How to Train Small Dogs

By Lee Dobbins

A dog may be man’s best friend, but it takes an awful lot of effort to make it cope up to how it we look at it. While large breeds do not just serve as companion to the master – it can be a hunting aide, a play a vital role in the police, or even as beasts of burden in the polar regions- dogs of the small variety arguably play this role more, as these are pets kept primarily for the purpose of companionship, if not for ornament. The fact that small dogs are kept indoors most of the time is a testament to this purpose.

It is important to know a thing or two in training small dogs in order to keep the dog more of a best friend than a nuisance. 

Training small dogs can also protect the owner and the dog from harm.  It only requires the repetition of commands that can be recognized on cue; intelligence is not so much a factor as a reaction to an anticipated stimulus.  When a small dog tries to attack a stranger, one can correct this behavior by executing a command that it will sooner or later recognize through repetition. 

The next time this negative behavior happens, the owner can execute the command by saying the cue words “down” or “off”.  Training the small dog with these basic commands may come in handy; more of than not, small dogs are often looked at as harmless pets.  But they can be a danger to visiting individuals who are strangers to the dog; this may elicit hostile behavior from the dog which may lead it to attack individuals other than its master. 

A good way to instill this discipline is to reinforce good behavior by rewarding the dog with a treat or a pat on its head whenever it obeys the command to stand down or to stay put, and letting it know the consequences of its negative behavior by attaching a leash to its collar. 

Just like in human beings, one does not motivate by instilling fear but by building on the positive reinforcement. Training small dogs can be especially effective if done when these are still “small” – when these are still puppies. 

During the first weeks of its life, the puppies get acquainted with the immediate environment it is living in. It is therefore best to raise a puppy into the house where it will permanently live.  The process of identifying with it’s immediate surroundings is a good training method for a small dog to stay within the confines of the house.  Apart from the benefit of preventing the dog from going astray, this is important in conducting toilet training for your small dog. 

A master should let the puppy know through a cue as to where it should relieve itself.  It helps to take the dog out for a walk in the backyard to give it an opportunity to urinate or defecate.  Sooner than later it will associate the backyard with its bodily chores. Then if it goes out of the house to defecate, reward the dog via a positive cue; if the opposite happens, let the dog know through a negative cue.

Teething is just as useful in training small dogs.  Because of the dog’s natural tendency to find just about anything to sink its teeth in, it usually finds items that are within its vicinity: furniture, shoes, and rugs.  The dog’s master may find a remedy to this condition by diverting its attention from the usual household items to a toy that is primarily suited for this purpose: “give the dog a bone”, this is the remedy.  By introducing this to the dog while it still in its infant stage, it will eventually pay no attention to your shoe rack or your dining set as its target.

One must not confuse training small dogs with tricks training, as this is notches more difficult than training for, shall we say, manners for your small dog.  A professional dog trainer is not needed to train the small dogs directly; in reality a dog trainer can just impart his knowledge to the dog owner, and the dog owner can train his dog with ease.  More importantly, learning how to train your small dog can build a stronger bond between the dog and its master. 

By better understanding your pet, the more you can personalize the parameters of your training and the more you will appreciate your dog as a pet, as man’s best friend.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://dogtraining.subjectmonster.com where you can learn more about training dogs of all types.

Make Your Dog Smell Nice With Dog Shampoo!

By Martha Mountjoy
As all dog owners know, dogs have a natural odor which unfortunately is not always pleasant! Depending upon the size of your dog, the strength of the odor varies from house to house. For example, a Saint Bernard is more likely to smell stronger than a tiny Yorkshire terrier! This can be extremely embarrassing when people visit your home and some may even never come back due to the smell of the dogs! So what exactly can you do?

Luckily there are products out there to help, and one of the best defenses against doggy odors are dog shampoos.

The Different Types of Dog Shampoo

The main aim of dog shampoo is to eliminate odors and to generally clean the dog’s coat. Dogs get mucky all the time, especially whilst out on walks in the park, so a good bath is often called for. There are different shampoos for different priorities. Some examples include:

* Shampoos to Make The Dog Smell Nice

There are many different types of shampoo around to make your pet dog smell nice and fresh. Some natural shampoos include scents such as ‘Lavender and Cedarwood’ and ‘Honey and Oats’. Dog shampoo can either come in bars or liquid and many owners prefer the bars because they last longer.

You can even buy luxury dog shampoo with scents again such as Lavender and fruity fragrances. If you simply just want to make your dog smell nice, you can also buy spray perfumes for dogs which can be used after you have bathed your pet pooch.

* Shampoos To Help the Dog

Other shampoos include flea shampoos and shampoos which help ease the dogs coat from various different conditions. There is even a shampoo to help detangle the coat to make it easier to groom. This type of shampoo is ideal if you show your dog. Some shampoos are combined and contain conditioner to help keep the coat smooth and smelling even nicer.

Overall, there are shampoos designed to suit all of your needs. Whether you just want to make your pet smell nice, or you need to get rid of pests such as fleas, there is something for you. They are readily available from pet stores and you will find a larger selection online.

About the Author: petsuppliesbox.com is packed with pet care supplies articles and cat supplies resources

Source: www.isnare.com

Is Your Dog a Cancer Sleuth?

Unbelievable as it may sound dogs can be trained to sniff out cancer.

There have been many stories about dogs sniffing out cancer in their owners.The most notable story was reported in the prestigious medical journal, Lancet, in 1989. 

A female patient went to her doctor to have a mole on her thigh looked at after her pet dog would often spend several minutes sniffing at a particular mole on her body.  Her dog, a mix between a border collie and a Doberman, ignored any other mole on her body.  In fact one day when she was wearing shorts, her dog actually tried to bite the mole off! The results of her testing showed that the mole was a malignant melanoma.

Doctors Hywel Williams and Andres Pembroke stated “The dog may have saved her owner’s life by forcing her to seek medical advice while the mole was still at a thin (noninvasive) stage.”

This is not the first time that “Fido” saved its owner’s life.  There have been many reports how dogs sniffed out breast and lung cancer in their owners.

Now that researchers have proved, scientifically, that dogs can spot cancer,  researchers at Amersham Hospital in England hope to build a tool as good or better than your own pet’s nose.

“Using sniffer doges to detect the minute traces of molecules associated with cancer is a fascinating concept” said Cancer Research UK’s Professor, David Neal.

Dogs, with their exceptional sense of smell, have been trained to sniff out certain odors produced by cancer cells.  In fact, during one training to determine bladder cancer, all of the dogs signaled a particular patient as positive for bladder cancer.  However, this patient had been screened prior to the test and was determined to be cancer free.

Concerned by all of the dog’s behavior the researchers decided to do further tests on the patient.  Surprisingly these additional tests revealed that the patient had a tumor in their right kidney.  This was totally missed in conventional medical tests!

Dr. Armand Cognetta of Tallahassee, Florida, an expert in melanomas, began researching if dogs could detect skin cancer. He enlisted the help of a dog trainer, and with samples of melanomas tried to train dogs to sniff out skin cancer. George, the dog used in the study, was able to detect the melanoma 99% of the time. Further research proved that George could detect malignant melanoma lesions from benign lesions on patients successfully.

So the next time your Fido starts paying a little too much attention to a certain part of your body, take Dr. Fido’s advice and get immediate medical attention.  Fido may just have saved your life!

New Pet Dog Vaccination Guidelines in the USA

Vaccinations are an essential preventive care for your dog. Through vaccination, dogs can now be protected from numerous disease risks, including rabies, distemper, hepatitis and several others. Some of these diseases are zoonotic (can be passed from dogs to people) and so vaccinating your pet benefits public health too.

Recently, several studies have shown that vaccines protect dogs for a longer period than previously believed. There have also been many improvements in the quality of the vaccines produced. Pet owners are now also aware and concerned that vaccination is not as harmless a procedure as once believed.

To assist veterinarians with making vaccine recommendations for their pet owners dogs, the American Animal Hospital Association has now issued a set of canine vaccine guidelines. These guidelines were developed by a group of experts and practicing veterinarians together.

A key recommendation is that all dogs are very different and therefore vaccine decisions should be tailored to the individual dog. Factors including age, breed, health status, environment, lifestyle, and travel habits of the dog should be always be considered. Infectious disease threats differ from place to place and so you should work with your veterinarian to tailor an immunization program that best protects your dog based on his / her risk and lifestyle factors.

Am I Putting My Dogs Health at Risk When Vaccinating?

All medical procedures, no matter how routine, carry some inherent risk and so it would be wrong to say that vaccinating your pet is risk free. As with any medical procedure the benefits of performing that procedure must be balanced against the risks. Veterinarians recommend that no needless vaccination risks should be taken and that the best way to go about this is to reduce the number and frequency of administration of unnecessary vaccines.These decisions should be made after considering your dogs age, lifestyle, and potential exposure to infectious disease.

What are the risks associated with vaccination?

Vaccine reactions are infrequent in my experience. In general, most vaccine reactions are mild and the side effects (local pain, itchiness and swelling) are self-limiting. Allergic reactions are much less common, but if untreated can actually be fatal. These can occur soon after vaccination, usually within a matter of minutes to hours. If you think this type of reaction is occuring, please contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.

Also, in a very small number of patients, vaccines can sometimes cause the patients immune system to attack their own cells, resulting in diseases that affect the blood, skin, joints or nervous system. Such reactions are very rare but can again be life threatening.

There is also a possible complication of tumor growth developing at the vaccination site, but this occurs most frequently in cats.

Please just remember, that if you have any reason to be concerned, just call your veterinarian for advice.

There are so many vaccines available – How do I know which vaccines my pet needs?

There are two general groups of vaccines: core and noncore vaccines.

Core vaccines are recommended for all dogs and protect against diseases that are more common and are more serious. These diseases are found in all areas of North America and are more easily transmitted than noncore diseases. The AAHA guidelines define core vaccines as: distemper, adenovirus, parvovirus and rabies.

Noncore vaccines are for patients at an increased risk for infection due to exposure or lifestyle. The AAHA guidelines define non-core vaccines as: kennel cough, Lyme disease and leptospirosis vaccines.

How often should my dog be vaccinated really?

It is essential that your dog has the complete initial series of puppy core vaccines, as well as booster shots at one year of age. The young dog is at high risk of contracting infectious disease and so every step should be taken to prevent illness. Following the one-year boosters, the AAHA Canine Vaccine Guidelines recommend that the distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus core vaccines be administered once every three years. Your state and local municipality govern how often rabies boosters are administered and so please contact them or your local veterinarian to get more information (some areas require an annual rabies booster whereas others only require a three-year-effectiv e rabies booster every three years ).

Noncore vaccinations should be administered whenever the risk of the disease is significant enough to override any risk of vaccination. For example, a kennel cough vaccine may need to be given every six months to a dog that is repeatedly kenneled or exposed to groups of dogs at grooming salons or dog shows.

If my pet doesnt need annual vaccines does this mean I only need to see my veterinarian every three years?

Regular health checks (once or twice a year) are a very important disease preventative for your dog. Vaccinations are just one component of a health check. Your veterinarian will thoroughly examine your pet to ensure that all is well. your veterinarian has an opportunity, therefore, to detect and prevent problems at an early stage. Just think, dogs age more quickly than humans, so an annual exam equates to a human getting a physical every 5-7 years. Plus they dont always show signs of early disease, and they cant easily communicate discomfort to us.

Can my veterinarian do tests to see if my dog needs to be vaccinated?

The answer is yes. Tests that measure protective antibody levels for diseases are called titers. Reliable titer tests for canine distemper and parvovirus now exist. Your veterinarian can provide you with more information.

Dr Matt Homfray is part of the online veterinary team at http://www.WhyDoesMyPet.com. Our dedicated community of caring experts are waiting to offer you advice, second opinions and support