Teach Your Dog How to Visit

Now is the time to get out the clicker and teach your dog a new trick! It's National Train Your Dog Month, which is the perfect time to think about your pet.

When was the last time you taught your dog a trick? It doesn't have to be a tough one, just something to help you bond with your dog, spend some time together and enjoy each other's company.

Right now, I'm trying to teach my dog how to put his head in my lap and "Visit." He's getting the idea, as long as there's a treat waiting for him!

Teaching Your Dog "Visit"

Have your dog sit next to you and then hold a treat on the other side of your leg, so your dog has to reach over your thigh and get it. As soon as he touches your leg with his chin, click and treat. Do this a few times until your dog gets the idea.

When he is putting his head on your thigh regularly, add the word, "Visit". Soon, your dog will be putting his head on your lap whenever you say the cue word. It's a really cute trick, especially when company comes over and your dog "visits" them.

Is the Martingale Collar Right for Your Dog?

The Martingale collar has been used for sight dogs like the greyhound and whippet for years. Their thin, long necks and heads cause traditional snap collars to slip right over the ears and off the head. This is where the Martingale collar comes in. It is the perfect collar for sight dogs or any dog that slips out of his collar.


Advantages of the Martingale Collar: 

• The loop design of the dog collar prevents it from slipping off the dog's head.
• The collar is much safer, preventing the dog from escaping and endangering himself.
• The collar is dog friendly and more humane. When the collar is connected to a leash, it closes around the actual diameter of the dog's neck. In this way, the closing of the collar does not restrict the dog's throat like a traditional choke chain, or pinch collar.
• The Martingale collar is perfect for any sighthounds and many sporting and working breeds like: Vizlas, Borzoi, Collies, Australian Shepherds, Greyhounds, Whippets, Boxers, and Pharaoh hounds, to name a few.
• Most dogs respond to the Martingale better than with a choke collar. It never produces a choke hold on the dog, but gently tightens to fit the dog's neck. There is no pain or constriction of any kind to the dog if fitted properly.
• The collar remains in position on the dog's neck much better than a traditional flat collar. Because of this position, most dogs will not pull and tug in front of the owner. It is a much better collar for loose leash walking and training.
• A struggling dog cannot back out of this collar. If the dog is frightened by traffic or loud noises, trying to rear away from the frightening source, he cannot pull out of the Martingale.

All of these facts are good reasons to try the Martingale collar with your dog. The collar is very effective when fitted according to manufacturer's specifications. The basic fitting method is to tighten correctly. When the smaller loop is pulled, the two outer parts of the collar should join in the middle, fitting comfortably on the dog's neck.


The Martingale collars are available in a variety of sizes, colors, patterns and materials. They are sometimes hard to find in pet stores because most people buy traditional flat collars or chains. You could request your local pet store to order one, but it is probably easier to order one online. Most sites will tell you how to measure your dog's neck and each Martingale is adjustable to fit a variety of sizes.

Why Does My Cat Urinate When Sleeping?

Cats that pee in their sleep usually have an underlying problem causing the incontinence.  Treatments are available for urinary incontinence in cats.

Reasons Why Cats Pee in Their Sleep

Most cats hold their urine during the day but when they fall asleep, urine seeps out when their muscles relax.  This happens most often to aging female cats that were spayed.  According to the University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary medicine, the condition is known as “spay incontinence, hormonally-responsive incontinence or urethral sphincter mechanism incompetency”.

Lower urinary tract disease can also cause a cat to urinate in sleep. Overweight cats and middle aged cats that do not get regular exercise are apt to contract urinary tract disease. They urinate often outside the litter box and in their sleep. Veterinarians diagnose urinary tract disease with X-rays, blood tests and an urinalysis. If the tests are positive for urinary tract disease, antibiotics are prescribed to combat the disease.

How to Stop a Cat from Urinating While Asleep

• Veterinarians prescribe hormone therapy to female cats that urinate in their sleep.  The usual prescription calls for phenylpropanolamine and estrogen hormone replacement.  About ½ to ¾ of the treated cats respond positively to the treatment.  
• Many cats that urinate during sleep undergo surgical correction if hormone therapy is not effective.  Surgery is risky and often does not stop the incontinence.
• Veterinarians also perform collagen injections to prevent urinary incontinence in cats.  They inject collagen into the urethra, which cause it to swell.  The swelling puts pressure on the urethra preventing the urine from leaking. Collagen injections are safe and effective but need to be repeated every 18 months.

What to Ask the Vet about Cats Peeing in Their Sleep

• Treatment options available. 
• Risks involved with each procedure and how effective the treatments are.  The veterinarian will often recommend a particular treatment depending upon the cat’s health, whether it is a male or a female, or the age of the cat. C
• Cost of all medical procedures that treat cat incontinence.  If the cat is too old to risk treatment or the cost is prohibitive, try added measures to protect the floor, furniture, and carpeting from cat urine stains. 

How to Protect Furniture and Carpeting from Pet Urine

Cat urine smells and stains are difficult to remove.  Preventing the cat urine from staining furniture and carpets is the best thing to do.  Follow these tips for keeping pet urine stains and odors out of your house.

• Keep a sheet of plastic or a waterproof pad under the cat’s bedding to prevent the floors from absorbing urine.  
• Wash the cat’s bedding daily in an odor fighting enzyme solution that is available at pet stores.  Enzyme cleaners remove urine odors completely while other cleaners only mask the smell.
• Cover furniture with waterproof covers until the cat is treated for incontinence or keep the cat confined to its own area.  It is difficult to contain cats because they jump over gates and high barriers.  It may be necessary to have the cat sleep in a crate during the night rather than risk ruining the furniture.  

Train Your Dog to Stop Pulling

Walking on a leash does not come naturally to your dog. Does your dog practically yank you off your feet whenever you take it for a walk? Are you thinking about just putting your dog in the back yard for exercise and giving up walking all together? Do not give up yet. A few loose leash-training tips and your dog will be walking by your side, so you both can enjoy each other’s company. Whether you are a professional dog trainer or an amateur dog owner, all it takes is time and patience for successfully learning how to leash train a dog.

Patience Is the Key to Leash Training

The most important thing you need to leash train your dog is patience. If you are having a bad day or if you are not in the mood to deal with your exuberant dog, put off training for another day.

Get a six-foot long leash for leash training your dog. Choose a leash that is comfortable for your hand, since your dog will be pulling. Avoid leashes that pull out to 15 or 20 feet. Extend-a-leashes make keeping your dog under control too difficult, especially if there are other dogs nearby. Keep the thumb of your right hand through the loop and then drape the rest of the leash through the left hand, giving your dog about two feet of leash from his collar.

Use a clip collar rather than a choke chain or pinch collar. Your dog will learn quicker through positive reinforcement rather than through pain and fear. Your dog will actually enjoy training when you offer treats for positive behavior instead of tugging a choke chain for negative behavior.

Become the Most Important Thing in Your Dog’s Life

The basis of successful loose leash walking is to have your focus only on you. You must become the most exciting thing in your dog’s life. You do this by holding the leash and luring your dog toward you as you back away from him. Have your dog’s favorite treat or toy in your hand and just play with him as he follows you. Your dog will thing it’s playtime instead of training. Be generous with the treats and the praise, using a happy, excited voice.

Start your loose leash training without any type of distractions for your dog. This can be in your backyard or even in the house. When your dog constantly follows you and keeps focusing on you, venture into your neighborhood. If your dog starts pulling you and cannot focus, go back to practicing in your yard again. Stay in the yard with your dog following you until he is doing this 100 percent of the time.

Keep Training Short

As your dog follows you, put him in a sit or down every few minutes. This keeps your dog guessing, so he has to stay focused on you. This is also a great way for you to take a short break, especially if you are losing patience.

After a few seconds of sitting, have your dog follow you again. You will have more control over your dog’s behavior by stopping and having him sit every few minutes.

Keep your training sessions to about 10 or 15 minutes. You want to end the training on a positive note while your dog is having a good time and before he loses focus on you.

Start Your Dog Walking Beside You

Is your dog following you consistently yet? If you answered, “Yes”, then it is time to begin having your dog walk beside you. Follow the same procedure as you did when your dog was following you. Begin in your backyard or in the house, away from all distractions.

With your dog at your side, stand still. Try not to move, even if your dog starts pulling you. This is a difficult thing to do if you have a large dog but try not to move too much. Soon, your dog will figure out that he is not going for a walk and will either stand still and look at your or he will sit.

 As soon as your dog sits or looks at you, take a step. Most likely, your dog will get excited and pull again. Immediately stop and stand still again. You have heard the saying, “Patience is a virtue”, well your virtue is about to be tested. Do not take another step until the leash is loose and your dog sits down, even if it takes the entire training period.

Repeat this step repeatedly until your dog understands that you will not take another step until he is beside you. Eventually, your dog will walk beside you in your back yard without pulling. The next test is to go out into the neighborhood and continue training.

No matter what you are training your dog to do, it takes patience and perseverance. If you keep up with your training for a few minutes every day, your dog will be walking calmly beside you whenever you go for a walk.

Resource: dogstardaily.com

Do You Feed Your Dog Too Many Treats?

Do You Feed Your Dog Too Many Treats?

Personally, I have fed my beagle too many treats in the past. I didn’t even realize I was doing it until he went to his yearly veterinarian visit and I was told that he had to lose at least 10 pounds. For a beagle, this is a lot of weight to lose, especially when he has a ravenous appetite.

Everyone in the family had to cooperate with my beagle’s diet or he would never lose weight. We threw out the dog biscuits and purchased low-calorie dog food developed for dog weight loss. My dog didn’t notice the change of dog food and gobbled it down without a problem. He just did not understand why he was not getting more. I used to fill his dog bowl without measuring his food and when I put him on a diet, he only got two cups of dog food per day. I fed him one cup in the morning and one cup at night.

I began making homemade dog treats and feeding them to Hunter only when he worked either for them, doing a trick or for good behavior. I broke the treats into very small pieces, just enough to let my beagle get a taste. I made dehydrated dog treats out of liver, beef and hamburger. Try making some of my homemade dehydrated dog treats for your dog. Although making dog treats is extra work, dogs love them and you do not have to worry about pet treats recalls.

My beagle’s diet was a huge success and he even got his waistline back! On his next veterinarian appointment, Hunter had lost 12 pounds and he looked great.

Blue Wilderness Salmon Dog Food Review

Blue Wilderness Salmon is my new choice of dry dog food. My collie loves it and believe me, he is a picky eater. I had him on the Raw Food diet from the time he was a puppy until he was two years old. It became too difficult carrying raw food during the summer when we went camping or on other vacations. In addition, raw food wasn’t convenient if I had to bring my dog to the kennel.
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BLUE Wilderness Salmon

I searched all 100% grain free dog foods and tried Wellness Chicken first. Come to find out, my dog had an allergy to the chicken and ended up losing his fur, developing dry skin and constantly scratching. Once again, I went to the local Petco store and began comparing dog food labels. I read the Blue Wilderness ingredients and it came very close to the raw diet that my collie was used to. I liked the idea of the salmon, blueberry, potatoes and cranberry mixture for a balanced diet. Blue salmon also has fishmeal and chicken meal but the chicken in Blue doesn’t cause the allergic reaction of the Wellness dog food.

It took a couple of weeks to switch him completely to Wilderness dog food, mixing it with his other food so he wouldn’t develop digestive problems. After the two weeks, I fed my dog Blue Wilderness Salmon completely. Within one month, he stopped itching, his fur grew back and his coat is healthy and shiny.

My collie is still a picky eater and probably finishes about three cups of dog food every other day. I know this doesn’t sound like much but the vet said he’s healthy and he sure has the energy of a puppy.

Blue Wilderness Salmon works for my dog but if you are thinking of switching your dog to another dog food, watch for allergic reactions.

Raising a Choodle

Choodle (allmutt.com)

A Choodle is a Chihuahua and a Toy Poodle mixed-breed dog. These adorable, little dogs are also known as Wapoo, Chipoo, Chi Poo, Poochi or Poo-Chi. Although the AKC does not recognize them as a breed, the Designer Breed Registry lists them as a Choodle or Wapoo. If you want your Choodle to be a good companion dog, you need to understand the both the Toy Poodle and Chihuahua personalities. Teaching your Choodle good manners and basic obedience will give you a loyal and friendly pet.

Read more: How to Raise a Good Choodle | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_8665261_raise-good-choodle.html#ixzz1VUx5ThcL