The Basic Tools For Dog Training Trade

Submitted by: john123

Dogs are creatures of habit and if trained they will exhibit certain behaviors to mark the particular times of day, even more clearly. There are many training aids you will find in the dog store, for the ever growing line of pet supplies that will assist in the task of dog training, making things manageable for you.Among the different tools for dog training trade, items such as clickers, leashes of different varieties, halters, electronic collars, electronic and chemical training aids, muzzles and treat carriers are the basic tools in the trainers world and can ease your efforts to train your dog. Let us start out with the clicker which is a metal box coated with plastic emits a clicking noise when the metal is pressed and release. It is a handy device that helps to attain quick attention of your dog once they are taught to recognize the sound. After being trained your dog can distinguish the sound even over much background noise or relatively long distances. Leashes are handy tools that ranges from a very short leash with less than eighteen inches of length to an extremely long leash of twenty feet or more. The shorter leashes are employed while training your dog for up close behaviors such as the Sit, Heel and Stay commands whereas the longer leashes that come with some nice features such as the retractable leash which prevent trip hazards and tangling is essentially used for behaviors that allow more freedom. Unlike a short leash, a long leash pose dangers for your dog or other people when walking through the crowd earlier now are modernized that consist of a spring loaded reel that will allow the dog to explore at a distance but will coil itself back as the animal returns. The halter allow more control for the owner and less strain on the dogs' neck, is essentially an extension of the collar. The electronic collar is an another control device which comes in two major categories, sonic and shock emitting, both of which are applied when the dog performs a certain disagreeable behavior though The sonic version is the more humane of the two. The electronic shock mat and Chemical based training aids include such products as Bitter Apple sprays or creams are employed to keep your pet from jumping onto your leather couch or expensive recliners and to prevent chewing or self-mutilation behaviors. Last but not least, is the special treat carrier that have become quite popular in training circles provide a clean way for you to carry a whole days worth of treats on your side without having to dirty your pockets or have your hands full constantly.

Getting Your Dog Ready for a Newborn

Submitted by: john123

Preparing a dog for the arrival of a newborn into the family is done with the same care and attention that a parent gives to help children understand that a new sibling will be joining the family. Bringing a newborn into the home will be a major change for your dog and can result in the dog becoming quite stressed if he is not well prepared.Dogs that are have a free run of your house will need re-educating before your newborn comes home. Changing your dogs habits before your baby arrives will avoid hassles in the long term. You will need a few months to prepare your dog for your baby's arrival so start as early as possible.There are a number of ways to prepare your dog for your baby's arrival. Most importantly deal with any training or behavior problems. You will not have time to do this once your new baby comes home and you want to ensure the safety of your child. Train your dog to obey commands such as sit, come and stay and address any issues of fear or anxiety that your dog exhibits. A good idea is to train your dog to sit calmly on the floor beside you until you invite him onto your lap.To get your dog familiar with the sounds and smells of a baby try and borrow a baby or invite friends over with infants to accustom your dog to the real sounds and smells of a baby. Make this experience positive for your dog by offering a treat or playtime.Gradually introduce more sounds and smells of a baby into your home on a regular basis. You can do this by playing recordings of a baby crying or gurgling. You could also put some baby powder or oil on your hands to accustom your dog to the new smells. Do this gradually and regularly in the months preceding your newborn's arrival. You can also use a baby doll to help your dog get use to the real thing, carry it around, take it for a walk in a pram with your dog, pretend to change it and bath it.Once the baby is born and before you bring the baby home, take home a blanket or clothing that the baby has been in for your dog to investigate. Try to speak positively to your dog when the baby is around, and avoid negative tones. This is to ensure that your dog connects happy feelings while being in the presence of the baby. Always supervise any interactions between your new baby and your dog. Article written by Jen Hart.

Want a Safe, Healthy Dog Food You Can Trust

Submitted by: john123

If the current dog food recall has you scurrying about for a healthy and safe dog food for your pooch, look no more. A variety of resources exist to help you select and even prepare a dog food diet that you can trust for your dog. Here's a few examples.Davis Veterinary Medical Consulting via BalanceIT offers dog owners the ability to custom design safe dog food recipes by making menu selections much like in a restaurant. They offer ethnic recipes, traditional recipes, and even seasonal options.An example of some of the healthy dog food menu options includes chicken breast, ground beef, pork, lamb, and salmon.You'll make a selection of your preferred meat protein and couple it with your choice of egg, cottage cheese, tofu, rice, potato, sweet potato, spaghetti, oats, barley, couscous and tapioca.Once you make your menu selection, they will make a custom recipe for your dog that is healthy and safe dog food without all of the fillers and problems associated with commercial dog food. Certainly a better option than trusting the health of your dog to commercial dog food, which continues to be suspect with new brands being recalled almost daily.The cost for these recipes is not cheap, it's $20 for 1 recipe, $30 for 2 recipes and $12.50 for 3 or more recipes. So if you order several, the price becomes more affordable.If this still seems a bit pricey to you there is another option.Sandra Bailey, author of "Real Dogs Don't Eat Kibble" tells us that heat used to cook commercial dog food destroys important nutrients that dogs need for immune system support. This contradicts the premise of cooked recipes but is touted by many dog nutritionists as the best option for your dog.Ms Bailey suggests a home made raw dog food diet to maximize the delivery level of nutrients. This is easy to do and an improvement in your dog's health can be detected in just a matter of days.The challenge for many is how to design a healthy dog food recipe. Ms Bailey answers this challenge by including a variety of dog food recipes and tips.Ultimately, the choice between a raw and cooked dog food diet is up to you. The key is to make sure that only healthy, natural ingredients are included in your best friend's food. Anything less will contribute to potential health hazards, illness and a shortened life span.If you're not convinced that feeding commercial dog food is dangerous just take a look at what is included in many dog food brands at Once you do, you'll want to do your research and make sure that your dog is not the next victim of tainted, posion commercial dog foodArticle written by MR Bruno.

Spunky And The "Apple a Day Dog Treat" Dog Food Recipe

Submitted by: tltfaas

My dog, Spunky, was put on a new diet last fall by our veterinarian who sold us the food. After five days Spunky became very ill. He was vomiting, eating less, became listless and staggered when he tried to walk. His veterinarian refused to admit that the new food was causing his illness. Spunky became so ill that he was hospitalized for five days and came to the point where we were told he was dying.
I insisted that we try to feed him some of his old food before we gave up on him. We visited the animal hospital and fed him small amounts of his old food. Within hours his bloodwork was back to normal and he recovered very quickly. Some damage to his liver, kidneys and gallbladder remained but these are problems that can be monitored. In my anger and despair I decided to publish an all natural cookbook of dog food recipes. Several months later the very food that made Spunky ill was added to the recall list and this only served to make me more aware that pet owners need to consider feeding their pets human grade food.
An Apple A Day Dog Treat
2 cups whole-wheat flour1/2 cup unbleached flour1/2 cup cornmeal1 apple, chopped or grated1 egg, beaten1/3 cup vegetable oil1 tablespoon packed brown sugar3/8 cup water
Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray cookie sheet with vegetable oil spray. Lightly dust work surface with flour. Blend flours and cornmeal in large mixing bowl. Add apple, egg, oil, brown sugar and water. Mix until well blended. On work surface, roll dough out to 7/8-inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters of desired shape and size.
Place treats on prepared sheet. Bake in preheated oven 35 to 40 minutes. Turn off oven. Leave door closed for 1 hour to make the treats crispy. Remove treats from oven. Store baked treats in airtight container or plastic bag, and place in refrigerator or freezer.
Recipe makes 24 servings.
Pet owners who love their pets will no doubt be searching for new food sources. Remember that when changing your dog's diet (no matter what the food source) that you need to introduce the new food carefully and in small amounts before actually making the switch. If you have any concerns about allergies and food sensitivity please consult your veterinarian before introducing human grade food.
(c) 2007, Davis Virtual Assistance. You may reprint this article so long as you keep it intact with the resource box and make all links live.

How To Treat Dog Vomiting

Submitted by: petvet

A very common problem that virtually all of us see as dog owners is dog vomiting. There are potentially many different causes of dog vomiting. The most common cause is garbage gut, where your dog consumes something he shouldn't have, resulting in vomiting. Other causes include food allergies, parasites, medications, infectious causes (i.e. parvovirus), cancer, liver or kidney disease, pancreatitis, metabolic disorders (thyroid disease or diabetes), physical obstructions such as a ball or a bone, and primary motility disorders (the stomach doesn't contract normally). Any vomiting dog must be evaluated for dehydration. If your dog is vomiting persistently and unable to retain even water, wait no longer than 24 hours before going to your veterinarian. This indicates a severe problem, such as an obstruction, that needs to be treated with IV fluids and possibly surgery. If your dog is still consuming water and occasionally vomiting, then you can try some of the home remedies.Fasting. A 24 hour fast is the most important thing you can do to allow your pet's inflamed stomach to heal. Allow access to controlled amounts of water, but no food. After 24 hours offer bland food such as plain cooked white rice; give equivalent amounts of rice as you do dog or cat food. After 48 hours mix their regular food with rice and don't fully go to regular food until after 72 hours.For Food Allergens. For dogs and cats with chronic vomiting, I strongly recommend a diet change. Preferably switch to a hypoallergenic food or homemade allergy diet. At the very least, change to a premium quality food - I find that some pets respond to a more natural diet. In light of the recent Pet Food Recall, paying close your dog's diet is even more important than ever. For a list of recommended foods, join my membership site, Dr. Andrew Jones' Inner Circle (see links below). Homeopathic. Nux Vomica is an effective homeopathic remedy for dog vomiting. Give 1 tablet of the 30C strength per 40lbs once daily for 3-5 days.Herbal - Ginger. A tasty addition for a curry is also effective for vomiting. The dried herb dose is 25mg per lb or 1 drop per lb twice daily of the tincture.Acupressure Point. The ST36 point, located on the outside of the hind leg below the knee may be effective; press it for 1 minute twice daily for 3-5 days to see if it helps.Flowers to the Rescue: Bach Rescue Remedy can make your pet feel a little better about their illness. Give your pet 3-4 drops by mouth every 6 hours. Herbal - Chamomile. This is commonly used in people with mild stomach upset and it may help your pet. Give 30mg per lb of the dried herb, or 2 drops per lb of the tincture three times daily.The treatments I covered may be all that you need for now. But I guarantee that you will use many of the thousands of at home remedies in my book.I use them every day in practice. They work. No side effects.You should try it. To your pet's good health...

Home Remedies And Treatments For Dog Arthritis

Submitted by: petvet

As part of your regular pet health exam, today we focus on the muscles and bones that help your dog move. Starting at the neck, run your hand along the spine to the base of the tail. Feel the muscles on both sides of the spine and notice if any feel unusually firm or knotted. Dogs can get a variety of conditions that will lead to muscle spasms in their back muscles.Massage any tight muscles and take note of the area. A common condition in active dogs is to develop fusing of the spine (spondylosis). This can lead to decreased mobility, pinched vertebrae and back pain. Your dog will benefit from regular massage of the lower lumbar spinal muscles. Place your hands on either side of the spine and use deep circular digital pressure with your thumbs. Work on the affected area once daily for 5 minutes.Next, palpate the bones and muscles of the legs. Start on the legs at the toes. Apply moderate pressure to the joints and move each joint back and forth. On the front legs pay close attention to any discomfort in the elbow or shoulder; these are common areas of dog arthritis. In the rear limbs, pay close attention to the knee and the hips for these are commonly arthritic. Your dog will resist moving these joints and may even yelp if your dog has arthritis.HERBAL. A variety of herbs are used at different times for dog arthritis. The ones I have seen to be most effective include: DEVIL'S CLAW, used in traditional African medicine and has scientific studies to back its effectiveness, give 100mg or 10 drops per 10 lbs of body weight.ACUPRESSURE. GB 41, located on the bottom of the foot, in the depression of the two outside toes, and is especially good for arthritic pain in the hips.METHYLSULFONYMETHANE. MSM is a supplement, found in some plants such as Horsetail. It works by reducing inflammation in the joints by acting as an antioxidant - this has been shown to work well in treating dog arthritis. The MSM dosage is 50mg per 10lbs of body weight daily.IT'S IN THE CARTILAGE. GLUCOSAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE is the most important supplement to add to your dog's diet. The dose is 1/4 of a 500mg tablet once daily per 10 lbs of body weight. It helps to rebuild the cartilage and delay further cartilage breakdown. The treatments I've just covered may be all that you need for now, but if you would like additional dog arthritis remedies, get my book today, I offer 15 different alternatives to dog arthritis alone. And along with arthritis, I guarantee that you will use many of the (over) one thousand at-home remedies in my book.I use them every day in practice. They work. No side effects.You should try it.To your pet's good health,

Different Nutritional Needs for Heatlhy Dogs

Submitted by: jbryce

As companions the first dogs dogs were undoubtedly kept, however it probably did not take long to realize the working value of mans new friend.Even in early times probably way before the history of dogs was ever recorded, these pets were helping us for a variety of purposes, but they were mainly to hunt for food. But back in those days hunting was not a sport. It was serious and hard work.Today the nature of a dog's job has taken on a different form. You will find he is still helping us in the search for food but this is normally for a different reason.Every working dog's primary dietary need is increased by the energy he spends and no matter what the purpose or nature of the job he is given, his performance will always require some sort of time expenditure of energy. As a consequence, whenever dietary energy is increased, those B-complex vitamins, minerals, and the water necessary for burning the energy must also be increased.Working dogs require most nutrients at no greater levels than non-working dogs. And if it wasnt for the increased need for energy and the nutrients to burn it you wouldn't have to do anything. However when working dogs eat large quantities of ordinary maintenance dog foods to obtain all of the energy they need, they will frequently consume some of the nutrients in excessive amounts. This may also cause them to eat such large quantities that the digestibility of all the nutrients in their diet are also adversely affected. Which will cause some nutrients to be be obtained in inadequate amounts.Working dogs simply cannot, physically, eat all of the food it needs to supply the required energy. When this happens the dog will suffer due to the lack of total digestible energy, and he will lose weight. If this condition is permitted to continue, your dog will stop working for you as his body just tells him too. This is really to the body acting so as to reduce its caloric demands. If you then force the dog to continue working at the same pace, it will lose weight faster and faster, and eventually its going to work itself to death.Now Herd Dogs are the most common working dogs in the USA. They are also the same dogs that use the least amount of extra energy of any of the working dogs. You will very rarely find that then need to expend energy in excess of a normal dogs activity for any duration of time. Even their short-term expenditures of energy are not very great. The only time herd dogs ever utilize large amounts of energy are when they are rounding up stray cattle on a farm.