Are You Ready for a Dog?

The decision to buy or to adopt a dog is not one that should be taken lightly. It is a serious commitment and there are several factors to consider. Are you really ready to have a dog? As fun as dogs can be, it is a serious decision. You are planning to take responsibility for a living creature that is completely dependent on you. Dogs require food, shelter, health care, exercise, attention, love, time and money. If you’re not completely prepared to provide all of these things, you’re not yet ready to own a dog.

Tips For Dog Training

Training dogs is not difficult. You just need dedication, patience and some simple tactics and you will teach them successfully. 

Here are five top tips on how to train your dogs successfully:

1. Teach commands one at a time. Try to teach him one command after the other. If he cannot absorb it, try to stay on that command only because adding additional commands will just confuse the dog. Start with the basics. 

2. To avoid your dog getting confused and so that they can learn to recognize commands easily, only one person should be responsible for training the dog initially. If there are too many people trying to train the dog at the same time, it will slow down or even stop progressing in its tracks of training.

Beware Of Raw Foods For Your Dog

author:Louise Louis

Despite the best efforts of public health agencies, some dog owners continue to believe that raw meats are safe and beneficial for their dogs.  

Louise Louis of www.ToyBreeds.com said many people believe the old wives tale that cooked foods are more difficult to digest than raw food. It’s true there is some structural change from the cooking process, but it works just as much in favor of digestibility, for example, by partially breaking down the protein structure.

As to feeding your dog raw meats which consist mainly of beef, chicken and lamb, your dog can get Salmonella or E. coli. and other food poisoning just as you can, Mrs. Louis said.

Before Buying A Designer Dog

author:Mike Mathews

Most of you have heard about, read about or seen the new designer dogs. Some of you are probably wondering what the hype is all about. Some of you think they sound and look kind of cute and trendy. A few of you may actually be in the market to buy one of these new dogs. You have heard all the cute names like Puggle, Schnoodle, Labradoodle and Maltipoo and you are probably wondering if they are purebreds or mongrels and why they cost so much. You may also have heard that designer dogs are healthier than purebreds, don't shed and are good for people with allergies. I will attempt to address these issues and provide other information in the following article.

Basic Dog Grooming Tips You Need To Know

Bathe your dog regularly.

Buy dog shampoos & conditioners from pet stores. Do not use flea & tick shampoos unless your pet needs them, they can dry out your pets skin. Be sure to rinse your dog thoroughly, leaving soap on skin can cause problems. Bathing a dog with knots & mats will worsen them, be sure to eliminate these before or immediately after the bath.

When drying your dog use low heat. Dogs are sensitive to burning, keep this in mind while adjusting water temperature. Bathing your dog will cut down on chances of infestations of fleas & ticks. Place cotton in your dog’s ears before bathing. Often water in the ears can lead to ear infections. By washing away dead hair, regular bathing reduces shedding of your dog’s coat.

7 Key Steps to Adopting the Perfect Dog

A dog can be one of the most rewarding of pets, but also one of the most demanding.  Selecting the right animal for you is an all-important aspect of the adoption process.   One must consider a multitude of factors - ranging from living quarters to time commitments.  

We all love to visualize a cute puppy playing innocently in the park.  But is this the ideal pet for you?  Do you have the time and patience to potty train and watch over the mischievous pup?  Would an older dog better suit your lifestyle?

4 Frustrated Dog Owners Should Know

You’ve probably had a day or two when you felt like your dog just wasn’t paying any attention to you at all, right? You talked, you yelled, you shouted, maybe you jumped up and down and waved your arms, but she just wasn’t interested in anything you had to say to her in any tone of voice. You’re not alone. 

 Your dog doesn't speak English.

Take the word “no,” for example. Does your dog speak English? Not understand English. Does she speak it? What’s meaningful to her is your tone of voice, not the word itself. Now let’s think about that – we’re taking up excess time trying to teach our dog a word she’ll never speak and that probably doesn’t mean much to her anyway. Sure, it’s meaningful to us, but that’s only one side of the equation. What about something that’s meaningful to both human and dog?

4 Tips For A Happy And Healthy Dog

Do you really know all there is to know about your canine companion’s nutritional needs? Many pet owners think they’re doing what’s best for their dogs when it comes to food, but in reality they rely on pure instinct more than science. Nutrition isn’t a guessing game, even when it comes to your pooch. Think about it – if you were left to feed yourself based only on what you craved and had no knowledge of what your body needs to function, would you be eating five servings of veggies and fruit or would you head straight for the Ding Dong case at the market?