Making sure your dog is not overweight means you have to keep control of the portions of pet food he eats and exercise your pet.

Obese dogs can lose weight easily by following a stricter pet diet and exercise plan.

A dog weight management plan can be adapted to fit in with your working day.

Take your pet to your local veterinary surgeon who will let you know the ideal pet weight for your breed of dog.

Feed your dog a premium dog food. Choose a food which has quality meat and vitamins listed on their labels.

Pet dog food for a puppy, adult and senior dogs have the correct amount of meat, proteins and carbohydrates added to them to keep dogs healthy at different stages of their lives.

Dog products at Ideas-4-Pets are aimed at keeping your dog healthy and comfortable.

As your dog grows older he or she may need a different dog bed. One of the popular dog beds we provide for dogs who have aching joints is an orthopaedic dog bed.

We have heated dog beds and of course a huge range of dog beds in different sizes and materials to suit all breeds.

Other dog products are available for your pet including dog grooming products and dog bedding.

At Ideas-4-Pets we are open seven days a week and our staff will help you to choose the correct dog product for your pet.

We at Ideas-4-Pets pride ourselves in being able to supply everything from dog beds, dog bedding and dog products.

One essential item for your puppy is a dog bed or dog cage. A dog cage is an item which is portable and can be used as a den for your puppy and has a training toll.

If you are taking your puppy in a car you can use the dog cage to keep him safe, and this is especially useful on long journeys. Dog bedding is available for dog cages to keep your puppy comfortable

Dog beds come in different materials, patterns and sizes to accommodate all breeds of dogs.

When your puppy comes home he will require a variety of dog products, including food and water bowls. Food bowls and water bowls should be heavy so your puppy will not be able to spill the contents all over the floor.

Other dog products your new pet will need are a puppy collar, puppy lead, comb, brush and puppy shampoo.

At Ideas-4-Pets, we have a wide range of dog training products and dog training tools for all breeds of dogs.

Our staff at Ideas-4-Pets are trained to give advice and answer any questions you may have regarding the care of your new pet.

I’ve seen loads of people fighting with a struggling dog to him into the back of their car and it’s not a pretty sight.   The dog is stressed and fearful, the owner is invariably uptight, sweating and having great difficulty in getting the heavy dog into the car, not to mention the damage that be done to owner, dog or car in the process !!  

Some dogs will happily jump into and out of cars if their owners want them to and both owner and dog are oblivious to the amount of damage they may be doing to the dog’s bones.  Their bodies are jarred when they land heavily and this can result in  long-term damage to their spines and leg joints.

Older or overweight dogs have much greater difficulty as they are less agile and can do some serious damage to themselves.  Some are aware of this and will therefore not attempt to jump these heights, but others will have a go and cause themselves injury.

People who suffer themselves from bad backs etc. will only worsen this by lifting a dog into the car and there is always the chance of their back giving way and the dog being dropped and the car being scratched.

A dog ramp will eliminate all these problems.  With a little bit of gentle coaxing using treats or other rewards, your dog will learn to walk up the slight incline of the ramp into the car and this will certainly take the stress out of the process.  The non-slip coating on the dog ramp will prevent any slipping or sliding and once used, the ramp can be easily folded up and stored in the back of the car until it is needed again.

As with all new things, your dog will probably be nervous at first, but don’t give up – he just needs some reassurance and all will be well.

A dog ramp is also ideal in the house – allowing your dog to easily and safely get on the sofa or the bed (if he is allowed !!) without risk of injury to himself.

It can involve a lot of lifting and struggling on both behalf of your dog and you !! This not only risks hurting your dog, but it can also do you damage as well !!

Not all dogs can jump into the car unaided but they might be able to walk up or down a ramp at a gentle incline and this is where a pet ramp can be so very helpful.

To be safe, you should measure the length of the ramp from your car to the ground to make sure the incline is suitable for your dog. If the incline is too high then your dog will shy away from the ramp but if you have a 4×4 car then there are dog ramps which are specially made for these vehicles that are on legs to shorten the incline.

As some dogs tend to be wary of new things (even though they are of benefit to them) it’s always a good idea to help them by placing treats on the dog ramp. It also helps to give lots of encouragement to your dog so that he gets used to being praised when he uses the ramp. Sometimes it can take a long time, especially with an older dog, but the results are worth the effort.

Dogs were not intended to jump down from the back of cars or vans and if we humans were constantly forced to jump down from high places just imagine the amount of damage we would do to our joints, backs etc.

Professional athletes warm up before jumping or running to minimise the risks involved, but we expect our precious pet to do this activity without any warm up at their own risk every time we ask them to jump in and out of our car. A dog ramp would prevent this trauma but because our dogs love us they do everything we ask of them irrespective of whether their joints are stiff, they are cold, they are old or not feeling “up to it”.

Is it fair to ask them to do this when we could prevent it with a dog ramp?

We are asking them to damage themselves when we should be making their lives more comfortable. Please buy a dog ramp for your puppy to get him used to using one rather than risking him suffering from arthritis in later life.

Or if your dog is already old or stiff, get him a dog ramp too and help to ease his pain. It may take longer for him to get used to it but with gentle coaxing he will soon get used to the idea and in the long run will appreciate your efforts to ease his old joints !!

There’s a lot of lifting and struggling and not only does this risk hurting your pet, but it can also do you damage as well !!

Not every dog can jump into the car unaided but he may be able to walk up or down at a gentle incline and this is where a pet ramp can be so helpful.

To be safe, you should measure the length of the ramp from your car to the ground to make sure the incline is suitable for your pet.

As some dogs are wary of new things (even though they are of benefit to them) it’s always a good idea to place treats on the dog ramp and give lots of encouragement to your dog so that he gets used to it. Sometimes it can take a long time, but the results are worth the effort.