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Archive for May, 2010

When it comes to dog crates, they can be extremely useful in training your dog. Many dog owners use them for housebreaking. And at times, when they need to leave their dog alone for a while. So what exactly is crate training and why you should do it too?

What You Should Know About Crate Dog Training

Crate training is a well-known method of training a dog to be left alone, as well as to housebreak them, too. It is a fact that all dogs will not soil their bed if they can help it and so that is why it makes an excellent method of housebreaking a puppy.

Dog crates come in a number of different sizes, so it is vital to get one that is big enough to fit your dog. Even if your puppy is quite small, it would still be a good idea to buy a crate that will fit the dog until it becomes fully grown. This way you will save money as you will not have to go out and purchase another crate later on.

The good news is that crates are not only good to train puppies, but they are also great for an adult dog too. Older dogs enjoy going into their crates sometimes as it provides them with a safe haven to rest and have their own space.

You can also use the crate for basic obedience or whenever your dog is a little too much to handle, just place him in there for a little while. Now it is important not to shut him away for hours on end. A crate should only be used when needed and should never be used to cage a dog in there for extended periods of time. This is especially true when house training puppies to not mess up the floor and home.

As mentioned earlier, dogs will never make a mess of their bed unless they have to. So it is important when you keep a puppy in the crate overnight, that you let it out frequently. Puppies cannot hold on all night and you may need to wake up every few hours to let them out of the crate.

As also mentioned earlier, a crate should only be used when needed and leaving a dog inside for too long may elevate their stress level. I highly recommend that you only use it for a few hours. But if the crate is large and roomy enough, it can be left overnight.

A dog crate is an excellent tool for separation of anxiety, as many dogs will ruin furniture and make a big mess when left alone. As you can see, a crate has many uses and can be an excellent piece of equipment to have for any dog or puppy owner. Tip: a plastic crate is highly recommended by most animal experts.

When deciding on buying a crate, treat it like a dog’s master bedroom and be sure that his crate is big enough, comfortable and sturdy. Trust me, you will yield greater results with your dog loving you for it!

Having multiple house pets actually seems to decrease the allergy risk of children, as long as the children have been exposed from infancy on. Recent studies have shown that children raised in a home with two or more cats and/or dogs in the first year of life are less likely to develop allergic diseases than are children raised without these pets. In fact, exposure to the allergens associated with pets very early in life seems to have a long time protective function.

This seems to fly in the face of conventional wisdom. Most people would believe that the less pet allergens in the home, especially for newborns and very young children the better. But studies are showing that exposure early in life not only protects from pet allergies but also grass, ragweed and dust mites. Pet exposure seems to cause the immune system to settle down and shift from allergic type responses. The layman explanation for this strange turn of conventional thought is rather obvious. Our bodies have only recently been subjected to antiseptics and clean germ free environments. Television and other mass media hammered away at us about the dangers of germs, all germs. Commercials sold us products to help keep our kids free from germs and we actually strive to do this. We forget that we would die without the help of billions of beneficial bacteria that co-exist with us in and upon our bodies. Our bodies have an immune response system that distinguishes from good germs or bacteria and bad. The bad bacteria is attacked, killed and or rendered harmless and removed from the body. This war goes on in our body twenty four hours a day. Occasionally things get out of hand and we come down with a cold or flu. That is all part of the beauty of the system because our bodies can more effectively fight against these diseases once we have had them. When our bodies immune system has very little to do because we keep our environment too sanitized and clean, the immune system starts lowering its threshold of activation. That means the immune system kicks in at the least provocation and you have higher sensitivity to allergens which causes allergic response. It is even said that this same mechanism is partly to cause for arthritis in many cases. The immune system actually attacks our joints because it has little else to do. Studies suggest that exposure to more than one pet the first year of life is more beneficial, probably because the variety of potential allergens are increased, giving the babies immune system plenty to deal with. The actual statistics were children 7 years of age were 70% less likely to be allergic to common allergens when exposed to pets as babies. Scientists are trying to figure out the exact mechanisms that make this a reality. They think that pet bacteria release endotoxins that, when a baby is exposed, eventually shift the babies immune system away from responding to the common allergens. Scientists can pick through this mystery as much as they want to but there is a common sense explanation to this. People, even babies, are just not meant to live in sanitized surroundings. Our bodies have spent too many thousands of years evolving and protecting us from the ravages of germs. Giving our immune responses little or nothing to do by having a germ free environment is setting this powerful germ killing machine against its own host.

Training a dog requires many hours of dedication and patience. But you will need double the patience and dedication to train a rescued dog. However, the rewards will be worth the effort.

Unplanned litters continue to be common even though the practice of spaying and neutering has been around for decades. Because of this it is hard to find loving homes for all of these newborn pups.. If you add to this the number of runaways and lost dogs, the shelters and missions are filled to the brim. For many of these dogs being euthanized will be the sad reality.

A second chance awaits a lucky few. Some will be adopted into the care of a loving family or rescued from the street. The new owners, however, are often not quite sure how best to deal with the rescued dog.

Dogs that are brought to shelters are generally not in the best condition. It is not uncommon for them to be victims of neglect, abuse of even terrible living conditions. And in some circumstances dogs are released into the wild to take care of themselves.

A dog’s nature is to be a pack animal. Because of this dogs that are in the wild usually do not do well in isolation. A domesticated dog that has been released into the wild and no longer has human or animal interaction do poorly. Wild dogs such as these are usually fearful and distrustful of humans, but with proper training they can learn to overcome these traits.

As the first step in rescuing a dog you should take it to your veterinarian for a full exam. If the animal is sick or in pain your training efforts will be wasted. It is very important to give the dog enough time to regain weight and energy.

It may be a tall order, but whenever possible try to get the dog’s history. Knowledge of past abuse, general temperament, or medical history will help you as your train the dog.

Take your time when trying to gain the dog’s trust. It is important not to force yourself on the dog. They will need to learn that they can trust you before they seek you out. Many dogs are food driven so using treats to build trust can help. Place a treat on the floor and back away a few steps. Do not stare directly at the dog. It is important to praise them once they take the treat.

A few dogs that are rescued look for physical interaction from the beginning. Others may take a few days or weeks. Once established you can try to roll them onto their back and place your hand on the chest. You can expect that the dog will either resist if they tend to be aggressive or a fearful dog will accept. Neither aggression nor fear is good. Forcing an aggressive dog into a submissive position is done under normal training. This will not work with a rescued dog. Remember to take your time when establishing trust. Make sure that a fearful dog understands that being on its back is not a punishment by given it a belly rub and talking in a calm voice.

You may find that the training is slower and more difficult with a rescued dog. They are often older dogs, mixed, and with difficult temperaments which makes training more challenging. Don’t give up. You will be rewarded in the end.

Feeling sorry for the dog can actually do more harm than good. Training can be hindered by doing this. Be patient, loving and understanding but don’t let the dog have the run of the house. You must establish your position as a leader and let the rescued dog understand that you are the alpha of the pack.

It’s a lot of sweet and hard work but you will have a companion for life.