Dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years and these animals have become well loved members of the family. A well mannered dog can easily bare its teeth and show an aggressive temperament as in spite of the long years of domestication the ferocious nature remained. It is not surprising if more than 4 million Americans get bitten by dogs every year. Many of the victims were attacked by their own dogs. It is therefore necessary to learn how approach a dog.

It is necessary for dog owners to learn how to safely approach the dog. Dogs are territorial animals and food motivated as well. A dog will guard its territory, food and toys. Even a well mannered dog would growl and bare its strong needle sharp teeth if it perceives a threat to what was considered as its territory. People and especially children must not tease the dog by trying to get a toy or take away the food the dog is eating. A dog unaware that your intention in getting the bowl is to add more food can bite.

Kids are generally fascinated with dogs. The little ones cannot resist touching a sleeping pet. However, even a gentle pet can bite instinctively if startled. Children must be cautioned not to startle a dog. Dogs must be approached slowly and make sure that the dog can see you.

The dog may tolerate the family members to invade its territory but a ferocious temperament will be shown at the intrusion of other people. Dog lovers find it hard to resist touching an attractive and gentle looking dog. Remember, not all dogs are friendly and the particular dog you want to touch may react differently to an unfamiliar face . Always ask the owner’s permission before approaching the dog. If it’s OK to pat the dog, slowly approach the dog directly but do not stare directly into the eyes of the dog lest the animal take your look as a challenge. Extend a hand with the fingers curled under or the palm down to be sniffed by the dog. A friendly dog will sniff the offered hand.

Read more about how to approach a dog and dog first aid at Sarah’s Dogs.

The tail is used by a dog as an important balancing tool. Hunting breeds of dogs are very fast runners. These dogs have to be agile as well to overpower their prey. Not unlike balancing tightrope walkers, dogs uses the tail to maintain balance when they need to walk on narrow ledges in search of prey. Without the tail serving as a counter balance, a dog running at great speed that has to make an abrupt turn will surely topple over. The tail is used as well by water retrievers as rudders to swim more efficiently.

Dogs don’t have the ability to talk but their tails can do the talking efficiently. The tail is used by the dog to communicate not only with dogs but with humans as well. It is a common knowledge that a loosely wagging tail is a sign that the dog is friendly. Be wary with a dog that bares its teeth and holds te stiff tail high as it is likely to attack.

The tail is an important body part that allows dogs to understand each other. Additionally, the tail is the dogs’ one of a kind ID system. When the tail is raised, a small amount of anal gland secretion is released. Dogs use this unique scent to identify each other. The rank of a dog in the pack can easily be distinguished by observing the way the tail is held. It is customary for alpha dogs to stiffly and widely wag a tail that is held high. Dogs lower in rank can be easily distinguished as the tails that are held much lower are wagged slowly as well.

The tail has another purpose – for comfort. Not unlike the way cows use the tail to drive insect, a dog also uses the tail as a swatter. A tail, acting as a muffler allows a dog to brave extremely cold weather. Northern dogs that sleep in the open are all curled up in the snow with the tail resting on the face to keep the nose protected from draft.

Learn more about why dogs have tails, dog first aid and other interesting dog facts at Sarah’s Dogs.

A dog owner should not be surprised if the dog throws up as these animals are indiscriminate eaters. Dogs would eat anything – edible and non-edible. Objects that are not supposed to be in the stomach will be rejected by the dogs system. Dogs only have to vomit to remove the foreign objects from the stomach. Dogs have gargantuan appetites. These animals would consume large amount of food in a very short time. Throwing up can be the result of the dogs fast eating habit as excess food that can no longer be accommodated by the stomach would have to be expulsed. The dogs vomiting can be acute or chronic. A dog may have sudden vomiting bouts but this condition is pretty ordinary in dogs and dog owners need not be concerned especially if the dog is its usual energetic self. Normally, sudden bout of vomiting is not an indication that the dog has a serious illness. The dog would throw up once to rid the stomach of the offending foreign body and after a while the pet would be its usual energetic self and would be seen once again munching non-food items. Acute vomiting though can also be a medical emergency. Dogs have a curious personality. These adorable creatures may have ingested poisonous substances or objects that were swallowed are too large to pass the smaller intestinal tract. Throwing up caused by poisoning or blockage of the intestinal tract would need immediate medical attention.

Chronic vomiting can be due to an undiagnosed medical concern. Dogs with chronic bouts of vomiting can have intestinal parasite infestation, parvovirus or distemper. Allergies, pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease are other causes of chronic vomiting. Chronic vomiting can result to poor digestion so that the bodys absorption of nutrients will be hampered and the dog will have a much lowered level of energy, poor appetite as well as a less than appealing coat appearance. Vomiting is normal in dogs, pet owners have to be observant to know if the dog needs medical attention as throwing up may not be due to overeating but to life threatening concern.