The protein in dog dander is most often at the root of allergy and asthma flare ups. The sensitivity to this protein often causes watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, and many other disrupting symptoms in people. Here are 6 suggestions for ways you can reduce the amount of dog dander in your life.

Bathe Your Dog Regularly - Regular baths can keep your dog's excess hair and dander to a minimum. Shampooing your dog regularly keeps the skin healthy, and removes hair that your dog has already shed. Depending on the size of your dog, the shower with a hose extension puts the water where you need it.

If you have a bigger breed, outside might be a better option, or having your dog professionally groomed might make more sense. Check with your veterinarian for suggestions on shampoo and frequency of bathing.

Brush Your Dog's Coat - Regular brushing outdoors will help remove the undercoat and excess hair that would go airborne with normal activities. Brushing also increases circulation and lessens scratching and the flaking of dead skin and dander.

Brushing your pooch is time consuming but so worth it in terms of the benefits it provides. Your dog will love you and the attention, and you'll love the fact that their is less hair to which dander is able to cling. Your dog will also look forward to it because it feels good, and it's a way to receive one-on-one time with you. You may even find that your dog will bring the brush to you as a reminder.

Fine Tune Your Dog's Diet - Adding a small amount of oil to the daily diet will help. Derm Caps have been a success for us. They are easily lumped in with food and seem to go down with the rest of the food without notice.

If your dog shakes and scratches a lot, sometimes the culprit can be diet. Check with your veterinarian to help determine that the food is not a cause of excessive scratching and licking.

Take Your Dog for Regular Checkups - Regular visits and consultations with your veterinarian will help keep your dog in top physical condition with healthy skin and coat which will lessen scratching, shaking, and licking, all of which send hair and dander airborne.

Vacuum Your Home Often - Once dander has fallen to the floor, normal activity will send it airborne again. Vacuuming (for best results with a HEPA air purifier) not only your floors but your furniture (with a soft brush, of course) will stop dander from re-entering the air.

Filter Your Air - Nothing will eliminate dog dander completely, but greatly reducing the amount of dander in the air you breathe will make a huge difference in how you feel. A portable high efficiency particle arresting air purifier will continuously filter dander from the air, and many are designed to run economically 24 hours a day.

This type of filtration will remove not only dog dander but other normal household particulates that you live with down to .3 microns in size.

About the author: Remove dog dander and other household pollutants from your air continuously with the air purifier from PurerAir.com at http://purerair.com/pet_dander_air_purifier.html

When your dog is hurting from aching joints, a heated dog pad may be just the thing for pain relief.

Heated pet mats are great for making your dog feel safe and comfortable. They are not only practical, but they have great therapeutic benefits, too.

Let's look at what types of heated pet mats are available and how they can help your dog.

Deciding on which type of heated dog bed or heated dog pad would be best for your dog can be a little confusing. There is a wide variety of shapes and sizes to choose from, as well as a vast array of colors. A simple way to make a choice as to which one is the best one for your dog is to let your dog decide. I don't actually mean, of course, letting him see a few pictures and paw out the one he likes best. Instead, I want you to look at how your dog prefers to sleep.

Have you ever noticed how your dog sleeps? The position that they enjoy lying in, will give you a good clue as to what would suit him best. Does he likes to sleep on his stomach or on his back? Many dogs enjoy sleeping with their legs stretched completely out, while others like to curl up into a scrunched-up ball shape. Observing all these small things your dog does when, he or she is sleeping will help you to determine which design of heated bed will be the best one.

If your dog is one of those that likes to stretch out, then one of the warm rectangular shaped beds would be ideal. Maybe you have one of those dogs that like to curl up, in which case, a small cozy dog bed with slightly higher sides may do the trick.

How big or small your dog is, will also determine exactly what size will be best. There are countless numbers of styles, sizes and colors to choose from, so there is bound to be one that is perfect for your pooch.

If your dog sleeps outside or in your basement or garage, an outdoor pet bed will keep your dog perfectly insulated from any chilly drafts or from a cold floor. This will be a great comfort to him or her on some of the more chilly nights that we can sometimes get.

By choosing a bed that fits your dog's size well, it will give him that extra feeling of being safe and secure when he is sleeping in his own private little space. Some heated dog beds have extra cushioning which can really add to the comfort of an elderly dog that may be having problems with dog arthritis.

Another added bonus of him being able to sleep in his own personal heated dog bed is that he won't be jumping up and down or on and off couches which could lead to injury. And the less your dog "jumps up," the less stress there will be on his aching joints.

Dogs, as we all know love to chew anything from bones to soft dog toys. So if you decide to choose a heated dog pad with an electric cord, make sure it is a model with a chew resistant electric cord and that it is UL-listed.

Instead of heating the whole surface, some of these heated dog beds or pads use a very energy efficient system that just warms the part where your dog is laying. There is also another type of dog bed that is basically thermally heated which does away with having to use wires or batteries.

Heated dog pads also come in every design imaginable and can put your mind at ease if you are a little worried about your dog possibly chewing a through cable. The cables are strongly reinforced and designed to withstand chewing, but, if you are in any doubt, you should always contact one of the many manufacturers for any deep technical specs you might like to see. And, of course, monitor your dog's chewing behavior...

Another good idea for dogs that need to have support for their head, is to get a dog bed that has a higher back and higher sides so that they are able to rest their head and against the sides and be more comfortable.

Heated dog beds and heated dog pads are not particularly expensive. You can get a good one for less than a hundred dollars. I consider this to be money well spent, as it helps to keep you favorite pooch in the comfort he or she deserves.

You will sleep well knowing that you have given your pet a great place to lay its head while sleeping. It most likely will become one of its favorite places to spend its time.

The benefits of having the right bed for your dog to sleep in, will be seen for years to come. Your dog will be comfortable, they will be happy and the therapeutic bonuses of using a heated dog bed are endless, too.

About the author: Nik writes articles to help other dog lovers, give their dogs the best in life they can. To discover more about a heated dog pad go to => http://www.heateddogpad.com.

Heated Dog Pads and Heated Beds