Living with a Dog: News and Views
Tips and guidance on sharing your home - and your existence - with your best friend.

Archive for: December 2008



December 31, 2008

Pink leather dog collar

Filed under: News and Views - 31 Dec 2008 from author

It Shouldn’t Happen To A Dog: Pink Leather Dog Collars

Pink leather dog collars exemplify all that is wrong with modern society, and not just on an aesthetic level. You do have to wonder what the dog thinks when made to wear a monstrosity like a spiked pink leather dog collar. Dogs must really love us in order to not kill us for having to go out in public dressed like that. Although dogs aren’t color blind, they also don’t seem to care what color they wear. It’s only people that insist on pink designer leather dog collars.

Trying To Improve On Nature

Not that Pepto-Bismol pink leather dog collars aren’t an assault to the eyeballs, but they also show the arrogance of the human race. Leather is an incredible material. It’s tough, it’s attractive and it smells good. It also is very comfortable, once you break it in a little. But it does not come in pink. Although leather is often superior to other clothing materials, because it is not in pink makes it not good enough.

Just stop and think about all of the wasted materials, labor and effort that go into making pink leather dog collars – or pink leather anything, for that matter. You have to have the land to raise crops to feed the cow or sheep. You then have to raise the cow or sheep and then kill it, skin it and have the leather go through a special process called “curing”. You also need to stretch and condition the leather during this time.

And then, you have to coat it in pink. Generally, you have to cover the leather in another material (usually not as tough) in order to just make the leather pink. This often cracks off long before the leather underlay wears out. But hey – it’s pink!

Other Canine Fashion Faux “Paws”

I you are going to insist on making your dog wear a pink leather dog collar, then please be sure your dog is a girl. They say dogs can’t understand human language beyond a few words, but they sure know when they are being laughed at. Once a human starts to snicker, that human’s dog then joins in to tease the boy dog that is forced to wear pink because the owner thinks it’s “cute”.

On a more serious note, please do not get any kind of dog collar with rhinestones, diamonds or small sparkly things that can easily pop off of the collar. Dogs are like babies in that they explore the world through their mouths. Dogs have been known to choke to death on the shiny attachments that have come off of fashion dog collars.


December 30, 2008

Tips To Properly Select Dog Training Schools

Filed under: News and Views - 30 Dec 2008 from author

dog training school

The truth is there are so many dog obedience schools that offer their services to anyone willing to pay them. The problem though is not all schools will meet your standards or your expected guarantees. Here are some points of considerations when trying to choose a good school for training your dog.

Reputable

Reputable has different meanings to different people- for some it is the capacity to yield good results regardless of the means, for others it is the popularity of the school itself which makes it highly recommended. Knowing the school by reputation is a good indicator as to the popularity of the school and the training methods used. It also is a good indication how many others have set their trust in them.

To find a school with excellent reputation you could ask around or search through websites. Veterinarians usually have several names of schools and trainers to give you, your dog breeder could also provide you with some references and ASPCA or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals can provide a list of registered names that are sure to use humane methods approved by the organization.

Methods of Training

Any self-respecting training school uses responsible dog training collars methods. The school must have equal concern to your dog as you do, treating your dog one of their own. Beware of schools that employ trainers who still use old training methods such as yelling or hurting the dogs for there exists many of this kind.

A good school should use humane techniques that promote positive training and limits the use of risky negative reinforcement techniques. The former covers praises and the use of dog treats in recognition of the desirable behavior while the negative reinforcement techniques include practices like alpha rolling, choking and yelling.

Sufficient knowledge

The latest training methods has to have a mix of traditional and the latest techniques for the dog. Having extensive orientation in this field would optimize the capacity of your dog to learn since it would be exposed to all possible trainings to which it could respond well.

When researching training schools, look for information on seminars with dog trainers for a good idea on what they offer. Remember that you would pay hefty amounts to get your dog trained, it is but proper that you and your dog receive proper compensation for your investment.

Another thing that you should keep in mind is that the school’s exposure to widespread training. There are schools that claim of specialization while others advertise that they have sufficient knowledge on all fields of dog training. Your choice should depend largely on the scope of knowledge the training school has.

Classroom Set Up

There are two different classes of rooms setup providing private lessons. The main advantage of the group class is that it promotes socialization and good behavior in the presence of other dogs. When training alongside his dog, the handlers’ mistakes or techniques could benefit the owner.

At the same time, these private sessions could not yield these advantages. There is also a good chance that the transfer of learning and obedience to command given by persons other than the trainer is poor.

It is indeed difficult to select the right dog training school for your dog, so make certain to choose wisely.


December 28, 2008

Guide To Miniature Poodle

Filed under: News and Views - 28 Dec 2008 from author

In general, poodles are dogs that love fun and have a nice reserved temperament, if you need to have a pet that your family will love, then you might want to consider getting a miniature poodle. Read on and find out more information on the miniature poodle and use these as guides for making your decision in addition to knowing what you can expect when you bring the miniature poodle home.

The Concerns

There are a few concerns that you may have about owning a miniature poodle and one of them is grooming. The poodle’s hair tends to be curly and thick, so it will be necessary for you to make sure that your poodle puppy is groomed regularly or as often as possible. For puppies the standard grooming cut is normally short hair all over the body, and this may need to be done every month so that your miniature poodle looks great. The colors of the miniature poodles vary from brown, white, black and cafe-au-lait, and these are on many occasions displayed in the pet stores. In addition to this you can also have your poodle’s coat temporarily dyed for special occasions or events. These can come in a variety of colors like apricot, red, blue, gray or silver which are the normally accepted colors for poodle coats. Such coloring or dyeing normally do not damage the miniature poodles hair.

Learning about your dog’s temperament is also ideal before you buy your miniature poodle. You may have to socialize your dog as a puppy, since poodles tend to be very reserved when dealing with strangers. Miniature poodles tend to bark a lot as well, which means that will do a good job of alerting you if something goes wrong in the home. In most cases, your dog will like to play with children, but some poodle varieties can be a little high-strung, so try to see the parents or even grandparents of the puppies you are considering before taking them home. Your miniature poodle will also be great at learning tricks in most cases, which means you can entertain family and friends.

The miniature poodle generally has a pretty long life span as well, but you’ll need to watch out for certain genetic problems that can arise. Cataracts is common in all poodle varieties, and retinal atrophy could cause blindness, so you’ll need to take your poodle to the vet often for vision and nervous system checkups. Your poodle should also be checked for runny eyes and ear infections often. And, poodle skin tends to be sensitive; allergies and skin rashes can occur when certain types of dog shampoo or dyes are used, and clippers could cause skin conditions in poodles as well. Make sure that your grooming facility uses sanitized and hypo-allergenic materials when grooming your poodle.

For more great information on how to care for your miniature poodle, visit www.poodle-lovers.com.


December 27, 2008

Puppy Training 101

Filed under: News and Views - 27 Dec 2008 from author

            Bringing a new puppy into your home can be an exciting experience, but also will inevitably provide many challenges for the new dog owner. Puppies are as law abiding as they are old. Puppies tend to compensate for their anything goes behavior with oodles of cuteness that results in the owners pandering to the pups, and thus not training them properly. Many will think they have the will power to withstand the cuddly cute manipulations that puppies are famous for, however few will succeed. The key to training puppies is to lay out several ground rules for you, and abide by them daily. This is why professionals often refer to puppy training, as in all truth being people training instead.

 

            Designate off limits zones in your home before, or during the beginning of dog ownership. Puppies tend to operate on a free style basis that allows them to go, sleep, and urinate wherever they please. Remember that dogs typically mark their territory through urination. So the more you make your house feel like the puppies new home, the more the pup’s going to want to a whiz in it. So the first step to avoid such a problem is creating off limit zones. Typically the easiest way to make this happen is close the doors to any and all rooms that are unavailable for the puppy to be in. Once you have created off limit zones for the dog it will limit your pee patrol to a few rooms, and once you get the dog trained to go outside you’ll be in really good shape.

 

            Choose and portion food wisely for your new canine friend. Dogs like to eat as much as they can, as often as they can for no particular reason. Be sure to make eating a daily routine in which you serve the dog the food, thus the dog understands who is in control of the food. Food can be your biggest weapon in training a dog.

 

            Fence in your yard if it’s not fenced yet, this will be the easiest way to train your dog. With a securely fenced in yard dogs will have a controlled environment to play, go to the bathroom, and sit when they are not wanted inside. Without a fenced in yard dogs will be forced to abide by your walking rules, which can vary in time and duration, and often don’t occur enough. Trust me, it’s much easier to let a dog outside in the fenced in yard than to walk them 5 times a day.

 

            Take pride in your duty as a dog trainer. Don’t be afraid to really get involved in training your dog, and becoming an interested participant in your dog’s growth. As with most anything in life, the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it. This is key with training puppies, the dog will be very responsive to your efforts if you take pride in training it. As long as the dog sees you working as hard as it is on abiding by rules, and working towards a routine the easier it will be to train the puppy in the long run.

 

            Be sure to purchase a book on the breed of the puppy you have purchased. Breed books are typically right on target when discussing dog habits, issues, and personalities specific to the puppies particular breed. Owning a dog book will give you insight on how best to train your new puppy.


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