Posts Tagged ‘home and family’

Introducing A Dog To A Cat Family

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Jessie entered the room, the silence was deafening. One new dog face to face with the resident three cats. Thoughts of the battle of Waterloo were sounding in my head, would there be peace in the valley or all hell breaking lose? The four children were spellbound as if frozen in time. Would there be a melt down? I could feel my heart pounding for this was not the homecoming planned. Somehow Ruby, Lucy and Romeo had an esp moment and managed with the help of an open window to place themselves in a strategic position ready for the arrival of Jessie.

The newbie was a poodle, a miniature black as the night with an irresistible nature I was sold in an instant. Blinded by love so soon in this meet I was oblivious to the fact that Jessie had never encountered a cat in his life. Absolutely confidant that Jessie would fit in I had forgotten the many travesties written before of homes turned to battlefields in a fight to the death. My thoughts only fixed on this adorable little guy, my mind so convincing that everything would work out. So why are we standing in front of this door, nobody moving not a sound could be heard.

To my sheer delight Romeo the stray that had turned up and never left put his best paw forward and you could almost hear him saying. “Nice to meet you Jessie, welcome home” This took young Jessie by surprise and he jumped back and banged into the door behind him. Next came Lucy who has always seemed like the favourite Auntie in the house with a resounding meow and walked off as if nothing was amiss. Nothing quite prepared me for what was to come as Ruby the resident Queen of the house let out a horrible sounding hiss and proceeded like a tiger stalking its prey in the direction of Jessie who by now I would say was hoping the ground would swallow him up. Who to grab hold of first, this was my dilemma as I opted for Ruby, as she seemed much closer at the time. A matador facing a charging bull seemed almost a better place to be right now as I lifted the Queen high off the ground in a bid to avoid world war three.

Some moons have passed and we are still all intact no bandages have been needed and no permanent scars. My ginger boy Romeo has been a blessing in disguise, for his first day greeting with Jessie has turned into so much more. The planets were aligning round this perfect romance for these two natural brothers have made friends for this life. My walks with my poodle begin and end with Romeo, who walks with us some of the way then waits our return where we is smiling at this peculiar sight. Lucy is so happy to have a dog pal again as her previous existence was with a dog and a cat. The change in her nature from depression to joy has been a spiritual moment in time and in space..

I wish I could tell you a happy ending took place, but the truth is that Ruby and Jessie can never be a friend. Had there only been one cat and dog in this home I would probably tried to re home Jessie for the sake of those concerned. My family is a mixture of love never shown and my mission is to show a world filled with love. From the books you are given I have learned so much more and with tactic and strategy our family seems content. There are always those moments when the two worlds collide but if mankind can show them a vision of love where all stand together, different but the same.

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How To Deal With An Aggressive Dog

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Having a dog that is aggressive can be a major problem especially if you have children around. If you find your dog is getting aggressive there are a few different options available to you.

The first option would be to get rid of your dog (not recommended). While this is not the option most people choose it is something some people do.

If you do choose to get rid of your dog make sure you take him somewhere safe. Never just let a dog go especially if they are aggressive. Dogs are no longer breed to be wild animals so they would be truly unsafe out on their own.

A better option would be to get your dog trained or train him yourself. There are many different classes you can take your dog to and most everywhere has dog trainers.

One type of dog training is clicker training. If clicker dog training is done correctly you will see a major improvement in your dog’s behavior. The beauty of clicker training your dog is that after a while of using the clicker you will have a dog that listens to your commands without the need of using the clicker or dog treats.

Timing is everything when using the clicker dog training method. If you get this wrong all of your effort will be wasted.

When your dog follows your command you need to immediately click your clicker and administer a treat to your dog. If you click to late your dog will only know that you are being very nice and giving him lots of treats.

Another thing to know about clicker training is that you do not want your dog to see the clicker in your hand. You can also do clicker training by clicking with your tongue.

No matter how you plan on training your dog you should always use positive training methods. Using negative methods to train your dog will not only hurt your dog but he will get steadily worse behaved as time goes on.

If you find yourself asking”Is my dog aggressive” then it is time to consider dog training. Dealing with an aggressive dog

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Ten Tips On Dog Training: Train Your Dog At Home

Friday, March 5th, 2010

If you have ever owned a dog, you know how frustrating it can be when your dog has a mind of his own. A well behaved dog on the other hand is a joy to have around. The way to get a well behaved dog is through training. It’s not hard to train a dog but there are some basics that you need to know about in order to succeed. Keep reading to find out what the top 10 no fail tips on dog training are.

1. Don’t waste any time in starting to teach your new puppy. Establishing routines right from the start and sticking to these routines is easier than trying to change things up after a period of time. That only succeeds in confusing your pet. For instance, if your dog is not allowed on the furniture, don’t let him join you on the couch one day and then shoo him off when you find him on your couch another day.

2. Be firm, but fair and consistent. If you change the rules you will only frustrate and confuse your dog. So, if you don’t want your dog to beg food from the table, don’t ever feed him treats while you are eating.

3. Teach your new puppy to accept a collar and lead soon after bringing him home. This is one of the easiest yet most important steps you can take to have a well-trained dog. A dog on a lead is easier to work with and control.

4. When training your dog, have fun with him and reward his accomplishments, no matter how small they may be. Rewards can be treats, a scratch on the head, or praise. If he enjoys what you’re doing with him and can look forward to being rewarded, you will accomplish a great deal in a shorter time frame.

5. Be patient. Mark progress in very small steps. It takes many repetitions for the training to become a part of your dog’s behavior. Compliment and reward at each step to reinforce the learned behavior.

6. There will be times when it will be necessary for you to discipline your dog. There are two important points to remember when it comes to discipline. First, don’t ever order your dog to come when you are preparing to discipline him. Leave this word for positives in training. Instead go to him. Second, hitting does not have a place in dog training. If you hit your dog as a form of discipline, he will learn to be afraid of you. This will not work with dog training.

7. When starting a new session with your dog, start by reviewing behaviors your dog has already mastered. Reward him and then move on to new training exercises.

8. Keep lessons short. You never want to drag things out to where the training becomes a chore. So if your dog begins to lose focus, end the lesson with a simple-to-follow command. Then give him a reward and then spend a few minutes playing with him.

9. Start by teaching your dog basic commands like sit, stay, down and come. Only after he has learned these commands and consistently responds to them should you attempt to teach him more complex commands or tricks.

10. Only reward when a command is executed correctly. This goes along with being consistent. If he knows that he will get a “good boy” whether or not he sits on command, he won’t learn the lesson.

By following these tips on dog training, you can be sure of having success in your quest to have a well behaved dog. And really wouldn’t you rather have a dog that listens to you than one who doesn’t?

After a training session, reward your dog with the ultimate dog bed for him to relax on. A heated dog bed is a warm, cozy spot for your favorite pet. Another great option is a bolster dog bed with its soft padded cushion and bolster which doubles as a pillow.

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10 Top Tips for Looking After Your Dog

Friday, March 5th, 2010

Cats and dogs are very different in the way they show a human affection. A dog is a lot more loyal than a cat. Many people treat their dog the same as they would treat a child.

Tip 1 ” When you first get your dog, it is a good idea to attach an identification tag to their collar. Many owners do this so if the dog goes missing or runs away the dog can be easily returned.

Tip 2 ” Different countries have different laws regarding registering your dog. You will be required to register your dog in most countries. The general practice is to insert a microchip into the shoulder blade of the dog. By doing this, the dog is then registered so if lost will be returned.

Tip 3 ” Whenever youre taking your dog for a walk, make sure that the dog is on a lead and it obeys you. Some dogs are classed to be dangerous by some authorities and may need to be muzzled when out in public.

Tip 4 ” If you tend to leave your dog outside for long periods of time, then it is a good idea to make sure that your garden has adequate shelter to protect the dog from the cold and rain.

Tip 5 ” Make sure that you take your dog to vets regularly this is always a good idea so the dog get a regular check up. If you tend not to take your dog to the vets, then if you dog had a serious illness it could cost you a lot more.

Tip 6 ” Unless you are intending to use your dog as stud, then it is quite important that you have them spayed or neutered. Most dogs tend to live longer and healthier after this simple surgery.

Tip 7 – It is important that you provide your dog with a well balanced nutritional diet and make sure that they can easily get to fresh water when they need. This is especially important if you intend to feed your dog only dried food. When it comes to which food to give your dog as there are so many different kinds available it may be advisable to discuss the issue with your vet first. Certainly many owners today prefer to feed dried dog food simply because it is must easier and also contains the right balance of nutrients, minerals and vitamins that dogs need. The other choice you have and if you have the time is actually to prepare fresh meals for your dog which you can then freeze and give to them each day.

Tip 8 ” It is always good for you and your dog to attend obedience training classes. This is so you and your dog are on the same level, by taking them to classes your dog will start to respect you more.

Tip 9 ” You should always allow time for your dog; take them for walks around once or twice a day. Dogs love open space so a trip to the park is ideal.

Tip 10 ” It is important to look after your dogs appearance, make sure you regularly groom the dog so that their coat is clean and shinny. You can also buy dog teeth brushes to make sure your dog has nice clean teeth.

Above we have given you 10 top ways to keep your dog in shape. If you follow the guidelines you and your dog will soon be on your way to a great partnership.

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Advantage Flea Control Helps Rid Your Pet Of Fleas And Keeps Them Gone

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Are you tired of getting bitten by fleas and watching your poor dog or cat scratch themselves every day? Well, if you don’t have a flea problem yet and you are not treating your pet with a flea control product then it’s inevitable that fleas will strike sooner or later. Preventing a flea infestation is easier than trying to get rid of one, so make sure you use a good flea preventative on your pet before any problems arise.

A recommend solution is Advantage flea control for dogs and cats. It destroys the flea from the inside out within minutes of application. Regular treatment with Advantage will prevent fleas from coming back too. The active ingredient, imidacloprid, makes sure fleas die fast and don’t come back. The topical solution even stays effective after your pet gets wet or takes a bath because it stays in the lipid layer of the skin.

Advantage for dogs and cats can also be relied on by owners of puppies and kittens who tend to suffer from fleas. They can be used on kittens as small as small as eight weeks and puppies as small as seven weeks. They are also known for their ability to reduce hypersensitivity skin disorders and give instant relief to your pets.

Advantage flea control products work at the egg stage and at the same time they also prevent the eggs from developing further. They kill the new fleas and destroy the flea life cycle successfully. They are successful in killing all types of fleas that cause disease like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. They keep all the stages of eggs from developing and safely ensure that your pet does not suffer from them further in future.

Good news, you don’t need a prescription to buy Advantage flea control. In fact most flea treatments do not require a prescription. You can buy them at a discount too, there are tons of pet meds suppliers online. You can order Advantage on the internet and have it delivered to your door within a week. It’s so easy to prevent flea infestation these days, and its cheaper than ever.

Want to get Advantage flea control? You can get it cheap at Pet Medication Outlet, a discount specialty pet meds seller.

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Dog Obedience Classes Or Prefer To Do It Yourself?

Monday, March 1st, 2010

An ever-increasing number of pet owners apparently favor training schools, over the do-it-yourself strategy. Canine training schools can be quite expensive. However, if you lack the essential practical knowledge, or time to allocate to this task, these schools can be found to carry out every thing on your behalf.

Training schools for most dogs have begun appearing throughout nearly every town over North America and also Europe. Adding quite a bit of hype as well as pitch to their claims, many actually offer you all your money back if they don’t do well. Some of these schools may be the sole option for pet owners, whose lack of experience leaves them no other solution.

Many pet owners declare that the money charged by those schools is substantial and unjustified. Nevertheless, when you take an instant to consider the actual costs, such as foodstuff, supplies, and training location, you would soon come to fully grasp not all the charges go into their wallets. There are substantial expenses, not to mention the job salaries for experienced dog handlers. Considering that a background check is conducted on the instructor, exactly what better location is there for your dog to find out to behave?

Be ready to face the consequences with taking your dog to training school. Certain dogs could feel the stress piling up and act accordingly. Equip yourself with a bag and also a scoop, as these will be the most usual indications of tension. Continue to keep your dog on a lead, and notice just what interests him or her and what doesn’t. It is likely they might not like some of his fellow schoolmates a lot and would like to do something about it.

Ultimately, never pass on a bad attitude toward the animal, attempt to relax and enjoy your self and the dog should probably do precisely the same. Always keep your pet amused by drawing their focus towards you, at least until he or she has had a chance to become familiar with the atmosphere.

With fresh legislation coming forth with regards to public behavior regarding dogs, training classes are generally the final and only resource for many pet owners. For dog breeds for instance Boxer, or the Pit Bull, dog keepers would want to place extra care on their training in order to save their dog from being put down by the local authorities should something terrible happen.

Are you considering taking your dog to dog training school? Read more of the facts about dog training schools.

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Positive Dog Obedience Training Systems

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

There are numerous different canine obedience training methodologies that are out there today. Many folks frequently don’t understand that dog coaching courses regularly utilize different dog obedience training methodologies. A few of these canine obedience training methodologies work better than others.

Whether you are going to a dog training course or if you are doing the dog training yourself… wouldn’t you rather know which dog training technique is the best? If you answered yes to that question then you should know that positive dog training is the best technique to use.

Positive canine training is swiftly becoming the preferred technique of canine obedience training. If you want to find out more about positive canine training systems, please continue reading. Positive canine training systems require using only praise and positive strengthening. This means, positive dog obedience training rewards your dog for good behavior or when it performs a command in the right way.

The rewards exploited in this sort of dog obedience coaching can be treats, kind words, a pat on the head, as an example. It’s been made public that dogs answer much better to positive dog coaching. Positive dog obedience coaching secrets never involve hitting, spanking, scolding, or punishing your dog in any demean our. Dogs do not do well with any sort of negative dog obedience coaching.

Now we will go over some examples of positive dog training techniques. Let us say that you are beginning your dog training by teaching your dog to sit. When your dog sits, reward it with a treat and tell it what a good dog it is. Another example of positive dog training is to use praise and treats when your dog goes to the bathroom when and where it is supposed to. Dogs will soon learn to relate to doing this when and where it should because it gets rewarded for it.

So your dog will be house trained quicker.When using positive canine obedience training, your voice should be ecstatic and pleasing. Dogs will need to do as you ask when they get rewarded by any positive means. This is the reason why positive dog coaching works miles better than any other type of dog coaching. Now you understand what positive canine training is, you may want to start a few of these strategies yourself. You can find canine obedience training courses that use positive strategies and you may also utilize these strategies on your own.

With positive beefing up, praise, and rewards, your dog is totally sure to learn faster and be happier doing so. You’ll then be happier as well and you will also find the dog obedience coaching will go way simpler. With that mentioned you can see how positive dog obedience training methodologies will give you positive results!

Visit Sarah Hamilton’s Dog Blog. Your Independent guide to Dog Training.

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Feeding Your Pit Bull Terrier The Right Dog Food

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

They need them to have the best care possible and be content. Part of providing the best care incorporates providing the best nourishment. All of the different sorts of dog food produced can make deciding what’s best hard for owners. There are tons of selections that are highly healthy and nutritive, while others are extraordinarily unhealthy with about no nutritive value.

The most nutritive foods appear to be those offered by the bigger firms, in part, because they regularly test for food quality and nutritive worth. Out of all of the differing kinds of food available, dry food has a wish to be the least dear. Many owners like dry food because they’ve got one or two dogs and it costs noticeably less to feed them. Having the capability to store the food also helps the wallet, should you purchase it in quantities when it is on sale. Dry food is also quicker to make agreements for your dog, as all you do is pour it into a bowl.

The semi-moist dog foods are occasionally made of about twenty-five p.c. water and beef products, making them intensely well liked by many dogs they don’t seem to be surprisingly good for the dog’s teeth as they can are high in sugar content. They’re also high in additions and additions, which most owners would rather avoid. Semi damp food is often the costliest food to get.

As with the dry food, it all varies with each manufacturer, ingredients, nourishment, quality, taste, are all different from brand to brand. Canned foods win the commend bonus hands down. Canned foods supply a full meal in one can, which is often handy for owners of pets. They typically are made from animal by products, and contain more moisture than other dog foods.

They often contain the least chemicals, and are the most straightforward food for dogs to digest. Purchasing canned food can be dear, especially if your dog eats a lot, or if you have a couple of to feed. As with buying any food, it is always commended to read the labels, so you know what the ingredients are.

You don’t have to buy the costliest food for it to be nutritive, you simply must be a smart client. It’s required not to feed your Pit Bull too much, and to be certain he gets a lot of exercise. If you are still mystified about the sort of food that’ll be best, your vet should be in a position to help.

Learn more about Dogs. Stop by Michael Robertson’s site where you can find out all about Dog Food and More!

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What Colours Do Dogs See?

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

Are dogs colourblind? Believe it or not, there is no simple answer to this question. Although they are capable of seeing colours beyond grey, black and white, the number of other colours they see in comparison to what we see is very limited. Dogs mainly see yellows, blues and violets and struggle to see oranges, greens and reds. Instead they seem to appear somewhere in the spectrum of colours that sit between yellow and blue.

Dogs eyes have something called photoreceptors in their retinas. These are divided into two categories rods and cones. Dog’s eyes have a high number of rods. Comparatively, human eyes have a high level of cones. They are also missing the fovea seen in human eyes, preventing their vision from being as clear.

Despite this and their inability to see objects in great details, dogs have excellent night vision and a superior ability to track movement.

Though tests that were carried out towards the end of the 18th Century did not ascertain what colours dogs were capable of seeing, it did provide evidence that having a limited spectrum of colours has little to no affect on a dog’s daily life.

90 years after the first experiments were performed, researchers Neitz, Geist and Jacobs carried out scientific tests on domestic dogs and determined that 1 Dogs are dichromatic they have two separate kinds of colour receptors within the eyes, and 2 One colour receptor is responsible for peaking in colours blue to violet and the other in colours yellow to green. Four years later further research was carried out to support these results.

Dogs in fact suffer from a form of green colour blindness similar to human red-green colour blindness. This particular illness is more commonly referred to as deuteranopia.

The term colourblind can often be misleading. It does not automatically suggest an incapability to see colours. It is a specific condition that some humans are also known to suffer from and though dogs are not capable of seeing a similar level of colours as humans, they can see shades that fall between blue, violet and yellow.

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Dog Obedience Training – Is It Important?

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

You have just gotten you new puppy home. Dog obedience training is the farthest thing form your mind. For sure you know that you will need to house train him but that should be simple enough, after all, he is a very smart dog.

You envision what your life is going to be like now that you have a new best friend. You imagine being able to take your dog with you to the park where he can run free and play with you. He will go ever where that you do and he will always stay by your side so you don’t even need him on a leash.

He might even be your child’s best friend. They will spend long summer days playing and getting into mischief just the way a kid and their dog are supposed to . Life is going to be fantastic!

Then real life comes back to smack you in the face.

Your perfectly behaved dog will absolutely not relieve himself outside and loves lounging on your couch. He is suddenly to good for dog food and scours the counters for his feast. Your new carpet has become a digging haven.

Never mind that you bought him plenty of bones and toys to chew, the sides of your favorite recliner is the perfect chew toy. He barks all day and night and slowly but surely your hopes and dreams of owning the perfect dog has vanished.

So what in the world do you do know?

Well, getting rid of the horrible dog is not an option because even if you wish it for a second he get the biggest, mournful eyes when he is in trouble. He really loves you and you him.

If only he would be better behaved it would all be wonderful.

Well the answer to your problem my friend is dog obedience training and I’m not just talking about taking him to a dog training class a handful of times and hoping for the best. Your dog will need constant training but it will not be as hard to do as you think. Dogs are born to please so when you and your dog finally figure out how to communicate to each other and he finally gets what it is that you want him to do he will go out of his way to make you happy.

Having a puppy can be difficult and chances are good that you will run into some dog training problems in the process. As long as your determined you will get there so never give up. Did you know that you can actually use dog training methods when dealing with teething puppies?

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