Monday, October 24, 2011

Super Quick Dog Training Tips

You thought you were bringing home the dog of your dreams but quickly you find yourself wondering if you're the new owner of the hound of the Baskervilles. Never fear, we've got some super quick dog training tips to set you on your way to the perfect pooch!

When you first bring your puppy home, those first few days are the most important. You should be patient, consistent, and persistent form day one with your new puppy. Be sure not to let your puppy get away with behaviours you are not going to allow and positively reinforce the behaviours you are wanting to see.

To reduce the barking of your dog, try getting them used to what causes the barking in the first place. It can be a sound, or being face to face with other people or other animals. Your dog will understand that there is no need to bark in these situations.

Correct bad behaviour immediately. The common mistake many people make in the care for their dog is allowing bad behaviour to go unchecked until it becomes a problem. Proper training of a dog involves recognizing bad behaviour right away and correcting it. It is harder to correct a problem once it has grown out of proportion.

When training a dog to a leash it is important to keep the leash loose. Dogs are often eager to explore new territory when they get the opportunity to go for a walk. Because of their eagerness they will tend to strain on the limits of leash. The savvy owner will discourage this behaviour, instead encouraging his or her pet to walk with some slack in the leash.

Most owners are amazed at how easy it is to incorporate basic dog training into their life, and how quickly they start to notice results. So if your relationship with your pooch is feeling a bit strained, try out some of these tips. We think you'll be impressed with the results!

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Article distributed by Elandro Viara on behalf of petbuzz.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Training a Working Livestock Dog

You are training your dog to work with live stock on your farm and want to be sure that your dog is useful, safe, and treats your live stock well.  This is important to the productivity of your farm.  This article will provide specific ways that you can train your working livestock dog accordingly.

Learning to listen to your dog will make you a better trainer of him. Animals are not robots that can be programmed and your dog has a personality with preferences and quirks, just like you. Understanding the nuances of your dogs expressions will help you decipher more in training and therefore, expand your ability to teach him.

If you are trying to prevent your dog from begging, the best thing to do is ignore the begging completely. Don't respond either positively, with a treat or petting, or negatively, by shouting. Your dog will learn quickly and remember for a long time that the begging ended up with you paying attention to the dog.

Teaching your dog a fun trick, such as "play dead" can be a fun way of distracting him.  When your dogs behaviour is bad, simply use the command you have established for his trick instead of using negative punishment.  This provides for a fun activity for your dog and creates a positive environment for you as well.

Tip: K9 Magazine's Ryan O'Meara says: "Dogs all have individual motivating factors. For some it's food, for others it's play. Before you begin to train, try to learn exactly what your dog's main motivating factors are."

Find out what motivates your dog as a training reward, and save it for training sessions to get maximum results. Some dogs love a chance to chew on a special squeaky toy or ball, while others adore a certain brand of treats or tiny chunks of fresh baked chicken. It never hurts if the dog is a little hungry so the treats seem even tastier.

Dog Nutrition Guide

Your dog will need a diet high in proper nutrition and the right type of calories to maintain his vitality and health. This means that you should be picky about what you feed your dog. Making your own dog food can help to reduce fillers that do nothing for your pet, while increasing the crude protein to a healthy and more beneficial level.

Remember how many treats you reward your dog with during the course of the day to avoid fattening him up. Many people overlook treats when considering the animals diet but they will certainly add up, especially during active training. Carefully choose which treats to give him based on quality and nutrition and if you're finding the dog gets a lot of treats you may want to consider praise as an alternative reward.

In conclusion, it is important that you train your dog well in order to be able to work with your live stock.  As long as you follow the tips and tricks included in this article you should be able to train your dog to more efficiently and safely work with your live stock.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Having Trouble Training Your Dog? Try These Great Tips!

Getting a new dog is a very exciting time, however, it is pretty much like having a newborn baby at home.  There is a lot involved when you first get a dog.  Sometimes it could feel a little bit overwhelming.  However, the tips you will find in this article will help get you on your way to an obedient little dog.

For your dog to understand what you are punishing them for, you need to catch them misbehaving. If you reprimand a dog for something that happened hours ago, chances are your dog will not make the connection. And if you choose to ignore your dog to show that you are mad, do not ignore it for more than a few minutes.

One of the most important things to remember when training your dog is that it is a lifelong process. Many owners think that once their pet has the basics down, the training process is over. Dogs, much like people, learn throughout their lives, and consistent training will help them to be well-behaved and friendly.

To help train your dog, you must assert yourself as the dominant one in your relationship by refusing to give the dog undeserved attention or food. When you convince your dog you run the show and, in addition, let the dog recognize you can use that power to give it something it wants, your dog will obey your commands more effectively.

Listening to your dog is one of the most important steps of training your dog.  If your dog is uncomfortable or scared then you aren't going to get the result that you are looking for.  Respect their needs and the process will go a lot smoother.

After reading this article you can see that it is possible to have a dog that is both adorable and obedient.  With just a little bit of persistence and the suggestions given in this article, you will have a dog that you can be proud of before you know it.

Article distributed by Alexis Dougan on behalf of petbuzz.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

K9 Magazine Editor Ryan O'Meara on Dog Attacks

Ryan O'Meara, editor and publisher of K9 Magazine, a lifestyle magazine for dog lovers, has issued a warning to dog owners about the importance of understanding canine body language to spot the warning signs of a potential dog attack.

O'Meara, who is a former professional dog trainer, has previously spoken at the National Dog Warden Association on the topic of canine aggression.

He says:

"Understanding certain aspects of dog body language, what motivates them, what scares them and gaining more knowledge about things such as territory aggression, resource guarding and nervous aggression is the key for dog owners to recognise situations where their dog may be more likely to respond to certain situations with a bite."

O'Meara explains in his much talked about article "The Anatomy of a Dog Attack" how misreading the warning signs and failing to recognise tell-tale dog body language signals is one of the key reasons why people get attacked 'out of the blue'.

He explains:

"Dogs rarely bite people. However, if you examine some of the most serious dog attacks there is very often a correlating pattern."

O'Meara's remarks ring true in the cases of fatal dog attacks in Britain.

His article "What Causes Fatal Dog Attacks" details consistent patterns in all cases:

read more from Ryan O'Meara on dog attack patters.

Monday, October 3, 2011

How to Give Pills to Your Dog

Urgh. This is one of those tasks that, depending on your dog, can be a real nightmare.

K9 Magazine's quick tip sheet: How to give tablets to dogs is a must read!

You can learn how to deal with those dogs who just refuse to eat tablets as well as get an insight in to the best methods to administer pills to dogs who wriggle and squirm.

Read it here: http://www.k9magazine.com/how-to-give-tablets-to-a-dog/

Friday, September 30, 2011

PetScreen Announces Advanced Canine Lymphoma Test

Advanced canine cymphoma blood test helps you make a more timely diagnoses.

Canine cancer screening experts, PetScreen would like to say a big thank you to all the vets that have provided PetScreen with follow up on their patients after using the LBT. With your help, we have been able to further develop and improve the test.

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The company says:

"Many clinicians have asked about the identity of the biomarkers detected in the LBT. Therefore, we have been busy characterising and identifying the biomarkers used in the original LBT and found that two of them are acute phase proteins (APPs). Although APPs have been investigated individually in veterinary medicine for some time, we have continued our unique multi-marker approach to develop specific analytical algorithms which combine the relative levels of both haptoglobin and C-Reactive Protein in serum. This has enabled us to develop the Advanced Lymphoma Blood Test (ALBT), which has numerous benefits over the original LBT."

"We have tested the ALBT with 194 rigorously followed up diagnostic samples consisting of lymphoma samples, samples from healthy dogs and dogs with benign lymphoid hyperplasia and other diseases with similar presentations to lymphoma."

"By measuring the APPs using immunoassay, we are able to achieve excellent levels of performance, reproducibility and objectivity typical of such tests."

What the ALBT offers:

Differentiation between patients with lymphadenopathy due to lymphoma and lymphadenopathy due to other conditions such as benign lymphoid hyperplasia.

Same day results – lymphoma can develop very rapidly, and time is of the essence.

A simple blood test, taken as part of routine blood work. If results come back as positive for lymphoma, you might want to consider more invasive tests such as FNA or biopsy.

Reduced cost. The new same day turnaround test costs less than the original 5 day turnaround LBT.

You can request the new ALBT straight away. The submission form can be downloaded from our website, please follow this link:

http://www.pet-screen.com/web/PETSCR/index.cfm?s=2&dir=5110.

If you have any questions, please contact us at vets@pet-screen.com or you can call the Freephone number 0800 028 4811

Celebrate World Animal Day 2011

Animal lovers are being urged to get involved in World Animal Day 2011 to show their support for animal welfare around the globe.

Launched in the UK on 4 October 2003, organisations, groups, animal shelters, places of worship, schools, clubs and individuals have participated in what was to become an annual event on this special day to celebrate the relationship between man and his animal friends.

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Animal enthusiasts can learn more about how to get involved: http://www.worldanimalday.org.uk/get_involved.asp

Resources: http://worldanimalday.org.uk/resources.asp

Just one of the events being carried out for World Animal Day 2011 is The Kucinski Wildlife Foundation's Art and Photo Walk for Animals

Find out more: http://www.kwf-ecological.org.uk/WorldAnimalDay.html

Speaking about World Animal Day 2011, UK WAD Ambassador Ryan O'Meara says:

"Every day of every year animals have such a positive impact on the lives of millions of people. By dedicating a special day to honour that magical relationship, to organise events and to do whatever we can to help raise awareness about various animal welfare concerns, wherever they may be, is a wonderful way for us to commemorate our animal friends. World Animal Day is something I continue to be exceptionally proud to be associated with."

If you'd like to organise your own event or help promote World Animal Day 2011 - go here: http://www.worldanimalday.org.uk/get_involved.asp