Great Pet Training Guidelines For Your Pup

Feb
27

Once you hire a pro dog trainer as opposed to doing it yourself, the excellence and cost of training will vary. Also there is a giant discrepancy between training philosophies as some trainers may make use of more forms of physical punishment while others concentrate solely on positive rewards. It is up to you to ascertain what is right for you and your dog.

Training your dog to disregard distractions may be challenging as puppies are social animals and they usually love both people and other animals. However, it is critical that you are able to command your dog\’s attention in spite of of what is going on around you so it is very crucial to work on this. You can try to get his attention with a favorite toy or a treat as a temptation to get the attention back to you. If your dog is clicker trained, he should bring his attention back to you with a click.

Spaying or neutering your dog is not only an excellent way to avoid litters of puppies, but it is favorable for your dog\’s health. Also, it will reduce many aggression problems and you will have fewer behavior problems.

In order to keep your puppy\’s attention you can do things that he appreciates but you must also reward him for small successes. Do not tender a food reward every time, however, because sporadic reinforcement is actually much more helpful than constant reinforcement because he never realizes when he will get the treat so he will keep doing the behavior on the hope that he will get the food reward. Also too many food treats can be bad for your puppy\’s wellbeing and weight. However, love and attention should be always given.

At the moment is a great time to be an aspiring dog trainer because of all of the excellent online resources on hand on the Internet. There is certainly content available on every part of dog training and there is also some excellent data about how to best go about the process of really training your dog yourself. Lots of these online dog-training courses can be downloaded easily to your own computer.

Be careful of distractions during your training sessions. Your puppy must learn to take no notice of the distractions and follow your orders. Give love and attention and rewards when his awareness is only on you. As your training progresses you should go to more and more places where there are probable distractions so that he learns to put his awareness where you want it to be.

Wasting a lot of money is not essential to have a dutiful dog but spending some quality time is mandatory. There are many great online programs that incorporate books, videos, audios and more that can help you train your dog and most are very reasonably priced.

The principal secrets for training your favorite dog including online puppy training, free pet training and much more at UniversityDog.

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Posted in Pets by Mary N Smith| No Comments »

Fall in Love with a Cuddly, White Puff – the Bichon Frise

Feb
22

A curly-haired lap dog is the direct translation of Bichon Frise in English, a translation that justifies this lovable, curly-haired dog that is smart, full of life and easygoing. It\’s a bundle of joy and energy that every owner will surely be pleased to have as a companion at home.

Compatibility and Usage: The Bichon Frise\’s size and nature does not make it a very good guard dog nor does it do well as a show dog however it adequately fills the role of the absolute family dog. Taking your Bichon for regular walks in the park where it can interact with other people and dogs would surely make the dog happier and livelier.

Physical Appearance: The Bichon Frise has a non-shedding white fur coat although different breeds may have different coat color. They sometime have a cream color coat or even in apricot with shadings around their ears. But a purebred Bichon Frise will have a white color coat. Their eyes are normally black or brown in color and have an unmistakable halo around the eyes.

Temperament: The Bichon is a highly attractive dog due to its silky and curly hair and it greatly enjoys human company. It possesses an independent attitude, is intelligent, affectionate, bold and lively. It is very easy to live with and generally makes people very happy as a pet. Although it may be a little difficult to housebreak, its mannerisms, attitude and happy temperament makes it worth while to persevere in training the Bichon as it is very obedient once trained.

It is very sociable with other pets and humans but can also perform guard dog duties for its master due to its protective demeanor. When playing, they may exhibit some tenacious attitudes but otherwise they are a good choice for the companion of the young and old alike.

Caring & health: A Bichon Frise has a life span of around 12 years and a male dog will have a height of up to 12 inches while a female or a bitch can have a height varying from 9 to 11 inches. They have a non shedding coat and hence need regular grooming. Bichons are also susceptible to different types of skin allergies and other skin problems, which makes grooming necessary.

Regular brushing is necessary to remove the hair tangles of the Bichon\’s coat; tedious as this may be, it contributes to making the dog\’s coat puffier, more beautiful and highly attractive. Do not feed your dog with high fat content foods to avoid their common affliction, pancreatitis. To ensure your dog\’s health, it is necessary to walk him regularly on a daily basis.

Some of the other medical problems that the Bichons are susceptible to include skin irritations allergy, cataract (happens with age), senility and vestibular disease. The last one is a disease of the ear and needs to be taken care of immediately. Minus the diseases, which are common for almost all breeds, choosing a small breed dog like the Bichon Frise is like bringing home a fur ball of happiness!

Author Info: Mike Mathews is the owner and editor of the popular Dog Breed Facts website. His new ebook titled \”Choosing a Dog For Your Lifestyle\” is a fantastic resource for the new dog owner.

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Posted in Pets by Mike Mathews| No Comments »

Tips On Adopting A Puppy From An Animal Shelter

Feb
17

When you don\’t mind chew marks on your furniture or your carpet becoming stained, having a puppy is a day at the beach. Otherwise, you should probably keep with a more mature dog. They are cute, yes, but they are a lot of work as well. It could take as long as 3 years before they fully mature. Before they reach their third birthday, you\’ve already endured 3 years of constant training and 3 years\’ worth of tests on your serenity and determination.

Don\’t say you weren\’t warned. When you are insistent with adopting a puppy, the following suggestions will help you in picking the one which matches you and your needs.

Look for a dog healthy dog.

Sure, puppies develop diseases as they grow into mature dogs. Still, a clean bill of health should be the first thing you ought to look for in a potential would-be puppy. Some telltale clues that the puppy has or does not have any physical problems are:

Nose and eyes – These should be clean and clear of any debris that is associated with sickness such as mucus. These should also look healthy.

Coat – The coat should have a polished, thick look. It should also have no patches of skin or thin fur.

Belly – Puppies are often potbellied when their tummies are full. A puppy that has a swollen belly is a good indication that it is harboring worms.

Chronic sickness – Be warned with puppies that have chronic sickness. No amount of medical attention can help if the puppy is chronically sick. Also, a sick puppy often grows with major health problems into adulthood.

Check if the puppy is socialized.

Most puppies are energetic and take pleasure in playing around with their owners and other dogs. Although you can\’t test the true behavior of puppies around people in confined, stressed environments like animal shelters, you can test their behaviors by handling them for a few minutes. A socialized puppy should be comfortable with human touch. If it isn\’t, it is probably the most aggressive puppy or the least trustful. Either way, you ought to find one that is both placid but quite aggressive. You need both in a dog.

Check out the puppy\’s breed.

The puppy\’s breed often determines its general trait when it\’s fully grown. What you want is a breed that matches your personality. When you are the type of person who loves to go out, you need to get a breed that is good for outdoor activities. When you just want a dog for long-term companionship, you should look for mid-sized companion dogs. Toy and lap dogs are the best choices when you are looking for a small dog that you can bring with you to most places.

You need to also check whether the puppy is purebred or mixed bred. It is often hard to identify a purebred or mix bred puppy, but try to use the source as an indicator. There are rescue groups that are breed specific, there are those that are aren\’t. Most animal shelters foster mutts and purebred alike. Be sure to ask for information about the puppy\’s breed before you give it a new home.

Read more about successfully adopting a dog, and download your copy of Adopting A Dog – The Secret to A Successful Adoption now!

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Posted in Pets by Gina Meyer| No Comments »

Things To Expect When Adopting A New Puppy

Feb
17

We have seen this image all too often. A pup is brought home to a giggling child so happy to have a cuddly little puppy with furiously wagging tail while kissing the child all over the face, a happy contagiously funny scene.

The excitement though wears off easily. Soon your dog will be peeing on the carpet, needing to be fed and watered, jumping on people, begging for walks, creating noise, uprooting plants, digging in the yard and messing around as all dogs do. Adopting a dog entails responsibilities such as grooming, taking it out for exercises, training and caring as well as feeding and watering. This is the bigger scene not usually imagined but just as real.

When decided to adopting a dog, plan for the following:

Supplies

The basic supplies that your dog will need are bowls for water and food, a dog ID tag with name address and phone number, a bed, a comb, a collar and a leash, and dog food.

Setting Limits

Even before your adorable puppy is brought home, the family should agree on tasks, assignments and other dog duties for the caring of your new puppy. Assignments should include who should feed your new puppy on particular days, who should take your dog for walks, and who should groom your adorable puppy. Agree on areas that are off limits to your new puppy and areas where your dog is allowed. If your new puppy is not yet trained, do not allow your new puppy to sit on the furniture or sleep in the bed with people.

When limits are not set and your adorable puppy is allowed to do as it wants, your adorable puppy will attempt to dominate. This is an old pattern of dog behavior that is carried over since the dogs were still in the wild. To prevent this, do not play games with the dog that will teach him to challenge you. Roughhouse and tug of war are some of the most popular examples.

When your dog starts to nip, it is a signal that your dog have had enough, let your adorable puppy rest and do not allow another occasion to reach that point as it also teaches your adorable puppy to become dominant. Likewise, do not allow nor encourage wild behavior.

Your new puppy also appreciates hierarchy. If it learns from the start that you play dominance or is the alpha male, it would be easier to make your adorable puppy follow your commands.

Dog Training

Dog obedience training must start as early as possible because your dog has to learn manners and to follow commands. Excessive barking, jumping on people, quarreling with other dogs and house pets, chewing on furniture, scratching the carpet are just some of the examples untrained dogs do that often results to embarrassment to their owners.

Different dogs have a variety of temperaments. These do not only differ from one dog to another, it also differs depending on the breed and the size of the dog. While dogs are generally lovely and lively creatures, there are some negative traits that surface after a while. Negative traits, however, are reduced if not removed by training.

Discover more about how to successfullyadopt a pet dog, and download your copy of Adopting A Dog – The Secret to A Successful Adoption now!

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Posted in Pets by Gina Meyer| No Comments »

Small Chicken Coop

Jan
26

Raising chickens is a rewarding pasttime that can be performed anywhere in the world, no matter what type of environment you live in. You can get a regular supply of fresh eggs that you know won’t contain any sort of chemicals or unnatural hormones. Even if you live in an urban environment and had thought that you didn’t have the space or the right sort of facilities, chances are good that if you use a small chicken coop you can easily raise chickens of your own.

Of course, this means you won’t be able to raise as many birds as maybe you’d like to, but you can still raise one or two chickens even if you live in cramped suburbia, just as long as you have at least a small patch of grass or dirt for them to stretch their legs on. There’s a difference, after all, between a small chicken coop and a cramped one.

The basic space requirements for your birds should be as follows:

* At least 4 square feet of space per bird in the coop itself.

* At least 10 square feet of space per bird in the chicken run, or outside section of the coop.

* At least 9 horizontal feet of perch space for your chickens to sleep on.

Keep these space requirements in mind, and you can ensure that your hens will lay plenty of eggs. Stressed birds will lay fewer eggs, and cramped birds are stressed birds, so that’s why this is important even when building a small chicken coop.

Some Design Ideas

In essence, what you will be building is a regular-sized chicken coop, only scaled down to house two or three birds instead of a whole flock. You’ll still want to follow all the tips and tricks of designing and building a home for your chickens.

For example:

* Include adequate ventilation ” Adding a window to your coop’s design will make sure your birds get fresh air and stay healthy. Chickens don’t like to be too hot or too cold, and ventilation will keep them comfortable. * Build a perch ” When they sleep, chickens like to be able to perch off the ground for safety in the wild. It’s no different in captivity, so make sure they have somewhere they can feel safe while sleeping. * Try adding a nesting box ” Nesting boxes can encourage your hens to lay eggs in one place, which makes it much easier for you to collect them. This will also encourage some chickens to lay in the first place, as they will feel safer in the box.

In a small chicken coop, of course, you will also want to limit size. Don’t go overboard and add all the convenient features you can think of. It is a good idea to be able to get into the coop yourself, though, as this makes cleaning much easier.

For construction materials, if your coop is outside you’ll want to make sure that the walls are constructed of something solid that your birds can feel safe in. Coops with walls entirely of wire are not usually a good idea, as it will stress out your chickens. However, wire is good for keeping the external runs safe from predators, so don’t discount that out of hand, either.

If you enjoyed reading my article on chicken coop, visit http://www.chickencoopadvice.com for more great info.

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Posted in Pets by Kor Rassad| No Comments »

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