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If you are a cat owner, you must have given up on  obedience training at some point in your life. Maybe you thought cat training was similar to a dog’s and you have tried unsuccessfully to train your cat to do a simple task or to recognize your voice but ended up frustrated. You see, teaching cats obedience is vastly different from dog training.

Cats are not obedient by nature and they don’t correlate your words to the action you want them to do. You have to be patient and determined with cats and you have to understand how their thoughts work. If the cat is not in the mood to obey your command or what you’re asking him to do is not in his nature, meting punishment on him will not change anything. Your cat will simply zone out on you and go where he can avoid you. To make cat obedience training a success for you and your cat, here are some tips to try.

The first thing to keep in mind about cat obedience training is that more weight is given to rewarding positive behavior rather than to punishing bad behavior.

• Cats want affection and attention from their owners and speaking to him in a soothing voice and patting him when he does something you approve of is part of cat obedience training.
• Praise him when he gets into the litter box and refrain from scolding him when he doesn’t. Cats also love treats. Always keep some on hand and give him one when he gets into the harness without any resistance. This will make him associate the act with the treat and soon, he will get into the harness without any trouble as he anticipates his treat. Repeat this type of cat obedience training with everything else.
• Reward him for doing what you want but don’t punish him if he doesn’t.
• Stretch your patience and dig your feet in with determination. It won’t be long before you see the effectiveness of your training and you are the proud owner of an obedient pet cat.

In your training program, review the behaviors you are teaching your cat to do. The behaviors you have in mind might be activities that cats don’t consider normal or natural for them. Unlike for dogs, fetching a ball and returning it to you or jumping through hoops are not typical cat behavior and your cat can be obstinate and refuse to do them. Instead of thinking that your cat obedience training is not successful and blaming yourself, stop and think about your cat’s nature. Unreasonable commands are not part of cat obedience training.

Teach him to stay away from houseplants or keep out of high shelves, not to catch a Frisbee or to roll over. Knowing what and how to teach your cat is one way of turning him into the obedient pet he ought to be.

Today I fell into a trap that I should never have allowed myself to get into. I actually trusted my dog, my Nikki, a 3 year golden retriever.

Nikki is an amazingly affectionate dog, even more than normal for a golden retriever. She is gentle, good natured and behaves pretty well.

She loves going out for car drives, and she is a very well behaved dog in the car. She sits beside me, head hanging out the window and gently watching the world go by. She never gets agitated, restless or excited, even when she spots another dog out the window.

The other day, I took both Nikki, and Benny my black lab out for a drive. This time Benny was sitting in the front. Nikki was in the back. As usual I had the back and front window open.

I drove around the corner, and pulled into my driveway. And, what do I see…Nikki, sitting by the front gate. She must have jumped out the back window as I was pulling around the corner and ran to the gate.

I had absolutely NO clue she had even jumped out. Never before did she ever show any signs of jumping out.

Needless to say I was freaking. I mean, with a little imagination, I could imagine what could have happened.

Rule number one: Don’t trust your dogs. No matter how well behaved your dogs are, they are still dogs. Look out for their safety. Always make safety your first priority.

I should have known better. I try to make dog safety and dog training and dog nutrition my priorities. I have 3 dogs, 2 black labs, and my Nikki, a golden retriever. Dukie, one of my black labs is blind. Oddly enough, when I walk my 3 dogs and my neighbour comes and joins me with her dog, Dukie behaves the best. He loves walking and going for car rides. If you are observing him, you would never know he is blind.

The Labrador Retriever (“Labrador” or “Lab” for short), is one of several kinds of retriever, and are the most popular breeds of dog (by registered ownership) in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The breed is exceptionally friendly, intelligent and good natured, and as a rule these qualities mean that Labs love people, handle children well, and therefore make excellent family and service dogs. Benny, my black lab and Nikki are both Certified Therapy Dogs. They visit the elderly in homes.
Labradors are relatively large with males typically weighing 60 to 80 lb (27 to 36 kg) and females 50 to 70 lb (23 to 32 kg). They are energetic outgoing dogs, and are black, yellow, or brown (called “chocolate”) in color, in that order of frequency. Their fur is usually fairly short and straight, and the tail quite broad and strong. The otter-like tail and webbed toes of the Labrador Retriever make him an excellent swimmer. Their interwoven coat is also waterproof, providing more assistance for swimming. The tail acts as a rudder for changing directions. Yellow labs can have black or pink noses; chocolate and black labs’s noses match the coat color.
As with some other breeds, the English and the America lines differ slightly. Labs are bred in England as a medium size dog, shorter and stockier with fuller faces than their American counterparts which are bred as a larger dog. I have both, one English, My Benny, and one American, my Dukie.
Famous Labs

Anaconda snakes, for sure, conjures up an image of a gigantic, black, serpentine creature slithering in mud and constricting a hapless creature to death. You are not to be blamed for this. Instead, blame those numerous movie directors and novelists who, thanks to their imagination or lack of it, portrayed these docile creatures as vileness epitomized.

Urban legends and rumors are awash with horror tales of anaconda snakes gobbling up innocent kids, regurgitating and re-swallowing their victims thereby giving them a slow and painful death and so on and so forth. So much for the creativity of human brain! Ask a biologist and you will get a drastically different image, an image of a docile, fearful and reclusive creature tucked away in the dense forests of South America.

Classified as members of the boa family, anaconda snakes represent one of the lowermost strata in the pyramid of evolution. Found naturally in the dense tropical forests of South America, these serpentine creatures are worlds one of the biggest constrictors. Anaconda snakes come in two distinct and attractive colors, dull yellow and green. Wet and tropical climates, dense forests and undergrowth, and abundance of food are what make the ideal habitat for these visually majestic snakes.

In this era of instant gratification and consumerism, you do not need to go all the way to the dense forests of Trinidad or the swamps of Amazon to achieve the glory of viewing an anaconda alive. Drive down to the nearest snake park, or even easier, search for a view of anaconda in many famous sites and you shall get to see many antics of this particularly gigantic snake head. However, to appreciate Mother Nature true wonders you have to get your boots dirty.

Anaconda snake viewing is one of the most exotic adventure tourism available to us. All you need to do is consult your travel agent, fix up a packaged tour, and get a guided tour of Amazon. With a little luck and some time, you can see not only live anacondas, but also experience anacondas in conjunction with their own, natural ecosystem. No amount of National Geography documentaries viewed in widest of the wide screen televisions can substitute the rush of adrenalin that you will get while watching a true anaconda snake attacking a wild pig.

Planning a trip to the exotic Amazons is easy enough. A little research on the internet will give you sufficient information to plan your trip depending on your appetite for adventure and precious time available with you. A session with your travel agent will further fine-tune the travel plan and will ensure that what you get dovetails with what you expect.

Starting from specialized and trained guides, to boutique hotels offering you unmatched view of the jungle, a whole industry is waiting to help you experience the nature in its purest form at the Amazons. Now get out of that couch and grab a ticket to the Amazons, for watching anaconda snakes in its natural habitat is a sight to remember.

Clicker training is a reinforcement or reward for a cat when training them. Clickers are use most often for support when training a cat for a reward. Cats associate the clicker with a good behavior they will use for a long time. Clicker training is associated with classical condition were they associate the sound with food. and operant conditioning (cat will do certain movement to receive food).

Why use a clicker and not tell a cat or make a sound to get your cat to do a trick? A clicker has a sound a cat can hear and associate good behavior. With words, our tones in our voice can change from time to time, which a cat can become confused with the training. With talking for the commands, a cat could mistake the commands. With using a clicker, it is more of a training tool to get the behavior started with the cat. Then you can put the clicker away for that behavior or trick once a cat has learned the behavior

When taking the cat out for a walk or on a trip, the clicker is a good item to carry along with you. Cats can get distracted with other people, or animals in the area. With using the clicker, it will reinforce the behavior that you have taught them. In addition, a clicker can help you with having your cat walk with you instead of wondering around.

With the clicker, a cat can be trained using three easy steps: Get a behavior, mark a behavior, and reinforce the behavior. Get a behavior is the first step. A good example would be for the cat to jump a hoop. The cat will have to know that when you click that they get a treat. Start with very small treats in your pocket. Clicks, Treat, Click Treat do this for a few times until you see the cat coming for the treat on the click.

 Next marking the behavior: You will have to show the cat the hoop. Once the cat touches the hoop, click, treat. Then show the cat to go though the hoop once it does click, treat. Continue to do this until the cat goes though the hoop on its own or your command. Reinforce the behavior Remember to have snacks handy so when you do see your cat go though the hoop a snack is available.

Training a cat with a clicker can be fun for both you and the cat. Taking steps in training will be rewarding to you and the cat. Try not to rush a cat in training, as they can become confused especially if they did not get the step before down. The training will take time and steps to achieve this behavior. Patience, love, and rewards will be the key factor in training your cat.

The clicker is a good exercises tool for a cat. 10 to 15 minutes a day you should get your cat to exercises. For exercising, you can have the cat use a hoop, play with a toy, and climb on the scratching post or something that focus on the cat getting exercise. Exercises will help the cat to stay healthy and help to keep it out of mischief.

Clickers can come with books to help you train, treats, and a clicker. Clickers come in many different size shapes, and color. You will want to research the clickers out. Check out a pet store, Internet sites give lots of information on training and using a clicker. Check out companies that make the clicker by using Internet to see what kind they offer and any additional information that you might need to get the process of training done. Check out articles about the clicker. Talk to someone that has used one. Talk to your area veterinary about training with a Clicker

Once you have used a clicker, the cat will get good exercise and be a healthy cat. The cat will be happier and you will be happier with the new behaviors that you have taught your cat.

To sum up training your cat, important things to remember is have patience, love and the use of the clicker.

NOTE:  This article is for information only.   See your veterinarian for medical advice.

Preventing dog health problems should be a top priority for dog owners.

If you are like me, my dog is an integral part of my family.  I want him to live a long, healthy, and happy life.

Our dogs are completely dependent on us.  They are just like our children.  They count on us to give them what they need in their lives.

My dog, Romeo, is the little white guy sitting in my lap shown in the picture at the top of the page.  He is very healthy.  My wife and I have made it a point to provide him with the very best.

You and I make lifestyle choices to boost our immunity and live a healthy life.  We should do the same thing for our dogs.  We should have their best interest at heart.

Listed below are 6 basic things you need to give your dog.

If you are considering getting a dog and are not willing to provide the dog with these things, then my suggestion is to save your time and money.  Forget about getting a dog.  Invest your money in a person you love.

I’m sorry to be so blunt.  But I feel that all true pet lovers probably agree with me.  So here is the list of 6 things you must give your dog:

1. Exercise – Exercise should be an extremely important part of your dog’s daily routine.  This is a great way to help prevent dog health problems.  It helps to detoxify its body.  Just like the human body, exercise stretches and strengthens its muscles, gives a cardio workout, and helps get rid of stress.  I walk with Romeo every morning – anywhere from 2.5 to 3.5 miles.  His little legs can really move.  I know he really enjoys himself.
2. Water – Your dog should have access to plenty of water throughout the day.  The bowl should be frequently replenished with fresh, clean water.
3. Food – Your dog should be fed a high quality, nutritious dog food.  I don’t have enough room here to fully address this issue.  Feeding a food bought in a grocery store or even a pet specialty store will probably lead to health issues.  The food should be very fresh and free of by-products, corn, wheat, soy, and chemical preservatives and colorings.
4. Treats – We all want to give our dog some treats throughout the day.  And the dog certainly enjoys them.  My advice is to limit the number of treats you give your dog. The treat should be functional.  In other words, it should fulfill a specific purpose.  For example, it should be a healthy treat and provide dental care, or anti-oxidants, etc.  Most treats you find in a store are not healthy, they lead to weight gain, and only tend to satisfy the dog’s hunger.
5. Natural supplements – Your dog should have a daily supplement or vitamin.  Each dog, just like a human, has a different body chemistry.  The supplement provides the nutrition the dog does not absorb from the food he eats.  This helps to prevent health issues.  Larger dogs should take a supplement that will prevent or, at the very least, postpone arthritis, dysplasia, and other joint issues.
6. Weight management – This is extremely important.  I see so many dogs that are overweight.  There is no excuse for this.  Lack of proper exercise can be part of the problem.  Overeating is a major reason for obesity in dogs.  You should be able to feel your dog’s rib cage.  There should be a thin layer of flesh over the ribs.  If you do not easily feel the ribs, you need to cut back on the quantity of food you are feeding.  Don’t feed more than what is suggested on the label. But cut back that amount if your dog shows signs of being overweight.