Sunday, August 19, 2012

Training the dog to lay down

By Jerry Welsh


Any dog owner would be proud to have a pet that would move with alacrity and obey a given command. After domestication, dogs became the wonderful companions and steadfast protectors of humans. Dogs have been domesticated but some individuals would ran the owners ragged with their unmanageable behaviors.

Dog owners therefore have to obedience train the pet to turn them into good canine citizens. Laying down is a very important command that will allow dog owners to take the pet everywhere they go. Although dogs are considered to be man's best friends, not all people would love to have dogs. Some would be intimidated especially by large and ferocious looking dogs. Dogs that are lying down would be less frightening than standing dogs that seem ready to pounce. Dog owners would always want to have the pet around but the need to constantly tug at the leash to restrain the dog would be wearing on the nerves.

Lay down is one of the basic obedience commands that a dog has to learn. Dogs lay down naturally thus a pet owner would not find the task of training the dog difficult. The objective of the training is to make the dog lay down when the command is given. Making the dog assume the lay down position though is kind of difficult. Dogs are playful animals and getting them interested to the training would be rather difficult as the pet may view the training as a new game.

The training would be easier if the dog already responds to the sit command. Treats and a location with less distractions would make the training easier. Face your dog and give the sit command. Reward the dog with the treat once it has obeyed the sit command. Use a treat to lure the dog to lie down by moving the hand that is holding a treat downwards.

The dog will lower its body to the ground to get the treat you are holding. The instant the dog's body touches the ground give the lay down command. It can be "down boy/girl" or "lay down" but be sure to be consistent with the command so as not to confuse the dog. Lure the dog with treats and reward with praise to encourage the dog to obey the command. This training must be repeated until the dog have learned to obey the command.




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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Boring Dog? Teach It Some Tricks With These Tips!

By Kirk McGee


Many who are unfamiliar with dog behavior find that training can be a difficult task; however, it does not need to be. Dogs are loyal, affectionate animals who desire to please their owners, which means that they are easily trainable, if one has the right tools and knowledge. This article will show you several strategies that are sure to give you a well behaved dog.

Training your dog to walk on lead takes time. The idea is to have your dog walk obediently beside you without straining, tugging, and pulling from side to side. Correct your dog's movement with short snaps of the lead that pull sharply and abruptly back against his momentum. He will stop pulling and walk complacently for a time beside you. During this time loosen the lead but when he pulls again snap the lead again.

Make training fun for you and your dog. Choose treats that your dog loves, and give lots of excited praise for good results and even good efforts. Keep sessions short and lively. Give your dog plenty of chances to succeed by practicing commands that he or she knows well, but also add variations and new lessons to keep training interesting.

Do not lean over your dog, no matter whether he is big or small. Dogs are intimidated by space-hogging body posture. Even your subtle movements are read by your dog, so a simple lean will suffice if you are attempting to block or redirect his path. Hovering straight over a dog may make them reactive as well.

Dog training can be frustrating. If you have found yourself to be upset because you are not making progress, go ahead and take a break before trying it again. The dog is always watching you and learning, so if it can see you are upset it will react in a similar manner.

To help you train your dog so it is obedient and well behaved, it is important to show the dog that you, and you only, are the pack leader. This means showing a dominant presence so the dog understands that he is not the leader and he must follow your commands. If you follow this key step, you will be on your way to training your dog effectively.

Shy dogs benefit from re-socializing. Oftentimes, dogs have behavioral incidents with certain situations, certain people or other dogs, that go unnoticed by us. We might not realize, but these interactions have given our dogs a sour taste about these circumstances. Re-socializing your dog to the stimuli he's upset by, can help him overcome his anxiety.

Once you know the right tools, dog training becomes a very feasible task. Even problem behaviors can be effectively targeted with the right skill set and knowledge. Our dogs are our best friends and as such, they desire nothing more than to make us happy. In turn, it is our duty to teach them skills so that they can be happy as well.




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Friday, August 10, 2012

Effective Strategies To Training Your Dog

By Kirk McGee


Training your dog is important for a wide variety of reasons, including safety and health concerns, among others. Whether you plan on training your dog yourself or taking the animal to a professional trainer, the following tips can help you to end up with an obedient, well-behaved pet.

Always use positive reinforcement to train your dog. Reward your dog with happy words, petting and an occasional very small treat when he pleases you. Never hit or shout at your dog. This is ineffective and will just convince your dog that you don't know what you are doing. Be firm, consistent and positive for the best results in dog training.

Crate-training is an excellent way to curb bad potty habits. Your puppy or dog will benefit from a sanctuary fitted to his size. Dogs are evolutionarily designed to stay away from where they 'go', so a crate uses this fact to your advantage. This also makes it more likely that your dog will hold it until you get home, however, never use the crate as a form of punishment.

If you want to train your dog, you should wait until it is at least six weeks old. A younger dog will not understand what you are expecting, and not be able to control itself enough to obey your commands. The first weeks of your puppy's life should be about creating a bond with you.

To augment the training you've done with your dog, make sure if you are going to be leaving the house to leave your dog plenty of toys to play with. Many dogs go through separation anxiety when their owners leave. Having plenty of toys will help them fight this by replacing it with a squeaking raccoon toy.

One of the first things most people teach their dogs is the sit command. This is very basic but is handy for your dog to know, especially when you want to get his attention. One way to teach your dog to sit is to take a piece of dog treat and hold it about six inches from his nose. Slowly raise the treat straight up and say "Fido, sit". You may have to use your hand to help him into the position until he realizes what you want.

As was discussed in the beginning of this article, proper training will help you and your new puppy, live a much happier life. If you understand the right way to train your dog, it will make it easier much later on to correct any mistakes. Apply the helpful advice from this article and your new best friend will love you forever.




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Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Some Good Dog Grooming Techniques

By Shari Swanson


Mans best friend happened to be dogs and so if you have one, you are lucky. But owning a dog comes at a cost which includes cleaning it to what you want to see. Just like humans dogs need to be groomed and experts in dog grooming Phoenix residents should know of have this advice to all those people who own a dog as a pet.

Proper cleaning is highly recommended for people with pets. A dog that is cleaned and trimmed will feel happy and confident. In addition to this, a pet that is groomed will always be healthy. Luck of training and cleaning your dog leads to situations of less healthy dogs which are parasite and tick infested.

Cleaning is not universally done on dogs. The type of pet you have will determine what grooming technique you use since there are different techniques that you must use for each dog. You have to consider things like how old an animal is the size of its hair and of cause what breed it is.

You can train your dogs at least ever two weeks. But this is not a definite or decisive decision because there are some dogs that need grooming more often than others. If your pet is outdoor most of the time, clean it more often and as it gets older and sheds more hair, also do the same.

There is a number of observable behavior which you need to look at. For instance, when your dog starts to scratch, that is a sign of dirt and you need to clean it up. Using such observable traits, you will know when you must clean the dog without necessary having to wait for two weeks before you do this.

If you are thinking of dog grooming phoenix professionals has a solution most dog owners will appreciate. These techniques should guide you on what needs to be done and when. Besides, by reading this, you will be saving money on visits to the veterinary. Also keep in mind to only use dog products and not human products on dogs.




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Tuesday, August 7, 2012

What must be done if a stray dog is found

By Jerry Welsh


Dogs are often seen wandering around. If you see an obviously lost dog on the countryside, would you pull over, be a Good Samaritan and try to help the stray or would you drive on and chuck the pitiful sight as one of the facts of life? Some of these dogs are genuinely lost because dogs are one of the animals that have the tendency to roam. Other stray dogs are purposely abandoned by cruel owners who wouldn't even bother to leave the pet in animal shelters.

Not all dogs are friendly to strangers. Even a small cuddly dog with an appealing appearance can bite a person that is trying to help. Be very careful if you decide to stop and help the animal. A dog can turn vicious if it does not understand your intention to help. Remember, the vaccination status of the animal is unknown and the risk of rabies and other infections would naturally be high. Approach the dog only when it has not shown aggression. Call the animal control authorities if you are uncomfortable with the idea of capturing the dog.

A naturally friendly stray dog will follow any person. Additionally, because stray dogs are commonly hungry, even aloof ones would act tame at the sight of food. You may be able to capture the dog by speaking gently and offering food. After securing the dog look for identification tags so that you can notify the owner.

If the dog has no identification tags, you can either take the dog to an animal shelter or take the dog home while trying to find its owners. If you have decided to take the stray home, it would be best to take the dog first for vaccinations and blood and fecal exams to rule out any canine diseases and parasite infestation. If a vet visit is not possible you need to isolate the stray to protect your other pets from diseases and parasites that the stray can be carrying.

The stray can be lost or it can really be homeless. Homeless strays would have an emaciated look. Although scruffy looking, an owned dog that become a stray would still retain its groomed appearance. Owners of dogs that have strayed are surely looking for their pet. Inform the authorities that you have found a dog. It would be a great feeling to be able to help an owner be reunited with the pet.




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Saturday, August 4, 2012

First Aid treatments for the sunburned dog

By Jerry Welsh


With all that fur? My dog will not be sunburned! True, the dog is covered with a lot of fur but Fido and company can get sunburned too. Just as with humans, spending hours under the blazing sun would be dangerous to dogs too. Dogs, of course have the fur as protection but just as with the clothing of humans, the fur too would be an inadequate shield against the dangerous ultraviolet rays of the sun. Dog owners allow the pet to play in the sun as sunlight really does have health benefits for the dog. If only dogs can talk they would tell the world that they love to frolic under the heat of the sun. Unfortunately, a dog that stays too long in the sun would be miserable because of sunburn.

So what would make you aware that the pooch needs first aid treatment for sunburn? The dog was sunburned if the pink nose takes on the color of Rudolf the red nosed reindeer's nose. Being less covered with hair, the edges of the ears will dry up, crack and curl a bit. Skin affected by sunburn will become leathery and white in color. These symptoms will be shown if the dog's sunburn is superficial. Deep partial thickness and full thickness sunburns are similar to second degree and third degree burns respectively thus considered as serious sunburn. Severely affected skin would have blisters and sores. Dogs with these types of sunburn need hospitalization. Skin grafts may be necessary if a large percentage of the dog's body was burned.

Superficial partial thickness is a minor type of sunburn that can be treated at home. For this type of sunburn, the hair on the affected area is best shaved to make application of medication easy and also to monitor the healing of the burn. The wound is then cleaned with iodine to prevent infection. Apply topical burn ointments to the affected skin.

One effective home remedy for sunburn is aloe vera. OTC aloe vera ointment works well but the juice of fresh plant will deliver soothing coolness to the burned skin. The tip of the aloe vera leaf is squeezed to get the gel that is then applied to the sunburned skin.

To speed up the healing process, the oil from a vitamin E capsule can be squeezed out and applied to the affected area. Aside from promoting the healing process, vitamin E also prevents scarring. Sunburned skin would cause the dog pain and itching. The discomfort of the pet will be lessened if baking soda and oatmeal products are added to the bath water.




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Friday, August 3, 2012

Are Avocados Really Poisonous to Dogs

By Jerry Welsh


Avocado is considered to be the most nutritious fruits. Although avocado does not have the sweetness of other fruits, it is favored by most people because of the vitamins and minerals it contains. Bananas are rich sources of potassium but avocado has higher levels of potassium than bananas. Fruits generally have low fat content but avocados have high levels of monosaturated fat. Monosaturated fat is the friendly fat as it is kind to the heart and does not cause obesity. Because of the creamy goodness and the minerals and vitamins avocado contains, it is considered as luxury food that only the royalty can afford. These days, more than half of the households in US consume this fruit.

Avocados have become popular but due to some misconceptions, some people would not dare eat this highly nutritious fruit. It is commonly believed that because of the high fat content, avocados bring about hypertension attacks and obesity. The unfunded beliefs about the dangers of eating avocados is not only confined to humans but also to dogs. ASPCA has warned dog owners about allowing the pet to eat avocados.

Avocado is believed to be dangerous to dogs because it contains a toxic substance known as Persin. Once avocado is eaten by the dog, this toxic substance would cause fluid to accumulate in the dog's throat, chest and abdomen. Buildup of fluid in the dog's chest will prevent the normal functioning of the heart. The fat content of avocado is another concern as it is believed to cause obesity. Dog owners are careful about giving the dog a kind of diet that will result to obesity knowing that obese dogs have the tendency to develop various health concerns. A blockage in the throat or in the gastrointestinal tract caused by the avocado seed is one more reason why dog owners steer the pet away from this fruit. Dogs have the tendency to swallow food. To save the life of the pet; the seed may have to be surgically removed.

If avocados are really unsafe foods for dogs why is the fruit used as a main ingredient in one brand of pet food. Many dogs owners have verified that by giving the pet avocado, health of the skin and coat is maintained. Dog owners have resolved the dog's chronic skin problems, excessive shedding and poor coat quality by giving the pet AvoDerm, the pet food that has avocado as the main ingredient.

Some dog owners have proven the healthful benefits of giving avocado to the pet. Others would keep the pet away from this fruit. Would you give the dog avocado?




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