Tuesday, October 5, 2010

How to Train Your Dog to Stop Chasing After Cars


How to train your dog to stop chasing after cars is a necessary step to be taken by you because car chasing is a problem in most communities, and this bad habit should be broken before the dog comes to harm or causes an accident. Moving cars on the road are not the only danger either; many pets have been laid low in their own driveways while the family car was being backed out. Therefore, the dog should be taught to give wide berth to any moving vehicle.

You can begin training the dog in the home driveway if it is long enough or on the street at a time when there is little or no traffic. You tell a member of the family to take the dog into the yard or on the sidewalk, or on a fairly long leash. Now, you get into your car and drive it slowly down the road, have someone sit beside you in the car who will shoot a water pistol into the dog’s face as he approaches the car, and you order sharply and immediately “No!” This action has a frightening effect upon most dogs and will discourage them. It is best to use your own car because since the dog is familiar with it, he will quickly run up to it expecting a ride. With someone controlling the dog with the leash, he gets near enough to be “shot” but not near enough to risk injury. Some times, this is all that is needed to train him to stay away from moving vehicles.

But if on the other hand the dog is a confirmed car chaser, stronger measures need to be taken. Here, you have somebody assists you in driving the car up and down a quiet street. He will, of course, be aware of what you are doing so as to be on guard to prevent the dog from sustaining injury. Snap on a long leash or rope and walk the dog along the side of the road, letting the leash out to full length as he lunges. As he nears the wheels, jerk the dog off his feet so sharply that he tumbles over and as you do so, command “No!”

You may have to repeat this many times. And even though this may seem a rather severe punishment, a few dogs need it for their own safety.

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How to Train Your Dog to Sit




Training your dog to sit and training to heel are two lessons that go together. This is so because sitting and heeling are often used when your dog is walking on a leash. Heeling simply means your dog is walking correctly under leash control. The sit is another method of greeting. So when the dog rushes to meet you or someone else, you command "Sit!" whereupon he sits down instead of pawing or jumping or actually acting generally objectionable.

Now, you are walking with your dog trotting along at your left side while the leash is held in your right hand and your left hand is being reserved for something else. Coil up the leash into a fairly short length and as you stop and command "Sit!" lift gently on the leash to hold the dog's head up, while you press his haunches into a sitting position with your left hand. The pressing must be in a gentle but slow manner, and do not remove your hand too quickly. Your aim is to make the dog sit and not to lie down, so to achieve this, you may have to continue pulling the leash upward. And as you command him to sit, make sure you keep your feet still because if you remove your feet, the puppy also will move.

When you start this at first, the dog may be surprised at the pressure and may probably want to break away. If he displays any act of resistance, order "Heel!" immediately and gaily and start walking to calm him down. Then try the sit exercise again and keep at it consistently and in about ten days or so, your dog will be performing consistently.

If when you command "Sit!" your dog lies down instead, chances are that you did not hold the leash correctly. The right result will be achieved when your hold on the leash produces the right pressure. So you will need to pull up the leash in a slow but firm manner as you issue the order "Sit!" When your grip on the leash is not strong enough, and the dog lies down instead of sitting, do not to correct by jerking. The mistake was yours not the dog's. So reach down and with your right hand between the forelegs, raise him to the sitting position, then pet him to show approval.

If your dog gets up the instant you take your hand away, that, too, is your fault. What you need do is to keep your hand pressed to the rump long enough for him to understand what you want, even if it takes several seconds. Gradually, less pressure and time will be needed and finally none at all; likewise the up-pull on the leash can soon be skipped. Should the dog sit diagonally instead of squarely, nudge his quarters to the right or left so that he heads directly forward.

Now that you have learnt how to train your dog to sit, would it not be better to learn more training tips that will help make your dog the perfect pet you can ever have? If your answer is 'yes', then check out these Dog Training Tips, they work like gangbusters.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

How to Properly Take Care of Your Dog's Teeth Problems

 The examination and care of the dog’s teeth is best during early adulthood. Daily grooming of the dog’s teeth may be bothersome, but it will save you time and effort in the long run and given proper attention, the dog’s teeth can be kept in good condition.

The average adult dog has 42 teeth; the upper jaw contains 6 incisors, 2 canines, 8 premolars, and 4 molars; the lower jaw has 6 incisors, 2 canines, 8 premolars, and 6 molars. There is some breed and individual variation in the number of permanent teeth; the average Pekingese, Boxer, a Bulldog (i.e. breeds with a short skull) has slightly fewer teeth. The dog owner may avoid purchasing a dog with an undershot or overshot jaw and once that is done, the main concern should be the maintenance of healthy teeth and gums.

In maintaining a healthy teeth and gums, proper examination must be done to make sure that the permanent ones are well-positioned, straight, not crowded too closely together, free from disease, and not worn by stone-carrying and gnawing. However, the dog’s teeth cannot repair themselves; once the enamel is worn off, they remain damaged and may need treatment or extraction.

Tartar or dental plaque poses the greatest threat to the health of the dog’s teeth and gums. Guard against tartar - that yellowish, hard deposit on one or more teeth. Bacteria present in the dog’s mouth may act on soft, sweet food. Gradually, a soft deposit, at first composed of food particles and dead bacteria, becomes impregnated with calcium and other mineral salts contained in the saliva, and eventually attains a considerable hardness. More so, the tartar attains a considerable bulk in neglected cases, forming hard masses over several teeth which are completely covered and masked. The least of its harm is its unslightly color, but the real danger is that it menaces the life of the tooth to which it clinges.

Tartar is most serious as it pushes into the gum, and where the tartar reaches to the gum and encroaches on them, inflammation is caused (gingivitis). This is followed by an increasing degree of infection, and a foul odor from the mouth. If still not relieved by professional treatment, the condition progresses to one of periodontal disease, with shrinkage of gums and later of the underlying bone. As the gums recede from the teeth, fresh sites are formed for food particles to lodge for bacteria, and for more tartar. Loosening of the teeth occurs as the tartar breaks into the membrane, which is the teeth’s main brace, and the general health of the dog suffers. This condition may not be painful. On the other hand, if food particles work down into the gum cavities and decompose to cause abscesses, there will be considerable suffering.

Loose teeth cause pain, reluctance to masticate and sometimes, loss of weight. Do not expect the dog to announce a toothache by crying. He suffers in silence with signs that include pawing at the mouth, rubbing his jaw and affected side along the floor, and whimpering. In addition, dogs with tooth trouble may dribble. He eats gingerly, mothering his food with his lips rather than with his teeth. All of these may indicate a decayed, broken or otherwise sensitive tooth, or possibly a piece of bone wedged between two teeth

One may ask if anything can be done to prevent tartar formation and tooth decay, such as mouth wash or brushing the teeth. You may decide to add tooth-cleaning to grooming chores, and if the dog does not protest too vigorously, thee is no point in going to the expense of a canine dentifrice – use a little common salt in water.

Bones and hard substances are, in a manner of speaking, the dog’s tooth brush. Not that they actually clean the teeth; they perform an even better service than that. They stimulate the blood supply as they rub over the gums. Therefore, the gnawing of bones and the chewing of coarse, hard food helps keep the entire mouth healthy. That is why as the puppy grows, we gradually discontinue very moist foods and instead, feed drier, more crumbly mixtures. And then, when the second teeth are in, we give hard-baked biscuits occasionally.

All through the dog’s life, you may keep his teeth clean by wiping them regularly with a damp cloth dipped in salt or baking soda. A gentle rotating motion will simulate the gums as well as actually clean the teeth. The dog, accustomed to this attention from puppyhood, does not object. Rather, he enjoys being fussed over.

For complete information and tips on how to properly handle your dog's health problems, Check This Out