Equally exciting to having a new dog is the task of choosing a suitable name for the pet. Choosing a name for the newdog is a fun process especially if children are made members of the name choosing committee as these little ones usually come up with outrageous names. There is no shortage for the possible names for the pet. You only need to open pet name websites and loads of possible names will be made available for you. Choosing a name for the new dog should be easy because of the many available choices however the name should somehow pass a kind of criteria. How to select a great name for your dog?

An owner may not be aware of this fact but the name given to the dog is actually a reflection of his personality. A wacky pet owner would choose outlandish names while a dog owner with a staid personality would settle for the more common Rover, Fido or Spot. A person with an odd sense of humor will name a large dog breed Tiny or call a black coated dog Snow White. For the rest of the dog’s life, it has to be saddled with whatever name the master has chosen. Many dog owners may not be aware that while the pet lives it will be called about 35,000 times thus how do you think people will react every time you call your dog Pooper or Stinky?

There are no hard and fast rules that must be observed in naming the dog but there are guidelines that can be followed. A long hoity-toity name would look good on the registration form but the family members may find the name rather awkward. Moreover, a long and hard to pronounce name would confuse the dog. The dog can easily remember a name composed of one or two syllable. Once the dog hears his name he will understand that the person calling is trying to get his attention.

The dog may be a hale and hearty individual so you have decided to name the pet Fit. Fit sounds like Sit and a dog that is being trained to sit will be confused. In spite of the renowned canine intelligence, dogs must not be expected to fully understand humans. When given the command “Sit” the dog will come to the person rather than following the command.

Some owners never bother naming the dog but just the same affection and the loyalty given by these animals remain the same. But if we give our cars and houses names would it be any trouble to choose a name for our most loyal friend?

Dogs too like humans can sustain injuries from accidents. But while humans would cry because of the pain, dogs would nurse their injuries silently . The responsibility of a dog owner goes beyond getting medical care for the pet. A dog owner has to notice anything unusual in the behavior or in the appearance of the pet as oftentimes, the change is caused by a health concern.

Dogs normally stay away from open fires thus heat burns are not common injuries of dogs. However, dogs are very active and inquisitive animals. A dog trying to get the cooling steak beside the grill can get burned by the smoldering coals. Owners using hairdryer to groom the dog must be careful as a resistant dog can get burned by the hot nozzle of the dryer. The dog’s tough leathery paw pads are no match to hot pavement or hot coals.

Unless the fur is scorched, the affected area of the dog’s body may not be easily noticed by the owner. Skin that was superficially burned will redden and swell. Reddening and swelling of the skin as well as the formation of blisters are the symptoms of partial thickness burns or second degree burn. The two classifications of heat burns would have the dog in pain. Full thickness burn is not unlike third degree burn in humans where the skin peels off and cause the tissues under the skin to swell. Deep burns cause the destruction of the nerves thus the dog would not really feel pain. Deeply burned skin will turn either white or black and because of destroyed hair follicles, the hair can be easily pulled out.

Superficial burns can be treated at home with first aid treatment but a seriously burned dog has to have professional medical care. A seriously burned dog has to be hospitalized especially if the burned area is more than 15% of the skin. However, the seriously burned dog would still need first aid treatments so that the pet’s condition is stabilized before it is transported to the hospital.

Cooling the affected area is the first aid treatment for heat burn. To lower the heat in the burned area, the affected body part like the tail, limb or paw has to be dipped in cool water. The burned skin can be covered with a wash cloth soaked in cool water. Dry the burned area carefully taking care not to rub the skin. Ointment, grease or butter must not be applied to the burned area as it will seal in the heat and cause more damage.

More information on heat burns and first aid for dogs can be found at Sarah’s Dogs.