Jun 12th, 2009 by Gaetane Ross
In this pet guide, you will learn 8 signs of dog illness you should recognize. There are many health complications that a dog may experience. If you own a dog, you must be alert to these issues. By learning the symptoms that may indicate a potential health problem, you are taking the steps that are necessary to ensure that your dog gets medical attention when it needs it the most. The symptoms that will be identified in this guide could indicate a problem that can be potentially serious. Now, you will be introduced to the 8 signs of dog illness you should recognize.
1. If your dog starts to display signs of weakness, there could be a potentially serious issue going on with their health. You may find that your pet lacks the level of activity that they normally have, or you may find that they appear to have a general sense of lethargy. In addition to the sign of weakness, you are likely to discover that your pet has coordination complications and issues with their balance. If you notice any of these signs of dog illness, it is imperative that you get your pet in to see a veterinarian as soon as possible for immediate medical assistance.
2. The next sign of concern includes a general lack of appetite. In order to appropriately monitor your pet�s appetite, you should schedule two to three times daily in which you offer them food. If, on the next feeding, you notice that the bowl still contains quite a bit of food it will help you to see that there may be issues with the appetite.
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Jun 9th, 2009 by doghomehealthcare
Dogs are pack animals and many of their behaviors reflect this truth. When you get a new puppy one of the foremost and the most essential things that you can do is to establish authority. You are the “pack leader” and you must act fittingly.
Puppies will spend a significant quantity of time trying to figure out where they fit into the chain of command. They generally do this by trying to set up their own dominance. Some breeds are more forceful than others, for example, the terrier breeds. Some of the other breeds tend to be more meek naturally.
As soon as your puppy comes home he needs to have his place in the hierarchy recognized. He needs to know that he must be submissive to you and that you and the other human family members are the prevailing members of the pack. All of the humans inside the home must be over him in the pecking order. This is not a matter of punishment but rather the way it must be in order for him to be content and to become a conscientious doggy citizen.
In order to set up the dominance you must go along with a few straightforward rules. If not your puppy will be getting mixed signals and it will be more challenging for you to train him and he will be baffled as to what you really want.
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Jun 7th, 2009 by doghomehealthcare
Successful training for your dog: the Positive Reinforcement Method
It’s generally accepted among the majority of dog training experts that the most efficient and humane method to train your dog is through a process called positive reinforcement training. This is a fancy phrase for what’s basically a very uncomplicated theory: using positive reinforcement entails rewarding the behavior that you wish to see continual, and ignoring the behavior that you don’t. This method is in express contrast to some of the now-outdated but once-popular techniques for dog training, some of which were frankly detestable: physical pain and intimidation , or inhumane methods of aversion therapy. Positive reinforcement works with your dog. Her natural nature is to please you – the theory of positive reinforcement recognizes that lessons are more significant for dogs, and tend to stick more, when a dog is able to figure out what you’re telling them on their own as opposed to, say, learning “down” by being forced repeatedly into a prone position, while the word “down” is repeated at intervals. When you use positive reinforcement training, you’re allowing her the time and the chance to use her own brain.
Some ways for you to smooth the progress of the training process: - Use meaningful rewards. Dogs get bored pretty quickly with a routine pat on the head and a “good girl” (and, in fact, most dogs don’t even like being patted on the head – watch their expressions and notice how most will balk or shy away when a hand descends towards their head). To keep the quality of your dog’s learning at a high standard, use appealing incentives for good behavior. Food treats and physical affection are what dog trainers refer to as “primary incentives” – in other words, they’re both important rewards that most dogs respond powerfully and consistently to. - Use the right timing. When your dog obeys a command, you must mark the behavior that you’re going to reward so that, when she gets that treat in her mouth, she understands precisely what behavior it was that earned her the reward. Some people use a clicker for this: a small metal sound-making gadget, which emits a distinct “click” when pressed. The clicker is clicked at the exact moment that a dog performs the desired behavior (so, if asking a dog to sit, you’d click the clicker just as the dog’s bottom hits the ground).
You can also use your voice to mark desired behavior: just saying “Yes!” in a happy, excited tone of voice will work perfectly. Make sure that you grant her the treat after the marker – and keep in mind to use the marker consistently. If you only say “Yes!” or use the clicker sometimes, it won’t have any significance to your dog when you do do it; she requirements the opportunity to learn what that marker means (i.e., that she’s done something right whenever she hears the marker, and a treat will be forthcoming very shortly). So be consistent with your marker. - Be consistent with your training commands, too. When you’re teaching a dog a command, you must decide ahead of time on the verbal cue you’re going to be giving her, and then stick to it. So, when training your dog to not jump up on you, you wouldn’t ask her to “get off”, “get down”, and “stop jumping”, because that would just confuse her; you’d pick one phrase, such as “No jump”, and stick with it.
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Jun 6th, 2009 by doghomehealthcare
Not long after a puppy is born, the puppy obedience training can begin. The nitty-gritty of puppy obedience training may be initiated by the breeder from whom you bought or secured your puppy.
Studies illustrate that up to the age of three weeks, puppies are not yet ready to take in even a little in the way of edification. They are not attentive of anything else except for their mom, food, and sleep. During this period, puppy elimination is done by impulse, but they change around the 21st to 28th day of puppy life as they begin to leave the blanket and search for a place to eliminate. At this period, puppies grow to be more aware of their environment and are growing more insightful to stimuli. Lessons that an animal learns at an early age will have a greater force on their obedience training as a whole.
Staying Upbeat Helps Puppies
When you want your pet to do the accurate thing, the best thing to do is to not use punishment as a form of readiness. Vocal praise along with special treats are more successful. When you are needing to use negative stimuli for your puppy it ought to be limited to no and block any bad events from your puppy with using your hands. Striking a puppy or injuring it in any way is mean and should not be used as a form of punishment.
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Jun 5th, 2009 by doghomehealthcare
Interested in getting a dog or two to add to your family? Well before you do you need to think about what breed of dog is best for you to get. There are so many dog breeds out there it can be difficult trying to figure out which breed of dog is best suited for your lifestyle.
Let us start with your living space. Is your house large or small? If you have a large home, especially one with a large backyard, then a large breed like the mastiff or the St. bernard would be good picks. You do not want you dog to cramped up if you have a small house. If you own a small house then consider getting something like the chihuahua or maybe you would like the yorkshire terrier aka the yorkie.
Also think about cleaning up after a dog. The husky is a wonderful dog to own. They are loyal, loving, playful dogs you may have seen pulling sleds in some movies. One of the few bad things about owning one is that they shed their fur once a year and it can be a lot of hair at that.
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