Joe Inglis - Your Dog & Puppy: Expert Advice For Your Faithful Friend

Joe Inglis is best known as a resident vet on UKs BBC1 programme The One Show. Formerly, he starred in the hit series Vets in Practice and has also appeared on This Morning, The Wright Stuff, Blue Peter and BBC Breakfast. Joe manages to juggle the demands of being a vet with a blossoming and diverse media career. This has included presenting roles in many television programmes and writing for pet magazines and newspapers. He has also developed his own range of natural pet foods for dogs and cats, under the brand Pets Kitchen, which sells in supermarkets.

Joe qualified as a veterinary surgeon in 1996 and he attributes his passion for the natural world, and his great spirit of adventure, to being a direct descendent of Charles Darwin a great-great-great-grandson to be precise!

Your Dog & Puppy

Published by:

Greatest Guides Limited, Woodstock, Bridge End, Warwick

CV34 6PD, United Kingdom

www.greatestguides.com

Copyright by Greatest Guides Limited 2012. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotation in a review.

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Thank you.

eISBN 978-1-907906-63-3

To my wonderful wife Jenny
for all her love and support

Contents

Introduction

Writing Your Dog & Puppy sounded like a pretty straightforward assignment after all, Ive been a vet for over fifteen years, and before that I spent five years learning everything there is to know about the inner workings of dogs at Bristol vet school. However, when I sat down in front of my computer and pondered the task in front of me, every idea I had for a useful tip seemed to come from elsewhere I was never taught at vet school that garlic keeps fleas away, or that feeding cotton wool can save a dogs life. Instead, I found myself drawing on all the experiences Ive had with dogs since I qualified, from dealing with patients at the surgery to bringing up my lovely two collie crosses at home.

From carrying Pan and Badger home from the farm in Devon where they came from, to losing them repeatedly on Cleeve Hill in Cheltenham, my experiences as a father to these wonderful dogs has had far more influence on the content youre about to read than my veterinary training ever did. Of course, there is plenty of good vet science in these pages, but I hope Ive also managed to convey the truly personal nature of dog ownership. This book is not meant as a comprehensive encyclopaedia of dog knowledge think of it more as a guidebook to help you negotiate the sometimes tricky path of dog ownership.

Dip into it as you feel the urge or the need, and take on board the advice that applies to you and your dog but above all, never forget that you and your dog are a special team and theres very little that good old common sense and TLC wont sort out!

Good luck!

Bringing a new dog into your life and home requires plenty of planning and dedication, be it a little puppy or a full-grown adult. Getting it wrong can be a disaster for you and for your new best friend, so here are a few key points to make sure you make the right decisions:

ARE YOU READY FOR A DOG?

So youre thinking about getting a dog? Perhaps it will be your first ever pet or maybe the new arrival will need to fit into a busy family of animals. Whatever your situation, you need to do some serious thinking before committing yourself and your new dog to a life together. Dont forget the truth behind the old saying a dog is for life, not just for Christmas. Dogs can live for twenty years or more, so make sure youre ready to share your life for the foreseeable future!

IS YOUR HOUSE READY FOR A DOG?

Owning a dog is more than just walks in the park and dog bowls in the kitchen. If you take a dog into your life, you need to make sure your house is a suitable home for your new canine companion and also consider how sharing your home with a dog will change things for you and your family.

Are you ready to say goodbye to spotless sofas and clean carpets and say hello to muddy paw-prints and furry furniture? Are you ready to give up a perfectly manicured flowerbed in exchange for a well-dug doggy garden? If youre not sure, why not pay a visit to some friends who have a dog? If you find yourself perched uncomfortably on the sofa, picking dog hairs off your trousers, maybe a dog isnt for you. But if the sight of Fido demolishing your friends daffodils or peeing in their wisteria relaxes you, its time to start thinking about which dog will suit you best!

PUPPY OR ADULT?

When most people take on a new dog, its usually a puppy. Sharing those early weeks and months, when the puppy is a bundle of cute, cuddly fun, is a wonderful experience, and interacting with an animal at this age is the best way to make a really strong, life-long bond.

However, getting a puppy is not your only option. Many people prefer to take on an older dog, either from a friend or a rescue center. Maybe you dont want the hassle of training a boisterous new puppy, or perhaps youre elderly and dont feel its fair to take on a young dog. But whatever your circumstances, its well worth considering an adult dog, especially when you consider how many languish, unloved in rescue centers. Giving one of these abandoned dogs a new home and a new life can be just as rewarding as taking on a puppy.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT BREED

How do you go about choosing the right dog for you? After all, there are hundreds of different breeds, from giants like Afghan hounds to tiny terriers like the Jack Russell, not to mention the infinite variety of cross breeds that come in almost every shape, size and temperament.