Monday, May 19, 2008

A-guide-to-dog-training

By: Patrick Carpen

Before beginning any dog training regimen, it is a good idea to look into all available options. There are several different types of dog training regimens, and finding the one that is right for you and your dog is the most beneficial course of action you can take. There are basically five different types of dog training: puppy preschool, basic training, intermediate training, advanced training, and finally the Canine Good Citizen training.

The first, puppy preschool, is for dogs five months of age and younger, but no earlier than six weeks of age. This training is just a puppy basics course that lasts about six to eight weeks, and it teaches your puppy how to properly socialize with people and other animals. It also begins teaching basic commands, such as sit, stay, and come.

The second step in dog training is the basic training. This is for puppies that are at least five-months-old, and it lasts about eight to ten weeks. This is, as its name states, a basic course for training your dog the basics, such as sitting, staying, coming, heeling, and how to walk properly on a leash.

The third course is the intermediate training. This course is designed for dogs at least five months of age who are already familiar with the basic commands that were either taught in a basic training course or taught by the owner. The course lasts anywhere from eight to ten weeks, and it is a more detailed course, which teaches, more meticulously, how to follow basic commands, such as staying for a longer time, and it also teaches puppies to follow, not only its owner's commands, but also the commands of others.

The next step in dog training courses is the advanced training. This course is also about eight to ten weeks in length, and is again, a follow-up to the previous courses in a much more rigorous and detailed form. This course is only for dogs that have successfully completed the three previous courses, and it teaches more advanced commands, such as how to walk without a leash. This course is the final preparation for the last course.

The final, and most advanced course is the Canine Good Citizen training course designed for dogs who have mastered all of the previous courses, especially all aspects of the advanced course. It is only designed for dogs that are extremely well-behaved and can flawlessly follow commands. The course can last for several weeks, and it can only be completed if your dog can pass an extremely tough training test.

You should definitely keep all of your options open, and look into each of them thoroughly. You may only opt to have your puppy train with these courses until he is able to follow basic commands, or you may decide to have your puppy follow all the way through each of the courses until he is a perfect doggie citizen!

Article Source: http://www.acmearticles.com


Patrick Carpen is the designer, writer and owner of the website dogtraining.infobay.ws/ Infobay.ws is a content based, consumer oriented website that provides professionally researched, and up to the minute content on selected subjects.

How-to-choose-a-good-obedience-school-for-your-dog

By: Patrick Carpen

Everyone who owns, or who is deciding whether or not to own, a puppy wants their puppy to be properly behaved, housebroken, and trained. Many people do not know all of their options when it comes to proper puppy training and obedience. Most decide to do the training all on their own, only to find out that it is not an easy thing to accomplish. There is another option, and this is obedience school; however, finding the right school for your dog can be challenging.

There are many factors which can lead to a dog owner wanting more obedience from the dog. Maybe you come home to find your house in total disarray with puppy urine all over, precious items broken, and furniture and shoes chewed up. Maybe you cannot have any visitors without first locking up your barking, yelping, and jumping dog. It could be that your dog just will not listen at all, even when you call him, and this means that you have no way of controlling your dog at all. Your dog might be a continuous barker, which can lead to problems with neighbors and even the police. Your dog could even be a danger to someone without your even realizing it. All it takes is just one mishap, and a dog who has no obedience whatsoever may not know how to control his fear or anger, and may lash out at someone else, causing harm to someone, and possibly even legal trouble for you.

Dog obedience school and trainers can accomplish a lot for both you and your dog. They will teach your dog basic commands, such as sit, stay, come. They will also teach your dog proper socialization skills when it comes to socializing with strange people and also other animals, especially other dogs.

Choosing the right school for you and your dog can be more difficult than you think. You want to find a school that offers the things you want for your dog, and also offers these things in a way that makes you feel comfortable. You want to know that your dog will be well-taken care of, and will be treated kindly and gently. After all, you are not sending your beloved friend to doggie boot camp. There are a few things to consider when you are looking for the right school for your dog.

One thing you should try to do is choose a school for which you have received great recommendations. Maybe you have a friend or acquaintance who has sent their dog to a particular school, and who can provide you with a good recommendation for the school into which you are looking. If you do not know anyone who is associated with a particular school that interests you, you can simply ask the school for a few names of people who have had their dogs trained with the school, and you can find out from these past "students" what they thought about the school. Having some knowledge of someone else's first-hand experience with a particular school is always a good idea, and it helps to give you more peace of mind.

Another good idea when choosing a school is to simply visit the school beforehand. Stop by on your way home one afternoon, and this will give you a better idea of how the school functions, whether or not the instructors are friendly and inviting, how the instructors work with the dogs, and the overall atmosphere of the school. These are all very important things to consider when choosing the right school.

Finally, you should get some basic information on how the school and training work. The best source of information of this nature is from the instructors themselves. Go to the school and request information about how the training is designed, how the instructors interact and work with the dogs, and any other questions or concerns you may have.

Following these simple steps will ensure your dog and yourself are happy with the choice you have made.

Article Source: http://www.acmearticles.com


Patrick Carpen is the designer, writer and owner of the website dogtraining.infobay.ws/ Infobay.ws is a content based, consumer oriented website that provides professionally researched, and up to the minute content on selected subjects.

Discover-the-power-in-raw-dog-food-for-brilliant-health-results

By: Rebecca Foxton

For years we've tried to feed our dogs just like we've fed ourselves, but now that we know better, the focus for animals and people alike is increasingly redirected to eating more raw food.

Nutritionists believe that feeding processed foods to a dog may result in poor health, and that a raw food diet that is more closely related to what dogs have evolved on is much better.

You can choose from among many premium grade lines and enjoy the benefits of not only having all of the nutritional calculations worked out as to ensure that your dog gets what he needs, but also of avoiding any messy preparation for yourself. So what are the choices that are available to your pet? In addition to being beneficial to their health, it will also be a real treat for your pet.

With legions of happy pet owners talking about how it has vastly improved their pets' health, perhaps even cured them of longstanding illnesses, Natures Variety Raw Food Diets is a favorite of many.

Natures Variety comes in both patties and smaller medallions so that you can choose the appropriate portion size. It is high in meat protein and contains 5% organic sprouts, fruits and vegetables while including such ingredients as quail and pheasant eggs, blueberries, heart and squash.

Becoming more prevalent are bone and meat product snacks which are available ranging from organic to free-range to chemical free. Natures Variety, Primal Petfoods and Raw Advantage each offer poultry neck products as well.

For those who want to bite more off than they can chew, FarMore Raw Frozen Buffalo Bones might be the answer. Free-range, non medicated bones including marrow, provide essential nutrients. Primal Pet Foods and Raw Advantage also offer Raw Beef Bones for food as natural as it comes.

With its vast array of available foods, Raw Advantage would seem to be leading the pack in the raw foods race. While its Organic Dinner for Dogs is made from less exotic ingredients than some of its competitors, it does include a premium line of free-range, organic, hormone and pesticide-free food, including kelp and garlic, thus making it a natural body cleanser.

Raw Advantage Organic Only Meat goes a step further in including the freshest chemical free meat, organs and offal. If grain will work, consider the organic products made by Raw Advantage Organic Rock Island Raw, which mix meat with millet and oats.

Primal Pet Foods endeavor to directly mimic the diet of the wild, and use 100% human grade organic and chemical free ingredients. Enriched with anti-oxidant and mineral laden sources such as kelp, coconut oil and cranberries, Primal has the added guarantee that all its meat is all natural vegetarian fed.

Nature's Logic offer an over 90% meat/poultry, gluten and grain free product with added ground eggshell as an additional calcium source and provides a less expensive option.

Northwest Naturals is available in beef, chicken, turkey, salmon or bison formulas either in dinner nuggets or frozen bars sectioned into portions. Its formulas are fortified through added minerals, high in vitamin-rich ingredients and protein.

Bravo Raw Food Diets offer pre-made, convenient blends of their high-grade hormone free food that can be used as an excellent base into which other supplements may be added for those who want more control over their dog's diet.

Article Source: http://www.acmearticles.com


Author Rebecca Foxton wants to help you bring your pet brilliant health with FortiFlora. Check out her nutrition tips for people with dogs and cats and visit her Raw Dog Food articles on Dog Buffs.

Gun-dog-training-basics-explained

By: Rebecca Foxton

If you've ever seen a hunter with his dog, you know that the bond between them is very strong. The hunting dog listens and responds to every command quickly and precisely. This takes time to accomplish but is well worth it.

Types of Retrievers: Breeds such as Labrador retrievers and Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retrievers are excellent gun dogs having been bred over hundreds of years for just that purpose. However, despite centuries of breeding, dogs can still be willful.

The Basic Commands: Instructions on a basic level, such as Whoa, No, Kennel, Sit and Come, are necessary for the dog to be completely familiar with. It is vital that your dog know and obey each of these commands before field training can commence. If your dog doesn't follow your commands when he is on a leash, he definitely would not obey when he is off his leash and running free. Do not try to train your dog at home; he needs a realistic situation out in the field.

Start Field Training: Your dog's field training can begin once he or she has been taught not to fear gun noise. Initiate the training by using a dummy. Beginning the process with a dummy is a great way to let your dog get the hang of what he is meant to do before he starts trying to retrieve birds.

Do Some Dummy Training: Select a dummy appropriate to your dog. Some are made of plastic or fabric, while others resemble game birds. Only when your dog can retrieve the dummy without shaking or damaging it can you begin to train with real birds.

Occasionally the dog will not go for an actual bird and you may need to train him further by using a dummy with feathers and streamers added on. This will mimic the movements of an actual bird and he will become more confident handling it. Streamers imitate the actions of a bird when it is not quite dead so that the real bird likely will not frighten your dog.

Decoys: Transition to the real bird slowly if your dog shows fear the first time he is asked to retrieve it. You can even get a stuffed duck or pheasant from a taxidermist and use it as a decoy dummy.

Article Source: http://www.acmearticles.com


About the author: Rebecca Foxton wants to help you bring your pet better direction with Gun Dog Training. Check out her nutrition tips for pet owners, and visit her FortiFlora articles on Dog Buffs.

How-to-make-home-made-treats-for-your-dog

By: Kit J.F.R. Murray

Do you like a treat, I know I do. Even more so when I have done something especially well or maybe completed a task that I found difficult. It should come as no surprise that our canine friends feel the same and spending a little time making pooch a special dog treat can be done with very little effort.

The pet supplies store are full of off the shelve dog treats that we can just scoop up and head for the checkout. The other option is to make one at home from a dog treat recipe.

I have yet to come across any breed of dog that didn't love a treat and even more so when it's home-made. All we need to do is Google "homemade dog cookies," and hundreds of easy to follow suggestions are there to choose from.

I have never had any problem with any of my pets using online treat recipes but it's always a good idea to check that there are no ingredients that may be harmful to your pets.

I have loads of doggy treat recipes but without doubt this one is my German Shepherd Alfie's absolute favorite.

Cheesy Dog Cookies - Ingredients:

* One cup rolled oats (something like Quaker) * One third (1/3) cup margarine * One cup water/boiling * Three quarters (3/4) cup corn-meal One * One tablespoon sugar * Two (2) teaspoons beef or chicken stock (instant bouillon) * Milk 1/2 cup * One (1) cup grated/shredded cheddar cheese * One (1) egg, beaten * Two to Three (2 - 3) cups whole wheat flour

Ingredients at the ready, lets get baking.

First of all preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Next step is to Grease the cookie sheets.

Using a large bowl to put the boiling water, rolled oats and margarine into and then leave for around ten mins. Next step is to mix in the cheese and egg, milk, bouillon sugar and cornmeal. Using your measuring cup gently spoon in the flour & level off. The flour should be added one cup at a time whilst checking it is mixed thoroughly. You will know that it is ready when the consistency of the dough becomes stiff. Tip the mixture onto a floured suface and using the last of the flour, knead until the mixture becomes smooth and is no longer sticky. Now you can press the dough into a 1/2 inch layer with your hands or a rolling pin.

Use cookie cutters in the shape of a dog-bone to cut. Put shapes on pre-greased cookie sheets approx 1 inch apart. Place the shapes into the oven at 325 degrees for maybe 35-45 mins or when they are a delicious golden brown color.

This should make enough dog treats to keep your pooch happy for some time to come. Although it may seem like a lot of trouble to go to, it really doesn't take that long. It can also be a great way of having fun with the kids whilst creating your first mutt masterpiece gourmet dog treat.

Article Source: http://www.acmearticles.com


For more info on how to make homemade dog cookies and much more. Head over to www.just-dogs.info

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