When I think of teacup dogs the first one that comes to mind is the Teacup Chihuahua.
Teacup dogs are very popular these days because they're easy to take with you, fun to dress up, and they don't take up too much space, among other things.
Plus, if your dog has a lot of energy (most puppies do), then you will probably need to go to the dog park a couple of times a week to allow your dog to burn off some of that energy. (Otherwise, destructive and behavioral problems begin to occur.)
Now for some tips on choosing the best apartment dog for you...
Have you ever heard of a Muggin, Goldmation or a Snorkie?
Sometimes, you can tell by the name which dog breeds where mixed together to create the new dog breed. For example, Labradoodle is a mix between a Labrador Retriever and a Poodle.
Those are all examples of 2 different dog breeds that have been bred together. The hybrid mix results in a new dog breed name.
They can be made from fresh cut flowers or artificial flowers. Dog flowers would make a great gift for the dog lover in your life. And the best part: you can make them yourself!
Dog flowers can be made to look like everything from a puppy to a Poodle. You can even use real dogs by placing them behind a painted picture of a flower.
It would be fun to make your own dog flower basket. To make your own dog flower basket, you could use football mums and large chrysanthemums.
As seen in the video below, you could also make a dog flowers in a flowerpot. To make it, use artificial flowers. You'll also need a metal bucket, foam, 2 different colored carnation flowers, green ivory, different sized googly eyes, and glue gun.
The step-by-step instructions for making a dog flower pot are as follows:
Cut the stems off of carnations and ivory.
Glue 2 colored carnations to an opposite color -- one on each side.
Glue 2 more colored carnations to the bottom of other colored carnations.
Take another of your middle colored carnation and pop it off of the stem (keep the wire to use later).
Glue the bottom of this flower and some petals and stick it on top.
Wrap the wire from the carnations you popped off and wrap it around all of the flowers.
Stick the flowers into the foam.
Glue 2 googly eyes behind the nose (the carnation you just glued on).
Cut 1 googly eye and use the black center for the nose.
Glue the back center to the tip of the nose.
Stick 2 carnations in the base for legs.
Fill in the rest of the base with the cut ivory.
Now watch this video to see how to make these adorable flower pot doggies yourself:
Deciding on the best flea and tick control for your dog can be a little confusing. There are several different products on the market. And they all claim to provide excellent flea and tick control on dogs.
The 3 most commonly used flea and tick control products you can get from your vet are: Frontline Plus, K9 Advantix and Advantage. Revolution and Capstar are 2 others you can get from your vet.
I use Frontline Plus on both of my dogs. I have not had any problems with fleas. There have been a few times when I have used Capstar on my dogs. For example, I use Capstar for added protection when we take our dogs camping. The place we go camping is notorious for sand fleas, so I would rather be safe than sorry.
If you are still unsure about which flea and tick control product is best for your dog, here is a quick overview of each product's claims.
The other flea and tick preventatives that you can get from your vet are Revolution and Capstar. Here is a quick overview of those 2 flea and tick control products for dogs:
Once I found this out, my dog has never been given another grape. Now if I want to give my dog a human treat, I give her a piece of carrot.
I'm sure you have heard that you should never give your dog gum. Do you know the reason for this? The artificial sweetener Xylitol is poisonous to dogs. If your dog eats something that has Xylitol in it, it can cause your dog's blood sugar to drop fast. This can happen as soon as 30 minutes after your dog eats the item with Xylitol in it.
I could go on and on listing all the food bad for dogs. Instead, here are a few great lists that summarize all of the human foods that could potentially be harmful to your dog:
Remember, if you are bringing home a doggy bag, the food you have in the bag may be harmful to your dog! There are a lot of foods that are dangerous to your dog out there.
If you notice your dog has been itching a little more than normal and your dog has flaky skin, then your dog is probably suffering from dry skin issues.
Flaky skin is especially obvious if your dog has darker colored fur.
If you think your dog has dry skin, consult your vet. My friend tried to treat her dog's dry skin with some over-the-counter pet product and it just caused her dog's skin to turn scabby and itchy. Her vet informed her the dry skin was probably due to allergies.
Perhaps the best dog dry skin remedy you can try at home is adding olive oil to your dog's dry food. This trick was recommended to my friend by her vet. Adding olive oil to your dog's food 2 to 3 times a week will help make your dog's coat shiny and flake free. This seems to work well for most dogs.
Increase humidity in the air - Just like with humans, dry air during the winter can cause dry skin in dogs. Add a humidifier in the room that your dog spends most of his time in. You can also put your dog in the bathroom and run a hot steamy shower. This acts like an on-the-spot humidifier.
Try natural food additives - Try adding a little olive oil, fish oil or another source of omega 3 fatty acids. Do not add too much. And only do this a couple of times each week. This should help with your dog's dry skin.
Apply natural topical oils - For really bad cases, a dog dry skin remedy that works well is to massage a little olive oil directly onto your dog's skin once a day.
Just remember to consult your vet first before trying any at home remedy (because your vet may know of other issues that could be causing your dog's dry skin).