Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Dog - Boxer Dog Training: Communication, not Confusion

There's no way around it. If you have a Boxer, you have a dog that is wired for action. The same genetic selection which provides them with their loveable temperaments and exceptional intelligence also gives them overflowing energy and the muscles to knock a human twice their size off his or her feet. So if you have a Boxer, Boxer dog training is a must. And there are techniques specific to Boxer dog training which do not apply to other breeds.

Your Boxer dog training needs to employ methods which will keep you Boxer interested. Boxers are bred to be working dogs, and have a very strong drive to be productive. They want to be given something useful to do, and will be looking to you for cues that you appreciate the efforts they are expending. And because Boxers were bred for use in the bull and bear-baiting sports, they have extremely high pain thresholds. Any Boxer dog training which involves harsh physical treatment will not only be wasted on them; it may encourage stubbornness and a complete refusal to co-operate.

So, before you embark on your Boxer dog training adventure, you need to make allowances for your Boxer's inbred personality quirks. Keeping them in mind, you should succeed at Boxer dog training. Your Boxer puppy will come to you having learned from its mother and litter mates that every pack has rules. It will be watching to see who decides the rules in your house, and if no one seems to be the top dog, it will happily assume the job. Boxer dog training, therefore, has to be consistent, with each rule made clear and each infraction immediately corrected. And the correction should always be the same. It's important, therefore, that you do not confuse your dog. For example, if your Boxer, behaving as a good watchdog should, barks at the sound of footsteps on the porch, don't get agitated and demand that it stop. Your Boxer will read your agitation as a sign that there is cause for concern, and its protective instincts will be heightened even further. The barking will increase, and growling may ensue.

The Boxer is behaving the way it was bred to behave, and is taking its signals from you. So successful Boxer dog training requires understanding why your Boxer is reacting in a certain way, and thinking about how you can communicate what change is necessary.

If you stay calm when you hear the footsteps on the porch, and before opening the door fully, give your dog time to see who is there and to pick up from you that there is no cause for concern, the chances are good that it will understand the visitor is a friend, and retreat from ferocious defense to delighted wriggling welcome.

When you take on the job of Boxer dog training, you'll have a pupil who is bright, willing, and eager to please. It's up to you to keep things interesting and non-threatening, and if you do, you'll have a Boxer whose lifelong good manners and companionship will make you the envy of you local dog-owning set!

Do you want to know find out loads more about how to train and raise you Boxer the proper way? Visit boxerdogessentials.com for more FREE info! Boxer Dog Training was written by freelance writer and boxer lover Rob Bogie.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rob_Bogie

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Dog - Are You Harming Your Dog with Their Dog Food? Health Concerns Stemming from Commercial Dog Foods

Do you like eating foods laced with preservatives, fillers and potentially dangerous chemicals? I'm going to take a safe guess and say no'but most dog owners serve this to their beloved pets every day.

Death Due to Dog Food

Commercial dog food health concerns are being raised as more and more people are exposing the potentially harmful practices of commercial dog food manufacturing. On Friday March 16th a major dog and cat food recall was announced by Menu Foods, the company that makes 48 brands of pet foods including Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba pet food. The Menu Foods recall was announced after it was discovered that 10 dogs and cats died and an unknown number affected from kidney failure as a result of eating these pet foods.

Do you know what's in Your Dog's Food?

The truth is many commercial dog foods have ingredients that would shock you.

Your Dog's Food Could Contain:

Worms
Rancid Animal Fats
Diseased or cancerous meat
And...

Sodium Pentobarbital used to euthanize animals!

Yes, I'm sorry to tell you but dead animals could be in your dog's dinner bowl. According to author Ann Martin, author of "Protect Your Pet" and "Food Pets Die For" it is a common practice that euthanized animals are routinely rounded up from veterinary clinics and sent to processing plants to become your dog's food.

Now tell me'would you knowingly feed your beloved pet this type of food? Of course not! But commercial dog food health concerns stem from the fact that the manufacturers don't have to tell you what happens to the meat before they get their hands on it.

Discover How To Feed Your Dog a Healthy, Life Enhancing Diet

The key to providing dog food health benefits is to feed your beloved pet the nutrients and vitamins they need'without the preservatives, fillers and tainted meat. Just as you take care to cook healthy meals for you and the rest of your family, you can easily create healthy recipes for your dog. Making homemade meals for your dog isn't expensive, it isn't difficult and it will dramatically improve the health and well being of your dog.

On the days that you may not be able to "cook" for your pet you can substitute a safe brand of kibble. You will have to study up on your pet food labels but there are a precious few commercial dog foods on the market that are designed with your pet's health in mind...but you need to read those labels to be sure you're giving them the correct brands.

Feed your dog a healthier, chemical free diet and they will:

Have stronger immune systems
Suffer less skin conditions
Better all over health including less chance of heart conditions and kidney failure
Live much longer

If you have a dog you know what a cherished member of the family they become. What you may not know is that you may be putting them at risk for disease and a significantly shorter life span every time you serve them their dog food. Health and happiness for your dog can be as simple as taking the time to learn the truth about commercial dog foods and learning how you can better feed your four legged friend

Cindy McKie is a freelance writer and owner of a 15 year old Bichon Frise named Molly. Learn how to start feeding your dog a healthier diet today with the 5 Free Tips to a Better Dog's Diet mini-course.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cindy_McKie

Dog - Proper Training for Dogs

Thus Dogs training needs to begin at the very early stage when the tender puppies are welcomed at your home. The training could be successfully started by teaching them key words like their names, yes and no to make them react according to your stimuli. These days group classes for dogs training are available all over and skilled trainers provide training to them. So if affordable send them to these classes.

Dogs' training demands you to be very meticulous in planning lesson programme for them. It should not be too rigorous for tinier pups that are in formative stage of their lives. The famous proverb is fit to quote here that slowly and steady wins the race. Learning load could be gradually increased as the dogs mature. But there are certain dogs that take time to attain maturity so more dogs training is required in their case.

Taking dogs out on a walk is not only beneficial to their physical fitness but also for their behavioural customisation. Outing brings them in contact with other breeds as much as to different surroundings which require them to react more seemingly. If no outing is provided they might receive shock at sudden encounters with those breeds and set ups and eventually cause or receive damages.

Most dogs training programmes include playing with good, lasting and chemical safe chewy toys which keep them amusing for longer span of time and refreshe them when feeling fed up of loneliness. This at the same time inculcates in them a habit not to chew costly foot-wears or other leather made households.

Teaching dogs how to greet is an important item of Dogs training. They need to learn not to leap up to the visitors with their dirty paws leaving dirty and filthy impressions on their dry-cleaned cloths. Therefore one should not applause his puppy when it jumps at others rather fire it. But as and when it keeps itself footed on ground one should never miss opportunity to appreciate it. This encourages it and breeds love.

Dogs' training also emphasises to teach your puppy to go out to ease its bowls and not to mess in the living rooms. You need to define a place that it will use as its toilet and ask it to move there as soon as you think it is feeling uneasy. Initially you have to watch it at its timings but eventually it will learn to go there by itself.

Hi I am Huzef, I am an author plus webdesigner so for more information regarding Dog's Training surely visit me at http://1-dogtraining.blogspot.com.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Huzef_Saifee

Dog - Boxer Dog for Sale: Is It the Right Dog for You?

You are looking for a Boxer dog for sale, but don't know where to begin. There are, of course, pet stores, and the local animal shelter. The shelter option has appeal because you'd be rescuing a dog. The pet store is convenient.

And then there are the classified ads, offering Boxer dogs for sale. They claim that the animals have all their shots and are AKC registered.

What to do? Well, if your heart is set on a Boxer puppy, you may have to wait a while for one to show up at your animal shelter. The Boxers surrendered for adoption are usually past the puppy stage, and being given up because they were not the best match for their owners. You may find a Boxer dog for sale in you local pet shop, but you may also have to ask them to order one for you.

And if you are going to go to that much trouble, why not find out which nearby kennels have a Boxer dog for sale, so you can meet you prospective new family member in person. You'll get an idea of the sort of breeder is offering your Boxer dog for sale, and see how the puppies look, behave, and interact with each other and with you.

Anyone with a registered female Boxer can breed her and have Boxer dogs for sale. But only a breeder with an established reputation is going to have someone on staff who can answer all your questions about their dogs' backgrounds, pedigrees, and possible health or behavioral issues.

When a responsible breeder decides to offer a Boxer dog for sale, you can be sure that the dog involved will be the offspring of parents who have been specifically selected for mating. The breeder will want to make sure that his or her dogs are bred to the highest standards, and away from the genetic weaknesses, of the Boxer breed.

And before a responsible breeder advertises a Boxer dog for sale, the dog will have been given the best health care and nutrition, and enough loving human contact to make sure it is properly socialized. This may take months; a good breeder will make sure his or her puppies are ready to fit happily into the loving homes to which they go.

So a Boxer dog for sale from a recognized breeder, because of the extra care and nurturing it has received, will cost more than one from a pet store. But weighed against the expense of a lifetime of health and temperament problems, it's a small price to pay!

Do you want to know find out loads more about how to train and raise you Boxer the proper way? Visit boxerdogessentials.com for more FREE info! Boxer Dog For Sale was written by freelance writer and boxer lover Rob Bogie.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rob_Bogie