Training the Family as Well as the Dog

You have added a new member to the family, a bouncing little puppy, congratulations. Now that he is home it is up to you as an owner to start training him. But before you can even start house training a dog you have to train the rest of the family. This is especially important if you have young children in the house. Puppy training can be relatively easy but everyone in the family must work together.

In order for your puppy to learn anything he has to be given clear, precise and consistent commands. This applies to everyone in the house including the children. You will also have to get everybody in the family to treat the dog the same way. You will probably find it harder to train the human members of the family than the dog. 

A perfect example of this is trying to teach the puppy not to jump when someone comes into the room. The correct method would be to have everyone who comes in the door ignore the dog’s bouncing. As soon as the dog starts jumping the person coming in turns around and completely ignores it’s behavior. When the dog settles down the person then rewards and praises the puppy. In theory this is great. It works very well until your 12 year old comes home with friends and they think it’s fun to have the dog jump up on them. They laugh and pet him. Now your poor puppy is totally confused. He is not sure how to behave when someone comes in.

Another prime example of this is when the dog starts barking in his crate when it is bedtime. Ideally everyone is supposed to ignore this behavior. But your daughter feels sorry for the little guy and goes and gets him a treat and sits with him. Your pet has just learned that if he barks in his crate, someone will come with treats and keep him company. Not exactly what you had in mind. Your dog has just trained your daughter.

Another very important factor is making certain that all members of the family use the same command words. One person cannot use the command ‘down’ to tell the dog to stop jumping when everyone else is using the command word ‘off’. This is especially important if you are using the ‘down’ command to tell the dog to lay prone on the floor. Your puppy will become totally confused by the use of the word in two different situations.

Consistency in house training a dog does not just apply to the “dog”. It applies to everybody. The whole family has to take part in the training of the animal. And everyone must be aware of which commands to use and when.

How to Clean a Dog’s Ears

Despite the fact that ear infections in dogs are preventable, it is still one of the most common reasons for a visit to the veterinarian among dog owners. In order to save your dog (and pocketbook) some grief, make sure you devote a little time each week looking at your dog’s ears.

The sense of hearing is very important to dogs and therefore when you clean your dog’s ears, you need to make certain you are doing it the proper way. Both the inner and outer parts of your dog’s ears are very sensitive, so it is crucial that you abide by proper cleansing procedures. The following tips will assist you in keeping your dog’s ears clean without doing harm:

• Check over your dog’s ear flaps on a regular basis for any abrasions especially after a clash with some other dog or animal. Even microscopic cuts in these sensitive regions can become easily infected, so keep an eye out for injuries and give your veterinarian a call if necessary.
• Take away any minor debris from the fur encompassing the dog’s ears. It’s also important to clean under the ear flaps, particularly if your dog relishes running through tall weeds, bush or grass. Foreign objects can get into the ear, inducing infections or discomfort, so be sure to remove anything that you may find at once.
• Allow for regular protection against contracting water in your dog’s ears by placing cotton swabs in his ears during baths or water play.
• Cleanse your dog’s ears at least once a month. The best technique is to use a cotton ball doused in a gentle cleansing solution, such as mineral oil or diluted peroxide. Your veterinarian might also be able to make product recommendations. Employing tender strokes, carefully dab both the outer and inner portions of the dog’s ear, minding not to drive any wax further into the ear. Clean only the parts of the ear that you can distinctly see, and do not get rid of all the wax. Dogs require a bit bit of wax to protect their ear canals.
• If you have an English Spaniel or Poodle breed of dog, you should routinely crop the hair close to their ears. Unreasonable hair growth in or about the ears can encourage infection. Clipping the hair will better air circulation and diminish the probability of infection.

Puppy Leash Training – Getting Started

So it’s time to start leash training the new puppy.  But before you begin you should make sure that you have the right dog equipment for training.

The first thing you are going to need to begin dog leash training is a proper collar for your dog. Before going out and buying a choke or pinch collar see how well your dog adjusts to simply using his everyday collar during training sessions. Some larger dogs or difficult to train dogs may require a gentle leader, haltie or choke collar for training but, you may find out that this is not the case with your pet. One thing to remember is that you should never leave a training collar on your pet when you are not around. Always be sure that you put their regular collar back on when the training session is over.

When getting a collar, ensure it fits correctly. You do not want the collar to be too big or too small. If you are using a regular belt type collar the general rule is to ensure that you can fit two fingers between the dog’s neck and the collar.

The next thing to pick out is a leash. When starting out you want to have a leash that is no longer than six feet in length. Retractable or extendable leashes are not ideal when you first begin training. You want to keep the dog very close, you do not want to give the dog a lot of freedom at this point. Also these leashes can be hard to work with if you are not used to them.

Make certain that the leash you select is made of a strong material, leather is often the best. You do not want to have any kind of leash that might cause you burns if the dog pulls unexpectedly. Nylon leashes may do this so be careful with your selection.

Another thing to consider when you begin leash training is going to puppy classes. These classes are a great place to start working with your puppy on a leash and are also a great opportunity to socialize your puppy at the same time.  By taking your puppy to class he will learn that even though there are other dogs and distractions you are the one in charge. This is one of the most important things that your pet will ever learn. And you can practice in a safe environment.

There are many things you can learn about training by reading or searching online but just the same you ultimately have to go out and socialize him. You have to practice working with him on a leash. And puppy classes are one of the best ways to do this. And there is the added bonus of having other pet owners there to talk to about your new pet. And hopefully a well trained person running the course who can give you added tips and pointers.

Best Way To Remove a Tick From Your Dog

If you have discovered a tick on your dog, yourself or worse yet, your youngster, I’m sure you know that you simply cannot disregard it. It might be an objectionable experience, but unless you want to risk a case of Lyme disease, the tick had better be addressed. Lyme disease is a disease stimulated by a bacterial infection; the bacterium is channelled by certain varieties of ticks in several parts of the country, including but not limited to New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Rhode Island, California and Minnesota.

If this Is not the first time that you’ve had an experience with ticks, you may have been originally introduced to either the “smoldering” or “smothering” technique for getting rid of these bothersome brutes. The smoldering process requires bearing a lit match up to the tick, in hopes that the tick will be responsive to the high temperature, let go and proceed to drop off on his own. The smothering method calls for pouring ooze on the tick, such as mineral oil, in an attempt to drown the tick and make him fall off. Neither of these techniques are sound, and both can contribute to increased infection for your youngster, yourself or your dog.

Most importantly, you must recognise that you cannot merely pull a tick off. You will leave the head implanted inside the skin, and it will carry on drawing blood. I know – strange, but it is true.

The most advantageous process to getting rid of a tick is to use sterilized tweezers. Dab the tweezers with alcohol or place them over an open flame for a couple of minutes. Afterwards, try to stick the tweezers inbetween the victim’s skin and the jaws of the tick, approaching the tick from the side. When you have a grip on the tick, softly pull over a timeframe of several minutes. If the tick does not seem to be displacing at all, you might try to pull from side to side. The trick is to be patient and cause the tick to get fatigued and discharge his grasp. If you employ constant pressure for a few minutes, this will sooner or later take place. If you tear too hard, you could jerk the body off and leave the head enclosed within the skin, so be patient. If something unforeseen comes about or you have any doubts or questions, contact your physician for advice.

If you do not possess tweezers, you should be able to pull with your fingers (just make sure to overlay them with a serviette or another type of thin material). Again, pull gently at the point of contact with the skin; do not pull on the tick’s torso. After you have managed to disengage the tick, crunch it with your shoe or something else that is hard. Just remember ticks are difficult to squash, and if you do not kill them, they could leap back on you and bite down again. Instruct your children to tell a grownup if they detect a tick anywhere on their bodies.

If you, your dog or your youngster have been bitten by a tick, phone your physician to check and see if you need to be concerned with Lyme disease. The good news is that this disease is easily cured if taken care of in the early stages and as with most medical concerns, it is always best to get professional advice instead of waiting.

How to Give Your Dog Medicine

The easiest way to give any medication to your dog is orally. If you are really lucky you can hide the medication in a piece of cheese or a scoop of peanut butter. If not, you are going to have to make your dog open his mouth and take his medicine.

If you are giving the animal a liquid you need to get the medicine into the buccal pouch. This is the space between the lips and teeth, sort of a loose pocket. Use one hand to apply gentle pressure to both sides of the dog’s mouth. You want to press the dog’s cheeks against his teeth just enough so that the dog will start to open his mouth. With your other hand pour the liquid slowly into the dog’s buccal pouch. Do not tip the animal’s head to far back. You want him to swallow voluntarily.
This method also works with pills. Make sure you get the pill as far back into the dog’s mouth as you can or he will spit it back out.

With any medicine make sure that the animal has swallowed and does drop it when you are not looking.

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