Insulated Dog Houses For the Winter Months

By Lindy Smart

Keep your best friend warm and cozy with an insulated dog house. After all your dog gives you so much enjoyment it is only fitting to give him a comfortable house when you are not home and he or she is outside in the cold air.

Insulated dog houses are top notch quality made. The insulated cedar dog houses are constructed tongue and groove. The insulated dog houses are made of only the best wood and that wood is cedar. With such high quality you know this dog house will last for a very long time. You will be keeping your dog warm and the dog house will not look like an eye soar in your backyard. Instead you will have others wondering where you bought your cedar dog house.

Another benefit of a cedar insulated house is the roof that easily removes. You can simply take the roof off and clean your dog's home. No more crouching down and trying to clean out your dog's house.

The door is not directly in the center but off to one side. This will keep your dog warmer by being able to sit behind the larger part of the wall. You want to keep your adored pet safe from below zero wind chills, rain, hail, etc., when you cannot let him or her in the house if you are not home.

Cedar insulated dog houses come in a variety of sizes for your dog. Small, medium, large and extra large homes for your adored dog.

You can also purchase a climate control unit to go with your insulated dog house for even greater comfort.

You insulate the house you live in so why wouldn't you insulate your beloved dog's house? Get your dog an insulated dog house and watch his tail wag when he or she thanks you for your love and kindness.

http://www.doowaggle.com

Training a Gun dog Isn't Hard - Lesson 8, Hunting Your Ground - What You Are Aiming For

By Ken Devonald

It is considered a sin in gun dog circles

If a dog misses game, for example running past a hidden rabbit or pheasant. Realistically it happens, but is best avoided especially if you are intending to run in field trials. To minimize the risk of this happening, it is necessary for the dog to concentrate on air scent rather than foot scent. If a dog is allowed to put it's nose down to foot scent regularly, it is unlikely to use air scent as readily, and it is likely to follow the trail rather than covering the ground methodically.

Foot scent has its' uses, specifically in the retrieve, but for hunting, discourage it gently but firmly.

So, what are you hoping to achieve?

Imagine you are out working your HPR (or Spaniel) looking for rabbits, the ground you are covering is fairly open, with patches of thistles or nettles. The Sun is up and it is shaping up to be a pleasant morning. The field I have in mind is maybe 500 to 600 yards long, 100 yards wide. We enter from behind a willow bed, planted to clean the outflow from the septic tanks which handle the waste from the half dozen houses 100 yards up the hill. There is a reed bed first, and the whole tank area is surrounded by plants that were a lot more common 50 years ago. Plenty of rabbits in there, but I never fancy eating them for some reason.

You intend getting some rabbits (for a pie; there is no better way to eat them that I have found; except maybe pan fried; but that is another discussion!), so you have you gun over your arm, or your Harris Hawk on your fist. The dog is walking quietly but alertly (maybe a little impatient, but she is not whining!) at heel. Before you open the gate (you could climb over, but the gun would like as not clang against the gate) you check the field for cattle; Jim has had the bull in with the newly calved cows, and you are well aware that the dogs will upset the cattle and you will both have to leave at speed if they are down by the river that bounds the far end of the field.

To the left is a wood that runs for two hundred yards, holds a few rabbits and a rookery. After the first two hundred yards it gives way to a double fenced drainage ditch running down to the river; the water maybe 4 or 5 feet across, six inches to a foot deep, with a rough grass bank either side varying from a yard to 4 wide. The ditch holds the occasional duck or two; the grass holds the very occasional snipe or woodcock and the more common rabbit, with sometimes a pheasant coming across from neighbouring shoots. To the right a drystone dyke (wall) runs all the way down to the river, holding some rabbits.

After the first hundred yards, the thistles and nettles give out, and from there on the field is virtually bare grass until the last 50 yards before the river, when the thistles reappear. There is a large marshy area between the fenced end of the field and the river; a large bend in the river moves it away from the end of the field and leaves a boggy patch that holds odds and sods.

As in any dream scenario, the wind is blowing from across the river along the length of the field straight towards you. With the HPR you intend working the field up to the end of the woods by walking straight up the middle; then moving back to the start of the woods and working the close cover there before working the ditch down to the river. With a spaniel, you intend working the thistle area first, in two passes; then the wood; then the ditch.

No cattle; so you are safe continuing. You send the dog off to the right and she runs straight along the fence; one or two momentary checks as she picks up some scent, but then she runs on to the fence, turns into the wind and moves on ten or fifteen yards before turning back across the field, passing across in front of you and heading towards the woods; she intends going on into the woods, you can tell by the way she is gathering herself so you give a double peep on the whistle to turn her back towards you.

Meanwhile you have started to walk forward slowly, and she moves upwind to keep in front of you, crossing five yards further into the field than you are; She has barely passed in front of you when she slams to a halt; head turned at right angles almost, and staring intently towards a patch of thistles. You move quietly towards her, approaching from the same angle that she has; and when you are slightly behind her you give her the command to flush; she slams into the thistles and starts bunny hopping; bouncing on her back legs and head spinning to locate the flushed rabbit; the rabbit runs upwind, the dog stops to watch and you bowl it over with a single shot; the rabbit is stone dead in the open, and the dog is now looking at you, wondering if she is going to be sent for the retrieve. Since it is so simple, you pick it up yourself, squeeze out the bladder to empty the urine and put it in your bag.

You then cast the dog on in the direction she was heading. After a few more passes she comes on point again; gentler than the last time because she has picked up the scent from further away; she takes a pace or two towards the cover the rabbit is in and then stops. Again you move into position and give the command to flush; this time the rabbit runs away in line with the dog; best not to shoot over her so you wait until the rabbit turns and heads towards the wall on the right; unfortunately you hit the rabbit but misjudge it slightly and the rabbit continues into the cover of a large clump of thistles. The dog is watching you and glancing back at the spot the rabbit disappeared; waiting for ten seconds (even when urgent you do not want the dog to pre-empt your command) you then send the dog. She streaks out towards where the rabbit disappeared, ignoring a rabbit that she disturbs on the way; this is a retrieve and she knows that it is more important than hunting. When she gets to the point where you hit the rabbit her head goes down and she follows the foot trail into the thistles; another rabbit is flushed but she ignores that; then she reappears with the wounded rabbit; being carried gently (it's head is still held up), she comes directly back to you; sitting squarely in front of you with her head up she lets you take hold and with the command 'leave' she lets you take it and you dispatch it.

Now to the wood...

In the next discussion we will cover some of the techniques to let you get to the stage described.

Ken Devonald has two German Short haired Pointers and has previously trained spaniels. He lives and works in the Scottish Borders, where he has plenty of opportunities to train his dogs to work rabbits. He is currently developing a Gun dog Training Site, which you can visit here!

Prevent Your Dog From Jumping on You

By Jon Dakins

Prevent your dog from jumping on you and your friends by changing the house rules.

Start teaching him the right way to behave inside.

The first topic to tackle is the house rules. When it comes to exuberant greetings, people have different opinions about what behavior can be permitted. The good news is that you get to decide and you can be inconsistent as long as you are consistently inconsistent. To do that, you just have to set simple yes/no rules and stick to them.

Yes you can jump on me. No you can't jump on Aunt Ellen.

Once you have decided what the rules will be it's time to break the news to your dog. Training tools are an easy way to make fast changed. Static electricity mats can be placed on furniture that you want to protect (they have the advantage of working when you are gone so you won't end up with a napping dog when you are gone). Dog gates and crates can be used to restrict his free access to the door.

To break him of the habit of jumping on you at the door you have to be consistent and not respond with laughs, pats on the head, or scolding. Simply enter and, when he begins to jump up, tuck your arms in and turn in the other direction. Do not touch the dog to greet him or to push him off. Do not talk to the dog to greet him. Do say Down or Get Off in a calm, firm voice. Turn away and avoid rewarding the behavior.

When your dog tries to jump on you while you're sitting, simply tuck your arms in and lean forward.

For dogs that have been jumping for a long time you will encounter an "extinction burst." This means that he will try jumping more when you begin ignoring him because he is trying to get a response. This increase in the behavior will die out when it doesn't get him what he wants.

If you will be allowing your dog to jump on you, but not on guests, then it is important to a) Give him a visual clue that says it's okay to jump and b) Practice the Down or Get Off command so that he knows to put four on the floor when you tell him to. If possible, have a dog loving friend role-play as the visitor.

Additional steps to take include selecting a place for your dog to wait for guests to greet him and training him to sit on command no matter what the excitement level. If he's sitting, he can't be jumping.

http://shop.dogacademy.com/dog-jumping-free-tips.aspx

Prevent Your Dog From Jumping on the Furniture

By Jon Dakins

Protect your furniture by stopping your dog from getting on the couch.

Start teaching him the right way to behave inside.

The first topic to tackle is the house rules. When it comes to naps on the couch, people have different opinions about what behavior can be permitted. The good news is that you get to decide and you can be inconsistent as long as you are consistently inconsistent. To do that, you just have to set simple yes/no rules and stick to them.

Yes you can get on the gray couch. No you cannot get on the suede sofa.

To correct issues with jumping on the furniture you have to prepare for owner-absent problems. The best way to handle these behaviors is to establish a space for your dog (crate or gated area) where he can be when he is not supervised. If you are going to let him roam, then you can take other steps to prevent access to the sofa or comfort when he is on it. Access can be restricted by placing items in front of the sofa (for example TV trays or an ottoman that prevents him from climbing up.) Additionally, consider the possibilty of placing a couch cover over the furniture. That keeps the sofa safe while your dog gets to enjoy its comforts.

You can also leave crinkly aluminum foil on furniture you want to protect (make sure it doesn't scuff up the furniture in the process!) to make his landing - and potential nap - as uncomfortable as possible.

One thing to keep in mind when you find your dog on the couch is that you should not drag your dog off the couch by his collar. There are two main reasons for this. 1st if your dog gets loose a friendly by-stander may help by catching your dog for you. And 9/10 times he will grab the dog by the collar. That is what people do and so you want to avoid ever punishing your dog by grabbing his collar. Never start with that move or include it. It's pure silliness that can lead to a bite.

2nd he might bite you then and there. So for your sake and other people's, don't grab that collar. Instead use the leash or offer him a treat reward for getting off the couch (yes - that can increase his jumping on the couch in the future, so if you do find he's too stubborn to get down and you have to hand out the treats, make your next step blocking access. We're talking safety here - not rewards for bad behavior).

Jumping is an access issue. Control his freedom to get to people at the door and to furniture in the house and you will resolve the issue. If you want to be greeted exuberantly then teach him a visual signal and also add Down or Get Off to his training cue set. If letting him on one piece of furniture, but not all, then tell him the rule. Encourage him to jump on "his" couch while preventing access to the others. If you are consistent with your inconsistency he will soon learn the house rules and give you exactly the behavior you want.

http://shop.dogacademy.com/dog-jumping-free-tips.aspx

Pet Care - Dogs

By Jeff Jarred

The benefits we can reap from having a pet can be thoroughly rewarding. Dogs are known as "Man's best friend" for their unconditional love, loyalty and friendship. Dog lovers can return the favour by taking good care of their pet.

It might sound like a lot of work at first but caring for your dog, after the puppy days, is relatively easy and most of the chores can fit neatly into your daily routine.

This article talks about some of the essentials you need to know about dog care.

Collar and ID Tag: The first thing you want to do for a new dog is give it a proper collar and an ID tag with your name, address and contact information. This greatly increases the chances of having your dog returned to you if they get separated from you.

Laws

Check with your local animal shelter, veterinarian or humane society to find out what vaccinations your dog needs and be aware of dog fouling laws!

Spay or Neuter

If you are not planning on breeding dogs, help reduce the number of unwanted and stray dogs and improve the health of your pet by having them spay or neutered.

Training

Whether you purchase a book on dog training and teach them the basics at home or enrol in a class, having your dog learn basic commands will have a positive benefit on their behaviour and safety.

Register with a Vet: Regular visits to the vet will ensure your dog's health and avoid future issues. If you need help locating a good veterinarian, check with a local shelter, breeder or get a recommendation from a fellow dog owner.

Your Dog at Home: Give your dog a proper place to live. Dogs love to get out and run around, but need extended time out of the elements. Guard your dog from exposure to extreme weather. A big yard with a dog house is wonderful, but spending time with your dog inside and having a comfortable place to sleep, like a dog bed, is essential.

Dog Diets: Feed your dog a nutritionally balanced diet and make fresh water available to it at all times. Consult your vet for information on the type of food and amount to feed them in proportion to their size and age.

Dog Leads: A good, strong lead is a must-have item. Follow the simple rule of, if your dog is off of your property, the lead is on. Always ensure your pet is under control at home AND out in public.

Exercising your Dog: Dogs of all sizes and breeds have one thing in common. They love to run around and play. A fit dog is a happy dog, so spend time together with toys, balls, games and by taking walks. Exercising a few times a day is great for both of you and goes a long way in building a bond.

Groom your Dog: A clean dog is a well cared for. Sure dogs like to play outdoors and run around, and there are few things better for their health, and your relationship, than to give their coats a regular dog shampoo bath, trim hair if necessary and groom them with brushes and combs. Dog clothes like coats, hats and boots are also increasingly popular, and can help shield your dog from extreme weather.

Dogs like Companionship: Any relationship is a two-way street. If you are loyal, patient and faithful to your dog, you will have yourself a companion that brings love and joy into your life.

These are just the basics of dog care and picking up a book about dogs is highly recommended. Choose a book that discusses various breeds, traits and care.

Swellpets.co.uk offers a wealth of information regarding pet supplies such as dog food. Treat your pet with the best products, visit our website to learn more!

To Be a Dog's Best Friend You Must Learn to Run Like a Wolf

By David Vanne

To be a dog's best friend you must pretend to be a dog. No, you don't have to run at thirty miles an hour, eat from a dish on the floor orü lift your leg on a tree. All you must do is feign canine behavior.

Dogs view us as other dogs because we are in their lives from the day they are born. A human imprint is being established within a new puppy before they ever open their eyes. Though law prohibits puppies from being sold before eight weeks of age, the smells and sounds of people are having a great impact on them from day one. Dogs are very social creatures and have traits driven by pack hierarchy. Eight weeks is generally viewed as optimum for a surrogate mother, namely you, to take over the responsibilities of the natural mother. At this early age an existing pecking order has already been established among the littermates. Many of these instincts are similar to human social structure and some of the main reasons why our domestic canines and people live together so well. It is easy to attribute certain behavior as human when in actuality it is most likely canine in origin. Licks, for example, to humans are almost always referred to as kisses and easily thought of as communicating affection. For the puppy, licking is an instinctual response to hunger. When directed toward the mouth, licking prompts the mother to regurgitate part of her meal. Fortunately, puppy chow handles this chore for us.

Dogs mature at much faster rates than humans. Forget the old adage of seven dog years for every one of ours. If that were the case, at a year of age, a dog might be regarded as a toddler, which would be totally incorrect. At only six months of age, most dogs are in mid adolescence. Try to tell a human teenager to "Go to school" if they had never done so before. What kind of response do you think you'll get? It might be said at this point that if a dog had no human contact within the first six months of it's life, never would it be able to adjust to living with humans.

Let's backtrack a bit and establish where our domestic dogs come from. Each and every domestic dog can trace its roots to the wolf. There may a very small amount of Red Fox, African Wild Dog, Dingo, or Coyote in a number of different breeds but the main thing to remember is that essentially all of our contemporary dog's ancestors were wolves. Certainly there are enormous differences in both appearance and behavior of today's dogs, which was accomplished through human control of the breeding process. Even though the centuries of breeding produced such diversity as Chihuahuas and Mastiffs, if we understand wolf traights we can get a better understanding of how our own dogs perceive us.

Wolves have learned, most likely through trial and error, that there is strength in numbers. The pack will venture out singly or in pairs, within their territory, during the summer months when food is plentiful. Winter months require them to reunite as sustenance becomes scarce and they need each other to hunt larger prey. Each member has a purpose to fulfill whether it be leading, flanking, tagging, tracking or staying behind to guard the pups. Mind you, wolves are not the nefarious, bloodthirsty and savage animals that earlier authors might have you believe. In fact there is only one documented case that suggests a human death by wolf attack. I say suggests because there is doubt among experts that the single animal involved was a pure wolf. An average weight for a wolf is approximately sixty-five pounds whereas the canine involved in this 19th century case weighed in well over 125 pounds. Experts believe it was a hybrid because of the tendency for wolfs that breed with domestic dogs to somehow turn out much larger than either parent. Just remember that wolves do not kill for fun, sport or revenge. Humans however, with their superior intellect, can lay no such claim. Wolves only hunt for survival and take the path of least resistance, which is prey that is very weak or very old The culling of a less than healthy animal actually strengthens the herd upon which they hunt. Each wolf performs a purpose for the betterment of the whole. If there were no direction or discipline chaos would prevail, thus there must be a leader of the pack.

The leader or Alpha is the strongest, most intelligent wolf within the pack. There is an Alpha male and Alpha female. The Alphas are the ones that install order and discipline amongst the other members. They are the front line of defense, lead the hunt, eat first, appoint puppy-sitters and the only ones within the pack to copulate. An alpha female is usually more aggressive and independent than the male. She will sometimes groom a pup to be her next successor and this pup may be allowed all alpha freedoms of food and territory. She accomplishes this by correcting other members of the pack for disciplining her pup.

Very often in our households when we empower our puppies as if they were human children, they quickly grow into dogs that feel no limits or bounds. All these privileges amount to a puppy perceiving the world with an Alpha mentality. Who does an Alpha want to please? Not one person. The Alpha wants you to please them. How many of our dogs do you see training the humans? They don't come when called, snap or snarl when someone gets to close the their food, demand to be petted, jump on everyone they meet, steel the thanksgiving turkey off the dining room table and the list goes on, The point is, to be a dogs best friend, you must run the pack similar to an Alpha wolf and not merely a litter mate. The only tool our dogs have available to correct us is with their mouths. Unfortunately there are thousands of dogs across this county shipped off to the animal shelter each day deemed " Uncontrollable vicious animals" when they were merely trying to institute order and discipline within their perceived pack You must lead the pack. If you show your dog leadership and direction he or she will follow. If your dog shows aggression towards other animals, or worse other people, you must let your dog know that it is your job as Alpha to defend the pack. A happy dog is a dog that belongs to a pack with a strong leader.

To be the lead wolf in your dogs world you must instill order, direction and discipline within the pack. When you give your dog a directed purpose in life, such as obedience training, you will set up the perception your dog has of you. Through proper reward and correction, you teach them that there are rules, limits, and purposes of life. Once you establish yourself as the Alpha wolf you will naturally and instinctively be your dog's best friend.

Original content provided by David Vanne http://www.treemail.us dave@treemail.us Site continually under construction

Dog Training - Obedience

By Allen McDaniel

Obedience training will not solve all behavior problems, but is is a good start to having a well-disciplined pet. Even if a dog is not well-trained at doing tricks, or using the bathroom in the right spot, that can be all right. A disobedient dog, however, can cause serious problems wherever it's taken.

Obedience training, like most forms of dog training, is a gradual and ongoing process. You may notice significant improvement in the first few weeks of training, but even after years there will be room for improvement. It is imperative that obedience training be one of the first steps in your dog training system. Once a dog is obedient, it will allow you to teach the dog other things faster and easier.

More so than any other form of training, praise and rewards are paramount in obedience training. They should also be corrected more strictly. A slight error in potty training can be an inconvenience, but a slight error in obedience can cause slowdown in all forms of a dogs behavior, including aggression. Don't expect a dog to understand commands the first few days. Be consistent with your commands, both in tone and volume. Don't raise your volume or change your tone out of frustration, as this will only confuse the dog. If there will be multiple family members interacting with the dog, try to have everyone use the same tone and volume.

Although you should be firm and strict with your dog, don't be harmful or punishing. It has been proven that positive reinforcement is a much more successful training method than negative reinforcement. Use fun, short training sessions. Give your dog rewards when they do good. Correct them when they do wrong. Remember that a dog can't do something "bad", they can only do "wrong". Saying a dog does something "bad" implies that the dog has a conscience. Dogs have been programmed through ages of evolution to be very self-centered. They do what they are programmed to do because that programming has helped them survive for hundreds of thousands of years.

Try to find out what motivates your dog. Find out which commands your dog responds to best and focus on those commands, and on that tone and volume. Try to use your dogs natural responses to your advantage.

Save yourself a lot of time and hassle by focusing on obedience training first. This will make the rest of your training go much smoother, faster, and you and your dog will enjoy each other much more.

You can find more dog training resources at http://www.dogtrainerpro.info Allen McDaniel has spent time learning from leading dog behaviorists and is happy to be presenting his knowledge to the online community.