Dog Years Human Years

October 8th, 2008 by Thomas

dog
Dog Care Tips asked:


The life expectancy of any dog is commonly expressed in terms of dog years by us and it depends entirely on the dog’s breed, size as well as the dog’s surroundings. Various other factors affect the life expectancy of a dog. A dog’s life span changes according to the diet provided to him and also by the number of medical problems the dog tends to face over the years.

The average life span of the small dog like Chihuahua is about 15 to 16 years, while medium sized the dogs like Border Collies have a life span of 10 to 13 years. It can be noticed big dogs like Great Dean live up to only 7 to 8 years. The calculation of the life expectancy of particular dog can be accurately done with the help of “size or the specific breed calculator”, which is said to be one of the most accurate age measurement schemes available. The size or specific breed calculator gives approximate results about the dog’s predictable lifespan based on the size as well as the breed of the dog.

It is generally assumed that, on an average, “one human year equals to seven dog years”. This statement may not be appropriate, since the first two years are jointly represented by 18-25 years in such schemes and because the entire ratio cannot be generalized for all the dogs though, they belong to different sizes and breeds. An exact ratio of dog years vs. human year cannot be formulated. However, some obvious features remain similar between both aging humans and dogs.

It is generally assumed that the human equivalent of a one-year dog is supposedly fully grown by both mental and physical aspects. Dogs like humans tend to develop advance muscular features as they grow along with a similar mental development. Through a major dog study, it has been estimated for dogs of all breeds and sizes that, nearly “64 percent of dogs” were euthanized because they were affected with some kind of diseases. Only 8 percent of the total dogs live beyond 15 years and nearly 16 percent of them die yearly due heart diseases and cancer. Human lives are not terminated even if they suffer from rare and incurable diseases; and this is the main reason why the lifespan of an average human being is reasonably long.

The effects of aging in dogs is said to be dormant for several years. But like humans, dogs to undergo physical changes as well. The first sign of aging in dogs is said to be the decrease in its activity levels. The sleeping period in these dogs also becomes longer. The canines experience a drastic change in their skin condition, limb usage, appetite and they experience tooth loss as well. Their sense of hearing and vision also diminishes gradually. Older dogs tend to experience stiffness in their body. All these obvious signs of aging can even be found in humans. The human years are extended only because of advance modern medicine and various other drugs that are designed to deal with symptoms of old age.

Dogs and humans may not have the same physiology, yet some obvious similarities can be noticed when both species age. Dog years and Human years may not be directly related by some advance equation, but to the ***** eye the equivalence of corresponding features of Dog years and Human years are quite visible.



Dog Coat and Dog Fur Maintenance

September 25th, 2008 by Thomas

dog
John Williams Dog Training asked:


Your dog’s fur is a very important aspect of your dogs life, keeping it clean and in good shape is a good way to keep your dog happy, healthy, and clean. If you don’t keep your dogs fur in good shape it will only be a mater of time before tangles and knots appear in your dog’s coat picking up insects, pests, and causing discomfort for your dog.

Different dogs have different types of fur and with so many cross breeds and different looking dogs, naming all the different types of fur would be impossible. There are many different types of dog fur, some will look after themselves more than others but the general rule is that a longer dog coat will normally tangle and know easier than others.

To maintain your dog’s fur and keep it looking as it should, lots of grooming may be needed so this should be taken into account when buying a new dog. But grooming does not need to be a chore you have to do for your dog because grooming is proven to be a great bonding between owner and dog and creates trust and comfort for your dog making them a lot easier to train.

Step one is to get a good comb for your dog ensuring that there are no sharp edges and that your dog is comfortable with you using it without hurting him/her. Your vet or local pet shop many be able to help you and give you advice with choosing the correct comb but this will be a deciding point in whether your dog will enjoy you doing it or not.

After you have chosen your comb, grooming should happen often and you should do it thoroughly each time, ensuring all knots and angles are removed, if you haven’t yet combed your dog’s fur then it may be difficult to start so do a bit at a time to ensure you don’t discourage your dog and make them not like the grooming process.

After the initial combing, the more often you groom your dog the easier it will be, leaving it for long periods of time is not advised because this means it is more likely to hurt your dog when it eventually does get done. If your dog is finding it tough going then maybe a dog bath is needed to make it easier to detangle and add to your dog furs health.



Dog Behavior Training – How Much Does Professional Dog Training Cost?

September 19th, 2008 by Thomas

dog training
John Williams Dog Training asked:


Dogs can be very difficult animals to deal with from time to time, some breeds and types can be especially difficult to train and control. No mater how much time and effort you seem to be putting in, your efforts give no results.

Don’t worry too much about persistently training you dog, it might not be your fault your dog is disobedient, people in different circumstances may be failing to train their dog for very simple reasons, whether it be your tone of voice, not having enough time to give your dog due to other commitments like work or hobbies, or your children throwing all the basic dog training rules out the window. Here we will try to educate you on the difference a professional dog trainer could have on your dog’s obedience, and how much it will cost.

The options available for dog training

Group dog training sessions locally - four to eight weekly 1 hour sessions for around $40 - $130 (£20 - £70).

Private dog trainers visiting your home or work place to give personal training to your dog for around $25 - $110 (£13 - £55) per hour.

Dog boarding kennel where your dog lives with the trainer for around 2 – 4 weeks getting many hours of professional dog behaviour training a day for around $1000 – $2,500(£550 – £1,300).

What you get for your money

So what do you get for your money? Many dog trainers concentrate on different areas of your dog’s obedience and you will usually get a much better service for the more money you pay. Standard training classes and trainers will concentrate on addressing the chewing, barking, biting and digging aspects of your dog’s behavior. Hand signals may also be covered in dog obedience classes along with showing you, the owner how to handle trickier situations that can only be over come at home like housetraining.

General guidelines for hiring a dog trainer are to always research the dog trainer well, find out qualifications the dog trainer has in his area of expertise and seek advice and information for other dog owners who have had their dogs trained previously. Get to know your trainer well before handing your dog over to him/her and make sure you are comfortable in the methods he/she uses.



Dog Illnesses

September 9th, 2008 by Thomas

dog
Dog Care Tips asked:

All pet dogs should be treated as members of our family and adequate attention must be paid to the canine’s health. Sometimes dogs become sick but may not look so. It is very important to recognize and understand dog illnesses symptoms.

Since prevention is a better cure, we must learn something about dog illnesses and symptoms so we can better understand their conditions. This will help us recognize some common dog illnesses. If appropriate and adequate vaccinations are administered to the puppies, most of the common dog illnesses can be easily prevented.

Some elementary observations are useful to recognize certain common dog illnesses. Dogs take a lot of sleep but their sleep is marked by alertness. If a dog is sluggish then there may be various causes contributing to it, right from anemia to old age. If the dog is limping then you should check for prospective painful areas using a firm and yet gentile hand. Check out for any signs indicating lameness from time to time.

The appetite of the dog is bound to be affected by ill health. Look for any signs of loss of appetite. An important sign of dog health problems is excessive thirst. A pronounced weight loss is also an indicator of ill health. Check the eyes for any ulcers, discharges, veins or sores.

The mouth of a healthy dog is pink. There should not be any discoloring or cavities in the teeth. Look for signs of discharge from ears. It is advisable to clean the ears from time to time. The dog’s head should be regularly checked for sore patches, hair loss, or deep wounds.

Investigate the limbs and trunk for the same signs. If the dog is vomiting, there may be various underlying problems. If the body temperature of your dog is not between the range 38 to 39 Celsius it is an indication of some kind of illness. Check the female dogs for any kind of foul smelling vaginal discharge, which needs attention of a vet.

The symptoms of pain and discomfort experienced by a dog can give us many clues about the possible underlying illness. If the dog is suffering any abdominal pain, it may be due to canine hepatitis, enteritis or it can be a simple case of constipation. The abdominal swelling dogs indicate canine bloat and roundworms in puppies. Aggression of the dog may be caused by rabies. Roundworms, tapeworms, and whipworms my cause anemia in dogs. Any behavioral changes in dog can be an indicator of hookworms, tapeworms, whipworms, canine arthritis, heart disease, canine, or parvovirus.

Kidney diseases sometimes cause blood in urine. Eye infections and entropion cause bloodshot eyes in dogs. A ruptured diaphragm, obstructed airway, lungworm, bronchitis, pneumonia, food poisoning, heatstroke, allergies can cause respiratory problems in dogs.

There are various reasons of sudden change in weight of dogs like heart disease to heartworms. Hernia might be caused due to long term constipation in dogs. Allergies, parvovirus, hepatitis, lungworm, TB, pneumonia or distemper may be one of the reasons of coughing in dogs. Cannine parvovirus can also cause dehydration in dogs. Any pancreatic disorder, food poisoning can give rise to diarrhea in dogs. The dog may suffer from hair loss due to mange, red mange demodectic, scabies, cheyletiella mange, or cushings syndrome.

If dog indicates any signs of failing ******* bleeding, persistent constipation, projectile vomiting, fainting, hair loss, seizure, stumbling, trauma, trembling, mouth bleeding, rectal bleeding, lethargy, shaking, ********* problems contact a dog care specialist.

The Different Types of Dog Training

May 5th, 2008 by Thomas

Going through dog training is something every dog client should do. Anyone can accede a able behaved dog. But did you apperceive that there a several adapted kinds of dog training and not all are adapted for your dog?

Most bodies aren’t even acquainted of the adapted types of dog training. The adapted types of dog training are based for dogs at adapted stages.

Some dogs acquire had dog training before, while others acquire had none. Because of this, it is best that you apperceive which affectionate of dog training to put your dog in.

The ancient acquaint of dog training is basal dog training. This acquaint of dog training can be for puppies or for developed dogs that acquire never acclimatized any acquaint of dog training. This advanced teaches dogs to sit, stay, and come.

Basic dog training aswell emphasizes socialization skills(especially for puppies). Good socialization abilities admonish your dog to get alternating with added dogs and people.

If your dog has never had any dog training, it needs to alpha with basal dog training.

The next acquaint of dog training is boilerplate dog training. This is not for puppies. Boilerplate courses are for any developed dogs who acquire either been through basal dog training or for dogs that acquire been able the basics able abounding by their owner.

Intermediate courses admonish dogs to heel, airing able on a leash, aback and return, and it aswell goes over the basics of dog training in added detail (sit, stay, come, etc.).

Advanced dog training is the abide affectionate available. Advanced dog training is abandoned acclimatized for developed dogs who acquire taken at diminutive 1 dog training advanced afore and they acquire to acquire anesthetized it as well.

All of the basal and boilerplate aspects are gone over in abounding detail in the beginning. Afresh the advanced goes to teaching your dog to hunt these commands with battle signals (come, stay, sit, heel, lie down, etc.)

Once the dog learns battle signals, the advanced dog training advanced afresh moves to teaching your dog to airing beside you afterwards a check and for the dog to breach beside you at all times. It aswell teaches your dog to pay assimilation to you and to abjure distractions.

This advanced is abandoned for complete able behaved dogs.

All of these dog training courses should advanced complete accession (praise and rewards). They should not use any abrogating training techniques (hitting or yelling). Be constant that you aces a dog training advanced that abandoned uses complete reinforcement.

Also be constant that you baddest the dog training advanced that is adapted for your dog. With the adapted dog training course, your dog can be able behaved, able adjusted, and actually a joy to have!

Teaching Basic Dog and Puppy Commands

May 5th, 2008 by Thomas

Dog CommandsSome examples for dog commands are these: fetch, sit, lie down, roll over, bark, beg, come, sniff, wag, bark, birthmark etc. Teaching your dog commands and animate on its actualization can alpha if the dog is about seven months because teaching a puppy is easier than developed dogs. At this ancient age they haven’t abstract all the bad behavior yet, so you acquire a lot below to achieve them unlearn. If teaching your puppy or dog commands such as COME, STAY, SIT and so forth, use abandoned the alone word. Using any added words will just abash the poor dog or puppy and will end up arresting you both.

Teaching your dog the basal dog tricks and commands.

It is important that if teaching your dog commands they accede and arise to you if called. Hence basal accordance training is not about teaching your dog commands; it is about what a dog accept to amateur NOT to do. However, complete behavior problems, such as address piddling, barking, absinthian or breach all-overs requires added than just teaching your dog commands. This is if the harder plan begins, in aftereffect “teaching an old dog new tricks”.

Teaching owners to alternation a dog is abounding harder than in actuality training the dog. Keep in apperception that artlessly repeating a command is NOT TEACHING the command. Back can be played afterwards teaching your dog commands; but it works bigger if you admonish your dog some commands for this game. Teaching him those commands are basic for him to amateur and aswell achieve the adventurous abounding added acceptable for you both.

What tricks can I admonish my dog?

Teaching your dog abolishment from tricks to simple accordance commands gives it an breach and allows apprehension processes to over-ride abrogating behavior. Idle minds and all that applies appropriately to blah dogs too.

Teach your dog to do tricks.

Not-so-stupid pet tricks. Admonish your dog a few commands and/or tricks and breeding them daily. Afterwards the sit command is mastered, added commands, and even some tricks, can be added.

Teach Your Dogs Tricks - Easy Tricks To Teach Your Dog With Just 20 Minutes A Day!

May 5th, 2008 by Thomas

Dog WaveHow many of us loved to watch the TV show “Lassie” when we were young. Oh the fancy tricks that dog could do! (OK, only those around my age, obviously!). Right, forget Lassie. How many of you would like to teach your dogs tricks? We’ll look at some easy tricks to teach your dog and wow your neighbors at this year’s street party!

Mind you, if your dogs haven’t learned to sit, down, stay and heel, it’s too soon to teach your dogs tricks like these. That said, here are 3 easy tricks to teach your dog!

1. Shake paw

When you feel it’s time to teach your dogs tricks, the easiest one to start off with is to “shake paw”.

Tell your dog to sit first. Just take your dog’s paw (either one but choose only one) and place it in your hand and give it a small shake. Then say “shake paw” and immediately praise, pat your dog, reward it.

Do this 5 times in a row to reinforce the lesson. In fact reinforcement is the best way how to teach a dog tricks. Remember to use the same paw and your same hand.

Repeat this lesson 4 times within a day until your dog gets it and does it without you having to pick up its paw. When you teach dog tricks, reinforcement is very important.

2. Play dead

Now, it’s time to teach your dogs tricks that are slightly more advanced. In this case “play dead”.

Get your dog to lie down. Sit next to your dog and roll him/her on its side. Say “play dead” after this action. Once your dog learns to do this, praise, pat and reward it.

Again, you want to do 5 repeats 4 times a day to reinforce the lesson. Don’t forget, reinforcement is the best way how to teach a dog tricks.

3. Crawl

Finally, if you want to teach your dogs tricks, there’s no better one to look at than the “crawl”.

Have your dog lie down on its front. Tell it to stay. Next sit yourself a few inches away, Making sure your hands are close to the floor, signal to your dog to come towards you and say “crawl, crawl”. Remember to praise, pat and reward him or her when it crawls forward.

You can see that it’s actually quite easy to teach your dogs tricks. The thing to remember is that your dog needs to see some action on your part followed by a word command. This way, it will know what to do when it hears you say that command. Easy tricks to teach your dog using this method include those above and even dancing. (But that’s another article for another day!)

So do on, wow your friends and neighbors. Better still, show them how you teach your dogs tricks so that they can do the same for their dogs. They will owe you big time!

Puppy Obedience Training - 3 Useful Tips!

May 5th, 2008 by Thomas

Obedience TrainingGetting a puppy needs a lot of thought, you need to make sure you have plenty of free time to take care of all its needs, including making your home safe for your puppy to live in without it harming itself in anyway, you would be surprised what mischief they can get up to!

Puppy obedience training should begin as soon as you get your puppy home, Obviously let it settle in for a few hours, but the earliest you can start puppy obedience training the better for you and your puppy.

1) Potty Training Your Puppy This is one of the first obedience training lessons you will want to teach your young pup if you do not want it messing in your home, the number one rule is to make sure you catch your puppy in the actual act of weeing and then quickly pick your puppy up and put it outside or wherever you have chosen for its place to eliminate.

2) No Biting Your next step in puppy obedience training is to stop your puppy from biting, regardless if it is only play biting because when your puppy grows even play biting can do serious damage to someone. So as soon as it play bites give the command No in a low but loud tone and keep repeating it until your puppy gets the idea and stops biting altogether.

3) Come Back to you on Command The third puppy obedience training tip is to get your puppy to come to you on command, especially useful if your puppy gets out and escapes which they are prone to doing once in a while, and it will most likely save it s life one day.

A helpful tip is to have some treats handy so when you call your puppy to you it has a reason to come back! Never admonish your puppy when it returns to you for any reason whatsoever or you will find that it will not return the next time you call it out of fear of being told off.

As long as you follow these three puppy obedience training tips you will have the basic training done and can move on to more advanced puppy obedience training.

Picking The Perfect Dog Breeds For Your Family Pet

May 5th, 2008 by Thomas

DogbreedThe American Kennel Club only recognizes 143 dog breeds, but you will encounter many thousands of possible mixed dog breeds, when trying to pick the perfect dog for your family. There are upwards of 70 million dogs in the U.S., so you definitely need to have some guidelines in place to bring home the perfect family dog.

You may want to visit your local library for books with pictures and histories of the many different dog breeds in order to narrow down the choices when trying to pick one of the perfect dog breeds for your family.

Another factor in picking the perfect dog breeds for your family may be price, as not everyone can afford some of the prices being charged for purebred dog breeds in your local pet store. Many of the most popular purebred dog breeds can have a price tag from several hundred dollars to well over a thousand dollars or more. Locally you may want to visit your local animal shelter to see what they have available.

If you have children you may want to pick one of the less aggressive, smaller dog breeds that have a gentle temperament and are perfect for kids.

You will find these descriptions in the dog breeds history when doing your research on the different breeds. One important consideration is, when a dog is not a purebred dog, the mixed breeds dog may have a temperament different from what is projected for the main dog breeds temperament.

If you rent, your landlord may have a no pet clause in your rental agreement, so be sure to check first as I have had that happen to me before I bought our present home.

You may be wondering what kind of dog I own as a family pet, mine is a purebred Bichon Frise. The Bichon Frise is a sturdy, happy, playful, adorable, smaller dog breed, which is great with kids.

How to Choose Between All the Puppy Breeds

May 5th, 2008 by Thomas

Dog BreedWith all the different cross breeds coming into being, along with the many hundreds of pure bred dogs there are, it can in fact be very difficult for a person to decide what type of puppy they should get. So you have to know there are a lot of different puppy breeds available for a person who is interested in getting a new puppy to add to their home and family.

There are different ways to get the information you need. You can use the internet looking for information, visit a few pet stores to look over the different puppy breeds available there, or buy or borrow a book or two or three on different puppy breeds.

Once this is done you must go through the many needs and requests you are looking for in a puppy. For example, are you looking for a cute puppy, do you want a funny puppy or do you want a small toy puppy?

How you are living also play a great part in the search for puppy breeds which might suit you. Do you live in an apartment; do you have a large garden, small garden, or do you not have a garden at all? Is your puppy going to be alone many hours every day or will it have company most of the time? Do you have children or do you live alone, maybe with other grownups? Are there other pets in your household?

Answering these questions and others, such as whether you re allergic to dogs, as honestly as you can will help to narrow down the field of different puppy breeds you need to look at. When you are answering these questions, you can make a list of the traits you want in your puppy, like for instance whether you want a watch dog, or whether you want a hunting dog, or just a best friend to keep the lonely hours away.

These will all help you to find the perfect puppy for you and your family. You might have to look at a few dozen of puppy breeds before you do so, but it is when you put in some effort, the satisfaction tastes best! Good luck in the search for the best puppy breed for you!

House Training A Puppy

May 5th, 2008 by Thomas

Dog TrainingPuppies are the cutest things, but they can be absolutely annoying if you accept to abode alternation them. The aboriginal affair to bethink if abode training a puppy is to not abuse your puppy, because aggregate it learns in puppy-hood will backpack over to dog adulthood. You wish your dog to be affable and happy, not anxious and affronted at you all the time.

The aboriginal footfall to abode training a puppy is to beam it. If does it abate itself? Where does it go? What does he attending like if he has to abate himself? Does he wiggle, wag his tail, detect the ground, or run around? Attending carefully for these admonishing signs so that if you see your puppy accomplishing this central your house, you can stop him or her by blocking your puppy’s way, or putting your puppy alfresco anon afore it can wreak added havoc.

Let your puppy adulation the clay of the outdoors. If the acclimate is cool, break alfresco and yield your puppy with you. Do this afterwards your puppy eats, and your puppy will eventually get the abstraction that he or she has to account in a assertive place, and boilerplate else. To advice reinforce abode training a puppy, don’t leave until your puppy finishes its business.

Puppies and dogs in accepted don’t like their sleeping breadth to be soiled, so accomplish abiding to put your pet in a apple-pie abode to beddy-bye if abode training a puppy. These are alone a few tips that you can chase if accomplishing the training. For added information, allocution to your vet.

Free Basic Dog Training Tips

May 5th, 2008 by Thomas

Dog PraiseFree basic dog training tips can be the difference between a good home obedience training experience and a bad one. Whether you are trying to produce a guard dog for your home or just a pet that is more inclined to do as you would like him to do, getting the right tip on how to do it can be important. To get you started, here are a few free basic dog training tips that can help you with your adult dog or puppy.

Praise More Than Punish

Perhaps the most valuable free basic dog training tips you can get are those regarding punishment and praise. By and large, your puppy or adult dog will react more favorably to praise than to punishment. Your dog wants to do what will make you happy, whether it is simply not jumping up or full blown obedience. What you need to learn, though, is how to show him what you want. Once you learn to make that connection with your dog, you will find that the overall training process will become much easier and the results much stronger. Just remember to guide your dog, not force him to do things.

Be Patient

One of the free basic dog training tips you may not always see is to be patient. However, it is one of the most important. No matter how much you do to try and teach your puppy or dog obedience, there will be setbacks and it will take time. That means you need to be diligent but also patient. With some patience, though, you will find that eventually the time will shrink for each new behavior to a point where you can really make progress.

Overall, there are many free basic dog training tips out there. Each tip is valuable in its own way, but perhaps the best tips you can get for teaching your dog obedience are those that work on relationship and communication. By being patient with your dog and learning to praise, you will find that the training process will be simpler and your bond with your four legged friend will be better.

Don’t Bite -Teaching your Puppy Bite Inhibition

May 5th, 2008 by Thomas

Puppy BiteBite Inhibition is one of the a lot of important things your puppy acquire to amateur to become a well-trained, admirable dog. Chaw inhibition is a abstract acceptance in which your dog will anxiously arrest the abounding force of his absinthian ability. Without acquirements chaw inhibition a dog can acutely corruption or even possibly allay accession dog or even a child.

Puppies amateur chaw inhibition during the socialization of nursing and playing. If a puppy bites while nursing the mother dog will get up and airing away. If the puppy bites too harder while amphitheatre with his ataxia mates, the blah puppy will case and stop amphitheatre with the absinthian puppy. This teaches the puppy that all amphitheatre acquire to stop if he bites too hard.

A puppy should amateur chaw inhibition by the time he is four and a bisected months of age. Since abounding puppies are taken from their mothers and added ataxia mates afore this time, it becomes all-important for the new owners to crop over the role of teaching chaw inhibition.

When you are teaching your puppy chaw inhibition activity him as his mother and his ataxia mates would. If he bites too hard, get up and airing away, achieve constant he knows that if he bites too harder all play acquire to stop.

Some annual you can use to admonish chaw inhibition are

Sit down and alpha amphitheatre with your puppy. Bring his assimilation to your hands. If your puppy starts to chaw your calmly too harder say Ow durably and stop amphitheatre and stop all interaction. Do not accessory at your puppy but abstain your eyes to the accessory abroad from your pup. He needs to apperceive that you are ascetic about endlessly the play.

Make constant that your acceptance is abridge and firm. If you beef or wince your puppy may ahead that you are still amphitheatre and you acquire defeated your purpose.

After some time has passed, face your pup afresh and activity your battle if he tries to chaw again, answer the process.

If your puppy is just absinthian at you or your clothes you can activity a toy to chaw on. If he is not captivated in the toy but keeps on nipping, you should abandon all attention. You can even airing away.

As you conveyance this, your puppy should be appliance below and below accountability as he is amphitheatre with you. Your ancient appetite should be to arrest the force of his chaw and afresh to allay the affluence of his bite. If he is never acclimatized to use even a afire bite, if faced with a bearings of emphasis he will allegedly accede with a anytime able chaw and could aching anyone unintentionally.

Bite Inhibition is an important allocation of training and adorning your dog. It is easier to admonish a puppy chaw inhibition but even beforehand dogs can amateur with some courage and adequate training.

Dog Training For Therapy Dogs

May 5th, 2008 by Thomas

Dog Training For Therapy DogsTherapy dogs are not trained with the same goals in mind as assistance dogs. Assistance dogs are trained to perform certain duties in order to help disabled people. For example, a guide dog is trained to lead blind people, and a hearing dog is trained to listen for sound and alert their owners. A therapy dog, however, is trained to offer comfort to hospital patients and those in nursing homes and mental facilities. Therapy dogs are trained to “listen” while a child learns to read aloud. Therapy dogs always go through basic obedience training, of course, but it is the personality traits of a dog that makes him or her a good candidate to become a therapy dog.

Therapy dogs do not have to be purebred dogs. Mutts can qualify as therapy dogs if they can complete the training and pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen Certificate Test (CGC) and meet the Therapy Dog International requirements.

It is simply amazing what a therapy dog can accomplish by simply being a loving and well-behaved dog. Old people who haven’t responded to a human voice in years or even spoken will whisper their secrets into the willing ears of a therapy dog.

Troubled children can begin to work their way through an often violent past with the help of a good therapy dog. Dogs can go where humans cannot go, and dogs can give what no human is capable of giving - and that is unconditional love and total acceptance of people exactly as they are.

Therapy dogs can make broken people whole again, and that is no small feat. Therapy dogs change tears to smiles. A dog can always turn a frown upside down no matter the age of the face.

Dog Obedience Training

May 5th, 2008 by Thomas

Dogs are social animals and a lack of training can bring out the wild behavior in them. Dog obedience training helps your dog develop good behavior. Obedience training is great for your dog, as it is a good mental exercise that enables the dog to live happier and with more freedom.

When a dog destroys your belongings because playing is ripping things to shreds, or goes to the bathroom everywhere because it knows no better, it s time for dog obedience training. The training may not resolve all the dog s behavioral problems, but will certainly solve some of them. The most important skill needed in dog obedience training is effective communication that enables your dog to obey any command such as heel, stay, sit and come. Make sure that the obedience training sessions are not boring but rewarding for both you and your dog.

The two most popular and important styles of obedience training are leash/collar training and reward training. Reward training is a less intense approach then the leash/collar training. In reward training, the dog is encouraged and rewarded for good behavior. Always remember that learning will be faster, if you reward your dog for good behavior. It is equally important to praise the dog. Obedience training sessions should be short and constant as a dog s behavior can change from time to time, so constant training is always a good idea.

The key to preventing or treating behavior problems is learning to teach the dog to redirect his natural behavior to outlets that are acceptable in domestic settings.

Obedience training doesn’t solve all behavior problems, but it is the foundation for solving just about any dog problem.

Common Tools Used In Dog Training Schools

May 5th, 2008 by Thomas

Dog Training ToolsTools used in dog training schools.

There are a great many tools that can be utilized in dog training schools. All of these tools are quite helpful when utilized in the training of a dog. The following will introduce you to some of the tools that are utilized in dog training schools and how they can benefit you in the training of your dog.

The clicker is a very useful tool that is used in a lot of dog training schools. What exactly is a clicker you might be wondering? A clicker is a small object that is made out of plastic and contains a small piece of metal inside. The clicker makes a clicking noise when it is squeezed and then released. Using a clicker is a great way to get your dogs attention and once he learns the noise that it makes he will be able to recognize it almost anywhere.

Another tool that you will often find in dog training schools would be the dog leash. The dog leash by far is one of the most commonly used while training a dog. Dog leashes come in a variety of sizes from very short leashes that are used when a trainer wants to exert more control while training to much longer leashes that are used when behaviors that require a bit more freedom are being taught to dogs. There are even leashes that allow dogs a certain amount of freedom then automatically recoil when the trainer wishes the dog to return to them.

A tool that has become quite popular in dog training schools as well as widely enjoyed by dogs themselves is the treat carrier. These special containers allow a dog trainer to be able to carry around a supply of dog treats to use while training their dog. They are quite handy and keep you from having to get your clothing dirty or having to carry around treats in a plastic bag, which could get quite cumbersome.

A tool that is often utilized in dog training schools if a dog has issues with biting is a muzzle. A dog needs to be carefully introduced to this method of training and if the training is done properly it can be extremely efficient in ridding a dog of a potentially hurtful habit.

These are just a few tools of the trade that can be found in dog training schools. There are many more out there and the training tools can vary greatly depending on what type of training you are planning to do with your dog. If you are unsure as to what training tools you are going to need before you begin training your dog contact your local dog training school, as they will be able to point you in the right direction.

Can You Really Teach an Old Dog New Tricks?

May 5th, 2008 by Thomas

It’s pretty obvious where the saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” came from. In reality, this saying is probably more accurate for people than it is for dogs. Yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks, but good luck with teaching grandpa.

“Old” is a relative word. What’s old to some dogs is not old to other dogs. Generally speaking, you can train a dog of any age. Sure, dog training might be a little tougher with a dog that’s 8 years old than it is with a dog that’s 3 years old, but it’s probably more of a challenge for the dog’s trainer than it is for the dog.

The fact is, most people get rid of dogs because of dog obedience problems. Every dog needs basic obedience training[/tag], and if you’re not spending time training your dog, even your older dog, your neglecting your responsibility as a pet owner.

So how can you teach an old dog new tricks? With patience and persistence. Without getting into actual dog training techniques, let me tell you a story…

A man in North Carolina had a dog for 7 years. The dog had NEVER been inside the man’s house. Never! It just lived outside, roaming the property, sleeping in his dog house for 7 years.

One day, the man died, so the his niece decided to take care of the dog. The dog was a mutt, by the way. She took the dog into her house and after 6 weeks of consistent training the dog was completely housebroken and had learned to sit on command.

So, yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks.