My Dog Blog

By Judd Snell

 There are close to about a million species or kinds of insects living in our planet. There are millions more that had been extinct through the years because of natural phenomenon like climate change and man-made environment changes.

But did you know that insects are the most resilient living organisms? Yes, it is true. They are so resilient that thousands of species can live for years without nourishment or feeding.

Studies and scientists’ assertions also note that if an annihilation do happen in the planet, every living creature will be affected and annihilated except for insects.

Insects are gifted with protective structures, usually in the outermost layer of their skin or physical structures. These protective layers, which are naturally and usually characterized by wax-like substances, are what makes insect very resilient and adoptive to harsh physical environmental changes.

Insects also have extremely low threshold to pain. Even if you crash an insect, or take out a wing, or handicap it, it would still strive to move away from you or from any attacker.

Bed bugs is only one among the millions, if not billions or trillions, of insects living with us in this planet called Earth.

Bed bugs also belong to kingdom Insecta, is scientifically known as Cimex lectularius.

Bed bugs are so tiny that you can hardly see them even in broad daylight. But there are bed bugs that can grow to about one fourth of an inch, the most they can grow. These bed bugs are the mature ones that have regular source of food and good natural or conducive habitat.

Bed bugs, like most other insects, live in places that are usually neglected by people.

In your room, you can probably see and find bed bugs inside small and tiny crevices, cracks or holes in the wall, the ceiling, the floor, some furniture or even your bed.

Bed bugs are among those kinds of insects that sleep or hide during daytime to finally come out and hunt for food at night time. Call its mart, but such insects have amazing biological clocks that know when it is time to go out and look out for prospective and unsuspicious victims.

Bed bugs do not eat anything but blood. However, the blood needed by bed bugs for nourishment should come from mammals, or hot-blooded animals. Again, they might be smart enough because they can tell by mere smelling if a prospective victim or host is hot-blooded or not.

Bed bugs suck blood of people. But their food requirement is not limited to people’s blood. They can also suck, as alternatives, blood of dogs, cats, birds, or whatever animal or pet they can get their mouth into.

Bed bugs are among those insects that are given structures like beaks that can pierce into victim’s skin. Such insects use those structures to suck and sip blood from victims.

Insects normally are not carnivorous. So are bed bugs. But you may have a different classification for them because of their eating habit. Somehow, they can be related to vampires. Don’t be amazed. Of course, that is just to tickle you with a little sense of humor.

Because bed bugs, and similar insects, prey on and eat blood, it follows that their excretion is also having resemblance to blood. As they say, what goes in is also what goes out.

Hence, you can find that bed bugs’ craps and pee are red or deep-red colored. They may appear as such tiny red stains in your bed, your bed sheet, furniture surfaces or wherever they may have contact with.

Insects like that are normally detected because of their excretion. Somehow, these craps betray them.

Because bed bugs belong to the insects’ family, naturally it follows that they are bonafide insects. Classifying them or grouping them with blood-sucking insects will be logical.

However, be informed that, yes, bed bugs do suck blood, but they are very safe. Unlike mosquitoes, which transmit and transfer diseases form one person to another, bed bugs’ bites are not that notorious.

Scientists have found that bed bugs’ stomachs have linings and peptides that will not allow bacteria, fungi and viruses to thrive. It may be a consolation for you.

Want to find out about cockroach infestation and wood roach? Get tips from the About Animals website.

Dogs

dogs

By Alfred Hernandez

 All training starts with taking advantage of your dog’s natural inclinations to reinforce the behavior you want. The only place your dog will not, by nature, mess, is its sleeping place. Crate training works with your dog’s instinct - he never has the opportunity to be “bad.”

Crate training is fairly intense for you. The rule is: if you are not actively paying attention to your dog, your dog is in the crate. Period. Even if you’re in the same room. If you’re not watching your puppy, it’s in the crate. If you think “caging” your dog is cruel, get over it. It’s worse for your dog not to know the rules of the house.

Crate training is not an excuse to ignore your dog for hours at a time. A puppy cannot go more than a couple of hours during the day without a “bathroom break.” If your dog learns to mess in its crate the behavior is very difficult to correct. It’s one of the biggest challenges when adopting strays or rescues from shelters. It can be done, but requires patience and dedication.

Dogs should be taken out at regular intervals; after meals, after naps and after play sessions. And “business” walks are not playtime. Put the collar and leash on, take the dog to a specific spot you want it to use for its toilet area, give your dog a command “go potty.” If it does, reward it with praise and cookies, say “good go potty.” Forget about public embarrassment. If you’re easily embarrassed, don’t get a dog. Of course you can use any words you want - a friend of ours used “hit it” with her dogs. She just had to be careful not to use the phrase under other circumstances.

Your puppy should also sleep in the crate, ideally in your bedroom. Dogs are social animals, they need to know their “pack” or family, is close by. If the dog wakes you in the night, take it out on leash. Give it 10 minutes to “do its business,” go back in, pop him in his crate, say goodnight and go back to bed. Don’t let the dog out by itself, even in a fenced yard. Again, this isn’t playtime.

As your dog learns what’s expected of him, the next phase is to keep the dog on leash, out of the cage. Tie the leash around a belt loop so that you can go about your daily routine with both hands free. Keep one eye on the dog. When you see his “gotta go” signals, drop what you’re doing and go. Some people are successful in hanging a bell on the doorknob. They ring the bell whenever they take the dog out. The dog learns, over time, to ring the bell when it has to go. Others teach their dogs to “speak” as a signal to go out.

Our dogs are always crated when we leave the house. At this point, they see us reaching for their crate toys (which we stuff with a little peanut butter or kibble) and run for their crates. We don’t necessarily even lock the crates, but they are available to the dogs at all times. It’s their “room,” a safe place they can always go to.

Just a note of caution and safety: never leave a collar or harness on your dog in the crate. It can get caught and cause problems.

To read about lizard repellent and lizard vivarium, visit the Types Of Pet Lizards site.

Dogs

dogs