Archives for August, 2009
When it comes to maintaining your dog’s health, homemade healthy dog food is the way to go. Many commercial dog foods contain not only cheap, unhealthy fillers which are difficult for our pets to digest, (such as: cereal byproducts, cottonseed hulls, crushed peanut shells, straw, corn and crushed corncobs, weeds, and feathers), but they also contain preservatives, poisonous dyes, and carcinogenic agents that have been banned from human foods. Why then are these ingredients available and permitted to be consumed by our beloved pets.
You’ve watched the news or you’ve read the newspaper stories. Pet owners across our nation are up in arms because of the tainted food they are feeding to their pets. This poisonous and sickening dog food has killed hundreds of dogs and caused countless others to become sick. When I feed my pet his food, I want to have the peace of mind that what I am feeding him will not cause him to become sick or worse!
By making food for your dog you are not only ensuring that their diet is healthy but they will also be much happier. So why not start looking for recipes today and then begin testing a few out on your dog. Doing this you will be able to quickly see which ones they prefer and do not be too surprised if they like them all. Certainly if your dog had a choose he would prefer to eat what you make for him rather than that which comes out of packet or can.
Also because you are now making your dogs meals you actually have more control over what they are actually eating. It provides you with the chance to measure how much fat they are consuming as well as control the amount of calories and protein they are intaking. In many cases this helps to make your pet far happier, plus they are much more calmer but also they will have more energy than they had previously. But before you start using these recipes it is a good idea to discuss the matter with your vet. This will help you to ensure that the ingredients in the recipes actually meet all your pet’s nutritional requirements.
For anyone who is still unconvinced as to the advantages of feeding natural, homemade dog food, here are ten benefits that you will certainly see when you stop feeding your dog on commercial, processed junk food.
- You will save money in the purchase price
- You will save money in reduced veterinary expenses because your dog will be healthier
- Noticeably improved condition of the coat and skin
- Overall condition will improve – previously overweight dogs will lose weight
- Allergies will lessen and likely vanish altogether
- Energy levels will improve
- Cleaner teeth and fresh smelling breath
- Previously excitable dogs will be calmer because of the chemicals eliminated from their diet
- Noticeable reduction in stiffness and previously painful joints
- Elimination of body odor. Healthy dogs don’t smell
- Less offensive stools and less of them because “real” food is digested more efficiently with less waste
Homemade dog food recipes are best for your dog because of the healthy ingredients and nutrients it supplies them with. If your dog isn’t jumping for the bowl immediately, you can transition them into the homemade food by placing a small amount with their normal food. After a little time, you dog will be salivating over the healthy dog food recipes you have put together.
Aug 24, 2009 | | Dog Food
Potty training your puppy is not really something that you can expect to do until you little guy has hit about the six-month mark. Any younger than this, and it is not really reasonable to expect them to be able to control their bladders like an older dog would.
Puppy potty training is one of those times that you will be able to give your puppy a treat that he really deserves and loves. Now most people will want their puppy to learn to use the potty outside rather quickly. However some mistakes can be made that will not help your puppy be potty trained quickly. Some of them are you are hurrying your dog, you are not paying attention to your dogs behavior when he tells you he has to go potty, or you just do not take your puppy to the proper spot for him in your hard.
Prepare a feeding schedule and stick to it as much as possible. This is important as your puppies bathroom habits are directly influenced by the food and liquids that they consume. Puppies will normally go to the bathroom within 10-15 minutes of eating or drinking. A routine is essential. I would suggest taking up your puppies food and water (H20) bowls 2 hours before bedtime and always taking your puppy out to the designated potty spot immediately following meal times and before bed.
Repetition: Most puppies have to lean how to do things. I truly believe to expect a puppy before it is a couple months old to learn to go outside to eliminate is almost in possible. They learn by repetition. That is why the puppy pads can be effective. Because you are showing him/her where to go. Over time they get it and will start to eliminate on the pad.
Commands: Try to use the same word all the time to mean go out side or where ever you want the puppy to go and eliminate. Use a word that comes naturally for you. I use the phrase “go potty”. Experts say it is really best to use one word. I usually say it with excitement so that the puppy understands the difference in my voice.
When puppy does well and goes potty where he is supposed to give him a treat to let him know puppy has done good. Praising puppy for going to potty outside is very important the more you praise your puppy the easier it will get.
Walk away from your dog if it has an accident in the house. Show it no affection and don’t speak to it. It will then learn that what it did wasn’t pleasing to you. Since dogs seek to please their owners, your dog will quickly stop.
These as some of the basic tips for potty training a puppy, but if you really want to be successful, you should consider an in-depth course where you can train your dog at home. Thinking of training as a bonding exercise between you and your dog will help take some of the stress out of what can be a trying time.
Aug 24, 2009 | | puppy training
Traditionally a dog should walk on the lead, on the left hand side of the owner. Many dogs pull the lead taut when walking, sometimes pulling owners along with them. Teaching your dog to heel will make walks much more pleasant.
Begin training with your pup, off the lead if it is safe to do so. Your backyard may be a great place to begin. Have him sit and reward him, then start walking and give the command “Heel”, holding treats at the pup’s nose level.
- Get a toy or food which your puppy love with you, let the puppy sit down beside your left leg. Remember that Use the toy or food move puppy’s attention to you.
- The owner takes one step forward, tap the left leg, say “Heel” or “Follow” to the puppy.
- If the puppy is obedient to sit beside you, give him a little food or a stroke as a reward. In addition, keep some space between you and the puppy. when you encourage the puppy, the leash must be loosened, so that puppy knows it’s right not to pull the leash.
- If the puppy runs around, don’t worry, call him back and start again.
- The training time should be limited in 20 minutes. After training, the puppy must be given a lot of fun as a rest, also you can play a game with him.
- After one week’s training, I’m sure the puppy can walk well following you. It’s a good beginning, train him frequently, the puppy will follow you adroitly.
When training your puppy to heel, what is needed is an insistent but gentle jerking motion to get his attention. Once your dog gets the hang of it, you can practice turning and walking at different speeds. Your daily walks should be much more enjoyable for both you and your dog.
When you’ve finished training your puppy for the day, do not leave the chain-link dog training collar on your dog when training sessions are finished. Some dogs are ingenious at getting their lower jaw or legs caught in the training collar and could seriously hurt themselves if you aren’t around. Also, changing to the chain-link collar at training time signals to your dog that this is all business and it is time get serious.
Aug 23, 2009 | | puppy training
You do not necessarily need to train your puppy in a set session daily. Rather, integrate these tasks throughout the day. A goal to strive for is at least 15 minutes of training every day. These can be short 5 minute sessions spread throughout the day.
Try to have all family members ask your puppy to do these tasks. Remember to try and train in every room of your house. You want your puppy to sit, lie down and stay everywhere, not just in the training location.
Use these training tasks as you integrate the puppy into your life. For example, ask your puppy to sit prior to receiving her food, sit before you let her in or out the door, and sit before you pet her. These are times when your puppy wants something and is more likely to comply. In this way you are training your dog all the time, throughout the day and also establishing yourself as the leader, the one who controls the resources.
Training your puppy prior to getting each reward also helps to prevent problems. Having your puppy sit before getting a food or treat prevents begging, while teaching your dog to sit before opening the door can prevent jumping up or running out the door.
Be creative. The time you spend training your puppy now will pay off when you have an adult dog. To have a well-trained dog, you need to be committed to reinforcing the training tasks on nearly a daily basis for the first year of your puppy’s life. The more you teach and supervise your puppy, the less opportunity she will have to engage in improper behaviors. Dogs do not train themselves, when left to choose their behavior they will act like dogs.
Aug 23, 2009 | | puppy training
If you have a new puppy, consider enrolling her in a puppy training program. These programs are designed to help train your pet to be a good family member and teach her the basics of obedience.
The most important thing is to be consistent with whatever program you decide to use. Puppy training can take a lot of time and dedication. That is something to keep in mind before bringing a new puppy home. When first training your puppy, it helps to establish yourself as the pack leader. This will help make any training easier.
It’s also helpful that rather than trying to fit in one large training session you do several shorter sessions throughout the day. Puppies especially have a short attention span so we want to make we are setting our dogs up to have success. I used to think that I was too busy to start a training program, but it’s easy to fit in 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there. I found that when I kept the training sessions short and quick, I actually had more success than when I tried to fit in one or two longer sessions.
Remember to be extra patient when training your puppy. Sometimes they take a bit more patience, but most puppies are eager to learn and actually enjoy a puppy training program.
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Aug 23, 2009 | | puppy training
Puppy training help for when you bring your new puppy into your household. Puppy training should be looked upon as a means to develop good habits in your dog.
Potty Training a New Puppy is one of the first obedience training lessons you will want to teach your young puppy if you do not want it relieving itself all over your home, the number one rule is to make sure you catch your puppy in the actual act of weeing and then quickly pick your puppy up and put it outside or on a puppy pad, wherever you have chosen for its place to use the potty.
In the meantime, spend plenty of time playing with your puppy and be sure he’s getting all the exercise he needs. Put him on a leash and take him for short walks a few times each day, preferably after eating. Establishing this routine also helps make the potty training process shorter.
Come Back on Command The third tip to training a new puppy is to get your puppy to come to you on command, especially useful if your puppy gets out and escapes which they are prone to doing once in a while, and it will most likely save it’s life one day.
Barking is a dog’s job. When your dog barks, he wants to bring something to your attention. On the other hand, excessive barking is unacceptable. If your puppy barks if a bird flies by, he’s probably just bored and in need of attention. You want to nip excessive barking in the bud. If you don’t incorporate this into your puppy training program, you’ll have a tough problem down the road. Be sure he gets the attention he’s looking for before he makes an association between barking and receiving attention.
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Aug 23, 2009 | | puppy training
Early puppy training is an indispensable ingredient in developing a well-behaved dog. You will be training your new puppy from the moment you bring it home and start to house train. Puppies start learning from birth. Good breeders encourage handling and socialization from birth. Some training can begin as soon as the puppy can open its eyes and walk. Young puppies have short attention spans but expect them to begin to learn simple obedience commands such as ‘sit’, ‘down’ and ‘stay’, from as young as 7 to 8 weeks of age. (Ask for our handouts on Controlling stealing and teaching the “give” command; Teaching – sit, down, stand, and stay; and Training puppies – come, wait and follow for training on the specific tasks).
Formal dog training has traditionally been delayed until 6 months of age. Actually this juvenile stage is a very poor time to start. The dog is beginning to solidify adult behavioral patterns, dominance behavior is beginning to emerge, and behaviors learned in puppyhood may need to be changed.
When training is started at 7 to 8 weeks use methods that rely on positive reinforcement and gentle teaching. Puppies have short attention spans, so training sessions should be brief, but daily. Puppies can be taught to sit, down, and stand using a method called food-lure training. We use food treats to entice the dog to follow its nose into the proper positions for sit, down, stand, and stay.
Puppies learn in spurts and starts. One day he may know absolutely everything and perform to perfection. The next day it is as though he never had a moment’s training. Too many owners make the mistake of thinking that if their puppy does it right once or twice he knows it forever, but it really takes hundreds of repetitions for a puppy to learn something.
Aug 23, 2009 | | puppy training
Training your dog to respond to specific commands is somewhat of a necessity if you would like your life as a dog owner to be as enjoyable and stress-free as possible. Here are some of the most common commands for dogs should learn, and the easiest ways to teach them:
Come is one of the first basic commands you will want your dog to learn. Probably the first command people teach their dogs. Again, for both his and your safety, he must learn to come when you call his name.
Sit is the most perfect command for dogs. This can stop your dog from jumping on someone, running out a door, leaping at another dog, chasing a squirrel, getting on the furniture, etc.
Heel is another useful command. When walking, any time the dog begins to wander out of step, say heel, and jerk the leash toward you.
Leave It. This is necessary especially for any dog that goes outside. You want your dog to avoid the strange and even dangerous things he may find on his daily walk.
Free. This command lets your dog know that he can now get up. You could use any other word you want to: finished, up, released, take a break, etc.
Dog training is hard work, but it can also be very rewarding and enjoyable for both dog and owner.
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Aug 19, 2009 | | Uncategorized
From establishing leadership patterns to marking the elimination area and also coordinating the entire process—you can do it all! But here are a few basic requirements that would impact the dog training drill immediately:
Establishing a bond with your dog would facilitate trust and that’s why it is important that you hug and show your dog affection but keep it within limits. Don’t cross the line that divides a loved pet from a spoiled pet.
Practicing the basic obedience commands like sit, stay, come etc., would go a long way in commanding obedience from your dog during the housebreaking process.
Providing the right foodwould help the dog have a good and regulated bowel movement rather than changing the food every day and giving the dog a constipation problem. Good food would keep your dog free of any stomach disorder like diarrhea, constipation, etc. that can cause him discomfort and hamper the housetraining process.
Providing your dog with fresh and clean water is also bound to help him in the elimination process and keep kidney problems at bay. Don’t think that by restricting the water intake, you can train your dog. You must ensure that your dog is properly nourished and hydrated.
Praise your dog when he does stick to the housebreaking drill. As you are his leader, the dog will be thrilled and encouraged to be praised by you. Also it would encourage your dog to repeat the desirable behavior just so that he can get your praise again!
Be regular and consistent with your dog’s schedule. This means that you must feed him at the same times, walk him at the same times, train him at the same times and of course, take him out to relive himself at the same times. Your consistency would help to establish a predictable pattern for your dog. Slowly over time, the repetition of all the activities will become a habit for your dog. This will build a good health for your dog.
There are no shortcuts to caring for a dog or housetraining it. Apart from a good quality pet, it calls for responsible ownership, firm leadership, consistent patience and enthusiastic praise. At the end of the day; you and your dog will have a relationship that is patterned on the right mix of discipline, love and mutual respect and for the devotion he will give you, that’s the least you can offer the newest member of your family!
Aug 19, 2009 | | Uncategorized