If your dog is farting a lot (or experiencing flatulence as it is known in politer circles) then it probably has to do with something the animal has eaten. Most of the time it is a fairly innocent symptom and not indicative of any disease or even of indigestion. Very rarely it can indicate an abdominal obstruction, which means that your dog may have eaten something it, shouldn’t have. 

However there can be warning signs that the farting is more than an occasional bad smell.) If vomiting, diarrhea or constipation accompanies the flatulence then take your pet to the veterinarian as soon as you can. If it is diet that is causing the flatulence than you can try the following methods to try and get the problem under control.  First of all try to feed the pet more dry foods than wet foods. You can do this by mixing a bit of dry food with the wet and then over a series of days adding more and more dry food until he is off the wet food diet.  Your dog will probably not like this at first and there may be even more digestive upsets until he has adjusted to his new dry diet. 

Take your dog for a walk within an hour after feeding him. This will help get his gastric juices flowing and moving food through his digestive system.  At the very least if you dog is going to fart it is probably better that he or she do it outside anyway. Make sure your pet is not eating rubbish from the trashcan.

Buy one of those trashcans with a pedal that keeps the lid down or buy a tall garbage can so the dog can’t get at it.  Stop feeding your pet scraps from the table as half the time it is human food that is causing the dog to fart.  Teaching your dog not to beg at the table is a start. Also talk to other soft hearted family members that may be feeding the dog behind your back. 

Reduce or eliminate dairy products (such as cheese) from your dog’s diet for a week and see if there is any improvement. Like humans, dogs can be lactose intolerant. Try raising your pet’s food bowl by putting it on a small stool, table or even telephone book so that he does not have to bend down to eat. This helps him gulp less air when he swallows. 

If you have multiple dogs or other dogs in the house he may be gulping his food to finish it all before the others get it. Make sure he has his own bowl and separate feeding time so his gobbling does not cause him to ingest excess air that can cause flatulence. If the flatulence really smells horrific or is every few minutes you should take the dog to the vet. It could have a digestive blockage, stomach intestine or some other kind of problem.

Most dogs tend to fear fire enough to avoid it but sometimes they touch something hot inadvertently or singe themselves by brushing too close to a fire.  They can also scald themselves by knocking over a hot beverage or suffer burns as a result of electric shock.  They can also suffer from chemical burns or burns from toxic cleaners or chemicals.  They also get sunburned when they loll around in the sun for too long.  Even a dog’s nose can be sunburned on a day when the UV rays from the sun are too high in intensity. Here are the emergency treatments for various types of burns. 

Heat burns 

This can be the result of exposure to the sun, fire or scalding. \

1.         Do not apply butter, grease or any ointment to the burned area. 

2.         Soak a cloth in cold water and hold it gently in place over the burned area 

3.         Send for the vet if the burn seems serious. A superficial burn is painful, reddens the skin and singes the hair, but the latter will not pull out easily. A serious burn is actually less painful because the nerves have been destroyed. The skin may be white, black or brown, and the hair will either be gone completely or will pull out easily.  Do not allow the pet to lick the burn. 

4.         Keep the burn covered with a wet dressing covered with thick dry towels. Make the dog lie down, restrained in warm blankets.  The vet may have your dog wear a plastic collar to help prevent it from licking the wound later

5.         Give fluid as for dehydration, unless the dog is vomiting.  If the dog is dizzy then it needs to go immediately to the vet. 

6.         Keep your pet warm and get him to a veterinarian as soon as possible.  

 Chemical burns 

1.         Wash burned area with lots of plain water, especially if the chemical burns is around the face.  Avoid spreading the chemical to the eyes or mouth. 

2.         If the burn is the result of acid, rinse with solution of 1-teaspoon bicarbonate of soda to one liter of water. If alkali, use plain water only. 

3.         Apply soothing ointment. 

4.         You should, of course get the dog to a veterinarian as soon as possible who will know how to exactly treat the specific type of chemical burn that your dog has. Be sure to bring the bottle with you so the vet knows exactly how to respond to the injury. 

This should go without saying but never leave a pet that has been burned to “heal.”  Mother Nature will not just take care of it.  Get your animal the help it needs and take it to the vet immediately.  Most of all use common sense. For instance, do not try to give fluids to an animal that is unconscious.

Poisons can cause kidney failure, blindness, coma or death.  A big culprit is anti-freeze.Have you got objects or substances lying around your home that could injure your pet? Here are some common sources of poisoning for dogs and cats. 

Batteries – Pets can become attracted to the coppery taste of a used battery shell. Usually the animal will also have burns around his mouth if he ingested a dead battery.  

Cocoa Bean Mulch – This is a common fertilizer made from cocoa beans that is used to encourage flower gardens to grow. Cocoa beans contain caffeine and theobromine, substances, which cause seizures, tremors, vomiting and death in cats and dogs.  This is attractive gardening mulch but it really is dangerous for your pets.

 Chocolate – Known as chocolate toxicosis, symptoms of poisoning include tremors, convulsions, diarrhea, vomiting, hyperactivity and increased heart rate.  The caffeine and a chemical called theobromine in the chocolate cause this. Only twos ounce of chocolate can kill a full-grown dog – even less can do in a cat. Never every give your cat or dog chocolate as a treat and don’t give them the foil wrappers form chocolate treats to play with. 

Copper Coins – Pennies minted after 1982 contain a level of zinc that is toxic to dogs.  If your pet swallows a penny take him to the vet immediately as zinc toxicosis from pennies can cause seizures, tremors, vomiting, kidney failure and death. 

Macademia Nuts – If your dog accidentally eats one of these nuts he can suffer muscular weakness, vomiting, loss of coordination, tummy pain and muscle stiffness. If you suspect your dog has helped himself to macadamia nuts take him to the vet. 

Moth Balls – Mothball contain camphor that can cause vomiting, lethargy seizures, kidney failure and coma.  Kittens often see these as small toy balls that they should play with.

 Pesticides – Any type of pesticide is as toxic to your pet as it is to humans. If the sign says “Keep Off the Grass” keep off it. If the grass is full of pesticides your staffie could suffer from vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, respiratory problems, bleeding from the are very attracted to the sweet taste of anti-freeze so you need to keep it locked up even if it is in your garage. 

Pine tree needles – Ingesting fallen needles from a Christmas tree can cause dog and cat’s serious gastrointestinal discomfort that may require treatment from a vet.  This is because the pine needles can actually cut the inside of the intestines and cause infections that could be fatal to the poor animal. In essence watch out for cat or dog the same way that you would and adventurous toddler. The one thing young humans and pets have in common is their predilection for getting into toxic stuff.  Home is not the only place where this stuff can become a problem.  Don’t let your dog nose around in garbage if you take him or her out for a walk.

Agility competitions are not as complex as they are look. In terms of their exhibition structure they are actually comparable to a tournament. They do have an order to them that is the same at every show. The shoe is usually launched with a Judge’s Briefing where the judge summarizes how the class is judged.

After the judges briefing the handlers of the dogs walk the course with a time limit (without the dogs) to familiarize themselves with the layout of the obstacles. Most trainers will walk or run the course several times looking for potential challenges for themselves and their dogs.

Agility dogs run their courses naked, (which means no collar and no lead). This prevents the dog from catching on a piece of equipment and possibly having it collapse. It also ensures that all cues from the trainer are vocal or signals and there is no physical directing of the dog.

The Judge usually tells the handler when they may begin the course. The Timer starts the stopwatch as soon as any part of the dog crosses the start line and stops when any part of the dog crosses the finish line.

If your dog makes a mistake it is a called a fault. Common course faults include: missing a contact zone, incorrect weave entry, non-completion of an obstacle, weaving off course (taking an obstacle out of sequence), knocking a bar off, leaving a table before the judges count of 5, and exceeding the time allowed for completing the course.

Sitting next to the timekeeper is a Scribe who records any faults the dog may have which have been signaled by the judge with hand signals or by voice.

Once a run is completed the timekeeper shows the scribe the stopwatch and oversees the recording the correct digital read on the scribe sheet. A runner then takes the scribe sheet to the score tent for final calculation.

Final scores are then posted for competitors to view their placement. If they qualify they may perform another round of the same or a different course to qualify them for an agility title.

Each judge designs unique courses for each event run. One of the most interesting things about these dog courses is that rarely are two ever alike. Care is taken to make sure that the same course is never used twice. The judge is responsible for monitoring the final setup of the course to make sure it’s yardage matches up with standard international course time.

Dog agility course competitions are usually fairly elegant events and very interesting to watch whether you are new to this spectator sport or would like to get your own dog into a competitive show like this one-day.