Obedience Training For Your Dog

There are dogs that do not have bad behaviors, and even if their owners are trying hard to tech them to obey some simple commands, these dogs are hardheaded. Chances are, many owners would just dump them to dog pounds because they are already fed up, and could no longer understand the behavior anymore.

These things should have been avoided if obedience training was used and implemented. Mostly obedience training in dogs is used to create a groundwork from which the dog and his master will learn how to effectively correspond to each other.

Moreover, obedience training is also employed by dog owners whose dogs are behaving badly. It is one way of incorporating discipline in the dog’s behavior. This kind of training makes him realize that certain behaviors are not allowed and that he should not act that way.

When obedience training is incorporated to a dog’s behavior, the dog, in turn, will be able to respond properly with the right behavior that is expected of him to manifest.

Consequently, many dog owners are wondering whether it would be better if professional should handle their dog’s obedience training. In most cases, it needs a professional trainer or an obedience school to teach the proper way to follow a command. However, if the dog owner feels he can do just the same, then, there is no special condition for that matter.

However, whether the obedience training is done at home, by a professional trainer, or in an obedience school, there are things that must be considered when incorporating this kind of training. Here is a list of the things that should be taken into account.

1. Fun

Obedience training does not necessarily mean that strict rules should be imposed. This is because the dog is not aware of the reasons why he should be trained. Therefore, for him to respond to the commands, the training must be done in such a way that the dog sees the activity as something that is fun.

The dog would be able to respond positively if he sees that whenever he follows what he is asked to do, he gets rewards or praises, and that is having fun for them.

2. Consistency

During the course of obedience training, it is really important to have consistency in the training. For example, if a dog was allowed to sit on the rug the other day and when the dog tried to sit on the rug today, he was scolded. Things like these should not be taken for granted. It is extremely important to teach the dogs what he should and should not do and stick to it. Confusion will only make the matters worst.

3. Obedience training instructor/trainer

When people choose to enroll their dogs in an obedience class, it is important to analyze the trainer before the owner leaves his dog. The character and personality of the trainer is extremely important. They should be professional enough to know how to handle the dog’s behavior and how to train them properly.

4. Referrals

It is best not to try new and unfamiliar obedience training schools. This could be really risky both for you and for your dog. It would be better if dog owners will ask for some referrals from their veterinarians, dog breeders, or other people who can give their honest opinions.

5. Charges

Not all obedience training schools are created equal. They vary depending on the kind of services that they offer. Therefore, it is best to consider the amount of charges that they provide and the dog owners should know how to analyze if the prices are worth it.

6. Methods used in the training

It is highly recommended that dog owners should contemplate first on the kind of methods being used in the training. This is because some obedience training schools do not use the appropriate method in training the dog. In this manner, dog owners do not get the results that they had paid for in the end.

Indeed, obedience training can be very useful in fulfilling most of the dog’s essential needs. It gives them something to direct their skills and actions thereby making them reliable and happy pets.

Most people just don’t know this but one of the reasons why dogs behave inappropriately is because they don’t have the right direction to guide their actions and that they are confused on how to respond appropriately with the environmental and social variables that they encounter.

With obedience training, dogs will surely be on their way to happier and more enjoyable stay with their masters and the people around them.

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Little Big Bird

A few years ago while sitting on a bench outside my workplace I noticed two birds running around making all kinds of noise. One was much larger than the other was so I assumed that she was the mother trying to feed her young. I couldn't believe that the small bird, a lovely little sparrow, was jumping up an down trying to put food in the mouth of this ungrateful screeching little big bird who did nothing but keep his mouth open and run around as if he wasn't getting enough to eat. The mother was exhausted from all this jumping about. I thought I'd give the mother a break and throw some breadcrumbs out there for them to share. Do you think the 'Baby' bird would feed itself - NO! It still waited for Mom to jump up and put the morsels in its mouth. If this were the real mother of this monster bird, then I would hate to see the father! I've heard of birds laying their eggs in 'foreign' nests but the least they could do is pick a surrogate mother their own size!

Since then I've been reading up on 'brood parasites' - that's what they call these deadbeat mothers who leave it up to other birds to raise their babies. The one most popular in the Americas seems to be the Brown-headed Cowbird which is a pretty big bird in comparison to the sparrow. To help out the sparrow I decided to go into real estate - wild bird real estate that is: bird houses and feeders, plus baths and fountains. This way the sparrow can move in a small holed birdhouse and not worry about a bigger bird coming in and laying its eggs for her to raise. She can bring up her own little sparrows the way nature intended.

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CPR For Dogs

Anyone who has been to a CPR class is familiar with the basics of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. First you’ll check to be sure the patient has a clear airway, then check to see if the patient is breathing, check whether the patient has a heartbeat and, if the patient awakens during the process, be careful that you don’t get bitten by the patient.

The American Red Cross has been instructing people in CPR for pets for quite some time now and has classes that include all manner of first aid, including mouth-to-snout resuscitation. You read that correctly; mouth-to-snout.

The procedure is similar to traditional mouth-to-mouth resuscitation between humans, the chief difference being that the person performing the procedure will close the dog’s mouth and instead provide breaths into the dog’s nose. The process sounds humorous in theory, but it works and knowing how to perform mouth-to-snout resuscitation on your pet could literally save its life.

According to a March 2002 story from The Scoop, a website that reports on dogs in the news (you know the theory – “DOG BITES MAN” is not news while “MAN BITES DOG” is), a dog in Walla Walla, Washington that was accidentally choked nearly to death was saved by a quick-acting Good Samaritan who was trained in mouth-to-snout.

After being revived, the dog was treated at the Walla Walla Associated Veterinary Clinic and released.

In addition to the mouth-to-snout procedure, dogs can have chest compressions performed in an emergency where the heart stops. Learning and knowing these techniques can save the life of a dog in distress and let him live to chase rabbits or play fetch another day.

The concept of pet CPR is gaining much notoriety and is starting to be taught by organizations all over the country that formerly provided traditional CPR training and certification. If you’re interested in taking these classes yourself, contact your local Red Cross. The life you save may be your dog’s.

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Cat Training With A Clicker

Clicker training is a reinforcement or reward for a cat when training them. Clickers are use most often for support when training a cat for a reward. Cats associate the clicker with a good behavior they will use for a long time. Clicker training is associated with classical condition (they associate the sound with food.) and operant conditioning (cat performs movement to receive food).

Why use a clicker and not tell a cat or make a sound to get your cat to do a trick? A clicker has a sound a cat can hear and associate good behavior. With words, our tones in our voice can change from time to time, which a cat can become confused with the training. With talking for the commands, a cat could mistake the commands. With using a clicker, it is more of a training tool to get the behavior started with the cat. Then you can put the clicker away for that behavior or trick once a cat has learned the behavior

When taking the cat out for a walk or on a trip, the clicker is a good item to carry along with you. Cats can get distracted with other people, or animals in the area. With using the clicker, it will reinforce the behavior that you have taught them. In addition, a clicker can help you with having your cat walk with you instead of wondering around.

With the clicker, a cat can be trained using three easy steps: Get a behavior, mark a behavior, and reinforce the behavior. Get a behavior is the first step. A good example would be for the cat to jump a hoop. The cat will have to know that when you click that they get a treat. Start with very small treats in your pocket. Clicks, Treat, Click Treat do this for a few times until you see the cat coming for the treat on the click. Next marking the behavior: You will have to show the cat the hoop. Once the cat touches the hoop, click, treat. Then show the cat to go though the hoop once it does click, treat. Continue to do this until the cat goes though the hoop on its own or your command. Reinforce the behavior Remember to have snacks handy so when you do see your cat go though the hoop a snack is available.

Training a cat with a clicker can be fun for both you and the cat. Taking steps in training will be rewarding to you and the cat. Try not to rush a cat in training, as they can become confused especially if they did not get the step before down. The training will take time and steps to achieve this behavior. Patience, love, and rewards will be the key factor in training your cat.

The clicker is a good exercises tool for a cat. 10 to 15 mins a day you should get your cat to exercises. For exercising, you can have the cat use a hoop, play with a toy, and climb on the scratching post or something that focus on the cat getting exercise. Exercises will help the cat to stay healthy and help to keep it out of mischief.

Clickers can come with books to help you train, treats, and a clicker. Clickers come in many different size shapes, and color. You will want to research the clickers out. Check out a pet store, Internet sites give lots of information on training and using a clicker. Check out companies that make the clicker by using Internet to see what kind they offer and any additional information that you might need to get the process of training done. Check out articles about the clicker. Talk to someone that has used one. Talk to your area veterinary about training with a Clicker

Once you have used a clicker, the cat will get good exercise and be a healthy cat. The cat will be happier and you will be happier with the new behaviors that you have taught your cat.

To sum up training your cat, important things to remember is have patience, love and the clicker.

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5 Minute Guide To Choosing A Pet ID Tag

Buying a Pet ID tag is like buying insurance – you do so with the devout wish that you’re never going to need it. The “possible cost” of not having a pet ID tag is more expensive than the “actual cost” of buying the pet tag itself.

The type of pet identification tag that you buy is important, so take 5 minutes or so to think it through. Impulsively choosing a collar tag because it’s cheap or cute often proves to be unwise, long-term.

Consider the following before purchasing any pet id tag:
1.What is the level of risk to your pet?
Lost pets are certainly common – we’ve all seen “Lost Dog!” signs tacked around town, or dead pets lying by the side of the road. If your pet is a master at escaping the fence, or a breed of dog that cannot resist following a scent, or a young pet that’s full of energy, or a new pet that isn’t properly trained, the risk of a lost pet is high.

But losing your pet isn’t the only risk.

Some pets are stolen. A pet thief may snatch Fifi or Fido in hopes of getting a reward for its return, or to use in dog fights (even small or gentle dogs are susceptible – they can be used as “bait”), or for use in cult rituals.

And what is the risk to your pet if something happens to you, its owner?

If you’re a senior adult with a pet, particularly if you live alone or are in ill health, there’s a good chance that at some point someone else will need to care for your furry friend, perhaps with little notice. And anyone can be struck by tragedy or disaster which leaves you unable to care for your companion.

In this instance, will your pet’s new or temporary caregiver know that Rover hates cats, or that Fluffy needs medication, or even whether or not Max is housetrained? A pet ID tag that contains more than your name and phone number would be extremely helpful.

2.What level of risk are you comfortable with?
Some pets are simply more important to their owners, and the risk of losing that particular animal warrants a specific, more expensive type of pet ID tag. Risk is proportionate to value.

Note that there is more than one way to assess the value of your pet. It may be monetary (a rare purebred dog) or functional (a guide dog or herding dog).

But for most pet owners, the emotional attachment they have to a particular pet determines its value. For many people, cats or dogs are family members, dearly loved and impossible to replace.

3.Based on your answers to the two previous questions, what do you need in a pet ID tag?
Pet ID tags come in varying shapes, sizes and materials and hold varying amounts of information. Some contain logos or artwork, too. Most pet ID tags are designed to be hung from a collar.

At a bare minimum, a pet ID tag should contain the name, address and phone number of the pet owner in a durable, legible format. Plastic tags are lightweight but easily chewed. Stainless steel tags are durable and don’t rust or fade. These traditional types of tags can purchased from any veterinarian or pet store. They’re inexpensive but the amount of information they hold is limited to the size of the tag.

Fortunately, you have many more options in pet tags these days, such as microchipping, tattooing, digital display tags, pet registry web sites and voice recorded pet id tags.

One of the newest entries in the pet identification market is the high-tech USB drive that hangs from your pet’s collar (or is attached to their cage) and which holds 64MB of data (including complete medical and diet information). The tiny USB drive is encased in a sturdy plastic case and can be plugged into any computer, where it is easily updated and easy to print sections for sharing with your vet or pet sitter.

No matter what pet ID tag you choose, making sure your pet wears some type of pet identification tag brings peace of mind that far outweighs its cost.
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5 Great Tips On Building A Dog House

Over 50% of the population allows their dog to stay indoors and sleep on the couch or in their owner’s bed. For those of you who are interested in building a dog house for you beloved pet here are some simple rules to follow when considering what type of shelter you want to provide.

1. You should begin your dog house building process by making sure the house is big enough to accommodate your animal’s potential adult size. Humans enjoy having about 2 feet of air above us in a room in order to live without feeling claustrophobic. Your dog will probably also enjoy having that much room. The comfort zone for both humans and dogs is about 1/3 of their standing height. To figure out how much room the dog will need get out a tape measure and measure your dog. Measure him standing straight up, sitting on his haunches and above all measure the full dimension of the dog when he is the most comfortable, relaxed and stretched out position he can get into. Your dog should be able to look out the front entrance while both standing up and sitting. So the dog will not have to significantly lover his front shoulders or scrape his belly make sure that entrance is high enough. Stand over the dog and measure the width of the widest point of the animal’s shoulders.

2. Remember to raise the dog house several inches from the ground to allow air and water to flow underneath. To dissuade pests from invading the dog house and taking your dogs health into consideration remember how important ventilation is. Put in a few nickel-sized holes in the walls under the eaves. Install a wind block inside the house so the dog can use the heat of its own body to warm up the area if it is really cold or windy outside. Consider adding a partial wall which will allow your dog to escape the bad weather. Your animal can choose to just sleep in the entry room or go around the inner archway maze wall into the inner sanctum. Your beloved pet would probably love having a pillow or some sort of bedding to sleep on.

3. To avoid rain coming into the dog house make the floor just a bit slanted toward the doorway and build the roof a little bit slanted, as well. Make sure the house is well insulated but you should not paint the inside.

4. In the United States most storms come from the south and west so make sure the dog house faces a different direction. Most dog house plans suggest that the dog house door faces east. The cold air will not be able to whip through the entryway then.

5. It is suggested that you put hinges on the roof of the dog house. This makes it easier for you to clean out your dog’s home. You should clean the dog’s house as often as you give your dog a bath.

If your dog lives outside then he deserves to have a comfortable place to sleep and get out of harsh weather. Hopefully these easy tips on building a dog house will help you get started.



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