Keeping your dog healthy through exercise

Since the weather has now taken a warmer turn, it is likely that many people will want to allow their pets more time outdoors for play. Just as our children need to heed to certain guidelines for safety and soundness, so does your dog.

Your dog’s basic overall health really depends on his size, weight and breed type. Obviously, the larger kind of breed your pet is, the more space is needed to provide for his or her exercising needs. Of course, walks in the park are a recreational way for both dog and owner to keep fit in spare time, but what about the times when you are unable to take your dog out to the park?

As a responsible pet owner, it is your duty to see that your dog gets the proper amount of exercise as is significant for maintaining their well being. Many owners of the larger breeds of dogs may keep their animals outside while they are out working or attending other functions with the family that don’t allow pets. However, keeping your dog tied to his doghouse or a tree while you are away does not constitute for proper care and exercise. Most dogs will bore of this and eventually find ways to entertain themselves; like breaking free and exploring the neighbourhood.

The best part about owning a dog of any size is that it requires that everyone in the family pitch in for its care. If walks in the park are out of the question then try getting the kids to walk the dog before going off to school or some other event. Purchasing a fence for your yard where the dog can run about on its own while you’re busy is another option.

Leaving a dog to entertain itself is an okay back up plan, but you didn’t get a dog to just leave it in the backyard. Interaction and companionship is what you wanted from your pet, so interact with it!

Playing Frisbee and fetch with a ball or a stick is an excellent way to build muscle in your pet and it entertains everyone in the process. If your dog is the kind that loves to travel, then taking him with you on long trips such as when you’re camping are another way that you and your pet can achieve exercise while getting involved with new scenery and learning about nature.

While having fun with your dog, however keep in mind that like you, he also needs periods of rest and plenty of water in order to stay hydrated throughout an eventful day, especially during the summer months because dogs are unable to sweat as humans do, therefore their only means of cooling themselves is through panting, which also helps to keep their blood circulated and flowing in a regular fashion.

If your dog is kept outdoors for long periods of time throughout the day then make sure that he has plenty of water and has access to a lot of shade where he can stay cool and protected from the heat. Lastly, remember that if you start a regular exercise routine or pattern with your dog to keep it going. The only way to make a healthy pet is to be consistent and also, to keep it interesting, mix up the routine every once in a while to keep both of you from boredom.

The post Exercise Your Dog to Good Health first appeared on Puppy Blog.

Many people love the idea of owning a dog but one thing that they have to keep in mind often times, is that the dog needs to be trained. While the pet may look heart-breakingly cute when it’s in a shelter or at the pound, picking out the dog is only the first part of the relationship between dog owner and the animal. Many people don’t understand that they have to put time and effort into socializing the dog.  

An unsocialized dog will intimidate others, tear up the home, and will create an environment that can become so bad that the it will have to be returned. Many times when dogs have to be returned to shelters or to other resources, it will end up euthanized, which is very heartbreaking.  All of this can be spared if a person learns the various techniques in order to socialize the dog.

One thing that they have to understand is that the he wants to be told what to do. It’s in the canine nature to follow a leader. The dog will be more than willing to obey the leadership of its master. Here’s a look at some common techniques that are used in dog training:

“Dog Whispering”

This is a technique that has been around for a while, but gained national notoriety over the last 10 years.  Some people might hear this term and wonder how in the world whispering to a dog can train it!  Whispering isn’t meant to be taken literally in this case.  As trainers have shown, whispering is a term that refers to connecting with a being or an entity on a very deep and almost spiritual level. When it comes to dog training techniques, dog whispering involves careful observation of the dog’s behavior and actions.  

It literally entails getting inside the mind and the behavior system of the canine. When a person uses dog whispering techniques, they interact with the dog on the canine level.  Again, one the most common mistakes that people make is treating the dog like a small human being.

“Reward Training”

Reward training is very simple and it’s one of the older tricks that works.  This is a simple method of training the dog by positive reinforcement. Once he does what it is told to do, it receives a treat.  How this works is that the dog owner must entice the dog towards the treat.  Once the canine develops awareness for the treat, it develops a strong desire for it.  When the desire for it is extremely strong, the dog owner pulls back.  Then the dog receives a command and when the dog obeys the command, it receives the treat.  The object is to make the dog associate a treat with the command.

“Clicker Training”

Other dog training techniques include one that is similar to reward training, which is called clicker training.  How this works is that the clicker is incorporated to get the dog’s attention.  The clicker is clicked as a form of communication with the dog.  It learns that there is a command or reward associated in conjunction with the clicker.  Many people claim that this is fun, and they actually make a game with the dog by using the clicker for their dog training tasks.

“Ultrasonic Whistle”

Last, a relatively new form of dog training technique is called the ultrasonic whistle.  This works because the ultrasonic sound is only heard by the dog. When the owner is trying to communicate a command, or stop the dog from barking, they will blow on their whistle when they want to communicate a command to the dog.  The benefit of this is that the humans can’t hear this noise, but the dog can hear it, and they will learn to associate the sound with a command.

Dog training techniques aren’t hard to incorporate, but they are something that absolutely must be incorporated from the time a dog owner brings their new dog home.  No matter how old or how young the dog is, they will need training. Once they are trained properly, they will be a wonderful addition to one’s family.