JAck Russell Terrier

Having a pet in the house is diffrent now then it was just a few years ago.Gone are the high profile people of the world walking in a LA pet shop and dropping $3000 on a teacup puppy. Do something like that now and suffer the ire of PETA. Even our new president is being affected by the recent developments in the economy. He has realized that you cannot simply enter a pet store and 30 minutes later exit with a new family member. The president has stated that trying to find a new dog for his children is tougher than finding a Commerce secretary. He has been trying to model what a responsible new potential pet owner should be like during a recession, or any other time for that matter. During these times we must consider the needs of all the family members and hold off until the household is settled before inviting a new family member. He is also showing setting a good example by getting a pet from a shelter or rescue group.

Although the president’s choice of a new family pet, and whether it will be a labradoodle or a Portuguese water hound has been all over the media, more importantly is the unstable future of our natin’s pets in a time when there are those who can not pay for their bills.In our nation’s hayday, it was common to see stories that made us laugh and shake our heads about how people would spend exorbitant amounts of money on their dogs. They thought that their dogs actually appreciated the posh bottled water that was served to them in a crystal doggie glass. Stories of million dollar doggie trust funds, thousand dollar doggie hotels, pearl necklaces, and other instances of doggie decadence covered the news stands daily.

Ever since economy has spiraled down,, stories of pets have evolved and are now much more daunting and saddening. The media all across our country have been reporting about local animal shelters becoming filled far beyond their capacity, often times being forced to euthanize a greater number of otherwise healthy pets simply because of space constraints. Still others have abandoned their pets in foreclosed homes or chained up in back yards of abandoned properties, left to die of starvation, often times un able to reach food and water slowly starving to death at the end of a chain. The LA times even made pets and the economy their features story of the New Year. Pets are quickly turning into the luxury that can no longer be afforded.

The current downslide follows a previous upswing seen in adoption rates of the recient past. For nearly a decade shelters and rescues have been seeing a consistant rise in the rate of pet adoptions a starke difference from the overwhelming intake and decline in new adoption applications. There is no real way of knowing if we have seen the bottom of this staggering trend or if there is more despair to come. One thing is for certain, it is not getting any better.

Any progress made in the past of educating the public on the need to adopt from rescue groups instead of purchasing from a puppy store means nothing if our hurting economy causes people to not be able to afford to own a pet or take care of the pets that they already have in their home. Vet costs alone have been a major factor in family’s decisions to give up their beloved dogs. With the average vet visit costing in the range of $200 a visit, people often have to decide whether they can spend this month’s credit card payment and unless they find a way to reduce their credit card debt, they often have no choice but to give up their pet.

Another sign of the rapid decline of the luxury pet market was the cancelation New York’s Pet Fashion Week. With all this negative news on the pet industry it is noteworthy to mention that pets have all kind of benefits. Vets across the nation have said that pets are an excellent way to lower blood pressure which helps justify spending the money spent on them.

For many of us the only solution to avoid having to make the choice of paying bills of feeding the family pet, is to get themselves in a position to weather the economic storm. For many people this could mean entering into a credit card debt settlement program or other ways of lowering their household expenses. Filing for bankruptcy is often not the best choice for these embattled pet owners who do not want to deal with the court system, paying attorney fees nor having the black mark on their credit report for up to ten years. Often times credit card counseling, which is run by the creditors, is not a realistic option since in most cases the payments are no less and sometimes more then what they are paying at the moment. Again this makes the owner struggle with pet food not to mention vet bills as mentioned earlier.

Whatever program you may decide,  should you need credit card debt relief, ensure that you educate yourself on the differences between the programs and fully aware of the pitfalls. In most cases speaking to someone who can assist you in settling your debt can be helpful and is suggested over going it alone.

This discussion over pets and how they affect our economy will probably go on as long as people are struggling in this economic crunch our nation is experiencing. The underlying issue is that we either need to deal with the debt we have and survive this recession, or resort to what many have and abandon the family pet. Where will this trend stop? Will the next crisis force us to decide whether to take care of our kids and pay for medical insurance or leave them on the side of the street to survive on their own.

 

Are you experiencing bad days with your Mastiff? Do he or she always get into chewing all of your shoes or are they trying to make a potty seat out of your house? How would you like to know how to train care for mastiff dogs? Surely, this is the first thing that you have in your mind right now if you want to have a happy home and an obedient mastiff dog. You remember the first time you took your pet home and thinking how cute and lovable he is although he could weigh around 200 lbs. when they are fully grown but you’re wrong. The moment your Mastiff steps into your house, he will really make himself comfortable as in annoyingly comfortable. Well, you can’t blame your dog. English Mastiff dogs are dogs. But you can somehow learn by yourself how to give them proper care and training and for now, this is the only thing you need to know first.

So, how do you care for a Mastiff? Always remember that these are enormous dogs and they need more than just the usual way in taking care of these lovely gigantic pets. According to a neighbor who has his own Mastiff, you have to make sure that you have a regular ample supply of dog food around. Aside from a very hearty eater, Mastiff dogs gets hungry easily. From time to time, they need to eat. They’re not the same with any regular-sized pet dogs which you only need to be fed two or three times a day. His own Mastiff eats all throughout the day. After breakfast, there are at least 3 in-between meals before lunch. Before the day ends, his Mastiff can be fed up to three times more and after dinner, it’s cookies once again. He also added that he had learned a lot of things on how to take care of his Mastiff with the help of a book guide which he had purchased through the Internet.

He added that it’s usually easier to train and care for these gigantic dinosaurs if they are still Mastiff puppies. As younglings, these loyal pets are just any other regular dogs with normal size. But they can grow twice or thrice as big than any other dog when they reach the age of about a year.

Crate training is the first step in house training a new puppy. Its importance in house breaking a new puppy cannot be underestimated, nor can it be dispensed with.

Crate training is an integral part of basic puppy training, and knowing exactly how to carte train is very important.

Crate training without knowing what to do is just as good as not crate training at all. In fact, if a puppy is crate trained the wrong way, there would be no advantages gained, the puppy would not have learned or been taught anything good and the puppy may have been given a bad habit or two on the other hand.

Crate training is an established program with certain do’s and don’ts. It has its set advantages if done the proper way. There is a specific purpose in crate training, and to gain those ends carte training has to be done properly.

The basic and most important part of crate training is the size of the crate. The size of the crate used has to be directly proportionate to the size of the dog.

The uppermost need for crate training is to prevent the dog from peeing in the house, or in places he is not supposed to pee in.

By nature and basic instinct a dog will not lie down or sleep in its own urine or faeces. It will never pee or make its business in a place it has to lie down in. A dog is confined in a crate to prevent it from doing these things inside the house. While confined in a crate of proper size a dog will restrain itself from urinating or moving its bowels.

The crate has to be big enough for the dog to spin around on its feet. It should be just a few inches longer than the body of the dog from the tip of the nose to the end of the rear rump, and a few inches taller than the standing height of the dog,

The size of the crate should not permit the dog to jump up on its hind legs or move from one end to the other. If for example, a large crate is used for a small dog, it would pee at one end and sleep at the other.

What to put in the crate and when not to confine the dog in the crate is another very important part of crate training.

The only thing that should be in the crate is the puppys chew toy or play toy and nothing else. No food or water should be placed in a crate.

A dog should never be confined in a crate for too long a time.

The dog should not be sent to the crate or confined in it because it has done something wrong. The crate should not be used to punish the dog. If we use the crate to punish the dog, it is going to distrust the crate and become anxious about it

The dog should regard the crate as a place of safety and security, for it to be happy in it while it is alone and its owners are away from the house.

Knowing when, where and how to release the dog from the crate is also an important part of crate training

A dog has to be released from the crate periodically in an area where it can relieve itself.

The dog will relieve itself immediately it is let out from the crate. Once the dog has relieved itself it should be praised or rewarded to reinforce that peeing iside the house is not allowed.

The type of crate is another important aspect of crate training.  Most crates are made of steel. There should be no rough or sharp edges anywhere in the crate.

After being confined for a few hours the first time a dog will get agitated and try and escape. In attempting to do so it should not scratch, cut or hurt itself on the crate.

Crate train your puppy properly and you will have it house broken in no time fulfilling your task of basic puppy training.

To learn more about crate training your puppy please visit www.basicpuppytraining.net

Keys to Training Your Puppy Quickly Master the Art of Puppy Housebreaking Housebreaking Without Rubbing His Nose In It
by Help Your Pets

Puppyhood is the “formative” period for your dog. What you teach him during this time will most likely stick with him the rest of his life. One of the most important things you will be teaching him is where to potty.

Probably the most helpful tip to ease both your pup’s stress and your own is to develop a routine early on in your pup’s life. You can start by accustoming your puppy to a sleep/eat/potty routine. Try feeding your puppy around the same time every day, allowing for frequent trips outside to potty. He will soon adjust his body to the routine.

A good way to save your sanity is to admit right off the bat that your puppy will have accidents. You can help ease these by keeping some newspaper in a dedicated spot so that your pup can at least familiarize himself with going in one area if he can’t make it outside. This works particularly well if you don’t have a doggy door and your puppy relies on you to let him out.

The sooner you get to know your puppy’s “eat/potty” routine, the easier potty-training will become. A good rule to go by is to estimate that your pup will be ready for a trip outside around 15 – 20 minutes after he has been fed/watered. If you can, try to have your puppy outside at this time so he will familiarize himself with the proper “potty surroundings.”

Be sure that you separate “potty time” from “play time.” Puppies love to explore. It’s natural and should be encouraged, but only when it’s the appropriate time. Nothing is more frustrating than to be up at 2 am with your little guy running around the yard for twenty minutes, only to potty as soon as you get back inside.

This period in your puppy’s life is a great one to start administering praise and discipline techniques. Many people prefer “good boy/girl” and “no,” which can be still be used when your dog is older. Although puppies need a lot of repetition, routine, and firmness, remember that your puppy will soon grow up, so enjoy his puppyhood while you can!

Spring is here and that means nicer weather and more opportunities for taking your dog for walks. If your dog walks are anything but leisurely strolls, the following tips are just for you!

Change Your Direction

Abruptly changing the direction you’re heading in may be enough distraction to make your dog understand that he needs to follow you. Whenever your dog tugs on the leash or begins to get ahead of you, abruptly turn and start walking in the opposite direction. When his attention is averted and he returns to walk next to you, follow up immediately with lots of praise. A small dog treat helps, too. Don’t scold your dog for pulling ahead, simply catch him off guard and redirect him.

You may have to repeat this many times , even if it means your “walk” is only a few steps at a time, back and forth. The goal is to have your dog following you, and paying attention to the direction you’re headed in. Be generous with your praise and rewards and repeat this process several times. Your dog will slowly give up the tug of war game he’s been playing with your.

If you already own a remote dog trainer that offers both positive and negative reinforcement with tones, now would be a great time to put it to use.

Always Be Consistent

Once you’ve made up your mind that you want your dog to walk obediently beside you, don’t give in! Dogs can be easily confused when the rules aren’t consistent. Treat this as you would any other training session.

Practicing your dog’s new skills in a familiar place, such as your driveway or backyard, is the best way to start to your training. Once you’re confident your dog understands what’s expected of him, begin taking longer walks in less familiar places.

Keep Up the Good Work

As with all dog training, teaching your dog to walk properly on a leash is an ongoing process. It’s not something your dog will probably “get” in just one session. You’ll want to continue to use this technique occasionally to keep your dog on his toes and reinforce his new behavior.

Don’t be stingy with the praise and treats! Dogs love being rewarded for doing the right thing. Be generous with your praise and offer rewards when your dog is doing the right thing; he will be encouraged to continue payinging attention to you.