DOG TRAINING EQUIPMENT

If you are considering bringing a puppy home and have never done it before, there are some important things you need to know. A puppy is a new member in your household and therefore needs your care and attention just like another human member in your home.

The pup has just left its family and is going to be lonely. So, whenever it is awake it will seek company and a caring touch. If you are not able to provide these crucial elements and of course food and water, maybe you need to reschedule the 'bringing home' event.

In the meantime do some research on what kind of an attitude you need to have and how you can care for your puppy. One thing you can expect when a new pup comes to your home is restlessness and whimpering. You can minimize this discomfort. Let's take a look how.

1st way to make a puppy comfortable: Do not bring a pup which is less than two months old. The puppy needs to be with its mother until it is two months old. It needs the nourishment, the security and the sense of identity that comes from being nursed by its mother.

2nd way to make a puppy feel comfortable: The means of transport. It's a pup remember, so treat it tenderly, gently. Bring it home as comfortably as possible.

Prepare a basket with a cushion, a coverlet and some chewable doggy toys. Put the pup in it. Make sure you caress the pup's head every once in a while during the journey home.
Talk to it. It will whimper for sure, but your soothing voice will calm it down.

3rd way to make your puppy comfortable: Introduce the pup to your home. Carry the pup around your home. Introduce it to the rest of your family. Let them and the pup get acquainted with each other.

Let the pup down and look out for it when it goes exploring. Gently but firmly stop it from doing things that are unacceptable in your household.

Fourth way to make a puppy comfortable: Prepare its corner/basket/bed in a cozy place in the house. Take the same care that you did when you prepared the basket for the transport.

The place where you intend to keep the puppy depends on the rules of your house. Some people prefer to take the pup to their bedroom; others would have it in their living room, etc.

No matter where you put it, your task is to look out for it every once in a while, caress it, talk to it (maybe you could name it right away), take it out whenever you think it might need to relieve itself.

Fifth way to make a puppy comfortable: Give the puppy a bowl of milk and some water in a separate bowl. Keep these next to its basket. Coax the puppy to drink up. If the pup does not drink at all, you might want to use a dropper to feed it some milk and water.

You might also try giving it something semi-solid, like bread soaked in milk. Keep the quantity small. Feeding it too much might cause an upset stomach, and the puppy might throw-up.

After all this might be the first time that it has had anything other than its mother's milk. Keep some soft paper towels with you to clean up any messes that you or the puppy might make.

Sixth way to make a puppy comfortable: The pup will need to relieve itself on its first night away from its family. It may not be possible for you to step out of your house in the dead of the night for the sake of the puppy.

Spread an old newspaper near the pup's basket. Whenever you see that the pup is getting restless, lift the puppy and put it on the newspaper and keep it there until it has finished its task.

The first night with the pup is going to be mostly sleepless for you, what with the whimpering and the waking up. Hey, but you won't mind, after all you love your pup don't you?

Very often you find dogs in dog shelters with matted hair. Usually, if it is a good shelter, these dogs would be new arrivals, if not the shelter is probably short on manpower.

You'll find dogs with matted hair in homes as well. (Unfortunately not all dog owners are conscientious about their pets.)

Dogs with such problems are usually ones with long-haired coats. Sometimes, you'll find dogs with short-haired coats also have similar problems.

The problem needs to be taken care of. While this condition is harmful to the dog, it is also unhealthy for the humans and other dogs who live in the vicinity.

How is it harmful to the dog? Matted hair is a great hiding place for fleas, mites and ticks. Dandruff (yes, even dogs are affected by dandruff), has a chance to thrive in the matted coat. Last of all the odor accompanying matted coat is unbearable.

One doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that a dog with a matted coat is not comfortable and certainly not happy. How do you deal with such a problem? Read on...

1. First things first. Assess the extent of matting. Is it all over the coat? Is it dirt streaked? Is it only at the ends of the hair? Has the matting extended to the roots?

2. If the matting is all over the coat, dirt streaked and has extended to the roots, the best way to get rid of the problem is to cut away all of the dog's coat. You have to take care while sniping away the hair that you don't hurt the dog's skin.

Having done that it's time to groom the dog, treat it for ticks, mites, fleas and dandruff (more often than not such dogs will have all these infestations). Take care that the dog is regularly groomed, so that the condition does not recur.

3. If the matting is restricted to the ends of the hair, measures are not as drastic as the previous one. However, it is going to be a tedious job. Get the dog to lie on a table. (Keep some tidbits to tempt the dog to stay there. Of course if you have a way with dogs, you don't need the tidbits.)

You'll need a pair of small scissors as well as a good sized one. The small scissors are for difficult places like the paws, the ears and eyes. Carefully snipe off the matted parts.

After you are done with delicate areas, use the other pair of scissors and snipe off the rest of the matted hair. Next, thoroughly brush the dog down to remove small tangles. Once again check the dog for infestations and treat those conditions as well.

4. What happens with dogs with short hair but a badly matted coat? More often than not the matting is due to dirt. So, very simply bathe the dog down, groom it and you are rid of the problem. Once again check for infestations and treat the dog for them.

There is only one way you can avoid this problem from recurring. You have three guesses! Anybody?! You are right!
1. Regular grooming, 2. Regular grooming, and 3. ... You fill in the blanks.

Does your new canine family member need some help fitting in? Peruse your local shoppers guide or newspapers, and you'll find dozens of ads for dog training services.... Do you know how to choose one to fit you and your dog's style?

There are many, many different ways and methods of approaching dog training, ranging from the downright violent punishment and "alpha"-based types to gentle, positive reinforcement methods.

For many years, dogs were intimidated into "obedience," and it seemed to be working. Out on the farm, a dog was expected to learn to behave with very little, but usually forceful, training or it got shot. Period.

Suburban dog owners were told that the dog needed to be taught to "obey the master", and that master did everything they could to make it so: scruff shakes, newspaper beaters, alpha rolls, rubber hose pieces, choke chains, electronic collars -- you name it, it's been tried. Dogs respond differently to avoid the punishment -- many just shut down; others go into fear-mode and cower, or they may turn that fear into aggression. The lucky ones learn to overcome the violence and mature into esteemed family members.

Trainers now have learned that, in the wrong hands, choke chains can lead to permanent damage of the trachea and larynx; that the theory behind being "alpha" has been proven wrong; that punishment is an ineffective teaching tool. Nowadays, positive training methods are more popular for the simple reason that they work and leave you with a happy, outgoing dog.

Dog training methods still vary widely, and most long-time trainers will have adapted a particular method to fit their style and clientele. Many are shifting their focus to a more positive approach.

The dog itself needs to be considered. What is his background? Did you just get a puppy, or is he a rescue with issues? What are your goals beyond basic obedience: family pet, agility, conformation shows, tracking, or any of the many other ways you can enjoy your dog's participation in a dog sport?

With your dog's makeup and your training goals in mind, look through your local newspaper or shopper's guide and make a list of the trainers' contact information; check out their web sites. Ask other dog owners how and where they trained their dogs. Contact local kennel clubs and veterinarians for recommendations.

For best results, look for trainers who use positive methods. Ask for referrals. Some dog trainers will work with you and your dog at home, but you'll be missing out on important socialization for your dog. Find out when they hold their beginner classes and ask to observe one; if the dogs are being dragged around by choke collars, go elsewhere!

Puppies should be enrolled in puppy kindergarten or play group as soon as possible for socialization. If, on the other hand, your rescue dog has aggression issues, you may need to enlist the help of a certified animal behaviorist rather than just a dog trainer. Never take aggression lightly!

Training tools like pinch collars may have a place with a very small percentage of dogs, although a "Gentle Leader" head collar may well be just as, if not more, effective.

Don't be surprised if the first class is without dogs in attendance. That's a good sign! Positive training, especially clicker training, requires a "train the trainer" introduction to teach you how to communicate with your dog effectively and how to use the tools to do so.

How to recognize a positive training class:
--the general tone will be upbeat
--training is reward-based: a desired behavior is rewarded with a treat, praise or something else the dog values
--undesired behaviors are allowed to extinguish; there will be as little punishment as possible, and usually all that's required is an "eh-eh growl" to divert the dog's attention and to tell him he's done something wrong
--undesired behaviors are counteracted by asking for an incompatible desired behavior, e.g., "sit" to stop a dog from jumping up on people
--there's usually a playtime, if the dogs are compatible
--patience; dogs are allowed time to decide to comply or offer a desired behavior

There are many good books and websites on dog training as well. Do a search on "clicker training" to find out about the most effective animal training method. This is how non-human Hollywood stars learn their tricks, and so can your dog!

X-rays can be used to diagnose or detect many conditions and disorders in dogs. Bone fractures, bladder stones and tumors can easily be detected through this technique. Sometimes dogs swallow the most ridiculous things that can become lodged in their gastric-intestinal tract such as nails, rocks, fishhooks, safety pins, bones, toys etc...all these things can cause serious damage if not detected soon enough. Some dogs may also suffer from hereditary dog illnesses like elbow dysplasia, hip dysplasia, mitral valve disease, cardiomyopathy and most of these diseases can be identified using dog x-rays.

Hip dysplasia results into severe arthritis in dogs. In this dog illness, the socket joining the demur to the pelvis is shallow. The caput i.e. the ball of the femur is not round and smooth but is misshapen. This causes a lot of friction within the joint as it moves. This results in severe arthritis in the dog. The dog's natural repair system will repair itself by adding new cartilage. However, the cartilage repair is a relatively slow process because the cartilage lacks blood flow, which is necessary for rapid bodily repairs. The degraded joint may not be able to support the body weight as expected. The joint then becomes inflamed leading to a cycle of cartilage damage and inflammation. The bones of the joint may also develop osteoarthritis, which is visible on a dog x-ray as small outcrops of bone. Hence, the dog x-rays can help us to recognize these fractures so that we can treat them efficiently.

However, taking x-rays require dogs to remain still. Sometimes, the dog squirms and moves during the x-ray. This results in unclear and distorted images of the dog's insides, which can lead to wrong diagnosis. Sometimes, it so happens that a dog having hip dysplasia is not diagnosed because the veterinary surgeon cannot make out the slight shift of the bone. The dog is already living in infinite pain. On top of this, even after the dog is x-rayed and found to have nothing wrong in his system, do not think the efforts have been wasted. X-rays should always be neatly filed up for future references. To determine the dog illnesses, the x-ray is important and so it is vital for the owner and the vet to position the dog properly on the table and take some measures to keep it still. Some dogs are naturally obedient and won't move a muscle if his or her owner instructs so. Sometimes, a light anaesthetic is registered to keep the dog still. if the dog is being x-rayed for the muscles, anesthesia is unavoidable.

It happens more often than not, that the dog x-rays might not turn out to be conclusive. In such cases, one should reserve breeding until the x-rays show something definite. By the time the dog is fully-grown the dog x-rays will reveal the proper status of the dog's bone development. The OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) will not classify hips in dogs until they are two years of age.

There are other dog diseases like blood clots, esophageal achalasia and bladder stones which x-rays can detect. People are having their dogs x-rayed these days to detect possible bone fractures that the dog might have.

X-rays, therefore, have become inevitable in the field of veterinary practice. In this way, dog x-rays can help to cure the dog illnesses that trouble our cuddly friends.

Pet Ownership rates in Canada match those in Britain and other Western countries. Rural regions, with boundless distances to run, things to sniff and other animals to meet, would thrill any dog. While cats are also common, they are not as obvious as their canine cousins. In addition to the usual risks from people and automobiles, domestic cats can have trouble defending themselves from wild animals.
Many people choose to keep their cats in the house and sometimes leave them unaccompanied for long periods in small apartments.

Pet owners are responsible for their animals' actions, and towns and cities have become progressively stricter about cleaning up feces. In the winter some dog owners may be tempted to bury the evidence in the snow, which leads to much disgust once the snow melts in the spring. Communities have off-leash areas, but otherwise dogs should be walked on a lead.

The National Animal Health Program is the governing body responsible for the importation of animals and animal products, including pets. As an agricultural nation, Canada has strict rules to maintain its environmental integrity. Surprisingly, a fairly long list of creatures may enter Canada without a plant protection permit, among them tarantulas and scorpions - neither of which would fare particularly well should they escape into the snow.

According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the fact that Britain is a non-rabies country bodes well if you want to bring Spot with you to your new home - although the flight will be very hard on him.
Be aware that the cost of air fare. Not only is there is the price of the flight, but vets' fees for micro chipping, vaccinations and blood tests, import permits and possibly insurance. At this time, Canada does not insist on quarantine for cats or dogs coming from countries where rabies is not prevalent, although it would be a good idea to have proof of vaccination.

Turtles and their eggs require an importation permit, and in many cases, will only be granted to zoos or research laboratories.

It is always advisable to confirm animal regulations before coming to Canada. Birds from Asia cannot be brought into the country because of avian flu. Under no circumstances may you bring your pet primate, unless you are coming from the United States. Gorillas, monkeys and their many cousins may only come into zoos, so have your husband shave his back and hands before leaving for Canada.

It's a pretty common problem - separation anxiety in dogs. There is the dog that looks a little put-out that the owner is leaving and not taking him, and then there is the dog that scratches through the screen on the window trying to get out of the house to follow his owner. The first example is natural, but the second is not.

There are many reasons why a dog can have separation anxiety. Dogs from shelters have been abandoned once and may feel that they're being abandoned again. Dogs from pet stores can have anxiety because they've been taken away from their mothers too early.

Some dogs become anxious about being separated after changes occur in their lives. There may be a change in the family dynamics with a new baby, a divorce, loss of a roommate, or the death of another pet. Frequent moves or a change in the owner's work schedule can bring on anxiety as well.

To help the pet, owners should take the time to ease them into any new changes. If they've moved cross country, added a new spouse, or started working nights, they should take some time to give their dog extra attention. Play with them and walk them. Exercise helps relieve stress in dogs too.

If the pet owner has to work long hours, they should consider hiring a pet sitter to come in during the day for a half hour to walk and play with the dog. If this becomes the new routine for the dog he doesn't feel so isolated; he now has a friend to play with. Plus he's more likely to take a nap afterward than scratch at the door.

Sometimes it helps to leave talk radio on or some low, soothing music.The radio can also cover up the sounds of people walking by outside, which can cause some dogs to go into a barking frenzy and become distressed.

It is helpful for the owner to say goodbye matter-of-factly. This is better than long, guilt-ridden, apologetic goodbyes because the pet will sense the owner's guilt and it will make the pet feel even worse.

Another thing the owner can do is give the dog a job when he leaves. There are safe chew toys that can hold a treat that take some time for the dog to get out. Now they have a job to do while the owner is gone.

Separation anxiety in dogs is a common problem, although the severity can differ. If your dog doesn't like it when you leave, try these tips. If the problem is severe, contact a dog behavioral specialist.

House training for dogs is a challenging task faced by most dog lovers. To train a dog in the correct way is a time-consuming process, which requires a commitment from the owner. The house training process needs a huge amount of patience and regular attention during the initial period.

House training for dogs helps to keep owners happy with their dogs behavior. It is always best to start house training dogs at a younger age, around 8 to 12 weeks old. Training makes the pets understand good manners and common house rules.

Puppies go potty about every 3 hours. Therefore, regular potty timing is essential to keep the dog neat and tidy, by taking the puppy to the designated area frequently and less than every 3 hours.

Watch the puppy carefully for signs, such as sniffing and circling around an area. If you catch the puppy in the act, grab him/her by the scruff and say 'no' sternly. Take the puppy to the designated spot and let the puppy finish the job. Once the puppy is done in the right place, pat the puppy on the head and say "good 'puppy'" (replace 'puppy' with their name).

A consistent and systematic schedule is necessary for the puppy to follow. Dogs give high response to a systematic schedule in the training process. The fundamental steps induced in house training dogs are regular drinking, feeding and potty schedule.

House training for dogs will make your puppy an ideal member of the house. There are some simple things to remember while training a pet dog.

Take the puppy to the bathroom area the moment it reaches the home.

Try to make the dog understand the purpose of the bathroom with appropriate voice message. Use the same word(s) for going potty repeatedly and forever. Dogs do not have logical thinking skills to perform every action simultaneously. Dogs cannot speak or understand human language. Therefore, owners need to repeat important phrases for any desired action.

Potty training for a house dog is a difficult task, but stable determination will bring out a positive result. Repeated wordings, which owners use a certain times, help dogs to understand the indications.

Punishment in house training for dogs may destroy the entire training process. A reward based method will be more rewarding for both the owner and the puppy as well as more effective. Proper timely encouragement works a lot in dog training.

Non-neutered male dogs have a habit of marking their territory by lifting their legs up. Neutering helps to ease the process.

To sum up, effective house training for dogs makes a perfect household pet with good manners and pleasing behaviors.

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Daniel Molano is an expert writer in a variety of topics. He writes high quality reviews for high demand products. If you need a product review or want a product reviewed go immediately to his blog here: Product Reviews

Richard Cussons is a writer with tons of knowledge on Labrador Retrievers Discover effective Labrador training tips at labradorsavvy.com

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