Teach Your Dog

The way to build a solid and trusting relationship between dog and owner is to create a common language. This is achieved by dog obedience training that opens the way to learning and understanding your pet and its needs. With dog obedience training you make sure that the animal always responds in a positive ways to your commands without becoming distressed and developing unsocial behavior. Exercises will help your pet develop the best responses to stimuli and therefore, dog obedience training works for the benefit of both animal and adoptive family.

There are several types of dog obedience training; let

Dog shedding is a huge concern for many people who are seriously considering adopting a new puppy. They do not want hair everywhere.

For those with shedding dogs you know you find dog hair on your clothes, in your food, on your plates, your floors and in your ice cubes. The list could go on and on.
Most dogs naturally shed, however, for indoor dogs they will shed year round. This is due to the artificial temperature their body has been subjected to while inside and then they go outside to potty. Their body gets brief glimpses of temperature changes and so you have year round shedding.

For dogs who live outside all their lives they experience periods of almost no shedding and then blow their coat in between seasons. During the winter these dogs develop of very full dense coat, some with an undercoat. During the extreme winter these dogs will shed very little. After winter is over and the temperature inches up the thermometer slightly they will blow their coat and will have a tremendous amount of hair loss. Once their hair is gone the dog will have a summer coat which is much thinner. A dog will even look like he has lost some weight in the summer. During the hot summer months these outside dogs will shed very little.

For the majority of us who have inside dogs or those who share being outside during the day and inside at night will have year-round shedding problems.

The best way to deal with continual shedding is to groom your dog. Many dogs love to be groomed. It is like a free massage. Others have not become accustom to combing and are fearful.

For those dogs with undercoats I have found that an undercoat rake works the best for removing the loose hair. You only have to comb them once a week and shedding is virtually gone. This is a good bonding time with your dog and time for them to learn a little obedience while sitting patiently to get a free pet.

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Get more information about how to control dog shedding at http://www.fetching.us Bindi Watts is a contributor to dog shedding issues

One of the first things you will need to do after giving your new puppy lots of love and affection is to train it to go to the toilet in the right place. This can often be problematic, just like it can be difficult to educate a child. It is important however that the puppy learns this as quickly as possible to avoid getting told off all the time. This article will give you some ideas on how to potty train your puppy effectively so that it knows where to go to the toilet and that inside the house is not the right place. Most dogs identify the house as their home pretty quickly and will naturally go outside when nature calls.

The first thing to understand is that dogs are fairly predictable after eating some food. They will want to poop about 15 - 20 after finishing. This means that a few minutes after the puppy has finished eating you should take it outside. Let it wander around and eventually it will want to poop. After you have done this a few times the penny will drop and the dog will start to whine if it is inside and wants to go to the toilet. You may find that watching your puppy all the time will be difficult but you should spend as much time with a new puppy at the beginning to help it to settle. If you have a family then maybe you could take turns at looking after the puppy.

Puppies will also want to go to the toilet when they wake up, when it leaves it’s crate or box and after snacks or drinking water. As you can imagine, it could be a full time job monitoring your puppy for all these occasions. That is why you should take turns with other family members if possible.

If you want your puppy to poop in a certain place then always take it to that place around the time it is likely to want to poop. Another method that works is to get it to poop on a piece of newspaper. This can be used in the house to avoid messing up the carpet or floor and at night times when the dog is alone. Place the paper in a corner of the room where the puppy is staying. Encourage it to go to the toilet on the paper when you see it arching it’s back or making motions to go to the toilet. Once it has identified the paper as the place to do these things you can use a piece of paper to educate the puppy about a special place in the back garden or wherever. This will make your life easier when the puppy becomes older and doesn’t litter your yard with excrement.

Potty training a puppy is one of the first things you will need to do to socialize your dog. There will be many other things it will have to learn so that it can be a coveted and useful member of the family. Learning potty training will set it off on the right path for future learning and good behavior.

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You can teach your dog how to behave properly by reading the tips at http://www.doghealthncare.com . The site has features on dog training and health issues, including health problems with dog treats. Adrian writes on caring for your dog and useful training tips.

In this article, you

When people are sick we notice their sickness…..right? Actually, not all ailments are noticeable but luckily, when we are depressed, tired or have a stiff neck, we can tell someone about it. Unfortunately, our animal friends do not possess the gift of speech. Unconditionally loving, our pets take their lot as it comes. Arthritis, depression, asthma and many common ailments become a way of life for them, and we often notice it only after it is too late.

As voluntary guardians of our pets we take interest in their wellbeing. Intent is all very well but without knowledge we are powerless. Here are some symptoms and information about five common ailments which our canine friends are susceptible to.

Asthma
Asthma is not just a human disease but can affect animals including dogs. Asthma is the inflammation and spasming of the airways as well as excessive production of mucus which results in difficulty in breathing. It affects dogs of any breed and age. In a severe asthma attack, respiratory distress may occur, the symptoms of which are: the dog breathing with difficulty through the mouth and a purple color to the tongue and gums due to lack of oxygen. This must be treated as an emergency and medical attention must be administered as soon as possible.
Symptoms: Coughing is normally the first sign. During an attack, wheezing is evident (whistling sound made by air traveling through narrowed airways, normally loudest on the exhale). Dogs breathing will be shallow, rapid and labored. There is lots of effort put into inhaling and exhaling as well as dramatic movement of the abdomen. Some dogs lose weight and become lethargic. In less severe cases the only symptom is a chronic cough. Most pets seem quite normal between attacks.

Aggression
Some breeds are more aggressive than others. Aggression is sometimes related to common problems such as past abuse, physical discomfort and related breeding problems. It is also normally related to specific situations such as only when eating. If your dog is constantly aggressive, this could be due to underlying causes like tension and stress.
Symptoms: Barking, snarling, snapping, raised fur along back of neck and along the ridge of the spine.

Joint and muscle disease
Sprains and strains are common in active canine though certain breeds may be more prone than others. Certain dogs may also be more prone due to their genealogy. Serious medical conditions are not uncommon. Arthritis (inflammation of joints), spinal diseases such as spondylosis and spondylitis are more likely to affect older dogs. Hip dysplasia (malformation of the hip ball and socket) can affect any dog but especially certain breeds.
Symptoms: Overall stiffness (especially after rest), whimpering when getting up, difficulty in climbing stairs or in and out of the car, reluctance to exercise, lameness, unusual movements, disjointed or wobbly gait, swelling and tenderness in limbs or spine, shying away from being stroked along back, thickening of joints of affected limb, favoring the use of one limb more than another and irritability.

Fleas
This is a common parasite among dogs. Some pets suffer very little from bites but some develop an allergic reaction to flea saliva which leads to severe skin reaction known as

Almost all breeds of dogs are group oriented, with the need to interact with other species of their group to remain secure. Over years of breeding, however, Golden Retrievers have been adapted to interact more with people. Perfectly suitable as guide dogs they are also able assistants for those who like to hunt and as companions for younger children. Interaction with people is important to them as a consequence of their breeding.

They want nothing more than to be accepted that you are aware of them, are very forgiving and will tolerate many mistakes you may make. The first three recipients of the Obedience Trial Championships, a test of manageability, were Golden Retrievers, further evidence of their will to please. Living with their owners and being involved in all family pastimes is crucial to Golden Retrievers as they are so oriented towards people. Although they don’t usually bark they will do if they desire attention or get bored.

A golden Retriever needs regular exercise and will involve himself in any activity that you are embroiled in such as hunting, hiking and ball games. Perfectly suitable as companions for children they will become loyal friends as they grow together. Golden Retrievers can be unintentionally rough when playing, irrespective of how friendly they are, so supervision is essential when mixing with young children. Pulling his tail or poking him, even unintentionally, may cause him to retaliate through his natural instinct, despite his great disposition.

Water is a great attraction to Golden Retrievers and they will choose to get wet whenever they get the chance, no matter what the source of water is. It is commonplace for them to get dirty at every opportunity due to their love of mud as well as water and once full grown you will need to bathe them on a regular basis. Although they are not too concerned about the heat it isn’t normally good for them, so you will need to make sure they have plenty of air, shade and water during the summer months. Even on the hottest days that the summer can serve up your Golden Retriever should be fine so long as you are aware of the conditions and take care of his needs.

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More information can be gathered about Golden Retrievers by visiting Golden-Retriever-Facts.com a popular website with tips and advice on how to care for your family pet.

Training your Golden Retriever is not just about schooling him in the skills of coming to heel, sit or rollover. Although training your dog is a necessary requirement, it should be fun, fulfilling and rewarding, both for you and your dog and an activity that benefits and includes every family member. Essentially house training your Golden Retriever is important for your sanity and sanitation.

It can take a lot of time and patience to properly train a Golden Retriever, especially in the early days when several training sessions a day are essential. Dogs learn at different speeds according to their level of ability, but on a positive note Golden Retrievers are one of the more receptive breeds. Like all breeds, however they respond more quickly and more reliably to positive incentives rather than to fear or punishment. Training your Golden Retriever is more than just an exercise in learning and understanding for a dog.

Obedience training for your Golden Retriever is the best way to keep both you and your dog happy and should not be optional. Done correctly, it will build your relationship and bring about a change in character within any dog, which eliminates nearly all behavioural problems. Although it can get frustrating in the early days you should always carry out the training with a positive attitude and reward your dog when he gets something right rather than punishing him for forgetting.

A Golden Retriever, especially a puppy, will develop his own schedule and behaviour if left unsupervised. Use verbal reprimands instead of punishment and reward good behaviour with lavish praise. Severe punishment tactics can actually cause behavioural problems in itself and in many cases bring about the opposite behaviour than what you are trying to achieve, even compounding existing ones. Using positive methods to define behaviour is fun for you and your Golden Retriever and if he is clear about where he stands and his function within the group will have no behaviour problems.

If you feel that training you Golden Retriever is beyond you a dog trainer maybe the answer. Searching for a reputable dog trainer can seem difficult, but the first place to explore would be your kennel or veterinarian

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You have decided that a small dog is your best choice.

It

One of the central elements of dog ownership is vaccination and your Golden Retriever should be properly protected against certain diseases at certain times. This is to help safeguard him and other animals he may come in to contact with. The following is a clarification of vaccinations and why they should be given.

Your veterinarian will most likely recommend a series of three sets of vaccinations when you get a Golden Retriever puppy. The first vaccine will be at eight weeks of age and the remainder given at four week intervals. The first vaccination will be referred to as distemper, usually a combination injection that will protect your dog against the following diseases

Distemper

Also known as called canine distemper, a highly infectious disease mostly affecting young dogs. It is caused by an unidentified virus and characterized by coughing, lethargy, fever, catarrh, diarrhea and vomiting. Golden Retrievers of all ages can be afflicted by it, but mostly unvaccinated puppies. Distemper is fatal in half of the occurrences.

Hepatitis

Hepatitis is characterized by jaundice, fever, liver enlargement, and abdominal pain and affects the liver, pancreas, kidneys, and the lining of blood vessels. The outcome of the disease varies, but most often it is fatal in young puppies.

Parainfluenza

Is a respiratory infection caused by a virus and it is quite mild in comparison with other infectious diseases. Symptoms include sneezing, discharge from the eyes and nose, and coughing.

Leptospirosis

Leptospirosis is an infectious disease of dogs and can be defined by fever, muscle pain, and jaundice. The liver and kidney can be affected in severe cases. The symptoms include vomiting, lethargy, and abdominal pain. Usually the leptospirosis component is not a part the initial injection and will be included the next time the combination injection is due. Some dogs are allergic to the leptospirosis vaccine, but your vet will guide you on this point.

Coronavirus

Symptoms that indicate the disease Coronavirus include loss of appetite, orange or yellow diarrhea, lethargy, and fever. It causes inflammation of the intestines and the disease most often affects puppies. Prognosis is usually good.

If your Golden Retriever is liable to be mixing with other dogs then it is important that he is vaccinated for Bordetella Bronchiseptica. This is usually at the second visit or at 12 weeks of age. Most often referred to as Kennel Cough, Bordetella Bronchiseptica is extremely infectious and is usually transmitted in areas where many dogs are together such as obedience classes, boarding facilities, and dog parks. Infection usually becomes apparent when you notice a dry cough. It is worth taking into account that no vaccine is 100% effective and your dog may still become ill with this disease. A booster is usually administered at the 16 week visit and thereafter annually.

One of the more serious ailments that your Golden Retriever can get is Rabies which has an adverse influence on your dog