Jan 23 2012

Socializing Your Puppy: All You Need to Know

Socialization is a very important part of a dog’s life. It helps him to understand how he should be acting in certain social situations – what he is allowed to do and what he must not do.

Why is socializing important? A puppy that is fully socialized will get more out of life as an adult dog, the process is vital because it introduces a puppy to new situations and challenges.

The more people it meets and the more situations it faces the more confident the dog will be when it grows up. A badly socialized puppy will be tentative and afraid and will be more likely to be an aggressive and or anxious, dog.

Here are a few scenarios that puppies definitely need to be exposed to: Noisy children, a running dishwasher, a lawn mower, and all the other household appliances that you might use.

However, as you can imagine, you do not want to expose your puppy to all these items at once. Let him explore by himself most of the time, but be there by his side so that he does not do something silly and gets hurt. Just create a safe environment for him to explore.

To put it differently: The fact that you will let him explore and be himself, but that you are also always there to help him if needed, will mold his character and the way he goes about enjoying his life. You and he will be inseparable.

Overall, socialization has the goal to let your dog know is rank in the pack. He will need to understand that you are the boss and that he can trust you, but that he also needs to do what you tell him to do.

When dogs are born, they naturally learn the concept of being a pack animal and who is in charge of whom. His mother, specifically, will have showed him what dominance means, and you need to take over that role now.

So, when is the best time to teach him the rules of proper behavior and to socialize him? Well, think of it this way: From the day your puppy is born he will learn. This means that you can teach him from day one. In fact, the sooner you start the better. Seize the day.

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Jan 23 2012

How to House Train Your Puppy

You are going to bring a new puppy home soon? Then one of the things you really should give some thought to is house training, because this is something you will need to teach him.

It goes without saying that relieving himself in the house or apartment is not a good thing, but he won’t know that, so you need to let him know what he should do instead.

Of course, there are innumerable ways to house train your puppy. And if you go about it the right way, it should not be too difficult either. Mostly, what you need is patience. Punishing your dog will not speed up the process.

If you pay close attention to your puppy the first few days, you will find that he will give you signs before he needs to do his business. If you see one, pick him up and take him outside.

You should take your puppy outside for a walk, especially after eating, sleeping or playing. At the beginning, it would be ideal to take your puppy outdoors every 15 minutes.

Another important idea is to get a crate for him that he will really like. He can sleep in it, and he will make every effort to keep the crate clean – that’s just something dogs know to do intuitively.

You need to get a litter box for your puppy. You can teach your puppy to use the litter box at night. Your puppy should develop liking for surfaces such as dirt and gravel.

Your puppy will rather relieve in a litter box than in his crate. This is a much better solution for you than to take your puppy out late at night.

But no matter what you choose to do, when you get up in the morning, take your dog outside. And when he reliefs himself there, make sure to reward him for the success. If you give your puppy many opportunities to do his business in an appropriate location, and if you just hang in there patiently, you and your dog will succeed.

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Jan 22 2012

Dog Training: How Important is it Really?

You will not get around obedience training when you get a new dog. It will help your dog learn that you are the boss. Once he considers you the pack leader, he is much more likely to follow your commands and behave himself properly – around you, other people, and other dogs.

There are some basic commands that you can teach your new puppy, such as sit and stay. Have some doggie treats with you and always reward your pet when it obeys you.

Whatever happens, do not punish him. Disciplining him physically will not speed up the training. In fact, it will probably slow you down, because your dog might become scared of you.

If all you do is reward positive behavior, your dog will automatically mentally link the command to a reward – which makes him more likely to obey.

And if you want to teach your dog even more and continue your bonding, attending a dog school might be useful. Taking classes there can be quite a lot of fun for both you and your dog, and he will also be exposed to others dogs and other people there.

Depending on the personality of your dog, or his prior living arrangements, before coming to you, he might be somewhat nervous. In this case, he might have a bit of a hard time in the first lessons, but he will come to understand that he can, in fact, trust people.

One great thing that obedience school is dog for is to train the dog to walk beside you without tugging on the leash, even when other dogs are around.

Moreover, your dog trainer can then give you advice on the kind of equipment you should buy for your dog (i.e. what collar and leash might be best for your needs). He is also a great resource, if you have any other questions concerning your dog.

Dog obedience training is fun for you and your pet. You will find that this investment will bring you years of happiness with your pet. After all, could you imagine anything better than a well-behaved, loyal, fun friend, like your dog will be?

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Jan 20 2012

Bringing an Older Dog Home for the First Time

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” This is a very old saying which I don’t necessarily agree with totally.

In terms of difficulty, training older dogs does not differ too much from training puppies. However, when training older dogs you have to be conscious of the fact that you need to handle them differently than you would handle the little ones.

A lot of people would testify that training older dogs is, in fact, easier because of a number of reasons:

Older dogs have learned the meaning of the word “no”; older dogs are less energetic and calmer; and, older dogs understand dominance so he’d be more susceptible to learning through your guidance and leadership.

Of course, after bringing an older dog home, the first thing you need to do is house train him. He will not intuitively know where he is allowed to do his business, so you need to show him. Please also keep in mind that after riding in the car, your new dog might really need to use the bathroom.

Before bringing your dog into the house, show him his bathroom area. Stay here until he has done his business. Beware: This might take some time. Do not expect him to do it immediately. Just try and stay calm and relaxed and wait. When he does do it, positively reinforce this behavior with a treat. This should motivate him and help him to remember this area faster.

And then in you go: Bring him inside and let him check out the house. And always remember that just because he understands where his toilet is, he might not be able to tell you when he needs to go.

Be sure to look for signs and take him out. Do not forget to praise him. Once his system’s gone back to normal, you may schedule his trips to the bathroom area as you would to a puppy: Once in the morning, every after meals, after playtime, and before bed at night.

Each time you bring him outside and he does his business, praise him. And should accidents ever happen, just clean it up and continue as planned. Do NOT punish him.

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Jan 18 2012

Puppy Training: The First Steps

Teaching your new puppy is a learning experience for both you and your puppy. Here are a few things you would want to keep in mind to make the training as fun and as successful as possible:

When it comes to puppy training, there is no such thing as starting too early. A puppy is impressionable from the first day of his life, and starting as soon as possible is desirable. So teach them right from the start – but make sure to do so in a kind, loving, gentle manner.

So treat them the same way you would treat a lovable, cute baby. Positive love and care has been shown to be much more effective in puppy training than the old-school punishments.

As for teaching, to start off with, toilet training will naturally be a priority. Do not expect your puppy to know where he is allowed to do his thing. You will have to show him. Just take him to this place repeatedly, and he will begin to understand the process.

Your puppy will try his best, and you will try your best, and accidents will still happen. Do not get upset, just clean up the mess and be patient. Keep training him and, in time, he will learn. To speed up that process, keep the bathroom area the same, so as not to confuse him with different locations.

One of the things that will most strongly affect the toilet training is your feeding schedule. Make sure to make it as regular as possible. Give your puppy both water and food at meals, and leave some time between his dinner and bedtime.

Just keep in mind that your puppy’s bladder is not as big as it will be one day. Hence, he will not be able to make it through the night. So if you feed him too late, he will most definitely need to wake you up at night.

Finally, training your puppy naturally has to include obedience training, which is training your puppy to obey your commands. This step of training also requires your patience, as puppies still need some time to understand and respond correctly to your commands.

So when you teach your dog the meanings of the commands “sit”, “stand”, and “fetch,” you will need to be patient, patient, patient.

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Jan 16 2012

What You Need to Know about Puppy Training

Dog owners are always interested in training their pets and turning them into obedient companions. The truth is, you always have a better chance of getting your dog to learn things if you start training them early – ideally, on the day they are born.

It is certainly helpful to be aware of a few things prior to starting one’s puppy training. If you know a few simple things, it will make your life much easier.

Training your dog: Prior to attending obedience training school, make sure your puppy follows some simple commands. And please keep in mind that being firm and consistent with your commands is quite necessary if you want your dog to be well behaved.

You can always start with very easy tasks and commands, such as sit, stop, and heel. When teaching him those, make sure to use plenty of positive reinforcement, because this usually works quite well with dogs.

Just having fun: Training is important, of course, but your puppy is also going to want to play. Always be mindful of that. You can, for example, use a toy when training your dog. That way, you will be able to combine play and training, and your puppy might enjoy it even more.

An alternative would be setting a separate schedule for play time and for training so that the puppy gets used to it and eventually recognizes the difference.

Obedience School: While it is ideal for owners to train their puppies on their own, some of them simply do not have the time or the patience to do so.

If you feel that this reflects your personal situation, do not hesitate to get professional help and attend a dog training course.

Yes, of course, those do cost money, but believe me, it will be money well spent, because you should start seeing results quite fast. Just make sure that you do not miss any classes, and you will be good to go.

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Nov 18 2011

How to Tell Good Dog Breeders from Bad Ones

Finding a great breeder can really be a lot of work. Especially if you are looking for a breeder for the very first time, you might be at a loss as to what to pay attention to and as to how to determine the quality of the breeder.

By reading this article you will get a pretty good idea of what to look for even if you are inexperienced. Here is what to consider.

First off, great breeders don’t do a lot of formal advertising, simply because they do not need to. Often they have potential clients lined up long before the puppies are even born. Hence, advertising simply is not necessary. Their business is mostly based on recommendations.

Additionally, a good breeder knows the power of focus: He most likely will concentrate on one or two breeds. What you do not want is a breeder who offers all kind of breeds.

Quality first is the motto of many of the great breeders. This results more often than not in having only a few dogs instead of many. So don’t get confused about this.

Additionally, great breeders sell their puppies at the appropriate time. This is between the ninth and the eleventh week of their young lives. Any breeder who wants to get rid of his puppies earlier than that is not recommended.

Furthermore, you great breeder will answer all of your questions willingly and sensibly. If you encounter a breeder, who does not do so, do not buy a puppy for him.

Good breeders are proud of their work, as they should be, and they will be happy to answer your questions and explain things to you.

What he will also do is he will show you around. So you can get an impression of the environment where your new dog grew up. Do not hesitate to ask any question you may have.

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Nov 16 2011

How to Approach a Shy or Fearful Dog

Do you know a fearful or shy dog that you would like to approach? If so, then knowing the basics of dog psychology might come in handy.

Let’s first look at what dogs do, when they feel threatened: They try to be as intimidating as possible through baring their teeth and standing really tall.

So, here is what you do not want to do: Show your teeth (i.e. smiling) and appearing tall when approaching the dog. Instead, do not show your teeth and simply kneel down. This will make you appear much smaller than when standing directly in front of your dog.

Another thing to keep in mind is that dogs are territorial. This makes them defend their territory. SO do not make them feel like you are a threat to their territory. Also be mindful that as pack animals, dogs will be inclined to defend other pack members.

The pack does not only include other dogs, but also the dog’s owner. So just make sure that you position yourself in such a way that the dog does not get caught between you and the owner.

If it is seen that other members of its pack accept you, this will make the dog less fearful. Never try to corner a dog or run after it. This will only cause the dog to become more fearful.

There are two aspects of dog behavior that can be used to reduce their level of fear. One is food. If the owner of the dog will allow you to throw small amounts of food to the dog, you can use this to get the dog to come closer and closer to you.

Secondly, curiosity can also be your friend. You can hold a treat in your hand which you do not show our dog. Simply keep your hand closed but let him smell the treat. Chances are, he will become curious, and he will want the treat. Of course, you should then give it to him.

And finally, you can always play a game with the dog. This can help break the ice between the dog and a person. Most importantly, let the dog approach you more than you approaching the dog.

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Nov 15 2011

Teaching Kids about Dogs: 101

Getting a dog for a family is quite a complicated undertaking. First, you should decide what breed of dog you believe will be the best match for your family. For example, if you really like the outdoors, then you might be best off to choose a dog who I likely to enjoy that too.

Both Labradors and Golden Retrievers seem to be a god fit for this. They also love children, which is something you would surely want. So once you know what breed you would like, and you get your dog, many dog owners wonder what they should teach their kids about the new family member. Here are some of the things you might want to say.

Toilet duties: When a dog comes home it immediately needs to be taught to do its business in the one place that has been designated for it.

In order to help your dog with this, he needs to be taken to that place shortly after meals and immediately after waking up.

Moving on to the next point: Your dog needs sleep. No matter how much your kids would love to play with your dog all the time, this simply is not possible. Your dog will need his sleep, and a lot of it, if he is a puppy. Make your kids understand that he needs to be left alone when he is sleeping.

Additionally, your kids need to understand that they must be gentle to your dog at all times. This is very, very important.

Puppies bite: Sometimes dogs bite, that is a fact of life. Your kids absolutely need to be aware of this possibility, especially if they poke, hit, kick or otherwise irritate the dog.

Again: Being gentle and respectful is the key. If your kids treat the dog kindly, he will return the favor. And he will, most likely, never make an attempt to bite your kids.

However, no matter how well behaved your children and your dog are, there is always the off chance that something might happen – so please do not ever leave your kids alone with your dog.

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Nov 14 2011

Choosing a Dog Bowl that Meets Your Dog’s Needs

If you think of your dog as your best friend, you will make sure to provide the best possible equipment or him.

One of the most used items is your dog’s bowl. So before you buy one you maybe want to think about the factors that make a bowl the best feeding bowl for your dog?

The criteria that are most important to consider are your feeding habits and your dog’s age. Particularly as long as your dog is still a puppy, you will choose a bowl that fulfills the following aspects:

This is the stage when a dog is at its most active, often chewing on almost everything including your furniture, your shoes, and their dog bowls. If your dog falls in this category, then it is ideal to get him a bowl that is durable.

Which means it should be a stainless steel bowl. Not even your dog’s most vigorous biting and chewing will be able to destroy this bowl.

Later on when your dog has reached the adult stage also bowls made of plastic or even ceramic are options to consider. For very old dogs you can buy a slightly elevated bowl in order to make eating his food easier for him.

Feeding habits may also have an influence on what type of bowl you select. In case you want your dog to gain weight you can opt for an automatic feeder.

This is the dog bowl that is attached to a jar of water or dog food. Their bowls will be kept full at all times. However, if you do not want your dog to be overweight, then any type of bowl will do since you will be personally feeding him anyway.

The best you can do is to select a bowl that holds enough food needed during one feeding time. So don’t have a bowl that is smaller than this amount of food. The main rule is that a bowl should rather be bigger than smaller and it is your responsibility of how much to fill in.

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