September 2008

Concentrate On How You Want Your Dog To Behave

If you don’t know where you’re going, how can you get there? This applies to pretty much everything we do every day of our lives, and it’s true of potty training tricks, too.

It’s very easy to fall into the trap of concentrating on things that we don’t want. This happens a lot with dogs! We definitely don’t want our pet to pee on the carpet, or to chew the sofa, or to carry on running when we call him back to us, or start barking incessantly when older members of the family come to the house.

Contemplate this for a minute. Suppose you’re about to adopt a puppy. Are you actually considering spending the next eight to fourteen years of your life chasing your dog around saying, “No no no”? Wouldn’t it be better to guide your dog into behaviors that you want?

A prime example springs to mind is when we think, “I really do not want the dog to chew the furniture,” try, “I want my dog to chew his toys.” Rather than, “I don’t want the dog to embarrass me when I have guests,” change it to, “My dog should greet and welcome my guests controlled and quietly.”

By focusing on the positive aspects of your training goals, you will have a much clearer path to successfully training your dog. What better way to start your training program.

Reward Your Dog

The most important aspect people have realized in house breaking puppy during the last decade is a move in focus from highlighting corrective action, or penalties, and moving towards rewarding good behavior.

The practice of rewarding your dog’s good behavior is a smart one, especially for dog house training. A fundamental reason for using rewards is that when you punish your dog, for whatever reason, the consequences can be pretty sad. Some dogs - not all, but it can happen - could become frightened or even aggressive in response to the punishment. Some dogs, especially timid breeds, may close off completely. They seem to lose their sense of adventure. Some may even appear completely broken spirited.

You also get a better sense of accomplishment and enlightenment when using reward training techniques. It’s nice to be a source of praise and treats, instead of a constant disciplinarian.

But regardless of how good it makes you feel, rewards based training actually works. Simply because using rewards helps build your dogs self esteem and strengthens your relationship. As soon as she discovers that rewards come for a particular action of behavior, your pet will want to repeat he behavior as often as possible. When you learn the best way to use this technique, you can use rewards to reach virtually any training goal.

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Way to many times, many new pup owners do not realize how very important of having a roomy crate for your puppy. This crate for your dog is a very essential resource when it comes to training your puppy and has many great uses. Puppies in general are rather tiny and have no clue on what to do with large spaces. Keeping the pup’s in a dog crate is a great way to calm him or her down. Also since puppies don’t like to go potty where they sleep, the dog crate will be an awesome tool for potty training your puppy.

When your new little puppy gets over excited for any reason, placing him in the crate will help the puppy settle down. If you need to leave your puppy by himself for a couple of hours, the pup can very easily cause a little chaos and have accidents on the floor. All of this lead to over excitement in the puppy as well as stress which can be remedied through the act of placing the puppy in the crate while you are gone.

Remembering that puppies are easily distracted by other events around him, feeding the puppy can be a difficult task as well as a messy one. By placing the puppy in the crate for feeding time, you will be able to minimize the messes as well as the distractions so that your puppy can focus on eating all of his meal.

1) It is very important that the crate you get for the puppy is the right size. If the crate is too small, the puppy will feel cramped but then again if the crate is too large, then house breaking the puppy using a crate will not work. In a large crate, a puppy will use to potty on one side of the crate and sleep on the other which is the exact opposite of what you want him to do which is not potty anywhere in the house.

2) In the event that you have chosen a puppy that will grow in size rather quickly, you may purchase a larger crate but only if it comes with a divider to make the crate the appropriate size for the puppy. This divider can be moved so that the crate will grow as the puppy grows.

3) Keep in mind that even if you purchase the appropriate sized crate for your puppy, if you choose too thick of a bed, the puppy will still potty in the crate as the bedding will absorb the urine. A simple newspaper bedding is all that a puppy really needs. Once you have properly house broken the puppy then you can get him or her a dog beds large.

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If your dog has a yeast infection, it may be that your dog has a weak immune system and will be vulnerable to problems with yeast. When the immune system is weak, it lessens the good bacteria and yeast changes to a full blown yeast infection in dogs. The odor of yeast is noticeable especially in dogs.

You might think it is wax since it is brown in color and thick and it can go untreated.

Yeast infection targets the ears, feet and anal parts of a dog’s body. Anywhere that is moist will attract yeast. Dogs that have this infection usually have an excess of oil on the skin. The yeast loves this kind of oily skin texture. Extreme itching and irritation is also a product of yeast infection in dogs. Learn more at Dog Ear Yeast.

If your dog has an infection, be sure that you have to do things such as always keeping your dog clean. If the dog is outdoors in the rain or snow, make sure you bring him or her inside and thoroughly dry them especially in between the toes and behind the ears. The dog’s bedding should also be kept dry.

Poor diet and a weak immune system is a serious cause for dogs yeast infection.

Start feeding your dog premium food or a raw diet. Use food that has allergy blend if your dog is allergic to anything including yeast infection.

Use shampoo with less grease when bathing your dog. Yeast thrives on moisture. Antibiotics will only worsen the yeast infection and cause recurring yeast infection. Using natural baby wipes on your dog each day can help. If you can find one that has aloe as part of the ingredient, that would be helpful. You can also try enzyme supplements along with the premium diet.

Here is a homeopathic yeast infection remedy to try:
Use rubbing alcohol – about four ounces and mix it with two tablespoon of boric acid and a tablespoon of glycerine. You can put this in a dropper and administer two drops in each of your dog’s ear. Use this weekly until the dog ear yeast infection clears up.

Learn about how to cure dog yeast infection here at Dog Ear Yeast.

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Your beloved canine has many needs and health issues to address, and most of us love to treat them a bit special as well. However, some care calls for particular attention to detail because of the danger factor, and that includes kennels - or crates.

Did you know that cheap dog crates could kill or injure your dog? Whether it’s poorly crafted metal or cheap plastic, a low-quality crate could cut, strangle or seriously injure your animal. Before you buy a bargain cost crate for your dog, keep reading to learn why it’s a bad idea.

Not Air Certified

There’s a reason most cheap dog crates aren’t cleared for air travel - they’re unsafe and not suited for air travel conditions. Typically, most air crates need to be easily opened and closed from the outside and provide the animal with enough ventilation and protection.

They also need to be made from high-quality plastic. Last year, 6 dogs were injured after low-quality plastic dog carriers cracked due to air cabin pressure changes. The cracked plastic cut or sliced the animals, causing pain and injury that could not be treated until the plane landed and the baggage compartment checked.

Too Collapsible

Stay away from low-quality, wire crates that are collapsible. Numerous consumers have complained these crates do not hold up and can simply collapse on the animal without warning - a scenario that can be deadly for small puppies. While adult dogs typically won’t be severely injured by a collapsed crate, being trapped for possibly hours is stressful and causes anxiety.

Poor Ventilation

Plastic or fabric cheap dog crates may not have enough ventilation holes to provide your dog with sufficient oxygen. Lack of air can cause anxiety, claustrophobia, stress and even death. Several dogs in a California kennel suffocated to death after being kept in poorly-ventilated plastic kennels that were too small for the animals.

Another danger associated with poorly ventilated fabric or plastic dog crates is overheating. Without sufficient vent holes, your dog can quickly be overcome by heat on a hot summer day spent inside a plastic crate.

Buying a Good Crate

Look for a high-quality crate that is easily opened from the outside, provides sufficient ventilation and is large enough for the animal. While high-quality wire crates aren’t cleared for air travel, they are great when coupled with a crate mat for the bottom.

Other Crate Safety Rules

It doesn’t matter if you’re buying a cheap dog crate or the most expensive one in the store - there are some basic safety rules that apply to all. First, take off the dog’s collar before you put it in the crate since the collar could get caught and choke the dog. Second, provide your dog with toys and water while crated. Finally, never leave a dog in a crate for more than four or five hours - it’s cruel and unhealthy.

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Do you have a new puppy or even a young pooch that has been part of your family for some time? Well if you are looking to teach your dog tricks, and in particular how to teach your dog to roll over, believe me when I say that it is not as difficult as you may think.

The trick is your body language and, treats. Of course, treats alone are something your pet will love. But it is the ability to use those treats to have your dog do what it want it to do.

Have you ever read a book on dog tricks? They might make it sound so basic with tips, but if you put on your reading glasses and take a look at the fine print you will see that all dog tricks take only one secret. So what is that secret?

It is really not that big of a secret, it is a process called consistency. You see, dogs absolutely crave consistency. So basically, you can teach your dog absolutely anything you want as long as you are consistent.

So lets get in to the treats about teaching your dog to roll over. I will let you know that there are a couple pre-requisites before teaching your dog to roll over. So like I said, slip on those designer reading glasses and pay attention. The pre-req’s are the ability to lie down and stay in the lie down position on command.

Step 1 – have your dog lie down and stay.
Step 2 – with a treat in your hand, hold it to one side of your dogs nose, about 4 inches away.
Step 3 – say the command “roll over” as you move the treat up and over your dogs nose.
Step 4 – (it may take a couple takes to get to this step) move the treat as your dog begins to roll.
Step 5 – move the treat appropriately to make your dog roll its body over
Step 6 – Know that your dogs body will follow its nose, err, which will follow the treat.

So you see, it is not rocket science; it is all about consistency and common sense. And of course, a treat your dog will love.

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When many people think of Dog Training, they may envision showing off their best friend’s playing-dead technique during summer cookouts. If this isn’t something that appeals to them, they may disregard dog training as a frivolous activity custom made for people with too much time on their hands. There are, however, several ways of training your dog and several reasons to do so. Three very important benefits of training your dog are socialization, safety, and bonding.

Socializing your dog is simply the act of making him a pleasure to be around for people and other dogs alike. Who wants to be around a dog - especially a large one - who jumps on everyone with whom he comes in contact? If you have a dog that jumps, you may feel forced to resign him to the backyard when company visits, which may in turn make an annoying barker out of him as he feels left out of social gatherings. But if you treat the problem by training him not to jump, you will enable him to enjoy the company of others when they come for a visit. You will be able to do things with him like go to the park and walk in areas where there are other people and dogs.

A trained dog is a safer dog. One of a pet owner’s biggest fears is that their beloved animal will one day get away from during a walk and be hit by a car. Some very basic training can give you a safety net in just such a situation. For instance, imagine that your dog runs out the front door one morning and you lose track of him. When you find him, he is on the other side of a busy street, and his first impulse may be to bound happily toward you at first sight. But if he is well-trained, you can signal for him to sit and wait for you to come and leash him. Disaster averted.

Aside from those two very practical reasons to train your dog, however, there is a third benefit that busy people sometimes overlook. Time spent training your dog is time the two of you will spend together. If you’ve ever built a model with your kid or fixed a computer or baked a cake with a friend, you know that accomplishing a goal with a loved one can be a valuable bonding experience. Dogs are not immune to this. If you spend just a few minutes each day training your dog, it will give both of you a sense of accomplishment and bring you closer together.

Certainly, a few nifty party tricks aren’t out of the question. Go ahead - see how far you can take the training once you have the basics covered. Let your dog show you and everyone else exactly how smart he is. Remember to use plenty of praise and reward, as well as having lots of patience.

Learn more about Dog Training

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Demodex mites are present on the skin of all dogs but in some animals born with a defective immune system the numbers increase and begin to cause problems.  Dalmatians are usually cited as one of the most common breeds affected with this condition.  Although it is thought to be genetically transmitted, the mode of transmission has never been conclusively demonstrated.

Most cases of demodicosis are seen in young pups and fully 90% of cases self-cure with or no medical intervention by the time these dogs reach18-36 months of age.  In these cases, it is suspected that the immune system is marginally compromised and eventually matures and gets the condition under control.  On the other hand, some pups (about 10% of those initially affected) do not get better and, in fact, become progressively worse.  These are thought to have more severe immunologic compromise and are often labeled as having “generalized demodicosis.”

The diagnosis is easily made by scraping the skin with a scalpel blade and looking at the collected debris under a microscope.  The Demodex mites are cigar-shaped and are easily seen.  What is harder to identify is the immunoiogic defect that allowed the condition to occur in the first place.  Recent research has suggested the problem may be linked to a decrease in interleukin-2 response but the genetics is still a question. 

If the cause of the immune dysfunction can be cured, the mange will resolve on its own.  Likewise, if the pup outgrows its immunoiogic immaturity or defect, the condition will self-cure.  This process can best be assisted by ensuring a healthy diet is being fed, treating for any internal parasites or other diseases, and perhaps using cleansing shampoos and nutritional supplements that help bolster the immune system.  However, if the condition does not resolve on its own, or if it is getting worse despite therapy, special mite-killing treatments are necessary.

Amitraz is the most common dip used.  It must be remembered that killing the mites will not restore the immune system to normal.  Regarding prevention, it is best not to breed Dalmatians with a history of demodicosis and dogs with generalized demodicosis should never be bred.

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Choosing the best stud dog for your female Dalmatian can be very difficult. The two principal factors to be considered should be the stud’s conformation and his pedigree.  Conformation is quite obvious; you want a dog that is typical of the breed in the words of the “Standard of perfection.”  On the other hand, understanding pedigrees is a bit more difficult since the pedigree lists the ancestry of the dog.  It involves individuals and bloodlines which you may not be entirely familiar of.  Make an effort to discuss the various dogs behind the proposed stud with some of the more experienced breeders.  Start with the breeder of your own female Dalmatian.  Such breeders can give you helpful information as well as offer opinions of them. 

Do not rush out and breed to the latest winner with no thought of whether or not he can produce true quality.  It is the producing record of the stud Dalmatian that should be the basis on which you make your choice.  Breeding dogs is not a money-making business.  By the time you pay a stud fee, care for the female during pregnancy, whelp the litter, and rear the puppies through their early shots, worming, etc…, you will be fortunate enough to break even financially once the puppies have been sold.  Your chances of doing this are greater if you are breeding for a show-quality litter which will bring you higher prices, as the pups are sold as show prospects.

Your wisest investment is to use the best stud dog available for your female Dalmatian regardless of the cost if you want to produce valuable puppies.  Keep in mind that it is equally costly to raise average puppies as it is to raise top ones, and your chances of financial return are better on the latter.

There are three options for breeding your female Dalmatian: line-breeding, in-breeding, and out-cross breeding.  Line-breeding is breeding a female dog to a  stud belonging originally to the same canine family, and descended from the same ancestors, such as half-brother to half-sister, grand-sire to granddaughter, niece to uncle (and vice-versa) or cousin to cousin.  Inbreeding is breeding father to daughter, mother to son, or full brother to sister.  Out-cross breeding is breeding a male and a female Dalmatian with no or only a few mutual ancestors. 

For a novice breeder, line-breeding is probably the safest course to take and the one most likely to bring expected results. The more sophisticated inbreeding should be left to the experienced, longtime breeders who have full knowledge and understanding of the risks and the possibilities involved with a particular line. It is usually done in an effort to intensify some ideal feature in that strain.  Out-crossing is the reverse of inbreeding, an effort to introduce improvement in a specific feature that needs correction, such as a shorter back, better movement, more correct head or coat, etc.

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When house training your Dalmatian puppy, you will need to take him out frequently and at regular intervals: first thing in the morning directly from the crate, right after meals, after the puppy has been napping, or when you notice that the puppy is looking for a spot.  Choose more or less the same place to take the puppy each time in order to establish a pattern.  If he does not go immediately, do not return him to the house because he will probably relieve himself the moment he is inside.  Stay out with him until he has finished; then be generous with your praise for his good behavior.  If you catch the puppy having an accident indoors, grab him firmly and rush him outside, sharply saying “No!” as you pick him up.  If you do not see the accident occur, there is little point in doing anything except cleaning it up, because once it has happened and been forgotten, the puppy will most likely not even realize why you are scolding him. 

If you live in a big city or are away many hours at a time, having a dog that is trained to go on paper has some very good advantages.  In order to do this,  proceed the same way as taking the puppy outdoors, except this time you place the puppy on the newspaper at the proper time.  The paper should always be kept in the same area.  An easy way to paper train a puppy if you have a playpen is to line the area with newspapers; then gradually remove a section of it until you are down to just one or two. The puppy acquires the habit of using the paper; and as the prepared area grows smaller, the dog will usually continue to use whatever paper is still available.  It is pleasant, if the dog is alone for a long period of time to be able to feel that if he needs it the paper is there and will be used. 

The puppy should form the habit of spending a certain amount of time in his crate, even when you are home. Sometimes the puppy will do this “voluntarily, but if not, he needs to learn to do so, which is done by leading him over by his collar, gently pushing him inside, and saying firmly, “Down” or “Stay.”  Whatever expression you use to give a command, stick to the very same one each time for each act.  Repetition is very important in training as well as association with what the dog is expected to do.  When you mean “Sit” always say exactly that.  “Stay” should mean only that the dog should remain where he receives the command. “Down” means something else again. 

Do not confuse the dog by shuffling the commands, because this will create training problems for you.  As soon as he had his shots, take your puppy with you whenever and wherever you can.  Nothing builds a self-confident, stable dog like socialization, and it is very important that you plan and have the time and energy to do this.

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