Put table scraps where they belong, in the garbage, not in your dog’s food bowl. Many people think that giving your Lab that nice chunk of fat from their sirloin will add luster to his coat. While it may put joy in his heart, it may also give him loose bowels. An occasional veal bone, if very sturdy (a knuckle, for example), can give him a tooth cleaning and some jaw exercise, but be careful, since most bones are constipating as well as dangerous (an ingested splinter of bone can be fatal).
Nylon or rawhide “bones” are safest. They are available in most pet stores, groceries, supermarkets, and online. If you want to give your dog more than his everyday food (even though dogs generally do not get bored with their meals, unlike humans), try small amounts of fruits, cereal, and vegetables. They do not upset the intestinal tract by their oiliness or indigestibility, and actually promote effective digestion. You may also try well-trimmed (no visible fat) bits of meat. However, a dog raised on snacks of sirloin tips will not take kindly to a change to vegetables, so pursue this course with considerable caution.
DogandMaster.com
dogandmaster on January 19th 2007 in Dog Nutrition
The main purpose in puppy training is to build a communication system between the two of you. You are teaching your dog how to learn. In contrast to the positive approach of puppy training, many obedience classes use a lot of leash jerking and a certain amount of punishment if the dog is not performing well. There is a fine line between the two attitudes and it is a vitally important difference.
With a young puppy, if you are forcing him to perform perfectly and punishing him even mildly if he does not, you may be asking for trouble later on. After a puppy is six to eight months old, he can usually begin to handle corrections and accept much more firmness in his training but not at three, four and five months of age.
Stress should not be a specific part of puppy training. That comes later when the pup is six to eight months old and ready for a more formal training. Of course, it is not possible or necessary to completely avoid stress because there is often a small amount in any of a puppy’s activities. However, stress should be eliminated as a planned part of the actual training.
Dogandmaster.com
dogandmaster on January 14th 2007 in Dog Training
To discourage garbage raiding, get a garbage can that has a locking lid. Or, simply put the garbage can in a place your dog can’t reach, like under the sink. If you attempt to correct your dog when you catch him raiding the can, chances are that all he will learn is to avoid going on a “garbage hunt” when you’re around. You’ll essentially have created an owner absent garbage hound.
Your dog has lots of reasons to want to dig. Digging is fun and it relieves boredom. To prevent unwanted digging, don’t let your dog spend unsupervised time in the yard. Go outside and watch him play or better yet, play with him.
If you don’t want to ban digging, you can teach him that it isn’t digging you hate, just digging everywhere. So, choose one spot and designate it as his digging pit. Think of it as his sandbox. Let him watch you bury a couple of tasty chew-toys. Then encourage him to dig in that spot to get them out. Your dog will learn that this is the best (and only) place for him to have his digging fun.
DogandMaster.com
dogandmaster on January 10th 2007 in Dog Behaviour
Proper and effective grooming contributes only indirectly to your dog’s general health but becomes a more significant factor with increasing age. As the natural skin oils come to be less effectively produced, the skin can become dry and scaly, causing itchiness and discomfort. Matted or tangled hair-coats likewise cause scratching and, in addition, can hold dirt and debris on the skin from which bacteria can readily enter skin that is already abraded by the scratching and chewing. Bacterial dermatitis is not at all uncommon in older dogs.
The daily grooming patterns begun in earlier years should be continued throughout a dog’s lifetime. It is my firm belief that all dogs, with the possible exception of some show dogs and those with certain skin diseases, should be combed and brushed every day of their lives with a metal comb and a wire-bristle slicker type brush. Combing should be done first, as its purpose is merely to remove tangles and separate the hairs so the slicker brush does not get caught in them. This is followed by the brush which should be used in firmly applied, long, slow strokes. The object of the brushing is to get the wires down to the skin, which is where the dirt is, to remove that dirt and the dry scales of dead skin.
DogandMaster.com
dogandmaster on January 7th 2007 in Dog Grooming
