Toy Dog Breeds: Man's Best Friend

By Lee Dobbins
Dogs are indeed cute and cuddly. They also serve as man's best friends. Nowadays, different dogs are making a scene everywhere. It is even a form of fashion for some celebrities.
A toy dog is actually a petite dog which is quite small when compared to working dogs. It is safe to determine toy dogs by their size although it is quite confusing since there is still no guaranteed facts which state that height and weight is considered in classifying a dog as a toy.
Some of the toy breeds are Pomeranian, Pug, Shih Tzu, Poodle, Papillion and the likes. These toy dogs are beautiful and charming and they also represent an important role in people's lives. Although they are small, they also have the capability to hunt and eliminate pest animals.
Some of these toy dogs also serve as man's guardians. They also bark at people whom they are not familiar with. They can be as tough as the other large dogs.
The most fascinating thing about toys dogs is their affective capability wherein they can fill the needs of sad and lonely individuals and the adults. They are also known for helping those that are in depressed state of mind through manifesting care and of course happiness. They also have impetuous instincts which help in providing all the friendship and as well as affection, and in turn gives new meaning to people's lives.
A legend states that when a noble Aztec was about to die, a Chihuahua is used as a sacrifice to transmigrate the sins of the noble man to the sacrificed dog, which in turn avoids the noble man from divine punishment. The Chinese religion, which is Buddhism, has a lion symbol meaning a sacred nation. They used the Pekinese dog to represent as lions because they have no lions back then and the Pekinese dogs have the closest resemblance to it.
There are lots of breeders of the toy dogs who keep their cute puppies for about ten to twelve weeks old rather selling or distributing them at about eight to nine weeks. They also consider the family before selling it. More often than not, they will not sell it to family with too many kids and even to those who has hyper active child.
Generally, toy dogs are very easy to take care of. There are some who needs heavy grooming such as the Shih-Tzu, Terrier and Pomeranian. The Toy Poodle, Japanese Chin and Toy Spaniel on the other hand require only a moderate grooming. While other toy dogs do not require any grooming at all.
The basic and most important thing to remember is to maintain the long and fine hairs free from tangles to prevent pain and other skin problems that your dog may acquire. You don't want to shell out big bucks of money for veterinary cost in the end, don't you?
The production of toy dogs is by mass production when compared to larger breeds. Some distributors can just put their little Chihuahuas on a shopping cart or chicken cage and they are easy to deliver when compared to the larger ones like the German shepherd. The downside of buying toy dogs in a pet shop is that most often than not they are quite difficult to house train.
There are some toy dog breeds that are crossbred to other breeds to produce a -poo dog breed. So for those consumers who want to buy a purebred toy dogs, beware of such -poo breeds. They look like the other toy dogs but then they differ in attitude sometimes. Some of these -poo dogs are ill-tempered, hyper and yappy.
Is it possible to train the toy dogs with regards to their attitude? Absolutely, yes! The best way to teach your toy dogs with manners is through obedience commands. You should teach your dog on how to obey such as for example, if he is about to do something bad or any inappropriate act, you should reprimand him with a firm NO!
By doing so, you're practicing the dog to acquaint himself from knowing what is okay to do from not. Your “no” should always catch his attention. But then remember also to acknowledge the good things that your toy dog will do. A simple saying of “good boy” with a piece of his favorite snack will do the trick.Lee Dobbins writes for http://www.pomeranian-pages.com where you can learn more about the fabulous toy dog breed - the pomeranian.

Dog Toys - How to Make Your Dog Work For His Food

By Sephy Shake
One of the best ways to keep your dog out of trouble is to provide him with gainful employment. Make your dog work for ALL of his food. Don't just present food to him on a silver dog bowl. Use his daily rations of food for training and handling. If there is food left over, stuff it in toys so that he has to work to get it out. Some interesting ways to make your dog work for his food:Interactive food toys: Some good ones include the Buster Cube, Premier Busy Buddy Collection, and of course Kongs. Frozen Kongs are great for when you have to leave your dog home alone. Put some wet food into a Classic Kong and freeze it. You dog will have fun licking and chewing at it for a long time.Paper food ball: Put food on some paper and bunch up the paper into a ball. Let your dog figure out how to tear the ball open to get at the food. Note: Make sure that your dog does not swallow the paper. If you dog is addicted to eating paper and paper products, then this game is not for you. Once your dog conquers the paper ball, you can push the paper ball into a Holl-ee Roller rubber ball to make things more challenging.Cardboard box: Next time you finish some cereal, keep those nice cereal boxes around. Start by putting some kibble and bits of cheese into the cereal box, and just close the tab. Once your dog figures out that the box can be easily opened by stomping on it, you can increase the difficulty by folding up the top of the box. Tape can also be used but only if your dog does not eat it. When your dog figures out that chewing through the box will get him what he wants, you can put some food in a Holl-ee Roller rubber ball or Kong and put that in the box. Note: Only play this game with your dog if he does not eat the pieces of cardboard.Dr. Noys Toys : These toys have velcro openings to give you access to the squeakers inside the toy. Open up the compartment, take out the squeaker, put some food into the toy, and close the velcro opening. If there is loose stuffing in the toy, remove that too. My dogs have a lot of fun trying to open up the toy. Supervise your dog when he is working on this toys to make sure that he does not swallow pieces of the soft-toy.I-Qube : The I-Qube is made of soft fabric, in the shape of a box. There are openings on each side of the box from which you can insert squeaky balls. My dogs quickly lost interest in getting out the squeaky balls, but they are always very interested in getting food toys out. Put some Kongs, Dr. Noy's toys, or other food toys into the I-Qube to increase the difficulty of the food extraction task. Laundry Basket (or other safe, plastic basket): Get a plastic laundry basket and put some toys and food toys under it. Make sure your dog sees you doing this, then let him figure out how to get at the toys. Make sure the basket has no sharp edges. Also use a basket size that is appropriate for your dog. You may want to start with a smaller basket that is easier to push over or lift up. Once your dog gets some practice, increase the difficulty by increasing the basket size.
Most of all, have fun!Combine different toys together to come up with new ways to challenge your dog. This will exercise your dog mentally and physically, and make him into a smarter, well-behaved canine.
http://www.shibashake.com

Free Dog Toys For Happy Puppies

By Aidan Bindoff
You don't need to spend a fortune to keep your pet entertained. Your dog or puppy will love these dollar saving ideas.
Buy your Peanut Butter in plastic jars instead of glass jars. When you have finished, your dog will have hours of fun cleaning the last smears out of the old jar. Glass jars can potentially break and injure your dog or chip teeth, whereas plastic jars are less risky. Make sure your dog can't get his head or jaw stuck inside the jar, and always supervise. This is a good toy for when you're watching a DVD and can't occupy puppy.
Put food in old toilet rolls or cereal boxes and fold the ends shut. Your dog will have great fun figuring out how to get the food out! He can either destroy the box or tube, or make a hole and shake the food out.
Old plastic (PET) soft drink bottles can also be used as a food dispensing toy. Put some kibble in and leave the lid off. Your dog will have hours of fun batting at the bottle or shaking it with his mouth to get the food out.
Filling empty plastic (PET) soft drink bottles with rice or dried peas can also be fun for dogs who don't mind making a bit of noise. If your dog or puppy has been known to destroy plastic bottles, they are better given as toys only when you can supervise.
10" lengths of garden hose make great chew toys, so long as you are able to teach your dog the difference between the cut-off garden hose and the real garden hose you water your lawn with.
Old catalogues and junk mail will keep a young puppy entertained, shredding and destroying as puppies like to do. Just be careful not to give your pet catalogues that have staples in them. Make it obvious that it's ok to destroy things you give puppy to destroy, but if you catch puppy stealing your newspaper or mail, clap your hands loudly and redirect puppy onto something 'legal' to destroy outside.
I hope you and your dog have fun with these free dog toy ideas!Aidan Bindoff is Editor of http://www.PositivePetzine.com, your helpful online resource for positive dog training and behavior information.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aidan_Bindoff