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Tuesday, 18 June 2013

Due to frequent requests from our fans, we have finally decided to start on finding your local dog friendly pubs, cafes and hotels near you.

Find local dog friendly pubs

To start our quest on finding every local dog friendly pub, we have decided to start right from the beginning counties in ascending order. So far its great news as we have managed to find over 150 dog friendly pubs in Avon, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Cambridgeshire.

 Our aim is to reach over half of the UK counties by the beginning of July and as always we will keep you informed every step on the way. Don't forget to help us out by submitting your local dog friendly pub, cafe or hotel, it's completely FREE! and helps others determine what is and is not dog friendly... you may even make new friends too.

The Pet Guide Progress

In other news at The Pet Guide, we are proud to have reached over 4200 listings on our site, with quite a lot of pet suppliers listing their businesses this month. 

If you would like to list your site free of charge head on over to thepetguide.co.uk and click on submit a listing. If you are also interested in other advertising, head on over to our contact us page. We offer advertising to suit every budget and with hundreds of views on our site each day, you can be sure to find the right person.

Monday, 10 June 2013

Saving money can be hard especially when it comes to shopping for your pet. Dog, cat and small animal food can be quite expensive but how can you save on spending on your pet?

Look around for the best deal

When it comes to shopping for your pets it's always best to have a look around instead of buying it from the first place you see. Many online retailers offer great discounts on all your favourite dog food, cat litters, hay, worming tablets and more.

You might also want to check out your local pet shops (not the well known shops) as they can also offer great deals for your pets.

Buy dog and cat food in bulk

Save on dog food
Buying your pet food for your dogs and cats in bulk can save you up to 55% than buying small packs and check online retailers for instance Pet Planet offer some great online deals like 2 packs for £24 and 20% off 15kg packs of dog food.

These are just a few current deals that are going on, but it is worth checking for buy one get one free deals and stock up even if you already have a few packs left as sometimes they can take a while before you find another buy one get one free deal for that certain brand.

Pet toys

So you want to treat your dog to a new toy? Think before you buy! does your dog destroy your toy after minutes of purchasing? It might be worth trying to buy more durable toys or purchasing toys from local charities or car boot sales as they tend to be cheaper than pet shops and last just as long.

When it comes to pet insurance it's always best to look around and read your policy thoroughly. For more information on pet insurance be sure to take a look at our previous pet insurance article.

These are just a few ways to save extra money when spending on your pet, if you have found a way to cut down on spending we'd love to hear it! Leave us a comment below or let us know on Facebook and Twitter.


Sunday, 9 June 2013

Eukabana offer a range of dog food for all types and breeds for dogs, such as nutrition, weight control, performance for working dogs and more. But what is in Eukabana dog food? We look more in detail on some of the products.

Dog food for all breeds of dogs

Eukabana offer dog food for small, medium and large dogs with the average price costing around £16 for a 3kg pack for small dogs. It is worth looking around as many popular online pet shops tend to have discounts on the dog food.

Ingredients used in Eukabana dog food

Depending on what type of Eukabana dog food you buy will depend on the ingredients such as the small breed adult offers chicken, corn meal, ground whole grain, brewers rice, chicken fat to name a few. 

They all offer advanced formulas to give great nutritional performance such as a dental defence to reduce tartar build up, antioxidents to help promote your dogs digestive system and calcium to give your dog strong and healthy bones.

For a full list of each products ingredients visit Eukabanas website for full details and nutritional values.

Save on dog food

If your dog is currently using Eukabana dog food, you will be please to know that Pet Planet are currently offering a special offer on all types of their dog food. Such as 2 packs of dog food for £24 and free delivery.

To view the current offers visit click here.

Your thoughts

We would love to hear your thoughts on this product, have you used Eukabana dog food for your dog? if so what are your thoughts, leave a comment below or let the team at The Pet News know on Facebook, Twitter or Google Plus




Wednesday, 5 June 2013

Hamster are a ball of fun, but can you really teach your hamster tricks? Well it's true you can really teach your hamster a few basic tricks but you need lots of time and patience. Below are just a few simple tricks people have trained their hamsters.

Teaching your hamster to stand

To do this requires treats (and lots of them!) simply hold a treat over the hamsters head whilst stand (or which ever command you want to use). This can take a considerable amount of time but after a while your hamster should be able to stand on his own when you say stand.

With a few changes to this method you can also train your hamster to jump simply by raising your treat above his head and saying "jump" when he jumps for the treat.

Teach your hamster to climb

This comes natural to most hamsters, but did you know hamster can climb stairs? To train your hamster to climb your stairs (or other objects) just place some treats above each step. This will then encourage your hamster to climb the step (if he hasn't already)

Guide through a hoop

If you have a small hoop you can train your hamster to go through it (and even jump through it when he has experience). Many hamsters can do this without the aid of treats just by putting the hoop in front of him, as you do this a few times try raising the hoop (only slightly) to see him jump it.

Hamsters are really fun creatures and can be trained many basic tricks. Have you trained your hamster any tricks? The team at The Pet News would love to see your pictures/videos! send us your links and pictures in the link below or on our Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus and we may even show them on our website.

Train your hamster tricks

When it comes to teaching your dog to sit, it can be quite a long and repetitive task but well worth it in the end. In the guide below we will show you some simple steps on how to teach your dog to sit the fun way.

Make sure you have dog treats to hand

The key to training your dog to sit is by dog treats and/or praise, this shows that dog that when he does what he is told he will be rewarded and encourage him to do it again. It is also important to remain clam and assertive to show that you are in charge.

To begin the dog training, start by standing in front of the dog with your dog treat locked in your hand. By standing in front of the dog shows that you are in control and allows him to focus on you more whilst you begin the training.

With the dog now focused on you, his nose may be curious wondering what is in your hand, so keep your hand locked so he does not see the treat.  

The next step you will need to do is move your hand slowly over the dogs head, this will raise his head as and alert him that something smells good in that hand. 

Make sure to say sit to your dog

With your dogs attention fully on the scent of your hand, slowly move your hand towards his tail whilst making sure you say your dogs name followed by "sit". It may take a few times to get this, but he should start to sit down.
Teach your dog to sit
The Pet News

Reward your dog

So your dog has just sat for the first time, it's a really happy moment for you and your dog so dont forget to praise and give him your treat! this will encourage him that he has done right and he will be rewarded for this.

You can then take training further by saying when he is allowed to move again using the words "release" after you have praised him.

How long will training my dog to sit take?

Training your dog any trick will take time, it all depends on the dog and how quick he is at learning new things. The key to teaching your dog any trick is being repetitive and rewarding, don't spend hours training your dog one trick as he will probably get bored, just try a few times each day and you will start to see progress.

Have you recently trained your puppy/dog to sit? we would love to hear from you. Get social with The Pet News by leaving us a comment below on your experiences or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google plus.

Wagg dog food are currently behind the pet food manufacturers associations campaign to promote a healthy lifestyle and nutrition for pets. To celebrate this Wagg are offering a Buster dog maze to help encourage dogs and their owners to achieve this.

What is a buster dog maze?


Buster maze dog bowl

The Buster dog maze is a simple and fun way to make the dog think and work for their food, it will also increase the length of his mealtimes by using his intelligence working the food round the maze.

The dog bowl work by putting dog food or treats at the beginning of the maze, which the dog will then smell and use his taste to manoeuvre the food out of the maze allowing him to eat it. 


You can see a full video of buster dog maze below:



Interested? if you would like to enter this competition simply head on over to the wagg website and fill out the form.

Good luck!

Monday, 3 June 2013

Thinking of buying a rabbit? the following guide below will show you exactly what you will need to buy for you rabbit. Remember to get the following checklist well in advance before buying your rabbit so that you can put it straight in his new home.

What type of rabbit?

Before deciding what you will need for you rabbit, you need to decide what type of rabbit you are getting. Their are 2 types of rabbits indoor and outdoor, all rabbit will need the basics such as dry food, bedding which can be made up of paper, wood shavings  or hay (most common type of bedding for rabbits) and don't forget a water bottle!

Indoor rabbits

Indoor rabbits will need a cage, most rabbit owners tend to buy dog crates as they offer a cheaper alternative (and bigger) to normal rabbit cages.

Secondly you will need to toilet train your indoor rabbit and to do that you will need a cat litter tray. Training your indoor rabbit (which will be covered in a separate article) tends to be just like training a kitten which takes time and a lot of patients.

Outdoor rabbits

If you have decided to get an outdoor rabbit you will need to buy a large rabbit hutch suitable for the garden, and by that you will need to make sure it is weather proof as this will be your rabbits home.

You will also need to make sure you have a hutch snuggle for the cold nights to keep your rabbit warm. Finally you will also need an exercise run to allow your rabbit to let off some steam and run round crazy, but make sure to put a cover over the top if your rabbit if going to be unsupervised!

Other optional accessories available for your rabbit:

  • Pet Carriers - for when you take it to the vets/holidays
  • Grooming brush 
  • Nail trimmers 
  • Hay tunnel 
Now with all your rabbit accessories in place you are now sorted and ready to collect your new indoor/outdoor rabbit.

If you have recently purchased a rabbit we'd love to hear from you, leave us a comment below on your experiences or let us know on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.


What to buy for your indoor / outdoor rabbit
The Pet News



Todays product review takes a look at Acana Regionals dog food, what types they are available and is it really worth buying Acana Regionals dog food. Take a look below for our full review.

About Acana 

Acana dog food is made produced by Champion Petfoods, who aim is to produce high quality cat and dog foods focusing on using local, fresh and unfrozen ingredients giving your dog the best quality and tasty food around!

Acana Regionals dog food

The Acana Regionals offers a range of products for your cats and dogs such as the wild prairie, pacifica, grassland and ranchland which we will go into full detail what each product offers:
Praire Dog Food

Wild prairie dog food

The wild prairie dog food by Acana Regionals is suitable for adult dogs of all breeds and sizes, the flavour of this dog food is Cobb chicken, whole eggs from local farms and wild caught fish, a yummy combination that your dog will just love.






Pacifica Dog Food

Pacifica dog food

The Pacifica dog food offers a diversity of fresh caught wild fish to provide your dog with a high source of protein. The actual fish used in this dog food is as follows:
  • Canadian Salmon 
  • Wild caught Herring
  • Wild caught Flounder
You will also find that each fish caught is passed for human consumption meaning you dog isn't given the horrible left overs.

Grassland Dog Food by
Acana

Grassland dog food

The Grassland dog food is full of yummy locally produced meat produced and delivered fresh and never frozen. The full ingredients for this product is as follows:
  • Alberta Lamb
  • Free Range Duck
  • Wild Caught Fish
  • Grade A Eggs



Ranchland dog food by
Acana

Ranchlands dog food

Rich in meat the Ranchland dog food offers the best aberdien angus beef, alberta Biston and lamb delivered fresh from local Alberta ranges. You will find this product is not just meat, but features fresh fruits and vegetables such as apples, pumpkin, spinach and more

All Acana dog food products use 60% acana ranchlands meat and 40% fresh local fruit and vegetables you your dog will never miss out on all the nutriants he needs. For full information on the Acana Regionals Range, visit their website.



Should I buy Acana Ranchland dog food?

Although Acana Ranchland may be a little pricey compared to other dog foods, they offer top quality food which is grain free and high in meat, fruit and vegetables which our dogs absolutely love we definitely give this product a 4 out of 5.

Where to buy?

You can purchase all Acana Ranchland dog food from GJW Titmuss

But what do you think of Acana Ranchland dog food? is your dog currently on it? we would love to hear your thoughts so get social and leave a comment below or follow The Pet News on Facebook, Twitter or Google Plus.




Sunday, 2 June 2013

So you've just bought your first puppy home, got him all settled in and are ready for the training to begin, but when should you really start puppy training?

When to start puppy training

It is recommended to start basic puppy training immediately as soon as you bring it home, you can train it yourself or you can get help from a professional dog trainer if you are unsure what to do.

Types of dog training

Their are 2 types of dog training behavioural which prevents and corrects bad habits your dog may do such as jumping up at people, excessive barking, chewing your furniture etc... and obedience which is training your dog commands such as sitting, roll over, teaching to heel and other cool things like barking on command.

When it comes to training your puppy it is especially important to be the pack leader from the start, this means showing the dog who is boss and discipline when your dog has done wrong, this may be hard (especially when puppies are so cute) but it's something that must be done otherwise your dog will rule the house.

House train your puppy

When should you start
puppy training?
This is perhaps the first thing you will need to teach your new puppy. House training can be frustrating especially if it's not progressing fast enough, but the key is to be patient! Below are some key points to remember when toilet training your puppy:


  • Frequent access to the toilet - this is more likely to encourage the puppy to go outside and do his businesses, it is also less likely to do his business in the house.
  • Reward your puppy - This helps the puppy to realise he has done good which will encourage the puppy to keep doing it outside.
  • Start a schedule - this will get your puppy in a routine
Even though it can be really annoying when your puppy poops inside, you must not punish him physically, just keep calm and encourage to do it outside, you will soon see results just keep at it.

Have you recently had a puppy? we would love to hear your comments on training and what tips you can recommend to other users at The Pet News. 

Saturday, 1 June 2013

You and your family could win a luxury trip to one of Devon's finest luxury dog friendly holiday stays at Blagdon Manor.

Dog friendly holiday in Devon

When it comes to walking your dogs, devon offers the perfect solution with open fields, beaches and plenty of dog walks. Blagdon Manor dog friendly hotel is situated within 17  acres of open fields meaning you wont have to travel far to walk your dog, and with other great locations like Dartmoor nearby, you can be sure to have a fantastic dog friendly holiday.

Win a dog friendly holiday in devon

Blagdoor Manor are offering a chance for you to win a a luxurious two night bed and breakfast stay in one of Devon's finest dog friendly holiday hotels in Ashwater. Not only will you enjoy a two night bed and breakfast, but you will enjoy a tasty one nights dinner at the hotel.

You can enter the competition by visiting the Stay In Devon website and fill out the online form. But be quick! the closing date for this holiday is 30 June 2013.

So don't miss out on your chance to win this great dog friendly holiday deal, and dont forget to like us on facebook, twitter and google plus to hear other great pet deals, competitions and news.

Found this post useful? get social and tell us your thoughts on by leaving a comment below.