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Dog Training Basics

There is never a perfect age to train your dog, but there can be a perfect time - right now! A dog of any age can be trained no matter what the kind of behavior you are looking for from your pet. The longer you put off training, the harder it will become for your pet to adapt to that learned behavior. While many people try their hand at training their dog on their own, others seek out a professional dog trainer in their area in order help guide them and reach the results they are looking for.

Finding a dog trainer can be an extensive search depending on what types of problems you want to avoid with your pet. Common dog behavior problems are easily helped with training. Potty training, eliminating aggressive behavior, barking or just leash training can all be helped by the use of a professional dog trainer.

No matter if this is your first pet or one of many, each dog is different and no personality is the same and may require additional help from an outside source. Seeking out a dog trainer is not an admission of being an inadequate owner, but rather an owner that is serious about having a well-behaved dog that is desirable to be around.

There is less anxiety for both owner and pet when a dog knows its boundaries and limitations of what is expected on a daily basis. When using the services of a local dog trainer you too can become informed about the benefits of having a structured regime for your pet. Not only will your pet become well behaved, but also it will be a joy to have around and spend more time with at home, out in public or with other dogs.

Potty training your pet can happen in a variety of ways depending on how you wish to approach it personally. Often the more time you spend one-on-one with your pet for potty training, the easier it will be for both of you and the desired results will come faster. Professional trainers can help with assistance, knowledge and encouragement.

The more training you put into your dog the more enjoyment you will get out of it. The more effort you put into potty training the more you will get back from your pet. Using the skills from a local dog trainer can help the process so that you do not become easily frustrated with your new dog before they are fully trained.

There are no rules about what training will work best for you and your pet. There are lots of resources available to you. The benefits of training are that there are many different methods used by local dog trainers, and you are free to choose which ones will work for you and your pet.

There are no rules about what training will work best for you and your pet. There are lots of resources available to you. The benefits of training are that there are many different methods used by local dog trainers, and you are free to choose which ones will work for you and your pet.

In today’s society dog’s have a multitude of roles to play when interacting with humans, from assisting the blind to guarding your property, as a sole companion for somebody to pulling sleds across unforgiving terrain, Dog’s are probably the most versatile of all the domesticated animals.

But did you know:-

Dogs are not as vicious as we are led to believe, records show that only 1 in 4 million dogs will kill a human being, much lower than people imagine.

There is a 20% chance of boys aged between 5 and 9 getting bitten than any other person in the general population, (just something to consider if you have children and would like a dog.,

In the United States 88 out of 100 falls attributed to pets are caused by dogs.

Dogs have the ability to recognise their owners from distances well in advance of half a mile.

A dog’s vision is very sensitive to motion but not as sensitive when it comes to stationary objects.

A dogs hearing is vastly superior to a humans due to the fact that 18 muscles allow the ear to tilt, rotate, lift and lower, enabling it to pick up sound locations much better than humans.

Dogs can pick up smells far lower than a human is able to do; their wet noses allow them to determine which way the wind is blowing; and allows them to find the source of a smell.

Dogs have been known to live up to at least 25 years.

Record numbers of cats and dogs end up in animal shelters every year, the records report this to be somewhere in the region of 8 million, out of these 50% never return once they have entered these places.

It is recommended that dogs be neutered or spayed early on as sexual maturity normally begins around the 6 to 12 months period of a dog’s birth.

All dogs need some form of grooming, there is no question about that. Even hairless chihuahuas should be wiped with a damp chamois leather to get rid of loose skin and dust. However, one of the main purposes for grooming your dog regularly is so that you can check him for skin problems such as allergic reactions to flea or tick bites. Another reason is bonding. In a pack situation, dogs groom other dogs and are themselves groomed every day and dogs like it.

Therefore, you should groom or brush your dog at least once a week and take him to a dog parlour every three, four or six months depending on how fast his hair or fur grows and whether you can manage it or not. Having said that, you will find grooming easier if your dog’s hair is the right length, because it will not tangle so readily.

You should wash your dog every month or so and groom him at at a minimum of once week. This will ensure that your dog gets accustomed to being bathed and handled. If this is done from the puppy age, most dogs will not only accept it, but they will come to enjoy it, although there will always be those dogs that bolt for it as soon as they see a hose and a bowl. They get to know what to look out for. If you talk to him constantly, comforting him and sometimes giving a doggie treat, he should soon come to accept the unavoidable - that he is going to be bathed and groomed.

Actually, most dogs enjoy the grooming, although many only tolerate the bathing. Anyway, bathing and grooming on a regular basis will keep the job as simple as it can be. Once your dog is no longer a puppy, say after six months or so, you could take him to a professional groomer in a so-called ‘Poodle Parlour’. By that time, he should be becoming used to the routine and he will accept the treatment from strangers more readily as well.

You could look for professional groomers in adverts in the pet shop or the vet’s or simply ask your friends and neighbours for recommendations. Finding a groomer should not be problem, but you might have to try a few before you find one whose style of grooming you like or who is adaptable enough to suit your lifestyle.

When you drop your dog off at the Poodle Parlour, ask when it will be ready to be collected up. Turn up fifteen minutes early and you might be lucky enough to witness first hand how your dog is being treated and how your dog is getting on with the groomer. This is invaluable information, because it will help you make up your mind whether the groomer is getting on with your dog or not.

If the groomer is doing a good job, but your dog is anxious, you can help put him at ease. If the groomer is being a bit too rough, then you will know whether to change Poodle Parlours or just have that groomer banned from taking care of your dog.

Ear mites are a pest that inhabits the ears. They can be found in horses, rabbits, dogs, and most often, cats. They live in the ears and cause intense itching, leading the infested animal to scratch at the ears. Understanding the life cycle of the ear mite can help get rid of them successfully.

Adult mites are almost microscopic. They are white in color, with live and breed within the ears, surviving by eating tissue, wax, skin oils and debris from the ear and ear lining. They usually stay in the ears, but may migrate to the fur around the ears and onto the face. The females lay their eggs in the lining of the ears, approximately five eggs each day.

Ear mite eggs hatch after approximately four days of incubation, appearing as larvae. These larvae then feed on the same material as the adults for several days before molting into the first stage of nymphs. There are two nymph stages of the ear mite. One is the protonymph, which soon turns into a deutonymph.

The deutonymph has an undetermined sex. Whether it will be a male or female is determined following it’s mating with the male adult ear mite. Once mating has happened, the nymph will become a male, which then continues on to mate with other deutonymphs, or a female that will lay eggs as a result of the mating. This entire life cycle takes three weeks. The average lifespan of a mite is up to two months.

An ear mite infestation can look like coffee grounds within the ears. It is a combination of ear waxes and material, blood, mite feces, and the mites themselves. They can easily be spread from animal to animal, and can be a huge problem in shelters and kennels. They are troublesome in multi-pet homes, and for treatment to be successful, every pet in the home should be treated simultaneously.

A suspected case of these pests should be confirmed by a veterinarian. Once a positive diagnosis has been made, treatment of topical, oral or injected medication can be administered. All treatments must be done as prescribed by the vet, and may not be successful if not done as required, Failing to stop the life cycle will allow the mites to continue living and breeding in the ears. Animals that have scratched furiously may have areas of open skin and scratches that may require attention as well to avoid infections.

Having all pets in the home checked for mites is advisable, and if present, all should be treated in the same time period. If this is not done, the mites will spread from untreated animals and the life cycle of the mite will being again in another host.

Mange most commonly seen among dogs and caused by three varieties of mites. Some types of mites which cause a mangy condition are self-limiting and may die off within a few weeks. However more serious types of mite infestations can cause the dog to bite itself ferociously and can be a disfiguring and contagious condition. Moreover, some of these pests may be so small they are difficult to detect even using a microscope and skin scrapings.

One type of mite infestation is called Demodectic and caused by the demodex mite. They are usually present in very small numbers on puppies but occasionally they can become active and and cause the condition. Puppies from thee to twelve months old might suffer from this parasite. Some of the symptoms are a thinning of the hair around the eyes and mouth and itching. They can cause localized infections or hair loss in other areas and may require treatment to control.

A large reddish brown mite is responsible for the type called Cheyletiella. It might also be called walking dandruff in some places. The name comes from the sprinkling of dandruff that appears on the head, back and ruff of the dog. This problem can be contagious but is also usually resolved within a few weeks. The parasite dies shortly after leaving the host body.

Scarcoptic mange or scabies is probably the most well known type of infestation. The mite which causes it is very tiny and may be difficult to see even if samplings are taken from multiple spots. The female mite lays eggs beneath the skin of the dog. These itch and the dog will bite and scratch the area until the skin is literally removed, trying to get to the mites. In turn when the eggs hatch they lay more eggs and the process goes on.

This mite infestation is contagious to human beings as well. A dog might give the mites to the children who in turn may pass it to playmates. In dogs the diagnosis may be based on observation because the mights are not easily found even with multiple samples of skin. There can be typical tiny bite marks near a site but normally the scratching will remove these signs.

There can be skin conditions, autoimmune problems and allergies which cause symptoms similar to mange in dogs. Because most of the mites are invisible to the naked eye it is difficult for the dog owner to know what may be causing it. A veterinarian visit is usually recommended to rule out other causes and to recommend an effective treatment for the parasites.

There are multiple means available to treat this parasitic condition. Sulfurated lime has a very strong and objectionable odor but a rinse twice or three times a week can help bring the parasite under control and eventually eliminate it. Other approaches may utilize drugs such as Selamectin or Ivermectin instead of a rinse or in addition to a topical treatment.