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Is your favorite pet pestering you or is it rubbing itself on your Persian carpet and making a mess of the same? You should not blame them for the claw marks that she has left on your furniture. Being the owner of a cat, you should well know that these felines love to climb, love to claw, and also love to scratch their body. When they are outdoors, they find ample opportunity to do so with the help of trees in their vicinity. However, setting up a tree at home is not possible.

Why not build a cat condo for your feline friend and allow them to enjoy? It is not as tough as you think and they are available in prefabricated form along with the entire plan. All the pieces of the kit are marked and it is just siding up a piece with the other and then attaching them together with screws. These condos come in various shapes, sizes, and prices and you can select one that suits you best. Though most kits contain carpets for lining the interior of the cat house, certain models do not.

Even though the parts are thoroughly checked before being shipped, you should check that there are no sharp parts in the kit. If there is, you should buff it using fine emery paper. For providing the best fun tom your cat, you should opt in for a cat house that has a number of stories plus has hiding spaces for them. These kits come in two and three storey models. Some of them even have a perch on top where your feline friend can relax. The openings on these cat condos provide a fun time for cats and they will spends lots of time jumping in and out of them.

Are you fed up with the aggressive ways of your four legged companion? With the right aggressive behavior dog training program this problem could be dramatically reduced. Although aggression is a difficult issue to deal with, there are different ways in which the issue can be resolved.

1 – Consult a Veterinarian – If your dog hasn’t had a history of being aggressive and begins growling, biting or snapping at people, talk about it to your vet. This sudden change in his behavior can be a sign of a medical problem which needs immediate medical attention.

2 – Determine the situations – Determine the situations in which your dog displays aggressive behavior and avoid them. An important part of aggressive behavior dog training is discovering the reason behind the aggression.

3- Make a behavior modification program – This can be achieved with the help of a professional behaviorist. For example, if your dog growls when you or someone else from your family approaches his food bowl then you might be asked to approach an empty food bowl and drop some food in it. This way your dog will understand when someone approaches his food bowl he will get a treat and there is no need for him to be aggressive.

4- Never punish your dog for behaving aggressively– You should never punish your dog for acting aggressively. As they say, aggression breeds aggression. If a dog is punished for being aggressive, it may cause him to show more aggression.

5- Be consistent and patient – If you want to provide proper aggressive behavior dog training than you need to be consistent in your efforts in training him and stay patient, as dog aggression is a problem that cannot be curbed overnight.

6 – Socialize Your Dog – The most common reason for dogs to show aggressive behavior is due to the lack of their socialization when they were young. A dog will find it hard to trust people and other dogs that he doesn’t know, if he did not have lot of chances to interact with them while he was young. So, if you have a puppy socialize him during his early stages of his life and you should never deal with dog aggression problems in future.

As you can see here aggressive behavior dog training can be a difficult and tedious process.  When working with an aggressive dog, a good dog training course can be very useful. You will want to look for the one that includes a free consultation with an experienced dog trainer.

Do you feel guilty eating a snack in front of your dog? If so, you’re not alone. After all, we wouldn’t do that to one of our kids, and our beloved pet is just as much a part of the family. Nevertheless, there are some foods you need to make sure your dog does not eat.

When you think about the wide range of things your pets might nibble on – from dirty socks to kitty litter – it’s easy to believe there’s very little that will make them sick. However, your seemingly indestructible pet can be experiencing many internal issues that don’t show up on the outside for quite a while. Some issues only become noticeable when the problem has become extremely serious.

Here are some foods that will make them sick and can cause permanent harm, so avoid these at all cost.

First – CHOCOLATE
This is one of the worst foods for your dog because their systems are unable to digest it. Those yummy brownies or a bit of your pick-me-up candy bar will make them sick and can cause major health issues.

If you absolutely can’t resist giving your dog a chocolate treat, white chocolate is the least harmful, while dark baking chocolate is the most dangerous.

Second – GRAPES and RAISINS
Once while dieting, I convinced myself that grapes and raisins are candy, so I still eat a lot of them. As a human they’re very good for you, and although they may seem like something that would be harmless to your dog, they’re not.

Consuming grapes or raisins can cause your beloved pet several issues, including kidney failure. At the very least, this seemingly harmless food could result in an emergency trip to the vet to have your dog’s stomach pumped.

Third – ONIONS
In most cases dogs don’t really like onions, but if they get hold of one (even in another food) make sure you call your vet right away. This root vegetable will cause your dog to have major digestive issues.

Although these are the most dangerous things for your dog to eat, these are by no means the only items to avoid.

Here are a few other items that should be kept away from your pet:

*Avocado (including the fruit, skin, seed, leaves and stem)
*Macadamia nuts
*Garlic
*Leaves and stems of potatoes, tomatoes and rhubarb
These foods are toxic to your dog’s gastrointestinal system and will
cause severe digestive problems and potentially kidney failure.

These items can cause your pet to have labored breathing:

*Caffeine
*Eggplant
*Moldy foods (why do they eat those things??)
*Tobacco products

In general, be aware of what your dog is eating at all times. Just as you would for a child, the best way to keep them safe and healthy is to make sure they don’t have access to foods, garbage, chemicals or any objects that could be harmful to their digestion.

It’s ok to give your dog a treat once in a while as long as you know what ingredients are used. Look for all natural products to give your pet the best, and at the same time avoid any health issues.

Crate Training Your Dog

Crate training your dog is not, and should never be seen as, a way to punish your dog.  

Crate training is appropriate for most dogs.  Crate training a dog is a wonderful way to give your furry friend a safe place to go when he is tired, when you cannot be with him, and will save your carpet and your house for many year.  Crates, kennels, cages have become the modern age answer to the doghouse.  Crate training can be fun for the puppy if you make it a POSITIVE experience.  Crate training can be an efficient and effective way to house train your dog.  Crate training also helps teach your dog to have bladder and bowel control. Crate training your dog provides them with a profound sense of security.  Crates come in every size, shape, material, and color.

Den DNA

Dogs have a very strong “den” instinct.  Dogs are by nature den creatures. The dog crate, properly introduced, becomes your puppy den.  The Den is an integral part of the wild dog upbringing and safety zone.  The crate helps to satisfy the den instinct inherited from his den-dwelling ancestors and relatives. If a crate is properly introduced to a dog (or puppy) the dog will grow to think of the crate as a safe haven. Most puppies will not soil their “den.  Your dog can enjoy the security and privacy of den of his own to which he can retreat when tired or stressed.  Your dog will grow up a little more confident if they know that they have a safe place to go to when the world becomes too much for them to handle.  Ultimately, a crate is to serve to replicate the sense of a den.

Have patience and faith. Crate training your dog is the right decision.  The peace of mind and the enhanced dog safety that crate training your dog will provide is priceless.  We all know that the reasons to coach your dog are countless and crate training your dog is crucial among them.

Doggie Elimination and Potty Training

Dogs do not like to soil their sleeping quarters if given adequate opportunity to eliminate elsewhere.  Short term confinement to a crate is intended to inhibit your dog from eliminating when confined so that she will want to eliminate when released and taken outside with you. Keep in mind also that your puppy does not know what is expected and must be shown the proper place to eliminate and when.
Reminder: During housebreaking DO NOT allow the pup outside to eliminate alone or let them loose in the yard.  The key to house training is to establish a routine that increases the chances that your dog will eliminate in the right place in your presence so that he or she can be praised and rewarded. This decreases the chances that your dog will eliminate in the wrong place so that he or she will not develop bad habits.

If you are considering crate training your dog and are looking for a the right crate then do your homework. Most wire crates have an adjustable divider so you can adjust the divider as the dog grows. There are many types of crates available. I recommend a simple wire crate which will serve you well for a couple of years depending on the breed of dog you have.  Have patience and faith, crate training your dog is the right decision.  The peace of mind and the enhanced dog safety that crate training your dog will provide is priceless.  We all know that the reasons to coach your dog are countless and Crate Training Your Dog is crucial one among them.

Remember;

“She is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are her life, her love, her leader. She will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of her heart. You owe it to her to be worthy of such devotion.”  ~~Unknown

 If you are concerned about the quality of the food you feed your dogs, you may consider making homemade food for them.

Each of my dogs has lived over 15 years and I attribute their long lives to daily exercise and the quality of the food they had been fed. I am not a cook but for over 20 years, I’ve been cooking for my dogs making homemade food for them and this recipe was developed through trial and error over the years. This recipe is by a regular person – not a veterinarian or nutritionist – but by someone who wants to feed their dogs as well as they feed themselves and their family.

I make a large batch of food and then freeze what I do not need immediately. Each dog receives a good-sized portion of this food along with a bit of commercial kibble. A good multi-vitamin is also supplemented every day. Below is the recipe I use for their homemade food.

5 lb. chicken

1 lb. ground beef

1 can chicken broth

1 package frozen peas and carrots

2 c brown rice, uncooked

1/2 c barley, uncooked

1/2 c lentils, uncooked

1/4 c oatmeal, uncooked

1/4 c Cream of Wheat, uncooked

1/2 t oregano

1/2 c parsley, dried

4 eggs

1/4 c oil (flax or fish)

1. Place chicken and beef in an ovenproof dish.

2. Cook chicken and ground beef in oven for about 1 hour at 350 degrees or until the meat is cooked through.

3. Drain the fat off the meat, remove the skin and bones, and break up the meat into bite size pieces.

4. Place all ingredients into a large crock-pot and add enough water to cover.

5. Cook 4 hours on high.

6. Place the food in freezer type containers and freeze what you do not need immediately.

7. Serve with a little commercial kibble if desired.

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