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posted by admin on Jan 14

Play is one of the best forms of exercise for a puppy. Fifteen minutes of vigorous play can be equivalent to an hour’s walk. Many owners do not realize that games are also good vocabulary builders. When it’s all part of a game that he enjoys, your puppy will very quickly learn the meaning of many words long before he is ready for formal training.

Playing with your puppy provides an excellent opportunity to observe his actions and reactions and to become acquainted with his innate character. Games develop alertness and intelligence and can also satisfy instincts for hunting, retrieving, and tracking. Terriers like to dig, wrestle, and fight, generally going for their mock adversary’s throat. Greyhounds chase, corgis nip heels, and many working dogs prefer practical exercises to playful games.

The earliest games of very young puppies are based on fighting, boxing, wrestling, biting, chasing, and tug of war. At 8 or 9 weeks, they develop an interest in retrieving – ball games, even all by themselves. Between 8 and 12 weeks, they enjoy playing with people as much as, or more than, with their littermates.

Your dogs playtime should be unrestricted pleasure, but for safety reasons, you need to find an enclosed area. Even a very intelligent dog, carried away by the excitement of his game will chase a ball right under the wheels of a passing car if that is where the ball rolls. If you cannot find a safe outdoor space, play with your dog only in your own home. He will enjoy almost as much.

One of the best indoor games is find the object. The object which is hidden while the dog is told to SIT, STAY should be a toy or glove or some other small article that bears a scent the dog knows well. If you guide your dog verbally, he will learn many words: SIT, STAY, NOW, SEEK THE BALL, NO, NOT THERE, THAT’S RIGHT! and GOOD DOG!

The resources of your playground, your own ingenuity and your dog’s will suggest many simple, harmless games, such as:

- Retrieving sticks and chew toys, all dogs enjoy this, and your dog will soon learn to watch your throwing motion in order to get a head start in the right direction.
- Playing ball, you roll it or toss it, but be sure to buy a ball that is right for your dog’s size.
- Playing tag is a favorite game puppies love to play with each other, but it is not a good game for adult dogs. They can become overexcited and bring out the attacking instinct. It is just as bad to chase your dog. He should be trained to come to you, (you are the leader), not to run away from you. Let your dog play tag with other friendly dogs, or run after a ball, but not after you.
- Wrestling is another early form of puppy play but should be avoided in older dogs, as it brings out his aggression. Resist your own impulse to get down on all fours and behave like a puppy. You are the pack leader and there are lots of games you can play together and still maintain your standing in your dogs eyes.

Finally, do not think there must be something wrong with your dog when he loses interest in games and playthings, as overexcitement can lead to fatigue. Follow active playtime with the opportunity for a drink, food, and rest, (you may need them too). Do not expect him to get the same pleasure you do from watching television. He may be intrigued at first, but he soon loses interest. Most adult dogs get the greatest pleasure simply from following you around, keeping you company, or lying quietly at your feet.

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posted by admin on Sep 16

Is your dog’s barking getting out of control? Does the barking get worse when you leave your home? Are your neighbors at their wit’s end? Are you contemplating getting rid of your dog? Bark collars can stop barking dogs quickly, easily, and humanely. When used properly, the electronic bark collar can stop your dog’s barking completely within a matter of few days. If all else fails, however, surgery might be a reasonable alternative.

Most electronic bark control collars employ sound as the basic stimulus because it is well established that animals learn more quickly and retain a better memory when the desired behavior is associated with a sound. The more advanced models progressively increase the sonic stimulus as barking persists. Some models employ gradually increasing electric shock stimulus along with the sound to stop even the most stubborn barkers in a humane manner.

The more sophisticated electronic bark collars sense the vibrations in a dog’s throat that happen only during barking. By doing so, they prevent false corrections from other loud noises and from other dogs barking.

The drawback with some “barking dog collars” is that they may detect barking with a microphone and activate on sound; these can be set off by other noises or by another dog’s bark. Some Barking Dog Collars use only vibration; these can be set off by motion or jostling.

Stay away from the following types of bark collars:

1) Bark Dog Collars the project a spray mist which startles and confuses the dog’s olfactory senses, causing him to stop barking. These mists may cause allergic reactions and hypersensitivity in your dog.

2) Independent devices that have a built-in microphone tuned to the sound of your dog’s bark. They emit a loud correction to startle the dog so he stops barking. They automatically stop and reset themselves after each auditory correction. The dog feels no correction with this type of bark stopper and can simply move away to another location further from the receiver and completely avoid the sound all together.

Look for a barking dog collar with the following features:

1) One that simultaneously senses both sound and vibration, and only uses a combination of sound and vibration to trigger the electronic correction. By having both of these features, the electronic bark collar will be activated only by the dog wearing the collar, so there won’t be any “false corrections” caused by loud noises or other dogs barking.

2) One that automatically adjusts the level of static correction to your dog’s temperament with different levels of self-adjustable corrections in response to the bark intensity of your dog. The more intensity settings will help to accommodate the most sensitive too the most stubborn dogs.

3) One that provides a warning beep with the first bark.

4) One with a rechargeable battery, which features a low battery indicator light.

5) One that features a quickfit buckle that provides a quick release.

6) One that is durable, light weight, waterproof, and adjustable.

7) One that comes with a complete operating guide and a video tape demonstration.

In some extreme cases, however, an electronic bark collar may fail to produce results. If your dog happens to exemplify such a case, then a surgical procedure called “De-barking” might provide you with a suitable alternative. The surgery is fairly simple to perform and your dog’s barking will be replaced with “squealing” sounds. The surgery will not affect your dog physically or psychologically as it will not make any difference to your dog whether it squeals or barks. However, there are several drawbacks to surgery. First, the procedure is irreversible; and second, your dog won’t be able to alert you to intruders. If you are at your wit’s end, when you have exhausted all others means, when you can no longer face your angry neighbors, then surgery might be the best alternative to giving your dog away.

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posted by admin on Jul 28

You’ve brought your adorable puppy home and you’re wondering how difficult it’s going to be to housebreak him. If you follow these three easy steps, you should be able to housebreak your puppy in no time at all.

Step 1 – for the first two or three days, take your puppy outside to the same spot every hour and wait for him to relieve himself. Don’t move from that spot and don’t walk him. Let him have the length of his four-to-six foot leash. Praise him profusely as soon as he goes, and give him a few pieces of his puppy food. Make sure to pet, kiss, and hug him too, and reward him with a walk around the block. After his walk, allow him a supervised free run of the house for 20 minutes. Then put him into his housetraining crate for 35 minutes. (You should discard the crate once your puppy is housetrained.)

If you’ve waited outside for more than 20 minutes, and your puppy hasn’t relieved himself, bring him home and put him into his crate for 20 minutes (just to assure that he doesn’t relieve himself in your house), then take him outside again. Repeat this process until he relieves himself outside.

Make sure to take him out just before you go to bed. You’ll also want to take him out once or twice during the night without taking him for a walk or letting him run around the house. You may lose some sleep now, but it will save you many sleepless nights in the future.

Step 2 – during the next week, take your puppy out once every 90 minutes during the day and as needed in the middle of the night. He’ll let you know when he needs to go. During the day, if he relieves himself outside, give him 30 minutes of supervised free run and play time. If he doesn’t relieve himself, again put him back into his crate for 35 minutes. Always supervise his indoor activities, and don’t give him an opportunity to fail.

Gradually add time to his supervised free run and crate time until he’s successfully holding it for three hours during free run time, and four daytime hours in the crate. Don’t forget to take your puppy outside immediately after he leaves his crate to avoid accidents inside your house.

Step 3 – within about 10 days, your puppy should have a good understanding of what’s expected of him. But you shouldn’t stop your training efforts. If you catch your puppy sniffing around the house and squatting, shout “outside!” and take him outside immediately. Praise him outside as he finishes up. It is vital that you continue to watch him closely during his indoor free run time, so that you can catch him in the act if he has a bit more to eliminate.

It will take a little bit of work at the beginning to housebreak your puppy, but you’ll find it’s worth it in the long run.

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posted by admin on Jun 23

A recent survey from one of the nations leading pet care manufacturers asked Americans, if given a choice, would they prefer to travel with their pets? Over 70% of those Americans answered yes, they would prefer to travel with their pets. This is why many hotels, parks and other travel destinations are welcoming travelers with their companion animals. Before deciding to take your pet with you during your travel, make sure this is something your pet wants to do and not something that it is being made to do.

Take for instance, most dogs enjoy going for car rides and generally most cats don’t. You would most likely take your dog camping with you than you would your cat. Dogs seem to make the best travel companions than a cat would, especially on long car rides. Of course, there are those exceptions. Bottom line is your pet would much prefer to be near you than in a kennel somewhere, but only if this is a good idea. You don’t want to take a dog with you that has panic attacks in the car or one that will crawl all over you while you are trying to drive.

If you plan on traveling with your pet, consider these travel tips to make your trip as safe and enjoyable as possible.

1. Schedule your pet a check up with its veterinarian and ask for a certificate of health, along with proof of current vaccinations such as the rabies, distemper, and bordetella. It would also be a good idea to have your pet micro chipped, in case it should get lost. You would want to have your pet returned to you as quickly as possible, especially if you are traveling out of state.

2. If your pet is on medication, bring plenty of it so you’re not running out of medication when it’s needed. It would also be a good idea to have your veterinarian contact information in case you loose the medication, so the vet can call in a prescription should the other get lost.

3. Is your pet well socialized? A well socialized pet will travel more easily and tolerate the stress of traveling better than a pet that is not used to be in a car or around other people. You want the trip to be enjoyable for both you and your pet.

4. Is your pet well behaved? Although there are now many places that allow pets, no one wants to listen to a dog barking all night or during the day. You also want to keep your pet occupied so it’s not chewing on the hotel furniture or going potty on the carpet. You don’t want your hotel room to smell like a kennel and neither does the hotel staff or your next door neighbors.

5. Find out ahead of time that the hotel you make reservations at will accept pets. You don’t want to assume that there is a pet friendly hotel in a town you intend to stay in and when you get there, you’re turned away for having a pet or the one’s that allow the pets are all booked up.

6. Make sure your pet wears a collar with tags. One tag should be a current rabies tag and the other tag should have the dogs name, your name, address, town, state, and phone numbers. If you have a cell phone, add your cell phone number to the ID tag.

7. Most people choose to travel with their pets by car. Airline travel can be very stressful for pets, because they are treated like cargo and not like living beings. If you choose to travel by air plane, then contact the airline and ask them what their policy is for pets. Some airlines will allow small dogs to be a carry on as long as you have the proper airline carrier that is found in most pet stores.

You should also consider bringing along your pets food dishes, bed or pillow and a couple of its favorite toys. Having familiar items along for the trip can help ease the stress of traveling and make the trip more enjoyable for both you and your animal companion.

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posted by admin on Mar 5

The most crucial aspect of house training a puppy is to teach it how to remain clean in the house. Dogs are not shabby by nature – they would normally urinate and defecate away from their sleeping and feeding area. Puppies that have been raised in a shabby environment, living in cramped quarters, may be quite cumbersome to housetrain. When you purchase a puppy ensure that the original owner has provided a clean environment with separate feeding, sleeping and potty areas.

Puppies have a rapid learning rate and they can efficiently grasp what you teach them. You need to instill a sense of timing and schedule in your puppy from the day you bring it home. You can do this by feeding the puppy at the same time each day, and carrying out other activities at specific time slots. This way your puppy will grow up to be an obedient, disciplined dog.

You would not want your puppy to go inside its crate or in the house. Therefore, train it to urinate away from the crate or the house. Take it for a stroll in the lawn and voice train it, such that it adheres to your commands. Successfully housetraining your puppy would take a few weeks or so. It’s certainly not a piece of cake, and you must not reprimand your puppy if it fails to obey your command. Just place it back in the crate and then again take it for a stroll. Slowly but surely the puppy will learn how to get along with separate feeding, sleeping and potty areas.

It is imperative that you supervise at all times while housetraining you puppy. When no one is there to supervise it, the puppy must be confined to its crate. With time the puppy will learn to keep itself clean. Once it does so, you can try leaving him unfettered in a room of your house. If the puppy gleefully obeys your commands, does not depict aggressive behavior, manages to stay clean, and does not damage or soil any household stuff, you may let him stay in another room as well thereby continuing the housetraining process. However, if the puppy behaves in an unruly fashion, revert back to the previous stage of housetraining.

All the while be patient while housetraining your puppy. It’s not a cake walk, and therefore, it’s unrealistic to expect instant results.

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