Adult pets way past their prime are slowed down versions of the frisky pups they were. Their bones and muscles are not as toned yet their strength is still seen in their eyes. They have served us well and have given us the best companionship any man can ask for, in turn our family makes sure a pet's last days are ones of relief and full of love.

Bone deterioration and some illness that keeps pets in constant pain can't be undone, the best would be to be around a pet and have lots of attention showered the last days. Dog beds normally for young dogs do not always give the necessary relief to old ones, changing from plush to firm orthopedic dog bed can cushion old bones.

Eating for old ones can be a chore, if only it would be best to give them puree so they'd not have to move. But aged pets also need exercise, so a little movement from their spot to their dog dish is effort enough. Getting an elevated pet feeder is useful and helpful for pets  when old. No more stooping or uneven footing just accessible food in front of him. There are some adjustable raised dog feeders which changes sizes in case your pet has to eat at its bedside.

A source of relief also for our ol'faithful's is a daily rub downs or dog massages. These are better than pats and have soothing effects and allow proper blood circulation. Rub-downs are also a way for the family to express love in borrowed time.
Caring for aged pets is a family effort and the time to get your fill of memories of that funny, chubby pup turned old.

Sharing your home with pet dogs forever makes your home under constant if not frequent restructuring. Our home is shared with both cats and dogs, and to give them free reign over our homes will make it difficult for us and their future owners. Besides having an office within the home calls for putting limitations to access for both kids and fur-kids (ie.-on deadlines!). The most used piece of pet furniture would be dog gates. Mounted, pressure, stand-alone, zig-zag or a folding fence with a wooden caddy these gates play a major role in keeping a neat home with kids and pets. The gates are mostly unmounted on the first floor of the home, while on the 2nd floor, a mounted one at the stairs and bathroom (NO to bowl drinking!).

The gates we prefer are wooden, they don't stick-out like a sore thumb in a house carefully designed. Metal gates can be when used in the kitchen for some homes, since containing pets during meals helps discourage begging or lap sitting. Our covered screened  porch or living room is used mostly as a people/pets recreational area, we hang out together with no pet going beyond the gate. At sleep time or when visitors are in pets go to their own room which is secured by a rather high gate. Exceptions are for pups that are being trained to associate and get used to humans (okay, we can't resist not having fur balls to cuddle up to at night.).

Dog gates play such a great part in this, have never regretted buying. All told, keeping a home in order at the same time having pets trained to stay in an area or even not expose them to negative behavior is not easy without a little help from these things.

When pet crates and pet carriers were relatively new pet owners would just get a product with the thought that it is the end all be all of the expense for a pet dog. Before getting any pet accessory or furniture, take your pet's  breed , height standard and its weight. Years of handling dogs and being around pet  and hunting dog owners there have been a number who have pinched pennies which result in a dog's suffering. Seeing  hunting dogs crammed into their old dog crates does more bad than good, too bad others take awhile to understand.
The proper way to fit a dog would be to follow these considerations:

Lying space- measure your pet as it is lying down on its side with its legs stretched to where it can.
Height    -  try out possible pet carriers and see how much head room your pet will have when  it gets in. Is your pet stooped? The best carrier or crate is one that is comfortable.

When buying without your pet, it is best to opt for the larger size. When you buy for your pup, it is best to buy using the standard size your pup's breed can get. Some pet stores also have divider panels available which you can install in the adult sized crate or carrier until your pup grows into it.

Ear Mites are parasites, much like ticks that bury themselves in the ear canal of any animal. If gone untreated, infection can spread inside your pets canal and the nerves connecting to some glands and nodes. Being prescribed strong medicine  provides relief but not mite eradication. Whether failing by inconsistent administration or low dosage, We decided to treat our pets with a holistic tincture. This approach is brought about the availability issue and the safe number of times it can be applied without causing reactions.

For starters combine .5 oz. Of either almond or olive oil and Vitamin E (400 IU) mix it well and put in a bottle. The oil and vitamin E drowns mites and is sticky enough to keep mites in place until they die. Before applying, give your pet a thorough bath, thoroughly clean from tip to tail. A clean tail is crucial too since when a pet curls up, its tail is open to mites from the ears.

Drop half a dropper of the mixture and massage the outside part of the ears, rolling the dog's lobes for the oil to spread. Rubbing the ears will loosen the mites that have hardened inside the ear canal.

Encourage your pet to shake its head to shake mites off the walls of the inner ears. Then, wearing  surgical gloves fold your pet's ear outward. Surgical gloves protect you and give you a better grip on your pets ear. It will feel itchy and ticklish at the same time for the dog, so swab ears in intervals.

Clean the loosened mites in the dogs ear canal, then swab off visible hardened mites working from inward going outward.  Some mites may seep out in that crook where the ear meets the dogs 'cheek', apply the oil mixture there too and swab off visible mites. The mites make fur around the ears look scraggly like an old toothbrush. Do this every other day for a week.

Mix Yellow Dock Root and 10 tblsp. of water. Drop a dropper full of this mixture and like the oil mixture, be sure to spread it inside the ear canal to loosen hiding mites. From inside going outside of your dog's ear, swab mites from the inside. Clean outer ear mite stains with sterile gauze pads, rubbing inner ear flap in circular motion.

This yellow Dock Root  treatment will last every other day for 6 weeks. Mite eggs hatch in several cycles. Consistent application bombards the parasites with the killer mixture, not giving it  time to lay or hatch their eggs. With patience and consistency, this holistic remedy guarantees mite-free ears. For long term protection using the mixture as a regular ear cleaning aid  keeps your pet's ears clean.

A Retriever masters 6 basic commands for it to be the hunting sidekick you need.
Retrieve to hand, a gun dog is trained to wait for the command to give the fowl to the hunter (dropped at foot or at hand).
Mark command, this is given before any shot is done. This signals the dog to be on the look out for the game you shoot over head. Without the “Mark!” command, your gun dog will be looking up at you and not at the fowl you just shot. If this ever happens, never blame the dog, it was waiting for your signal you know….

Hand Signals, when game is down in the water, your Retriever needs to be guided to where to get the fowl. Hunting is a lonely sport at times, if you talk to your gun dog don't expect for him to understand beyond the hand signals. Again it is pointless to blame the dog for not understanding your language- Retrievers are intelligent but not multi-lingual.

 Shake, a pet dogs first impulse when drenched in water is to shake the water off, in a hunt a gun dog waits for the signal to do so. Shaking on the boat can cause an accident and shaking without retrieve to hand command will get you a damaged fowl no matter how soft you claim your pets mouth is. The shaking will let him bear down on his bite to keep the fowl in place…

Just like dogs, a Retriever's secondary role is to flush game. Quarter train your dogs to work in a grid pattern to find upland game fowl. The gun dog stays within range so it doesn't flush out of shooting distance.

The Steady command is for your Retriever to sit when a game bird flies and when a gun is fired. The gun dog usually marks where the shot bird drops. A good Retriever is ready  and steady on wing and shot.

Keep in mind even from a line of Retriever breed, each dog is unique in character, talent and potential. There are gun dogs that exceed anyones expectations while others are just like your own kin, they may not be perfect but they do it with heart.