Going from pup to grandpup doesn’t leave much prime time under American Veterinary Medical Association labels that cats and small dogs are geriatric at 7—and large dogs at 6.

But not everyone agrees, and rescuers say those definitions can be a death sentence to older animals in need of homes.

Dr. Emily Pointer, staff internist and medical coordinator at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital in New York, said she considers the last third of life the sunset years.

“That seems fairly crazy,” she said of the AMVA designations. “I would never consider a person in their 40s or 50s to be senior.”

The AVMA said the oldest cat on record was 34, the oldest dog was 29.

Forget the notion that seven dog years equal one human year, the AVMA said. A 7-year-old dog weighing less than 50 pounds is like a 44- to 47-year-old human; 10 equals 56- to 60-year-old humans; 15 is like a 76- to 83-year-old; and 20 is like a 96- to 105-year-old human, the group said.

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More on dog age in human years

Arthritis in Dogs: What Are The Causes?

Several factors contribute to this condition, including an all-cooked-food diet, lack of exercise, poor absorption of minerals, and lack of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.

It occurs as an inflammation in bones and joints. The onset is gradual and the owner notices the dog having increased difficulty in walking, getting up, lying down, running, and moving in general.

K9 Magazine has put together what we consider to be the easiest to follow guide to arthritis in dogs.

The key to effective training is to ensure that your dog’s activity level remains consistently high. Dogs are not meant to lie around all day and do nothing. They need to run and work in order to be healthy and happy. Take your dog on regular walks to burn off extra energy. Dogs also make superb workout partners and can be trained to run alongside you as you jog or bike. A dog that doesn’t run gets bored and lethargic. Your dog needs to get exercise.

A helpful bit of training advice is to be aware of your dog’s taste preferences. By giving your dog this food, they will want to follow whatever you teach them. Watch how your dog responds when receiving their reward to ensure it is still the best choice.

When you are in the initial stages of training your puppy, teach him his name first to help create a bond. Call him using his name and teach him how to respond when called. This is the first set of commands you should teach your new puppy. Be sure to spend lots of quality time with your puppy, so that he will learn to know and trust you. When you set this trust early on, the puppy will be more open to the next steps in training.

Keep count of the number of treats you feed your dog because you do not want him or her to get fat. A lot of pet owners don’t think about how much weight their dogs can put on with treats.

Ensure that your dog gets enough activity. Don’t let your dog sit around with nothing to do. They won’t get any exercise that way and if they’re too bored, they might sniff around and get into some trouble. Dogs with no enthusiasm will be harder to train than active dogs. A dog that is happy, and gets the attention that they crave, will be a better behaved and attentive dog. Take your dog on long walks or runs.

Training should be fun for your dog. Keep your training sessions to a period of time that is less than 15 minutes. Reward your dog generously, when warranted. Praise your dog often when he does well and show a lot of love. Training your dog can be an enjoyable experience for both of you.

Although there are many benefits to using a harness, you will have less control over your dog than if he is wearing a cinch collar. When you use both a collar and a harness, and only tug the collar when you need to, the dog will learn that he or she must behave while they are in the harness, too.

A lot of pet owners are pleasantly surprised how canine behavior training can fit seamlessly into their lives and just how soon they can see positive effects. Try out these tips if you are having problems with your dog.

Giving these dogs a good home is the most important thing that you can do. But if adopting a dog is just not an option right now, there are other things that you can do to better the lives of shelter dogs. Below are several suggestions to keep in mind.

1. Visit your local shelter and spend some time with the dogs. Donating some of your time to simply hang out and play with these canine residents can make a huge difference to their lives. Most of the time, shelter staff are very busy with their work and they do not have the extra time to interact with the dogs. Shelter employees can always use the help of others to come and play and socialize with their residence. They are more than happy to show you around and figure out what you can do to help out.

As a volunteer, you can take the dogs for a walk around the block, give them a little pampering by brushing their coats, or just be there and hang out with them. Shelter dogs get very little attention, and a short visit with them does a lot to improve their well-being.

2. You may volunteer to take these dogs to an obedience class that will better their chances for an adoption.

3. Take one day of the week to help wash and groom the dogs and then bring them to adoption fairs.

4. Sponsor a fund raising party and donate the cash to your local rescue organisation. You may also ask for donations of items that you can bring to the shelter. These include blankets, food and treats, collars, leashes, toys, kennels, etc.

5. You may also volunteer to be a foster parent and keep the rescued dog at your house until he or she finds a permanent home.

6. Inform people about dog adoption and being a shelter volunteer by placing an ad in your local paper or putting up signs on bulletin boards and at dog parks.

7. And last but not the least, keep in mind that the best way to prevent shelter overcrowding is to spay or neuter your pets and to spread the word about the benefits of getting these house pets fixed.

Find out more about dog adoption.

Pay attention to your tone when you are disciplining your dog. Dogs tend to be well in tune with how their trainers are feeling. An appropriately stern tone can reinforce discipline. However, if you let your frustration show when your dog takes a long time to get a command right, you may undermine the praise you’re giving. Excessive anger can decrease your dog’s trust in you.

To teach your dog not to chew inappropriately, be sure to provide him with plenty of appropriate things to chew. Make sure they are dog toys, not cast off human belongings. Whenever your dog begins to chew inappropriately, redirect him by giving him one of his own toys and take away the inappropriate item.

Prepare your dog early on for veterinary examinations. Gently pass your hands over his entire body, praising him when he responds well. Prepare him to be more tolerant with having his paws handled and his teeth looked at. Ask your friends to help out, as well. Your dog will become familiar with the process and be less nervous when going to the vet’s office.

Research to find out if your training path fits your dog’s specific breed. Certain breeds have a tough time with retaining new things quickly or are very stubborn, and may need more time. There are several dog breeds that need your patience when training, and basset hounds and bulldogs are just two such breeds.

When potty-training, remember that an enzymatic cleaner is your secret weapon. Dogs often will return to the same spot to urinate or defecate inside the house. That is because canine urine and feces has markers that let the dog know that this is the spot to do business. Using an enzymatic cleaner stops this smell at its source, and helps your training efforts that much more.

When you are potty training a young puppy, continue training even at night. A midnight potty run might not be convenient, but it can save your favorite rug. Puppies have very small bladders and need to eliminate often. Since they are not capable of holding it, those midnight potty runs are essential.

Use cheese as a treat when you are training your canine companion. Cheese is nice change of pace for your dog from packaged treats. Dogs typically love cheese and will consider it a fine treat. Do not overdo it though, cheese can have a high sodium content. Your dog could be sensitive to this.

Practice walking your dog over to a rug and asking him to sit whenever a doorbell rings. To do this, have a friend or family member ring the doorbell. Guide your dog by his leash to a rug or spot and have him sit. Praise him and offer a treat. Repeating this exercise will help him to remain calm and appear more polite when guests come over.

Puppy proof your house to prevent cherished possessions from becoming your puppy’s favorite chew toy. Remove items, such as shoes, from the area where you keep your puppy. Many pet stores sell a bitter tasting spray that you can use to keep your puppy from chewing on electrical cords. Remember that most puppies will grow out of this stage.

One tip to keep in mind when training your dog, is to be sure to never discipline your dog for bad behavior when he is ill. This will only confuse your dog and might cause him to not respond to discipline in the future. Examples of this would be, if your dog vomits or defecates in a manner that is not typical to his normal behavior.

Nutrition

Remember how many treats you reward your dog with during the course of the day to avoid fattening him up. Many people overlook treats when considering the animals diet but they will certainly add up, especially during active training. Carefully choose which treats to give him based on quality and nutrition and if you’re finding the dog gets a lot of treats you may want to consider praise as an alternative reward.

Your dog will need a diet high in nutrition to maintain his vitality and health. This means that you should be picky about what you feed your dog. Making your own dog food can help to reduce fillers that do nothing for your pet, while increasing the crude protein to a healthy and more beneficial level.

You are now taking the first step to become a successful dog trainer. Choosing to follow some of the advice and tips in this article, will not only make you a better trainer, but a better listener, who can understand the needs of your dog. Simple advice can go a long way.

"Although prevention may be more effort for the owners, it has the best end result for their pets and often their pocketbook," said Marjory Artzer, a clinical assistant professor at the K-State Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital.

By the age of 3, about 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats already have established periodontal disease, said Jennifer Akers, a clinical assistant professor at the Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital. Akers said preventative measures are key to identifying and stopping disease before it gets too bad.

Dogs often have more straightforward periodontal disease, ranging from mild cases of gingivitis that can be reversed with cleaning, to more advanced cases where dogs can lose teeth, Akers said. Cats more commonly suffer from issues with tooth resorption and inflammatory disease in their mouth.

Both conditions can be very painful for pets, but animals don't have to act as if they are pained for disease to exist in the mouth, according to the K-State veterinarians. Often pain comes on slowly, so the animal has time to adjust.

"A lot of times we only know it has been problematic for them after we've instituted therapy and they go back to feeling good and have a change in behavior for the better," Artzer said.

Some signs of dental problems include bad breath, bleeding from the gingiva, changes in eating behavior or pawing and rubbing faces.

Most dental pathology is best identified by a veterinarian, Artzer said, and to help identify any dental problems, owners should make sure their animals get an oral exam every year with their annual checkup.

To help prevent periodontal disease, owners should brush dogs teeth daily with a pet toothbrush and pet toothpaste. Do not use human toothpaste, Akers said, as it can be toxic to animals. Water-additives, dental chews and dental diets can also help prevent periodontal disease.

"For cats, vigilance in observing and trying to intercede as early in the disease process as possible helps to keep them more comfortable longer," Akers said. "Daily oral health care is important for preventing periodontal disease and also keeps the owners looking in the mouth on a routine basis for signs of problems."

Owners should not give dogs bones or other hard toys, as they are a common cause of tooth-breaking.

"With the best intention of providing something that owners may think is OK, it can have a very negative outcome," Artzer said. "If we provide pets with appropriate toys to chew, that is a better scenario."

Both veterinarians said owners should start dental care when pets are babies and easily trainable so that they become accustomed to daily toothbrushing. It is especially important for small breed dogs because they are most at risk for periodontal disease.

"Unfortunately, what we see is middle age older pets with really horrible disease in their mouths, and the owners, only in hindsight, wished that they had been doing something about it at a young age," Akers said.

But with preventative measures, owners can improve their animal's quality of life and prevent severe complications of periodontal disease, such as complicating factors for heart conditions, kidney problems or other dental diseases.

"Dental care can help pets live a long, happy pain-free life; but no dental care can often lead to very detrimental consequences that can be very painful for our pets and very detrimental for their long term survival," Akers said.

Oquendo has been training dogs for more than 10 years and officially started her own dog training business in 2010. She acquired her skills under some of the area's leading dog trainers and animal behaviorists, mentoring under Debbie Winkler, IAABC, CPDT-KA and receiving further education from behavior veterinarian Dr. Ian Dunbar, founder of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. She also trained closely with Dawn Sylvia-Staswiewicz, trainer to President Obama's dog, "Bo." Now Oquendo provides in-home training services to clients ranging as far as Pennsylvania to the Washington DC.

When she first looked at different approaches to dog training, Oquendo was excited by operant conditioning and positive reinforcement training, which stimulate a dog's mind in positive ways. She found that dogs always responded with a heightened desire to please when they were offered positive motivation in the form of an edible or verbal reward rather than being subjected to choke collars, shock collars and other equipment designed to frighten or inflict pain.

For example, Oquendo once encountered a couple walking two Rottweilers. She noticed that the dogs were wearing pinch collars, so she began talking with the couple. They explained that they used the pinch collars for greater control and because the dogs would not come when called. Oquendo persuaded the reluctant couple to drop the leashes, and within 10 seconds, the dogs were following her obediently by simply using positive reinforcement rewards on the spot.

Dogs not coming when they are called is the most frequent problem Oquendo's clients ask her to solve. In fact, her neighbor became so frustrated with his Husky that he was on the verge of handing the dog over to a shelter. However, Oquendo discovered that the only time the family called the dog's name was when she was going to be punished. She had them give the Husky treats when calling her and successfully helped the dog re-associate the calling of her name with positive reinforcement.

"In a society where we are all looking at improving our mind, body and spirit, many of us are looking to do the same for our dogs," Oquendo said. "It's possible with positive reinforcement training. It really works!"

Oquendo volunteers with a local rescue group called Tails of Hope. She currently owns four rescue dogs: two Rottweilers, a Chow and a Husky mix.

Useful Resources:

Dog tips
Dog fleas
Dog training books

The advantages of doggie daycare are numerous, both for the dogs and their owners. Many dog owners struggle with pets that suffer from separation anxiety and bark too much while the owner is at work, or have dogs that become destructive – tearing up rugs, books, etc. – when left alone too long. Daycare solves these problems, in some cases enabling a dog owner to keep a much-loved, although difficult pet, instead of having to give up the dog to another person or an animal shelter. In fact, animal shelters report that the most common reason for people to turn in their pets is because the dog is too loud or destructive when the owner is at work for the day.

At many pet kennel boarding facilities that offer doggie daycare, your pet will be evaluated as to whether he or she is social enough to play well with other dogs. Also, many doggie daycare providers separate big dogs from smaller ones to help ensure safety. If you have a dog that has trouble mixing with other dogs, however, there are still doggie daycare choices available. A few dog kennels specialize in providing this service and only take in a small number of dogs during the day, or have special spaces set up for dogs that need to be separated . In those cases , the dog kennel staff normally provides play interaction with your pet.

Owners have to give proof of immunizations at most pet kennel boarding places , so in addition to making sure your pet won't be hurt during doggie daycare, they also won't get sick from being with a vast number of other dogs each day.

Dogs typically enjoy a range of activities and toys during their doggie daycare— similar to a daycare center for children! Your pet will most likely get so much exercise with other dogs, it not only meets his or her requirement for activity, it also helps the animal maintain a healthy weight.

In the case of puppies and young dogs, the doggie daycare experience will help them learn helpful social skills and become well-adjusted, avoiding difficult personality problems some dogs develop that are left by themselves all day, five days a week.

Dogs are very social animals and playing with other dogs, or just being in their company, is healthy for dogs of all ages. Older dogs benefit as much as puppies from socializing and being more active.

Whether you sign your dog up for a day or two of doggie daycare, or a schedule that coincides your full-time work week, the benefits of this type of boarding will satisfy both your lives.

Useful Links:

http://www.petspotkennels.com/boarding.htm

http://www.kenneldirectory.com

http://www.petfriendlyhotels.com

http://www.petfriendlyworld.com

http://www.dogservices.co

So here's our little tip sheet on how to remove pet odours from the home.

Remove Pet Odours

With so many products on the market that are designed to remove pet odours, it is really easy to become confused about the entire process.  For the average person it is really easy to find yourself buying a bevy of products that you do not need, while overlooking the simple things that you could be doing to control pet odours.  For the typical person, it is not so much the amount of money that is spent on pet odour cleaners, but rather the types of products and cleaners that are used.

You should keep a kit of supplies in your home to quickly treat any and all pet odours.  This should include at a minimum dish detergent, hydrogen peroxide, borax, vinegar and also baking soda.  These are some standard household supplies that most people have on hand which can be used to effectively neutralize most pet odours quickly and without a large amount of effort.

Consider obtaining an air purifier for your home as well.   This is useful not just to remove any pet odours that might be lurking but it can also help you to remove things such as dust, pollen, and even pet dander.  These are all things that can contribute to the odours in your home, and can create some significant allergy problems, as well as aggravate asthma for those who suffer from it.

Look into a good pet vacuum cleaner also, this will allow you to remove from the carpet and rugs any pet hair as well as some of the odours.  These can help you to remove odours quickly and easily without significant effort just while you are vacuuming your home.  Because of the fact that these specially designed vacuums remove pet hair so well, they are also useful for controlling allergies also.  However, you need to shop around for the best model possible so that you can be certain you will achieve a good result.

Another useful suggestion to follow is to make certain that you are keeping your pet on a steady potty schedule.  If your pet is not able to go outside on a regular basis, you will quickly find that the incidence of accidents is much higher than it really needs to be.  However, this is not something that is a guarantee, but rather only applies if you have a dog.  If you have a cat, you need to make certain that the litter box is kept clean and fresh. 

Other additional steps that you can take to combat the odour is using air fresheners around your home that actually absorb odours.  Products such as Febreeze are excellent in this respect since they only emit a slight odour and do more to neutralized the odours that most typical air fresheners do.  If all you are doing is simply masking the odours you will make it much worse due to the fact that eventually you will have a very difficult time working out exactly when the odour is removed, and what smells worse, the abundance of air freshener or the pet odour itself.  By using only an air freshener that will neutralize the smell, you will freshen your home, without adding a huge abundance of air fresheners that could ultimately worsen the odour in your home.  This could allow you to really enjoy the benefits of careful usage of air freshener as well as still ensure that your home smells wonderful.

It is extremely important that you take the time to properly learn the cleaning techniques that will be needed in order to ensure that you are on your way towards success.  Careful usage of the right techniques will be very helpful as you work towards getting your home back into order and all of the odours removed.  With proper care to ensure that you are moving in the right direction you will find that it is very easy to get everything under control and still have time to actually enjoy your pet.

Trying to determine if your dog is experiencing anger, love, or any other "human" emotion is difficult. To date, no one has been able to provide convincing scientific evidence that we can distinguish one emotion from another by what our brains or hormones do. We obviously feel differently when we're in a loving versus an angry mood; however, what our brain does to influence us to feel those very different emotions is less clear.

Nonetheless, we believe that our pets love us, they appear to be embarrassed when we dress them up in silly clothes, and they certainly look like they're feeling guilty after doing something wrong.” But do they know right from wrong, and when they do the wrong thing, do they really feel guilty?

What would it take for us to be convinced that our pet actually experiences a specific emotion? Is it possible that his appearance, the way he looks in his body language and behavior, leads us to confuse guilt with submissive, defensive behaviour? Do we think that he's experiencing guilt from the way he looks or from the situation that seems to call for guilt? Do  we think that our dog  actually feels emotions such as guilt, love, shame, hope, pride, relief, regret, or revenge? It's an interesting question, and behaviorists are still working on it. But let's look at it in terms of revenge.

When we think of getting revenge against someone who has "done us wrong," we think of doing something to get back at the person. We decide on the appropriate revenge by imagining how it would make the person feel to have such-and-such happen to him. If we think it would really make him feel bad, and it would get back at him in an appropriate way, it makes us feel good, even if we just imagine it. We don't actually need to get revenge, we just need to imagine his reaction if he were to get what he deserves.

Your dog probably doesn't have the ability to imagine how you would feel if he were to soil your bed as revenge for leaving him alone all weekend. And he probably wouldn't chew your favourite shoes as revenge for locking him in the bedroom and keeping him from enjoying that piece of chicken you had last night. The ability to look into another's psyche to imagine one's emotional response to a planned endeavour is what behaviourists call revenge. Revenge requires a "theory of mind" that dogs do not have.

Dogs see the world from their perspective. That's why arranging their daily lives from their point of view works so well. Not only would it seem strange to understand why you won't give him a dog biscuit before dinner because it would spoil his appetite, but it would seem even more strange if he is seen planning something later that evening to make you feel bad in some way for your stinginess. Yet we often find ourselves believing that this is exactly what our pet must have done when we discover that he's chewed our best shoes. In reality, our pet's behaviour is probably caused by a disruption of his routine, an increased arousal or excitement, or a way to relieve discomfort or frustration.

Now that you understand your dog's emotions, you can go about changing them to create a mood that is incompatible with the mood that drives his misbehaviour. The concept is called the principle of competing motivations: A dog cannot be angry, fearful, or depressed and happy or exited at the same time!