To teach your dog tricks even easy ones you need to have some small reward treats, be in a quiet suitable place and keep the training sessions to 10 - 15 minutes or your dog will start to get board, remember when he gets something right lots of praise and a reward treat, just be careful not to get him over excited or he will loose concentration.

Getting your dog to give you his paw, first get your dog to sit, then as you say the word ‘paw’ take your dogs paw in your hand, give the dog a treat, repeat this, after a few times do not take his paw so quickly, say the word, count to one then take it, you should notice he is bringing his paw up as you say the word if he does not go back to saying it at the same time, do it a few more times then slow your response again. After 2 or 3 sessions most dogs pick this one up quite happily.

The high five, like a lot of tricks the high five is a progression of an earlier trick, in this cast the paw trick. Hold a treat in your fingers and raise your hand slightly higher than you would for the paw trick. You dog will think you want to do the paw trick and will reach for the treat with his paw as we taught him earlier, as he reaches up you say “high five” and give him the treat. Once your dog has mastered the paw trick this one should be very easy to learn and with just a few sessions he will be doing it on hand signal rather than voice control.

Getting your dog to jump through a hoop, before you start this one I would just like to ask you to be a little sensible and not hold the hoop too high as you do not want your dog to heart himself while doing the trick. Sit your dog on one side of a hoola hoop, get the dogs attention on your hand on the other side of the hoop take a treat in your hand and give the dog the command to release him from the sit, at first he may attempt to go around or under the hoop, if this happens start again, your dog wants the treat and will soon learn that going around or under does not get it so he will soon start going through it, when he does say hoopla and give him the treat. He will soon be jumping through the hoop on the command of hoopla. When I started doing this trick I had a medium sized dog (a Labrador) so I started with the hoop 6 inches from the ground and slowly raised it to waist height, if you have a smaller dog you might want to start with the hoop touching the ground so the dog just goes through the hoop and then slowly raise it as he gets used to the trick.

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You will soon find all of the new fashions coming out. You will not be disappointed with this years trends! The runways are bringing stylish designs for the new season. People design and bring the fashions to the public and doggy designers take direction and follow the trends. Unique trends in dog clothes copy those off the fashion runways. What trends will you find this spring? You can find so many new fashion trends for spring. Some are new but some are not so new.

Not all human fashion trends can be converted into doggy fashion trends. Trends involving necklaces or bracelets do not always work for dogs. However, rhinestones or colored gemstones or just an in color that are trendy will show up in doggy barrettes or hair ribbons. Also, shoe trends do not turn into dog fashion. Even though you can find the most adorable dog shoes and booties. Unfortunately, this trend does not come off the runways but the colors may. We all know that we are not going to put a pooch in a wedged heel.

Some of the current trends on the runway during fashion week will reflect in dog fashion. Here are a few that I think we will also see in small dog clothes and some large dog clothing too. Zippered accents are hot right now. This fashion statement could cross over well because doggie fashion tends to have a lot of fasteners or pockets for treats to begin with anyway. Which colors are in? The colors for spring are magenta and neon which are inspired by the 90s. The neon look can be sported by male dogs as well. Neon green and electric blue are great colors for male dogs. Black on white is one of the popular trends you will see this season.

Sometimes the color itself is not the focus of a trend but what you do with the color. This spring color blocking is all the rave. Blocks of color Strategically placed on any garment is eye popping. The biggest item that will transfer over to the dog trends is the classic dog trench coat or raincoat. This will be worn by many dogs to keep them from springs notorious rainy weather. If you intend on buying one for your dog be certain that the dog rain jacket is water resistant.

It is always fun to have the knowledge as to what is in style for the season. However, we might not all be into the clothing that comes off of the high fashion runways during the spring fashion chaos. If you choose not to, there are plenty of fashionable ideas for you to choose from that will always be in style.

Thinking of the best toys that suit your dog? Browse through the dog toys below and see what fits your pet and your budget.

For dogs who love to chew:

1. Kong Jump’n Jack

Prices:
$5.60 (small)
$7.50 (medium)
$8.80 (large)

Kong Jump’n Jack is a dog toy and a teeth cleaner and gum exerciser at the same time. It has a very unpredictable bounce that makes it a lot more fun for the dog to play with. It has a lot more surfaces that clean dog’s teeth. Kong Jump’n Jack also has slits that are useful for the gums to be exercised. This also encourages your dog to chew on this toy rather than other things and can be effective if you’re trying to stop chewing dogs.

2. Squirrel Dude (Busy Buddy)

Prices:
$5.99 (small)
$8.99 (medium)
$11.99 (large)

This is a unique and innovative rubber toy. It has four rubber prongs that cover the hole a bit which challenges the dog to give more effort to taste the food treats inside. The Squirrel Dude is durable and very chewable.

3. Biscuit Block (Animal Planet)

$4.50 (small)
$9.90 (medium)

This chew toy has four grabbing chambers distributed throughout the toy. Varieties of dog treats can be inserted inside to keep pets happy and busy. It has a crazy bounce brought about by its square shape with cut corners.

4. Ball Stomp’r (Launch and Throw Ball Toys)

Price:
$10.99 (regular, red)
$8.99 (mini, green)

This dog toy enables both young and old to have a great time playing with their dogs. The Ball Stomp’r is the first ball launcher of its kind. The ball needs to be loaded, then stomped on and it will eject to a height reaching 100 feet with the regular ball. The mini Ball Stom’r can reach up to a height of 60 feet. This toy has its own ball but tennis balls are a good substitute. This toy is tough, water proof and very dog friendly. This is not chew-proof though so it should be kept after using. The dimension of a regular-sized Ball Stomp’r is 12 inches in length that uses a tennis ball sized ball. The smaller type is 9 inches long and uses a ball with the size of 2 inches. This also keeps the dog occupied and can be useful to stop a barking dog.

4. Dinosaur Egg Baby (Plush Puppies) – Intelligence Building Toy ($6.90)

The Dinosaur Egg Baby has three eggs inside that give out a squeaking sound. It has a secret opening underneath to test dog’s instinct in getting hidden rewards. It is 6 inches in height, 5 inches wide and 12 inches long.

Toys that exercise dogs, cleanse their teeth, rejuvenate their jumping ability and test their intelligence. A complete set of these toys would definitely make owners be much more loved by their pets.

I have personally used all of these toys at one time or another and can honestly say that each and every one of them has contributed to ensuring that my dogs have always had very clean teeth, and great athletic ability.

For the tips about house training dogs, please visit this blog.

When you hear the word “hero” you often times don’t associate that word with a dog. Hero’s have super powers or can be the average Joe. A hero can be a police officer, fireman, or solider. Teachers and people in our community can be heroes. See how much we forget about what our canines can do for us? During the rescue effort following the terrorist attacks at the Pentagon and the World Trade Centers service dogs who could detect human remains, bombs, drugs, chemicals, and explosives were in high demand! You can take a look at these cheap dog clothes that will be great if you need a coat for your lab.

What is so special about service detection dogs, you ask? Well for one all dogs are born with the gift of smell. Their ability to smell things we cannot and the ability to trace some scents to their origins makes the dog a great tool in service detection and Search and Rescues(SAR). While all dogs may not be suited for this kind of labor(minis, toys, and small breeds would become overwhelmed and do not have the stamina), but dog breeds like Labrador Retrievers are excellent and thrive at being a service dog.

Labrador Retrieves by nature and instinct are great hunters and great at retrieving their prey. They are also physically adapted for the rigorous jobs that being a service detection dog or SAR dog entails. In the past, working breeds such as the Belgian Malinois and, more commonly, the German Shepherd, took over these types of roles. But today, the Labrador Retriever is gaining huge popularity as the breed of choice for these demanding and potentially dangerous situations. Be sure to pick up some dog supplies for your Labrador.

What makes the Labrador Retriever so fit for this kind of work? Being a natural hunter, the Golden Retriever when his human hunter has fell some sort of fowl or animal, the Retriever’s job is to hunt for the scent that ultimatly leads him or her to the prey so they can return it to their hunting owners. This is why the Lab is such a great dog for service work. The Labrador Retriever is also unique in the sense that when it is on the trail of a certain scent it has the special ability to tune out or block other scents so it’s focus is just on the one scent. These dogs are highly intelligent, they train easy, and physically they have the body strength and stamina to withstand many rugged conditions. If you have a dog crate then be sure to get some dog crate cover, so your Labrador, service dog will be comfortable.

Because of many breeds of dogs are unique in their “nose” abilities the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Customs, and the Auburn University’s Canine Detection Training Center have all initiated detection-dog breeding programs that are 100% exclusive to the Labrador Retriever.

German Shepherds are one of the most versatile dogs on the planet. They can make wonderful pets or can be trained to work. These dogs can learn to do almost anything and are frequently trained to be police dogs or other service dogs. With that said, training German Shepherds needs to be approached a little different than most other dogs. Read on then check the links in the article for some great dog training resources.

A German Shepherd is an athletic, strong, and large dog. They thrive on challenges and will do almost anything you want them to do. With that said, there are some things you need to know about training German Shepherds and the dog breed in general.

They can be very rambunctious as puppies and young adults. Because they do get big very quickly, this can lead to problems knocking over small children or elderly people they may be around. This isn’t due to any aggression issue, it is just because of their size and nature. This is one area you really need to address with your German Shepherd training.

If left alone, their size and nature can lead to a path of destruction you don’t want to see in your house (think tornado). A bored puppy or young dog can destroy a house if left alone without any stimulation.

You need to make sure to socialize your German Shepherd just like you should with any dog. This means putting them in non-threatening situations where they are around people and other dogs. This will make sure they don’t develop aggression issues towards strangers or other dogs.

One way to get a well trained German Shepherd is to enroll in professional training classes. The downside of professional training classes is that they can be very expensive and they may not fit into your schedule. If you miss a week, you may come in the next week and find out your dog doesn’t know what the other dogs do and you are now on your own catching up. This may be the best if you are looking for a highly trained dog or have behavior problems, but in many cases it is more than you need.

My preferred method for training German Shepherds and most dogs is to invest in a dog training course. They cost a lot less than professional training class and for the vast majority of dogs provide all the training resources you need. If you have a problem dog, you may have to look into professional help, but I would try the DIY method first. You are going to have to be involved in training process either way so why not try to do it at home when you want to.

There are 2 keys to German Shepherd training. First, you must be consistent and use simple commands. Second, you must use positive reinforcement. Your dog wants to please you more than you can imagine so make sure you praise them when they do a good job. These rules apply to pretty much every pet you could have.

Save yourself some time and frustration by checking the links in the article to learn all the secrets you need to know to make your dog training experience a good one. Remember what they say about catching more flies with honey than vinegar, it goes for dog training. Love will get you much better results than yelling and screaming. Good luck with your new pet!

There’s a difference between disobedience and incomprehension. If your dog isn’t obeying a command because he doesn’t understand what it is you want him to do, that’s not a behavioral problem at all; it simply means that you need to spend some more time together in training. True disobedience occurs when your dog deliberately does not obey a request or command, although he has full knowledge of what it is that you’re asking him to do (and you know this because he’s performed it reliably on several occasions beforehand). Although this may seem like a relatively minor inconvenience, it’s actually a pretty serious thing – not only can it be dangerous for your dog (for example, if he’s heading towards a busy road and ignores your ‘come’ command), but it’s also detrimental to your relationship with your dog.

Disobedience is rooted in disrespect. When your dog deliberately does not obey you, he’s saying, “I don’t respect your authority enough to do what you want me to do”. If you allow him to get away with this, you are allowing him to form the habit of passive-aggression. This is not something that can just be left to “fix itself” – the problem will worsen, not get better, if you leave it. It’s very important that your dog recognizes that you outrank him in the social hierarchy of the household. The concept of alpha status is one that you need to be familiar with in order to maintain a healthy, functional relationship with your dog. It may sound cruel from a human perspective, but your dog is happier when he knows that someone else is in charge of making all the decisions – including his day-to-day behavior and obedience levels.

It is not possible to have a good owner/dog relationship if he does not understand that you are the clear-cut authority figure: he must know that he’s beneath you in the chain of command. Your first step in dealing with generalized disobedience is to reestablish your dominance.

Here are some tips on doing so:

- When leaving the house and the car, you must always leave before your dog. This is unmistakable alpha behavior: to a dog, only the alpha leaves first. If you allow him to exit the house or the car ahead of you, you are saying to him, “You’re stronger than me; you should go first because you’re the decision-maker”. Inside doors aren’t so important, but every time you leave the house or the car to go outside, you must make him wait for you to go first, until you release him from the ‘wait’ with a release-word.

- Make him wait for his food. Your family and you must always eat before him – if it means he has to wait an extra half hour or so for his meal, it won’t hurt him any. When you put his food down for him, make him sit and wait until you release him to eat. Keep his feeding schedule varied, so he’s always aware that you’re in charge of his food – don’t allow him to form expectations of when he should be fed.

- Don’t allow him free, uninhibited access to the whole house. The house is your den: you’re allowing him to be inside. Remind him that you’re allowing him into your den – it’s a privilege for him to be there, not a right - by sometimes allowing him inside, and sometimes sending him outside for half an hour or so. Keep certain areas of the house strictly for your own, as well (such as your bed, certain pieces of furniture, or some rooms).

- Never allow your dog to initiate play. If he’s nudging you for attention or to start a game, you may think that it’s cute and affectionate; but what he’s really saying is, “I’m the boss and I’m telling you to play with me right now.” If he starts bothering you for attention, ignore him for a few moments: get up and do something else. Wait until he’s given up before initiating the play yourself. Playtime is a fantastic way to bond with your dog, but it should be done on your terms, not his.

- When you arrive home, don’t rush straight over to him and shower him in affection. That is not alpha behavior at all – an alpha dog, upon arriving home, doesn’t go over to the other dogs and throw himself at them, saying, “Here I am! I missed you guys! Let’s have a cuddle!” – he ignores everyone else, relaxes for a short while, maybe has something to eat, and only interacts with them when he’s good and ready. Even though you’re probably good and ready to interact with your dog as soon as you get home, it will make more sense to him – and underscore your authority – if you ignore him for just three to five minutes upon arriving home. Another fantastic way of counteracting disobedience is to start – and maintain – a basic obedience training plan. You don’t have to do anything fancy or super-demanding; just ten minutes a day of learning and enforcing commands. This can drop to five minutes a day once your dog is completely reliable with the commands.

Here are some tips for a good training program:

- Never give a command that you cannot reinforce immediately if he chooses to disobey you. Every time your dog takes the opportunity to ignore your command, he’s learning that it’s both easier and a lot more fun to ignore you. For example, if you call across the park for him to ‘come’ as he’s playing with some other dogs, the choices are clear-cut to him: he could cut his play-time short and come to you, or he could ignore you – which is easy, since you’re so far away – and continue to have fun. Until your dog is completely reliable with commands, he should be on a long line or retractable lead so that you can enforce them if necessary.

- Remember to use your voice to the best effect. Praise should be in a light, cheery, happy tone of voice; if possible, smile at the same time. It makes a difference to your tone of voice, and most dogs will study your face to make sense of your expressions, too. Corrections should be uttered in a stern, brook-no-nonsense tone: you don’t need to shout, but your voice should be low and authoritative.

- When you’re verbally interrupting your dog, it’s more effective to shout, “OI!” or “Ah-ah-ah!” rather than saying, “No”. The sounds are more clear-cut, and you’ll get a better response. - Do not repeat a command. Remember, you should be training on a leash or a long line: if he ignores you, he gets a short, sharp tug (some call it a ‘flick’) on the lead to remind him that you’re present, and you’re in charge. Repeating yourself teaches him to wait for the command to be repeated at least once before he obeys you.

- Five to fifteen minutes per day is an adequate amount of time for training. Any more than this in one sitting, and your dog’s concentration will likely lapse: fifteen minutes of intense training, where your dog is concentrating hard on what you want, is enough to send even the most energetic dogs to their beds for a snooze afterwards. You might be interested in checking out a Dog Teaching site for advice on Dog Behavior Problems and dog training.

For the house training dogs info, please visit this blog.

The Basics of Good Koi Care

Koi pond’s popularity are on the rise, and the reasons are obvious. Who would not want living creatures as a part of their garden? However, Koi keeping should not be taken lightly. Koi, like any other animal, require time and money to maintain. The majority of first time Koi owners fail because they get the idea that keeping Koi is easy in some way. Do not let this discourage you though, as educating yourself will greatly improve your chances of succeeding.

It is important for you to learn all you can BEFORE you begin obtaining the things you need for Koi keeping. This way, you will not slip up and have to replace anything that you have already done or bought. Planning ahead will not only save your money, but it will potentially save your sanity as well.

It is important to learn the information for yourself rather then relying on other sources. People such as your product dealer and pond builder will have limited knowledge, but should not be trusted for a reliable source, as they are selling products, and may be bias. Plus, once you are at home with your Koi, your product dealer or pond builder may not be available to help you in the event of a problem.

Your Pond

Before ever buying Koi, you must create a proper habitat for them. This is where information from your pond builder and supplier will come in handy. However, you should not rely on the opinions of just one person. It may be a god idea to do research on your own, before you go to purchase the materials needed for you pond. Because of it’s popularity, an unlimited supply of resources can be found on the topic of Koi keeping. Visit your local library, fishery center, or research online. There are quite a few things needed to sustain a habitable pond.

When it comes to pond size, the bigger is always better. Koi have a habit of growing rather fast, so you have to consider pond size at the same time you are considering how many Koi you are going to put it in.

You filtration system is extremely important. There are 2 types of filtration, mechanical and biological. mechanical filtration relives the pond of solids such as dead algae, insects, and Koi wastes. It is important to have enough filtration to sustain the size of the pond, and the amount and size of your Koi. Biological filtration causes a nitrogen cycle, which is what removes dissolved wastes from your pond. Without biological filtration, built up waste will turn into ammonia and kill your Koi within just a few days.

Another consideration is the water quality. It is sometimes said that having Koi is literally just a side effect of having the proper water quality. To keep your Koi alive, you must have the proper knowledge on how to maintain your water quality.

Buying Koi

There are potentially thousands of different types of Koi, with about 20 different popular versions. Koi are popular because of their beautiful colors and patterns.

Your pond should be complete before you even look into buying your Koi. The size and amount of Koi you buy should be highly based on your pond. Be careful, overstocking will cause problems right away with you pond, potentially killing many of the Koi you purchase, causing you to loose time and money.

Most fish owners understand that most fish will only grow to the size of their enclosure. Koi, unlike other fish, will grow until they are the size of their specific type. You must be able to accommodate the amount of fish you purchase in the future.

Follow the links for more advice and tips like Koi Supplies or perhaps you are looking for Koi Garden advice.

It is very difficult to be out in the world today and not see Labrador pictures somewhere in your travels. The Labrador is a very photogenic animal and its picture appears on magazines and television shows all over the world as well as in the images of our daily lives such as magazines and newspapers. You can find your own supply of Labrador pictures if you just take the time to look through all of the available sources at your fingertips. If you are looking for some magnificent pictures of some beautiful dogs then you need to search for Labrador pictures.

Professional photographers fill bookstores with over sized books of professionally taken Labrador pictures that are in brilliant color and have wonderful high definition to them. You can see the beauty of the dog’s markings in many of the pictures as the Labrador loves to pose for its picture and lends itself well to good images. They are also very athletic dogs and they can take some breathtaking action pictures as well.
The Internet is filled with websites that contain Labrador pictures and one type of site is the compilation website or message board. On a compilation website people are allowed to post pictures of their Labrador for the world to see in various poses and situations. You get to see dogs in their home life, some that are very impressive and beautiful show dogs, and sometimes you even get to see police dogs as well. There are many different types of dog pictures to enjoy on these compilation sites and if you are looking for variety in your picture collection then this is the site for you.

Sometimes it can be interesting to check out the website of a particular owner who posts his Labrador pictures of his dog in all types of situations or even the websites of show dog champions. You can really get a look at a Labrador at home with these regularly updated pictures and the daily diaries these owners keep. You can learn a lot about a Labrador by studying the day-to-day activities of other Labradors and their owners.
When a breeder puts together a website and uploads Labrador pictures to it, the breeder only wants to show the best pictures that they can so that it reflects positively on their business. With a breeder’s website you not only get quality Labrador pictures but you can also get a look at the different variety of breeds of the Labrador as well so you can see for yourself what they look like and get some more valuable information on them. You can learn a lot from the information you will find on a breeder’s website.

There is such a wide variety of sources for Labrador pictures that you could spend hours just looking through pictures and not see any where near all of them. You will also want to check out the video sites that are becoming very popular on the Internet as well. You can see how truly beautiful and athletic a Labrador really is when you watch it on a video website.

If you are looking for Labrador pictures then this article can help. This article will help you find the Labrador information you are looking for.

Looking at the sturdy Spitz dogs that pull sleds though the deep winter snow of Lapland and Greenland, it’s hard to believe that these dogs were the forefathers of the diminutive Pomeranian. It’s true, though. The tiny Pomeranian was much a considerably larger dog, large enough to work herding sheep. It’s not hard to imagine.

The region that comprises the south coast of the Baltic Sea, now known as Germany and Poland, was once known as Pomerania. The Spitz sled dogs were imported into Europe through Pomerania, where breeders worked through generations of dogs to reduce the thirty pound dogs closer to today’s Pomeranian, weighing well under ten pounds. The Kennel Club in England recognized the breed as we know it in 1870, calling it the “spitz dog.” Traces of the Pomeranian’s lineage can be seen in the breed’s coat and color, which are reminiscent of the wolf blood in the Spitz breed.
One of the best known Pomeranian owners in history was Queen Victoria of England, who ruled between 1819 and 1901. Queen Victoria first saw the dog as a girl, when her mother, Queen Charlotte kept one as a pet. Queen Victoria got Marco, a Pomeranian of her own, in 1888.

The English royal family had then, and has now, a keen interest in breeding horses and dogs. Queen Victoria applied this enthusiasm for breeding to the Pomeranian, at one time keeping 35 Pomeranian dogs. The monarch is credited with further reducing the size of the Pomeranian through her efforts. Her show Pomeranians – Fluffy, Nino, Mino, Beppo, Gilda and Lulu, competed in many dog shows and won at least two championships. According to her biographers, in 1901, from her deathbed, the Queen asked for her pet Pomeranian Turi, who was brought to her and remained at her side until she died.
Besides royalty, other famous Pomeranian owners include a wide range of artists and celebrities, from Michelangelo, whose dog watched him paint the Sistine Chapel, to actress Kate Hudson, who is by now as well known as her mother, Goldie Hawn. Hudson’s Pomeranian is named Pom Clara Bo.

According to Sir Isaac Newton’s biographers, a Pomeranian can drive a person mad. Newton’s Pomeranian, Diamond, once knocked over a candle that burned some of his work papers, and the ensuing stress caused Newton to have a nervous breakdown.

Pomeranians are inspirational. Mozart dedicated an aria to his Pomeranian, and Chopin composed music for a Pomeranian belonging to his girlfriend. The name of historical church leader Martin Luther’s Pomeranian Belferlein pops up here and there in his writings.

The Pomeranian is a natural performer. Actress Cindy Williams, of “Laverne and Shirley” fame, appeared with her dog in commercials for a weight loss program. And then there’s Chester, who belonged to actress Fran Drescher in real life, and co-starred with his owner in the hit TV show “The Nanny.”

The Pomeranian appeals to royalty and celebrities, but this delightful breed also makes a great pet for everyday people. Anyone who loves small, confident, intelligent dogs will love the Pomeranian.

The Pomeranian ancestors are Spitz sled dogs who exported the breed to the southern Baltic coast. Later breeders, including Queen Victoria of England, bred the dog to its smaller size. Pomeranian information about history is fun and fascinating to owners of this delightful breed.