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Sunday, 28 September 2008 11:00 |
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Every dog is trained to his owner’s level of comfort. If it doesn’t bother you that Fido likes to watch television sitting next to you on the couch, you’re not going to make an issue of keeping him off the furniture. If it makes you crazy when Spot barks at the vacuum cleaner, you’ll be more willing to put in the effort to teach her not to. One absolute for us is that dogs must be housebroken. It’s not the most pleasant topic of conversation, but it’s essential to us. We even teach them to urinate and defecate on command. It takes work, patience and absolute consistency, but any healthy dog can be taught to keep her house clean and be a welcome guest wherever she travels. Puppies under six months old should not be expected to be “good” all day while you’re at work, the kids are at school and no one’s there. If someone can’t get home at mid-day to take the puppy out, exercise it and give it some lunch, it may not be the right time for a dog. Years ago, before crate training became the norm in housebreaking, most dogs were “paper-trained” as puppies. I don’t really advise it unless you intend to make it the last stop in dog training. It’s hard to transition a dog from the paper to outside. Small dog owners may like the option of a permanent, indoor toilet area for their dogs, a “litter box” for dogs. It solves the issues of walking the dog in inclement weather, keeping the dog warm in winter and works well for many apartment dwellers without immediate access to the outdoors. Since small dogs seem to need to eliminate more often, continuous access to a litter box may be ideal for some small dog owners. Wherever you decide you want your dog to “do its business,” take it there at regular intervals, give it whatever command you choose to use for the behavior and be patient. I even recommend carrying the dog to the toilet area first thing in the morning, or any time you know it really has to go. When your dog produces the behavior you want - don’t forget the praise. Let your dog know you’re happy with her. And when your dog does “mess up,” remember it’s your fault. It’s always your fault. You weren’t paying attention, you didn’t see the signs, you didn’t get the dog outside in time. If you catch FiFi in the act, make a loud noise to distract it (I tend to scream “No,” or drop a heavy book on the floor) and hustle the dog outside. If the dog finishes its business outside, praise him to the skies; “What a wonderful, clever puppy you are!” Ideally, someone else will have cleaned up while you’re outside. If not, don’t let the pup watch you do it. There is no punishment for messing in the house. If you don’t catch the dog in the act, it’s your fault. Just clean up and forget about it. If you take a page from prehistory and “rub his nose in it,” your dog will learn that it’s bad for him if you find messes. So he’ll hide them. Dogs don’t have a “cause and effect” memory. A friend of mine has heard my housebreaking lecture many times and after four years his Dachshund Charlie still urinates in his dining room. Why? My friend won’t commit to paying attention to his dog, and won’t put in the effort needed. He thinks Charlie “knows” he’s bad, because Charlie runs the other way when Sam goes into the dining room. Charlie knows he gets in trouble when Sam goes into the dining room. Charlie has no idea that dried puddle is the source of Sam’s anger, and certainly has no memory of producing it. Don’t be like Sam. It’s easier to teach the behavior you want than fix mistakes later. Hope Saidel is the co-owner of GollyGear, a bricks-and-mortar and online small dog shop featuring fun, affordable and practical products for small dogs. She has trained and competed in Obedience with small dogs for over a decade and is on the Board of Directors of the North Shore Dog Training Club. Check out her blog: GollyLog. |
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Sunday, 28 September 2008 05:00 |
There is much to recommend feeding your dog homemade dog food if you have the time to prepare it, and make sure you have recipes that give the correct ratio of nutrients, as well as the vitamins and supplements you"ll need to add. These can be mixed up in a bag, stored, and sprinkled in every meal.
Dogs should have a minimum of 18% protein for maintenance when they are adults, and 22% for reproduction and growth. Fat should be a minimum of 5% for adult dogs, and 8% for reproduction and growth. But the more fat that is in the diet, the more protein there should be. Fat makes dogs, as well as people, eat less by making them feel fuller. If they eat less, and there are less of other essential nutrients like protein and vitamins and minerals, the dog will not get the nourishment it needs.
Generally, commercial pet food is made according to the appropriate guidelines, but care should be taken if significant amounts of other food is added to the diet, and it is high in fat.
But whether you"re feeding your dog commercial dog food, or home made dog food, there are a few things to keep in mind so you don"t end up with a fussy dog:
* dogs should be fed once a day once they are no longer puppies, or two small meals, no more. Feeding your dog too frequently when he is older can turn him appear like a fussy eater, when he is actually full.
* feeding your dog too regularly can get him into the routine of expecting to eat at those times, too, and may lead to weight gain. Letting him get hungry, and feeding sensibly, will not harm him. In the wild, dogs would eat for once a day until they were completely full.
* Don"t stand and stare at your dog waiting for him to eat. He will likely think something is wrong, or something else is coming, and won"t eat.
* Don"t give into your dog and give him something else straight away if he refuses his meal, as he"s effectively training you and not the other way around!
* There"s nothing wrong with feeding your dog a varied diet, but don"t keep changing the food because he seems fussy and won"t eat it. Make sure nothing is wrong with him physically first, then if he is healthy, take charge of the situation. Put his food down, leave him to it, and then 30 minutes later go and check to see whether it"s been eaten. If it hasn"t, take it away, then at the end of the day put down some fresh food. Repeat the process, and take it away 30 minutes later if it still isn"t eaten. This way you"ll train your dog to eat his food, and not reinforce his behaviour.
Brian Kilcommons has a very interesting method for teaching dogs to eat their food. When the above fails, he prepared the dog food in front of the dog, making lots of "yummy" noises whilst he did it. He made it slowly, and when the dog still wasn"t interested, he put it down in front of his face, then took it straight away and threw it out. He did this first at breakfast, then at dinner. At dinner, the dog in question was more interested, but he still threw it out after putting it in front of him. The next morning, the dog was jumping up and down whilst the food was being prepared. He put it down, pulled it away, then looked at him for about a minute, then left it for him to eat. That dog now eats anything put down for him.
* If your dog suddenly goes off his food, it could be because he has dental problems, or a stomach problem. Get him checked out by the vet.
* Some dogs do actually prefer a certain type of food, just as people do. Try your dog with a variety of foods, and if he only eats one type, and will starve himself if he doesn"t get it, the best solution can simply be to feed him that type of food.
* Don"t feed your dog a high fat diet, or junk food, including chocolate. It"s not good for them.
References: Brian Kilcommons, Good Owners, Great Dogs
Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
For more information on feeding your dog a natural dog food diet, see this article. For information on commercial v"s non commercial dog food that might shock you, see this article. Rebecca Prescott runs the website, www.thedogsbone.com/
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Saturday, 27 September 2008 01:00 |
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Training your dog can be a long and difficult task. If you already have or are planning on getting a dog, you need to be sure that you are completely up to the challenge. Training your dog is not a simple, one-week or one-month task – it is something that you will continually have to do, ‘til death do you part. Here are some tips to help you train your dog: · First of all, you must realize that your dog is not human. Therefore, you should not attribute so many human characteristics to him. For instance, your dog did not pee on the rug because he is “angry” at you – more likely, he was marking his territory or he simply needed to be let out sooner! Because our dogs are not human, we should not try to remedy their problems as though they are. We should not punish an “angry” dog by sending him to his dog carrier or try to win his affection back by filling him up with treats. Rather, we should be sure to let him outside when he needs to go outside. · Again, dogs are not human. It is in their nature to work for their food. In other words, you should not simply give it to them without having them earn it. For instance, rather than simply giving your dog his food in the morning, take him for a long walk and then feed him. Or go out and run him around your back yard. You can even have him carry around a weighted doggie pack before you give him his food. Do not give him his food before he earns it. This may seem harsh, but it is the way that it works in the animal kingdom. Out in the wild, a dog would have to work hard, chasing down his food, before he could get it, and sometimes he would not get it and would have to wait until the next day for a meal. · It is important to be consistent! You cannot simply make your dog work for his food three days out of a week and then simply give it to him the other four. Owning and caring for a dog is a full-time job. · Make sure that your dog understands who is the pack leader. (In case you are wondering, the pack leader should be you!). You will both get along much more easily if you make it clear from the onset that he is the subservient one in the relationship and that you are the one who gives him his food, etc. · A system of rewards and punishments can be used to train dogs. The key is, you need to reward or punish them immediately, otherwise they may not understand what the reward/punishment is for. For instance, when you take your dog outside and he pees outside, immediately give him a treat. If, on the other hand, you let him outside, then he pees, then he frolics and chases a bird, and then you give him a treat when he comes back in, he may connect the treat to going outside, rather than for peeing outside. · Also, a reward system works best if it is not always expected. In other words, if you give your dog a treat every single time he pees outside, it will not be as effective as if you only give it to him some of the time (and it makes it a lot easier for you, too). Otherwise, in the former reward system, if you miss a few days, your dog may start peeing inside again. In the latter situation, your dog will be used to not getting a treat for a few days, but will still be expecting one in the future if he continually goes pee outside. · Learn about your dog breed. Different dog breeds react differently to different situations – they are bred for different purposes, and they have different capabilities. Make sure that you know as much about your own dog breed as possible so that you know how best to train your dog. As you can hopefully realize, training a dog can be a lot of work, and only those who are up to the work should consider owning a dog. Remember, the more time that you spend working with your dog, the better your dog is going to work with you. Also, realize that your dog is not human – this can be a hard concept to grasp, but the sooner you do, the better your relationship with your dog will be. Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on dogs and dog training, please visit Dog T-Shirts. |
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Friday, 26 September 2008 18:01 |
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The Australian Shepherd is NOT one of the several breeds developed in Australia, as one would assume from the name. In actuality it was believed to have sprung out of the dogs which were used by the Basque shepherds of southern Spain. In 1875 Basque shepherds migrating to American shores brought specimens of the breed with them. It was at that time that the original strains of the breed came to be known in this country and later evolved into the breed now known and recognized by the American Kennel Club as the Australian Shepherd. The Australian Shepherd is somewhat blocky in build, quite square looking, with no tail or docked tail. The coat is dense and double coated, stand off hairs are not part of the standard but many of the dog show exhibitors accentuate the coat by blowing it out to make it appear that coat has more "fluff" than it actually has. The bone is moderate, with round feet and straight legs. The colors are very specific for the show ring: blue, blue merle, red merle and all red. White may be found on the front and as a "collar": around the neck but should not be found between the withers and the tail nor on the sides between the elbows and the back of the tail. The head of the Australian Shepherd is usually very pretty, as the fold over ears frame the skull beautifully and there is enough coat around the neck to make a "ruff" similar to that of the collie or the Shetland sheepdog. In appearance this dog can be mistaken for a Shelty except that the observant onlooker will see that the body is blockier and heavier of bone than the Shelty and the head of the Shelty is more refined than that of the Australian Shepherd. Furthermore the "Aussie" has no tail. The breed quickly became a favorite in the show ring and as a pet. It was not admitted to the American Kennel Club until 1993. Many of the fanciers of the breed have continued to strive to keep this breed true to the purpose for which it was originally bred, that of a sheep herding and guarding dog. The instincts of guarding are part of its nature and it is distrustful of strangers and will bark a warning, but should not attack nor threaten, so he makes a good watchdog. It has made its mark in the field of herding and working as a farm dog, plus agility, obedience, search and rescue and as a therapy dog and assistance dog. It is a dog of high intelligence and great loyalty. This is a dependable dog, devoted to its owner and willing to work tirelessly on anything that is demanded of it. Because his genetic inheritance includes the desire to herd and guard the flock independently, this is a "thinking" dog. The dog should be alert and eager to follow the commands of its master. Anyone who is not able to give this dog a "job" will find that he can become a nuisance quickly, he needs to have a job to do. His herding instinct also includes the desire to give chase and he needs to have a fenced in area and plenty of exercise. He makes a great pet and a good farm worker, being happy in urban or country environments.  Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Dogs |
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