Friday, January 14, 2011

Dog Obedience Training - Stop Your Dog From Jumping Up



3 Ways to Control Springer Spaniel Weight

Springer Spaniels are active dogs, and provided there are no health problems and they are regularly wormed then spaniel weight should not be an issue. A normal adult male English Springer Spaniel show dog weighs about 25 kg (50lbs). The bitch is a few pounds lighter.

These are smart animals, loyal and affectionate and people love them - sometimes too much, and therefore they often get more calories than they need. You may not even know about it until you see them getting overweight. Where does it all come from?

Tip #1 - Secret Feeding

If you have a family, then your children may be feeding him extras without you knowing - secret scraps from the table and secret treats. The children need to understand that it is bad for him. And, it's not only the children!

I once had a neighbour who threw scraps over the fence (unknown to me) when our dog was in our large garden. After a while I cottoned on when I was cutting the grass and found odd pieces of bone. He did love those lamb bones! I had a quick word with our neighbor and Sam (our Welsh Springer) lost out on his regular bones.

Tip #2 - Avoid Overfeeding

If you feed your dog yourself then you are able to control the quantities of food. If feeding your dog is a shared responsibility (and it is good for children to have chores likes this involving animals) then you need to make sure that the quantities your dog is getting are strictly controlled.

Just a small increase in quantity of, say, cereal for us (say a couple of spoonfuls) is not a lot relative to our weight. However, the same increase for a dog is a lot relative to their body mass and the amount of energy they need on a daily basis. It is easy to control when you have to open one can of dog food for his meal, but the addition of say, biscuit mix is more variable. Our natural tendency is to see that he is fed well and so a bit more gets put in his bowl. Ever so slowly, his weight goes up and you wonder why! So, portion control is essential if you want to avoid spaniel weight gain.

Tip #3 - Older Dogs

Older dogs - that is those moving from middle into old age, say after about eight years of age - are less active and need adjustment to their diet. This is done by cutting down on the protein and the fat content relative to the carbohydrate. This need to be done with care, so that the balance of the diet is correctly maintained. He will also need fewer calories. Discuss this with your veterinarian who will know your dog and be able to give you detailed advice. To lighten the load on their digestion and make it more efficient, you can divide their quantities of food in two and serve as two meals, morning and evening.

Finally, do remember to weigh your spaniel regularly, and record his weight. Make it part of the monthly groom and trim routine. Then you can see any trend to overweight developing.

There are several aspects to check and monitor in order to control springer spaniel weight. Discover lots more about their care and welfare at => http://mydoggiesupplies.com. Written by a long term enthusiast and owner of springer spaniels, rescue dogs and pups.



Shelter Dog Adoptions, The Considerations

The first thing to consider is why do you want to adopt a dog. Dog adoption is a life long commitment, so be sure that this is something you really want to do. Ask yourself the question, " does a dog fit into my lifestyle?" Becoming a dog owner means accepting the responsibilities of ownership for at least 10 to 15 years. These responsibilities include your time. Especially time for exercise, grooming and companionship every day of each year. Another responsibility is financial commitment. Financial considerations include regular vet visits, emergency vet visits, spaying, neutering, licenses, training, grooming, toys and especially food treats. Owning a dog comes at an expense. Be sure you can afford it.

Let us discuss some considerations you must make before you adopt.

Are you allowed to have a pet where you live? Rental properties may not allow pets or if they do allow them, they may have restrictions. Be sure to know your circumstances before you adopt.

Is your home suitable for the dog you have in mind? A large dog in a small apartment will not work. Likewise, a little yard for a dog who requires a lot of room to roam will not be happy. Do your research before you make a dog selection, keep in mind what your dog's needs are and does what you have to offer fulfill those needs.

Next, consider if you are you prepared to deal with the special problems that dog ownership can bring. These problems include, flea infestations, scratched and chewed furniture, house training accidents and of course shedding. To minimize these problems, you should be prepared to interact, inspect and groom your dog daily. Check for fleas and ticks, encourage playing with toys, brush their coat daily and teach them to be house trained.

Have you given thought to preparations for dog care when you will not be available do it yourself. Such as times when work takes you away or when you are traveling on vacation. Arrangement for a sitter or paying for boarding will be your only options.

Once you have considered all of these aspects of dog ownership, and are prepared to accept them, then adopting a dog from an animal shelter is one of the most responsible choices you can make.

Animal Shelters have a great selection of adult dogs, mixed and purebred dogs, along with younger dogs and even puppies. Once a responsible shelters receives a dog, they will do an assessment for aggression, temperament and general health. If the dog is a surrender dog, the shelter will collect as much information about the dog from the previous owner. A stray that is brought to them will be observed and its interactions with staff and other dogs documented. This information can be valuable to you in determining which dog to choose.

If an effort to make a good match between new owner and dog, many shelters provide adoption counseling and follow up assistance. This assistance includes such items as pet parenting and training classes, vet services and behavior counseling. If your particular shelter does not provide these services, they should be able to direct you to a business that does provide them.

What should you look for in a healthy dog? A healthy dog has clear bright eyes, a clean shinny coat, does not appear to be too thin or overweight and shows no signs of illness such as nasal discharge or diarrhea. Pick a dog that is active, friendly, inquisitive and not afraid of you. The dog should accept gentle handling and show no signs of aggression.

An advantage of adopting from an animal shelter is its great value. The adoption fee in my area is $90. For this amount, the dog will be tested for heart worms, micro chipped and registered, given a physical exam by a vet, spayed or neutered, vaccinated for rabies and wormed.

Once you have selected a dog, you must prepare before you bring it home. You will need to prepare a place for it to eat and sleep, have all the necessary accessories, food and water bowl, collar, leash, ID tag, bedding and toys. Consider pet proofing your home. Any item that may harm a dog, electrical wiring, toxic chemicals and such should be put away. If your dog is a house dog and when no one will be home, an option to prevent harm to the dog and damage to household items is to place your dog in a travel crate with plenty of food, water, bedding and toys until someone comes home.

You have chosen your new best friend, brought it home and now prepare for a lifetime of unconditional love and dedication from your new family member. Take into consideration the stress and anxiety that is created during these first few days and weeks. You and your dog are learning all about one another, but there will be times of stress, anxiety and difficulty.

To enable you and your dog to get the most from your relationship, David Duane Wilson would like for you to look at the information on "Dog Behavior Problems" You and your dog will be glad you did.



Dog Obedience Training - Stop Your Dog From Jumping Up

zcache="2" sizset="71">

Dog Obedience Training - How to Stop your Dog (or Puppy) from Jumping Up!

Ok something we want to make perfectly clear is that you should never ever use any form of physical punishment or reinforcement when you are dog obedience training and when you want to stop negative behavior. We recently read a couple of stories on the Internet (some form quite large websites) advocating the use of pinch collars or prong collars. These are not only unnecessary but are cruel. If you start using negative training techniques (we hate to even call them training techniques) your dog will start to mistrust you, avoid training sessions and basically not want to 'play ball'. Another tip we heard about is the use of the knee to stop your dog jumping up - NO! This is not necessary and may even hurt your dog - remember to treat your dog or puppy exactly how you would like to be treated. Ok so lets get started and stop your dog or puppy from jumping up - the safe way (oh and it really works)!

  1. There are different ways to stop your dog or puppy jumping up and you want to make it as easy as possible. Now this is really simple - when you see someone approaching put your dog or puppy on a leash - then you can guarantee that your dog won't jump up.
  2. Another technique that you can use is to freeze as soon as your dog jumps up (or jumps up on other people). Many owners think its cute or start petting their dog when he jumps up - bad idea. As soon as you start petting or showing a positive reaction to your dog's negative behavior the harder it will be to stop. So freeze - as soon as your dog jumps up freeze and do NOT pet him or show him any positive reaction.
  3. Another technique that can be linked with number 2 is to freeze and not say anything or give any eye contact. Your dog is actually craving attention and is jumping up to get this attention - so the more attention you give him the more likely it is that he will jump up. You need to treat your dog or puppy as if they are completely invisible - this will soon encourage your dog or puppy that jumping up will get him ZERO attention and boredom will soon set in.
  4. Another useful technique that you can link with Number 2 and 3 is to freeze, say nothing (treat your dog or puppy as if they are invisible) and finally turn your back as soon as he jumps up - by turning your back your dog's feet will land on the ground. When your dog's feet are on the ground wait for five seconds and then give him some praise just a simple 'good' or well done - if you raise the intonation (don't get too excited) of your voice too much then he will get excited again and then try and jump up. If he jumps up again - repeat the process - freeze, say nothing and turn your back.
  5. After a period of time start to increase the amount of time before you praise your dog or puppy - remember you should always wait until your dog or puppy's four feet are on the ground before you give a simple 'Good' or 'Well done'.
Keep patient, consistent, fair and remain strong and make all aspects of your dog obedience training fun for your dog or puppy and this will help you and your pooch succeed.

Tobias Charles writes on all aspects of dog obedience training, puppy training and dog health care. For more information visit his website for the best dog obedience training tips, health care advice and recipes for homemade dog foods for more great tips and information.

Dog Toys
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)