Hidden Dog Costs You May Not Be Prepared For

Are you worried about the costs of owning a dog? If so, then it might be worth thinking about the different expenses that you need to manage. Some of these are widely discussed by pet owners and others are less apparent. Here are some of the costs that you might not be fully prepared for. 

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Insurance

First, you need to make sure that you are thinking about the cost of insurance. Insurance costs always increase as your dog gets older. The reason for this is that they are more likely to have issues with a variety of health conditions as they age. That’s why you might want to consider switching your insurance provider once your pet reaches a certain age. This is similar to how the initial insurance you choose will not be suitable for the entire life of a car. You need to choose another plan that matches your budget and your requirements. 

Diet 

It’s also worth considering the cost of food for your pet dog. Some dogs will require a special diet. This is a problem because it means that you’ll need to spend extra money on food. Some food is also recommended but not required. For instance, you could have a yorkie. If that’s the case, then you need to know about yorkies and their vitamins. These vitamins will help ensure that they stay healthy in the long term and avoid some of the typical health problems that can develop as dogs continue to age. 

Training 

Next, you should think about training costs. Training a dog will take time. This means if you don’t have the right amount of time, you’re always going to struggle to ensure that your dog is as obedient as you need. Professional trainers are available but they do cost money. It’s also worth noting that some dogs are more difficult to train than others. As such, it can take more time with an increased number of lessons to get them to learn what they need. This is something that you will definitely need to consider and keep in mind if you are thinking about getting a larger breed of dog. 

Kennels 

Finally, when you have a dog, you may need to manage the cost of kennels and fit this into your budget too. This will be important if you are planning on still going on trips but you don’t want to take your dog with you. There are different kennels available at a range of budgets. As such, it’s just a matter of finding an option that matches your price point. You should also make sure that you are checking the reviews to ensure that a kennel will provide the standard of service that you expect. 

We hope this helps you understand some of the key costs that you may not be prepared for when you have a dog. By factoring these into your budget, you can guarantee that you’ll have a more clear picture of the costs that you will incur as a new pet owner.

The Purpose of the Wrinkles on a Bloodhound

The Purpose of the Wrinkles on a Bloodhound

pictured my bloodhound Wrinkledpups Daisy Mayham (RIP) copyright Amber Higgins

Many people are amazed to see a bloodhound's wrinkled skin in person. This breed of dog is definitely a conversation starter while on a walk with its human companions as every bloodhound or wrinkled dog owner knows-everyone who sees your hound and doesn't know will ask, " Is that a bloodhound?" and "Look at all those wrinkles !" 

Did you know there is actually a purpose behind all that loose skin on these dogs? Let's explore why bloodhounds have really loose flexible skin, loads of wrinkles and long long ears, especially as pups.

Mother nature and intentional breeding methods have created dogs in every size and style of coat imaginable. Especially with the popularity of designer dogs or the mixing of purebred dogs. The bloodhound is one of the oldest breeds of purebred dogs bred exclusively to find people not hunt animals. The loose skin and long ears are on these dogs are for a reason and do serve a purpose which helps this breed excel in its work and be a specialists in what they do. 

This dog breed is Not named a Bloodhound because the dogs track blood trails. They smell much more than only blood !

No, the dogs are named bloodhound because the blood lines were recorded and kept by monks for hundreds of years-so the dogs were first known as "blooded-hounds". They are the first recorded pedigreed dog breed thanks to the monks! Look up the Chien de Saint-Hubert and St Hubert hound for more about the history of this wrinkly pup.

The loose skin and wrinkles falling all over the pups face sometimes is not fun for the dog. Imagine looking down a flight of steps and as you bend your head down, all your hair falls in your face, covering your eyes! This happens with loose dog skin too!

Many bloodhounds are very reserved, wary and can appear shy to people who don't know them. The dogs are known to be reactive sometimes, meaning they may react in strange surroundings by bolting away from what has suddenly drawn its attention. 

The dogs will often spook at loud noises and flashes of objects or movement. Not all Bloodhounds do this but many do and it's actually nothing to do with being shy or scared it’s more about not being able to see when the skin is slipping around on the head, also the dog is being smart and savvy trying to get away from what they cannot see.  

I learned this first hand from Incredible Sue, who would not let anybody touch her unless she had found them in work or lived with them and I for at least six months. She would follow and find anybody and proved to be incredible in many ways.

"Rea Valley's Incredible Sue" My first Bloodhound 1996-2006
Born in Indiana, raised and worked in Arkansas, retired in Oregon

Bloodhounds will look afraid to us when most of them are not, the dogs are only getting the bearings on their surroundings and using their senses to figure out what the noise was or flash of movement was from under a ton of wrinkles and loose skin that gets in the way.

Good trailing Bloodhounds can be very wary and shy of new things because they are always ready to work a scent so they pay attention to nothing but the nose.

When the bloodhound nose is down the eyes are covered by wrinkles and folds of skin that capture and trap scent around the dog's face and nose as the dog moves. The long ears have a purpose to flap side to side as the dog is moving, fanning the air up from the ground into the wrinkled face.

The Bloodhound's amazing scenting abilities rely on the nose and not eyesight so having wrinkles fall over their eyes is natural for them but this does lead to a sometimes clumsy dog and puppies who will accidentally walk into a wall. Going up and down steps can be troublesome for young dogs when the skin on their forehead fall over the face and eyes get covered as they look down steps and from high places.

Read more about How a dog uses its nose >>>>click here to go to the page 

Go to Family Disaster Dogs to learn how any dog can rescue owners and family

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 Wrinkledpups Daisy Mayham
2001-2013

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