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However, the degree of unfamiliarity and unpredictability is different from dog to dog. In a crowd, some dogs are friendly to strangers while others are not. What spells the difference between these dogs isn’t breed but how well they were raised. Thus, you can prevent dogs from biting if you properly train your dog.

How to prevent dogs from biting Although there is no guarantee that your dog will never attack or bite anyone, these six tips will significantly reduce the risks of your dog attacking or biting someone:
1. Familiarity with people and environment will help you to prevent dogs from biting. Create positive and pleasant encounters for your dog with objects, people and places within the first 8 to 16 weeks of his life, especially with those he would likely encounter during his lifetime. To prevent dogs from biting introduce them immediately to various kinds of objects in your house and outside your house (e. g. your vacuum cleaner), to various kinds of people (e. g. the postman), and to various kinds of environments (e. g. your car). Introduce him also to grooming, to the vet, and to other animals, especially other dogs. Some dogs don’t think they’re dogs. You don’t want your dog to have an identity crisis, do you?
2. Familiarize dogs to being touched to prevent dogs from biting as early as possible but supervise dogs when they are with young children as much as possible. It is better your dog realizes early on that you and others mean no harm when you hold him since you can’t avoid touching him or him being touched by other people, especially when he has to be groomed or to be brought to the vet. However, how he is held is important to him. If he is held improperly, as most young children would hold him, he becomes terrified of being touched.
3. Another tip to prevent dogs from biting is to create a home for dogs where they can find peace, safety and security and teach others to respect it. Your dog would encounter at least several stressful situations in his lifetime and that’s all but normal in a dog’s life. However, if dogs has a haven to go home to, it will prevent dogs from biting, as they would more likely dash to their dog house rather than attack.
4. Tie your dog when walking him in public but not more than 8 hours in one place. Dogs tend to get temperamental and aggressive when tied since they experience barrier frustration. They are more likely to attack and bite when approached since it seems to them their territory is being intruded and, because they cannot flee, they fight the intruder. However, when walking your dog, he is better on than off a leash. Supervised dogs are less likely to attack and bite, and also you can keep a better eye on them with a leash and can prevent dogs from biting if they encounter a stressful situation.
5. Another way to prevent dogs from biting is to teach dogs with proper and productive behavior. Though it is highly recommended to enroll your dog, including your family, in a home obedience class, it is just as advisable to consistently reinforce correct and appropriate behavior. Your dog can’t tell the difference between rough-play and real-life situations so don’t show or teach him aggressive behavior, like chasing after or attacking others even for fun. If he exhibits aggressive behavior towards other people or animals, like growling when someone comes too close to his food bowl, seek professional help. It is important to stop dogs biting and aggressive behavior as early as possible. It’s not all that difficult to prevent dogs from biting and raise them to be friendly, especially if you see dogs as another being that deserves love and attention as much as anyone else does, as much as you do. Most often than not, dogs that attack and bite are neglected dogs. So always remember that behind a good dog is a good pet owner.

If you really want to prevent dogs from biting anyone, you need a dog obedience training to help you transform you dog’s behavior problems at the shortest possible time. Did you know that you can put an end to the stress and annoyance of your dog’s behavior problems by using techniques that will give you immediate results? Discover dog obedience training secrets to stop your dog’s behavior problems visit Dogs’ Corner To know more about Pets visit All About Pets

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It is important to remember that a young puppy is just a youngster who may be prone to make mistakes at first. It is especially important that you make sure to praise the dog more often than you tell the dog, “no. ” Your dog may enjoy different rewards for performing well including playtime with you, time with its favorite toy or food treats. Find out what your dog really likes and work that in as a reward.

Be patient with your dog. Many dog breeds have long memories. For this reason, you do not want to create bad memories about you for your dog. A dog that is treated lovingly and with respect will be easier to train than the dog that is fearful of its master.

You can make dog training for dog tricks easier on your dog. You can do this by observing your dog to see which tricks will be more natural to teach your dog. For instance, if your dog likes to carry things in its mouth already, it will be easier to teach it to fetch than if the dog has not carried anything in its mouth. A dog that likes to jump can be easier to teach to dance on its hind legs than the dog that does not like to be on its hind legs very often.

When training your dog, do not continue training until the dog is bored. Your dog will view these sessions with less enthusiasm that you would like. A bored dog will be very difficult to motivate into doing anything after awhile. Stop training while the dog still wants to continue because this will make the dog look forward to the next training session.

If you can stay your happy self during dog training, your dog will love these sessions and will try to please you even more. When a dog is trained well, the dog will be loyal and feel secure with you. You never want your dog to think that you can turn into an out of control maniac in the next minute if you do not get your way.

When you give your best to your dog, your dog will do the same for you in return. You will develop a stronger bond with a well-treated dog than with a dog with which you are harsh. It is up to you to keep your feelings under control when you are dog training. Your dog will be your obedient and loving friend for life if you treat your dog right. That is why is it important to have the right attitude when you are training your dog.

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A better solution may be to keep your dog engaged with something. You can do this by hiding its favorite food in different places in your yard or you may simply give your dog some special toys to play with.
Your neighborhood pet supply store will stock several dog toys that you can pick from. Dog toys are pretty affordable to buy. But make sure you buy good quality toys. The size of the toys should be large enough so that the dog does not swallow them. The material from which the toys are made should be hard, rubbery plastic, rather than being soft plastic which the dogs can tear with their sharp teeth.

It is necessary that the plastic toys are hard so that the dogs don’t swallow the torn pieces of the plastic. Small plastic pieces can cause severe health problems if they remain into the dog’s stomach.
You can pick up the toys from the wide variety that is available in the store. Some can hide treats inside them and the dog has to work at getting it out of the toy. Another one may merely be a plastic dog which resembles the dog itself. Still others are in the form of food that can be stored in the freezer overnight and given to the dog to lick on a hot day.

There are many other interesting toys that you may find in your local pet supply store. You may also be able to make some toys out of some existing household stuff. But you have to ensure that the toy is safe for the dog.

It is important to to remember that if you give just one toy to your dog to play with, it will soon get bored with it. Therefore, you should have more than just one, so that you can keep swapping the toys everyday to keep it engaged with the new one. But if your dog gets bored too quickly with the toys then you can apply some edible paste on them which will keep them busy for a while. This is a commonly used technique in many shelters where they cannot afford to keep swapping toys for the dogs everyday.
Thus, there are quite a few easy things that you can do to keep your dog from tearing up the flowers in your neighbors backyard. Try these simple things and your dog will soon learn to like its toys and spend its time playing with them.

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Once every 3 days is not much to ask. Impartial or not, I have to agree with this. As a result, I’m not even going to entertain over processed, nutrient deficient kibbles and canned foods that are packed with additives, preservatives, colourants, fillers, and meat products that really should not be called meat at all. (For some great information on commercial dog food including the standards they have to abide by, their ingredients, and how they’re made, visit the Animal Protection Institute website). So we know we should be feeding all natural or organic homemade meals to our pets, but what should these meals consist of?

There is almost as much contention with this as there is when it comes to humans. There are so many species of dogs now, and mixed breeds keep on appearing. Yet some people still say we should feed dogs like their ancestors. They say that the only biologically appropriate food for dogs is what wolves ate. Obviously the intention here is to push raw diets, but with wolves in the wild, this begins and ends with meat, some berries and grass if they feel unwell. Firstly, there is no evidence as yet to say that dogs come directly from wolves (there is a lot of DNA that does not match) and popular theorist like Darwin have said that it’s just as likely that they came from Jackals and Coyotes. Dogs are not wolves. This is highlighted by the fact that some breeds of dogs get quite unwell when fed good quality raw meats.

Dogs, like humans, are incredibly domesticated and interbred, and though this doesn’t mean they should be eating like wolves, it doesn’t mean that they should be eating highly processed, artificial, chemically enhanced rubbish either. Secondly, have you ever heard of a wolf tucking into some broccoli and eggplant? But there are merits to this approach, but only when the supporters of it contradict themselves by saying we should feed our dogs raw fruits and vegetables.

Saying dogs should eat like wolves, is a bit like saying we should be eating like apes. I can’t remember ever seeing an ape go fishing, yet fish, for most people, is incredibly beneficial for health and well being adding important, necessary, elements to our diets. It makes sense that, as with humans, vegetables, fruits, and some whole grains can be really beneficial to dogs. Most dogs are omnivores, and some dogs do better on an all vegetarian diet. Founders of the holistic vet movement, such as Dr. Richard Pitcairn and Juliette DeBairclay-Levy, have always pushed the importance of these food sources. These ingredients have been time-tested for decades. Whole grains (not corn and preferably not wheat), fruits and vegetables are a wonderful addition to a balanced, biologically-appropriate diet. So, it seems that the best food for your dog would be a homemade meal consisting of all natural or organic, biologically appropriate food consisting of a mixture of meat, whole grains, vegetables, and fruit.

(Did you see I didn’t say raw? Just be aware, some veggies and meats can be harmful to some breeds if not cooked so as to either kill bacteria and reduce fat content of the meat, and break down some toxins that sit in the hard skins of some veggies – that’s why humans shouldn’t eat raw broccoli either! Knowing that an all natural or organic meal made at home is considered the best, it still doesn’t address the question of balance. Feeding your dog with quality ingredients is a great beginning, but how much of each is right for your pet?

There seems to be little consensus on the general nutritional requirements for dogs. Experts who have spent years and years researching this have come to varying conclusions. Some experts purport that each breed needs to be fed a breed specific diet. This may be a little too specific for some but I think it’s heading in the right direction.

This is the approach that seems most realistic and appropriate to me because it mimics the approach to human nutrition that I follow. Through years of personal training and helping people achieve optimal health and well being, I discovered Metabolic Typing. It is the only nutrition and lifestyle approach that I’ve found that truly treats each person as an individual. One of its best attributes is the process you go through to fine tune diet and lifestyle requirements on a continual basis. There is a lot to learn from this approach. It is person specific, and is current in that you re-test yourself every sixth months to check your requirements at that time. Our lifestyles and environments change, as do our pets, so it makes sense to re asses our dietary intake regularly, and our pets’ to see if they’ve changed. Only in this way can we, as humans, maintain a proper balance. It makes sense for this to be the case with our pets.

Just like human beings, each dog is a unique individual. Yes they’ll have similar characteristics and general dispositions as their dominant breed and the genes they’ve inherited from their parents, but they’ll also have unique characteristics given to them by nature, and their environment. It seems fairly obvious to say then that no pre-made dog food can claim to be THE best, unless it has been tailor made for your pet by a specialist (there are a few people on the web that do this). But…. there are plenty of pet food companies out there which are well within their rights to call their pet food superior. Most of these suggest mixing their all natural or organic food at home with ingredients that are missing from their food, to prepare a fresh home made meal. The ingredient specifics of these and their importance are debated, but on the whole, the less processed the food is the better. Look for ingredients made up of whole foods (foods that haven’t been altered). So how much is enough?

Without getting breed specific, and understanding that I follow those experts who suggest macro nutrient levels to be specific for your breed of dog, here are the generally agreed upon amounts.

• The protein percentage should be about 1/3 or more of the whole meal. Meat is the obvious choice for the bulk of this macronutrient. (Some dogs don’t handle meat well).

• Fat should make up about 1/5 or more, dogs process good fats well. There is a reasonable amount of natural fat in meats, so you shouldn’t need to watch this macronutrient nutrient too closely if feeding meats to your dog.

• That leaves a little under ½ the rest should be veggies, fruits, and whole grains (not corn, and preferably no wheat).

What is the best food for your dog? The simple answer, if your dog’s health is good, vet bills aren’t streaming in and its coat is healthy, then change may not be necessary. Be aware though that a lot of the conditions and diseases that commercial pet foods cause build up over time. If you are suspicious that there is anything at all wrong, or you just want to see if you can give your best friend even more health and vitality, then the time is right to start preparing all natural or organic home made meals from meat, veggies, fruits, and whole grains (minus corn and wheat). Check with a holistic vet near you, and the valuable expert resources on the internet for recipe ideas and do’s and don’ts. Just remember, as with humans, balance is the key. Some raw and some cooked, but all natural and organic, should keep the vet bills at bay, and your pets’ ready for play!

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Preventing Dog Food Allergies Almost all types of dog food allergies can be easily prevented by proper care. Different dogs may be different allergy triggers so be sure that you know what types of foods could cause dog food allergies in your pet. You can easily determine the types of food that are harmful to your per through a process of elimination. If you have been giving your dog a specific brand of food for sometime and you noticed that your dog keeps scratching itself even when it does not have any pest infestations, there is a big probability that your dog is having some kind of allergic reaction to the food.

Try to stop giving your dog that same kind of food and see what happens. If your dog stops scratching itself after a few days, then do not give attempt to give it that brand of dog food anymore. When trying to find out what triggers dog food allergies in your pet, you should keep a record of your findings. List down all the types of foods that does not cause any allergic reactions from your dog as well as those types of foods that caused some allergic reactions.

If you happen to have somebody who takes care of your dog while you are away, make sure that your dog caretaker knows that your pet has dog food allergies and what are the types of foods that triggers the allergic reaction. In case you have to go away on a trip for a couple of day, give a list of things that could trigger dog food allergies in your pet to your caretaker along with the name, telephone number and address of your vet. Instruct the caretaker to take the dog to the vet immediately if he or she notices that the dog is not feeling so well.

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Match the fenced area to the breed of dog you own. If you have a big dog he will need more space and a higher fence. You should also make sure that the posts are positioned deeply into the ground because large and small dogs are smart; they can spend hours creating an escape tunnel. Working out your intended use of this area is also important. If you only intend to use the compound when you are at home, you probably don’t need to use particularly expensive or high quality materials.

However, if you intend that your dog is going to spend a lot of time in the compound, whilst you are at work or out then you will need sturdier materials and more space for your dog to move around and play. You might not feel very happy about confining your dog to a fenced area but if you don’t have an alternative then it is your job to ensure that you have done the best you can to provide security and comfort for your dog.

Your dog may well have learned the command “stay” but just like humans, dogs will become bored if they have to stay in one position for hours. As a valued member of your family you should treat your dog in the same way that you would a child. You would never consider leaving a child outside, unsupervised and without protection and the same rules apply to your dog.

When you are at home, and in a position to supervise your dog, let him out of the compound, take him for a walk or a run around the local park. You dog needs as much if not more exercise than you do. It is often necessary to set limits in the house, particularly if your dog is boisterous and energetic.

There may be areas of the house where you don’t want the dog to go. There is a range of indoor fencing or gates available on the market for this purpose and sometimes a baby gate is sufficient, depending on the size of your dog. Indoor fencing is excellent if your dog is going through a chewing phase!!!

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You may observe your dog if they have dental problem when they hesitate to eat even if they are hungry. You may also put attention on how they chew their food. If they always chew on one side of the mouth, your dog might have dental problems. Bad breath and tartar accumulation on the teeth and gums are some of the symptoms of dental problem. It’s a good thing to have your dog examined by a veterinarian to evaluate his dental problems and stop dog from chewing the wrong things.

For puppies with teething problem, you may give safe chew toys to encourage him to chew on his toys and stop dog from chewing anything around the house. Boredom stimulate dogs to chew and if you know how to give your dog the right attention, destructive chewing can be avoided. Take your dog for a walk or play ball with him. Give your dog variety of toys he can chew and play with to stop dog from chewing things he is not suppose to chew. You can also give him obedience training to learn more techniques to stop dog chewing problems.

Curiosity is another reason why dogs chew anything he can reach. You can chew proof your house and keep chewable things out of reach of your dog. If you will leave your dog alone without any human supervision, give him a nice place of his own and toys he can play and chew to stop dog from chewing things around the house. Give your dogs chewable alternatives like chew toys until you train him to stop destructive chewing. When you are correcting your dogs not to chew anything around the house, encourage your dog to chew his toys and praise him for doing the right thing and for chewing his own toys.

Appropriate correction of the bad habits and giving praise can stop dog from chewing the wrong things. You can stop dog from chewing the wrong things if you know the right techniques and strategies to manage your dogs’ problems. Proper training for your dog is something that dog owners must learn. While chewing is a natural behavior of dogs it can be well managed to stop dog from chewing anything around the house. Does your dog needs urgent dog house training? Learn the dog house training techniques you must know with the fastest results, whether you keep your dog indoors or outdoors visit Dogs’ Corner For more information on how to stop your dogs behavior problem visit Dog’s Obedience Training

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Expert: Melanie McLeroy
Contact: www. taurusdogtraining. com
Bio: Melanie McLeroy. . .

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Choosing a good dog food starts with the list of ingredients. The ingredient list is regulated by the government and must be listed according to weight in descending order. In other words, the main ingredient is listed first, the second most plentiful ingredient next, and so on. The first three or four ingredients are the most important. If corn, rice, wheat, and soybean meal are listed as the first few ingredients, then the food is vegetable based. If beef, lamb, fish or poultry is listed as the main ingredients, then the food is meat based.

In general, meat-based foods will be healthier for dogs than vegetable-based foods. The exception to this is a well balanced vegetarian diet which with time and effort can be healthy for dogs. Be aware of ‘ingredient splitting’. If the list of ingredients contains several of a family of ingredients such as ground corn, yellow corn meal, corn gluten, and corn gluten meal separately, it moves ‘corn’ further down on the ingredient list. Corn may be the main ingredient if added together, but to the consumer it will appear that there is less corn in the dog food. Often, low quality dog foods will use ‘ingredient splitting’. They will list a meat ingredient first; this will be followed by several similar materials listed as separate ingredients. For example, lamb may be listed as the first ingredient, then wheat flour and ground wheat.

You may think that the lamb is the predominant ingredient, but the wheat products added together may outweigh the lamb. Dogs need about 20-25% protein. Protein is the most expensive ingredient in dog food as well as the most important nutrient in your dog’s diet. The source of the protein determines its quality. There are 22 amino acids that make up proteins and 10 are critical in dog nutrition. Pick dog food with at least 2 sources of protein in the first 5 ingredients listed. Low-quality ingredients are not digested well and can produce loose stool. Generally, the better quality protein sources have higher digestibility. Carbohydrates should comprise about 40-45% of your dog’s food and include rice, potatoes, pumpkin, corn, barley and pasta.

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that aids in nutrient absorption, bowel regulation, and controlling caloric intake by providing satiety. High fiber food can sometimes help a dog that has a gas problem. Fats should comprise 15-20% of food. Fats are most vital to dogs with high-energy requirements as they provide twice the energy per gram than carbohydrates or protein. Usable fats include chicken fat, sunflower/canola oil, fish oil, and lactose-free dairy. Fats are also important as they contain essential fatty acids which contribute to a healthy skin and coat.

A lack of fats in a dog’s diet can lead to a rough coarse coat, dandruff, and flaky, dry skin. Fats also make the food taste better to the dog. HINT: Some dogs are picky. My dog Buffy would leave the little stick shapes of her Kibbles & Bits every time she ate. She would devour the rest. Avoid artificial colors, preservatives, and sweeteners such as corn syrup, sucrose, and ammoniated glycyrrhizin.

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When considering training your own dog or having someone else to help you train it, there are certain basic commands that must be mastered by your dog. These basic commands include:
* Sit – it is vital to train your dog to sit on command. Speak to it in a very firm and authoritative tone, otherwise your dog may not realise that you are serious or associate what you say with danger and discipline. Say it like you mean it. Start training early, when your dog is still a puppy. Make sure that you use the same gestures, body language, the same command words (i. e. “sit”, “roll over”, “come here”, “fetch” etc) consistently in order to allow the dog to associate these words or motions with what he is supposed to do.

Practise, practise and practise.
* Heel – it is important to teach your dog to learn how to walk beside you on a loose leash, neither pulling ahead nor lagging behind.
* Down – lying down on command is more than just a cute trick; it is a key component of any successful dog training program. This is also to make sure that your dog obeys your order as the leader of the pack.
* No – make sure that you train your dog to respond to the word “No”. This, of all the command words, is the one word that all dogs MUST learn. Training your dog to respond to this word will stop your dog right in its track from doing what it is about to do, sometimes this could mean in life and death situations.
* Stay – a well trained dog should be able to remain where it is when this command word is used, no matter how excited or threatened it feels.

Dog training does much more than just to create an obedient, willing companion. Training your dog properly could actually strengthen the bond between your dog and you and make it a much more fulfilling experience for both parties.

Dogs are by nature pack animals and they always look to their pack leader to tell them what to do. It is therefore crucial to establish yourself as the pack leader as early as possible to address dominance issues with your dog. The key to successful dog training is to set this right from the word go as failure to do so leads to all manners of behavioural problems.

A well-trained dog will respond properly to all the owner’s commands, and will not display anxiety, displeasure or confusion. A good dog training program will focus on allowing the dog to learn just what is expected of it, and will use positive reinforcement to reward desired behaviours. Routine and patience is the key to successfully training your dog to perform these commands correctly.

Ongoing obedience training is a great way to fulfil some of the dog’s own needs, including the need for exercise, the security that comes with knowing what is expected of it, a feeling of achievement, confidence building and bonding with its handler. Dog training also provides the dog a job to do and important goals to reach. Giving your dog a job to perform or challenges is more important than you may think. Dogs were originally bred by humans to do important work, such as herding sheep, guarding property and protecting people. Many dogs today have no important job to do which often lead to boredom and neurotic behaviours.

This is especially important for high energy breeds like German Shepherds and Border Collies. Training sessions are a great way for these high energy dogs to use up their extra energy and simply to enjoy themselves. So incorporate lots of playtime into your dog’s training sessions and have fun!

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