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Teach Your Dog to Ring a Bell to Go Out !
As any owner knows, sometimes there are communication problems when it comes to knowing when your dog needs to go outside for potty reasons. Even with older dogs your dog may not always give you a signal that you recognize. Sometimes it takes a definite “nudge” or a paw slapping to get your attention. There’s a very good way to teach your dog to let you know when he needs to go out and the message will be clear as a bell.
When you’re housebreaking your dog it can be very easy to teach him to ring a small bell next to your door to let you know that he needs to go outside. All you have to do is follow the same procedure for regular housebreaking — watch your puppy closely for signs that he needs to go outside. Signs may vary slightly from puppy to puppy (or dog to dog) but they usually include sniffing the floor and looking for a private spot. When you see your puppy looking like he needs to go out you should quickly, but calmly, stop him and lead him outside. Don’t descend on him like a screaming banshee! If you frighten him you will probably literally scare the poop out of him. Plus, you don’t want to make bathroom duties something traumatic for your puppy. That will simply set your housetraining back.Once you are leading or carrying your puppy outside you should stop for a second by the door and touch your puppy’s paw to the small bell that you have installed next to the door. This bell can be some chimes, a bell from a hardware store or a thrift shop, a cowbell. It doesn’t matter as long as it’s something that makes a bell sound that you can live with. It should be loud enough for you to hear it in another room. The bell should be hanging at a height that will be easy for your puppy/dog to reach with his nose or paw when you aren’t with him. Let your puppy touch the bell and then go on outside with him so he can take care of his potty needs.Continue this routine each time you take your puppy outside, making sure that you praise your puppy and reward him for using the bathroom when you take him out. Your puppy will associate touching the bell with going out to potty. In fact, your puppy may be very smart and begin to associate touching the bell with simply going outside. He may start ringing the bell whenever he wants to go outside and get a treat. You will have to take him outside every time he rings the bell but you should only reward him when he goes to the bathroom. Your puppy will eventually figure out that he’s not going to get treats and rewards for ringing the bell unless he actually has a potty situation.Of course, you can teach a dog who is already housebroken to ring the bell, too. You simply incorporate ringing the bell into letting your dog go outside. When your dog indicates that he needs to go outside take his paw and touch the bell then reward him when he completes his pottying. Do this each time and your dog will soon learn that ringing the bell is part of letting you know that he needs to go out and that he will get a treat when he follows the routine.It’s very helpful to have a dog ring the bell to let you know he needs to go out. It saves you running around watching your dog to see if he needs to go out or wondering if he does. Your dog can communicate with you directly, telling you that he needs to go outside. And, it’s a fun little trick to teach your dog.Until next time…….3 Things That Embarrass Dog Owners
We all want to be proud of our dogs. That’s one of the reasons we get a dog. We love them and they become almost like a child in some cases. You can see bumper stickers that say “My Dog Is Smarter Than Your Honor Student.” How embarrassing is it then when your dog does something that makes you want to crawl into a hole? You’ve been telling people how smart, how cute, how wonderful your dog is and as soon as they see your dog he does something you hate.
1. Jumping on people. One of the embarrassing things some dogs do is jumping on people. Whether you’re out for a walk or your dog jumps on people when they walk in your door, this is embarrassing behavior. It’s a clear sign that your overly-enthusiastic dog seems to be out of control.What can you do to stop the jumping behavior? One of the best things you can do to head off jumping behavior is teach your dog the Sit command when she is preparing to jump. It’s best to practice this in a confined area at first. Practice when it’s just you and your dog. Make sure he already knows Sit. When he starts to jump on you tell him to Sit. Depending on how excited he is it may take a few tries to get this right but it will work. Make sure you praise him and give him a reward he really enjoys, whether it’s treats, a favorite toy or lots of petting and attention.Once your dog is reliably sitting when he starts to jump on you, you can practice having a friend or family member ring your doorbell or knock on your door. Your dog may get very excited again and prepared to jump on them when they enter. Practice having him sit before opening the door. Again, this may take some practice but your dog should get the idea that he is supposed to sit instead of jump. If nothing else, he should be responding to your command to Sit.Eventually you will move on to the hardest part — teaching your dog to politely sit when he has the urge to jump up on someone he meets in the street or elsewhere. This is an uncontrolled situation so you should always have your dog leashed when you’re out. Make sure that your dog gives you a perfect Sit at home when he has the urge to jump before you try this outside your home.2. Lunging at Dogs. It’s very embarrassing, not to mention rather dangerous, to have your dog lunging at other dogs when you’re out for a walk. The best way to prevent this problem is by making sure that you socialize any puppy well from an early age. However, if you have a dog that is already lunging at other dogs or people, it’s a little late for socialization. You need to take steps to keep your dog from hurting anyone. You may want to consider whether you should be walking your dog in public and whether you are able to control him.You should consider whether your dog could have any kind of veterinary condition causing him to lunge or behave aggressively toward others. Your vet may be able to find a physical cause for your dog’s behavior. If not, then you need to consider possible behavioral problems. If your dog lunges at other dogs (or people) on an ongoing basis then you may wish to ask your vet to recommend a dog behaviorist. They may be able to work with your dog and find the problem.There are some things you can do yourself if your dog lunges at other dogs. Consider a properly fitted muzzle or head collar. A head collar such as a Halti or Gentle Leader is not a good choice for every dog but it does give added control over dogs that lunge and pull their owners. You should be careful about possible neck injuries to your dog when he’s wearing a head collar.Avoid walking where there may be loose or stray dogs. Your lunging dog doesn’t need an added reason to pull on the leash.Walk your dog in quiet neighborhoods and more controlled settings.3. Constant Barking. One thing that frequently embarrasses people with their neighbors is a dog that barks constantly. If your dog is a nuisance barker and you’re outside yelling at him to shut up, the neighbors can become annoyed with both of you very quickly, especially when they’re trying to sleep.Dogs often bark because they are bored, lonely or frustrated. But there are some dogs that seem to bark to hear the sound of their own voice. The best advice to deal with barking dogs is to make sure that all of their needs are being met on a regular basis. Take away their reasons to bark. Make sure that your dog gets lots of exercise — tired dogs take naps. Make sure that your dog has plenty of fun toys. And, very importantly, spend time training your dog. Obedience training can help keep a dog mentally fit — the opposite of boredom. Spending time training your dog also means that you’re spending time together. When your dog is having all of his needs met he will, hopefully, have less to bark about.If your dog still stands in the backyard and barks at least he will have had a little obedience training. When you tell him to “Come!” you have a better chance of him actually obeying you and coming inside where he will be quiet.Simply stated these bad behaviors can all be cured with some good dog training. So call a trainer in your area and train that dog!Until next time…..How To Properly Socialize Your Hunting Dog Pup – Part 2
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In Part 1 of this article, you learned why it is important to start properly socializing your hunting dog puppy the day you bring him home. We talked about ways to socialize you pup when you’re at home. But what about the other and equally important aspect of socialization – introducing him to new places, sounds and people? We will explore that in this article.
Any dog, but especially one that will be used to hunt, needs to be able to adapt to new and even frightening situations. Without this ability, the dog become unpredictable or even dangerous. One way to avoid this is to expose the young puppy to as many different places, smells, people and noises as possible.
One thing that must be avoided in these early socialization experiences is allowing the puppy to become terrified of whatever new thing you are exposing him to. If you have spent enough time with the puppy at home, this should not be a problem. After taking him away from his mother, you should have taken over the role as his care-giver and protector. He should be feeling comfortable with you and trusting you to take care of him and act in his best interests.
Now that you’ve gotten to the point that the puppy trusts you and you’ve spent enough time to be able to “read” him and gauge his level of comfort, it’s time to expose the pup to as many strange sights, noises, smells and people as possible. Take them with you when you go to the park, the lake or a friend’s house. Let him ride along with you in the car or truck when you drop the kids off for school. Remember, anything that the puppy hasn’t yet been exposed to can be new and exciting for him, as long as it is properly introduced. This is where you come in. Though you want the pup exposed to as many situations as possible, make sure you remain in control and don’t let anything happen that will cause him to be hurt or badly scared.
An important aspect of proper socialization is encouraging the dog’s desire to explore new places. Though you need to be aware of safety issues and local laws regarding loose dogs, you need to let you pup run around and explore off-lead in as many places as possible. If your town is strict about dogs being leashed, ask around and see if there is a leash-free dog park in the area. This allows your pup to learn to interact with not only other dogs, but their owners as well. You want to allow him as much freedom to explore as possible. When he comes after you call him, tell him he’s a good boy and give him a small treat (freeze-dried liver or a tiny scrap of jerky are both favorites with our dogs). Then be sure and give him the freedom to explore some more.
Whether off-lead or on, introduce your future hunting companion to people. If he seems shy you can allow them to give him a treat, but make sure he sees YOU hand it to them. It is never a good idea to teach your dog to take food from someone he doesn’t know.
By the time to pup is between eight and twelve weeks old, you can begin to teach him beginning commands, such as “no”, “sit”, “come”, “heel” and “stay”. These commands will be the basis for later training and make the puppy into a companion and hunting dog that you will be proud of.
A properly socialized hunting dog will be secure and confident, but at the same time he will know that you are in charge. He will be comfortable interacting with both other dogs and with new people. He will also have learned to put up with being restrained and told “no”.
Remember – at this point in the puppy’s life, everything you do or say to him is a lesson. By spending the time and effort you need to properly socialize your pup from the start, you will not only have a dog that will be easier to train, but you can look forward to having a hunting dog you can be proud of.
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Dog Blood Pressure
Published in dog health
Although it may seem like your dog has a fairly easy life, canines have just as many problems with blood pressure as we humans! Alright, so perhaps that’s not stricly true, but our lifestyles are so horrifically unnatural that we probably bring it upon ourselves. You don’t see Alsations sitting in Starbucks at 05:30, knocking back triple espressos to hit deadlines!
You probably won’t have experienced a check in any of your pet’s annual standard checkups unless your pet has suffered from some kind of heart or kidney failure. This is because, although ‘normal’ readings for are about 160-180/100, it is actually very hard to make accurate judgements, due to the wide range of breeds with different normal pressures. When readings are taken, they are done so using one of two methods; the cuff (like we get), or the use of doppler technology. In the latter method, the dog’s hair actually has to be shaven – another reason it’s not commonplace.
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Arthritis in Dogs
Arthritis in dogs is fairly similar to arthritis in humans and can be caused by an injury or disease. Unlike humans, however, dogs can develop arthritis as soon as a few weeks after sustaining an injury! To this extent, arthritis is exceptionally common in dogs, yet frequently goes untreated. In fact, although an estimated 20% of dogs suffer from arthritis, only 10% receive any form of treatment! Given how painful the condition is, it is important that pet owners make sure they do everything they can do if they suspect their dog is suffering.
Although care is readily available for dogs with arthritis, there is no cure for the disease. When it comes to treatments, the majority are designed to help deal with the painful inflammations, slow the progress of the disease and help the dog stay as comfortable as possible. Drugs are also often prescribed to help the dog’s stomach from the side effects of strong anti-inflammatory medicines. Aspirin, however, is not usually prescribed as it can further break down the already fragile cartilage in the joints.
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Protecting Paws: where to walk your dog.
Your dog’s paws are more sensitive than you may give them credit for and you should bare this in mind when taking them outside. If the weather is particularly hot or cold, consider walking your dog on grassier areas, where the ground won’t be as prone to extremes of heat. Certainly avoid tarmac in hot weather and, if possible, steer clear or paths that have been de-iced, salted or gritted in cold weather. These surfaces will chafe your dog’s paws, making them very sore and drying out the pads, causing them to crack. In snowy weather, do try to reduce the amount of time your dog spends with his feet buried! It should also go without saying that you should ensure all ice and snow are removed from your dog’s feet when you get home, especially if there have long hair, which can trap snow and ice.
The same caution should be taken when exercising your dog. Just as joggers suffer knee and ankle injuries from frequent running on concrete, it doesn’t do your dog any good to go racing around on these solid surfaces all the time. Use parks and fields instead, as a far safer and nicer area to play with your pet. There’s also much less of a chance for him to slice his paw on some broken glass or sharp piece of concrete when you’re in a field.
With a bit of care and attention, you can drastically reduce the number of injuries and discomforts your dog suffers due to his poor paws.
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Causes of Vomiting in Dogs
Vomiting can be caused by a wide range of problems, which is why it’s always best to take your dog into the vet if you’re concerned. There, they will run a variety of tests to ascertain exactly what is causing your dog to be sick. To start with, the vet will check to see if you dog has a fever, as vomiting can be a symptom of this. She’ll then move on to apply the classic vet-grips, where she palpates the dog’s abdomen to check his internal organs. Even having done this myself countless times, it still looks very odd when I see somebody performing this little ritual! In some cases, your vet may even x-ray your dog, to make certain he hasn’t swallowed anything nasty and dangerous.
Vomiting is also sometimes a symptom of a subtler problem; food allergies, for example, are a common cause. If this is the case, you’ll have to change his diet permanently. It’s not always allergies that cause problems though; dogs are also sensitive to a number of different foods, as outlined in our diet posts a few months ago, that can cause far worse effects than vomiting! As we always say, don’t feed your dog like he was a human!
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New Tallest Dog in the World!
It’s always an exciting day at the dog health blog when we get news of a canine achievement or record breaker. Today, however, we’re especially excited to report that there is a brand new Guinness World Record holder for the “Tallest Dog in the World”! Giant George from Tucson, Arizona, measures a mind-blowing 7ft 3in from nose to tail and 43 inches from paw to shoulder! That gives him legs that as long as mine, then half as long again – this dog is gargantuan! He’s not all skin and bones either; at 245 lbs, he just about outweighs me as well!
Despite his size, Giant George actually only beat the previous record-holder, Titan, by a mere 0.75 inches. Titan was also a Great Dane, which comes as little surprise to everybody who knows their dogs, as was Gibson – the record holder before Titan, who was a tiny 0.25 inches shorter than his rival. With an inch seperating the top three, there can be little doubt the competition for Tallest Dog in the World is fierce and Guinness World Records actually had to send their own official adjudicator to confirm the winner.
Guinness World Records is currently searching for pet records, so get in touch if you think your dog might have something special!
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How to Improve Your Dog’s Dental Health
Let’s face reality – the person who enjoys brushing their dog’s teeth is about as rare as a one-armed trapeze artist! I mean – uggghhhh. But then, most New Yorkers don’t enjoy bagging their puppy’s poop either. They do it anyway!
Dental disease is no fun no matter what your species. This purpose of this article is to give you some helpful information, and a few practical tips, about what you can do at home to keep your dog’s teeth and gums healthy.
It’s clear that daily brushing and flossing is extremely important for human oral hygiene. In fact, it’s been shown that keeping the teeth, gums and tongue clean actually helps prevent heart disease in humans. It makes sense, then, that keeping your pet’s teeth, gums and tongue clean on a regular basis will also be very beneficial to its health and well-being.
Perhaps the first best thing you can do for your dog’s dental health is to feed it a nutritious, healthy and well-balanced diet. At least part of your dog’s diet should be dry and crunchy. As your pet crunches away its teeth are getting the benefit of the food’s hard surfaces removing plaque. This benefit will be absent if your dog is not given some sort of dry hard food every day.
The same effect can be achieved with dog bones – the real dead animal variety or the human-made variety. The treats you provide your dog are an important part of its diet. Its a good idea to be watchful about everything your pet eats, including snacky treats. Raw beef bones are great to help with dental hygiene by keeping the teeth clean and plaque-free. Chewing a crunchy treat once or twice a day will also help remove plaque and keep your dog’s mouth healthy. Healthy treats can also give your dog better breath. Yahoo.
But a healthy diet will only go so far – you should also brush your pet’s teeth periodically to minimize plaque and tartar buildup. Toothbrushes for pets of all sizes can be purchased at your local pet store or online. Tooth pastes made especially for dogs can and should also be purchased. And used! Another good practice, along with brushing your pet’s teeth, is to wipe its gums with a dental wipe from the pet store, or even a clean moistened cloth.
Do your dog a big favor and look after its dental health. Use common sense, the vet’s advice, and even the advice of your friendly pet store clerk. Diet, brushing, wiping the gums, healthy snacks – develop a routine for your pet’s teeth and stick to it.
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