Posts Tagged Dog Owners

Potty Train Your Puppy – The Start Of A Lifelong Relationship

Posted by admin on Tuesday, 21 April, 2009

When you get a new dog it brings with it excitement and fun for your family but there is one major worry for dog owners and that is the issue of potty training. Getting a new puppy means you must also accept you have to manage some tasks such as this. You can expect to have rugs ruined, furnishings damaged and your bed might seem a lot less welcoming until you have got this done. There is also the foul smell that has a tendency to linger all over your home. No pet owners want this so the best way to avoid such an annoying situation is by potty training your new puppy properly.

Dogs are quick and intelligent so it is obvious they won’t want to be dirty and they want to learn potty training quickly. Your new puppy doesn’t have a lot of time between the feeling of the need to go and his body waste being excreted so keep a close eye on him at all times. If your puppy begins going in circles and sniffing the ground it is a good sign that he needs to go to the potty area quickly. It is fairly simple to potty train a puppy once you can recognize the signs he displays when he needs to go.

It can become a chore to open the door each time your dog displays signs of needing to pee so having a doggy door can make life a lot easier. When your pet learns how to use a doggy door he can make use of it all by himself to go outside the house when nature calls.

An excellent method to help potty train your dog is to have a regular routine of going for walks both morning and in the evening. When you get to somewhere that is appropriate for your dog to pee or poop linger a little while to give him the chance to relax and if he does then you should praise him.

When he passes water at the right places give him some praise and tell him what a good dog he is. Encouraging words will help reinforce the ideas about where he should or should not go to the bathroom. Mistakes will happen when your puppy leaves it too late to try to get to the right place so show you are disappointed but do not be tempted to punish him in any way. Your dog may be nervous about what is the right thing to do so you should reinforce the good things he does and show disappointment when he does wrong and slowly you will potty train him.

A careful owner must always be on the lookout for your puppy needing to go outside when you are training him. You may find your patience tested but a dog can only learn at his own speed of learning. Make sure that you show love and affection towards your pet while he is undergoing the training.

It can be rather tedious constantly watching your dog for when it needs to visit the designated potty training area. Eventually he will get it right every time and you will know all the effort put into potty training was worthwhile. Your house will remain clean and you will avoid the stinking odour of an untrained puppy.

Emotions and Dogs

Posted by admin on Monday, 20 April, 2009

Do dogs have feelings? It’s a question most dog owners
have probably wondered at some point. And the logical
answer, if you’ve ever looked into your dog’s sad eyes before
you’ve left the house to go to work, leaving him alone all
day, is: Of course a dog has feelings!
But whether a dog experiences joy, pain, sadness, jealousy, love and even hate is a topic that’s still up for debate.
Aristotle apparently found evidence of emotion in animals. ”Some are good-tempered, sluggish, and little prone to ferocity, as the ox; others are quick-tempered, ferocious, and unteachable, as the wild boar,” he wrote in
”The History of Animals.”
And Marc Bekoff, of the University of Colorado, wrote a book called ”The Smile of the Dolphin,” in which researchers explain why they believe ani
mals have emotions.
A study at the University of Vienna, Austria, found that dogs have a sense of fairness and jealousy, as well as a sensitivity that goes beyond reward and punishment factors.
”Animals react to inequity,” said Dr. Friederike Range, who
led researchers in testing animals at the school’s Clever Dog
Lab. ”To avoid stress, we should try to avoid treating them differently.”
But beyond the myriad studies are our own daily dealings with our dogs, and the seemingly irrefutable fact that dogs experience emotions that
are at least similar — if not identical — to humans.
Take Lollipop, my 4-year-old Rottweiler who believes she is my human soulmate. I can look in her eyes and immediately tell if she is happy, sad,
tired, preoccupied, jealous, angry, and even feeling blissfully in love at that moment(yes, with me). It’s uncanny. And I can often trace those feelings to previous activities in the day. If I’ve taken one of my other dogs for a walk and left her home, I get the poutyface, you know the one; if I’m
about to take her to the park for a playdate, her smile is as
wide as her big, square head; if she’s sad that I’m leaving for work (without her), she sits quietly resigned at the end of the couch, her eyes droopy and her mouth shut tight (I can almost see the bottom lip sticking out). They are as blatant expressions of feelings as I’ve ever seen in a human.
The beautiful thing about our dogs and their feelings is
that they’re able to let them go. They don’t hold grudges, and
they don’t play the guilt-trip game (at least not for long). They are
eager to move on to the next emotion, and are often steered to that by our actions. When I arrive home after work, all is forgiven and Lollipop’s there
to welcome me with open paws. The wide, goofy grin is
there, and she’s always eager to hear about my day (as long as I’m petting her while I talk). It’s true love, alright. And if that’s not proof of feelings and
emotions, I don’t know what is.

www.pawsiblegaytails.blogspot.com

Dogs and Cars

Posted by admin on Sunday, 19 April, 2009

If you live near open fields and the countryside or have lots of private ground for your pet to run around in you won’t need to travel to give your dog opportunity to get plenty of excerise out in the open air. Of course if you are in walking distance of a dog friendly park you can simply pop on a lead and go, but for many dog owners living in a busy town centre or city, a daily car journey is a necessity.

It is important your dog feels comfortable and safe for necessary car journeys of any length. This is a list of car accessories for dogs

Dog Safety

Dog car crates or cages specially adapted for cars not only makes your car journey safer for you but also for your dog, it also helps the dog feel more secure. Think how frightened your dog might be looking through the window of a moving car with everything whizzing past!

It could be there isn’t room for a travel cage or maybe your dog is taken out in more than one car in which case a dog harness with seat belt adaptor is a good alternative. This is a great multi purpose travel accessory for your dog!

Word of warning: For those who think these are extreme, imagine what would happen if you were to have a car accident. Your frightened dog if unsecured will instinctively want to get out of the car and possibly run right onto a busy road.

Dog Comfort

A car boot isn’t designed to be comfortable so if your dog has to travel in the car a dog bed is much nicer to lie down on.

If you are planning a long journey in the colder months a dog blanket would be a good idea too. (remember to also keep a blanket for yourself in case of break downs!)

Food and Water

Your dog will get hungry and thirsty during a long car journey and will certainly need to quench his or her thirst after a long run. Keeping water and a bowl is a must but instead of the bulky hard bowls consider investing in those special dog travel bowls made of material that fold up when not in use, you can also get disposable travel bowls.

Handy hint: The car engine might need water too! Re-use any empty plastic milk or juice bottles and keep a supply of water in your boot for your dog and car engine. Especially vital during the hot months. If you are out in the country you can re-fill at a fresh water river or stream.

Shade from the sun

Drivers and human passengers have visors to protect them from the glare of the sun so don’t forget your dog and fit a car window shade where appropriate.

Top Tip: The car window shades you use for babies and children are ideal for pets too!

Dog Ramps

A dog car ramp can be a godsend! Smaller dogs can easily be lifted into bigger cars but what if you have an older heavier dog that can’t jump up or have been on a particularly muddy trip out? There are several dog ramps that you can buy which fold away neatly when not in use.

Pet First Aid

As exciting as running in the countryside can be for your dog, there can also hazards including barbed wire, broken glass and sharp sticks. The first aid you apply to your dog if it gets a nasty cut will be vital in its recovery and if you are out in the middle of nowhere it could be a while before you can get your dog to a vet. Dog first aid kits often come complete with gauzes, wipes and bandages and fit in most glove compartments.

Swellpets.co.uk has many more great products for dogs. Give it a whirl.co.uk

Training on How to Stop a Puppy from Biting

Posted by admin on Wednesday, 15 April, 2009

There are many obstacles and challenges for dog owners, particularly when it comes to owning puppies and the typical aggressive puppy biting behaviour. This article can assist with this problem and its resolution in as nice a way as possible. Puppy biting normally initiates when playing with your puppy and eventually becomes a habit, at times without your knowledge as to how the habit started.

Puppies are known for the biting stage that they go through. This is due to the fact that they are developing teeth at this stage. They bite humans and just about anything. How to stop puppy biting is the dilemma that many dog owners face. The puppy stage is a stage where the puppy is still learning good and bad. This is the stage where most correction will be beneficial before it develops into a habit. One can get frustrated trying to correct the bad behaviors such as biting but this must be done at this stage.

The faster puppy biting problems are solved the better it will be for further training of your dog. So, how to stop puppies from biting? Is this process hard to do? The answer is no, the process of stopping puppy biting is a trainable task that can be completed easily.

When dealing with puppies and biting you must recall that the puppy has to realize that you are very firm in the need to stop the bad behaviour of puppy biting, regardless of the training method you employ.

Puppy biting is a common problem and one of the best methods to correct this is by the use of guilt. This is done where the puppy is made to believe that pain is caused when they bite. Puppy biting dogs are able to learn from this method as it is a natural part of their learning process. As puppies when they bite one another in play they stop when a yelp is heard from another puppy. Making use of this behaviour utilizes this natural learning process. As pet owners, when bitten, no matter how lightly, we must make it appear that we are hurt. This can be done by using words like ouch and Arrhhh to our benefit and even by removing play and affection when bitten. With repetition, the puppy will soon learn that the behaviour is not acceptable and results in the removal of niceties.

Identification of the puppy biting growling problem should be done as early as possible in the puppies life as at this stage the behaviour is easier to correct.

This technique involves redirecting the biting from you the human to some other object – e.g. from your hands to a chew toy or a bone. When your puppy starts to bite your hand, you say a stern “”No!”" and then quickly replace your hand with the bone or chewable toy. If the puppy is very young this simple skill maybe all thats needed to change and break the habit.

Puppy training, not to bit skills included in this guide are some of the methods that you can learn to use and implement at once, to stop puppy biting. We hope that they benefited you a lot.

If more assistance is required to stop a puppy from biting then check the website DogTrainingCompare and go to the Dog Training and Obedience section.

In order to make puppy stop biting you may need more training resources and one area to check is the Dog Training Product Industry Reports.

A Guide To Dog Food

Posted by admin on Friday, 10 April, 2009

Dog food is the animal or plant material that is used for consumption by dogs or canines. Dog treats are the special type of foods that are given as a reward to the pet, and not as a regular diet. Many people buy the readymade dog food, but few prefer to make their own dog food as per the pet’s individual requirement, and using best quality ingredients. Best diet for dogs has always been a controversial topic. Some people argue that dogs have been thriving on scraps and leftovers from their masters for several years, others feel that commercial dog food is the best choice, and few believe that commercial foods contain additives, poor-quality meats and many other ingredients that pets should not ingest, and hence they must be fed the most natural diet.

 

Commercial Dog Food

 

Most of the pet foods available in the market are either in a dry form, known as kibble, or in the wet form. Dry dog food is more convenient for the owners, is much cheaper, and can be left out for several days. Canned food becomes unappetizing after few hours, but it has a longer shelf life, and it also contains more fat and protein as compared to dry dog food.

 

These days, many types of dog foods are available in the market, and some of the common alternative dog foods include frozen, dehydrated, fresh and homemade foods. Freeze-dried or frozen food comes in cooked or raw form. It skips the processing stage, hence preserving the nutritional integrity.

 

Refrigerated or fresh dog food is produced through the pasteurization of fresh ingredients. After slightly cooking, the products are quickly sealed in the vacuum package, and refrigerated till served. Homemade dog food usually comes in the bucket type package, and is preferred by many dog owners for their pets. These diets contain raw or cooked meat, pureed vegetables, ground bone, multivitamin supplements and taurine supplements. Some of these dog foods use the vitamins specifically engineered for dogs, and other use the human vitamin supplements.

 

Most of the commercial dog foods contain the materials that are considered undesirable or unusable by some authorities and dog owners. Some of these ingredients include grain by-products, meat-and-bone meals, horse meat and so on. Cheaper canine foods usually have less meat, and more grain fillers and animal by-products.

 

There are also special dog food that are formulated for the dogs allergic to common ingredients such as wheat, corn or chicken. These foods have substitute uncommon starches and novel proteins.

 

Many people believe that animals living in the wild eat the natural diet, and such diet is most ideally suited for them. These pet owners are usually opposed to the commercial pet foods, and try to mimic the natural diet for their canines.

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