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Dog Training Equipment
Dog Training Equipment
In order to determine the proper equipment needed to help train a dog, you first must have a clear idea of just exactly what is going to be the goal of the training. To train a dog simply to be a good household pet is not going to require an excessive amount of special equipment, but to train the dog to be a K-9 attack dog or seeing-eye dog is going to require quite a bit more. The basics for training include the collar and the leash. Most novice pet owners do not take this as serious as they should and tend to select a collar more for its visual appeal than for its training potential.
There are several varieties of collars designed for training. They range from simple snap-on collars to sophisticated electric collars. A general rule of thumb for training collar selection is to select the gentlest collar that accomplishes the goal. Several types of collars, including choke collars and prong collars can cause harm to the dog if not used properly and by an experienced trainer. The leash is another basic equipment item that is often carelessly selected. The leash is the connection between you and your animal and a little investment in the proper size and style of leash for your particular training needs will pay off handsomely.
Grooming your Dog
GROOMING YOUR DOG
You take your own personal hygiene very serious, isn’t that iit ? The same should apply to your dog, he also needs to be attended to.
Grooming your dog does two things:
a) It keeps your dog looking trim and cute
b) It solidifies the bond between you and your dog.
Equipment necessary for grooming your dogs
They include:- hair clippers, brushes (different types of brushes may be required for different purposes), and combs. Some breeds of dog such as long-coated ones demand a lot of time and patience and the owner has to be prepared to go through with this to get the dog in a dandy shape.
Suitable methods of grooming for different coats
a) Rough coated Dogs- these usually require more time and effort for grooming. Usually the rough coats cast about every six months and a lot of hair is lost. It is important that you brush and comb the hair daily to prevent it from getting matted. A stiff brush in combination with a comb will do this job well and you should make sure you get to the root of the hair when doing this. If you feel all this is too much of stress, you just want to take your dog to the vet.
b) Short-coated dogs – these ones usually take less time and effort to groom. They should be groomed daily using a slightly stiff brush. Example of a short -coated dog is the Bull Terrier.
Dog Feeding and Nutrition
DOG FEEDING AND NUTRITION
When it comes to pet keeping, nutrition is a very important subject the health (or life) of your dog depend on the quality and acceptability whatever it is your feed to him. It is used to be claimed that dogs were strictly carnivores and all they needed was meat and bones in their diet. This is false!
Recent findings have it that the dog is better termed an omnivore, because he his able to survive on a diet that is mostly vegetable with some meat. However, a complete lack of meat in his diet will probably lead to nutritional deficiencies.
Dog food should contain a balanced mixture of the major nutrients including carbohydrates, proteins, and fat. They should also have adequate quantity of minerals and vitamins.
Carbohydrates supply the body with energy and excess amounts are stored as fat. Fats also supply the body with energy (though about twice that of carbohydrates). Proteins are involved in tissue growth and repairs and a greater percentage of vital organs in the body are made up of proteins.
Dog Health Management
DOG HEALTH MANAGEMENT
From the time you purchase your puppy. You invariably signed a contract with the veterinarian. And as far as your pet’s health is concerned, he is your best friend.
Once you get the puppy, take him over to the vet of your choice and have him registered. The vet would go over him thoroughly, taking note of those things you have missed while purchasing your pet. He will also get to meet your doggy. From here, you will be given a schedule of vaccination he would need to take, and routine check ups may also be scheduled.
Vaccinations your dog would need at his early age taken care of four major diseases – Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parvovirus and para influenza (DHLPP). After the initial two inoculations of the vaccine, he is required to come for yearly boosters.
Other vaccination include;- Rabies vaccine (but this depend on the country you live in), because the disease has been totally eradicated in some countries.
Why dogs like to sit close to our feet
Why dogs like to sit close to our feet
There are many reasons why a dog may like to sit on an owner’s feet. It all depends on the dog and the other behaviors they exhibit. What kind of dog is it? Is he a pushy dog? A love bug? A dog that always like to be touching someone? Is this an anxious dog who doesn’t like to let the owner out of their sight? The same behavior can be caused by lots of different things, depending on the particular dog.
If you have a dog who is very dominant, then your dog could like to sit on your feet as a way to assert himself over you. He is physically pinning you down and putting himself in a more powerful position. But this would only be the case if this particular dog does other things that make you believe he is trying to be dominant.
Does your og suffer from separation anxiety? Do they follow you from room to room? Do they go to pieces if they can’t see you? In this case the dog may be trying to reassure himself about your presence. He may be looking for comfort by touching you.
Complementary Dog and Puppy Medicine
Complementary Medicine
Complementary medicine, a term often used interchangeably with holistic medicine, provides”nonconventional” treatments for a variety of ailments, and is not just for humans anymore. Pets can now enjoy better health, too, as many veterinarians and pet owners increasingly embrace new techniques and treatments. According to the American Animal Hospital Association’s 2003 National Pet Owner Survey, 21 percent of pet owners have used some form of complementary medicine on their pets. Compare this to the 1996 survey, in which only six percent of pet owners said they’ve used alternative therapies on their pets.
Holistic medicine combines conventional veterinary medicine with one or more complementary therapies. Holistic practitioners consider your pet’s entire well-being, not just individual symptoms or conditions, and mix and match treatments to best serve Spot’s or Fluffy’s needs. A holistic approach to your pet’s problem will likely prove beneficial in nearly all cases. Research into a variety of veterinary medical therapies is ongoing, and the quality of care our pets receive is continually improving. Below, we describe some of the more common complementary medical therapies available.
Home made Dog diets
Home made diets
Home made diets are important in the dog feeding. Many a times, the commercial diets consist of food items that have artificial coloring agents and flavoring agents that are harmful to the dog’s body. Home made food items have the guarantee of freshness in the preparation unlike the ready-made commercial items.
The preservatives added in the commercial food items may not be the suitable ones to the dogs from the health point of view. Even in case of renal diseases in dogs, the home made diets may be made with ground beef, slices of bread, calcium carbonate, boiled eggs etc.
Train your dog to Sit!
Training your dog to Sit!
The command Sit! would be one of the first and easiest you want your dog to learn and memorize.
Whenever a dog hears his feeding dish being handled, or his leash being taken from its place it knows what’s going to happen. So the Puppy is very early able to understand the connection food – cup, or walk – leash and anticipate the outcome. This is exactly what we are going to take advantage of.
The moment the Puppy sits down by himself we say “sit”. Repeatingly using the sit! command whenever the Puppy sits down will make your dog connect action and command. As with the cup and leash example the dog will sit down although the command is happening before the action taking place. Of course the Puppy will only sit down if not “disturbed” by something of major importance.
Dry vs. Canned Dog food
A look at Dog food
These types of food materials are different with different grades of liking by the dogs. Dogs like dry foods only if they are tasty only and however, on comparison, the dogs prefer only the canned food items. Reason for such preference by the dogs is that in case of canned food items, the moisture is about seventy to eighty per cent but in case of dry food, it is only about ten per cent.
However, if you view it in terms of nutrients, often the dry food contains nearly ninety per cent nutrients whereas the canned food items contain only less per cent of nutrients and most of the times. It is only soy products that are structured so well to look like meat pieces.
Dog Insurance
Why having dog insurance is important
To have a proper insurance for the dog is a very important issue for every new dog owner.
While most dog owners firstly think about health insurance plans, good public liability insurance, covering every kind of accident or injury is much more important. Even the smallest dog may cause a car accident by running on a road, make somebody fall and break his leg, damage someone else’s property, or bite the postman to defend his home.
Make sure the maximum cover is high enough to pay even for a heavy car accident and long term rehab. Most insurance plans have a very low coverage that is no help at all. There is many insurance companies specialized on pet insurances, so take your time to compare their plans and packages.