Hey Allan Codling here,
When we get our dogs we often look for dog training advice but often in the wrong places. The primary focus that we need to have is on dog obedience training as it is a crucial aspect for dog owners. Dog obedience training methods are the basis for a getting your dog to be well behaved, responsive. With these methods your dog will be able to live in your home with your family, friends and other dogs comfortably.
A lot of dog owners want to just potty train their dogs and forget about the obedience factor. What they do not realize is it is much more difficult to get your dog potty trained without the regular practice of obedience training. It makes it even more difficult to correct behavior problems like chewing, biting, jumping and aggression. It all starts with dog obedience training.
Dogs have what is called a pack mentality which means that they need a leader. It is your responsibility as the owner to build the relationship between you and your dog and get your dog to see you as the leader. Now many people either take this piece of dog training advice to lightly and spoil the dog and let it do whatever it wants and many take it to far and are way to militant with the dog and offer no real affection. Both of these habits are ill-advised. What you need to do is love your dog and shower him with affection, but always maintain your leader role in the relationship and the dog will become accustomed to this and recognize it quickly(dogs are smart, they know whats going on 😉 .
Are you a new dog owner and want to learn how to properly train and care for your dog? We can teach you how! For more information on dog training and additional information on dog behavior and dog health visit http://www.dogtrainingadvicearea.com/
Dog Supplements May Not Be Necessary After All
If you use a good quality meat-meal based food you usually do not have to supplement your dog’s ration. In fact, it is very easy to throw the formulation of some of the specialty foods out
of kilter if you play with supplements. Unfortunately, adding a little bit of this and a little bit of that is a cultural mentality handed down from the time when pet foods weren’t complete
and needed supplementation. Breeders often advocate supplements and many send their clients home with long lists of additives – vitamins, minerals, dairy products, oils and other
lotions and potions. Many breeders will turn an absolutely deaf ear to entreaties from veterinarians or canine nutritionists who suggest a good basic ration and a minimum of supplementation.
Supplement supporters aren’t usually thinking along behavioral lines and, since they themselves rarely have difficulty house-training their dogs, don’t realize that not everyone is so knowledgeable and over-supplementation can easily produce loose stools and make good control difficult for the dog. Coat conditioners, for instance, can easily be withheld from the diet until the puppy is house-trained. The puppy doesn’t need them if he or she is eating a good quality food, and (in most breeds) the puppy coat has to grow out naturally anyway. Oils and people foods, especially those high in fat (like steak trimmings) easily “oil up” the intestines and in many cases cause stools to “slide out” quite unexpectedly.
If your breeder or pet store operator gives you a list of supplements and binds you under pain of mortal sin to use them, start asking some questions. Ask whether these supplements are necessary if you use a high-quality specialty food. Ask how these supplements will affect your house-training progress. Ask if it is absolutely necessary to add the supplements right away or if this can wait until house-training is accomplished. For instance, although the jury is definitely out on the relationship between mega doses of vitamin C and hip dysplasia (a congenital ailment that plagues many larger breeds), many breeders are routinely recommending giving the vitamin. Whether or not the vitamin helps ward off hip dysplasia, we do know that it can have a diarrheic effect on many dogs, complicating the house-training process.
Dairy products are also dangerous additives and produce runny stools in some dogs. People food should be avoided as a matter of good behavioral policy, lest the dog turn to begging at the table, but it should be especially taboo during house-training. Dog treats that are full of preservatives or dyes (often to keep a “meat center” bright red) can also throw many dogs’ innards for a loop and complicate cleanliness. Good general advice is to stay away from supplements during the house-training process and use only minimal or no additives later on, but do use a quality daily ration.