Friday, March 29, 2019

Dog care through Fun exercises


Just like you and me, a dog also needs regular exercises.  But the problem is, dogs don’t tend to do it on their own unless you push them to, since a dog brain doesn’t have enough processing power to understand that it’s good for it.

Whether you own a boxer or a shepherd, it’s up to you to start making your dog exercise. Exercising is a very valuable part of dog care, not only does it keep a dog in shape, it also keeps it away from common diseases.
As hard it may sound, exercising your dog is not a hard thing. In fact, it’s fun and also very good for your own health. Exercising your dog means exercising yourself, which keeps both you and your dog healthy. But to make it a fun for both of you, a suitable and enjoyable routine and session is a must. For instance, you can start off combining walking, running and fetching games for a 30 minutes as a base routine and then make changes to it according to your dog’s interest and stamina. Some dogs are very active and some dogs are not so active, for the later, splitting up the 30 minute session with two 15-minute session is a very good idea, you can start by walking and light running in the first session and then move onto intense running and fetching in the second session.
Observe your dog, don’t just keep pushing it to do what you like to do, let it be for a while and see which out of those exercises interests it the most. Some dogs don’t like to take long walks. For example, Labrador Retrievers and Poodles really like long walks while hounds are fond of low key walks.
Games are also part of dog exercises, don’t just walk and run with your dog, if exercising gets to your dog’s nerve, give it a rest and spend a day with it playing hide and seek, tug of war. Dogs are naturally fond of finding and holding on to to things, including them in the routine means its more fun to both of you.
It’s also very important that you make your dog work out at least 4 days a week, exercising for 2 hours only on the weekend doesn’t mean that your dog will be healthy. And don’t just start exercising your dog out of the blue, if your loving dog doesn’t have any exercising experience at all, start with a 10 to 15 minute light walks and running and then add more activities as days goes by.  Don’t just make it work out just because you wanted to start running again, both of you should have the same ruling power when it comes to exercising.
 source: https://petanimalworld.com/dogs/

Friday, March 22, 2019

Camping With Your Pet

Who says camping in the great outdoors is just for humans, taking your dog camping with the family is one of the best experiences your canine can have. After smelling the same smells and hearing the same sounds, they too get tired of the monotony. Who doesn’t benefit from fresh air and new experiences?

Before taking the trip pet preparations must be done. If you are going to another state to a campground you may need to check ahead and see if there are any special regulations or permits needed for your pet. Checking if particular campgrounds you may visit even allow pets and making sure they do not have too many stringent rules about pets around their grounds. There are places that advertise pet friendly, but then put certain restrictions on the pet’s visit. Some states require certain certifications such as shot records and/or forms of animal restraints that you have to conform with. It is best to know before hand what to prepare for. Be sure to check them out on-line or call ahead.

Once you' have decided on a campground, prepare your pooch for the trip in advance. Being in the peak of health is a must for all the members of the family, especially your pooch. Make sure they are up to date on all yearly shots and vaccinations. Pack a separate bag for your pooch. It makes it easier to handle him during the trip. Include his records just in case, a recent picture, a harness/leash/muzzle (if required by travel), favorite toys, treats and of course food and water.

Before road dog travel make sure your pooch goes to the bathroom. Feeding him hours before the trip is advisable to prevent "accidents" in the car. Hydrate your pooch though, just to keep him full. Treat feeding is allowable as long it is minimal. Anticipating a trip your pooch may be excited or rowdy, it is best to lay down the law before the trip by reminding him by way of key commands that he must behave. Obedience and training are best used in situations like this. Assuming that his training is a family supported program, advise your family to be mindful of the commands to ensure a smooth trip.

A cross-country trip means lots of stops; these can be for emergencies, meal times or just stretching out the kinks. Leash your dog before anyone gets down from the vehicle. Water can be given and at certain stops walk your dog for a while. Make sure you have something to pick up after your dog at rest stops or gas stations.

Before your vehicle even stops, the smell of a different world attacks your dog’s nose. Leash your pooch before exiting the car. When you are at your designated spot, choose a place to keep your dog. If you are at a cabin, find a corner by the fireplace or near the kitchen for your dog’s nook. Be sure to place his favorite chew toys, his water dish and portable feeder in his nook. If you are camping outside, keep him close by, you can drive a short stake to the ground and keep him chained there while setting-up camp. The stake is only used when all hands are full. Unleash him and go for a look-around to familiarize him to the area and smells of the surrounding campground. Dogs imprint smells making them less likely to get lost.

Make sure you keep your dog hydrated at all times. They love to explore, so make sure you keep an eye out for him while exploring or hiking. Carry a bag of treats in hand to keep him in line just in case your pooch forgets his training. Going camping with your pooch is a good way to relax and enjoy the simple things. Experts say, being surrounded by nature and taking a break from all the hectic schedules is the best way for your pooch to enhance innate skills of his own breed. The change in environment for your dog makes him more manageable and alert.

source: https://petanimalworld.com/traveling-with-a-pet-by-car/

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Advanced Dog Tricks: Teaching Your Dog The High Jump


Training your dog to high jump is not as hard as you may think that it is. After all, dogs love to jump around and have fun; and by doing the high jump they will certainly be having fun!

Getting Started

In order to teach your dog how to jump, you will first need something that they can actually jump over. Especially designed agility jumps are a good idea but you can also try to make your own too if you need to save money.

Once you have the jumps in front of you, make sure that you select their lowest height to start with. You cannot expect your dog to just jump straight over the jumps at their highest point straight away. Also, make sure that the jumps are around ten feet apart. Obviously it depends upon how big your dog is as to how high and wide the jumps should be so accommodate the best that you can for your dog.

In order to teach your dog how to jump over the jumps, simply walk them over to the middle of the jump and stop a few feet away. Tell them to ‘Stay’ and then enthusiastically walk towards the jump, point to it and say something along the lines of ‘jump’ or ‘hop’ or ‘up’, anything that you want to so that your dog understands what you want them to do.

At your command the dog should jump over the jump and as soon as they do you need to praise them and tell them they are a ‘Good dog’. This exercise will need to be repeated a few times just to make sure that your dog fully understands the command. However do not overdo it as your dog will only dog train and follow your commands if they are fun to do, they will soon get fed up and that could be detrimental to the training process.

Come back to the same exercise the same day but only repeat it once this time. Then move the dog on to another bar jump and give them the command to go over it. They should do this if you have not over trained them and if you are enthusiastic enough once again. As soon as they do go over the jump, again praise them and tell them that they are a ‘Good Dog’. The next step once your dog has mastered this is to higher the height of the jumps.

Make the jumps around 18 feet apart this time and start the dog off further away from the jump. You should not have to show the dog what to do anymore and a command is all that it should take for the dog to go over the jump. However if they don’t it is important not to tell them off, simply repeat the exercise and if they still do not want to do it then do not force them. If the dog has mastered the command then the next day you can move on to a more structured jumping method.

Structuring Your Dogs Jumping Method

By using a more structured method of jumping you will be placing more distance between yourself and your dog. This is an ideal training method if you would like to enter your dog into jumping competitions.

You need to first give your dog the command to sit and stay when they are around 15 feet away from the Standard High Jump. Go over to the opposite side of the jump and give your dog the jump command. You should ideally repeat it once more but as you do, walk a few feet left once your dog has started to jump. Once they land turn to face them and then ideally repeat around three more times just so that the dog knows what they are doing.

The next training session should involve placing your dog in a sit stay, again 15 feet away from the jump. Walk behind the jump facing your dog and then step to your left before giving a hand signal, as well as giving the command for the dog to jump. If at any time your dog decides that they would rather run to you than the jump, simply block them and try and guide them towards the jump. At this stage in the training it is possible to life the dog over the jump if needed (depending of course upon how big the dog is!). You should try and repeat this session around 3 times before finishing.

When it comes to the next training sessions you should ideally start to move further away from the jumps. This is to test your dog to see if they will go over the jumps without you being so close to them. It will teach them that there is no danger in going over the jump when you are not there and it will help in competitions.

Finally you need to focus more upon the dog’s position. So make sure that you place the dog to your left and give them the sit stay command. Make your way directly opposite the dog, by the jumps and then be as enthusiastic as you can be whilst telling them to go over the jump. Repeat a couple of times before calling it a day and that is how you train your dog the structured method.

Overall if you follow the tips above you should easily be able to teach your dog to do the high jump. Just remember to practice and do not overdo it in the beginning.

source: https://petanimalworld.com/dog-obedience-tips-how-to-effectively-train-your-dog/