Saucy Pet

Archive for December, 2008

Some people have known for a long time that particular crossbreeds of animals are an improvement on each of the original breeds. The trick is finding the best crossable breeds. A few of these crossbreeds end up becoming considered pure breeds themselves. The Golden Labrador Retriever is one, bred from Labrador and Golden Retrievers. As puppies they begin to show the best traits of their parents breeds.

The Best Dog?

Both Labrador and Golden Retrievers are dogs that really like to be around people and are eager to please. Note that not every one is alike, and improper training will always make a disobedient, fearful dog (regardless of breed), but on the whole, a Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy is a born people lover. They are fascinated by people and seem to identify with them. They also have a lot of strength and energy, which comes in good for service and search and rescue dogs.

Best Seeing Eye Dogs

According to service dog experts and charities that train seeing eye dogs in England, the best dog for the job is a Labrador/Golden retriever crossbred. There is an extensive breeding program run in England by Guide Dogs to raise dogs to be seeing eye dogs. A Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy is first tested at about eight weeks of age to see what his personality is like.

Their training never really stops. Many a Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy fails the program and is put up for adoption as a pet. To take a Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy and turn out a dependable life-saver costs an average of $70,000 (US). They work until old age or illness forces them to retire, and then they are placed in care homes for the rest of their lives.

Other Things to Know

Many information websites will tell you that a Golden Labrador will always be yellow, which is not always the case. Occasionally a dark puppy will be born. You can register your Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy with the American Canine Hybrid Club.

Each day, there is a newborn Golden / Labrador Retriever puppy who makes that first step to being a drug sniffing dog, cancer sniffing dog, service dog or a search and rescue dog. They all can rescue us from ourselves and our selfishness and help give our souls back to ourselves.

For some people it is an offence to have a barking dog around them, they think that dogs should be seen and not heard. This is slightly unfair given that the bark is a dog’s voice and like yourself it uses it to communicate.

In some instances of course you want your dog to bark loudly such as when a suspected burglar approaches or if you fall into trouble of some sort and need urgent assistance. In most cases your dog is just trying to talk to you, perhaps he is just happy about something, dog obedience training will help you to find this out for sure.

The problem is that the language barrier between barking dogs and humans is well nigh impenetrable. Therefore, you are forced to resort to the facts of the situation in which your dog is barking and try to understand from its body language just what it is trying to say.

Apart from that many people ask just why do dogs bark? Dogs will always bark but the problem is sorting out what the good reasons are.

Naturally they will bark when they are happy about something such as greeting you on your return or perhaps they are happy about running around in the park.

Some dogs having barking bred into to them such as toy dogs or sporting breeds where they are trained to bark in order to notify their owners of the presence of a particular quarry being hunted. Other dogs like the guarding breeds are trained only to bark when a threat is perceived.

There are many reasons to explain why a dog barks, these can include something as simple as just being lonely through to it just needing to go to the toilet.

Again the context of the situation will help you to decide the likely cause. But of course it is not fair for you to try to shut the dog up. She may be communicating for a very good reason, you just need to spend some effort in understanding her.

However, dogs are not stupid animals there are situations where they realise that they can use their bark to annoy or force their owner into a particular action. Barking as a means of bullying is something your dog may well try, don't let it.

For instance you dog may have decided that it is time to play and continues barking until you give in and drop what you are doing to amuse her. The problem here is that the dog then learns that all she has to do is to bark whenever she wants something and you will oblige.

This can get very wearing after a quite short period of time. The best approach would have been to show the dog that it cannot get its own way by giving it the cold shoulder.

Turning your back on your pet is a great way to show you are unhappy at its behavior and shows it you are serious in your training. After repeated actions your dog should eventually get the message.

Please remember that part of your dog's training is learning that you go out and play at times to suit you, not your dog. This teaches your dog respect and hopefully makes for a quieter household with limited barking dog problems.

Consult a good book on dog obedience training like SitStayFetch to solve many of the problems you will encounter when you are training your dog.

Don’t you want to keep your dog safe? This is why many responsible dog owners purchase an Invisible Fence system.

Invisible Fence is a wireless dog containment system. An electrical wire is laid underground along the perimeter of an area. A special electronic collar is placed on the dog. When the dog approaches the boundary, a warning beep sounds. This gives the dog the opportunity to back away from the perimeter. If the dog ignores the beeping, a mild electric shock is delivered via the electronic collar to the dog’s neck.

This technique may sound cruel, but it’s not. The shock is very mild, as the power comes from batteries in the dog’s collar, not from the buried wire. It’s the surprise that gets a reaction. And the shock level is adjusted according to the size of the dog — smaller dogs get a much smaller shock.

Note that Invisible Fence, like all electronic pet fences, doesn’t work its magic in a vacuum. The dog must be conditioned to run away from the boundary when the warning beep occurs. Flags are placed along the boundary to act as visual cues during the training, which initially occurs with a leashed dog. The collar is also placed into training (no shock) mode.

To perform the conditioning, the owner approaches the perimeter with the dog. As soon as the dog passes the flags that mark the perimeter, the collar will start beeping. The owner immediately tugs on the leash and walks quickly away from the perimeter, calling the dog’s name. With lots of encouragement and praise, the owner makes it a fun game for the dog.

When done over several training sessions, the dog learns to immediately leave the perimeter area as soon as the beeping occurs. Eventually the training is done without a leash and with the collar in its normal mode. If the dog ignores the beeping, the first shock it receives is usually enough to cause it to heed the collar’s warning the next time it approaches the perimeter.

Obviously, not every dog needs to be contained with an Invisible Fence system. But it works surprisingly well for those that do.

dog training school

If a dog owner wants to train his dog, he should prepare for the right mindset. This would prevent him from violating any dog rules, an act that could really detriment the dog’s interest on learning.

Following the rules of training will also prevent the owner from doing the things that could harm his relationship with the dog. There are certain rules in collar dog training that must be followed including the following:

Stay focused

Incompletion of a task usually leads to confusion. Make certain that when a command is given, both you and your dog will follow through. Refrain from being distracted every time you give a command.

If you are commanding your dog to sit. Once you give this command, be sure that both of you will see the end of it. Do not tug on the collar of your dog and stop halfway and be distracted. Always finish one command first then move on to the next.

The dog should sit completely and not just bend his rear legs. If you do not make this happen, the dog will think that next time you give the command it would be okay for him not to complete the task or to ignore it completely. Always stay focused, this way, you would eliminate the possibility of confusion and maximize the obedience to a command.

Rewards and punishments

Many owners are anxious to let their dogs hear a string of praises or be rewarded with several cookies instead of one whenever a command is accomplished. On the other hand, a lot of owners give too many punishments on a single wrong thing that the dog did instead of punishing him just once. Both could adversely affect the training of the dog.

Never over do the rewarding or punishing of the dog’s behavior. If you are using praises as reward, do not over praise the dog. Praising your dog will make the dog realize that you are in favor of his abilities. This should be said immediately after the command is accomplished.

In the same way, a single pulling of the check cord will be enough if the dog did not follow your command. A signal will be sent to the dog to inform them that something is wrong.

Overdosing the dog with either rewards or punishments will distract him from learning. He would only remember the praises or the punishments and not the thing he did or he did not do.   

End with a positive note

For every training session, make it a point that the training will end with a positive praise. This would make the dog look forward to the next training since the last session fulfilled her need to please you. Also, ensure to it that the last command was accomplished correctly so that the dog is oriented properly to following commands.

Never lose your patience

Often trainers become impatient with the dog when the results are not achieved. They then may do something that will ruin the training.

Small dog training should be an enjoyable experience for you and your pet. You should try to determine your pitfalls if you begin to lose your temper and your dog remains disobedient.

Dog training is really a difficult business. If you are not prepared for it, you could get help from dog training classes and instructors.

dog training school

The truth is there are so many dog training schools that offer their services to anyone willing to pay them. The problem though is not all schools will meet your standards or your expected guarantees. Here are some points of considerations when trying to choose a good school for training your dog.

Reputable

Reputation has different meanings to different people- for some it is the capacity to yield good results regardless of the means, for others it is the popularity of the school itself which makes it highly recommended. Knowing the school by reputation is a good indicator as to the popularity of the school and the training methods used. It also is a good indication how many others have set their trust in them.

To find a school with excellent reputation you could ask around or search through websites. Veterinarians usually have several names of schools and trainers to give you, your dog breeder could also provide you with some references and ASPCA or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals can provide a list of registered names that are sure to use humane methods approved by the organization.

Methods of Training

Any self-respecting training school uses responsible dog agility training methods. The school must have equal concern to your dog as you do, treating your dog one of their own. Beware of schools that employ trainers who still use old training methods such as yelling or hurting the dogs for there exists many of this kind.

A good school should use humane techniques that promote positive training and limits the use of risky negative reinforcement techniques. The former covers praises and the use of dog treats in recognition of the desirable behavior while the negative reinforcement techniques include practices like alpha rolling, choking and yelling.

Sufficient knowledge

The latest training methods has to have a mix of traditional and the latest techniques for the dog. Having extensive orientation in this field would optimize the capacity of your dog to learn since it would be exposed to all possible trainings to which it could respond well.

When researching training schools, look for information on seminars with dog trainers for a good idea on what they offer. Remember that you would pay hefty amounts to get your dog trained, it is but proper that you and your dog receive proper compensation for your investment.

Another thing that you should keep in mind is that the school’s exposure to widespread training. There are schools that claim of specialization while others advertise that they have sufficient knowledge on all fields of dog training. Your choice should depend largely on the scope of knowledge the training school has.

Classroom Set Up

There are two different classes of rooms setup providing private lessons. The main advantage of the group class is that it promotes socialization and good behavior in the presence of other dogs. Also, when the owner trains alongside his dog, the owner could benefit from exposure to other handlers’ mistakes and techniques.

On the other hand, private trainings could not yield these advantages. There is also a good chance that the transfer of learning and obedience to command given by persons other than the trainer is poor.

It is indeed difficult to select the right dog training school for your dog, so make certain to choose wisely.

healthiest dog food

When searching for quality dog food treats it is vital that you read the label and have the knowledge to understand and interpret the information you find. When reading the label, look for the first fat or oil that is listed. All items placed above the first fat source are considered to be the main ingredients along with the first fat source. The other items shown on the label are typically added to the dog food for flavor, as preservatives, to aid in the processing of the food or for health benefits such as minerals or vitamins.

To determine the nutritional value, make sure to check the ingredients. However, due to the names the manufacturers use for food items it can be somewhat difficult to analyze the usefulness of the food substances. It is difficult to know what quality grade of food items they are placing in the foods as well as the quantity of the ingredients.

Surf Manufacturer’s Websites

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) does not allow dog food manufacturers to place information on the labels regarding the quality of the food substances. It is important to read the information that is available on the websites of the various pet food companies and carefully read the information they provide about the quality of the ingredients they use in their products.

Protein

Since protein is the most important item in your pets diet, it would be imperative that you serve your dog only quality sources of protein. Quality dog foods usually have a meat meal listed as the first ingredient on the label or a meat with the second ingredient being a meat meal substance. Meat by-products are not high quality protein sources. If the label mentions a specific type of meat meal, such as chicken meal this type of protein source is not inferior to whole meats. Avoid products that do not mention the specific animal the meat source comes from.

Regarding fats look for chicken fat, herring oil canola oil, sunflower oil, flax oil and other fat sources with specific names. Check and see if it contains Omega three and Omega six fats on the label. Avoid dog foods that contain nonspecific items such as animal fat, poultry fat, vegetable oil and other nonspecific fat sources.

Look for fresh vegetables or whole grains which may also be labeled as ground or meal. Avoid products that are filled with too much grain fragments and flour. Also the healthiest dog food are typically preserved with natural substances such as vitamins. When looking for quality food products that will keep your dog healthy make sure you examine the label and read information provided at the websites of the dog food manufacturers.

Poodles are generally fun-loving dogs that have a pretty reserved temperament, so if you’re looking for an agreeable pet that your family will love, you may want to consider a miniature poodle. Here is some general information about these dogs that will help you to make the right decision, as well as some things you can expect once you bring your pet home.

Any Concerns

One of the things you may be concerned about when it comes to your miniature poodle is grooming. Poodle hair tends to be thick and curly, so you’ll need to make sure that your puppy is groomed as often as possible. The standard grooming cut for puppies is relatively short hair all over the body, and you may need to do this about once a month or so to keep your pet looking great. Colors of miniature poodles include brown, cafe-au-lait, white or black varieties will be featured in pet stores across the country, and you can also have your pet grooming professional apply temporary dye to your poodle’s coat for a special occasion; red, apricot, blue, silver, or gray are acceptable colors, and won’t damage your dog’s coat.

Learning about your dog’s temperament is also ideal before you buy your miniature poodle. You may have to socialize your dog as a puppy, since poodles tend to be very reserved when dealing with strangers. Miniature poodles tend to bark a lot as well, which means that will do a good job of alerting you if something goes wrong in the home. In most cases, your dog will like to play with children, but some poodle varieties can be a little high-strung, so try to see the parents or even grandparents of the puppies you are considering before taking them home. Your miniature poodle will also be great at learning tricks in most cases, which means you can entertain family and friends.

The life span of a miniature poodle is relatively long compared to other dogs, so it will be essential for you to look out for any genetic issues that could possibly arise. Cataracts are common problems that occur in all varieties of poodles, and blindness could be caused by retinal atrophy, so you need to regularly take your miniature poodle to the vet to be checked up for vision and nervous system problems. Often it may also be necessary for your pet to be checked for you ear infections and runny eyes. Finally, the poodle’s skin tend to be very sensitive, for example skin rashes and allergies may occur with the use of certain shampoo or dyes, and in addition the use of clippers may also cause skin conditions to occur.

For more great information on how to care for your miniature poodle, visit www.petguidelines.com.

The United States is a nation of people who love their family pets. For many families, they are as much a full member of the family as any two-legged inhabitant of the home and they are dearly regarded as “best friends.” Recently, for such families, they have been thrilled to find out about the availability of pet insurance online.

When it comes time to assure and protect the health of your pets, it is very helpful to have pet health insurance coverage in place. Such insurance plans can help to offset the high costs of pet surgery and other veterinary pet procedures that may come up because of serious illness or accident. Before health insurance for animal welfare was available, often people would have to choose between the health of their beloved pet and other family financial needs. Now because pet insurance is widely available on the internet, individuals can take care of their pets in a convenient and affordable way.

Pet insurance online has helped to reduce the overall cost of pet health insurance. This is because of many different factors including reducing the marketing costs and making more people aware that this type of coverage is available. This has also lead to more companies offering pet insurance, including some that specialize in cheap pet insurance plans, also increasing competition and lower prices.

Many pet lovers appreciate the convenience of being able to shop online for their pet plan. For those who are frequent and avid internet users, it is a significant time-saver to be able to research options, coverage packages, the background of the pet insurance company and different pricing comparisons.

When choosing to purchase pet insurance on the internet, there are a wide variety of factors that will impact the premium and effect the monthly cost to your family. You can choose how extensive you want your pet health insurance coverage to be. You can opt to go with a plan that covers just about every pet health contingency from routine veterinary visits to emergency care. You can conversely go with a less expensive plan that is designed to cover the major and most expensive types of events such as cancer treatments, surgical procedures and care for any type of accident.

Another way to adjust the cost of pet insurance is to check what options you have for the deductible. The less that the deductable will be, the greater your pet health insurance premium will end up being. If you are comfortable with a higher deductible, then you will be able to save some money on your monthly premiums.

In addition, you can also check with the animal care insurance provider to see if they offer a range of co-pays. This is the amount that you pay for any veterinary visit regardless of other coverage and the reason for the vet visit. Choosing a higher co-pay amount will also help to reduce your monthly premium. Having a good feel for how many veterinary pet visits you expect to make on a monthly basis will help you to know what makes the best sense for your budget, with regard to the co-pay options you have.

Some companies that offer online pet insurance will allow you to choose how often you make your premium payments. While many people like the convenience and the ability to work the amount into their monthly budget, sometimes it is worthwhile to see if you can save money by making other payment arrangements. Some pet insurance companies offer discounts if you pay your premium quarterly, semi-annually or annually.

One of the best things about researching pet insurance online is the amount of information you can quickly gather for comparison shopping purposes. It is fast and easy to find out what your various coverage options are for veterinary pet health insurance and to see how the different options affect the pricing of the insurance premium. With such information at hand, it is now a fairly simple process to design just the right coverage for your family pets, that will meet your budget and assure their long-term health and well-being.

For a great deal more informational value go to this online destination: Quickcare Pet Insurance and Compare Pet Insurance as well as Pet Insurance Review

Sharp Corporation issued a seemingly ordinary press release on 27 August 2008. But I believe the information therein will one day gain global prominence! Incorporated in its ionic air purifier, the Plasmacluster Ion Technology (more on this in a later post) has just been scientifically proven to be 99.9% effective in eliminating the bird flu virus known as H5N1.

With increasing regularity, the press reminds us that bird flu is the prime suspect to cause mankind’s next pandemic. Pandemic does not just sound terrifying. It is. That’s when a highly contagious and deadly virus goes global, in a very negative sense. History records for us that 50 million people may have died during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic! That deadly killer flu was confirmed on 5 October 2005 by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be caused by H1N1, a bird flu virus.

Do I have your attention now? Is it time to PANIC?

Not just yet. The H5N1 virus was identified in China in 1996. Up to 10 Sep 2008, WHO data puts the death toll at 245, a “relatively small number” statistically. So what’s the fuss? Scientists monitoring the virus fear that it may mutate into a form that transmits from human to human. To the knowledge of WHO, there has been only one probable case of human-to-human transmission recorded in Thailand in September 2004. But if the dreaded virus mutation takes place, you can expect pandemonium on a global scale.

Countries around the globe are conscientiously preparing for the worse (more on this in a later post). At our individual level, we should start doing some homework too.

Ok, so what has the Sharp ionic air purifier to do with all this. Is it not just another ionic air purifier? Yes, it’s ordinary in that it takes care of the usual stuff that we look for in an air purifier – dust, dirt, smoke, dander, pollen, cuisine and pet odours, pollutants, allergens etc. But if we can get protection from all these and more in one ionic air purifier, especially one that is a tested defense shield against a potentially deadly virus, why not? That’s what Sharp is claiming, get the all-in-one package with their Plasmacluster Ion Air Purifier.

If you’re value-conscious like me, the obvious question would be “yes, that makes a whole lot of sense but at what cost”? According to Sharp, none at all! Sharp asserts that it is cheaper than any other ordinary ionic air purifier when measured over 5 years. Wow, value for money sure gets my attention! How is it possible in this nothing-is-for-free world?

In promoting the Plasmacluster Ionic Air Purifier Model FP-N40CX, Sharp contends that it is definitely better value for money as there is no filter replacement costs for the first 5 years. Upfront costs at US$399 for the Sharp model is higher than the typical competitor’s US$160. But the latter requires annual filter replacement costs of US$100, adding to a total cost of US$560 over 5 years.

If anyone has relevant numbers on Sharp and the competitors, your feedback will be much appreciated. Feel free to drop me a note if you have actual data.

My next step will be to learn as much as I can about the Sharp Plasmacluster Ion Technology. The time to research is now, while bird flu is still not quite at pandemic proportions.

Its never too soon to get ready. Experience is a good teacher. Imagine thousands of frantic people going from drugstore to drugstore looking for the same face mask. The N95 mask was touted as the only effective weapon as a near-pandemic scare gripped Asia. In case you have not heard, the year was 2003. The SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) virus originated in Asia and infected 8,096 people around the world, resulting in 774 fatalities. Being well prepared is half the battle won.

Watch this space as we track exciting developments in our pursuit of safe, pure and clean air with nothing more than an ionic air purifier.

To easily receive updates on new articles, subscribe to The Ionic Air Purifier Blog today.

These days, there are great debates raging about health insurance coverage for families. However, there is also a unique type of health insurance that you can get for your pets that is seldom talked about. If you are the owner of one or more, then you are more than likely equally concerned about the health and well-being of them and you might want to investigate getting coverage from a pet insurance company.

Just as the human members of the family need and deserve adequate health care, so do your pets. Household pets and even livestock such as horses, cattle and exotic animals are all subject to any number of illnesses and accidents that threaten their health and longevity. In fact, in the last decade or so there has been a significant increase in the incidence of cancer and other serious diseases in domestic pets and other animals. Because of this, it is a wise choice to seek out pet insurance coverage.

Securing pet health insurance coverage from a reputable and reliable company can be of enormous benefit to a family, especially families with many pets in the household. Such a pet plan can guarantee protection against financial hardship for a family if they are faced with large veterinary pet bills. The stress and anxiety that a family is put under if they cannot afford a life-saving procedure for their animal can be devastating.

As the practice of veterinarian medicine has expanded and improved in recent years, the cost of veterinary care has also risen, just as the cost for human medical care has increased. This has led to an increase in the number of pet insurance company plans that are now available on the market. In addition, it has also brought more insurance companies into the pet health insurance arena. This has been beneficial in many ways because the competition has offered people more choices in coverage and pricing.

No matter which pet plan company you select to carry your pet insurance coverage, the reputable companies will strongly recommend that you take steps to try to prevent illness so that your pet can enjoy health and well-being to the greatest degree possible. The best pet insurance plans will cover wellness care, or preventative care procedures. This would include vaccinations, health screenings and other types of routine care that should be taken care of as advised by your trusted veterinarian. Also, new kittens or puppies introduced to the family should have a visit to the vet’s office for their first examination within 48 hours of bringing them into the home.

In most cases, your veterinarian will have you bring your new pet back to the office to get booster vaccinations three to four weeks later. In addition, preventative care routines dictate that you return for annual vaccinations and booster shots for the long-term benefit of all the pets in the household. These costs can add up to several hundreds of dollars a year, especially if there are multiple pets in the household. Before choosing your insurance company, be sure that they offer coverage for preventative care.

While it is often tempting to try to save money with cheap pet insurance, in the long-run it is best to select a pet insurance company that operates under the philosophy of wellness and preventative care. This type of coverage plan for your pet health insurance might cost a few more dollars per month, but it will assure that essential procedures are taken care of for your pet even when the family budget might not be able to handle veterinary expenses.

To find out additional information Best Pet Health Insurance also head on over to Discount Pet Insurance similarly Pet Health Insurance Providers