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The Importance of Dog Training

Searls Steve — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 06:33:09 +0000

Well trained dogs are amazing creatures. Apart from being sociable, trained dogs are quiet, disciplined, do not bark unnecessarily and most of all pose a very low risk of biting anyone. They can also exhibit this composure in a distracting environment.

Well trained dogs show great affection and are likely to live their entire lives with the same owner, unlike the abandoned dogs. Some recent research work conducted by the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association pointed out that 96% of the shelter dogs never had any sort of training in their life.

Training helps teach the dogs boundaries and also makes it easier for them to live comfortably with humans. You will find plenty of dog trainers and training programs all across the city. However, always find a trainer and training program that best suits the needs of your dog.

When it comes to finding a dog trainer, your first choice should be getting references from your friends or someone in the family. Other dog owners in the neighborhood can also give you valuable suggestions. When you finally find one, make sure you ask him all the questions which you may feel necessary to ask. In fact, a professional and experienced trainer would always ask you a lot of questions about your dog and take notes. If they do not, you may consider finding another one. The method of training is also very important, so make sure you ask the trainer which method he would be using on your dog.

Regardless of whether you hire a trainer or train your dog by yourself it is important that your dog learns to socialize and understand your commands. There are many things that have to be covered in the training. Let us look at some of the areas of training.

- Socializing with humans. Quite simple! You can introduce your dog to the people in your neighborhood when you go for a walk with your dog.

- Socializing with other dogs. You can reduce the aggressiveness of your dog by introducing him to others of its kind. Dog parks or dog training classes are the ideal places to let them get to know each other.

- Leash walking at a steady pace. You can use this as the first step in your training which should begin when you buy the dog as a little puppy.

- The ’sit’ command. Most owners and even trainers use this as the first command to teach the dog.

- The ’down/stand’ command. These commands help develop boundaries for the dog.

- The ’stay’ command. As a dog owner you may find it necessary for your dog to learn this command as it is useful in environments full of noise and distractions.

It is indeed necessary to train the dog in order to have a strong bonding between the dog and its master. The same way it is important for us to become educated in order to become civilized, the dogs too need training so that they know which habits are to be developed and what are the things that should be avoided.

Personality Test for the Puppies

Searls Steve — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 06:22:35 +0000

Dogs too have unique personalities. Their personality can be checked at a very young age through a test. When you know your dog’s personality it becomes easier for you to train it.

While it is not true that a puppy test allows to you buy a perfect dog, it can definitely help you in bringing home a mentally stable and easy going one. Nevertheless, the experience and training techniques are far more important in the mental and physical development of dog.

There are certain conditions of the puppy test and we shall take a look at them.

- The test has to be performed in a quiet place which does not have any external distractions for the dog. The place should be unknown to the dog.

- The test should be conducted on the puppy when it is between 5 to 7 weeks old. At this age, the puppies are not fully attached with the humans, however their personalities are already built.

- The test should be performed by a person who is a stranger to the puppy, which will ensure that the results are unbiased and trustworthy.

There are several tests that exist for testing the dog’s personality. Let’s take a look at one such test. This test is known as the Campbell test. This test marks puppies for 5 different criteria.

- Social attraction

- Ability to follow

- Response to obligation

- Social domination

- Acceptance to be lifted

To test social attraction, the dog’s reaction is checked by the testing person by sitting at a distance from it. It is checked if the dog approaches the person, if yes then how does he keep his tail, high or low? It is checked if the dog explores his surrounding or he simply tries to run away.

In order to check the dog’s ability to follow, the tester will simply put a puppy next to him and walk a little and then check if the dog follows him or not. The other things to be checked are whether the dog jumps while walking or tries to bite the persons ankles. Does the dog keep his distance while following? Or does he simply wander off?

To check how the dog responds to the obligation, he is put on his back on the ground and a hand is placed over his chest. It is checked whether the dog violently tries to bite the hand and get away, or shows initial protest and then calms down or whether he simply lays quiet and tries to lick the person’s hand. Be sure to do this on a soft surface or you may injure the dogs back.

During social domination testing, the tester will merely sit close to the puppy and hit it gently. The clues will come from whether they try to bite, climb upon a person’s body or just try to run away from the tester.

Finally, for testing how the puppy reacts to being lifted. The dog is lifted from the ground by keeping the arms under his chest so that the puppy doesn’t see the person. Here too, it is tested if the dog violently tries to bite the hand and get away, or shows initial protest and then calms down or whether he remains quiet and licks the persons hand.

The combination score of all the areas determine the overall personality of your dog. If you are new to keeping a dog, you should try bringing in a dog who is not very dominant as you may find it difficult to handle it.

Teaching Your Kids To Live With A New Puppy

Searls Steve — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 06:47:25 +0000

We have always heard people say "Dog is man’s best friend". True! One can hardly deny this. For ages, this wonderful creature has provided man with love, fun and security.

However, let’s not forget one simple fact. A dog is an animal too! It could well have all the savage instincts that the wild cats and deadly African dingos have. This savage behavior can sometimes be dangerous, inflicting severe injuries that can also prove to be fatal.

To prevent any such catastrophe, it is therefore necessary to train the dogs at a very young age. Also, your children should be educated about the correct ways of dealing with the dogs. It is absolutely necessary that a child and dog are left together only under the observation of the adult.

It is very important that your child understands that the puppy is not like the other lifeless toys that it has. Children like being pampered by the adults, but they also get irritated when they are cuddled or kissed too much. This also applies to dogs as well.

They too love being pampered but need their personal space. They do not like anyone bothering them when they are sleeping, eating or simply want to be left alone. But since the poor animal cannot express their feelings in words they exhibit them in actions.

Children love to play with dogs. While in play the children often make the dogs chase them which lead to play biting. The equally innocent puppies perceive the child as one of its kind and with all that excitement an injury can occur, which is just why the adult supervision is necessary.

Adults at times foolishly over-stimulate an excitable puppy one minute and then yell at it for the same thing a minute later and even worse, hitting it the next! Both adults and children should avoid playing rough games with puppies, as it may not only result in injuries out of aggression, but could also be the reason for behavioral issues in dogs. Similarly, rude behavior or trying to make your puppy jealous can have similar impacts.

It is good if children learn to ignore puppies unless the puppies call for attention. Like us, animals, including dogs, do not like close face contact which can irritate them. Hence children must not push their faces into the dog’s or give it a stinging pinch. You should also encourage your child to keep its toys out of the reach of the puppy so that it does not claim those toys as its own and also the possibility of pup swallowing anything which may be harmful for it.

Most importantly, your child should learn to show respect for the animal. You must make them understand the need to give a dog space, let it have peaceful time and also to be gentle while playing with it. As long as they understand the dog, your kids will have great fun and joy living with this wonderful animal. There are several benefits for your child if you teach him the right ways of dealing with ’man’s best friend’.

Potty Training Puppies

Searls Steve — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:46:35 +0000

Once you bring your little puppy home, there are several questions in the back of your mind that may trouble you, like what steps do you take concerning potty training puppies.

You should remember that bringing home a young dog is like bringing home a baby. It is completely helpless and dependent on you. So the same way your child can give you sleepless nights, you can be sure that he can too! But you will never regret getting it home because it will fill it with love and happiness.

You will be happy to know that potty training your pup is not all that difficult. Here are some tips and techniques of puppy potty training that really work.

1) First buy a kennel or a play pen. Be sure that it’s big enough for him to grow into, but not too big.

2) Use puppy pads to line the kennel or play pen. The play pen should provide enough room for the bedding, as well as the puppy pads. But since a kennel will be a little smaller, your new pet may find it a little difficult to adjust in the beginning. Dogs are unlikely to relieve themselves where they sleep, but when they are so young, they may have a hard time holding in for any length of time.

Besides from being an excellent way to potty train, a play pen is also helpful when you just cannot give enough attention to your new pet. Your little pup can remain safe in the play pen and will not get into anything to create a mess.

3) Use puppy pads or newspapers for him to relieve himself about half an hour after you feed him.

4) If you catch your pup relieving itself elsewhere, immediately put it on a newspaper or pad where it can finish doing its business. Your innocent pup is unlikely to respond to rude behavior. A mild scolding may be needed if you catch him in the act, but you should never hit him. Preferably, you should reward your him or her with praise or even treats when they do their business on the papers or pads. This way they will learn things quicker.

5) As soon as your young whelp has received its third set of shots you can begin putting them outside to do his business. You can move the newspaper outside to help them get used to it. Take him out every hour or so, preferably to a designated area. Once he goes, praise him and play for a while. Just don’t be surprised if he ends up going again … on you. Puppies are like that, but should grow out of it in time.

6) Once they grow a little older you can start to train them to go outside.

Following these simple tips will result in your young dog being well trained and well behaved. You may find potty training puppies to be somewhat difficult initially. But keep trying and he will eventually understand what is being expected out of him. Like it is with any other training, it is also very important that you follow a routine with potty training and develop your puppy into a well mannered adult dog that you can be proud of.

Dog Ticks - Be Watchful Of Them

Searls Steve — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 05:59:10 +0000

We all know that the ticks are responsible for the spread of several diseases. In recent times, the experts have been telling us that the number of ticks has been on rise due to several reasons and hence there is an increasing chance of your dog being infected.

The main reason behind this sudden growth in ticks is the urbanization of the forests. Warming climate is also attributed to the rise of ticks. Years ago, the diseases used to spread mainly in the summer and were therefore seasonal. However, due to warming, these ticks seem to breed all throughout the year and have become a menace to our dear pets. More and more people now go for outings with their dogs which expose them to the ticks, leading to further infestation.

Various kinds of diseases are spread due to ticks. Lyme’s disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Canine Ehrliciosis are among the most common ones.

Ticks lay eggs, larvae are hatched from these eggs and they immediately start seeking hosts. Once they feed on the host, they fall off and start living on the forest floors, feeding on decaying material until they develop into nymphs. The nymphs will again start searching for blood meal. If they can’t find one, they perish. However, if they happen to find their blood meal, it will eventually fall off the host and live in the soil again further mutating into an adult.

If left attached to an animal, adult ticks can become quite large. I have personally seen them as large as a nickel. Now that’s disgusting.

Adult ticks prefer larger animals like deer. In fact, deer are one of the main causes of the thriving tick population. If there were no deer, we wouldn’t have such a big problem with ticks. Deer were close to extinction in the last century, but the restrictions placed on their hunting has now increased their number, and as their numbers increase, the ticks are thriving as well!

Due to the growing problem of ticks, the number of diseases is on the rise, affecting more and more pets. Your veterinarian can recommend various ways of protecting your dogs from ticks and fleas. Even simple preventive methods are better than none to keep your pet safe from the ticks.

These parasites can be very irritating for our beloved pets, especially if the dog is allergic to their bites. So, it is very important for you to ensure that your dog is free from ticks.

10 Tips On How To Find The Ideal Dog Sitter

Searls Steve — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 20:35:00 +0000

Pet owners often forget to plan for their pets when they go on vacation. It is obvious that you cannot carry your dog everywhere, especially on long holidays. But it is very important that you make some sort of arrangements so that your puppy remains safe while you are enjoying your time away from home.

A pet sitter would be an ideal option for you when you plan for vacation. This would allow your dog to stay in the comfort of your home and live their regular life. It is definitely a better choice than asking your friends to look after your pet or keeping your beloved dog confined in the kennel.

Here are some recommendations on how to find the ideal dog sitter -

1. Personal References: Your search cannot get easier than this! Ask your friends or neighbors if they have ever used a pet sitter or if they know someone who has. Word-of-mouth can often be the best reference.

2. Interview: You may call a potential dog sitter over to your home and see for yourself how well they can interact with your dog and how the dog responds to them. Your dogs reaction to the pet sitter is more important than yours. So if you feel that the dog is not too happy with the person, try to find another one.

3. Reverse Interrogation: The ideal dog sitter would ask a lot of questions about your dog. He would want to know every tid-bit of information and will also take notes. This would reveal his experience as a professional dog sitter. So if they do not ask many questions, move on to the next one.

4. Going by Affiliations: Rather than relying on an organization affiliation like PSI (Pet Sitters International) who are unlikely to know the pet sitters personally, you should check the recommendations of your local affiliations.

5. References from the pet-sitter’s previous clientele: They can provide valuable feedback about the pet-sitter and you would get a clear picture of whom you are hiring.

6. Bonding & Insurance: This is a must! However, while it ensures the safety of your property, it does not give a guarantee that your pet sitter is reliable or a caring pet lover.

7. Clarify everything: It would be wise to get a copy of the contract and read all the details mentioned in it. Having a copy of this contract will let you know the services and their rates. If you find something that is ambiguous, you can always ask questions.

8. Schedule a second meeting: If you and your dog like the pet sitter in the first meeting and yet have some concerns, you may arrange one more meeting and let your dog spend some time with the pet sitter. You may set out for a walk so that you can take note of whether the dog is comfortable with the sitter and how well he could handle your dog.

9. Go by your instincts: After you have done everything to get the best dog sitter, sometimes you just have to rely on your gut feelings. Hire the one you think is best for your dog.

10. Once you have hired your perfect dog sitter, you need to ensure that you provide him with every bit of detail and instructions about your dogs routine and eating habits. And before you are ready to leave, do not forget to leave your contact details with the dog sitter so that he can contact you in the event of any emergency.

If you spend a little time to find the perfect pet sitter, you will surely find it much easier to wave a goodbye to your puppy.

Adopting a Dog from A Shelter

Searls Steve — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 06:04:47 +0000

This may surely surprise you but Benji, the dog that appeared in the movie “Benji: Off The Leash” was found on the streets of Gulfport and was then adopted from the Humane Society of South Miss.

Of course, every abandoned dog will not be fortunate enough to hit the screen as Benji did, but that won’t stop the pet rescuers from being happy for rescuing these poor animals. Besides, most of the animals that live in shelters can surely become amazing pets.

It would be foolish to think of a pet as a bad choice just because it ended up in the shelter. For many reasons, the pet owners may find it difficult to keep even the most beautiful dog. They may find it difficult to afford, may not have the time to look after it or may simply find it difficult to live with a dog. Of course, none of these are excuse enough to abandon them, but that’s another story.

Now let us examine the reasons why the rescue dogs may be your first choice when looking for a pet.

Firstly, the animal shelters all across America are full of animals, always looking for someone to take them home. If you adopt a shelter animal, you will give some other street animal a space to live.

Secondly, you will save a lot of money buying a pet from the shelter. Some shelters list the prices of their dog adoptions between $45 up to $175 depending upon the dog’s size, breed and age. The cost is inclusive of neutering, vaccinations and all other basic veterinarian care. On the other hand, if you set out to buy a dog from a pet shop, the prices would begin at $300 and can go as high as $1600 for some special breed dogs. Obviously, the huge difference in cost would also mean huge savings for you.

Most importantly, when you adopt a rescue dog, you are gifting a new life to that poor animal. Unfortunately, not all the shelters can afford to give ample and timely food to their animals; neither do they have enough space to accommodate all the animals found on the street. Therefore, sometimes they even have to put the animal to sleep when no one adopts it, just to make space for another one.

Now that we know what the benefits of adopting the rescued animals are, let’s also take a look at the negative side of it. Yes, there are certain drawbacks too!

Firstly, there may be certain ailments that the dog may be suffering that may go unnoticed at first, but will show up in time. For example, Hip Dysplasia, which affects the dog’s spine and causes severe pain if touched there. The pain can cause an animal to bite, which is especially a concern for those who have small kids in the house. The animal may also be suffering from other skin ailments.

What’s worse is when the dogs have behavioral problems. It will take time and patience to understand why they behave in a particular way. There may be reasons unknown to you and the problems may be caused due to something that had happened before you brought the dog home. Say for example, if your dog did not get enough food in the shelter, it is likely to become extremely possessive about its food and other belongings. Such a dog will scare away someone who tries to get too close to its food and belongings.

Further, there may be difficulties in house training the dog if it was forbidden from entering into the house of their earlier owners. This is especially true with adult dogs. This could be a big concern for those who do not have anyone to let the dog out when he needs to.

Yes there are certain disadvantages. However, most of these problems have a solution and if you are a true pet lover, overcoming these obstacles can be rewarding in itself.

If saving one of these poor animals is something you would like to do, you can start off by contacting your local Humane Society or Animal Rescue League. For those who use the internet, Google can show you several options. Go ahead; You are doing a kind deed by giving a new family to a poor animal!

5 Things You Need To Know Before Buying Your First Puppy

Searls Steve — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 00:40:40 +0000

Your daughter will be cutting a cake for her 6th birthday next week and you are thinking of giving her a special gift! But what could it be?

Your beautiful child loves animals and all of your neighbors have pets, so how about a cute little puppy? That is a wonderful gift for your darling daughter. You probably couldn’t make her happier any other way. But wait a moment, if you are buying a pet for the first time, there are a few things that you need to know before you actually set out to buy it.

1) You need to give it time: Keeping a puppy is like having a small baby in your house. It needs tender loving care and constant observation until it grows a little older. And yes, you also need to play and entertain them all day. If you can’t, you may choose to get two puppies to entertain each other or use the services of day care centers for your pup.

2) Dogs need training: In order to train dogs and puppies, you first need to train yourself on how to train them! Unlike cats, which can be left on their own, dogs are dependent on you. You have to interact with them and give them proper behavioral training.

Once you have learned the techniques of training your dog, you may also train your kids on how to interact with the pet and train them. After all, your kids are the ones who will spend most of the time with them, walking the dog every evening and playing with it in the backyard.

3) Be prepared to spend money: Relax a little: it’s not that much money. But yes, you need to see if that little puppy fits into your budget. You may have several expenses, especially when you get the puppy home. It will need a dog house if you plan on leaving him outdoors for extended periods, toys, registration, vet fees and shots, expenses for training it, and maybe even clothes!

Dog can be among the costliest pets and can cost you nearly as much as any other family member would. So don’t get into the dog buying business without considering the cost factor.

4) Your little puppy will grow into an adult dog. You already knew that? Great! But it is also important to know that keeping a dog into it’s adulthood may be a lot different than keeping it as a puppy. Your dog will grow fast and, depending on the breed, may soon outweigh your 6 year old child. Your cute little puppy will soon need a lot more food that it needs now!

5) Puppies need exercise: Puppies need exercise in the form of play. They can amuse themselves for short periods, but require interaction with people or other animals. Apart from toys, they also need another puppy or a person to play with them. Your children can’t be with them always, so if the idea of running with the pack, so to speak, doesn’t thrill you, you may opt for buying a breed that is less active.

If your dog is larger in size, it will need more exercise and you will have to take it for walk every evening when you come home after an exhausting day at work. So make sure that you include this activity in your schedule.

A dog is a wonderful animal and the most faithful of all pets. Having one in your house would definitely be a great experience, but only if you are prepared to take care of it, spend a little extra time and money and treat it like one of your family members. If you are willing to do these things, then you will have a loyal, loving companion for life.