Are you Feeding your Puppy the Proper Food? Head into a supermarket or pet shop and you will see rows of dog food both in cans and bags. You would think it would be easy to choose which food to feed your dog and for adult dogs there are many choices, but puppies require different nutrients than adult dogs and, therefore, should be fed a different diet and food. You should not feed your new puppy an adult food, so you must choose a food specially formulated for puppies and you dogs specific needs. At first try to use the food that he was being fed before you brought him home. The reason being puppies digestive systems are very sensitive and changing the food abruptly can cause digestive problems and stress. If you are not happy with the brand of dog food your puppy was being fed, you can gradually change to the brand of you choice. Remember your dog is a part of your family and you get what you pay for so don’t go with the most inexpensive brand. To be healthy growing puppy needs lots of important nutrients and good proteinsaE” feeding a puppy poor quality food can result sickness later in life. Also, good quality food is more nutritious so your dog will actually eat less and he will have fewer stools and they will be less smelly so even though you are paying more for the food to begin with, you will have to buy less of it.

When feeding your dog the proper nutrients, there are 6 components to keep in mind. These are proteins, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins and of course, water. If you provide your pet with these in the appropriate amounts, then your dog will have the best chance of living a long and healthy life. When changing your puppy to a new food do it slowly. Replace only about 15% of his old food with new for the first couple of days. Then move to 25% for the next few days, then 35% and so on. If your dog get ill or has loose stools, then back down on the percentage of new food until his stomach adjusts. Having a feeding schedule is important. Younger dogs will need to eat more often, but probably by the time your pup is old enough for you to take him home, you should be able to feed 3 times a day. After your puppy reaches 6 months, you can taper off to twice a day. Your puppy can switch to eating adult food when he reaches his full growth which is about one year. Again, you want to gradually switch the foods so that there are no digestive or bowel problems. Feeding your puppy good nutrition will help him grow properly and help him look healthy and feel great. Proper nutrition in the beginning of his life will help live a happy and healthy life.

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When it comes to dog training, agility is one of the main aspects that are greatly considered. Agility is a dog sport in which a handler and her dog run as a team through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. The goal in any dog agility competition is to execute each piece of equipment correctly without any disqualifications. There are several national and international agility organizations with each having its own regulations and standards for its agility equipment.

Basically, an agility course is rather like an obstacle course with standard elements that each dog must pass through in order to complete the run and receive a qualifying score. If a single element is missed, the team is disqualified. This course consists of jumps, hoops and obstacles that you can set up for yourself. You can visit your local pet shop for this equipment. The basic elements of dog agility equipment are:

• The Weave Poles are a series of thin poles attached to a straight plank base.
• The A Frame is a ramp with a strong incline and equal decline. A-frame is painted a bright color, usually yellow, forming the contact zone, onto which the dog must place at least one paw while ascending and descending.
• The Dog Walk is another type of ramp. The two end planks form ramps leading up to and down from the center plank.
• The Teeter is a long plank on a fulcrum that each dog must mount at one end and walk across to the other end.
• The Tunnel is a long tube each dog must run through. The tunnel is constructed of flexible vinyl and wire, such that it can be configured in a straight line, or in a variety of curves.
• The Chute is similar to the tube at the entry point, but the rest of the chute is simply nylon without the hoops to support it, so dog are basically running blind through this element.
• Jumps are the same as you would find at an obedience trial, and the pole height is set according to the size of the dog.
• The Tire is suspended on a frame and each dog must jump through it on its way around the course.

Please also check out our other guide on Dog Agility Equipment, Dog Training Clickers and Dog Agility Training.

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Canine are man’s best friends. Once you in the end made that big determination to own a canine, you anticipated it to offer you companionship, be a pleasure to show off to your friends and just plainly be a joy to own. So off you go to the pet shop, select a dog that catches your consideration and produce him (or her) home.

However then, the horror begins. The canine you introduced house appears to be something however the adorable creature you anticipated it to be. His (or her) conduct is extremely unpredictable and can even be downright embarrassing at times. The canine you introduced dwelling to offer you companionship just sits around at the corner of your own home, seemingly bored at the things happening round him (or her). It may be time to learn how to train your dog.

So you read all the books and even went to a dog training class to teach your canine a thing or two about obedience, however you still get no good results. This will lead you to assume there is something inherently mistaken together with your dog. Is he (or she) simply plain lazy, hardheaded or slightly bit sluggish in the head?

Have you ever thought-about its lineage? Some breeds of canines are merely not born to be followers; making them naturally onerous to train.

Have you taken an trustworthy look at your self and your training fashion? Are you observing the right dog training methods? It will be a good idea to just remember to do, to make each of your lives simpler and to make your canine coaching periods an satisfying and fruitful experience for each of you. That can assist you make your training periods simpler, here’s a record of essentially the most commonly committed canine coaching mistakes. Please keep away from them in any respect costs.

oNot giving sufficient rewards throughout the training – Providing treats is one indispensable a part of dog training. It provides your dog sufficient motivation to proceed following your instructions satisfactorily. Nevertheless, some dog house owners shun this idea. They simply don’t need to present treats during their canine coaching classes as a result of they really feel that they’d not retain authority if ever they do so. They consider that it is the canine’s role to follow their instructions and giving them treats would be like bribing them.

oBeing too controlling – Some homeowners simply have a “management” problem and may be fairly overbearing, nagging and perfectionist throughout their dog coaching sessions. Should you occur to be one of these control freaks and you own a tough-to-prepare dog, you can anticipate to be in for a really onerous time!

oBeing a training fanatic – Training your canines too usually, or repeating the same workouts again and again, could bore him (or her). That is very true once you personal an unbiased canine, one which was simply not bred to obey his grasp’s commands. Amongst these are canines that belong to the non-sporting, terrier and hound breeds.

oNot giving consideration to the canine’s feelings – Some owners neglect to provide enough attention to their canine’s emotions during their coaching sessions. This could be a major problem certainly! Particularly throughout coaching, it is important to think about how your canine is feeling to get the most out of your efforts. So whenever you observe his (or her) reluctance in doing the exercises, in the event you discover excessive yawning or that your canine merely refuses to take a look at you, it may be best to stop and let it loose for a while. Your dog may already be tired or bored from all that bodily exertion!

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When selecting a crate size it is extremely important that it be the proper size. It is not a difficult task to determine the proper size of your dogs new home. You should always select the size that your dog will require as an adult, your local pet shop can assist you in making this selection.

Your puppy should be crated each and every time you leave him by himself in the home. This is for his safety as well as for your mental well being. All puppies are chewers and they do not typically exercise good judgment in deciding what they should or should not chew on.

Puppy’s can’t tell the difference between a proper chew toy and the lamp cords or telephone wires. Chewing into an electrical wire can be fatal for your dog as well as start a fire in the home.

If the dog stays n his crate while your away, you prevent him from harming himself and maybe burning down the house.

An uncrated puppy can find all kinds of mischief to get into in an uncharted house.

If your new puppy chews on the leg of your dining room table while you’re gone, you will probably get angry with him when you return. Your dog will than make the association that your returning home means he will get punished. (He will not recall carving up your furniture and will not associate your anger with that)

The crate will also provide privacy and a barrier between your puppy and other distractions. For example, you can feed your puppy in his crate if you have small children, thus allowing him to eat in peace and unbothered.

A crate will provide a place of safety and comfort to your puppy and is a valuable part of his training.

The post How To Create A Safety Haven For Your Dog first appeared on Puppy Blog.

Why do you need Dog training books? Here’s why. Picture this, While you are out one day, you enter into a pet shop and see a site too cute for words, a Bloodhound Puppy. The next thing you know you are considering buying him. I mean seriously, how much work could a dog that size really be…well in case you did not know, it only takes an hour or two tops for most folks to go uh oh after they have brought the mutt home. Suddenly you have minefields of poop waiting to blow your nose sky high, sporadic and unbelievably continuous barking which will challenge the soundest sleeper(the sleeper will lose, I guarantee), your clothes will be redisrtibuted around the house, furniture will become chew toys…the list goes on. Dogs use “shock and awww” which will put the most ardent doting doggie mom or dad’s patience to the test!

You are probably terrified of the whole idea now, I may have convinced you to have children instead, take a breath! It is very simple to train a dog using dog training books. Many people just do not contemplate that their dog must be trained…When potty training kids is such a big deal, whatever made you think that teaching your dog how to sit will be easy? Of course dogs are incredible animals that will bring mountains of joy to your life, but the simple fact is that they need to be trained and trained consistently.

With so many supposed training methods out there, people can get a bit carried away with various gadgets and goodies; this is pretty unfair, particularly as this can get very intense and make the dog feel like he is being punished. In a desire to get results we finally get them to submit and obey, this obedience is fear driven, which is cruelty, not relationship driven. This is a fundamental reason why you need relevant dog training books as a guide and reference. Dog training has advanced so much over the past 20 years and there are so many techniques that it is useful to have the right dog training books available to you to double check on what you are being told to teach.

Having an obedient well trained dog is such a priveledge. You not only know that your dog is safe but that your family is safe and of course all your friends will be envious of your dog. A well trained dog is welcomed where ever he goes, you don’t have to shackle him up like some escaped convict, he will come when he is called; sit when he is told, in short he truly becomes “a man’s best friend”.

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Clicker dog training is widely considered to be one of the most effective methods used today in controlling and managing a dog’s behavior. When it comes to teaching them basic commands, it really takes very little time to grasp the principles and techniques of clicker training, and when utilising a good quality clicker, you will be able to see results in a very short time, regardless of the kind of dog you’re training.

How Clicker Training Works

The general principle behind clicker training involves creating an association between the clicker sound and a particular command, and teaching your dog to recognise this association. When the dog responds correctly to any given command, they are rewarded with the sound of the clicker. The result is that specific, desirable dog behaviors are then marked.

Obviously, you first need to teach your dog that the clicker symbolises a reward for their good behavior and this can be helped along with the use of dog treats, and of course, a clicker purchased from your local pet shop.

An important note to mention here is that your dog should not hear the noise of that clicker except to let them know that they have done a good job and that they are about to receive a treat. In the early stages of training, if you use a verbal command at other times without use of a clicker, they may not respond as quickly because the association is not as strong between command and reward as it is between command, clicker and reward.

Clicker Dog Training – How It’s Done

Clicker dog training comprises of 3 basic steps. Initially, you need to get the dog to perform the correct behavior, in other words, convince them to do what it is you want. This may involve getting them to either sit, stay, come, roll over, or whatever trick you know will be easiest to get them to do first. As soon as they perform this behavior, immediately mark it with the clicker and their favourite reward.

Usually, you will see results after only 2 or 3 markings. Your dog will understand quickly what it was they did, and will start to repeat that correct response whenever you use the clicker. Clicker dog training is so successful because the dog’s immediate response to your command means that you can reward them straight away, reinforcing the association in the dogs mind. Using a verbal command on its own, without the use of a clicker, will take longer for the dog to grasp.

In the following days and weeks, continue this process to reinforce your dogs correct responses as much as possible. Making sure to always use the clicker, you can substitute the use of treats as rewards from time to time with lots of praise and petting. Your dog will appreciate this just as much and will eventually forget to expect a treat for their behavior.

Making the Transition to a Command

Once your dog is an A-Grade student and has mastered good behavior, you can make the transition to a verbal command that you can use anytime, anywhere, with or without a clicker. Whenever you choose to use the clicker, make sure to say the command, followed quickly by a click, and finished up with a reward. Your dog will very quickly learn to associate these 3 steps.

Progressing on from good clicker dog training, your dog will readily respond to verbal commands and praise at the drop of a hat and will simply learn the command.

There will be no further need for either the clicker, dog treats or praise, as your dog will instinctively know what the correct response is to any given command, and that it pleases you.

As you can now appreciate, there are many applications for clicker dog training. With a simple, sharp command, you will be able to mark and reinforce practically any behavior you want.

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