No owner likes to get a call from the pound telling them that their dog has been picked up for roaming the streets, but even the best trained dog can escape and end up in places where it shouldn’t be.
In many towns you can find yourself in legal trouble if your dog is found to be wandering the streets. And quite rightly so as a dog on the loose can do quite a lot of damage to other people’s property, pets, children and elderly folk.
Dogs that generally try to escape from their property are usually those that have not been trained or are bored. Boredom is most often the case, and giving your dog suitable stimulation to ensure that he/she remains contented on the property can prevent this.
This can be as simple as leaving toys for your dog to play with, fresh water and a suitable place to sleep, shelter from the weather, and anything else that the dog might need while you aren’t in attendance. Obviously a big fence and a locked gate will go a long way to deter your dog from escaping.
Consider the alternative of trying to catch your dog once it has escaped, and the damage that can be done, should it run out in front of a cyclist or a car. Prevention is always best. Giving your dog regular exercise will also reduce the likelihood of it wanting to escape.
Even the fact that the dog knows it will be getting exercise when you arrive home will eliminate much of the possibility of having it escape during the time when you’re away. If your dog gets this exercise before you go out you are less likely to have problems because it is more likely to sleep after having exercised.
Please note: This article is part of a collection of dog-related content that we purchased the rights to. Opinions expressed may or may not agree with those espoused by Master Dog Trainer Adam G. Katz. When in doubt, please refer to the advice given in Adam’s “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!” This article is provided for your enjoyment, only. It’s relevance to real world working dog training may be limited.
Filed under Boundary & Perimeter Training by on Jul 7th, 2010. 
There are many different factors that come into play when determining how long your dog training sessions should be. Just as people have many and varied personalities, the same is true for dogs – even within a breed.
Many people recommend that you do a personality analysis before getting your dog to determine which breed will be most suitable in your life. Very often, however, we choose dogs based on other different factors at the time. The various different breeds of dogs have different personality traits and you need to work with these when training your dog to get the best results.
The age of the dog also determines the ability to be trained. While young puppies generally have a shorter attention span they haven’t learnt the bad habits of older dogs and in most cases are easiest to train. When training young puppies it is a good idea to have shorter training sessions, and to end the training sessions with a bit of fun and playtime.
When you mix a little fun with the training, you always get better results, and you will also be more likely to continue with the dog training for longer. As an owner and their dog progress along with training, both parties will find it far more enjoyable as the results will improve and the obvious rewards that both the dog and the owner receive from one another will bond the relationship even further. There’s nothing quite like dog training to start off a lifetime relationship in the best manner possible. Dog training is the best investment you can ever make for your pet.
Please note: This article is part of a collection of dog-related content that we purchased the rights to. Opinions expressed may or may not agree with those espoused by Master Dog Trainer Adam G. Katz. When in doubt, please refer to the advice given in Adam’s “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!” This article is provided for your enjoyment, only. It’s relevance to real world working dog training may be limited.
Filed under Dog Obedience by on Jul 7th, 2010.
Dogs love to dig but this can be a problem if that lovely landscaped yard of yours looks like a minefield from all the holes that your dog has dug.
No doubt if you have a dog that likes to dig you have tried all and sundry to get it to stop from smacking it to yelling at it when it starts to dig and you probably still haven’t resolved the problem. Once again, like all methods of dog training, if you can address the reason why the dog is doing something you will be able to eliminate the problem.
There are many different reasons why a dog will dig, from boredom and frustration to the search for a cold place to rest in humid weather. Consider the surroundings that you have made available for your pet and see if there are any areas that need attention.
Does your dog need more shelter, or is the current shelter just a little too hot for the climate that you are living in? Is the dog digging to gain your attention and if so you will need to look at earlier lessons on how to give your dog the attention that it is seeking without encouraging it to continue with the behavior that you wish to stop.
Maybe your dog needs more toys to play with or more exercise to relieve some of it’s pent up energy. Maybe you will need to fence off parts of your yard where you know your dog prefers to dig. If you have a dog that just prefers to dig for no other reason than the enjoyment of digging you might need to offer it a dedicated area of the yard where it can dig to it’s hearts delight.
This might help to keep your dog contented while you are away. There will always be a solution, you just need to look at the circumstances and take the appropriate action.
Please note: This article is part of a collection of dog-related content that we purchased the rights to. Opinions expressed may or may not agree with those espoused by Master Dog Trainer Adam G. Katz. When in doubt, please refer to the advice given in Adam’s “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!” This article is provided for your enjoyment, only. It’s relevance to real world working dog training may be limited.
Filed under Dog Digging by on Jul 7th, 2010.
What does it mean if you see your dog eating grass? There are two main reasons why your dog will be eating grass.
The first reason is to help it to enduce vomiting. It will be doing this to get rid of something that it has eaten that is unpleasant or dangerous.
Dogs do not have the ability to digest grass due to a lack of the necessary enzymes that are required for grass digestion. By eating grass the dog knows that it will bind with the offending food and when it vomits the food will be dispelled from it’s system.
This is a natural instinct that the dog has, to protect itself from poisoning or foods that can make it feel ill. Dogs instinctively know what type of grass to eat for this process of elimination. As they cannot digest the grass there is no alternative other than to bring the grass up which will clear out it’s stomach of any unpleasant matter that is making it feel ill.
Grass also contains other vitamins, minerals and enzymes that can assist in the relief of pain and the treatment of infections, which is another reason why your dog might be eating grass. Another likely scenario why a dog will be eating grass is to aid in the digestion of food.
Certain grasses will help in the digestion process and the dog instinctively knows what grass is needed for this. The only thing that you need to ensure is that you haven’t recently sprayed the grass with herbicides or poison that could do your dog more harm than good.
Please note: This article is part of a collection of dog-related content that we purchased the rights to. Opinions expressed may or may not agree with those espoused by Master Dog Trainer Adam G. Katz. When in doubt, please refer to the advice given in Adam’s “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!” This article is provided for your enjoyment, only. It’s relevance to real world working dog training may be limited.
Filed under Dog Behavior by on Jul 7th, 2010.
Is Your Dog Safe? Is your dog living in a safe environment? Silly question isn’t it but not quite as silly as you might think at first.
We all like to provide our pets with a safe environment and giving them a safe and comfortable place to sleep is an important part of that environment. While we might have provided our dog with a safe kennel initially, we all know how dogs like to bite and chew things and their kennel is not immune to their teeth.
While the kennel might have been safe when new a dog can chew parts of it that could expose wood, nails and/or wire that could cause it harm. Their chewing could create sharp surfaces that can do permanent damage to their eyes or any other parts of their body.
It is always a good idea to have a regular check of your dogs’ kennel or cage to ensure there hasn’t been any damage that could harm it. Also – when your dog is left alone in your yard or house you need to be sure that no harm can come to it if you are away for any period of time when you cannot monitor what it gets up to.
Owning a dog is a lot like having a child and they need constant care or they can do damage to themselves. If you treat your pet like a child and assume that they can’t care too well for themselves then you are more likely to ensure that they will be safe at all times whether you are able to monitor them or not.
Please note: This article is part of a collection of dog-related content that we purchased the rights to. Opinions expressed may or may not agree with those espoused by Master Dog Trainer Adam G. Katz. When in doubt, please refer to the advice given in Adam’s “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!” This article is provided for your enjoyment, only. It’s relevance to real world working dog training may be limited.
Filed under Living With Dogs by on Jul 7th, 2010.
There has been a marked deterioration in the general health of dogs since the introduction of processed dog foods.
Many of these foods offer very little nutritional value but it is their convenience and the fact that they have added flavors that ensure our pets get delight in eating them that have increased the sales and popularity of this food.
Just as we might like to eat foods that contain sugar, which is detrimental to our health, our dogs also like to eat these low value foods because they taste so good. Most of the popular dog foods use by-products and are actually worse to feed our dogs than the scraps from our meal tables.
But therein lies another problem with many of the foods that we eat, unsuitable for dog consumption. Some foods, as discussed in previous newsletters can actually be toxic to dogs so we are faced with the dilemma of knowing what is the best food to feed our pets.
The best solution that many people are finding is to prepare their own dog food using only those ingredients that will enhance the health of the dog.
There are several excellent books that teach you how to prepare your own dog food that will be nutritious and also cost effective. Dogs find these foods tasty and they don’t need the added sodium, preservatives and coloring to enhance the look and taste of the food. It is well worth looking at this method to ensure your dog gets the optimum health from their food.
Filed under Dog Food & Health by on Jul 7th, 2010.
Training your dog to not pull on the leash One of the most common problems people have with their dogs is pulling on the leash.
There are many reasons why this can occur, and quite often it is nothing more than excitement on the dogs part. If this is the case, allowing the dog a few minutes to simmer down before taking it on his/her walk can often stop it.
Once again, the dogs pack mentality can come to play with the dog assuming leadership over its owner as the leader of the pack. This comes back to the basics of dog training where the dog must be aware of who the master is.
Failure to get this basic dog training technique under control can lead to all sorts of problems, particularly if the dog gets off the leash. In the presence of other dogs, and sometimes young children this problem becomes pronounced.
One of the basics of dog training is for the owner to establish him or herself as the leader of the pack otherwise no training can be effective. Once this has been established you can start the process of getting your dog to walk calmly beside you with or without a leash. And that process can only start if you are able to get your dog to sit calmly while you put the leash around its neck.
That is the very first step of training your dog to walk without pulling in its leash. Once you succeed in that task, you can move on to the next step where you can get your dog to walk beside you without a leash and be assured that he/she won’t run away. And from there you will not be one of those people where the dog is taking them for a walk.
Please note: This article is part of a collection of dog-related content that we purchased the rights to. Opinions expressed may or may not agree with those espoused by Master Dog Trainer Adam G. Katz. When in doubt, please refer to the advice given in Adam’s “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!” This article is provided for your enjoyment, only. It’s relevance to real world working dog training may be limited.
Filed under Pulling On The Leash by on Jul 7th, 2010.
More Information on Dog Food - You need to consider various different factors when feeding your dog.
You certainly wouldn’t want to be feeding a sedentary dog as much food as one that is exercising regularly or a working dog. The dog’s activity levels are very important when deciding how much to feed it.
Over-feeding will obviously lead to an overweight dog with corresponding health problems and a potential shortening of its life. Another factor that will determine what food to give your dog will be the breed of the dog. Obviously, you won’t be feeding the same quantity of food that a Doberman might eat to a miniature poodle. It is not just the size of the dog that needs to be taken into account, but also specific requirements for certain dog breeds.
If you have a pedigree dog it is wise to check with that dogs society to get more information on the types of foods that you should be feeding it. Incorrect food choice can be very detrimental to the health of your dog. If in doubt, and you are unable to find any suitable information, it is always better to stick with natural foods, meats, and a little vegetables, and always monitor the weight of your dog to see that it is not getting overweight or alternatively losing weight.
One thing that is essential with all dogs, all breeds of dogs, and all sizes of dogs, is the need for fresh water at all time. Just like humans, dogs need to remain hydrated at all times or they will become lethargic and sick. You’ll also need to give your dog, food that they can chew to assist in the cleaning of their teeth. And of course, any dog will always be happy with a nice big bone to chew on.
Please note: This article is part of a collection of dog-related content that we purchased the rights to. Opinions expressed may or may not agree with those espoused by Master Dog Trainer Adam G. Katz. When in doubt, please refer to the advice given in Adam’s “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!” This article is provided for your enjoyment, only. It’s relevance to real world working dog training may be limited.
Filed under Dog Food & Health by on Jul 7th, 2010.
Online Pet Product Sales Every year billions of dollars are spent on dog food and veterinary care. It is a huge market and the people who are selling goods in this market are constantly trying to offer better products at better prices.
This is great for dog lovers like us as we benefit from the competition. The Internet has added to that competition to deliver the best dog products as more and more online pet stores compete for our dollars. With reduced overheads and the ability to source a bigger range of products in recent years, there has been a big increase in online sales of pet products.
Some of the biggest online pet stores offer prices that the local pet stores just can’t compete with any longer and they all offer the best guarantees and returns for products that you might not be satisfied with. Along with this they have regular overnight deliveries throughout the country and they can even deliver worldwide.
It is always good to check the prices of the online pet stores and compare with what you might be paying elsewhere as you can save quite a lot of money by doing so. While it is essential that you have a good relationship with your local veterinarian and they know the history and health of your dog, items such as dog toys are generally better to purchase from the Internet and there are also many people who will buy all their dog vitamins and food via the Internet due to the savings that they are able to achieve.
Please note: This article is part of a collection of dog-related content that we purchased the rights to. Opinions expressed may or may not agree with those espoused by Master Dog Trainer Adam G. Katz. When in doubt, please refer to the advice given in Adam’s “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!” This article is provided for your enjoyment, only. It’s relevance to real world working dog training may be limited.
Filed under Dog Training Equipment by on Jul 7th, 2010.
We all seem to have less and less time to do the things that we want these days. Fortunately due to the convenience of the Internet we don’t need to forget our best friend simply because we haven’t got the time to get to the local pet shop for toys and supplies that will keep our dogs happy and healthy.
Some of the biggest distributors of dog supplies sell their wares on the Internet, which is great for busy people like us. Add to that the fact that more often than not the goods we are buying are cheaper than we would ever pay at the local pet shop and we’re winning on both counts. And it gets even better with the goods getting delivered to our door, generally overnight so we don’t even have to wait long to get our purchases.
The big online pet stores have all the latest items and the best dog foods and you can browse online and find out all the information you need before buying. Best of all, you can do it 24 hours a day at your own convenience and when you have a spare moment to place your orders. Shopping online is both safe and convenient and there are money savings by buying online that can’t be gained by shopping at the malls.
This is especially good for people who live in areas where there are no suitable pet stores nearby, as door-to-door delivery will ensure you get the goods on time all the time without even having to leave the house.
If you are hesitant to make your first purchase online, just try buying something small to see how easy it is to order, but remember that there are often discounts for bigger purchases and some online stores offer free freight if you buy more than a specified amount from them.
Filed under Dog Training Equipment by on Jul 7th, 2010.
