Most training revolves around giving the dog consequences for his behaviour, in the hope of influencing the behaviour the dog will exhibit in the future. Operant conditioning defines four types of consequences:

Positive reinforcement adds something to the situation to increase the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again (for example, giving a dog a treat when he sits.)

Negative reinforcement removes something from the situation to increase the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again (for example, releasing the tension on an uncomfortable training collar when the dog stops pulling on the leash).

Positive punishment adds something to the situation to decrease the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again (for example, growling at a misbehaving dog).

Negative punishment removes something from the situation to decrease the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again (for example, walking away from a dog who jumps up).

Most modern trainers say that they use “positive training methods”, which is a different meaning of the word “positive” from that in operant conditioning. “Positive training methods” generally means preferring the use of reward-based training to increase good behavior over that of physical punishment to decrease bad behavior. However, a good trainer understands all four methods, whether or not she can put operant-conditioning terminology to them, and applies them as appropriate for the dog, the breed, the handler, and the situation.

Rewards

Positive reinforcers can be anything that the dog finds rewarding - special food treats, the chance to play with a tug toy, social interaction with other dogs, or the owners attention. The more rewarding a dog finds a particular reinforcer, the more work he will be prepared to do in order to obtain the reinforcer.

Some trainers go through a process of teaching a puppy to strongly desire a particular toy, in order to make the toy a more powerful positive reinforcer for good behaviour. This process is called “building prey drive”, and is commonly used in the training of Narcotics Detection and Police Service dogs. The goal is to produce a dog who will work independently for long periods of time.

Some trainers believe that the toy acts as a positive reinforcer for the desired behavior, when in all likelihood the prey drive works on an entirely different level from standard training and conditioning techniques. This is seen most clearly in the fact that, according to the laws of operant conditioning, positive reinforcers lose their effectiveness if they’re given every single time a dog does what is desired of him; the more predictable the reinforcer, the less reliable the behavior. Yet detection dogs only work well when they are always rewarded with a toy, every single time they find drugs or explosives, etc. The reason for this disparity is that when a dog is trained through the prey drive, the training activates an instinctive, automatic sequence that has to be completed in order for the dog to feel satisfied. That sequence is: search, eye-stalk, chase, grab-bite, and kill bite. So when a dog searches and finds drugs or explosives, he feels he hasn’t finished his job unless he can bite something. This is the primary reason he’s always given the toy. It’s not really a positive reinforcer. If it were it would reduce the reliability of the behavior overall. It’s a means of completing the predatory sequence for the dog.

Punishments

“Positive punishment” is probably the consequence that is least used by modern dog trainers, as it must be used very carefully. A dog is generally only given this type of punishment if it is willfully disobeying the owner. Punishing a dog who does not understand what is being asked of him is not only unfair to the dog, but can make the dog a fearful or unwilling worker.

Punishments are administered only as appropriate for the dog’s personality, age, and experience. A sharp No works for many dogs, but some dogs even show signs of fear or anxiety with harsh verbal corrections. On the other hand, certain dogs with ‘harder’ temperaments may ignore a verbal reprimand, and may work best if the reprimand is coupled with a physical punishment such as a quick tug on a training collar. Trainers generally advise keeping hand contact with the dog to positive interactions; if hands are used to threaten or hurt, some dogs may begin to behave defensively when stroked or handled.

Avoiding punishment

Keeping a puppy on a leash in challenging situations or in his crate or pen when not closely supervised prevents the puppy from getting into situations that might otherwise invite an owner’s harsh reaction (such as chewing up a favorite pair of shoes).

Next: Dog Training part V- The command voice

Hagar lagarto is a long time Pet lover with many articles and websites on the subject.You can get much more info at pet.freehostia.com

all across the Internet it is said DO NOT BUY FROM A PET STORE.
I use to be on that band wagon so much so I use to have a yellow
page ad stating I will help you find a good quality pup. I would
try to redirect the buyer to what I considered a reputable
breeder. I did this for years I actually got more calls off that
ad then on my pet grooming ad. The business I was actually
doing.

When I showed conformation my first breed was the loveable
bloodhound. I loved this breed very much. I was in a Local mall
and saw a big chain pet store. They had a bloodhound pup that
made me want to cry. It was under sized, thin,green phlegm was
oozing from his eyes and nose. He was the wrong color a color
produced by breeding the wrong two dogs together. His price tag
was double of what I paid for my show dog.

I was floored and from this one experience decided all pet
stores were bad. I even made a comment to the gentlemen working
at the store he could only boost the dogs good qualities which I
could not agree with. The poor pup was so sweet though and I
felt he was not long for this world.

I became so snobby that any dog bred not to show conformation
was garbage. As time went on all my show dogs died early ages.
the bloodhound ended up with a very horrid skin allergy, he also
was sterol, so I had to stop showing him. My boxer died of
cancer, another bloodhound at age 6 months old had to be put to
sleep for major genetic defects that effected the entire litter.
My show boxer bred to the second dog in the nation had 1 sub-
standard pup showable but not champion quality who ended up
having dog aggression issues so bad she was given to a man that
lived on a sail boat. She developed epilepsy and died by 3 years
old.

It was a sad time but my Obedience trained rescue beagle never
had to go to the vet except to be neutered.

Still I was with the rest. unless it was show bred it was
garbage and back yard breeders should be shot, and all pet store
pups come from horrid puppy mills.

I noticed that no matter how much I tried to educate my
customers and the poor souls that answered my adds, that they
would continue to buy from pet stores. I came to the conclusion
the public was just stupid.

Why were they going back over and over to these stores and
buying these sub-standard dogs. Ones that will cost them
thousands in vet bills and early deaths.

Being a pet groomer at the same location you tend to groom many
dogs from puppy hood to old age

as I was watching the so called sub-standard dogs age I noticed
the darn things were like energizer bunnies. I seen two that a
judge would disqualify go to the age of 20. this boggled my
narrow mind.

So I started spying on pet stores. Many reconfirmed my written
in stone ideas. One of them kind of confused me, their dogs were
not show quality but were decent.

When I saw new puppies come in for grooming. I would try to
guesstimate where they were bought. A few I thought were nice
turned out to be bought at the pet store. I thought maybe my
trained eye was going slack.

So I revisited some dog shows. I was not so impressed. many
breeds that in my time were great,seemed to be wilting. I saw a
group of what I thought were vizsla’s. only to walk up on them
to see they were Rhodesian ridge backs. Then I saw the German
Shepard ring icky they were doing wheelie’s, and their skulls
were so skinny.

The fox terriers seemed to have lost their muscle tones too. My
ideas of the perfect dogs did not match many that were in the
rings. most due to the breeds unpopularity and the breeders idea
of perfection, the popular breeds still seemed pretty uniform,
except the German Shepard.

I did have a few clients that did have retired show dogs. every
last one of them either had bad nervous, and aggression
problems, or just started deteriorating very fast.

I still did not get it.

I decided to breed parrots and got into color mutations which
got me pretty deep into genetics.

I am the type of person that if I want to learn something from
someone else I go to the top of the ladder. I do not like
wasting my time at the bottom with all the conflicting
information.

If I disagree with my vet I will call 3 of the top universities
in the country. So when I wanted to learn genetics. I contacted
the top mutation bird breeders in America even e-mailed some
outside of the states. I even joined an e-mail list which
involved the top genetic bird breeders in the world.

When dealing with genetics like fancy colors and such inbreeding
is a must in developing the color. A Color mutation or any
mutation at that arises when a species gene pool gets too small.
Nature tells this species that change must be in order for the
species to survive so mutations are formed. If this mutation is
successful in allowing the species to breed better or find food
easier or camouflage from a predator better it will thrive and
become a new species. If the mutation does not help the species
and the species continues to inbreed it becomes bottle necked
and dies out.

Genetics is a interesting subject and something anyone can
research on the web. The bird breeders seemed more honest then
lets say the dog breeders I was use too. Conditions that formed
from inbreeding were openly discussed. because of all my years
in the canine industry the similarities were way too obvious. So
I started researching breeding practices of dogs more closely.
Come time find out the fancy word Line-breeding is just a nice
way of saying inbreeding.

The epiphany took years to develop. once I processed it all and
even using my own personal experience with show dogs it was quit
obvious that things were not as they seemed.

It was like being in the twilight zone everything you thought
you knew blown to the wind.

Another dirty secret when inbreeding and it is well publicized
is that if you Line-breed you must be willing to cull. So the
public knows Culling means removing from the gene pool. and the
most economic way and sure way no one will see your mistakes is
killing the pup.

It is well written the death and suffering of commercial bred
dogs, Nothing is well written about the hundreds and thousands
of dead puppies it takes to produce a real champion.

I read a web site that was displaying a horridly inbred ( oops
line-bred) dog who won the Crups. it stated that if a breeder
does not line-breed (while showing this dog pedigree. which
pretty much made it its own grandpa.) it stated that if you out
cross then you are a back yard breeder.

novices read this stuff and have these old time people as
mentors. from my point of view the inbreeding is not from the so
called puppy mills its from the show people or hobbyist trying
to copy show people. Ask a breeder do you inbreed they will say
oh no I am against inbreeding, but I line-breed. line-breeding
can consist of half brother half sister, father to daughter and
visa versa, cousins, grandparents to grandchildren and so on. it
is not distant cousins as I was once led to believe maybe at one
time it was but not anymore.

inbreeding makes any animals fertility drop. Too much inbreeding
makes them sterol . The commercial breeders are not into small
litters. I highly doubt and have noticed they really do not
inbreed. very few of them do unless the broker ran across a
struggling hobby breeder you never see inbreeding in pedigrees
of commercial dog breeders. so the myth that pet store dogs are
all inbred is false.

I slowly started referring people to the one store I liked. I
was grooming a lot of dogs from that store and they were growing
up nice.

Then a new store opened in my area. All bells and whistles,
selling dogs for outrageous prices. some as high as $10,000
dollars. Not only that but they were selling sick and under aged
puppies. I never saw such sick puppies coming from a store, and
the teacup priced pups were growing to be even larger then
standard.

One of my long time turned friend customers lost her 2 Maltese
to old age. Lefty and Wiget the sweetest cutest Maltese in the
world. she was very sad so she told me she found the perfect pup
online, she was going to pick it up and wanted me to see it. She
brings in this little guy when she told me she paid 3 thousand
dollars I could not believe it. I asked her is the dog even AKC.
she checked and he was not. Her husband was mad so they went to
take the pup back and somehow got suckered into keeping it and
buying its sister.

a joyful moment turned nightmare. both pups got sick. The little
female was worse and was not expected to live. The little boy
ended up having no teeth meaning he was under-aged.

It took her months of no sleep to save the pups life who to this
day has a heart condition. the little boy needed knee surgery.

She joined a class action against the store which ended up on
NBC special report.

I started watching this store more closely their web site says
all the right things. They call themselves a kennel, It is
written exactly like a reputable place when in fact it is the
worse of the worse.

Because of this I decided I can do better. I decided to become
the thing I fought so many years to end.

my conclusion is demonizing Pet Stores that sell puppies and
kittens or even birds scares away those who would care and run
one properly, which only leaves room for the greedy mean nasty
people that make the industry dirty.

playing the reputable breeder card does not make one reputable.
this seems to be the norm across the net. so many lies who knows
what is reality any more.

When your young you known it all. When you mature your don’t

Author Ginger Pepple owner of Superstar Puppies LLC Davie,
Florida www.superstarpuppies.com

Choosing a “vital 5″ out of my list of questions to ask your vet about your cat was no easy task. As the list gets longer, it becomes even more difficult.

My hope, of course, is that cat owners and vets everywhere will use this technique to form a better pet health care team. With some creativity, you can adapt the concept, if not the questions themselves, to fit just about any pet.

As you may already know, I began collecting my list of questions based on reader feedback. By the types of questions that I was being asked by website visitors, two major truths became painfully obvious…

1. Many people just do not seem to have a good working relationship with their vet.

By that I mean that for some reason, they don’t seem to get the information that they need. Honestly, I have been shocked by the questions coming my way on cat health and behavior. Hadn’t these people spoken to their vet? Surely their vet could have helped them with this topic.

Sadly, in some cases, the answer was no. Even worse, though, was the sad reality of the second truth…

2. They had asked one or more veterinarians about the issue, but never got a clear direction on what the problem was or what to do about it!

In some cases, these people had asked for help over long periods of time, with no results. For them, my standard answer of “here is what I know, now go ask your vet about the particulars” didn’t really work for them.

The quick answer of “get another vet” didn’t always apply either. It was either not feasible, or had already been tried. The obvious follow up to that would be to continue looking for a veterinarian who would help. But that probably isn’t necessary most of the time.

I didn’t have a specific answer for these people at the time, but I knew two things. First, these people needed to get to a place where they could work as a team with their vet to help their cat. Second, they needed to learn exactly what to ask in order to get their vet to talk to them.

One of our goals as cat owners should be to develop and encourage an information flow with our vet. Yet, this seems to be something that most of us put little thought into.

So, how do you do that? Two ways…

1. Ask good questions that lead to a two way information exchange.

My firm belief is that the quality of information that we receive is directly related to the questions that we ask. Based on that notion, I decided to try to help you, the cat owner, and put together a list of “questions to ask your vet.”

2. Arrive at your vet visit prepared, with questions in hand.

Show up at your vet visit with written questions, and write down the responses. While you’re there, jot down any new questions, along with their answers, that come to mind. If you don’t, you will either forget to ask, not ask in the right way, or worse, forget the answer! Your pet will thank you.

Of my entire list of questions to ask your vet, I’ve selected 5 that are vital. Here they are…

1. Should my cat be indoor or outdoor?
This decision impacts how you and your cat interact. More importantly, it determines to a significant degree how long your cat may live. As a rule, indoor cats live many times longer than outdoor cats.

2. What are the most common diseases and conditions that I should know about?
You and your vet should briefly discuss the most common conditions that develop in cats. This discussion can expand to include breed, and may vary based on geography.

3. What are the most common signs of disease that I should look for?
In addition to knowing which diseases are common, you should know what to look for. Getting a good idea of the common signs of disease will help you detect trouble early. Some common signs of a number of diseases are excessive thirst and urination, excessive vomiting, weight loss, and lethargy.

4. What do you recommend for cat litter?
This can be somewhat controversial, but you should get your vet’s opinion. There are many options, probably too many, on brand and type. Using the “wrong” cat litter can have a profound effect on the well being of your cat.

Some cats will refuse to use the litter box if you even change brands. Expand this into a discussion on litter box type, number and placement as well.

5. Is there a particular diet or brand of pet food that you recommend? Why?
This again is controversial, but all important. The AAFCO sets certain guidelines on pet food ingredients, but that does not mean that commercial pet foods are all the same. In addition, a number of well meaning cat lovers, including some breeders, are recommending home made cat food, or raw meat diets.

Watch out, as these can be dangerous, especially if not done correctly. Find out what your vet is feeding her own animals, and why.

Again, I’ll stress the value of the dialogue that begins based on these questions. If you’re a good conversationalist, you’ll be able to rewrite these questions in your own words. If you are like most, however, you should write them down as is, and let the conversation flow from there.

Are there more questions to ask your vet than just these? Of course there are. Are there others that are also vital to you and your cat? Absolutely, and some of them only you may know. The above list, however, should get you started on a great dialogue, and give you some solid information that a surprising number of pet owners simply do not have.

About the Author: Kurt Schmitt is an experienced cat owner and founder of http://www.cat-lovers-only.com. For the answers to your cat care questions, be sure to read “7 Questions to Ask Your Vet… A Guide for Cat Lovers” on the site.

Source: www.isnare.com

It was the Saturday morning of August 20, 2004 and my two kids saying that they couldn’t find our cat Nala anywhere waked me up. I didn’t pay much attention, because it was common for her to find a new hiding spot and sleep there for hours.

Hours later we realized she was really missing and we started to search for her. We looked all over the house, inside the closets, behind furniture, and then we got outside and looked on the trees, in the playground, around the pool, everywhere! We placed flyers around the neighborhood, she was never found.

Now I ask myself, how many of us have gone through that experience and think we don’t have an alternative to those flyers?

Well, we do! Pet Tracking Devices, thanks to the miniaturization of GPS receivers and mobile phone modems even they can carry devices that allow them to be tracked by the owner. There is not yet a great choice of devices, but this probably will change rather fast and even though all actual (August 2004) existing devices are too heavy for domestic cats. It is believed that 2005 will bring several solutions for this problem. But if you own a dog, this may be a solution.

GPS Pet Tracking devices consist of a GPS receiver and a GSM modem. In some of the models data, sent to the secure website via a GSM network, can be accessed by the owner directly or through a call center. With other devices you simply call the telephone number of the GPS-GSM dog collar with your mobile phone. The GPS receiver in the collar calculates the position of the dog and sends the co-ordinates immediately in a SMS text to your mobile phone. Other models work as a wireless, electronic pager device that easily and remotely monitors the location of pets via the Internet anywhere in North America. The locations can be reported to email, pager, cell phone (as text message) and website.

The prices of GPS Pet Tracking devices start from $499.99, but there are some inexpensive solutions such as radio tracking, which works in a similar way to the find button on your telephone, you press a button and the device on your pet’s collar emits a sound to alert you on the location.

Missing a pet can be as painful as missing a family member, so take precautions and keep your pet protected at all times, and if your budget allows, consider acquiring a GPS Pet Tracking device it is the most effective tool available today, hopefully in a few years a tracking chip can be implanted under your pet’s skin, much like the pet identification chip, but until then, keep your pet safe!

About the Author

Mariangie González is an Agronomist with a major in Animal Science and runs the day-to-day operations of her home-based business and website which carries natural pet care, pet aromatherapy, holistic pet health, pet toys, pet jewelry and much more. She can also help you start your own home-based 100% natural pet supplies business, you can visit online at: http://www.MindBodyAndPaw.com

History

The Shetland Sheepdog can be traced back many years to the
Shetland Isles, where they were bred as a herding dog.

Smaller, hardier animals were required to survive the harsh
conditions in the Shetland Isles and thus, the Shetland Sheepdog
was developed. No official records exist, but it is believed
that Sheltie’s probably derived from Scottish Collies, which
were smaller than today’s Collies.

Appearance

Shelties are very pretty little dogs with almond shaped eyes,
giving them a very sweet expression.

Shelties should stand at approximately 36 cm tall for females
and 37 cm tall for males.

They have very long, thick coats and come in a wide variety of
colours; Sable, Tri-coloured, Black and White, Black and Tan and
Blue Merle, with many variations inbetween.

Temperament

Sheltie’s have wonderful affectionate, gentle temperaments with
their owners, but can be a little reserved with strangers. They
are certainly not ‘lap-dogs’, but make wonderful pets because of
their kind nature. They have wonderful characters, with an
endearing stubbornness that makes them a pleasure to own.

Their strength and intelligence mean that these hardy little
dogs excel in many competitive fields, such as obedience and
agility.

Grooming

They do require a considerable amount of grooming because of the
thickness and length of their coats.

Exercise

Sheltie’s are very active little dogs, and are described by many
as almost tireless. They enjoy being outdoors and do require a
moderate amount of exercise.

Health Problems

The breed is largely free of any major health problems, however
Collies and Shelties are known to suffer from some hereditary
eye conditions, namely Progressive Retinal Atrophy (P.R.A) and
Collie Eye Anomaly (C.E.A).

P.R.A is a rare but serious disease which inevitably leads to
total blindness. It is unlikely to be detected until the dog is
approximately 2 years of age and although nothing can be done to
stop the progression of this disease, responsible breeders are
careful to have breeding animals tested so that new litters are
not produced from affected parents.

C.E.A is much less serious; statistics suggest that up to 75% of
Shelties are affected to some degree, however it is unlikely
that the condition will worsen in most cases and a mild
affliction will not cause great inconvenience to the dog.

Importance of Regular Home Dog Ear Care

Routine home dog ear care is very important to the health of your dog. Performed between your regular checkups with the veterinarian, it will help keep your dog’s ears healthy and pain free. If you see signs of trouble you may be able to head them off before they require an extra visit to the vet. Excessive wax, foul odor, redness, constant scratching, excessive matting of hair in the external ear, rubbing the ears against other objects, head shaking, and disorientation can all be signs of ear problems.

Inspect Your Dog’s Ears Regularly By Using Your Eyes & Your Nose!

By performing a home dog ear care inspection; you will be able to detect problems early. Use both your eyes and your nose. If you need help seeing inside your dog’s ears you may want to invest in a pet scope. A tool very similar to the kind your doctor uses to check your ears. Check for redness, excessive wax build up or any other foreign matter.

Sniffing your dog’s ears is another way to detect problems early. Normally a dog’s ears shouldn’t smell foul in any way. If you see a dark waxy discharge this may be a sign of ear mites. On the other hand, if you see a pus-like discharge along with a foul smell this may be a sign of a bacterial infection. Allergies are also known to cause some dogs to have smelly ears. If you’re new to this and are unsure have the vet check your dog’s ears. Right after the vet gives your dog a clean bill of health make sure you inspect your dog’s ears. This way you will learn how your pet’s ears should normally look and smell.

Is Your Breed of Dog More Susceptible To Dog Ear Care Problems?

Due to the warm, damp, and dark environment, as well as poor air circulation, your dog’s ear canal can be the prefect breeding ground for mites, yeast or bacterial infection. This is why, for certain breeds, home dog ear care is even more important. Some pets may require routine applications of dog ear care products to keep their ears free of mites, yeast or bacterial infections.

Some dog’s ears stand straight up which allows for more air to flow into the ear canal. Dogs with floppy ears, like spaniels and bloodhounds, are very prone to ear infections because very little air flows into their ear canals. There are also breeds, like the Lhasa, that have a heavy growth of hair inside their ears. This hair must be routinely removed as a prevention against chronic ear problems.

If Excess Ear Hair Is A Dog Ear Care Problem Learn How To Remove It

If you suspect that excess ear hair is a problem, you may need to pluck the hair that grows inside your dog’s ears. This is a routine dog ear care task that can be performed at home and is much easier then it sounds. You will want to apply dog ear powder to the inside of both ears. Make sure that the hair is completely covered, especially at the base. Once the powder has dried start plucking a few hairs at a time with your fingers or a tweezers. Plucking just a few hairs at a time will be less irritating for the dog.

You may want to stop a few times to give your dog’s ears a good rub. Make sure you give your dog lots of praise and a few dog treats too. Once all the inside hair has been removed, follow up by cleaning and inspecting the ears. If you are unsure about this dog ear care procedure, have your vet or a professional groomer show you how to do it.

Things You Should Know About Cleaning Your Dog’s Ears

Some vets recommend that owners routinely flush their dog’s ears with warm water at the slightest hint of odor. Other home dog ear care cleaning remedies include mineral oil, hydrogen peroxide, or a combination of equal parts of vinegar and rubbing alcohol. If your dog has open sores it’s best not to use the vinegar and alcohol because it will cause a burning sensation.

If your dog is prone to ear infections you may want to use a pet ear care product that is specifically formulated to clean and dry up excess moisture in the ear canal. A dog ear wash containing Tea Tree Oil, which is also formulated to dry the ear canal is an excellent choice. Tea Tree Oil’s natural antiseptic, antibacterial and fungicidal properties can help keep your dog’s ears problem free.

It’s also a good idea to use a pet ear-drying agent after bathing or swimming especially if your dog’s ears retain moisture and don’t dry promptly. There are many good pet ear care products available for routine ear cleaning that will dissolve wax, remove foreign debris and dry the ear canal. There are also home dog care treatments available that will kill pesky ear mites and ear ticks.

A dog’s ear canal is L-shaped. It descends vertically and it makes a 90-degree horizontal turn before it reaches the eardrum. Even though your dog’s eardrum is better protected than a human’s, you should still proceed with caution when cleaning the ear canal. Many vets urge caution when inserting anything into the ear canal, especially cotton-tipped swabs. They can actually push dirt and foreign matter deeper into the ear if not handled properly. You can even lose the cotton tip in the ear canal.

Start cleaning the external part of the ear by swabbing inside the earflaps and all around the gnarled area at the entrance of the ear canal. If you choose to use a cotton-tipped swab you will need a long type since a dog’s ear canal is much deeper than ours. If your dog will tolerate it, gently and carefully swab the inside of the ear canal. A much safer method is to fill the ear canal with a pet ear cleaning solution and gently massage the outer ear. After a few minutes allow your dog to shake his head to help clear the ear canal. If you’re using a commercial pet ear care product be sure to follow the instructions carefully.

Make Ear Inspections An Important Part Of Your Home Dog Ear Care Routine

Checking your dog’s ears only takes a few minutes so make it a part of your dog grooming routine. And when your dog’s ears need a cleaning don’t put it off. Remember regular cleanings can prevent many common ear problems. If you think a problem may be developing that is beyond the scope of your home dog ear care routine, take your dog to the vet for a check up immediately. An infection, if left untreated, can be very painful for your dog and could even damage your dog’s hearing.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Article courtesy of: href=”http://www.dog-supplies-advisor.com/”>Dog-Supplies-Advisor.com a website dedicated to providing dog care advice on a broad range of dog-related topics. Includes informative articles, frequently asked questions, recommendations, and href=”http://www.dog-supplies-advisor.com/free-dog-ezine.html”>Free Ezine.
Copyright 2004 Dog-Supplies-Advisor.com, all rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

As more breeds of dogs are domesticated, the number of available dog training collars are also steadily increasing. Sometimes, it is so hard to keep up on what dog collars to use for your dogs.

Let me guide you through the maze of Dog training collars. Let us take a look at each of the available collars we can have for our dogs.

First, there is the buckle collar. The buckle collar is really like a buckle that we use for our trousers. Buckle collars have buckle fasteners too to secure it over the dog’s neck. The buckle collars for dogs come in different varieties. There are buckle collars that are flat, rolled, made in nylon, or made in leather. The most preferred buckle collars of owners are the ones made in nylon. They are easier to clean, don’t shrink and they come in different colors and styles. The leather ones, although it has been popular, is not very easy to clean and if wrongly washed they may shrivel or shrink.

Another 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.

Next is the Pronged or the German Pinch dog training collar. This collar is especially made for dogs that are wild, unruly and difficult to control. These collars apply pressure on the protruding areas in the dog’s neck therefore it effectively catches the dog’s attention. This kind of dog training collar does not damage the dog’s windpipe

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.

There are still so many dog training collars available. They are constantly evolving to make collars as comfortable and as dog-friendly as possible. Other dog training collars include: light-up collars, they light up or glow at night; ornamental collars; schutzhund training collars and many others.

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.

About the Author: Gina Marie Capatar writes on a variety of topics. She is a freelance writer and the head writer for http://www.isnare.com You may contact her at gina@isnare.com or visit http://outsourcing.isnare.com for writing job proposals.

Source: www.isnare.com

Vitamins Can Increase Your Dog’s Life Span!

There is evidence to suggest that a good vitamin supplement for your dog not only helps prevent, improve or cure many degenerative type illnesses and disease, but may actually lengthen your dog’s life span. Really!

This is particularly the indication if you supplement with vitamins while your dog is young and healthy, rather than waiting for your dog to get sick or show the usual signs of aging and degeneration.

So let’s start with a little lesson on the cause, and effects, of disease. …

Disease is a process which gradually debilitates the cells of an organism. The organism may be you, or me, or your dog (or mine!)

Debilitated cells are unable to rebuild, regenerate and repair damage which inevitably occurs just through the fact of being alive and moving day by day closer to the end of life. Of course, much greater damage can be caused by poor nutrition or other dietary deficiencies or excesses, environmental poisons, physical and/or emotional stress or insufficient excercise. In short, anything which pushes the organism past its optimum capacity, or causes it to fall short of its optimum capacity, can and will cause damage and will debilitate the cells.

Do you ever supplement your own diet and lifestyle with vitamins and/or minerals?

Me too.

But you know what? It didn’t occur to me that my beautiful dogs would benefit from a good vitamin supplement until recent years.

I always (wrongly) assumed that if I gave my dogs a largely natural diet of raw meat and bones, with the occasional addition of steamed vegetables and rice or pasta, and with a morning snack of a small handful of commercial dry dog food, my dogs would always remain in tip top health.

Luckily for me, I was on the right track, and my dogs have always been very healthy. My vet routinely compliments me on their great teeth and gums and wonderful general health.

But as they started getting past their prime, some health concerns started popping up. Kara, my Rottweiler, started developing arthritis and the effects of hip dysplasia (which she’s had since very young, but without any symptoms). Similar to my own parents (who’re well into their 60’s), Kara started to look a bit older and stiffer when she moved, and especially when she got up after lying still for a while.

So I started Kara on a dog vitamin supplement. And, oh, what a difference! It took a few weeks to kick in, but once I’d found the right dose and the vitamins started to show their effects, Kara appeared more youthful - less stiff - and she didn’t look so uncomfortable when moving around. It really has done wonders.

And still I didn’t “get it” in general terms. Because Kara clearly had a problem, I decided to treat it with a supplement. But I didn’t think to treat Jet, my Staffordshire Bull Terrier, as well, which I should have done just to keep her in tip top health even though she had no specific problems back then. Besides which, Kara takes her vitamins in tablet form, whereas Jet is a tablet nightmare!

But when Jet was also diagnosed with the early stages of a degenerative disease - gradual loss of her eyesight - the penny finally dropped. I thought “Why on earth am I not giving Jet a vitamin supplement as well?” So I use a tablet crusher and mix the crushed tablet with peanut butter. Yes, these tablets crush pretty well. And Jet eats them! I have to admit that she still looks suspiciously at the concoction each day, but the lure of the peanut butter usually gets the better of her!

Nowadays I absolutely swear by dog vitamins. I really don’t know why I didn’t think them necessary long ago. But better late than never.

And my dogs are now in peak health even though they’re both coming up to 10 years old.

Do you want your dog to enjoy peak health?

Click Here for more Pet Vitamin information! - http://www.HealthyHappyDogs.com/Vitamins

(c) 2005, Brigitte Smith, Healthy Happy Dogs

Brigitte Smith is a dog lover with a special interest in holistic dog health. Her site, Healthy Happy Dogs, has pages and pages of information on improving your dog’s health naturally. Brigitte is the author of several reports, articles, and the Healthy Happy Dogs newsletter.

For your special FREE report - “How to Improve Your Dog’s Health Within 30 Days - Maybe Even Lengthen Your Dog’s Life!”, Click Here for Your Free Dog Health Report!
http://www.HealthyHappyDogs.com

Akeisha wrote to me with some very good questions. I’ve included her letter (and my responses) below:

[Akeisha] Hi its Akeisha again. I do see what you mean if it is on all the time the dog will soon forget it is on and then will behave regardless. Ok, so the dog never wears a buckle collar again? This is what irks me. I want to be able to control the dog regardless of what collar is on not just the pinch or it could be no collar at all and the dog still behaves. What if the owner for some reason takes off the collar then they put the buckle collar on for ID but then forget the pinch collar? Then there is no control.

[Adam] WRONG! The dog gets conditioned. Take off the collar for awhile. Doesn’t matter.

[Akeisha] Do you ever in the training go back to the buckle collar after months of what you recommend with a dog that is happy with doing the commands?

[ Adam: ] Yes, the dog does the command because he is happy and he likes it. But eventually, there will be something that tempts him. This is where conditioning comes in.

Think of it like this: You’ve lived in the same house for 10 years, right? You get up in the middle of the night and you reach for the light switch that is to the LEFT of the door. Pretty soon, you get conditioned to reach out to the LEFT of the door.

One day you travel and stay in a hotel. You wake up in the middle of the night and reach out to the LEFT of the door for the switch… even though you cognitively saw that the switch is on the RIGHT.

In fact, you may wake up for several nights– perhaps even weeks or months– and still reach out to the LEFT, even though the switch is now on the right. Some people will continue reaching to the LEFT for the rest of their lives. Some will begin reaching to the right.

Those people need to be reinforced. Get it?

[Akeisha] Motivational corrections if on the right dog won’t frighten them or make them hate you I know but aren’t there other ways except using the collar that will eventually be established thought training that will allow you to take the collar off and have control?

[ Adam: ] Yeah, this way you can take the collar off and have control, ONCE THE DOG IS CONDITIONED. But eventually you’ll have to go back and reinforce, for most dogs. And definitely if you start expecting to work the dog around new distractions that it’s never been proofed around, such as chickens if the dog has never seen chickens.

Look, I don’t make the rules. The dog is not a robot that you can suddenly say, “He’s done” and expect him to act consistently for the rest of his life. Like any relationship you have with another person, boundaries need to be established and maintained. The dog is like your wife or husband… they will eventually test you.

[Akeisha] Last question, how can the dog not realize the don’t have it on since it feels a lot different than the buckle? Its like my id around my neck at school I have gotten used to it but I do realize when it is off? Just for the record I have no problem with pinches, many members in my 4-H club use them and they work great on the right dog.

[ Adam: ] Because the way you should be using the pinch collar is that the dog (since he has limited reason and logic) does not KNOW that it is the pinch collar that allows you to give him good corrections. But it’s more than the pinch collar. If I put the dog in a number of small yards, with no collar on … and I’m able to chase him down and make him come back to me, if he doesn’t come when I call… then the dog will learn THE UNDERLYING PREMISE that I can make him do it, if he doesn’t. So, the pinch collar and the long line make my job easier, but ultimately, the dog knows (or he thinks at least) that I am a man of my word and when I tell him to do something: If he doesn’t do it, I’m going to make him do it. And his life will be a lot more fun if he does it willingly. So the dog starts to extrapolate this principle to other commands, too.

[Akeisha] Hope I am not being irritating I just like to know why certain trainers value certain methods over others since I love competing in obedience with my dog.

[Adam:] Keep training. -Adam.

Do you want to be able to take your dog anywhere, and KNOW that he’ll listen to you… even if tempted by another dog, a cat, or even a piece of food??? Then check out: “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer: An Insider’s Guide To The Most Jealously Guarded Dog Training Secrets In History!” By Adam G. Katz, Owner of South Bay K-9 Academy. For more information, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/4efaq

About the Author

Author, “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!“ which you can read more about at:
http://tinyurl.com/4efaq

Finding A Reputable Breeder
By Ron

www.web-rover.com

Anyone can put two dogs together and let them breed, and in turn call themselves a “breeder.” However being called a “reputable” breeder encompasses far more than that. You wont find a reputable breeder trying to sell their dogs to local pet stores, or advertising in the classified section. A good breeder does not need these “gimmicks.” Instead, they rely on the quality of their dogs. Breeding is a practice that should be done with a sense of pride, and a feeling of fulfillment.

So once you have decided that a pure bred dog is right for you, how do you go about the overwhelming task of choosing the perfect breeder? Well ideally there are several key things to look for. Below is a simple check list to follow when looking for your breeder.

- Who is the breeder? It is very important to find out who the breeder is. One way to find out, is checking references. If the breeder is unable to provide written references, you should move on. Snoop around a bit. Talk to other breeders, rescue groups, veterinarians, anyone who can give you some information.

- Does the breeder require a Spay/neuter contract and limited registration? This means that you are legally obligated to promise that you will NOT attempt to breed your new dog. This helps stop poor quality breeding, and insure high standards of the breed.

- A reputable breeder should provide you with a “health check” which tests the lineage for known and testable genetic disorders. The breeder should be familiar with the health line of several generations. As a result, he/she should provide you with a health guarantee for a certain time period.

- A reputable breeder should encourage you to select a puppy with the temperament and personality that is compatible with you and your family. Do not let the breeder convince you that “this” one is for you. A good breeder will only produce litters AFTER they have buyers.

- The breeder should be honest about the dogs’ characteristics. They should tell you both the good points and the bad points concerning a breed. Different breeds of dogs have unique characteristics that are traditional in their breed. So it is important you educate yourself.

- Check out the facilities. Make sure the breeder is keeping the dogs in a clean healthy environment. Ask to see where the dogs are kept. If the breeder insists on only bringing the dogs to you, stay clear!!

- Is your breeder involved in the breed? Most often you will find that a good breeder is involved in either, showing, performance, local clubs or rescue. An active breeder is a good sign that he/she truly cares about the breed

As you can see, choosing a good breeder should involve more than finding a number in the newspaper. Be sure to educate yourself before making any decisions. Prior to meeting with a prospective breeder write down some questions, know the breed, and be patient. Choosing the right breeder and pup is not something that you should rush. Remember being a responsible dog owner starts from the beginning

About the Author

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