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.

Require An Impressive Dog for Hunting? Look Into an American Water Spaniel

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The American Water Spaniel is usually a kind of Spaniel that is employed to hunt birds and other smaller game by flushing them out. Despite the fact that it truly is a flushing dog, it is usually employed to retrieve as well and loves the water. Because of its smaller size, it truly is considered to be a good breed of gun dog for any one hunting on the water in a smaller boat or even a canoe.

History Of The American Water Spaniel

The exact history of the American Water Spaniel is comparatively unknown. You’ll find those that say that the breed developed from a cross between the English Water Spaniel and the Curly Coated Retriever. Others think that it may well be a cross between the English Spaniel and the Chesapeake Bay Retriever.

The breed was recognized by AKC in 1940 and is bred primarily as a hunting dog. The peak of the popularity for this breed of dog was in the early component of the last century. The American Water Spaniel is typically called the “Forgotten American” due to the fact it isn’t shown a great deal anymore, despite the fact that you will find sufficient fans of this breed to create positive that the breed line of this gun dog doesn’t go anyplace soon. You’ll find extremely active associations for this breed such as the American Water Spaniel Field Association.

Look Of The American Water Spaniel

The American Water Spaniel is distinct in look due to its curly marcelled coat. It truly is commonly a extremely dark brown in color, despite the fact that it can typically have a black coat. The coat is extremely thick and enables the dog to be able to resist lots of sorts of inclement weather, such as the cold. This dense and sculpted coat also enables the dog to swim very easily. The ears of the Water Spaniel are floppy like other spaniels but the coat is extremely brief and curly. The dogs weight from 25 to 45 pounds with males weighing a bit far more. They’re about 16 inches in height.

Use Of The American Water Spaniel

This breed is observed as a field dog. It truly is employed for hunting game in the field as well as water. They are going to very easily flush out game and is usually trained to return the game to you. The American Water Spaniel is employed as a hunting companion for hunters who’re typically out in inclement weather and are on the lookout for a dog which will swim and flush out as well as retrieve game. They can be employed to hunt upland birds as well as water fowl. The compact size of the American Water Spaniel makes them an perfect hunting companion for any one living in smaller quarters as they do not need a great deal of room to be pleased. Consistence ought to be employed if you are training the American Water Spaniel and you’ll want to keep away from harsh training tactics if you are trying to train your dog as these can cause the dog to become aggressive or even shy away from you.

The American Water Spaniel is an perfect hunting dog for those that are on the lookout for a smaller gun dog that enjoys the water and can flush out and retrieve smaller game, upland birds or waterfowl.

Picking the appropriate hunting dog supplies is very important. Pay a visit to http://www.gundogsonline.com for a lot more information and facts on Radians and hunting with dogs.

The First Step To Successful Dog Training

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As a dog owner, what do you really need to know to train your dog? Gathering information and preparing to train your dog follows some reasonable steps. The first phase is the most often skipped and is the most crucial. A mirror test of sorts. How good is your relationship with your dog? The idea is that it’s better to have a good owner-dog bond first before you let your dog undergo obedience training.

The point is, if you already have a good bond, that bond will be even stronger after the training. And maybe the training will be easier since you may not undergo a lot of frustrations compared to owners who aren’t bonded with their dogs.

The thing is, if you have not established an attachment with your own dog, training him to obey is not going to be as smooth compared to if you had a good bond. You could get annoyed easily when your dog fails to accomplish tasks. You may not be as easily annoyed if you and your dog had been through a lot. That dog might not even want to cooperate. To address this noncompliance, try breaking the tasks into small and more manageable tasks.

This way, despite the absence of that owner-dog bond, the chances of your dog accomplishing the smaller tasks will be easier. Suppose you want you dog to stop barking on command. You can do this and silence him at will. When you can do this you can even make him bark on your order. This means you need to start with a small objective in the beginning, and start with easy commands.

The most common complaint against pets, dogs in particular, is that they chew up on the furniture, bite into and drag objects, and munch into them as though they were baby tethers. To address this behavior, you could purchase for your dog some toys he can play with, so his attention will be on those toys instead of things to bite in your household. You need to limit these toys to four or five. More toys will just distract him and he’ll lose interest. To start training, you can test if you can make you dog bite and pick up his chewing toys on your orders. Ask him to bring it to you. Throw it far again. Ask him to bring it back.

But if you just got your dog, chances are you don’t know his behavior much. That’s the first thing, to observe his behavior, especially those that will be problematic for you. List those behaviors that pose problems and try to address them one at a time. If your dog loves munching on household things, you have to and you can change this. If your dog barks incessantly, you can change this. But you really have to allot some time to observe his behavior and bond with him. If he bonds with you, he’ll be motivated to please you, and you’ll have more patience in training him.

Increase the happy years of your dog by checking out my free e-book. In it I reveal all the secrets I’ve used to develop a happy, healthier dog. Visit Dr. Alfonso’s dog training blog right now…

Article Source: ArticleSpan

How To Test A Shelter Dog

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It’s hard to know how an unfamiliar dog will react to your attempts to become his leader; if you catch a very self-protective dog off guard, he may bite. It doesn’t happen frequently, but don’t take the chance, and make your assessments in other ways instead. He’s going to be a little bit out of sorts when you first take him out of his cage. Give him some time to get used to you and to work out his excess energy. Don’t make loud noises or sudden moves; just let him sniff and greet you, and then take him somewhere where you can really get acquainted.

Never grab an unfamiliar dog; he may interpret this as a threatening gesture and respond by snapping. If you’ve brought your kids with you to the shelter, ask them not to touch the dog until he’s gotten accustomed to you and until you know that he is trustworthy.

Crouch down and pet him and play with him. Does he accept and enjoy your affection, or does he act suspicious of you or ignore you altogether? Does he trample and nip you, or does he avoid you? Look for a dog who plays and cuddles with you enthusiastically but not obnoxiously or fearfully. Take a walk around the room. Does he trot after you, or does he seem relieved to see you go? He should follow you happily without attacking your legs. If you have a toy, toss it for him. Does he show interest, or does he turn up him snout at your attempt at a game?

Keep petting, talking, and playing with him. If he growls or snaps at you or curls his lip, move on to another dog. Unless you’re an experienced dog trainer, you don’t want to mess with an aggressive dog. If he doesn’t appear dangerous but is nevertheless very rough or mouthy, he still may be too dominant for you.

If he slinks around and avoids looking at you, he’s probably a submissive dog who will need a lot of positive reinforcement. Some dogs may cower or shake when you try to pet them; many interpret this as a sign that the dog has been hit or beaten. However, adult dogs often shrink away from human hands simply because they were not properly socialized and have never gotten used to being touched and petted.

If a dog seems wary of your touch at first but begins to accept your affection after a few minutes, chances are that he’ll be able to come out of his nervousness pretty quickly with good training and lots of love. Bur if he remains nervous and terrified, it’s probably going to be a real challenge to turn him into a happy and comfortable pet, and he’s better left to someone who’s had lots of experience working with undersocialized or abused dogs. If he’s lethargic and draggy, there’s a good chance that poor health is to blame. Look elsewhere. You don’t want to adopt a dog who may be sick. Be on the lookout for a dog who’s cheerful, responsive, and confident.

Do you have fun playing with him and paying attention to him? Often, when owners who are having troubles with their adopted dogs, their biggest problem seems to be that they just don’t like their dogs very much. Do not adopt a dog if you’re not crazy about him! Spend as much time as you need to get to know as many dogs as you can; make more than one visit if necessary. But don’t forget that a dog who catches your eye one day may be adopted by someone else or even euthanized the next, so you’ll have to judge for yourself how long it’s safe to wait.

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