If you are tired of stepping in puddles of pee with your bare feet, you absolutely must know about the great resources out there to help you potty train a dog. When you start, you need to recognize two facts about your dog. First, by nature a dog goes to the bathroom when it wants to and where it wants to so you are going to have to change his or her nature. Second, every dog wants the approval of their owner and will do almost anything to get it. You will use the fact that your dog wants to please you to overcome his or her natural tendencies. If you are looking for a complete dog training course, check the links in the article for some great resources.

How to Potty Train a Dog

There are three main ways to go about potty training a dog. If your dog spends a lot of time in a kennel, you can train him to go in a corner so it is in one spot. If you have a fenced in yard and will just let your dog go outside when she needs to go to the bathroom, you can train her to go to the door and let you know when she has to go. The third way, which is the detailed more below, is to potty train your dog using a mat.

Potty training a dog to go on a mat is a simple concept that works really well if you don’t have easy access to an outdoor area where you can take your dog. For those of you who live in an apartment, especially if it is multiple floors up, this may be the only way to go.

The concept is simple. You put a mat in a corner of a room and train your dog to go to the bathroom on that mat. Your mat can be as simple as a bunch of newspaper or as elaborate as an artificial grass mat that simulates the outdoors. Positive reinforcement is the key so you have to catch them doing it right and praise them for it. Yelling at a dog won’t change behavior nearly as effectively as positive reinforcement when your dog does what you want him or her to do.

When you are house training or potty training a dog, remember that you got the dog to love. Potty training a dog can be a quick and easy task if you show your dog how proud you are when they do what you want because they will do anything to get your approval.

Training your pet can be one of the most rewarding experiences you ever have with your pet, but also one of the most frustrating if you don’t have all of the right resources. Got to ObedienceTraining4Dogs.info for great resources to help you learn how to train a puppy – or dog. If you are looking for articles on almost every topic including pets, head over to http://www.knowledge-share.org/blog/ for some more great reads.

A new puppy can be so cute. I think they are made that way so it’s easy to forgive them for peeing all over the floor and chewing up anything they can get their little teeth on. It takes time and patience to train a puppy but there are a few things to know that will make it a little easier. Read on then check the links in the article for more resources on how to train a puppy.

First of all it’s very important to train your puppy. An untrained puppy turns into an untrained dog which can lead to big problems. Puppies are usually very willing to be trained – they just don’t know it yet. The first 20 weeks (5 months) of a puppies life is the most valuable learning time. Its little brain is like a sponge and soaks up everything you teach it.

Here are some things to keep in mind when you are learning how to train a puppy:

* Always use positive reinforcement when puppy training. Never hit him. He will learn not to trust you and if he doesn’t trust you, he won’t learn from you. Reinforce good behavior with dog treats and lots of praise.
* Simple, one word commands like “sit” and “stay” are best. Don’t use them in a sentence like “Now I want you to sit down like a good boy”. Just simply say “sit”.
* Don’t give up. Keep working with them. You can’t work with him one day and not the next. You have to be very consistent. It’s a lot of work but it will pay off in the end.
* Focus on one skill at a time when you train your puppy. After he learns one skill, then move on to the next one.

Another good thing to do is to enroll your puppy in an obedience course if you can afford to spend hundreds of dollars. If you don’t have the time or money to devote to that then you should look into the many programs you can purchase online to teach your dog at home.

I never thought that Chicken Coop Plans would be something I could get interested in. My Uncle Dave’s latest hobby is chickens. His thinking behind this idea was there would be fresh eggs for the family and the children would enjoy the chickens as pets.

Many people let their chickens roam freely, so good money could be made if you wanted to sell free range eggs.. Therefore any cost incurred with keeping chickens can be offset. This is a way to make some profit..

Upon looking to buy a chicken coop, my uncle saw that the prices were quite steep so felt he would benefit if he built his own chicken housing. So he started to looking around for chicken coop plans and designs for building his own chicken coop.
He wanted a plan that was clear and easy to follow. He also felt that the children would enjoy watching the plan unfold and be involved at every step.

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I didn’t realise that there would be many things to taken into consideration such as the materials, ventilation, positioning etc. Even that there were actual drawbacks to using some of the cheaper materials that would even cost a person more in the long term.

Chicken safety was a particular aspect to keep in mind. Chickens actually need quite a lot of protection from predators such as snakes, foxes, possoms, racoons etc. You will also need to ensure that the chicken wire is securely fastened to the coup for their safety.

Even deciding the bedding for the chickens was no easy task. There are some folk who like to use sawdust as they feel it will absorb the smell more efficiently. They also feel because of the softness it makes the ideal bedding. However, others said that the sawdust will get into their eyes and the chickens would scratch the sawdust out of the pen. However, uncle and the children chose straw for the bedding as they read that Straw helps the water drain to the bottom and it will give the chickens something to “scratch” through. It’s safe for them to eat.

Financial cost was the major decision for uncle deciding to build his chicken coop, the savings would be substantial, probably over 50%. He also wanted a plan where he wouldn’t need to buy additional tools. So he wanted to be able to use the tools in his garage, such as hammer, drill and handsaw.

Uncle was looking for an easy to follow step by step plan on how to build a chicken coop. Of course additional material on chicken breeds, how to cure chickens of illness and foods to give the chickens etc. were added benefits..

So, if you would like to take advantage of some of his findings such as:

1. 6 things you must have before you even think about building a coop .

2. Correct ventilation to prevent harmful ammonia and carbon dioxide buildup in your chicken house.

3. How to build a large Premium chicken coop that is easy to clean, automatically collects eggs and allows you to maintain more chickens.

4. Plans that include making a portable chicken coop that is simple to clean and even provides fertilizer for your garden.

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Commercial puppy food has only been available for approximately the past century. Before this the dogs of the world survived by consuming leftovers & scraps from their human owners or from the streets. Many people argue that if they managed without commercial puppy food in the past why can’t they now?

My answer to this question is simple we, as the human race, used to hunt our food until we evolved and then ate commercial food. Dogs have evolved over the years too so why would we expect them to eat leftovers still?

So what is the best dog food? This is a debate that seems to have been going on for as long as dogs have been around. Some dog owners will tell you that a dry food is much more suitable whilst others will tell you that a wet food is better.

Personally my own dogs eat a dry food, one of the leading brands, Eukanuba. Real chicken is used in this food, it contains 25 % protein & the 16 % fat levels are much higher than the competitors. The name, Eukanuba was born from the jazz era of the 1940’s, jazz had its own language & Eukanuba stood for anything that was ‘supreme’.

Eukanuba claim that their food is 100% complete & is a balanced nutritional puppy food. Containing the ideal mixture of the right vitamins & minerals, protein, fat & carbohydrates. It also has real fish oil that leaves your dog with a beautifully shiny coat.

The big advantage that a dry puppy food has over a wet puppy food is the dental side of things for your dog’s teeth. The crunchy, dry pieces of kibble in a dry food actually help to reduce tartar building up & remove the plaque as the dog eats. This is an important factor when considering the answer to the question ‘what is the best dog food?’

I feel a lot of owners assume that because a dog’s natural diet should consist of meat due to them being carnivores that their own dogs should consume only meat. The general opinion seems to be that the dry puppy food looks so bland & it seems unfair to feed your dog the same bowl of dry food every day. What is my answer to this question? Well it’s easy; ask yourself if your dog’s eating the food readily, are they leaving any? Does your dog enjoy feeding time? So with this information is it actually your dog that has a problem with eating the same kibble daily or is it in actual fact you, as the owner that has a problem feeding your dog the same dry puppy food daily?

You can offer your dog a wet meat based food in & out as a special treat, mine occasionally have the pouches from Pedigree which they enjoy. The meat foods do tend to smell more than the dry foods, dry food is a lot cleaner.

Most of the dry puppy food brands offer a range of diets to suit your dog’s age & exercise regime, they start from puppyhood, adulthood through to seniorhood. Also most produce a working puppy food as the working dogs burn up so much more energy & need to replace it.

You will discover advice on how much to feed your dog on the bag or can, if you’re ever confused you can always ask your vet, as they’re there to assist you.

More & more dog owners are switching to feeding their dogs a raw food diet, as they believe this is much better for them. The BARF (biologically appropriate raw food) diet is a healthy, completely natural, safe & very nutritious one for your dog.

Basically it’s a diet with no preservatives, grains, fillers, chemicals, coloring or heat processing. It works on the principle of your dog being a carnivore & an omnivore; the dog’s diet will include mince & pate & will encourage you to feed certain fruits & vegetables. Do some research before switching to this feeding method.

What is the best puppy food is really down to personal choice but if I was asked I would have to recommend a dry food as I find this cleaner & better for my dog’s teeth.

Training your dog is simply a way of ensuring that it acts in a disciplined and satisfactory approach. Dog training certainly is a process that involves a series of well-articulated directions repeated constantly enough for a dog to get used to and respond to. There are innumerable aspects of dog training. However, obedience dog training is a fundamental training process that a dog must go through first. It is the desire of all dog owners’ that their dogs obey their direction. Once you can train your dog to obey, every other thing falls into place.

In obedience dog training, there are five basic directions or behaviors that a dog is taught. They are:

- Down: This direction is normally uttered to calm an especially exuberant dog. Your dog may be the overly excited kind that loves to paw human beings, lunge at them or even tug at their clothes. Teaching a dog to stay down when you order it to can help to keep its excesses in check. The ‘down’ direction is certainly a position of subservience the dog adopts when it is being excessive in its behavior.

- Sit: You can train your dog to sit down in a specific place. This direction is good for situations where you can’t go into specific places with your dog. Teaching your dog to sit down and stay put while you shop or obtain something prevents it from wandering off and getting lost.

- Stay: The stay direction is almost similar to the sit direction except that you use it in situations where you are going to leave your dog alone for an exceptionally long period of time.

- Recall: Calling your dog to you is a direction that establishes you as the master. The recall direction is manufactured to call your dog’s attention to you and to get it to come to where you are.

- Close or loose leash walking: You need to teach your dog how to respond to a leash. One basic dog-training tool, the leash enables you to do a variety of things ranging from walking your dog to correcting your dog. A dog that isn’t used to a leash may not be able to respond favorably to your other directions.

Each of these directions is executed using different words depending on the dog trainer. Use words that your dog will easily grasp and get used to.

Ras Reed offers you more insightful resources on Dog Training such as How To Train Dogs, as well as Personalized Dog Collar on his website.

For the house training dogs visit this blog.

Having a sick hamster is not a pleasant experience. It can be quite upsetting to know that your little hamster is not feeling well. Here are a few tips that you can try to help make your pet hamster feel a little more comfortable.

You should quarantine your hamster the moment you notice that she is ill. Now you can see why it is a good idea to set up a quarantine tank. This tank will allow you to quickly isolate a hamster who is ill. Setting up a quarantine tank can cost you precious time, especially since a hamster can go from bad to worse pretty quickly. Isolating your hamster is a good thing. It will help to keep your other hamsters healthy. Also, it will give your sick hamster a quiet space to rest and recover. Be sure to set up your quarantine tank in an area away from bright light and noise, and away from other pets and family members.

Feeding: A sick hamster will often stop eating. Because of their small size, this can quickly become fatal. Hamsters require regular feedings in order to give them the nutrition necessary to combat infections and illness, and to recover faster. Place their dish of food near where they sleep. This will make it easier for them to eat. To help them maintain their calorie intake, feed them high calorie foods that are easy to eat. Some good things to feed them are hard-boiled eggs, small amounts of scrambled eggs, small pieces of cooked chicken, and fruit or vegetable baby food. You can use a medicine dropper or an eye dropper to feed them the baby food. If your hamster appears to be really hungry, continue feeding her for. After a little while take a break then see if she wants some more. It is important that you take a break and do not allow your hamster to just continue eating. Instead, she will probably end up feeling worse.

Water: Providing your hamster with enough liquid is also very important. To make it easier for your hamster to get a drink, move her water bottle closer to her sleeping area. Use an eye dropper or a medicine dropper to give water to hamster that are very weak. Another idea is to give your hamster a weak solution of half water and half unflavored electrolyte.

Make your hamster comfortable: Sometimes a sick hamster will have a chill because they have stopped eating and drinking. Because of this your hamster may go into hibernation. You need to keep your hamster warm. However, do not keep her too warm or she can die from a heatstroke. Provide plenty of toilet paper, but make sure that it is plain and unscented. If you like you can tear the paper into strips. Your hamster will use the paper to make a warm bed to cuddle in. The warm nest will help to prevent her from catching a chill.

Limit activity: If you need, remove the exercise wheel to prevent your hamster from over exerting herself. Some hamsters will still exercise even though they are sick. This can lead to an injury or your hamster can become dehydrated.

If your hamster seems to be getting worse contact your vet immediately.

For more information on care a hamster visit Hamster Care Answers.

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Breeding teddy bear hamsters can be an educational and rewarding experience; You need to think about a number of things before you decide to breed your hamsters:

Are there any buyers already interested in buying your baby hamsters? Around 20 to 25 days of age, baby hamsters are weaned. Around 45 days of age, they may start breeding. Once the babies are born, you will not have that much time before they will need to go to their new homes. I recommend that you find homes for your baby hamsters well before the time comes. Please, do not turn the babies loose. Some other animal will probably eat them, or they will starve to death. In the unlikely event that they survive, they will start to breed and will become a pest. They will have to go to their new homes sometime between 4 – 7 weeks old.

Do you have the required supplies as well as enough space to breed hamsters? You need enough space and housing area. At least four housing areas are needed: one for males, one for females, one for a quarantine tank, and one for a birthing house. The quarantine tank is for sick hamsters, or for new hamsters before you add them to your other hamsters.

Are you committed to all the work necessary for breeding hamsters? To successfully breed hamsters requires a great deal of commitment. Cages need to be kept very clean. Your expenses will increase since you will need more supplies for all your hamsters. You also need to remember the cages, the toys, exercise wheels, and so on. Before you decide on breeding your hamsters, be sure that you are willing and able to invest in those resources.

Once you have decided that you want to breed hamsters, follow these steps to make sure you get a good start:

1. Buy your hamsters from a reputable breeder. Find a breeder who takes good care of their hamsters.

2. Observe the hamster you are interested in closely before finalizing the sale. Is the hamster friendly? Calm? Tame? Curious? Pass on any hamster who seems overly timid or overly aggressive. These traits can pass on to their offspring, so you wouldn’t want to breed them. Pica a hamster that seems to be tame, or at least does not seem to be hostile. Try to locate a breeder who handles and tames their hamsters before they sell them. You will probably want to get your hamsters for breeding from a good breeder. This is because the local pet store does not usually handle their hamsters often enough.

3. Be sure to separate the male and female hamsters. Only put them together when it is breeding time. Females will often abuse their male partners if they are not yet ready for mating. About once every four days, a female hamster becomes fertile. You will know a female is fertile by the way her tail freezes up in the air around a male hamster.

4. Keep a pregnant or nursing female hamster away from too much noise. Do not handle them too much. Do no handle any of the babies until they are weaned. Remember to separate the males and females right after they are weaned. This will prevent any unwanted breeding.

Visit Hamster Care Answers for more information on dwarf hamsters breeding.

Stop by Pets Care Store for all your exotic pet supplies.

There are as many ways to raise a puppy as there are to raising a child. In fact, one way per family in general! But most of us agree that when it comes to children, certain things are universal and undisputed. Here are three things that a lot of people just do not think of when it comes to raising their dogs, however. How many times have we heard, “My dog just won’t listen to me”, or “He just won’t behave!”

1. Dogs do not understand English until we teach them.

The thing we all love about puppies the most is the way they live for us, the way they focus all they have on us, the way our lives become theirs. in the beginning, they study us to learn our body language, our facial expressions and our language. Until we teach them the English language, it’s all they have. If we say, “Wanna go out?” one day, “Have to go potty?” the next day, and, “Hafta pee?” the third day, if they DO figure out what we want, it is because we have picked up the leash and moved toward the door with a happy face! If you want to speed up his training by three-fold, teach him YOUR language. Pick a command for EACH behavior and stick with it. Tell all in your family to use the same words and commands, and your puppy will amaze you at how much faster he learns.

2. A young puppy’s metabolism is racing along faster than we think.

The younger your puppy is, the faster he is growing, the more food and water he needs to fuel his metabolism, and the more often he has to go potty. Do not punish your puppy when he makes a house-breaking mistake. These are YOUR fault. Your puppy’s age in weeks and his breed size determine how often he must go out. Once an hour is not too often for a large 6-week old puppy, especially if it is summertime. Dogs love the exciting smells outdoors, so there is no excuse to not have him housebroken by 7-8 weeks of age. Right after a nap, after he eats and after grooming are the key times, and he will signal you. If he is happily chewing a toy and gets up suddenly with his nose to the floor, move quickly! And every time he goes potty outside, praise him to high heaven! “What a good BOYY!”, “GOOD go potty!” and the like. Dogs love our happy faces, and they will do anything to get it.

3. Dogs live for our facial expressions and body language.

Because of this, the worst punishment you ever need to give your dog is a scowl and to turn away from him. You can see his tail fall down and his face get so sad. He will learn the lesson, I guarantee it. But his attention span is only 3-5 minutes, so do not scorn him any longer. Love him up and give him your happy face again. Physical punishment is never necessary. Use consistent commands and loving praise and he will know what you want of him before you know. He will become a master of your body language and facial expressions in no time at all.

Naturally there are many aspects of training your puppy well. Loving kindness works just as well for puppies as it does with children, creating a happy, well-adjusted and obedient dog for life. These three important tips, used consistently with confidence, will start him well on his way.

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Make sure you also know these house training dogs tips.

Is barking a form of language among dogs with precise significance, or just playful noise? Dogs exchange information among themselves less by voice than by a wide range of facial expressions, body postures and gestures, as well as by various scents. Dogs, who bark at night, are probably working off excess energy or announcing their presence, and this is undoubtedly the only message conveyed to other dogs within ear shot.

When a dog goes to his owner and deliberately barks, it is simply meant to attract attention. You must try to guess his general behavior, rather than from the circumstances and his general behavior, rather than from the particular form or pitch of bark he makes. The howling or baying of hunting dogs is an instinctive hunting cry informing the pack that the dog is on a trail. Barking at strange noises is a warning as well as a threat display.

A lonely dog who bowls may be sending out a gathering cry to other dogs nearby. Wild dogs on the other hand, never back, they only howl. Could the barking of domesticated dogs be a form of communication more closely resembling speech? A pet dog that shares a close relationship with his owner and has been taught to understand many words obviously makes an effort, sometimes quite successfully, to give meaning to his own utterances.

A dog who wishes to assert his importance and boldness instinctively employs all of the effects that make him look bigger and more frightening, raising his back ton increase his height and holding his head high in defiance. A dog who wants to show submission does just the opposite, making himself look small by crouching down with his tail between his legs and his ears laid back flat.

A dog who wishes to assert his dominance will take a perpendicular position with his head over the other dog’s shoulders, while nudging or pushing, with his neck arched, head and tail raised and tense. The conventional play invitation is a posture with the forehead crouched, the hind quarters high, a wagging tail, bright eye and a little yap. A rigid stance with a steady gaze and a high, trembling tail is hostile. A high, steady tail signifies self confidence, and held low indicates inferiority, fatigue, ill health, or a bad mood.

Pawing at the neck is an expression of affection, nose-nudging is another invitation to play. Paw-giving is a conventional canine gesture with two possible meanings. When he gives his paw to his owner while avoiding eye contact he’s saying “Please forgive me” or when he wants attention, he is saying “I’m here, don’t forget me.” When he offers his paw to another dog, it’s a sign of submission.

An owner, who takes the trouble to observe his dog and pay him the courtesy of listening to him, can establish a simple two-way communications system with his pet. Canine messages are generally very elementary, as he asks much less of us than we do of him. “I’m hungry,” “I’m thirsty”, “I need to go out”, or “Come with me I think something is wrong” are among the messages he manages to convey very well considering his limited means. His most eloquent utterance is the emotional gurgle of barks that means to say “I’ve missed you!”

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Whatever your dog preference is, you are sure to find terrier dogs among the candidates for a pal. You’ll get energy you want with little grooming and added wit.

Basically bred for hunting and killing vermin, Terrier dogs are now known to offer wide spectrum of features and characters that you might find lovable. They are not as cuddly as toy dogs (while there are some terrier dogs in the toy and companion dog brackets) and they may not be as intelligent like other breeds but they set off these lacks with various things that only they can offer.

Let us discuss in brief some of the terrier dog types that you may find interesting:

Less aggressive but definitely not timid. This best describes Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers. They are definitely alert and very spirited, but when the call for steadiness arrives, they are sure to show you some air of confidence and steady disposition.

This dog type too is gifted with intelligence which makes them very responsive with obedience training.

Parson Russell Terrier is a dog type that exhibits boldness, cleverness, affection and exuberant disposition. While many may find this a playful pal, it is still not advisable for everyone to take Parson Russell home. In fact, formal obedience training is a must for owners since this dog type is more likely to display mischievousness and too much playfulness that make this a very independent pet. For people with active lifestyles and those who can tolerate explorative disposition, this scamp is the best for you.

The Norwich Terrier, on the other hand, is a type of dog that resulted from breeding small Terriers with other smaller breeds, possibly Yorkshire Terriers. Maintenance of Norwich Terrier is minimal and they are content with modest living quarters. They have active disposition though and can be affectionate and fearless. Additionally, they are also known to display stocky and happy personalities which make them ideal pals.

Much like the Norwich Terriers, Norfolk Terriers are also well-spirited, fearless, charming and always ready for game. While both may have some similar physical characteristics, Norfolks can still be distinguished through their folds in the ears.

Basically workman-like dogs, Kerry Blue Terriers are excellent watchdogs and work well in farm settings. This dog got its name from its blue-shade coat color which was originally black during puppyhood.

Wire Fox Terriers are of great interest since they display power through its excellent endurance capabilities and speed. Alertness and quick movements are the dominant expressions of this dog type. It is advisable though that the owner trains this dog and should be given enough doses of daily exercises.

Meanwhile, Smooth Fox Terriers are the frolic and lively types of dogs that are ideal in both country and city living. Displaying intelligence and cleverness, this dog makes good trainees and must be well credited by that. They are also likely to show great affection towards their owners.

These are just some of the many terrier dog types that can be considered as your next pets. In general, this dog type has good dispositions and makes ideal home pets. While some may display obscure aggressiveness, this still does not negate the fact that most types have the capacity to develop affection and keen expression of their attachment to their owners. Be warned though that some dog types in this breed can be very playful and should be given enough amount of attention and time during obedience training and exercises.

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