Archive for August, 2009

Facts About Dog Chew Toys

The benefits of dog chew toys are just obvious. They not only help your dog to have fun, but also contribute to the health of his teeth and gum and prevent him from chewing your property. However, different dogs need different toys, and you need to get the right one for your pet.

Get The Correct Size

The size is the first important thing in choosing a chewing toy, as it relates to the safety of your pet. If the product is too big, your dog may not like it at all. On the other hand, if the toy is too small, he might accidentally swallow it and choke on it. You really should know about your dog’s breed and size well to get the right toy size. Many reputable toy manufacturers will have clear warnings on their labels and experienced shop assistants are sure to give you lots of useful advice too.

Safety Comes The First

Aside from checking the size of the toy, you should also check it for safety features. Depending on the breed of your dog, a toy that is too hard could damage the teeth while toys that are too soft could result in accidental ingestion of torn or chipped parts. In general you should avoid chew toys with small beads, buttons, strings, wire, bells and fake fur. Even a mild mannered puppy could rip off small parts and swallow them. Swallowed parts can result in choking, mouth wounds, and damage to the intestines and constipation.

Pick a Variety of Toys

I am not encouraging you to keep a full box of dog chew toys, but it is a good idea to have several varieties so that you can rotate them and your pet will not easily get bored. You may also like to occasionally give your puppy toys with edible treats in them to encourage him to play with these toys.

Be Watchful While Your Dog is Playing With His Toy

Chew toys are not pet nannies so you should at least keep an occasional eye at your dog while he is at play. This will help you respond faster in case your dog is about to ingest a non-edible part.

You also need to inspect the toys from time to time to spot on any signs of wears or tears. Just like anything else, dog toys have their life spans and the sign of damage may indicate to you that you need to replace it. Never never put your dog’s health or life at risk.

Ask Your Veterinarian

If you are not sure whether a toy is appropriate for your dog, the first person you should consult is your veterinarian. He might even be able to recommend good toy brands or retailers.

All dog owners would like to see their dogs happy and healthy. Giving your dog chew toys is one of the best ways to show him your love and affection. You just need to make sure, with the tips in this article, that the toys you choose are not just entertaining but are safe as well.

Do you like to have an obedient dog? Get the true dog training secrets and find out how to train your dogs properly. Also check out this related article about natural dog food.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • TwitThis
  • Live
  • LinkedIn
  • Pownce
  • MySpace

Monday, August 31st, 2009

The Value Of Using A Good Quality Dog Collar On Your Pet

A canine collar can be made of plastic, leather or a cloth and is to be put circumnavigating a dog’s neck to prevent the pup from running away. A dog collar is something a lot of people use for a number of unique uses. Some individuals use a dog collar to leash the dog and take him/her on a stroll; individuals love canines and therefore wish to keep them from running. It can be overwhelming to deal with the death of a pet for this reason.

Individuals who own larger animals (Great Danes, Bulldogs, or German shepherds, for instance) would benefit from a leather collar because leather is very strong. In addition, many like the aesthetics of leather when put beside other materials. As long as the pup does not tug the chain, which is leashed to the collar, the leather collar should not break. On the other hand individuals who love smaller pups like a Pomeranian would see more benefit with a cloth or nylon-webbed canine collar. These are usually cheaper and available in smaller sizes for smaller breed canines such as the Pomeranian. Due to the fact most small dogs don’t have the power to shred through a collar, for more petite dogs, these nylon or cloth collars are something that should probably work. These collars come in different colors, designs, and sizes. Not only are there different colors but also available are florescent collars that are visible in pitch black so that the individual can see his/her dog without fail.

Collars do not only come in unique styles and sizes unique to certain breeds; they are also constructed to take on other reasons. a couple of collars have studs or other decorations that can give a shiny hue; especially if the canine is a female. These studs, however, are not merely adornments. Studs are sometimes used to protect the pup in case another pup tries to bite the pup wearing the collar on the neck.

On top of colors and decorations, canine collars can also come with pesticides on them. Typically, these medicated collars are dunked in a solution that puts fleas in their place. As well, medicated collars are used to help a dog’s suffering from affected areas of skin. The pesticides that are given out through the color is in small amounts and hangs on for a few months.

Canine collars may be used for educational purposes. These collars are normally used only for coaching and removed when not in training. These collars should be worn without tightening; there have been deaths due to an over-tightened collar fastened to the dog’s neck. It is vital that this collar be used in conjunction with training only. If you are unsure about how to utilize the collar, you should consult a dog trainer online or at a unique training program.

Pup collars are one of the most important parts of owning a canine. Not only is it a good idea for your dog to be on a leash, it is also not dangerous for others. Frequently, collars are made to support a tag on the pup that includes their owner’s address and phone number in the event the dog gets disoriented. This very advantage has helped many pups to be placed back with their owners after being lost.

About the Author:
Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • TwitThis
  • Live
  • LinkedIn
  • Pownce
  • MySpace

Sunday, August 30th, 2009

Puppy Training Pads Why You Shouldn’t Use Them

First of all congratulations on getting your new best friend; there is nothing more exciting than getting a new member of the family and then learning how to properly potty training them without using puppy training pads.

With over a million people in the United States who own pets; many of them do not like the fact that they will have to learn how to train them. However if you plan on keeping them inside then you are going to want to concern yourself with how to properly train them.

What would you do if you woke up in the morning and she left you a little present on your brand new carpet; it could take just a few seconds of being left alone. All you have to do is leave them alone while you step out of the room for a quick second.

You may notice that when you come back to the room that you left her; then she will have caused a stain on your new carpet. In fact there are so many new pet owners who suffer from this problem only to become upset with her. You can learn how to avoid this problem if you take the time to properly potty train your new pup.

Chances are you may be considering using puppy training pads; however before you move forward with this consideration there are some things that you should know. Puppy training pads are a bad move because they can ruin your home by causing it to smell badly.

Your house will constantly smell because you will have dirty puppy training pads. As your dog begins to grow and become an adult; it will just get worse.

It is important to learn how to take the steps to potty training a puppy without puppy training pads. It is not as difficult as you may think it is you should stop by our site below for some great tips that you can use to help you raise the best obedient puppy possible.

About the Author:
Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • TwitThis
  • Live
  • LinkedIn
  • Pownce
  • MySpace

Saturday, August 29th, 2009

Be Tenacious When Training Your Dog To Respond To “Down”

Have you ever heard the saying, “Nature to be commanded, must be obeyed?” This quote is attributed to Francis Bacon and it’s never been more relevant than when training a puppy or dog. Dogs inherently know and recognize a hierarchy structure. They relate to different levels of authority within their pack-which now that dogs have been domesticated relates to their family of people, as well. The alpha is the leader at the top of the pack, while the one with least authority is known as the omega. When you have a dog, you want him to recognize that you are the alpha or leader in your family or pack.

Functionally, it is good for your dog to know and obey the down command. This can save your furniture from getting battered about and small children from getting knocked down. It’s also a good start for your dog to learn additional commands such as “crawl” or “roll over” or even tricks.

Training your dog to obey the down command is actually pretty straightforward. Your dog will naturally lie down when he is tired or relaxing. So the first thing to do is study your dog and learn to recognize when he is about to go from a sitting position to a down position.

When this transition is about to occur, you want to give a specific and unique voice command and a hand gesture at the same time. This hand gesture needs to be something you don’t normally do the rest of the time so you don’t confuse the dog. Every time you want to teach a dog a particular behavior, you want to have a distinct and exclusive hand gesture that accompanies that command. Always use a consistent, clear tone of voice so the dog will learn to recognize it.

After you make the command and gesture combination, and as soon as the desired behavior occurs, give the dog lots of praise. Initially, the dog won’t really understand why he’s getting praised. But this is actually irrelevant. As you repeat this consistently, the dog will learn to associate the praise with his action following your command. And this desired behavior will be the link to that praise.

Nearly all dogs will not accomplish the correct behavior on a command the first few times it is tried. So, always be composed and clear and – above all – be persistent and consistent. As with any other type of teaching, it is essential to decrease sound and motion types of interruptions during the teaching session. Try to be alone with the dog and as far away from other people and animals as possible.

Another way to help your dog learn the down command and reward him is to do the following. When your dog is in a sitting position, place a toy or treat on the ground right near the front of the dog’s nose where he will naturally want to lie down to engage with it. At the same time, simultaneously give the down command and then reward the dog with praise when he complies.

You can also try using a “wave down” motion with your hand, palm down, directing the dog toward the down position on the floor by the treat or toy. But be sure you don’t reward the dog with the treat or praise until he correctly complies and lies down. This may take a while, though, so don’t get discouraged or angry if the dog doesn’t comply at first.

Some dogs may also require the use of a collar and leash to help with the training session. For this purpose, use a very short-only 2 to 4 feet in length-leather or nylon leash on your dog. Place the dog in the sitting position. Then kneel down in front of the dog so you are facing him.

Now simultaneously make your distinct hand gesture and issue your voice command while moving the toy or treat from a position by the dog’s chin slowly bringing it down to the ground. At the same time, slowly and gently pull on the leash to encourage the dog to go down. Do not tug or pull at the leash or make this a negative experience for the dog in any way.

Sometimes a dog simply will not get it. So here’s another thing to try. Loop the leash around one of the knees on the dog’s hind legs. Bring the other end of the leash under your foot (on the opposite side) where you can move it with your foot. While giving the command and the gesture, slide the leash with your foot so it buckles the dog’s hind knee and gently pull the dog’s two front legs toward you so the dog gently slides into the down position.

Once the dog is in the right position, you should praise the dog lavishly even though you were the one who started the movement and not the dog. The idea is to get the dog to associate such a position with good feelings: both his feelings and yours.

About the Author:
Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • TwitThis
  • Live
  • LinkedIn
  • Pownce
  • MySpace

Friday, August 28th, 2009

Types Of Dog Training Collars

Choker chain collars are the traditional form of dog training collars. In recent years, there have been numerous types of dog training collars developed for the specific needs of the dog training. Prior to these developments, dog owners had few options other than choker chains.

Not all dog training collars are as effective as others. Citronella collars spray the dog was citronella when the dog owner presses a button.

Dogs did not like the citronella, so it stops them from doing the problem behavior. However, the aversive effect of citronella can be temporary as dogs often become desensitized to it. This forces the dog owner to spray excessive amounts to try to achieve the same effect which can be considered abusive.

The same is true for shock collars. With use, the dog owner may feel the need to use higher settings to deliver stronger shocks than what is considered acceptable.

Some dog training collars are designed for specific types of training. For example, some dog training collars are designed for use on sporting dogs. These electronic dog collars for sporting dogs beep or give signals that the dogs have been trained to associate with commands since there are times while hunting the dog may be out of hearing range of the dog owner.

Dog barking is a common dog behavior problem. Some dog training collars to stop dog barking activate automatically when the dog barks.

Many types of dog training collars are designed for specific needs of the dog. Vibrating collars were designed to assist in training dogs that are deaf or have hearing loss. The dog owner can activate the vibrating collar at the push of a button on a remote control.

With the use of a vibrating collar, the dog owner can teach a deaf dog to look in the dog owner’s direction when the collar is activated. This cues the dog to pay attention to any hand signals for commands that the dog owner may give at that point.

Choker chains are still use, but usually only with dogs who are resistant to training. Pinch collars are another type of dog training collar used for dogs that are stubborn or strong-willed.

These types of collars can be an effective or even dangerous if the dog owner does not know the correct way to use them. They are often only used as a last resort.

About the Author:
Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • TwitThis
  • Live
  • LinkedIn
  • Pownce
  • MySpace

Thursday, August 27th, 2009