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Reverend Lorenzo Langstroth, the man who pioneered modern day beehives, created his original beehive design based on the idea that bee products could be more easily harvested from a spatially constructed box with frames. Since that time in the mid 1800’s others have manipulated that thought into different versions of the original model.

But one model known as the top bar hive, is different. While still using Langstroth’s concept of ‘bee space’, it uses a frameless design that only makes use of it’s top bars – hence the name. Is this design better than the others? There are pros and cons to this type of hive which serious beekeepers need to know.

The design of the top bar is probably the most simple. It requires the least amount of evenly measured elements. In it’s most simplistic form it is a box with some top bars inserted at the top. It can be constructed from different types of materials, and can even use recycled elements.

Plans are available for the do-it-yourselfer who may wish to build one on their own. Alternatively, because of the easy design these hives can be found for purchase and are readily affordable to those on a modest budget. This makes this hive attractive to those who are just looking into beekeeping as a side hobby.

Top bar hives will allow you to collect the maximum amount of wax. Because the honeycombs hang loosely, the entire piece can be cut across and removed during a harvest without scraping. This makes for easy seasonal harvesting, and a lot of wax for consumables such as soaps, candles, cosmetics, and furniture polish.

Because so much effort is used by the bees to reconstruct the interior of the hives, the honey production takes a hit. Top bar hives will not yield the same amount of honey you can get with a design like the Langstroth.

Additionally, with no sides to the pull out frames the construction of the honeycombs can be unpredictable. Occasionally the bees will keep building and attach to the sides of the box. They may also create an interior hive that connects several bars together making it harder to pull up a single frame. This is known as cross combing.

Later revisions to the Top Bar beehives have worked to correct or minimize these downfalls, but the design is not completely free of this issue. Regular maintenance and supervision will be the best remedy to insure proper honeycomb formation before things get out of sync.

To recap, if you are new to beekeeping and working with a budget, top bar beekeeping may be the right place for you to start. You will get some honey, but also expect a hefty amount of wax as well. It may be a little more effort to keep the hives in proper working order, but in the end you can still enjoy all the honey and wax the hive has to offer.

There are at least 20 symptoms and signs that you should be aware of that your Goldendoodle needs to see a vet if you are a new dog owner.  Unfortunately too many people wait until it is too late to get their pet to the vet,  then wonder why it passed away.  While it is a decision delimma for many,  it is very important that you take your Goldendoodle to the vet if the follow occurs:

1. Decreased appetite 

2. Lethargy  (especially in a young puppy or senior dog)

3. Vomiting

4. Diarrhea

5. Straining to potty….either thru urine or the other

6. Not gaining any weight or fails to grow

7. Appearing too thin

8. Constant scratching or chewing on the feet or tail

9. Shaking its head and scratching at the ears

10.  Loss of hair (more than normal)

11. Coughing

12. Sneezing

13. Limping  (for unexplained reasons)

14. Not able to housebreak  (could be urinary tract infection)

15. Excessive drinking  (should check for diabetes….especially if your pet is over weight.)

16. Can’t tolerate exercising

17. Has collapsed

18. Excessive urination

19. Urinates or loses bowls suddenly and without warning

20. Has blood in the stool

Healthy living  with your Goldendoodle starts with maintaining a healthy diet and keeping up with appropriate vaccinations.  Many pet owners fail to keep their puppy’s vaccinations current and this causes the puppy to be at risk for catching parvo, distemper or other deadly canine diseases.  Your Goldendoodle puppy’s first visit is usually called a “wellness check up”.  During this type of check up,  your veterinarian will look at your doodle’s eyes, ears, teeth  and listen to his or her heart.  They will look for puppy cataracts and possible heart murmurs.  They will look at your doodle’s coat and weigh him or her.  Some vets will let you walk in while others require a scheduled appointment.

Viral infections with puppies can occur suddenly and without warning.  Early recognition can help your puppy survive if he or she has become ill.  Puppies can become dehydrated quickly which is why it is very important to not wait if you suspect there is something wrong.  Better to be safe than sorry.

Keep your doodle’s vet records up to date.  It is important for your vet to know what you are feeding your doodle, how much and when.  Your vet may recommend changes if your doodle is gaining weight too rapidly or not enough weight at appropriate stages…especially in the first year.   Know your doodle’s birthdate.  Depending upon where your Goldendoodle resides,  it is important to pay attention to fleas and ticks.  Goldendoodles should NOT be on any type of topical flea preventatives.  These type of treatments can cause early organ failure and sudden seizures.  “Comfortis” is recommended for Goldendoodles which is a once a month flea preventative.    When your Goldendoodle turns 2 years of age,  you may want to have your veterinarian x-ray the hips so that they can be evaluated.  Just because your doodle’s parents had an OFA rating of good, fair or excellent does not mean that your doodle is free and clear of possible hip problems.   Testing is only valid for the dog that is evaluated,  not for offspring.

?It is understandable that many Goldendoodle owners are stressed when taking their new puppy in to see their vet.  Your doodle can only communicate through his or her body lanquage.  Unfortunately,  they can’t tell us where they hurt or how they feel.  Owners who are stressed out can transfer their anxiety to their doodle.  If you are tense, worried, scared, upset or feeling anxious,  you will transfer those feelings to your Goldendoodle.  They are very sensitive dogs.   They will then associate those feelings each and every time he or she goes to the vet.  Try not to be anxious when its time to take your Goldendoodle to the vet.

 The foundation of a healthy Goldendoodle is very important.  A healthy Goldendoodle is central to his or her well being.   Try to make an effort at being calm, relaxed and positive when it is time to take your doodle to the vet.   If you are purchasing a young puppy,  make sure to “puppy proof” your home.  Children always have small toys that can easily fit inside of your doodle’s mouth.  Small toys can be swallowed which can cause choking and possible death.  A good rule of thumb is that if an object is small enough to fit into your doodle’s mouth,  he or she can swallow it.

We like to think that our dogs have common sense.  They don’t.  If you can’t supervise your doodle,  make sure that he or she is either crated or somewhere that is enclosed to help keep your doodle from getting hurt.  Goldendoodles are very intelligent dogs.  They can easily escape from your yard or slip out of their collar or leash.  Don’t let your doodle run loose as they will then be at risk for being hit by a vehicle.   Don’t leave pills lying around.  I, myself, am a diabetic who takes glipizide.  This lowers blood sugar.  This medication can be deadly to any pet who eats it.   I have to always be careful to NOT drop a pill and if I do drop a pill,  I have to immediately find it and pick it up.  Never leave medications on a counter or table where a puppy or adult dog can easily get to it.

Lastly,  there are tons of great books and videos on the market to help you learn how to be a good mommy or daddy to your Goldendoodle.  Being prepared is the best took for surviving an emergency. 

*About the author:  Dee Gerrish has been writing about the Goldendoodle dog since 1999.  More about Goldendoodles can be found on her website at http://www.goldendoodleworld.com

 The razor sharp teeth that puppies seem to have can cause you some pain. You need to try to prevent your puppy from forming this habit of biting. In order to stop puppy biting different methods may have to be tried. Any little annoying or bad habits should not receive a reward. If you want your pup to mature into that wonderful family pet, you will need to take responsibility for helping him. Dog behavior is never “good” or “bad” it’s just behavior. It is going to take some time, but stopping a puppies bad habits needs to be done.

The playing behavior for a litter of puppies involves lots of nipping and biting. Nipping and biting their new owners is very common for puppies and will most likely be the first problem they have to overcome. All new puppies take part in this behavior, but as a new member of your family actions will need to be taken to control it.

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When your pup bites you, quickly give him a sharp tap on the nose and say “NO”. If you tap the nose softly the puppy is only going to think that you are playing. A timid correction is a worthless correction. One good tap on the muzzle, that gets the puppies attention could stop puppy biting}. Another way to go is, immediately after he bites, grab his muzzle with one hand, point at him with the other, and firmly say “NO”, this will eventually tell him that biting is the wrong behavior. Your puppy may pick it up rather quickly, or it may take a little time, just remember to show some patience. You will eventually be able to correct your pup verbally once he understands what is going on. This verbal “NO” command is going to prove to be very handy when he starts chewing on your shoes, socks, newspapers or anything else laying around for him to test his teeth on.

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Another way of moving him away from biting you and your personal items is doggy bones and chew toys. When the teething stage hits he is going to need something to chew and bite on so the chew toys get to serve another purpose. Whatever toys you choose need to be appropriate, they will need to be able to stand up to the intense chewing by sharp teeth for an extended period of time. Be careful of toys that are to small or poorly made because they can break off into s tiny pieces and get stuck in their throat.

While playing with your puppy, don’t encourage him to bite and play rough or it may become a bigger challenge to stop puppy biting, it’s best to avoid any bad behavior traits at this stage. It is going to take some time to fix the problem no matter what method you choose to use. All puppies go through certain stages in their life and puppy biting happens to be one of them. Don’t worry though, you will be able to get through the biting stage, just stay firm and patient.

Carrying your dog around is almost like a fashion accessory these days. Celebrities like Nicky Hilton and her sister Paris were spotted at a cafe in New York dressing up their dogs with cute dog accessory. It is also a hit on runways of big cities like Paris, London and New York.

Besides being a fashion accessory, a dog carrier acts as a convenient way to transport your dog from one destination to another. These dog carriers comes in different sizes, shapes and styles. For example, if you would like to look sporty you can opt for dog shouler carriers, dog backpack carrier or dog stroller sports. Dog stroller sports are like any other baby strollers but it carries only pet like dogs and cats of course.

While the market carries so many of these dog carriers, which carrier you choose depends largely upon the breed and the size of your dog, and the lifestyle you wish to include your dog in. If you have a budget, there are a selection of different dog carriers in the market. Or if you can afford a better looking and a more comfortable dog carrier, you can look for dog designer carriers online or in your local pet store.

Here are a few things you must look for before buying a dog carrier.

1) Do a research and get as much information from the manufacturers or retailer before making your purchase. The three most important aspect you should look for are safety, comfort and security.

2) When shopping for a dog carrier you should also need to pay close attention to the size, length, and weight of your dog. Not all dog carriers will fit your dog perfectly. For instance, a big dog may not fit in the standard size strollers, backpack and designer dog carriers. Big dogs are normally better to be carried by crates . While on the other hand, small to medium size dogs may fit comfortably into any dog shoulder carriers, dog backpack carriers, or any carriers at all.

3) To know whether the carrier is right for your dog, the dog carrier must have adequate room to move around and yet not too big to allow him to move around inside especially if you intend to bring your dog for hiking and jogging.

4) It is also pivotal to know that your dog carrier has good ventilation because if you don’t, your dog may end up getting sick and dehydrated especially during hot summer days. Ensure they get plenty of fresh air when they are caged up in the crate or while they are being carried. Check for detachable shoulder straps, durability, rubberized fabric and four mesh viewing panels. And more importantly, check whether the dog carriers can  be cleaned easily.

While there are many expensive dog designer carriers available in the market, you can also find a lot of inexpensive dog stroller, dog shoulder carriers and dog stroller sports available in the market. Although they are slightly cheaper than those designer’s carriers, you can still look hip and cool carrying them around.

While to many a may seem that all the dog she retrained alike there are in fact different things you need to consider depending on the size of the dog. There are many basic training techniques that apply to both large and small sized dogs however different sized dogs have different challenges and special considerations.

Whether you have a small or a large dog, you should always treat your dog with kindness and use positive reinforcement. Never hit your dog as this will do little to enforce training. While some dogs are harder to train than others, all dogs can be trained with patience and persistence.

Small Dogs

Small dogs can be transported easily which will give you more choices for training locations both inside the home and out of it. One consideration was small dogs is that they tend to bark a lot so extra effort may be needed towards bark suppression. Often times small dogs are very fearful and you want to take that into consideration your training. On the other hand there are many small dogs that are too bold which you should also take into consideration.

You should always start training or small dogs when they are young and hold regular training sessions as persistence is the key. You will need to establish early on that you are the leader of the pack, or alpha dog. Be firm when you’re small dog challenges you and don’t give in to his cuteness or be afraid to be firmer than due to his size.

You should give careful thought when leash training your small dog because their throats are easily bruised. Be careful to correct with the sideways tug as opposed to a backwards tug. when the dog is pulling forward, you should jerk the leash sideways in order to correct him—just a tug for correction not a jerk for punishment. While it may seem like a neck muscles a very strong remember their throats are delicate.

When you teach your small dog to sit, remember he is small and do not apply excessive pressure on his hind quarters. The size difference between a large human in the small dog make it easy for you to be a bit too forceful even if you don’t mean to.

Large Dogs

Large dogs have their own challenges when training. When you training a large dog the wheat strength ratio is in the dogs favor. And, therefore, you must make special considerations.

If you are training a large dog you should always be alert. While a small dog can be annoying when he turns on the leash a large dog can throw you off balance which can be dangerous. If you are training a Rottweiler or German Shepherd and he wants to let loose and run after a cat you need to be prepared to hold them back.

Large dogs will need a thick leash – at least an inch of leather or good nylon. A wide collar of good quality with solid fasteners that won’t break open while you are in the middle of training as a must. when you’re walking with a large dog be sure to hold the loop of the end of the leash in your right hand while inserting your thumb through the loop. Then, in your left hand, hold a few inches of the leash draped over your left her in insert your left palm through the little loop which is formed while draping. Claims the leash across your left hand palm.

Even with a large dog, you want to perform leash corrections by jerking sideways as opposed to back. While they are obviously much stronger than small dogs their throats can be bruised by excessive force. Just give them a short tog and release this will let them know that they’ve done something wrong.

Large dogs, in particular, need to be trained not to jump especially around children. Many dogs get excited when they see children and they want to jump up on them and play. Your job as a trainer is to be prepared with leash corrections whenever this happens. In the beginning you will correct with the leash but eventually the dog will learn to not jump with a voice command.

Whether you’re a dog is large or small, daily training is necessary especially in the beginning to reinforce the commands that you want your dog to learn. In order for your dog to be the best pet he can be, it’s important for him to learn what is acceptable behavior and what is not. Dogs like to have rules and they love to please their owners so training is probably something your dog looks forward to. While training can be tedious and time-consuming you will be rewarded with a loyal and loving pet that is a joy to be around.