Sunday, January 16, 2011

Rock Music Action Figures - Plastic Noise



How to Stop Your New Dog From Barking Excessively - A Simple and Proven Method

The first thing to remember is that dogs bark, it is the way they communicate. They bark for a variety of reasons, not to frustrate you or irritate your neighbors. Dogs will most commonly bark as an alert if they see or hear something that is unusual, or if they feel threatened, If they are anxious or excited and if they are bored or want attention.

When you have determined why your dog is barking you can start addressing the problem. For many dogs, barking can be reduced, if not stopped by giving your dogs lots of physical and mental exercise. Try to provide an hour of exercise every day in the form of walks, playtime and training sessions. If your dog is barking because they are bored, then provide items of interest such as toys, or a Kong stuffed with treats. If they are crated, keep the time they are confined to a minimum.

Training a dog to stop barking can take some time, so you need to be patient and remain calm. No matter how much your dog barks, do not go to them to comfort or scold them, doing so will reinforce their barking, the very thing you are trying to stop. Never tell your dog to be quiet by shouting at them, they will interpret this as you barking at them and will bark back.

The first step in teaching your dog to be quiet is to decide what barking is acceptable and what is not. Do you want your dog to bark when they see strangers? Are you ok with him barking when they need to go outside? Also look at your dogs environment and wherever possible remove them from situations where they bark. For example, if your dog barks when out in the yard; keep them inside when you are not around to supervise them.

Training your dog to be quiet

1. Decide on a command that you will give to let your dog know to stop barking (e.g. quiet or no bark).

2. Take a container and put some coins or pebbles in it. Have some treats available in your pocket or a treat bag. When your dog barks let them do so for a couple of seconds then say your chosen command once, at the same time shaking the container. The noise should attract your dogs attention and stop them barking. As soon as they are quiet, give praise and a tasty treat. You can also provide further distraction by having your dog sit or lie down a couple of times.

3. Keep your container and treats readily available and repeat whenever your dog barks. As your dog learns to be quiet, start working in other situations where your dog barks (e.g. when people walk past, or neighborhood dogs bark), remembering to praise and reward for being quiet. Be careful not to reinforce the barking instead of being quiet.

Training your dog to stop barking excessively is not a quick fix. It will take time, but you should start to see a change within a few sessions. If your dog continues to bark you should talk to your vet or get the advice of a veterinary behaviorist.

Visit http://mydoggiesupplies.com for more tips and advice on effectively training your dog.



Be Cautious of the Colour Red and Preservatives in Dog Food

Food dyes and colors are added to dog food to attract you instead of your dogs. Dogs do not care what colour their food is, whether it is pink, green or brown.

Colours are bad ingredients with really bad side effects. If you switch your regular dog food to coloured food, the symptoms are crystal clear. The symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting and dullness of colour on the dog's body. It shows that colours are not suitable in dog's digestive system and it makes them hyper. There goes all the training with 'coloured food'!! Cancer and birth defects are caused by the red dye #40 used to make the food look 'meaty'. Some countries ban red dye due to that.

Ethoxyquin is another preservative in dog food and the FDA found out in 1997. This preservation is banned in human food and manufacturers were asked to reduce this preservative in dog food too. This preservative is banned because it causes infertility, skin problems and disease such as carcinogen.

Aside from that, preservations are constantly used in dog food industry. Preservatives or additives are added in:

  • Flavor
  • Tongue stimulators
  • Anticaking
  • Firming
  • Sweetners
  • Colouring
  • Synergists
  • Texturizer
  • pH control
  • emulsifiers
  • antimicrobial
  • Lubricants
  • Drying
  • Sequestrants

Bear in mind that although it is not on the label it does not mean that it is not included in the food. Similar to human food, if the preservatives, chemicals and other toxins are below certain amount or percentage it does not have to be reported on the label. This is also the case for ethoxyquin. FDA doesn't allow the usage of this preservative in human food.

Attan Denis writes mostly on family issues and pets. His latest work is on doggie doggie and cushing disease dogs.



Rock Music Action Figures - Plastic Noise

Over the past few years, the arena of licensed action figures has seen something of an influx of rock music related figures, with varying levels of success. These have proved to be a hit with many fans of the artists that companies have depicted, and an industry has been born to cater for the growing desire for sculpted plastic versions of famous musicians. The most obvious range that people will see on sale in collectibles outlets is of course the McFarlane range of licensed Elvis Presley figures. Thus far eight have been released, each showing the late rock n roller in a particular era of his career. Some have proved to be more popular than others, such as the Comeback 68 edition and Las Vegas edition, both of which have also surfaced in both 12 inch and commemorative versions as well as the regular clamshell-packed items. The McFarlane music figures range got off to a strong start in 1998 with the initial set of figures based around rock legends KISS in all their glammed up glory. These proved to be a hit with fans and figure collectors alike, and thus the demand for more was born.

Other early successes in the McFarlane range were the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison of The Doors, Ozzy Osbourne and arena legends Metallica (originally available as both single figures and an elaborate box set). More sets of KISS related action figures also followed, including the perennially popular KISS ALIVE stage box set, which is still a strong seller to this day.

Since then a slew of officially licensed rock music action figures have surfaced (and a few unofficial ones here and there too). The main creator of these figures remains the industry giant McFarlane Toys, which have been responsible for some of the best figures in recent years such as two Jimi Hendrix figures, Jim Morrison, Alice Cooper, Metallica, Motley Crue and more, but they have increasingly stuff competition from NECA, who have created some excellent Iron Maiden figures after Mcfarlane lost the license, as well as Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, Freddie Mercury and others. Even museum-quality merchandise company Sideshow Collectibles has got in on the act, with Elvis, Kiss and, ahem, Spinal Tap items on offer.

It does show that the demand is there for music related items other than posters and T shirts, and these companies have been bringing out wave up[on wave of figures to meet with demand. McFarlane even began making '3D album covers' of legendary albums from Led Zeppelin, the sex Pistols, Jimi Hendrix and more. They have created a new market for licensed collectible action figures, and music fans are now eagerly awaiting the next batch. A space in the market has been filled, and with 7 inch and 18 inch versions of various figures available, along with headknockers (think nodding dogs but sculpted to look like celebrities. Joey Ramone and Iron Maiden's Eddie are the biggies here) and all manner of other licensed items, there's plenty for fans to choose from. This is one area of collectibles fandom that is not suffering from overkill. The right balance seems to have been struck, and the figures don't stay in production for long enough to saturate the market, which, in an age of so much memorabilia on offer, is a very good thing indeed.

The Beatles have also been a hit in plastic form, with 'Yellow Submarine' and 'Saturday cartoon' editions of the fab four being released. These items fill a need for items fans can display and pose. They give the fans the opportunity to own something physical of their idols without having to pay over the odds for the opportunity. Even Bon Jovi have got in on the act recently, with figures of Jon Bon Jovi himself and Richie Sambora finding their way onto the shelves. As long as fans want them, these collectibles will continue to be made. Some of these figures have proven to be amongst the biggest sellers in the collectibles field of late, probably down to the musicians they follow having much more in the way of longevity than most movie and TV franchises. Long may it continue. For those about to rock, we, erm, snap you up and put you on a shelf!

Andrew writes for the pop culture/memorabilia site starstore.com and its blogs, covering the latest and greatest in film, TV, music and comics merchandise and collectibles.

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