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 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.

(copyright) © 2007, Pampered Pets". This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact and the links live.

Al Bullington keeps all kinds of pets including a dog, cats, quail, bantam chickens, standard chickens, guinea fowl and parakeets.

Shih Tzu puppy training can be done faster than you may think. Here are the tricks to get started right…

Shih Tzu puppy training is essential if you’re going to have a well-behaved adult Shih Tzu. It isn’t that an older dog cannot be trained, but it’s so much easier to start your dog off right. With just a few general training principles your puppy can get off to a great start.

Remember that what is cute behavior in a tiny little dog could be annoying at best in your adult pet. Remember too that no matter how much you love your new puppy, that puppy will grow to be an adult dog. Many times unacceptable behavior in an adult dog results in the dog leaving it’s home, not by choice either. So, you must not let behavior go that will endanger your long-term relationship with your pet.

We are talking about discipline here. You must first do some thinking about what is acceptable behavior to you. You as the pet owner must make decisions. And start early to set boundaries for your pet. What do you expect from your pet? What are your responsibilities? Do not let behavior problems go unchecked. Caring for a Shi Tzu puppy is a major responsibility, but a fun one too!

If you see a behavior problem developing and you do not know what to do, get some help. Training resources are widely available either with a local trainer or on the Internet plus books and videos. See, your pet is looking to you for guidance. You must not fail your pet. It may be you that really needs the training and not your pet.

But it is a large mistake to expect too much from a tiny puppy. Little Shih Tzu puppies are very easily distracted and have tiny small attention spans. Your little puppy can learn quickly, but do not push too hard and fast with training. Be patient, very patient with puppies.

To be successful with Shih Tzu puppy training, try to link rewards with desired behavior. Link a less desired outcome with undesired behavior. Please don’t think violence is necessary. Firm but gentle is the way to head off problems.

One of the first training steps is housebreaking your puppy. Don’t start too early. Check with your dog’s breeder for a suggested time to start training. Housebreaking is a task that must be done or else your pet will probably not stay at your house.

One way to handle this is to monitor your pup closely and scoop the pup up and get to the proper place for elimination before it happens. There are several methods plus several different products to help. Products to help include dog litter boxes, doggie diapers and potty pads.

House training is just the start. You can move on to obedience training and even on to teaching tricks to your puppy.

Your puppy can grow to be a fun and important part of your family with just a little guidance from you.

Raising a healthy pig at home commences with the process of bio-security. Bio-security basically is the culmination of precautions taken to minimize the possibility of introducing infections and disease among the animal population, policies and measures taken for protecting a nation’s food supply and agricultural resources and last but not the least, set of preventative measures taken to reduce the risk of introducing or spreading of the disease.

The process of bio-security becomes active and slowly gains momentum when your first purchase your pig and thereafter is an ongoing process. You can protect you pig from contaminating any disease and infections by using sterilized, clean farm specific clothes and boots when tending to the herd. Diseases can also be kept at bay by disinfecting, cleaning and drying the show equipment and vehicles before they are used in succession. Isolating animals that have been purchased or are returning from a show from the healthy or non sick ones also helps to keep the coast clear from any infections.

Pigs also have brighter chances to sustain a healthy lifestyle if you and your animal are in close association of a veterinarian. A veterinarian can do an informative job of guiding you to adapt the bio-security features to the kind of production system that you have at home and also the knowledge of the various diseases in your area. If your pig does get sick, your veterinarian is at close call and can immediately diagnose and treat the disease. Before you decide on your pig’s entry in an exhibition or show, it is suggestive to consult your veterinarian in order to map out a vaccination protocol and bio-security specific program as pigs are commingled and more susceptible to transmitting diseases at such swine exhibitions.

The sanitation process that involves a 3 step procedure of cleaning, disinfecting and eventually drying the show equipment, if implemented religiously, will go a long way in curbing the introduction and transmission of infections. A control on the presence and exposure to wildlife, birds and rodents must be administered as it is an easy medium of transmission of infections by these pests. Preventative measures undertaken to control such pests is cleaning up of any food spills, getting rid of ay debris and disposing off any dead pigs as well. Vehicles too bear the potential of carrying infection onto your farm. Areas that have access to your pig herd must be controlled by designating a specific area to an off farm traffic which is not closely associated with your pigs.

Pigs are prone to infections when they are left scot-free in the open as well. They may feast on garbage where other disease causing micro organisms could be breeding and a vicious cycle would begin hence forth. The pigs with the infection would transmit it to other animals and so on. Measures should be taken to eradicate waste before it piles up and invited unwanted problems. Pigs that need to be exhibited on shows need to be infection free and must be isolated after returning as they too could be carriers of diseases. A pig’s health and security are of equal importance and ample preventative measures must be taken to protect them from unwanted infections that can lead to death.

With the increasing number of serious incidents reported at public and community dog parks, private dog parks such as Royal Paws Dog Park & Dog Day Care are quickly gaining popularity as the only safe and enjoyable choice for dogs and their owners.

The current trend is city and home communities responding to area dog owner demand by setting aside a small plot of their least desirable piece of land and designating it as the area dog park. Unfortunately these unmanaged and unregulated dog parks often turn to that of neighbor confrontation, injury and horror, even with the best of intending groups and dog owners. Let’s face it, without any oversight or enforcement, incidents are going to occur. So with this increasing number of these dog parks follow the increasing number of serious incidents being reported. The well intending community becomes the venue for headlines such as “Dog Killed” or “Child Mauled by Aggressive Dogs”. The only safe alternative is that of a well run, private dog park where it is run as a viable business. A properly designed and managed private dog park is an entirely different experience than public parks because it will include dog screening, grounds maintenance, park rules enforcement and more suitable land parcels.

The benefits to a dog at an off-leash dog park or any open area of land are immense. Unleashed running elevates heart rate, increases metabolism, improves gastrointestinal efficiency, and extends muscles and joints, all of which contributes to general overall fitness. It is known that maintaining such a healthy lifestyle for your loved dog will increase longevity and reduce risk of all associated conditions and diseases that obesity can cause. The experience for a dog in open field run is like no leashed exercise. Benefits of off-leash play beyond fitness include socialization, that is, if experienced without incident. Well exercised and well socialized dogs make better community members as they are much less likely to contribute to neighborhood nuisances like chronic barking or aggression to other dogs.

If public parks could operate as the run private dog parks do, these benefits would be available to all community dogs near any type of dog park. Unfortunately, these community or city dog parks cannot staff, screen or have the resources to manage park operations. Thus, incidents will occur, often causing loss of dog’s developed social skills and development of behavioral issues. Incidents like a dog being intimidated, bullied or even attacked by another dog will occur in parks not privately run. Such negative experiences can cause dog aggression, fear aggression or cause physical injury or death. Physical or emotional recovery of a dog from a traumatic incident requires a positive and secure environment that only a well managed private dog park can provide. The good experiences enjoyed in a well-managed private dog park is the primary reason that many loved dog owners everywhere chose private over potential chaos at a public dog park.

Even with the best of run private dog parks, the dog owners retain a high level of responsibility upon park entrance and must be willing to withstand the occasional park staff directive. They must carefully watch their dog, abide by all park rules, maintain the obedience skills of the dog and know their dog well enough to predict their dog’s behavior. Each dog owner should understand their dog’s postures, expressions and movement to be able to differentiate in off-leash situations when they are comfortable and when they are not and to identify or correct any potential troublesome behaviors. This too is critical to the enjoyment of the park by all.

While private dog parks are gaining popularity because they may be the only choice for safe and enjoyable off-leash fun, still do homework because none of the dog parks are regulated by any government agency. A good rule of thumb for any place intended to visit with a dog, learn your dog’s body language and level of social skills, have good control and be comfortable with the facility layout and staff to lessen the chances of any possible incident with your dog.

Before you run out and adopt a new member of the family, you need to evaluate your own lifestyle to see whether you have the resources to make a happy, healthy home for both of you.

1. How much time can commit? You will have to make a conscious commitment to be with your dog every day for the rest of his or her life. If you get a puppy, remember that you’ll have to set aside time for training classes and other activities. You should never buy a dog only to relegate him to the loneliness of the backyard; dogs are social creatures and need interaction with your family. Training a puppy is critical, because it will determine how he or she behaves for the rest of his or her life.

2. Do you have medical concerns? The most common question might be about allergies. Does anyone in your household have allergies that could be aggravated by a dog or mean that you must get rid of him or her? No breed of dog is truly hypoallergenic, and people who have serious allergies may not be able to tolerate any dog at all, regardless of what you might read in an ad. Make sure to consult your doctor if you’re unsure.

3. Can you afford it? The big costs for owning a puppy are not the initial ones of just buying him or her. You must also buy all the accessories: a leash and collar, and a crate for training your puppy; regular vaccinations and inoculations; obedience classes (which can cost up to one hundred dollars!); regular veterinary visits and unexpected medical emergencies; and food, food, food! Growing puppies, especially big breeds, have BIG appetites.

4. Where will your puppy live? It’s not adequate to chain up your dog in your yard with a plastic hut and a bowl of water. Dogs need social interaction and should be a part of your family: keep him inside when you’re not home, and take him for regular, ample exercise opportunities. If you can’t do this, getting a puppy may not be for you, especially because dogs without adequate social interaction tend to bark more and are often victimized by neighborhood bullies.

5. Will your lifestyle fit? If you and your family are very active, you will want to choose a breed that is suited to this lifestyle; if you are more sedentary, the same principle applies. Collies can tolerate much more exercise than a bulldog, for example. In fact, border collies actually require daily workouts. Do your research and find a breed that will fir your lifestyle, and make sure to use several different sources. Another thing to remember is that size and energy/exercise requirements don’t always “match up”!

6. Can you groom your puppy? Dogs need hygiene, just like humans do, and some dogs (like poodles) need a LOT more than others. You should think about how much time you have to spend in a dog groomer’s office, and how much money you can spend. Remember that you’ll have to brush your dog, and keep the problem of shedding in mind.

7. What’s your motivation? Knowing why you want a dog is crucial to picking the right one. If you want a companion, or a watchdog, or anything else, do your research. Some breeds are better suited than others for certain tasks.

8. How much experience do you have? Different breeds of puppies require different amounts of attention. If you’re an experienced dog owner, this consideration might not be important, but if you’re a novice, you should probably choose a breed that is low-maintenance. Each dog, and each breed, has distinctive character traits and physical needs that you should research.

9. What’s your long term status? If you’re single, will a marriage or family change your plans? Will a move mean that you have to leave your dog? Remember that it’s not just you that will be affected – it’s your pet, too.

10. Can you take care of your senior dog? Puppies aren’t puppies forever; just like humans, they age, and they often require more work as they get older. Are you willing to devote the time, or are you just planning to get rid of your dog when he or she is no longer “fun”?

If you have thought about these and decided to get a dog, here are some criteria to keep in mind when choosing a puppy.

1. Age. Never buy a puppy that is younger than eight weeks, because they are still undergoing critical physical and psychological development. At six weeks, puppies are barely weaned; in two weeks, they learn valuable social skills with their litter-mates that will ease the transition to your home. Also, as puppies age, they can often be more receptive to obedience training. If you want to take the “rescue” route, try looking for an older dog, who can offer just as much companionship as a puppy.

2. Physical health. Check your puppy for the following problems: signs of lameness, or any discharge from facial orifices. Your puppy’s coat should be clean and shiny. His stool should be firm and he should be alert. Make sure your puppy was bred with good parents and has had all of his shots. Also, check the status of the facility where your puppy has been raised. Make sure it is clean, but not heavy with odors from artificial cleaners, and that there are no pests. Make sure your puppy and its caretakers have healthy attitudes.

3. Breeder Behavior. Know your breeder! Make sure they’re not trying to “dump” the puppy on you, and that they answer your questions completely and honestly. A responsible breeder can help you decide whether a particular breed of dog is right for you, and if they seem too eager to sell you a puppy, maybe you should look into finding a different source.

4. Temperament and Characteristics. Make sure your puppy’s breed has temperament testing, and that its temperament matches what you are looking for. Your personality should match your puppy’s, because it can be hard to make a relationship of polar opposites work.

5. Intuition. You should trust your instincts when you’re investigating a breeder: does something feel “wrong”? If so, walk away. But remember that your intuition might make you want to take the “feel-good” route of adoption. This requires a huge time commitment and may not be right for everyone.

Choosing to get a puppy is a huge, lifetime commitment. Make sure you do your research and honestly evaluate your lifestyle before taking this important step.