Crate Training Your Dog

In order to achieve that level of love and companionship between you and your dog, it is important to house train your pet from the start.

Crate training can be an efficient and effective way to house train a dog. Dogs do not like to soil their resting/sleeping quarters if given adequate opportunity to eliminate elsewhere. Temporarily confining your dog to a small area strongly inhibits the tendency to urinate and defecate. However, there is still a far more important aspect of crate training.

Crate training works like this: your puppy is in that crate at all times unless she's sleeping, eating, outside with you, going to the toilet, or being played with active supervision. You'll need to be consistent, or else it won't work. You can't let your puppy wander off through the house unless you're focusing your complete attention on her. If you allow her access to the house before she's thoroughly house trained, you're basically encouraging her to relieve herself inside - and remember, each time she does this, it'll be easier for her to do it again (and again ... and again ...)

Sample schedule of a morning's crate training:

7am: Wake up. Puppy comes outside with you for a toilet break.
7.25: Breakfast time.
7.45: Back outside for another toilet break (accompanied by you, of course.)
7.50 - 8.45: Play-time! Puppy is out of the crate being actively played with, cuddled, etc.
8.45: Outside for another toilet break.
8.50 - 11: Puppy goes back in the crate for a nap
11 am: Puppy comes outside with you for a toilet break.
11.05 - 12.30: Playtime! Puppy is out of the crate being played with and petted.
12:30: Lunch time.
12.45: Puppy comes outside with you for a toilet break.
1 - 3.30: Puppy goes back in the crate for a nap.... and so on throughout the day.

Crate training should not be abused, otherwise the problem will get drastically worse. The crate is not intended as a place to lock up the dog and forget her for extended periods of time. If your dog soils her crate because you left her there too long, the house training process will be set back several weeks, if not months. As the puppy grows older, you can begin to reduce the amount of time spent in the crate but beware of doing this too soon!

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Cat Training: Practical Tips

Cats are known for their fastidious cleanliness. They groom themselves by licking their fur, employing their hooked papillae and saliva. Their saliva is a powerful cleaning agent and deodorant. Many cats also enjoy grooming humans or other cats. Sometimes the act of grooming another cat is initiated as an assertion of superior position in the pecking order of a group. It can also be trained to obey simple commands. Individual cats have also been known to learn on their own to manipulate simple mechanisms, such as doorknobs. Cats use a variety of vocalizations and types of body language for communicatio, including meowing, purring, hissing, growling, squeaking, chirping, clicking, and grunting. With 69 million of them present in American homes, cats are the most or the second most popular pets.

Below are practical tips for training your cats:

• Remember to be patient. Your cat is an individual, with his own abilities and preferences. He will pick up some tricks quickly, but may struggle with others. Make allowances for his personality, and don't lose your temper if it doesn't go exactly according to schedule.
• If you're free-feeding your cat (leaving food out at all times for him to eat as and when he feels like it), stop doing this. Enforcing a feeding schedule has two main benefits: it increases the reward-value of food treats as training devices, and also introduces a semblance of routine into your cat's life (which, believe it or not, most cats actually prefer.)
• Train smart. If you're using food treats (which is highly recommended to achieve the desired results) then schedule training sessions for just before mealtimes: your cat's natural desire for food at his regular mealtime will sharpen his focus and increase his desire to obey you (so he can get a treat.)
• Take baby steps. When training your cat, it's best to build up a solid foundation of the basics before attempting to expand his repertoire.
• Cats have pretty short attention spans, and low boredom thresholds. Keep lessons short and interesting - and always try to end on a positive note.

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Kidney Failure in Dogs

When healthy, the kidneys perform several key functions and remove waste products from the body in the form of urine. Kidney failure, also known as renal failure, is the inability of the kidneys to function properly.

Kidney failure is described as "chronic" or "acute". Chronic failure means that the kidneys can no longer perform their crucial functions of excreting waste products, regulating the chemical composition of body fluids, and producing hormones. Kidney function decreases slowly, which means the physical signs of failure may appear gradually.

Acute is characterized by an abrupt or sudden decline in kidney function that leads to changes in body chemistry, including alterations in fluid and mineral balances. These changes negatively affect almost every system in the body. The physical signs are more dramatic because kidney function declines quickly.

Most commonly, pets develop this kind of disease as they age because their kidneys "wear out". In this situation, it is not possible to prevent the failure, although it is possible to treat it. Outdoor dogs and cats are at greater risk because they are exposed to antifreeze more frequently. Indigestion of even a small amount of antifreeze can lead to acute failure and death.

Dog and cat breeds that are more likely to have hereditary kidney disease should not be used for breeding if they show signs of kidney disease. These breeds should be monitored for changes in their kidneys at an early age.

Tests are necessary to diagnose chronic and acute failure and rule out other diseases. Blood and urine samples are used to test various kidney functions and make sure that infection is not the cause of the physical signs of disease.

Your veterinarian can differentiate between chronic and acute failure based on your pet's history, physical examinations, and laboratory testing. A kidney biopsy may be necessary in some cases. Chronic kidney failure is not reversible, but your veterinarian can manage the physical signs of the disease. Pets may not respond to treatment at all or may live another few months or even years.







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Jumping Dog and How to Stop This Unpleasant Behavior Fast

Jumping is a really common problem among dogs - or should I say among dog owners? It's rarely a problem for the dogs themselves - in fact, jumping seems to act as a reward in itself. It's a different kettle of fish for the exasperated owner, who's forced to deal with a new set of muddy footprints/gouges in their skin and clothes/offended guests/scared children.

Many owners inadvertently encourage jumping behavior from puppyhood: when a small puppy comes gamboling up to us, wiggling with excitement and making small, clumsy leaps at our knees, it's almost natural to lean down and respond in kind.
Effectively, we reward that puppy's "jump-y" greeting by reacting with exuberant affection, hugs and kisses. The puppy learns a fast lesson: jumping is a good thing, because it results in plenty of positive attention and physical contact.

Your dog doesn't understand the difference between a jump as a small, cute puppy, and a jump as a huge, hairy adult. To a dog, a greeting is a greeting, and just because he's aged by a few months is no reason to stop jumping - at least, not voluntarily.

You'll need to take matters into your own hands, and make it perfectly clear to your dog that jumping is no longer an option.





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Dental Disease In Dogs

Dogs need to be cleaned, healthy and manageable. One way to make them healthy is brushing their teeth appropriately. According to veterinarians, about 80% of dogs have periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is caused by bacteria. Periodontal disease is a series of changes that are associated with the inflammation and loss of the deep supporting structures of teeth. The anatomy of the gums and teeth is that, there is a small natural trough created at the attachment of the gingival tissue and the tooth called the gingival sulcus. This trough is normally no more than 1mm in depth. This is the most critical area when cleaning the plaque from the tooth surface. It is in trough that many bacteria grow.


If plaque is continually digested on a larger than normal scale, it can cause kidney or liver troubles. Before your dogs will suffer with such disease, prevention is definitely the best cure. It is important to treat and control periodontal disease for two reasons. One is to maintain the health of teeth and gums ; and the second is to guard against infection spreading to other parts of the body.


The best that you can do is to brush your dog's teeth 2-3 times a week, or use antimicrobial spray if you don't have time or your dog is particularly resistant to the idea. Use only those products made specifically for dogs so that you don't unintentionally poison your dog. You can use gauze over your finger or a pet's toothbrush.


If your dog already has a considerable build up of tartar and plaque, veterinary cleaning may be needed. Get your dog on a good dental care program that includes:
Regular visits to your veterinarian, which include an oral exam
Veterinary dental cleaning as advised
Daily oral care...

You and your dog will be glad you did!


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Obedience class....does it work?

Dogs are like small children that need attention and care even they're grown up. You need to remind them of the proper way to complete the tasks. Practice makes perfect.


One way to help you train your dog about obedience is to join or attend the obedience class. Does it work? Yes! Though it takes only one hour a week for 8 weeks you will really learn. Enrolling to this class may only mean you want to learn and be ready to train your pet. The basic objective of this class is to produce dogs that have been trained to behave in the home, in public places and in the presence of other dogs in a manner that reflects credit on the sports of obedience. It is the great way to get to know your dog and learn something about your self.


I will share one thing I learned from that class. You should not correct the dog unless you are sure he understands the commands. The consequence to this rule is that every dog should be given every opportunity to be successful. Therefore, until the dog begins to sit on his own as soon as he hears the word "sit", don't expect him to sit without some guidance and then trained one command at a time.


In training your pet you need these 4P's...Patience, Persistence, Positive and Praise.


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