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

Archive for: February 2009



February 23, 2009

Dove Cresswell’s Puppy & Dog Training Online - Review

Filed under: News and Views - 23 Feb 2009 from author

Who’s Dove Cresswell?

As a Hollywood North dog trainer, Dove Cresswell has trained dogs for TV, film and commercials.

At 25 years of age, she has already been training various dog breeds for over 10 years. In addition, she has trained other animals species including rodents, deer, birds, cougars, and large reptiles.

As a dog trainer for films, she is expected to deliver quick results as time is money in the movie business. Therefore, you can anticipate similar results from her dog training course.

Click here to take a look at this excellent dog training course: Dove Cresswell.

So What Is Covered?

The online dog training course, which is audio and video format, offers the following 7 lessons:

  • Puppy Potty Training/Housetraining
  • Dog Obedience Training
  • Crate Training
  • Walking Politely on a Leash: The Informal Heel
  • The Recall
  • Good Puppy & Dog Manners
  • Special Dog Tricks

The lesson on puppy house training offers tips for both toy breeds and larger breeds.

What I Especially Liked

The enjoyable lessons quickly get to the point. Well-illustrated slides and clear narration made the dog training techniques easy to understand. The multimedia format definitely has its advantages as dog owners can see the correct positions for themselves and their dogs, plus they can hear the voice tones to be used. This part of the online dog training course is better than an ebook.

Although this course is not as detailed as some of the dog training e-books in areas such as dog behavior issues and specific dog breed information, it is crammed with informative and well-presented dog obedience and house training guidance for dog owners.

Dove presents a very interesting and common-sense perspective on paper training. She believes that this is not a good practice as it is confusing for dogs. Training puppies to always “go potty” outside is explained in a highly informrative and easy to follow way.

Free Bonuses

When you buy Dove’s course you will also receive the following bonuses and will be given the opportunity to e-mail Dove with your individual dog behavior problem:

  • Teach your dog to fetch
  • Train your dog to play soccer
  • Train your dog to play hide ‘n seek
  • Information on dog sports
  • Choosing the right toys for your dog
  • Earning your dog’s respect
  • Choosing the right dog food and treats

My Conclusions

At first, I was somewhat surprised that only 7 lessons were offered in this first-rate program; however, my opinion quickly changed once I actually listened to the course and discovered the comprehensive amount of information covered in each lesson. I enjoyed the multimedia format of this online dog training course; so much so that I would have liked it to have been longer. The lessons are very simple to follow and you can replicate the techniques to train your own dog as effectively as the professional trainer.

The only downside with this course is that it’s only available online so you need an internet connection to be able to view it.  It is for this reason that I have given it a 4 ½  star rating. If it was also available as an e-book, I would definitely give it the highest possible rating.

This course would be perfect for all dog owners wanting a first rate dog training guide, however, I feel that it is particularly appealing to people who find ebooks boring.  Viewing a sample lesson before you buy the course lets you know what you can expect.

The quality of Dove Cresswell’s course is first rate and I strongly recommend it to all dog owners: Dove Cresswell’s Puppy & Dog Training Online.

 


Basics of Puppy Care

Filed under: News and Views - 23 Feb 2009 from author

If you think all you have to do is play with your puppy and feed him in order to take care of him, think again.  Puppy care is a huge responsibility and it is much like taking care of a small child.If you have a full breed puppy, you have to find out how to take care of the specific breed because the protocol can be different.For example, Chihuahua puppy care requires certain types of food for optimum health and different vaccinations than other breeds.

Food Basics of Puppy Care

Choose a dry food and avoid cheap, generic brands in puppy care.Buy only brand name dog foods to make sure you are getting a quality product.  If you have a large breed dog, choose food made for large breed dogs.  Don’t judge dog foods by their vitamin and mineral content because often times over-supplementation of vitamins and minerals can lead to hip dysplasia.  
Try not to give your puppy too many special treats like milk bone biscuits in puppy care because they are not that nutritional.  Canned dog food is okay on occasion but it is best to stick with dry food because it is inexpensive, easy, and better for your puppy’s teeth.  In puppy care it is important to avoid giving human food to your puppy because it can cause digestive problems.

In young puppy care, it is best to offer food three times a day.  If your puppy doesn’t feel hungry that often, you can reduce the frequency and when he reaches around 10-12 weeks of age you can start feeding your puppy twice a day.  It’s not good to feed your puppy only once a day because he will get so hungry in between meals that he will overeat at the next meal.

In puppy care, it is best to let your puppy eat as much as he wants during a 15 minute period and then take the dish away.  It’s not good to provide freely available food.  This can lead to your puppy becoming overweight and getting hip dysplasia and other health problems later in life.  When overfed, your puppy will also stop enjoying food altogether.  

The Importance of Shots in Puppy Care

Your puppy loses his natural immunity to disease somewhere between six and sixteen weeks of age.  Fortunately there are new vaccines that can protect your puppy from most diseases.  It is very important to take your puppy to the vet and get vaccines but until then, make sure your puppy stays away from areas frequented by other dogs.Also avoid letting your puppy come into contact with stray dogs and sick dogs.

So there you have it.Puppy care may not be as easy as you thought it was but by following the right protocol your puppy will be healthy.The most important aspects of puppy care are proper feeding and shots.  If you follow these basic steps, your puppy will be healthy and vibrant and will rarely have to see a vet.

For more about puppies please visit www.puppycareblog.com


February 21, 2009

Important Steps in Yorkie Puppy Care

Filed under: News and Views - 21 Feb 2009 from author

If you prefer a bouncy, energetic small dog over a calm, lap dog, a yorkie may be a good choice for you.  Yorkie puppy care is no different than shih tzu puppy care or other types of puppy care.  Yorkies need food, attention, water, and a lot of grooming.  Because yorkies have long coats, they require more grooming than those of other toy breeds.

Yorkie Puppy Care and Training

Yorkies are a pretty stubborn breed and can be difficult to train.  Very young yorkie puppies do not learn very fast so you have to be very patient.  Most yorkie owners have success in housetraining their yorkies when they are around 5 to 6 months old.It is important in yorkie puppy care and housetraining to never spank them when they eliminate in the wrong place.  Instead, scold them.  Yorkie puppies are intent on pleasing their masters and they can understand that you are upset when you scold them.  Do reward a yorkie puppy when he eliminates in his litter box like he is supposed to.

Yorkies are highly energetic and need extra attention for that reason. They tend to expend more energy than they have so it’s important to provide a constant supply of water since dehydration can happen very quickly.It is also important to be careful that their blood sugar doesn’t get too low.  You can prevent that by giving them a little bit of sweet water or syrup.If that doesn’t do the trick, you should take them to the vet. Generally problems with low blood sugar subside after the puppy reaches 12 weeks of age. 
Yorkies need to be groomed daily because of their long coats.  If you don’t brush their coats they will get matted.  In yorkie puppy care it is important to never brush a dry coat.  Always spray their coat with a little bit of water and conditioner prior to brushing.Brushing will keep yorkie puppies clean but yorkie male puppies need to be washed with a damp cloth daily on the side of the body where they urinate.

In yorkie puppy care it is important to feed the food recommended by the breeder for the first two weeks.Yorkie puppies should eat two to three times per day.After the first two weeks you can start mixing the recommended food with premium dry food.It’s important to feed your puppy premium food otherwise he can have digestive problems.
In conclusion, yorkie puppy care is not much different from other kinds of puppy care.Your new yorkie will require a lot of love, maintenance and attention but within a few weeks you will surely fall into a comfortable routine.  It might seem like a lot of work at first but once you find your rhythm, your yorkie will be like just any other member of your family.

For more about puppies please visit www.puppycareblog.com


February 20, 2009

Puppies Training Tips: Be Consistent, Gentle And Firm

Filed under: News and Views - 20 Feb 2009 from author

One of the best things about housebreaking your puppy is that the whole exercise of puppy training can prove to be a very enjoyable experience. Though it is fun training your puppy, puppy training also offers a good opportunity for you to educate your puppy and this in turn means that you will need to take the whole exercise very seriously. Also, by following the right kind of puppy training tips you will soon come to learn that it is also possible to employ play as an effective tool to teach your young puppy elementary aspects of proper behavior.

Early Start Is Recommended

Essentially, a good puppy training tip will be able to show you three essential aspects to training your puppy and needing to start the training process as early as is possible is one of these aspects. Next, you need to let your puppy understand the meaning of the word “NO” and you pet should be taught that this command must always be obeyed instantly.

Yet another important puppy training tip understands that a puppy is quite attuned to inflecting from the tone of his master’s voice what is being said. So, by showing your displeasure through use of a negative and forceful command you can let the puppy know that he is doing something wrong. The puppy on the other hand will act according to his personality and may growl at you or try and wiggle his way out of the situation. Repeating the “NO” command should help in getting the message across.

Another useful puppy training tip is learning to be gentle though firm with your puppy during the training process and to also be consistent with the training so that your puppy does not get confused by your inconsistent behavior.

There are several puppy training tips available in regard to imparting proper potty training and by using these tips you can greatly simplify the whole training process. One thing that is emphasized in all puppy training tips is understands the importance of timing your training right. If you teach your puppy after he has been caught in the act of doing something wrong chances of success will be greater because puppies have short attention spans and will not be able to correlate actions that took place more than a few seconds ago.

There are also many puppy training tips available to show you that there are many benefits to crate training a puppy. One final puppy training tip worth following is understands that it is imperative that you train your dog to never bit a human being. Though this is a difficult aspect to training your puppy it must be dealt with at the very earliest. Otherwise you might end up fighting battles in court because your puppy went and bit someone.

Only after your puppy has begun to show that he can obey your commands can you then look forward to many pleasant moments in his company.


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