It's basically like a greenhouse in there. I could see that the edges of the dog food in her dog's bowl was hard and crusty.

Pathogens will start to attack dog food almost as soon as you set the bowl down. Therefore, if you put so much dog food down that your dog can't finish it all in one meal, you may very well end up with spoiled dog food. You may also end up with a very sick dog due to food poisoning!

During the summer months, be sure to only put out just enough dog food that your dog can finish it it immediately. Also, be sure to wash the bowl thoroughly between feedings. It only takes a small amount of pathogenic bacteria to make your dog sick. Finally, store the dog food in the refrigerator. If your dog doesn't like cold food, take out a portion about thirty to forty minutes before you serve it.