Being Your Dog's Boss is Crucial to Dog Training

Dogs, in their native state, are pack animals. We often think of them merely as independent pups and don't often mull over their unchallengeable core nature as pack animals, however. This failure to take into account the true personality of dogs can make training more complex. Similarly, understanding what it means to be a pack animal can unlock one of training's utmost secrets.

Dogs, in packs, have leaders. The leadership role in dog packs is one of immense authority. Other dogs in the pack of course subordinate themselves to leadership and will look to their leader for direction and instruction.

Of course, domesticated dogs don't travel in packs. In its place, they put together a pack based on individuals with whom they commonly interact. In essence, the owner and the owner's family members or close friends develop into the dog's pack.

This creates a superb opportunity for dog trainers. By casting yourself as the leader of your dog's pack, the dog will naturally be inclined to follow your direction, will naturally feel inclined to respect you and will show an natural need to learn from you. Since a dog's genuine social makeup will forever be seen through the natural canine point of view of packs and leaders, it simply makes sense for trainers to take advantage of this by assigning roles for both favorite and master that will make dog training principally effective.

There are a number of things a trainer can do to imitate being a pack leader. These techniques will permit your dog to discover what he will rightfully feel is his position in your family's social order and will make him substantially more amenable to your training. Some may say it is as trouble-free as 'making certain the dog knows who is the boss,' but that is an oversimplification. Being domineering is not the same as being a leader. Simply trying to enforce your will on a dog does not necessarily communicate to him that you are truly the pack leader. The gifted trainer will understand this and will take precise measures to imitate a pack leader.

Consistency. Good leaders are reliable enforcers of regulations and rules. Leaders who also frequently 'look the other way' are not taken seriously. A dog will notice whether your rules and expectations are consistently maintained and may even test your mettle upon occasion, pushing the borders of established behavioral norms to determine who is actually in charge. By being a completely consistent leader, you are likely to establish yourself as being the head of your pack and your dog will then be a good deal more apt to follow your lead.

Respect. Leaders are appreciated not just as an arbitrary result of their assigned position but because of how they behave in that position. A firm, but fair leader is far more probable to be well-liked and followed. One must be firm with their dog when training, but cannot hold unreasonable expectations or implement their regulations with aggression or penalty. A good pack leader can still use the positive-reinforcement techniques that have been proven the heart of triumphant training. Being a respectful leader will make a respectful follower in your dog. Their obedience to you ought to be premised in respect and appreciation not in terror or humiliation.

Interaction. The successful pack leader will interrelate with his dog in conduct that strengthen the notion of the social ladder. Dogs, for example, look for cues from leadership in the eyes. By maintaining eye contact with your pet during training, he will better understand your position as leader. Likewise, it is desirable to occasionally demand your dog's concentration while walking, playing or during more intense training sessions. By commanding your dog to heel and to look at you, for example, you will further strengthen your position as pack leader.

Unlocking the influence of being a pack leader can make training much more successful. With roles obviously established, one can stay away from much of the struggle others may experience while training their pets. Additionally, by assigning yourself the function of pack leader you generate an environment in which your dog will naturally look to you for its leadership. Pack guidance is an necessary component to any fully optimized training program.

About the Author
Anthony Stai is a proud contributing author and writes articles on several pet related topics including dog training. You can see more of Anthony's articles on his Dog Training informational web site located at http://www.petinformation4you.com

Dog is sick or has a health problem.

A dogs health is only as good as how the master feed and takes care of his dog. Be the master of your dog deserves and find out how to feed your dog properly.

Many dog owners wonder if using a canine supplement is a good idea. If you have a healthy dog or puppy, many experts caution against supplements. However, there can be benefits to supplements, especially if your dog is sick or has a health problem. Read on to learn tips to keeping your canine healthy.

The Power of Antioxidants. Some studies have shown that vitamins C and E can be beneficial to your sick dog and provide some protection against heart disease. These vitamins may also be helpful for a canine that suffers from allergies or is battling cancer.

If you're considering giving your dog an antioxidant supplement, talk with you vet. They can assist you with dosage and make a brand recommendation.

The Benefits of Fish Oil. You may have heard about the health benefits of fish oil in humans, but what about your dog? Fish oil may help prevent canine diabetes, cancer and allergies. Some vets even say it can lower blood pressure and reduce the chance of blood clots.

So how do you give your dog fish oil? Talk to your vet about feeding your dog fish high in fatty acids like salmon and tuna. You can also use a supplement like flaxseed,just add a little to your dogs food.

Reduce Joint Pain. If your dog has arthritis, you may be looking for a way to reduce his joint pain. Studies suggest that Adequan may reduce the pain of canine arthritis. This supplement is an injectable, so you should consult your vet about the appropriate dosage and how to administer.

Beware of Calcium Supplements. We know that getting enough calcium is critical to humans, but what about dogs? Typically, your dog will get enough calcium from his regular diet. And furthermore, some studies actually show that giving your dog a calcium supplement may be harmful.

Excess calcium in dogs may be linked to disorders like hip dysplasia and wobblers syndrome. So the bottom line is stay away from the calcium supplement unless your vet specifically recommends it for your dog.

Stop the Itch. If your dog has itchy skin, talk with your vet about adding fatty acids to his diet. Some studies show a reduction in canine skin problems from adding this supplement. You can give your dog a pill or add flaxseed oil to his food. Your vet can help with dosage recommendations.

Taking Control Of Your Dog's Nutrition

The only way to be sure is to provide your dog with home cooking. Homemade dog food allows you to control your dogs nutritional needs as well as providing the highest quality and a balanced toxin-free diet for your dog.

Homemade dog food doesn't have to be complicated but you do want to make sure that you provide your dog with essential nutrients such as vegetables, pasta, rice, cereals, protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals.

Achieving a complete and balanced diet for your dog could be overwhelming because we are bombarded with facts and figures and there are so many misinformation on the websites.

Diet chart for dogs

Dog health questions & answers

As a dog owner you are responsible for your dog's health, and by ensuring that all of his or her physical and mental needs are met, you are doing your part to aid your dog in enjoying his or her time that they have with you. A healthy dog, is a happy dog, and as a well educated dog owner you can help ensure that your dog lives a long happy fun filled life.

Health information about dogs and answers your dog health questions about disease, health care, and problems such as skin conditions and scratching, misbehavior

Dog health questions & answers

Morbidity (Illness)

Dogs are susceptible to various diseases, ailments, and poisons, some of which affect humans in the same way, others of which are unique to dogs. Dogs, like all mammals, are also susceptible to heat exhaustion when dealing with high levels of humidity and/or extreme temperatures.

Infectious diseases commonly associated with dogs include rabies (hydrophobia), canine parvovirus, and canine distemper. Inherited diseases of dogs can include a wide range from elbow or hip dysplasia and medial patellar luxation to epilepsy and pulmonic stenosis. Canines can get just about anything a human can get (excluding many infections which are species specific) like hypothyroidism, cancer, dental disease, heart disease, etc.

Two serious medical conditions affecting dogs are pyometra, affecting unspayed females of all types and ages, and bloat, which affects the larger breeds or deep chested dogs. Both of these are acute conditions, and can kill rapidly; owners of dogs which may be at risk should learn about such conditions as part of good animal care.

Mortality (Lifespan and causes of death)

The typical lifespan of dogs varies widely among breeds. Based on questionnaire surveys of owners in the UK, Denmark, and the USA/Canada, the median longevity of most dog breeds is between 10 and 13 years.The breed with the dubious distinction of the shortest lifespan (among breeds for which there is a questionnaire survey with a reasonable sample size) is the Dogue de Bordeaux with a median longevity of about 5.2 years, but several breeds, including Miniature Bull Terrier, Bulldog, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Bloodhound, Irish Wolfhound, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Great Dane, and Mastiff, are nearly as short-lived, with median longevities between 6 and 7 years. On the other end of the spectrum, the longest-lived breeds, including Toy Poodle, Border Terrier, Miniature Dachshund, Miniature Poodle, and Tibetan Spaniel, have median longevities between 14 and 15 years. The median longevity of mixed breed dogs (average of all sizes) is one or more years longer than that of purebred dogs (all breeds averaged).As a rule of thumb, small breeds are longer-lived than large breeds, but some of the longest lived large breeds have median longevities nearly as large as those of the shortest lived small breeds, and some of the breeds with the shortest longevities are medium-sized.

How long are dog pregnant
In domestic dogs, sexual maturity (puberty) begins to happen around age 6 to 12 months for both males and females, although this can be delayed until up to two years old for some large breeds. Adolescence for most domestic dogs pregnant is around 12 to 15 months, beyond which they are for the most part more adult than puppy. As with other domesticated species, domestication has selectively bred for higher libido and earlier and more frequent breeding cycles in dogs, than in their wild ancestors. Dogs remain reproductively active until old age
Most female dog’s pregnancies have their first estrous cycle between 6 and 12 months, although some larger breeds delay until as late as 2 years. Females experience estrous cycles biannually, during which her body prepares for pregnancy, and at the peak she will come into estrus, during which time she will be mentally and physically receptive to copulation.

Dogs bear their litters roughly 56 to 72 days after fertilization, although the length of gestation can vary. An average litter consists of about six puppies, though this number may vary widely based on the breed of dog. Toy dog’s pregnancies generally produce from one to four puppies in each litter, while much larger breeds may average as many as 12 pups in each litter.

Caring For A Pregnant Dog

The length of pregnancy in dogs lasts approximately sixty-two days. That number can vary five days in either direction, but more than seventy days and you may have a problem on your hands.

The main risks to a pregnant dog include:

• Infection and fever
• Poor nutrition and dehydration
• Stress
• A sexually transmitted disease called brucellosis
• Parasites

Any of these can cause a female dog to miscarry her puppies. Talk to your veterinarian about appropriate flea and tick preventative for your mom-to-be. Be sure to feed your female dog’s pregnancies a high quality diet; your vet may also suggest additional vitamins. Food and water intake will probably go up and remain above average while she is nursing.

The Unexpected Costs of Dog Reproduction

Breeding your dog can be a very expensive undertaking! Here are some things you may be paying for:

• Testing for hereditary diseases in the potential mother and father prior to mating.
• Current vaccinations prior to mating.
• The stud fee for the father. Or, you may have to give the owner of the father one of the puppies from the litter.
• Extra food and veterinary expenses during pregnancy.
• Extra food and veterinary expenses for the puppies for the first eight weeks of life.
• Advertising for homes for the puppies.

Easy Guide To Dog Training Collars
Dog Training Collar especially used for flyball training and sled dog racing is the Martingale collars. Martingale collars provide “limited choke” on the dog’s neck. These collars are not so easy to come off as they really fit the neck of your dog in a very nice way. Martingale collars are so flexible and they eliminate the danger of choking even if the dog gets very excited. Next is the, Limited Choke Collar. These collars are more like the choke chain but they have rings at the end to make room for a few inches of allowance. To use these collars, you just have to ease the dog training collar from the head of your dog and slip it down its neck and tighten it a little. An outdated Dog training collar is the choke chain. This was formerly used by dog owners before the invention of the other types of collars. Mostly, choke chains were used for punishment and correction. When a dog misbehaves, the owner would just jerk on the leash and the dog would choke, letting him think twice of what he is doing. Before, choke chains were really made of chains but now they are mostly made of nylon. Choke chains really are a torture to dogs, in some cases when the jerking is very hard, it can damage the windpipe of the dog. An innovation of the choke chain dog training collar is the Snap-around choke. This is like the choke chain but designed so as not to damage a dog’s windpipe. The snap-around choke is very snugly fit and it is worn up high the dog’s neck and when the leash is jerked, it does not damage the dog’s windpipe and does not jolt the dog that much. Most of the collars we have discussed are worn around the dog’s neck. However, there are also dog training collars that are worn on the head. These collars are fit on the dog’s head with a leash attached under the dog’s muzzle. The principle of this is that, where the dog’s head is, its body will follow. The dog may not adjust that easily to wearing these kinds of dog collars and they may look like a pony halter or a muzzle.

Another dog training collar is the electronic collar. These collars set off radio waves that shock the dog. The consequence of using this kind of collar is that your dog will always leave on fear and negative anticipation of the next shock. Electronic collars should not be used by novice trainers as they may not know how to properly make use of this collar. There is also this thing called the no-bark collars. These are generally not really collars but they are used to train dogs not to bark. It is oftentimes very damaging and not beneficial on the dog to use this kind of collar.

An important thing in choosing a dog training collar is that they must cater to your needs and should not be damaging to any of the dog’s anatomy. It is also important to weigh the pros and cons of each kind of collar so that both you and your dog will be benefited from that dog training collar you have chosen.

To keep your dog healthy and fit, you must feed him accordingly. Just like us, dogs also need to eat
According to schedules specifying diet related to age, weight etc. Dogs need proteins in a much higher proportion than us. They must be given all the nine amino acids ( protein) for good nutrition.
One thing you must remember for dog food are the bones. The dogs receive much important minerals from the marrow, and the hard surface helps keep his teeth clean. But you should make sure that you don't serve fish bones or splintery chicken to your dog. It might choke his throat. A beef bone is very nutritious.

I have given a chart below which specifies a diet chart for dogs as per their weights.

Weight (Pounds)	Meat ( cups)	Cereal (cups)	Vegetables ( cups)	Cod liver oil (tsp)
5 -15	¼ - ¾	¼ - ¾	¼ - ¾	½ -1
15 - 30	¾ - 1 ¼	¾ - 1 ¼	¾ - 1	1 ¼ - 2
30 - 50	1 ¼ - 1 ¾	1 ¼ - 1 ¾	1 ¼ - 1 ¾	1 ½ - 3
50 - 80	1 ¾ - 2 ½	1 ¾ - 2 ½	1 ¾ - 2 ½	Vitamin concentrate.

There are certain tips you need to follow before feeding your dog. You should not be under the impression that the dog can tell by taste which food suits him best. It is for you to know all that. His sense of eating is not any more developed than that of a baby.

Make sure that your dog gets neither an 'under dose' nor 'overdose' of food. Under-dose might result in rickets and overdose might cause other lethargy-related sicknesses and stomach upsets.

Dog training command
Simple Dog training command mention below helps your dog to follow your actions, In the training period he watches your hand movements and tries to imitate. This dog training command is a significant adjunct to maintain your dogs.

THE 'Relax' COMMAND
This command holds the key to almost all other ones. Whenever you want your dog to remain in a position for long, use this command. He would know that he has to remain like that even when you go out of sight. For instant you've just now told him to 'Sit'. Then he gets up as you leave. Don't say 'Sit' again and again. Say 'Relax'. Same holds with 'Down' and other commands. Whenever he tries to display the 'Relax' command, say 'No' sternly so that he understands his mistake. Reward when he learns is again the most important trick in the game. And whenever you get angry with him, you can use this time as a self-introspection period. Imaging yourself or your child in his position, and ask yourself, "Do I deserve to be beaten up if I don't learn at one go?" This will improve your patience. Never treat a dog as just 'an animal'. He has emotions like you. If you are good to him, he will return love in a multiple fashion.

THE 'Roll' COMMAND
Your dog automatically follows your actions once he gets used to your training style. Even if you don't speak, he watches your hand movements and tries to imitate. To make him roll, first get him in the 'down' position. Take a biscuit in your hand in a position right above his head. Move your hand in a semicircle slowly from extreme left to right side. He will automatically turn his neck in a circular fashion. While moving your hand, hold his body with the other hand so that he doesn't trip over himself. Doing it for a few times will bring perfection. After some trails, the biscuit can be removed. The hand and the command should do the job. Don't forget to offer a line of appreciation whenever he responds, even if slightly.

THE 'Stay' COMMAND
This will give you a peace of mind. You can park your dog while performing other jobs. Training includes putting the dog in a down or a sit position, then commanding him to “stay” while moving away.

THE 'Get in or Go to bed' COMMAND
This is to command your dog to go inside its crate or to its bed and to stay there until he is allowed to. He has the liberty to move such as turn around, to stand and lie down in that place not like when he is under a “stay” command.

THE 'Drop' COMMAND
Dogs steals all sorts of things everyday. A dog under the direct control of the owner is a dog that drops anything no matter how attractive it is, whenever you command. This will avoid from damaging worthy properties or eating unsafe items.

THE 'Dance' COMMAND
You can use your own imagination as well as your dog's playful actions to teach him dancing. Hold a biscuit right above his head, a little beyond his reach. Move it up and down and the dog will do the same. Tell him to shake or twist by demonstrating it yourself in the first instance. Alternatively you can use the sitting down or standing or all four legs or anything else which pleases him.Teach him once or twice so that he catches up immediately after listening to the command 'Dance'. And then see the funny tactics and enjoy it.Increase his dancing time gradually. If he likes it, he can do it upto ten minutes at a stretch, or may be longer.

And remember that after tempting him, you must reward him suitably.

Being Your Dog's Boss is Crucial to Training

by Anthony Stai