Archive for the ‘General’ Category
Dog Trainer – An Ideal Career For Animal Lovers
Dog Trainer – An Ideal Career For Animal Lovers
Needless to say, the ideal job, the one we are all dreaming of, is the one we do for pure pleasure, that makes us feel fulfilled as individuals. In other words, it is a gratifying job both financially and personally. So is dog training career: dog trainers are lucky to get the two things they want at the same time: money and dealing with dogs. What does a dog trainer do?
First of all, he offers training classes at dog owners’ request and gives owners valuable advice, teaching them all they need to know for properly looking after their dogs. He also teaches them fundamental obeying orders.
He instructs dogs how to “socialize” with other dogs or unknown persons. In addition, he prepares that kind of dogs used in rescue or search missions, as well as dogs taking part in any type of contests. Finally, they evaluate how dogs evolve during trainings.
How profitable is this kind of profession? Always ask yourself this kind of questions, because viability is an important issue before starting a business. Actually, dog training career has proved to be quite advantageous, if you take into account the number of owned dogs in the USA : around 61,000,000.
If you ever thought about starting this type of business, don’t hesitate! There are lots of training requests and you won’t need a big sum of money to begin. What you will need are skills, good knowledge and the ability to gain your clients’ trust in order to succeed.
Generally, you have no reasons to worry for your earnings. If you didn’t know, dog trainers are some of the best paid professionals. So you will be two times lucky: you will do what you most enjoy and earn enough money.
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Normal Behavior of Your Dog
Normal Behavior of Your Dog
Dogs display a number of traits that humans find annoying, strange or even disgusting (eating feces is a prime example). Yet dogs do what they do for a reason. As far as they are concerned, they are doing nothing wrong, and they become confused when we scold them. Knowing why dogs do certain things will enable you to cope better with them as they occur.
Vocal communication
Compared to humans, dogs have a limited ability to communicate using sound and tend to rely more on body language to get their message across. The range of sounds they produce tends to be used to back up their body language rather than in isolation. Howling and growling are the least common sounds, but barking is used frequently, often in different ways to convey different meanings. These can range from guarding barks to those designed to get attention, or barking can be used just to let off steam when excited or frustrated.
Guarding and possession
Natural instinct dictates that to let another take away food will result in hunger. This principle sometimes gets transferred to toys and other items a dog possesses; to give them up is a sign of weakness. Guarding food or a toy, by growling or snapping at anyone who approaches, is a dog’s way of saying ‘this is mine and you are not having it’. However, this line of defence is inappropriate in a human environment. In pet dogs, not letting go of something must be discouraged from an early age, otherwise aggression problems may later result. It is perfectly fine to let a non-aggressive or non-possessive dog occasionally win the toy in a game to keep his play motivation high, but this should be the exception, not the rule.
Dog Clothes – Stylize You Dog
Dog Clothes – Stylize You Dog
When you enter the pet care stores you can find that these dog clothes are widely available in a number of varieties, designs and lot many pretty colors. There are a number of accessories too, available at the pet care stores, which can add up as add-ons to your dog’s clothes. As you explore the shop you can find many kinds of dog clothes. From a single piece of dog cloth to double pieces, from laced ones to the ones having buttons, from dog pants to dog tops from dog caps to dog belts every thing can be found in such stores.
When you are into one such dog care store and you are looking for some clothes and accessories for your pet dog then there are some things you need to keep in your mind. And they are- pay heed to size of the dog clothes you choose. They must be of your dog’s size and fit comfortably on your dog’s torso. Just keep in mind whether your dog is
healthy or is a little lean and then remember the length of your dog and then according to all that you need to make your selection. Get a color that suits your dog and groom it well with the dog clothes.
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The Basics of Canine Senses
The Basics of Canine Senses
A dog’s nervous and sensory systems are essential to his health and well-being. Perceptions and reactions to his environment are dependent on his senses; movement is controlled through the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord); and the endocrine system (the hormone-producing glands) controls his patterns of behaviour.
Sight
Canine vision is inferior to human during the day, but is superior at night. Dogs do see colours, but not as distinctly as humans (in pastel as opposed to strong colours), and their peripheral vision is better than ours. In addition to the upper and lower eyelids, there is a third eyelid – the nictitating membrane (haw), which is comprised of a thin sheet of pale tissue tucked away in the corner of the eye. Its function is to help remove dust and dirt from the surface of the eye (cornea) by moving across it during any inward movement, and also to help keep the eyeball moist and lubricated.
Hearing
A dog’s hearing is vastly superior to that of a human and he is, therefore, more sensitive to sounds than we are – especially those at high frequencies which we cannot hear (hence the use of ‘silent’ dog whistles). A dog’s mobile ears help to pinpoint the source of a sound, since they can be directed towards it.
Smell
A dog’s primary sense is his sense of smell, as it is essential in relation to his sex life and hunting for food and water. The area in a dog’s nose for detecting scent is nearly 37 times larger than that in humans, and is approximately 100 times more powerful than a human’s. The parts of the brain that process signals coming in from the nose are far greater in size and complexity in a dog than are the corresponding parts of the human brain.
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.
Dog Insurance – Puppy 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.
Dog proof your Home
Provide a safe home to your Puppy or Dog
Whether you have never owned a dog and are planning on getting a new puppy, or have had dogs in the past and are considering getting a new puppy, there are a few items to consider to prepare your home for the puppy to arrive. Puppies are cute and fun to play with, but they also come with a ton of responsibility. Taking the proper precautions and actions to prepare your family and home for the new puppies arrival is key to having success and happiness with your newest family member.
Puppies love to chew. Whether your new puppy decides to chew on your shoes, furniture, cords or anything else it can get in its mouth; your puppy will chew. You need to be prepared for this and have a plan of action at hand to teach your new puppy what to chew and what not to chew. The best way to encourage your puppy to chew the right things, is to put them in front of them. Purchase dog bones and dog chews that will encourage your puppy to eat those and not your shoes, clothes and furniture. Secondly, there are dangerous aspects to what your puppy is chewing on. If your puppy decides to chew up a shoe and swallow pieces, you could have some problems on your hands. You may just be footing a veterinarian bill that you otherwise could have avoided. Another highly dangerous part of puppies and dogs with chewing habits is chewing on electrical cords and wires. Whether it’s a lamp, extension cord or computer cord, chewing on anything electrical can result in electrocution or even death. Point made, cover your electrical cords and provide your puppies and dogs with the proper chew toys and treats they will love to chew on, saving your precious belongings.
Puppy & Dog Identification
Puppy & Dog Identification
Pet identification is highly required in these days because of the need for the licensing of the dog in a proper manner and to reduce the numbers of the stray dog menace in streets. Pet identification is done by many methods, which are different from each other. The cost factor for that also has variations accordingly.
The identification of your pet may be done by personalized tags, some times by the municipal license tag, rabies tag, and more. Most of the time, your telephone number and your name will be on a place in the personalized tags of the dogs. If any body encounters the dog accidentally during the event of missing of the dog will become capable of reporting the facts to the concerned officials.
Seeing Eye Dogs and Drug Sniffing Dogs
Seeing Eye Dogs and Drug Sniffing Dogs
Dogs are certainly amazing and versatile animals. When you are in the process of training a dog and are getting a bit discouraged, you might take a moment to consider those two highly specialized trained dogs, the drug sniffing dog and the seeing eye dog.
The first school for Seeing Eye dogs was established in Potsdam, Germany shortly after World War I. The idea was to train German shepherds to assist men blinded in the war. An American lady living in Switzerland learned of the school and wrote an article about it that was published in the Saturday Evening Post in 1927.
This led to the establishment of the first American Seeing Eye dog school in 1929. Over the years, the school has practiced a selective breeding program to improve the quality of dogs that are trained to act as companions and eyes for blind people all over the World. It is the tremendous loyalty of the dog to its owner that is the key ingredient in this type of advanced training.
Overweight Dogs
Overweight Dogs – Health Issues
When we think of dogs we tend to think of agile creatures that love to exercise and play, have speed and power, and are sleek or cuddly. However, just like humans and other animals, dogs are creatures that can be prone to weight problems, some breeds far more than others.
Most dogs love their food and treats, and although most love to exercise and play there are also those that are quite happy to toast their paws in front of the fire and play the “couch potato” whenever given the chance. And, of course, the combination of lack of exercise and over-feeding can lead to a very fat little dog.
Avoiding obesity in your dog
Some dogs can be far more susceptible than others to weight gain, and for dogs this can result in a range of associated health problems. Weight gain can not only make your dog miserable, but reduce his quality of life, and even reduce his lifespan.
This is why it is important for responsible owners to monitor and maintain a healthy weight for their dogs, and in the event of weight gain to take action in order to try and get their weight back on track.