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If you are looking out for a purebred dog, you will probably want to find a breeder from whom you should purchase the animal. You might think that it is as easy as looking into the classified section of your newspaper, but you will want to be certain that the breeder you choose is reputable. There are a number of ways of determining whether the breeder you have chosen knows enough, is professional, trustworthy and reliable.

Seek References
A good breeder should be able to give you references of the clients he has previously worked with. These people who had purchased a puppy and utilized a stud service should be more than willing to share their experience with you. It is always safe to choose a breeder who was used by a person you know. If your family member or friend was satisfied with the breeder and the service, chances are that you will be satisfied too.

Be prepared for questions
You know your breeder is good if he or she has as many questions to ask you, as you have to ask them. A good breeder is always dedicated to the dog’s welfare and will want to place the dog he or she breeds with the right people. Some of the questions you can expect are whether you have children, the size of your home and yard, and other related questions that can help them determine what kind of dog is suitable for you and also if you can provide the required environment and atmosphere for the dog. If your breeder does not ask you these kind of questions, he or she is probably just out for the money and you probably do not want to seek the services of such a breeder. A good breeder always thinks of the welfare of both the client and the dog.

Guarantees
The breeder you choose should check the puppy for potential health risks before selling you the animal. There are, however, some problems that go undetected till too late. For instance, if you are purchasing a golden retriever, and 6 months later discover that it suffers from hip dysplasia (a defect in the hip joints of the animal, virtually undetectable till several months after birth), your breeder should be willing to issue you a refund, no strings attached. These kinds of genetic disorders can be avoided by using selective breeding (there is a 25%-85% chance that hip dysplasia in a dog is genetic), but it is possible for the pup to suffer from such disorders even if it was absent in the parents.

Other sources
Besides searching for a dog breeder in the newspaper and the internet, they can also be found through references from veterinarian’s offices, dog shows and pet supply stores. Dog shows are one of the best places to find good breeders, as usually the breeders who attend them are showing one of their own dogs or have come to see one of their clients dogs.

Recently, a lot of our friends and customers have asked us about dog training and how to properly use treats when training dogs. We found the following article to be very helpful:

There are many different approaches to dog training and many different ways of implementing each of those approaches. Most techniques utilized today however, are premised upon the idea that positive reinforcement is likely to create the best results. Virtually every truly functional dog training system is outgrowth of positive reinforcement thinking.

Regardless of which specific program a dog owner may choose to adopt, there are common pitfalls that can be avoided. Dog owners are particularly susceptible to making three critical errors, which if avoided will make the training process far more enjoyable and effective. Three of the most common mistakes are inconsistency, impatience and treating the dog as a subject instead of a training partner.

Inconsistency

Consistency may be hobgoblin of little minds in terms of the need for human creativity. With respect to dog training, however, inconsistency is the quickest way to reduce the experience’s effectiveness.

Dogs thrive on predictability. In fact, their ability to grasp cause and effect is at the very root of training. Operant conditioning is predicated on the fact that dogs will begin to associate events with consistent outcomes. This notion of consistency’s importance must be extended to the overall process of dog training.

A dog is likely to best respond to a system in which regular actions produce regular results. Too often, dog owners fail to be entirely consistent. In the dog’s mind, these lapses in regularity convey a sense of randomness to the process and make it difficult for the pet to associate his specific behaviors with specific results-the key to training. Dogs will excel when they are taught that things happen for specific reasons. When surprises occur it undermines the whole of the training process.

A successful trainer will retain consistency and will not deviate from an established course.

Impatience

There can be a great deal of frustration in dog training. Concepts we believe dogs should be able to grasp easily often escape them completely for quite some time.

We live in a world that is so often focused on immediate results. We learn to expect that our actions will be met by prompt, anticipated responses. Dog training runs counter to this societal trend toward speedy, immediate gratification. Training is an extended process that can require a great deal of patience from the trainer.

Impatience results in unpredictability on the part of the owner as they hastily cease a training session or abandon positive reinforcement techniques in hopes of finding a shortcut to desired results. Patience is, indeed, a virtue when one considers the role of the owner in a dog training situation.

A successful trainer will master developing a patient outlook throughout the extended process of dog training.

Treating the Dog as a Subject Instead of a Partner

Dog training requires two participants: the dog and the owner. Frequently, however, owners tend to perceive the process as being uniquely about them. They fret over their techniques, equipment and strategies without giving real consideration to their training partner, the dog.

When an owner approaches the dog as a simple subject for experimentation, they lose track of what makes the dog unique and denigrate the always-important dog/owner relationship. Training becomes a chore, rather than a joint activity. What might have been a pleasurable chance for interaction becomes an un-enjoyable task.

Dogs are sufficiently intuitive to be attuned to a trainer’s attitude and are less receptive to learning when they are treated merely as a subject instead of as a complete being. Owners who fail to see their pet’s identity during training are unable to pick up on subtle clues and possible means to improve their techniques.

The successful trainer will treat his dog as a full partner in training, not merely as a subject.

By avoiding these three common pitfalls, a dog owner is more likely to be able to implement a training strategy that produces results. Additionally, the training experience is likely to be enjoyable for both the dog and owner, giving them a tremendous opportunity to build their relationship. Regardless of the exact methodology adopted by the owner, the training process will benefit extraordinarily from avoiding the mistakes of inconsistency, impatience and treating your pet as a subject instead of as a partner.

Source: i-love-dogs.com

Get your dog some great dog treats today.

The Beagle is a very intelligent, loving, food-motivated dog. This make the breed highly trainable and has helped the Beagle successfully enter and dominate the work force. The real reason Beagles excel as working dogs, however, is their impeccably accurate sense of smell. For this reason, Beagles are often used as detection and tracking dogs in rescue operations and law enforcement. They are used to track and locate missing persons, and they are used as both rescue and cadaver dogs, helping seek out living victims and bodies in the wreckage from buildings collapsing, fires, or natural disasters.

Though Beagles were originally developed as high-powered game detectors for hunters, its role in modern-day society has expanded vastly. The Beagle’s sense of smell is so accurate that they are employed by the United States Department of Agriculture to detect contraband fruits and vegetables that may be smuggled into the country. They even have a name for this Beagle-based team: The USDA Beagle Brigade! Beagles are also used to detect things as strange as termites in homes and as common as drugs in airports. They are a favorite choice of law enforcement agents because of their obedient nature and high intelligence. They also have one of the most sensitive noses of any of the hounds.

It is said that the Beagle’s floppy ears and moderately long snout help the breed when following scents by gathering the molecules from whatever smell it is that they are following. Beagles are more successful at tracking a scent from the ground than they are from an arbitrary place in the air, but they still excel at both skills. Most beagles can even track scents across water. It’s very hard to outsmart a beagle when he has a good whiff of a subjects scent.

The Beagle’s excessively effective sense of smell is a huge benefit and asset to a working dog, but can turn into a significant obstacle when dealing with a household pet. With such accurate noses, the Beagle will always know when you are eating and what you are eating, or if there is something they might want to get at inside the garbage can! This can be difficult to deal with, being that Beagles are notoriously food-motivated animals. The easiest way to counteract this behavior is to train against garbage digging or begging for people food, starting from puppyhood. If your dog knows he will never get to eat the bacon he smells on your breath, he will be less likely to go digging for the wrapper in your trash bin.

Another problem with household pet Beagles and their sense of sent is their innate desire to always track a smell that makes them curious. If you live in a rural area, this can mean your dog wandering miles away in search of a rabbit that could have bounced through your back yard two days ago. Invisible fences or shock collars are virtually useless against Beagles, as they just don’t care about something giving them a light shock when they are following something they could eat, play with, or even just follow!

When a good dog suddenly starts displaying aggressive or even hostile behavior it can be a frightening experience for any dog owner.  It is not uncommon that a dog that was once sociable and friendly suddenly becomes aggressive.  As with all negative and unexpected situations there are of course worst case scenarios, but a sudden change in a dog’s behavior is no reason to panic, the key to dealing with the situation is to get at the reason for the sudden change.

You need to remember that your dog is descended from wild animals, and while the modern domestic canine is very different in many ways from the wolves that virtually all dogs descended from, some traits remain, and they do surface from time to time.  While it is true that a dog’s mind is simple and that teaching a dog certain behavior is relatively straight forward, you need to remember that a dog’s primal behavior is inherited, and it can’t be modified, just worked around.  In order to do that, you need to know what you are dealing with.

For starters, wolves are pack animals, and it is this basic fact that is probably behind your dog’s mysterious behavior shift.  To your dog, you are a member of his or her pack.  How you behave determines what sort of a pack member you are:  Are you a dominant member of the pack to be followed and submitted to?  Or are you a weak member of the pack that needs protection and special attention?  In either case, there are different triggers for sudden aggression.  A dog will adjust his or her behavior accordingly based on yours.  The cause of the dogs aggression should be determined be a professional trainer, as the owner is often too close to the situation.

A dog will become aggressive when it feels there is some kind of threat.  A typical cause in both types is when a dog becomes possessive about something.  Typically, the “object” is food; it can also be a bed or even a cherished chew toy or any object the dog has grown attached to.  If your dog is submissive to you, he or she is less likely to exhibit this type of behavior; however, when submissive dogs do get possessive, they are likely to be more aggressive.  The good thing about submissive dogs, is that this behavior Is more easily corrected.

Dogs can also become aggressive over territory, dogs who regard themselves as leaders are typically very territorial.  Anytime they feel there is a threat to their space, they will try to defend it.  A dog’s definition of what its territory is varies, typically though, a dog will consider the house and the immediate vicinity its territory; although some dogs have been known to “claim” larger areas.

Dogs also get aggressive when they feel a member of their pack is being threatened.  The trouble with dogs is that they have a limited understanding of people, and in fact, it is often this misunderstanding that causes them to behave aggressively.  Dogs with more dominant personalities are again more likely to display this sort of behavior, but when a threat is perceived to be extreme and immediate, even dogs with submissive personalities will step up to “defend” the pack.

Aggression in dogs needs to be dealt with immediately and decisively, to not do so could be outright dangerous.  If a dog does something as trivial as growling, or worse snapping at you when you take away its bed for cleaning, you cannot let it pass.  The dog will then think that you tolerate that sort of behavior, and that it is acceptable.  If you just let it pass, succeeding incidents will likely be more severe.   You should get professional assistance to learn positive methods of letting your dog know you are the master.  Should your dog get to a point where it snaps at people habitually, you should definitely get professional help as soon as possible, and keep your pet on a leash until then.