Total Puppy Care 5: Housetraining Your New Puppy (Part 2)

When initiating housetraining, always keep in mind that until a puppy is 7 months old, his control over excretory functions is extremely limited. At least once per hour, and possible more often, he will have to relieve himself.

These urges are even more pronounced after sleeping, eating, and playing. By keeping the puppy confined to a relatively small area lined with papers, you will assure that he does not have the opportunity to make a mistake and necessitate verbal reprimand. He will naturally seek the place furthest from his sleeping quarters to soil so that he may keep his own bed clean.

Therefore, take this cue and, after he naps, eats or plays, place him on his papers or outside in the yard. When your puppy soils where you have placed him, praise the dog immensely, but make it sincere. Unconvincing praise doesn't fool anyone, even an eight week old puppy.

And as a side note, apartment dwellers and owners who are away at work all day are generally are more successful paper-training a puppy until his is old enough to have considerably control.

Keep Supervision Tight For The Free-Roaming Puppy

If the puppy is allowed to roam about other areas of the house, be sure he is carefully supervised. Should he lower his head, sniff and begin to circle, be quick! Get him onto his papers or into the yard immediately. When he relieves himself, praise, and lots of it, is in order. However, if, through your fault, he has an accident, no spanking or rubbing his nose in it, please!

Such punishment does not fit the crime, being too degrading and encouraging such habits as stool eating (and thereby re-infestation with parasites). By all means show him what he has done, scold him and place him on the papers. But remember, the accident was your fault for not supervising him properly or not being aware of his warning signals, so go easy on him. Be sure that the soiled area is carefully cleaned, deodorized and disinfected as any remaining scent will surely prompt him to return to that very spot when the urge next hits him.

Housetrain Older Dogs The Same As You Would A Young Puppy

For the older dog, paper training is generally superfluous. Regular outings timed to coincide with his peak urgency periods (which, by the way, are the same as a young puppy's: after meals, naps, and play periods) should accomplish training in short order. While confinement to a very small area is probably unnecessary, supervision and praise must never be forgotten. They are the magic "tricks" to housetraining any dog.

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Dog Breed Training Groups - Investigate Each Group Thoroughly Before Signing Up

There are hundreds of dog training books that can be found in libraries, bookstores, and on the Internet. Most of them are just fine and teach thorough, positive training methods. But I have yet to see any of them that make a point of stressing the fact that dogs are living, breathing beings that have emotions, feelings, and unique personalities.

You can have two Labrador Retrievers that, emotionally, may be as different between each each as a Rottweiler would be to a Pomeranian. The training protocol and corrections for one dog may not be necessarily suited to the character and personality of the other.

A suitable training correction for a dog that has an outgoing personality and is on the stubborn side may cause trauma to a dog that is naturally sensitive and cannot emotionally handle such dog training tactics, even if both dogs are the exact same breed.

Professional Obedience & Dog Breed Clubs

You'll find many clubs devoted to specific breeds and training groups all around the country. They are considered to be the most reliable and educated people to go to for training and specific breed information. For the vast majority of information, this is probably true, but some are are also guilty at assuming all dogs of the same breed should be trained and treated in the exact same manner.

The blame should rest upon whomever is running the group. However, choosing this leader is typically nothing more than a personality contest instead of their education and training history with canines. Criterion for the selection usually boils down to whomever is the most persuasive speaker, has had the longest membership, or even how bad the person wants the job.

There was one group who selected the lead trainer and spokesperson solely based on the fact that she had the best working dog the year before. There ware no requirements about success in the dog training area.

Another group had a specific opening for just "trainer" and the only requirement was that they had to have worked their own dog up to receive the Companion Dog Title. What training methods that person used, or whether or not it was positive or aggressive, had no bearing on the position. Pretty important stuff if you ask me, right?

Investigate Before Allowing Your Dog To Be Trained By Such A Group

If you are considering paying for dog training lessons with a specific group, even if the group is nationally recognized, asked the same questions you would from any dog trainer:

1. What are his or her references?
2. How many dogs have the trained?
3. Where did they get their knowledge and training advice from?
4. Do they admit that no 2 dogs are alike, even from the same breed type?
5. Do they use harsh training methods?

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Making A Correction While Using The "A" Line

The only difference between the "A" line and the "B" line is the thickness and weight of each. Shifting the "B" line gave the dog a feeling of freedom as compared to the weight and thickness of the six-foot training leash. The "A" line will give your dog even more of a feeling of freedom as compared to either the leash or the "B" line.

The technique is applied the same way, with one slight modification. Because the "A" line is so light, using it to make a correction would be meaningless. It would snap like a twig. Therefore, a way must be devised to give you the opportunity to correct your dog in the event he accepts this new freedom as a challenge. You can make the correction using a tab attached to the dog's collar.

A tab is simply a six-inch length of clothespin rope attached to the pull ring of the training collar. It's like a handle, ready to be grabbed should your dog needs to be corrected. While working your dog on the "A" line, always keep in mind that correction is not possible unless you physically reach for the tab on the collar. Do not try to make a correction with the "A" line; it will break and your dog will be heading at the opposite direction from the other side of the house.

The "A" line is strong enough to hold your dog and to prevent him from bolting, provided that the line isn't jerked up short. The tab is for correction. Two weeks working on the "A" line and your dog will be ready to work for you without any leash or line at all. But the tab must stay on!

During your work on both the "A" and "B" lines, continue to practice your work on the hand signal for the drop on recall, drop to the down position from a sitting position, and the drop from the standing position. By using the "A" and "B" lines, you can do this at a distance of eleven to twelve feet from your dog rather than a mere six feet.

You will be increasing the distance gradually as you progress through training, but do not try to get ahead. At no time should you signal your dog to drop to the down position if you are more than twelve feet away from him, until instructed otherwise.

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Total Puppy Care 5: Housetraining Your New Puppy (Part 1)

Housetraining seems to be the most common nemesis of all dog owners. Left unsupervised, a puppy can spend months in a home without catching the slightest hint of what housetraining is all about. And if over-supervised and harassed, he may become neurotic and overanxious.

A happy medium does exist, of course, but many pet owners seem unwilling or unable to make the necessary commitments to the tried and true methods established by professional dog trainers. In the long run, a few weeks of effort will result in a truly housetrained pup, with a minimum of effort and strain on both you and your pet.

Housetraining Rule NumberŁ: Confinement

There are several important factors to consider in housetraining. The first of these factors is confinement in a relatively small area that has an easy-to-clean floor and is not isolated from the rest of the family (using a playpen is perfect). Far from being cruel as most dog owners complain, confinement reassures the young puppy and allows him to become completely familiar with the surroundings without being overwhelmed with the size or complexity of your entire home.

Confinement keeps little paws and playful teeth out of range of dangerous places, while ensuring that your dog is close to his papers, or the door to the yard, whenever the urge to use the bathroom comes over him. This means he is more likely to behave correctly than to have an accident, which results in lots of praise and affection from you.

Praise

And that is the second important factor in housetraining: praise. Your praise and approval are more important to your puppy than practically anything else in his life. A mere scowl out of anger can start him sulking in sadness while a pat on the head or a few kind words will set his tail wagging and put a big smile on his little face. Young puppies respond much more quickly and effectively to praise and encouragement than they do the physical correction. Therefore, we believe that there is no place for physical punishment for any puppy.

Consistency

Consistency is the third vital factor in housetraining. Consistency in schedule, in feeding habits, in praise and reward for proper behavior and in verbal reprimand when accidents occur, is of supreme importance.

Scolding occasionally for accidents but ignoring others, feeding at irregular intervals, lack of praise for soiling on the dog's papers or in the yard - all will only serve to confuse and discourage your puppy. So be consistent and have total awareness: your awareness of your puppy's whereabouts, his needs and urges, and his signals informing you of what's on his mind.

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The roots of the Chesapeake Bay Retriever's is an amazing history that stems from two little Newfoundland puppies which were rescued from a shipwrecked brig, right off the coast of Maryland in the United States. This incident happened in 1807 and is quite an inspiring story.

Along with much of the ship's cargo, these two puppies had their lives saved and were handed over to rescuers whom would take care of them. One puppy was black and the other was red. They were soon found to be highly skilled water retrievers. Once their abilities became popular, they were bred with local retrievers and other breed types, which are thought to be the Bloodhound, Irish Water Spaniel, and Newfoundland Dog.

In time, a very distinctive local breed started to emerge. The result was a dog that could swim through the icy waters of the Chesapeake Bay and retrieve duck time and time again. Even to this day, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever shows an innate ability to mark a spot where a bird has fallen and remember exactly how to get back to that spot, even from miles away.

Its reputation caught up with the dog breed far beyond the Chesapeake Bay area and by the year 1885, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever was officially recognized by the AKC. It has remained moderately popular ever since.

Personality

You probably already know by now that this dog is a swimmer and absolutely thrives on outdoor action and water. Chesapeake Bay Retriever's are extremely independent, but also eager to learn new things. It can be very protective of its owners and reserved when around strangers. This makes the Chesapeake Bay Retriever a great watchdog.

Taking Care Of Your Chesapeake Bay Retriever

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is a fairly large and overly active dog that must have daily exercise. Obviously water games and retrieving is at the top of the list if you live near such an area. However, daily walks and fetching games will do just fine for any proud owner of a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Grooming takes a bit of weekly brushing, due to the long, wavy coat of the animal. However, it seldom needs to be washed.

Health Information

Chesapeake Bay Retriever dogs have a lifespan of up to 14 years, with 11 to 12 being the average. They are extremely healthy dogs with only CHD and gastric torsion being major health concerns. Minor issues that may spring up are PRA and hypothyroidism.

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The "Stay" Command Using The "B" Line

While executing the "Stay" command while the "B" line (five-foot long nylon line with the thickness similar to a kite string) is in use, you will have the advantage of stepping out more than just a leash length away.

Because the "B" line is five feet long and your leash is six feet long, this exercise using the "B" line will allow your dog to have a feeling of freedom he did not feel when just using the leash.

You are farther away now and the temptation to bolt or stroll away out of the training area might occur. Be prepared for such an occasion by making sure that you hold onto the leash. You will want to make a proper and timely correction should that occur.

Let the snap end of the leash lie fully on the ground while your dog is holding that "sit-stay." The total length of your leash now is eleven feet and the snap in the middle puts all the weight at that spot. Keeping the snap up off the ground will have a tendency to pull your dog toward you.

Recall Using The "B" Line

When executing the recall using the "B" line, you will experience more difficulty than with any other exercise. This is because you will no doubt find it very hard to take up the slack of the leash and "B" line as your dog comes into you on that recall. But with a little practice, you will discover that you are getting faster and better at it.

Two to three weeks of work, alternating back and forth between the "B" line and leash, should be adequate. When you notice that corrections are no longer necessary when working your dog on the "B" line, you will be ready for the shift to the "A" line.

Using The "A" Line

The "A" line (five-foot length of ten-pound test salt water fishing line) is connected in exactly the same way as the "B" line. That is, one end of the line is tied to the ring of the snap of the leash. It must be tied through the ring rather than the snap to prevent the line from coming loose.

Make sure that the line is tied securely. Next, tie the other end of the "A" line on the dog's training collar, making sure that you tie it onto the same ring that the leash snaps onto. Finally, snap the leash onto the collar in the normal manner.

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The Portuguese Water Dog is a gregarious breed, always on the lookout for fun and games. They make an outstanding family pet and behaves excellent around children and other dogs. Portuguese Water Dogs absolutely thrive on human interaction and love, so giving lots of attention is a requirement for anyone who owns one. An active lifestyle is also essential as these canines cannot sit still for very long without needing to play or run outside.

A Brief History Of The Portuguese Water Dog

As its name suggests, the area of origin of the Portuguese Water Dog is Portugal. A hard-working and focused water dog, its ancestry probably has some Poodle in the bloodline (as you can judge from its appearance). In its native land, the breed is known as "Cao de Agua", which translates into "water dog." They come in two varieties: long-haired and curly-coated.

We do know that its ancestors were herding dogs that came from the central Asian steppes. It is estimated that the dogs arrived in Portugal from either two possibly routes: In the 5th century from the Visigoths or in the 8th century from the Berbers and Moors.

Once the breed had established itself in Portugal, its usefulness as a water dog became increasingly popular. They served couriers from boats to other boats and to the shoreline. They were excellent retrievers when fisherman needed them to swim after nets or other equipment to bring the items back in. The dogs would also work alongside trawler crews when fishing the Iceland waters.

Unfortunately, with the wonderful inventions of technology many old ways of doing things cease to exist. The same was true for the Portuguese Water Dog. During the early part of the 20th century, new fishing methods were born and less use was needed of the dogs. They had all but become extinct until the work of one man saved the breed. His name was Dr. Vasco Bensuade.

Dr. Bensuade was a rich shipping magnate who was so enthusiastic about the breed that he heavily promoted it in various parts of the world. He reorganized the breed club and the Portuguese Water Dog could be seen in show rings as it made its way to the United States during the 1950s, gaining AKC recognition in 1984.

Upkeep Requirements For The Portuguese Water Dog

These dogs are probably one of the most energetic and lively breeds alive today. They have a seemingly endless amount of energy to swim, run, play, and retrieve. Therefore it should be no surprise that daily exercise is an absolute must for a Portuguese Water Dog to be happy. If kept cooped up inside then the dog can become frustrated and destructive.

They have a moderate tolerance for both hot and cold climates but should live inside with the family as they cannot live life to its fullest without constant human contact. Grooming the Portuguese Water Dog calls for a thorough brushing every other day, with professional clipping about once each month.

Health Concerns

The average life span of the Portuguese Water Dog is between ten and fourteen years. The only major health concern that runs common in the breed is PRA. Minor issues that may come up include hair loss, CHD, GM1 storage disease, Addison's, distichiasis, and juvenile cardiomyopathy. Veterinarians suggest that the breed get tested for DNA for GM1, eye and hip problems.

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He is only new and is refusing to eat much at all. What he does eat is little and then he turns his nose up. I have tried encouraging him but he just wont. I am feeding him My Dog wet food mixed in with dry pellets. Usually Eukanuba or Active Science Diet.

I am scared for his health. Please help???
He is just over 9 weeks old and a Maltese X Shih Tzu.

He is smaller than most other pups his age and he sleeps alot. Sometimes playful but at other times very lethargic...

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When you decide to get a new Golden Retriever puppy, the first choice you will face is where to get your puppy from. No matter how hard you try, it's nearly impossible to know whether or not the puppy you are buying will grow up to be healthy and strong. In order to even assume that your puppy will grow up to be healthy, you'll need to trust the individual you get your Golden from.

There are three options available to you, in terms of breeders. You should carefully think about each one, as they all will vary. Below are the three options you have to choose from, and a little bit of information to help you make this very important decision.

Dealer or pet shop
A pet shop is simply the worst place that you can get your Golden Retriever puppy. The puppies they have for sale here are bred poorly, and raised in poor locations to say the least. At these types of places, the puppies are thought of as a profit and nothing more. There is little to no emphasis on quality here either - as pet shops prefer quantity over qualify.

Due to the way the puppies are bred and raised, pet shops make quite a bit of profit. With there being so little that goes into the breeding and care of the puppies, pet shops make a lot of money. They mainly rely on impulse buying, not giving you a lot of time to evaluate the puppies that they have for sale. If you're looking for an addition to your family, and a puppy that you know is healthy, you'd be better off looking somewhere else for your puppy.

Backyard breeders
Backyard breeders are considered to be yet another poor choice for your puppy. Almost all backyard breeders are people who own a few Golden's and find it to be fun to breed their female for the fact of having puppies, or breed her once or twice before they decide to go ahead and get her spayed. Backyard breeders don't look for quality or go out of their way to care for their litters, as they are more or less breeding to make money - and nothing more.

Normally, backyard breeders know very little about the breed in general, and even less about how to properly care for their Golden Retrievers. Backyard breeders normally aren't familiar with the problems associated with breeding, and most could care less. Their only goal here is to breed Golden Retriever puppies. Once the puppies have been bred, their remaining goal is to sell the puppies as fast as they can - for the highest possible price.

Hobby breeders
A hobby breeder is the ideal way to get your Golden puppy. Hobby breeders are loyal, committed, and think of their pups as more than just a hobby. Although they do make money breeding, they could honestly care less. Hobby breeders care more about the quality of their puppies than anything else, and they commit themselves to helping you get the best Golden Retriever pup possible.

Hobby breeders accept responsibility for each one of their puppies, and they stand behind each and every one of their pups. If you want the best pup you can get for your money, you need to visit a hobby breeder. They very rarely produce poor quality Golden Retriever puppies, as they care a lot about quality. If you get your Golden puppy from a hobby breeder, you can rest assured that you getting a healthy puppy from the start.

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The soft coated wheaten terrier would be considered by most people to be "high maintenance." This means that a lot of care should be given to it in order to maintain its stature. This statement also means that a lot of steps should be taken in order to care for the dog properly. So how do you care for your soft coated wheaten terrier pet dog?

Let us first talk about the coat. This is one of the most distinguishing characteristics of a soft coated wheaten terrier pet dog. In fact, when you take a look at the name, you will realize that the coat gives the dog its identity. Taking care of this essential part of the soft coated wheaten terrier dog can be quite a daunting task. This is especially true if you have just found out about the various standards that people use to judge the beauty of a soft coated wheaten terrier pet dog.

Frequent grooming is required to keep the coat shiny and to prevent matting. It also helps get rid of any accumulated dirt. You should comb or brush your soft coated wheaten terrier dog everyday to make sure that his coat remains silky and tangle-free. The coat also needs to be trimmed once in a while to preserve the "terrier look" and to allow a new coat to grow.

Besides the coat, you should also take care of the nails and teeth of your soft coated wheaten terrier pet dog. In case that you do not know what to do by yourself, you might want to hire some professional dog grooming services to do the job for you.

Another aspect you should concentrate on is the training. Remember to train your soft coated wheaten terrier dog as early as possible in order to ingrain in him the basics of proper behavior. There are several keywords that should come to your mind when training your soft coated wheaten terrier pet dog:

1) Consistency - be consistent with your teaching. Do not use different commands in order to get the same response as this will only serve to confuse your soft coated wheaten terrier pet dog. You should also be consistent in terms of reward and punishment. This will help your dog understand what you want to happen.

2) Tone - a soft coated wheaten terrier dog is actually pretty sensitive to the tones in the human voice. This means that the dog will be able to tell if you are feeling upset or if you are feeling impatient. You need to learn how to moderate your tone in order to avoid confusion with your soft coated wheaten terrier pet dog.

3) Timing -learn the proper timing of when to correct your soft coated wheaten terrier pet dog. The element you need during correction is surprise. You need to correct the soft coated wheaten terrier for a mistake right after or even before it performs the act. This way, you will be able to instill a sense of consequence into your soft coated wheaten terrier pet dog.

Caring and training for your soft coated wheaten terrier can be quite a bit of work. You will also have to contend with the energy inherent in every terrier breed. However, with patience, your efforts will be rewarded.

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