Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

The Most Common Dog Training Can Be Solved Right From The Comfort Of Home

July 20, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

Some of the most common dog obedience problems can be dealt with and controlled by proper dog training techniques.

Even if you know absolutely nothing about how to train a dog…the good news is you can learn home dog training easily.

There are dozens of high quality online dog training courses that will teach you how to deal with some common dog behavior issues every dog owner faces at some point in time.

If you have a problem with aggressive dog behavior, uncontrolled barking, digging or if your dog is using your favorite shoes as his latest chew toy…you can learn how to train your dog not to engage in destructive habits.

Now if you’re not quite ready to commit to buying a dog training course…there are several dog sites that provide free information on several different training issues. site has a lot of great information on dog behavior.  Also check out the American Kennel Club site at and for training articles.

While these site provide valuable information keep in mind they typically only provide enough information to scratch the surface. Sometimes even a limited amout of information will be all you need.  Other times you will either have to consider buying a dog training course or seek the services of a professional trainer in your city.

Another good reason to check out dog training sites is to learn more about your specific breed get answers to common health questions and even information on grooming are important.

Take some time to read as much information as you can.  Then try out different  training methods and see how well they work for you.  

Once you begin training you’ll find yourself enjoying your dog even more and having hours of entertainment.

Sign up for my FREE Dog Training Tips email newsletter and get 5 Free dog training videos just for signing up!

Filed Under: Dog Information Tagged With: Aggressive Dog Behavior, American Kennel Club, Behavior Issues, Buying A Dog, Common Health, Destructive Habits, Different Training Methods, Dog Obedience, Dog Owner, Dog Training, Dogs, Dozens, Favorite Shoes, Free Dog Training, Free Dog Training Tips, Free Videos, Golden Retriever, Good Reason, Health Questions, High Quality, Point In Time, Professional Trainer, Training Courses

Commercial Dog Food – Do You Know The Truth About Dog Food Yet?

July 8, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

As a kid growing up in a family full of dogs, I remember the old days when mom and pop used to feed our dogs any type of table scraps that we had from our meals; not acknowledging any degree of dog health.  And sometimes, the dogs would all have their meals prepared ahead of time. We ate all types of food and back in those days so did our animals, except for one major difference of today’s house pets – they didn’t eat a bite of commercial dog food.

Interestingly enough, three out of the four dogs we owned lived to the age of 18 and 19 years of age, with one dog reaching 21 years of age. And the only reason why the fourth did not hit these high numbers was because of bone cancer. Now our experience with these dogs does not negate any type of nutritional value that commercial dog food may provide, especially considering the leap in information and nutritional research that we have today, but it is a little ironic that standard human food did so well just a few years back.

Pet Food Advertising Has Brainwashed Us

A lot has changed over the past 20 or 30 years.  Most dog owners feel that feeding their pets commercial dog food makes the most sense.  They believe that high quality dog food sold in stores is not only the most convenient way to feed their animals, but it also is thought to give their dogs and puppies the best nutritional value offered, even better than human food.  They believe that this decision is the right thing to do.

You hear this sort of thing over and over again whenever a discussion takes place about dog food and dog health.  Just the other day I was discussing some dog tricks with my neighbor and the subject switched to what we fed our dogs.  One comment that he made which is quite redundant is that “I feed my dog ‘dog food’ because it’s for dogs. Why would I feed him human food?”  My neighbor goes on to display his sense of knowledge about nutrition for dogs by insisting that my way of feeding Charlie (my dog) table scraps was cheating him of the proper foods he needs for energy and growth.

Processed Food is still Processed Food

I realized that there was little chance of me convincing my neighbor of his falsely believed notions about proper nutrition and his dogs.  Try convincing one of these people that a dog and a human both need similar nutritional foods.  It’s not that easy. However, I did get across one point in which he understood and that was about processed food.

No matter how you look at it, or what you believe a dog should eat as opposed to humans, processed food is still processed food! This stuff is manufactured, which means it goes through various steps of processing, preservatives, and other additives before it hits the can and is packaged.  Every step that is taken to get this food to the store shelves reduces its quality and nullifies most of its nutritional value, degrading proper dog health.

Filed Under: Dog Health Tagged With: 19 Years, Bone Cancer, Commercial Dog Food, Dog Health, Dog Owners, Dogs And Puppies, Dogs Puppies, Food Advertising, High Quality, Human Food, Leap, Mom, Neighbor, Nutritional Value, Pet Advertising, Pet Food, Pets, Quality Dog Food, Table Scraps, These Dogs, Types Of Food

Good Dog Training Collars Can Make Difference

April 11, 2010 by admin

Dog training collars are obviously necessary and very effective tools in dog training. The dog’s collar is the point of physical control that the trainer uses to make contact with the dog.

There are many different training methods and styles used by professional trainers and as a result there are many different types of training collars.

A quick check of on line pet supply retailers will find even more collars available in the market. You will find that each one has its own unique set of features that makes them ideal for specific types of training.

The standard variety, like leather or strong nylon is most advisable when simply training a dog to do basic stuff such as sit, jump, or stay.

This is dependent of course on the size of the dog. Nylon collars are ideal for smaller dogs. Leather collars are ideal for bigger dog breeds.

Nowadays, those who want to train their pet dogs for simple everyday commands even have the option to choose embellished collars. But for dog training, high quality collars should be given more preference.

Basic choke collars are one of the best dog training collars around. Choke collars give the trainer instant correction and control by tightening the collar around the dog’s neck.

During the training session when the dog is behaving in the proper manner, or obedient in following commands, the collar stays loose and comfortable around the dog’s neck. In the event however that the dog starts misbehaving or commits a training mistake, the trainer can easily tighten the collar as a way of correction.

This technique communicates to the dog the proper response to a command.

Prong collars, or pinch collars are another widely used dog training collars by professional trainers. This kind of collar has dulled tips on the collar surface touching the dog’s neck.

Like the choke collar, the trainer can control the tightening and loosening of the collar.

As a way of correction, the trainer will pull the collar and the blunted tips will tighten around the dog’s neck, without piercing his skin. It is important however to maintain caution in using these collars. There is a thin line between constructive correction and animal abuse.

This type of collar should really be left to the professional trainer or handler.

Electronic and citronella training collars are very popular with many dog trainers. They are especially useful in correcting dog behavior when the dog is not on a lead.

It is also very effective in aversion training like that used to train hunting dogs to avoid rattlesnakes and porcupines.

The remote controls on this type of collar has the ability to make corrections from as far away as one mile. Correction is accomplished through either electronic stimulation or a spray of citronella once the command is given via the remote control.

These collars also have a tone feature where the handler can communicate with the dog by sending a set of tone commands to either approve of a behavior or to warn the dog to correct its behavior prior to receiving stimulation.

No matter what training methods are employed by the trainer a quality dog training collar will be required to achieve the training goals.

isdom and discernment should always be used when using any training collar. Failure to do so may result in unwanted behaviors or even physical damage to the dog’s health.

James Kesel, MS is the publisher of Career in dog training website. Providing information on dog training, dog training career opportunities and training accessories such as dog training collars.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

Filed Under: Dog Training Tagged With: Contact, Different Training Methods, Dog Breeds, Dog Collar, Dog Training Collars, Effective Tools, High Quality, Leather Collars, Line Pet, Many Different Types, Mistake, Nylon Collars, Pet Dogs, Pet Supply Retailers, Pinch Collars, Preference, Professional Trainers, Proper Manner, Proper Response, Training Session

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