Following the news that Seasonal Canine Illness has claimed the lives of more dogs, the Animal Health Trust is cautioning dog owners to be on their guard against this deadly dog disease. You can find out more at: http://www.aht.org.uk/sci
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRSBWRG4Sgc
In recognition of the awarding of the title tallest dog in the world 2012, we thought we’d meet up with George, the previous holder of this canine achievement record.
Another insight in to the incredible relationship between human and canine.
Read about how diabetic alert dogs are actually trained:
Jerry is an enterprising dog isn’t he?
The sort of self motivated canine that can be an inspiration for dogs all over the world, who mistakenly believe they need a tw0-legged ball thrower.
Knowing the essential first aid response for a variety of emergency situations that dogs can encounter can and does save many canine lives each year.
As the video above explains, knowing how to perform cpr, how to save a choking dog, understanding how to respond in any variety of emergency situations can be the difference between keeping your dog alive and tragedy.
K9 Magazine has a special report that you can download giving even more emergency life saving tips for dog owners and you should read it today!
Watch a battle of the brains between three dog breeds.
Have you ever wanted to know how clever your own dog is?
Check out this article.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSmj5k1SYVw
This is an interesting introduction to the world of dog body language.
Have your say on the video below.
Do you want to find out how sociable and outgoing your puppy is? Then try this little experiment:
Put a few toys down in the room. Quickly walk away from your puppy and then observe his reaction:
*A favourable response would be the puppy running happily after you, regardless of what else might be occurring. This shows that the puppy highly desires the company of people, a trait that is advantageous. This puppy should be easy to train and should learn to focus well on you instead of distractions.*An unfavourable response would have the puppy ignoring you and investigating something else, perhaps a toy on the floor or a sound coming from another room.
This puppy may not value interaction with humans over his own desire to investigate his surroundings.
He may not be as easy to train as the puppy that values human interaction above all else.
A puppy that ignores you in this way may have an unfocused or independent mindset that could be a prelude to dominant behavior.
Socialising Your New Puppy
Below are some helpful tips on how to socialise your new dog with existing pets in the household, with your friends, and with other people’s animals.
Make an initial contact with other dogs outside the home. If you can, take your existing pet (or pets) for a walk and have a friend meet you somewhere with your new dog. Take a long walk so the dogs can get used to each other. Switch dogs on your walk.
Take all the dogs back to the house. Switch dogs and have a tour of your home, with all dogs still leashed. Let your existing house dogs loose, but keep the new dog tied to you. If the new dog tries to mark the house anywhere, correct him with a sharp jerk and a stern “No!” If any of the existing dogs try to mark, correct them in the same manner. Explain to all, in no uncertain terms, that marking will not be tolerated. In addition, when you feed the dogs be sure to feed the established pets first and stay near the new dog while he eats.
Most established pets, if already well socialised, will enjoy a newcomer as long as the newcomer is friendly and is introduced in the manner described above. If you find you have brought in a troublemaker, you must remain the Alpha dog. If you are not willing to assume that responsibility, take the dog back.
Socialising with Your Friends: While puppies always generate warm feelings, adult dogs do not. It is especially important that they make a good impression on your friends and neighbours from the start, especially if you already have other pets. Set rules for your new dog immediately.
No jumping on friends; keep your dog leashed the entire time friends are at home gatherings for the first few weeks to make sure your dog does not try to jump on them. No barking when the doorbell rings; no running out the door when you open it for guests; make him sit at your side and ask the guests to ignore him until everyone is in and he has a chance to evaluate the new people. Let him approach them for petting if he is calm; if not, wait until you have established the control you need so as not to make a spectacle of yourself and the dog.
When he can accept guests, make sure he does so with all four feet on the ground. It is easy for a dog to try to explore with his paw as well as his nose. If you are firm and consistent from the first guest on, you not only will eliminate obnoxious behaviour but will instill acceptable behaviour. The end result: Your friends will welcome his addition to your family.
Socialising with Other People’s Animals:
The same logic applies here as with your other animals, so use the same type of rules. Take long walks on which you know you will meet friends doing the same with their animals. Contain and restrain your dog from barking at other animals as they approach. If necessary make him sit at your side.
Always allow thorough sniffing from both animals, as this is their way of saying hi. If at all possible, invite friends and their animals back to your home and allow the dogs to play by themselves. This solves many problems the everyday pet owner may not think about and he will find the dog much more relaxed and easier to handle.
Our simple guide to how to clean your dog’s ears the right way…
Different dogs require different cleaning schedules, from every couple of weeks to daily. Your dog’s activity and the weather also influence the frequency of cleaning. If your dog is an big swimmer, I suggest daily cleaning before bed. In most cases, twice a month is sufficient.
To clean the outer flap, ask your veterinarian to recommend a commercial ear solution that will prevent infection. Soak a cotton swab with the solution and wipe the outer ear flap.Never, never, never use a Q-tip or poke your finger into your dog’s ear. You can do irreparable damage to your dog’s inner ear!
If your dog’s ear gets infected, follow the same procedure that you would use for medicating the eye. If your dog has drop ears, gently lift the flap and place the medicine where your veterinarian has instructed.
In the video above you get the chance to sit in on a dog training consultation as well as observe some hands on, specific techniques used in rehabilitating a dog with aggression toward other dogs.
Dog on dog aggression is a serious problem.
Responsible, sensible owners understand and recognise this and they try to seek the help of experts in order to do something about it.
It’s widely accepted by most modern dog trainers that the most effective way to solve dog aggression toward other dogs is by way of positive reinforcement techniques.
Again, in the video this is stressed and emphasised.
Genetics, early socialization or the lack of exposure during the critical period of social development, and traumatic experiences, shape how your dog interacts with other dogs. Play between dogs should be a 2-way street. They should take turns chasing each other–neither dog being a bully or a target.
Dog/dog aggression can be a dangerous problem for you, your dog, other dogs, and anyone who tries to break up a dog fight.
Behavior modification techniques that include: desensitization, behavior adjustment therapy (BAT), functional rewards, Feisty Fido and clicker training will help you and your pup have a safe and happy summer together.
Source: Victoria Stilwell’s Positively website:
http://positively.com/2011/07/02/dogdog-aggression/
Effective home management: teaching the dog to allow the humans in the household to make the right decisions for him. If it is not happening in the home, it certainly is not going to happen in the real world, especially if the dog considers it a “dangerous” environment. Foundation behaviors are taught via clicker training, so that after the dog learns to think in the environment, he might perform the desired behaviors. Foundation behaviors include: sit, down, heel, stay, targeting, holding an object, kennel up on audible cue, come and sit front, leave it, come when called, and get behind.
Create a “thinking” dog: I am convinced that when Ben saw another dog, he reacted involuntarily. Once in this cycle, he could not stop, even when my husband picked him up off of a dog and brought him into another room. Ben still kept reacting as if nothing had changed. In order for a dog to look at his owner for direction, he needs to be able to make that deliberate decision to do so. He needs to be able to think in that environment.
Source: Karen Pryor (clicker training expert)
http://www.clickertraining.com/node/64
Aggression itself is usually defined by canine behaviorists as “the intent to do harm”. Many dogs show “displays of aggression” such as barking, growling, or snapping in the air, which are considered distance-increasing actions, those that intend to get the person or dog to move away from the dog. Some dog-aggressive dogs display aggression that is mainly defensive, and they harm another dog only if they perceive that they have no option. Yet, other dogs may develop dog-aggressive behaviour due to medical reasons, such as hormonal imbalances.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_aggression
This is just the sixth session training Pink with a clicker.
The trainer is Amy Peterson of Norcal’s American Bulldogs.
www.norcalsbulldogs.com
You bet it does!
Clicker training has been around for a long time now and is highly thought of by some of the world’s most respected dog trainers.
As seen with the training video of this American Bulldog puppy, clicker training can be used from a very early age and can form the basis for an entire lifetime of training exercises.
Dog barking is one of the more common and anti-social* traits many owners would like to fix.
This video gives a good, basic overview of the techniques you can use to address the problem.
*Anti-social in human terms. Dogs barking is, in reality, one of the most overt social behaviours dogs display.
K9 Magazine met up with Hollyoaks actress Stephanie Davis and her dog Romeo at The Malmaison Liverpool. Take a look at her photoshoot!
Read more online at: http://www.k9magazine.com/stephanie-davis
Happy is Maltese & Daschund mix.
Welsh Corgi does its bit for causing cuteness overload in the human brain.