Saturday, April 26, 2008

How To Potty Train A Dog




Dogs are no doubt one of the most-loved pet companions ever. They bring joy to their owners and offer them loyal companionship. But as mushy as it sounds, they could also be a source of frustration for their masters. Imagine the stinking smell and dirty furnishings at home because they pee and poop at places you don’t want them to. Having a pet dog could also be annoying when they poop on the carpet or in the living room.

But it’s not like dogs know what they should not do. Since dogs do not have proper training, they tend to pee and poop at the wrong place all the time. That’s why as his master, it’s now your duty to train him the correct way to poop and pee.

There are no short cuts to potty training your dog. But remember, if you want to train your dog to use the potty, the best way to is by keeping a careful eye on him. Remember, the trick is to catch your pet red-handed while relieving himself inside the house. Once you catch him, scold him then and there while he continues the act. If you get angry at the dog, when you find the evidence of his misdoing, the dog will not understand the reason for your annoyance. Your anger may confuse your dog and may lead to retaliation. Hence, it is very crucial to scold your dog while you see him urinating or defecating.

A word of caution though – do not spank or hit your dog; just show your displeasure by shouting at him.

Immediately afterwards, guide your pet outside the house and show him the right place to relieve himself. Ensure that you guide him towards the right location; otherwise you may end up with a messy garden or complaints from the neighbours.

Also remember to praise your pet dog, when he goes outside the house to pee or poop. Maintain uniformity in your behaviour, be firm yet kind. Scolding him when they relieve inside and encouraging him when done the act outside, will help your dog understand what’s wrong and right.

Training your dog to use the potty takes time. You need to remember that dogs have their own pace of learning, so your patience may be tested at times too. But, once your pet is toilet-trained, you can stay relaxed and enjoy good times with your dog, without worrying about the stench of his act filling your house.

How To Stop Your Dog From Biting And Other Tips Dog Owners Should Learn




Dogs are arguably the most popular pets to keep at home. Millions of dog owners know the joy and happiness of having a dog by their side. Dogs, because of their wit and quick learning abilities, help their masters in many ways, offering them security, protection and companionship, while their masters give them love in return.

While dog owners know the happiness their dogs bring to their lives, there are downsides to it as well. Imagine the stinking smell and the aggressive behaviour they display at home. Sometimes it’s not pleasant.

That’s why many savvy dog owners turn to the dog websites for tips on keeping their dogs well-behaved and properly trained. One of these websites is http://offto.net/sitstayfetch_e58c/.

Daniel Stevens has started Dog Obedience Training, known as the SitStayFetch method. It is a cutting-edge dog training material to stop your dog’s behaviour problems, and includes effective potty training method. It will teach your dog the proper place to urinate and defecate and help you avoid public embarrassment.

The SitStayFetch book by Daniel Stevens is a simple to read book and is jammed with easy to apply information. The ideas given in the book will fetch great results in quick time. The SitStayFetch training method has been made use by thousands of dog-owners with astonishing results. It describes a step-by-step method to house train your dog and build a healthy relationship with him.

The book details the methods to groom your dog effectively. It also discusses the means and ways by which you can potty train your dog to pee and poop at the appropriate time and place. The training secrets mentioned in the book are a sure short way to turn your badly behaved dog in to a dutiful dog. No more spoilt furniture, carpets and mattresses and house filled with stinking odour.

Not only does this book tell you about the common “things to do” while training your dog, it also details the “things not to do”. It also highlights the common mistakes that pet-owners make unconsciously while training their pets, and means and ways to avoid them. It offers a complete training method, in which you can self-train your dog without spending huge amount of professional trainers and guides.

Dog training books are a great solution to dog owners who want to understand their pets’ behaviour, and the SitStayFetch method is a welcome solution to those who want a more comprehensive guide to help them turn their dogs into a more well-behaved pets at home.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

How To Potty Train Your Dog




Having a pet dog can be full of excitement and fun. However, one of the major worry of pet owners is the issue of potty training their pets. Potty training is a vital task. If it is not done properly, it can result in spoilt furnishings, rugs and even your bed. Add to it the foul smell that will linger all over your home. All this can be quite frustrating for the pet owners. Hence, the best way to avoid such annoying situation is by potty training your dog effectively.

Dogs are one of the easiest animals to train. So potty training your dog should not be a formidable task if done correctly. At the onset, you need to be attentive to the signals given by your dog, when he needs to eliminate his body wastes. Usually at such times, the dog will start doing circles and sniff and scratch at the door. If you can recognise such signs, training your dog will be easy.

Instead of opening the door for your dog every time he displays signs of peeing, have a doggy door. Once your pet learns how to use a doggy door, he can make use of it all by himself to go outside the house to do his nature calls.

Another method to potty train your dog is to set up a routine of going for walks – morning and evening. Encourage your dog to urinate and defecate during such walks. You will also have to show your dog the appropriate place to do pee and poop. If not, you may end up receiving complaints from your neighbours or end up messing your own garden.

Do not forget to praise your pet, when he urinates at the designated place. Words of encouragement will go a long way in potty training your dog. At the same time, a mild punishment is also necessary, when your pet makes an error. However, do not hit your pet, a few angry words should do the trick. Your dog may experience nervousness too, as you potty train him.

While the training is going on, ensure that you keep an eye on him at regular intervals. Dogs have their own pace of learning and you your patience may be put to test as well. Make sure that you show love and affection towards your pet while he is undergoing the training.

Although potty training your pet is a testing chore, but once accomplished, it will save you the hassle of cleaning your dog’s doing all the while. Also, you will get back your house, which will be free of stinking odour!

Potty Training An Older Dog




You must have heard the saying, "You cannot teach an old dog new tricks"! All pet owners will agree with this saying more or less. However, if your adult dog is still not potty trained and keeps on doing it the wrong place, do not loose hope. With a little patience and love towards your pet, you can effectively potty train your adult dog as well. Just remember, it is never too late to teach your pet to do the right thing.

Agreed that training is a difficult chore, especially with animals. However, dog is probably the easiest animal to train in the pet fraternity. Puppies are easy to train compared to adult dog. This implies that while potty training your adult dog, you need to be more patient and commitment, as old habits die-hard. You will need to give your dog more time to learn and progress in his actions.

Keeping a close eye on your pet at all times will ensure that he doesn’t pee or leave stool all over your house. A leash can be used to restrict your pet’s moment inside the house. Create particular space of your dog, where it can play with the whole family. However do not use a cage to enclose your pet away from the family, as it will be a real ordeal for your dog.

Let us now look at a few useful tips that will help you adult dog become potty-trained. Firstly, give you pet limited water to drink, ensuring that it doesn’t result in dehydration. Your pet’s last meal should be at seven to ensure that he does not urinate or defecate during your sleeping hours.

Try to recognise the signs when your pet needs to eliminate the wastes. At such times, your pet will typically start sniffing and scratching at the door. The pet will get restless and acts distracted at such times. If you can recognise such signs given by your dog, it will be simple to potty train your dog.

Set up a designated area for your pet to urinate and defecate. Go out on morning walks with your pet and do not play with him unless he completes his morning chores. Do remember to admire your pet for doing it at the right place. However, you’re your dog eliminates body waste at wrong place do not punish him – physically or verbally.

Potty training your dog may take time, but its reward will certainly be worth all your efforts. Give your pet some time, patience and commitment, and he shall surely learn!

5 Tips For Feeding A Happy, Healthy Dog




Do you really know all there is to know about your canine companion’s nutritional needs? Many pet owners think they’re doing what’s best for their dogs when it comes to food, but in reality they rely on pure instinct more than science. Nutrition isn’t a guessing game, even when it comes to your pooch. Think about it – if you were left to feed yourself based only on what you craved and had no knowledge of what your body needs to function, would you be eating 5 servings of fruit and veggies or would you head straight for the Ding Dong case at the market?

1. Cover all of the bases.

A dog’s diet can be as complex as any human’s (including yours!), and it’s absolutely essential that you, as an owner, hit all of the vital nutritional bases. A deficiency of certain vitamins and nutrients can lead to upset tummies; overly dry or oily skin, brittle bones, weight issues, and, in some of the worst cases, death. A balanced and proper diet is the building block of your dog’s overall health – if he doesn’t get the right blend of nutrients, the most impeccable care otherwise won’t mean a thing. But with the right diet, his defences against disease and disorders are infinitely stronger than a dog whose owner hasn’t put much thought into an eating plan.

2. Mix it up!

For the most part, pre-packaged food will help you cover all of the major nutritional requirements a healthy, fairly young dog has. This where many owners trip up simply because of the ease of the decision; Most think that the major choice is between dry and moist food, when in reality the best diet you can provide your dog is one varied in ingredients, textures, and nutritional value. Wolves where carnivores, and that instinct remains with their our modern day dog; to this day. They continue to hunt prey (poor Kitty), love sausage-flavoured treats, and adore the great crunch they get when chowing down on a bone. Those varied elements should give you a little bit of insight into how diverse your dog’s diet can be.

3. Move beyond meat.

Building some portion of his diet from meat gives you many of the crucial nutrients he needs for energy and growth, but he also needs fiber and carbohydrates to aid in digestion and stability. You could throw down a bowl of dry food every day and maybe give him a “treat” of moist food once a month, but how would you like it if the tables were turned and he insisted on feeding you pancakes every day for the rest of your life? Not such a sunny outlook, is it?

4. Make it a real meal.

Listen, nobody ever said you had to rely on a bag or can of food to feed your dog. You cook for your family all the time. Doesn’t your dog deserve similar treatment? Most owners say they’d love to cook for their pups but just don’t know where to start, and that’s where I come in. Now you can help fulfil all of your dog’s nutritional needs as well as his taste desires with just one quick flip through my new book, 180 Delicious Gourmet Dog Recipes. I know, I know, you’re busy, and there’s barely time to cook your family a proper meal. That’s why you’ll love this book – in addition to covering all of the usual recipes like traditional dog chow and cookies, I’ve created several that are healthy and delicious enough for you, your dog, and your family. Being skeptical is natural; after all, I never dreamed I’d come up with recipes I could easily share with my dogs! But how can you pass up recipes like biscotti, muffins, omelettes, dinner mints, and even sushi?

5. Give him some green.

Your dog needs a well-balanced diet, and the best way to accomplish that is through a wide variety of ingredients. Did you know that many dogs love veggies? In fact, if your dog likes to nibble on grass, he may appreciate some of the veggie-oriented recipes in the cookbook. Give it a shot and see what you – and your dog – think. After all, the worst that could happen is an improvement in your pooch’s health!

How Do I Train My Dog?




You’ve probably had a day or two when you felt like your dog just wasn’t paying any attention to you at all, right? You talked, you yelled, you shouted, maybe you jumped up and down and waved your arms, but she just wasn’t interested in anything you had to say to her in any tone of voice. You’re not alone.

1. Your dog isn’t human.

Unless you believe in pet psychics, there’s really no way for you to read your pooch’s mind and figure out exactly what she’s thinking. The good news is that, like many dog owners, the problems you’re having can probably be traced to one simple thing: you’re trying to communicate with your dog from a human standpoint, and your dog isn’t a human. Sure, you know that, but lots of humans try to relate with their dogs in the ways that they think are rational as humans. The problem is that dogs are driven in every act and every moment by very strong instincts. Deciphering those instincts and leveraging them to build a productive relationship is like finding the keys to the city.

2. Your dog doesn't speak English.

Take the word “no,” for example. Does your dog speak English? Not understand English. Does she speak it? What’s meaningful to her is your tone of voice, not the word itself. Now let’s think about that – we’re taking up excess time trying to teach our dog a word she’ll never speak and that probably doesn’t mean much to her anyway. Sure, it’s meaningful to us, but that’s only one side of the equation. What about something that’s meaningful to both human and dog?

3. You know what a growl means, and your dog knows what a growl means.

If you think that mutually meaningful language doesn’t exist, you’re not thinking creatively enough. What does it say to you when a dog growls at you? Anything from “get away from my food” to “back off, dude,” right? Yet in every case, a dog’s growl typically means that she is not happy with whatever you’ve done. And you’ve seen dogs react to other dogs’ growls, right? So you know what a growl means, and your dog knows what a growl means. Where’s the disconnect? Growl at your dog!

No, seriously. The next time your pooch starts stepping outside her bounds or doing something you don’t like, growl at her. A nice, strong, guttural growl that would put the alpha wolf in a pack to shame. While you’re growling, look directly into her eyes. You’re almost guaranteed that she’ll back off.

4. Instincts save time and communicate effectively.

See that? You worked with her instinct and the information hardwired into her brain, and the result was instantaneous. Why spend tons of time trying to work against that instinct and end up frustrated, angry, and still miscommunications? This approach works in everything from basic discipline to full-on obedience training. You just need to figure out how to apply it in each of those situations.