Saucy Pet

Archive for June, 2009

Bringing home a new puppy is always an exciting and fun time for the family. We all love playing with the new puppy. I know the one down side of a new puppy that no one likes-cleaning up after him. Try using the crate training method for house training your new puppy-it is definitely the easiest and best way. I used to do it the old fashioned newspaper on the floor way (with predictably “crappy” results).I can tell you that the paper method beat doing nothing at all, but it was still at first a hit and miss proposition, and I hated cleaning up the misses. One dark night on the way to the bathroom, I stepped right onto a steaming accident my puppy had just deposited quite distant from his newspaper, and made up my mind to buy a crate the next day.

If you use the crate training method, you won’t have nearly so many opportunities for “accidents” to happen prior to completely house training him. When I first started hearing about crate training puppies I thought it seemed sort of cruel to keep the puppy in a kennel most of the time .You are asked to keep your new puppy inside his crate all the time unless you are actively supervising him-such as it’s playtime  or dinner time or time for some training. I have found that if I don’t supervise  my puppy pretty closely, I’ll be giving an accident an opportunity to happen. I learned that instead of feeling sad when I put my puppy in his crate, he felt comfortable and secure in his little den.

When crate training your puppy, try to keep his crate in the room you are spending most of the day in. If you work in a home office, for instance, place the kennel in the office with you, so your puppy feels more secure.  You can also keep an eye and ear open for any whining that might indicate it is time for a potty break. Except for potty breaks or when you have a couple hours free for a supervised play time you’ll want to keep him in the crate-don’t let him out just because he is bored and whining .  You can be sure he will need to have a bathroom break after he wakes up from a nap, so listen for sounds of activity in the crate, and be ready to take him out to his spot.  Remember, after a puppy eats and drinks, he’ll need to go potty within the next 20 minutes, so don’t return him to his crate till after that occurs.Training him to use the same area you have determined as his spot every time you take him out reinforces the idea of going then and there.

When it is time for the puppy to have a nice break, you can feed him, play with him, and make sure he gets enough exercise and maybe a little early training that he is tired out when he gets back in the crate. This way, he’ll take a nice long nap-up to a couple hours, and he won’t be bored in his crate. The key to making the crate training work best for your puppy is to be very consistent with the training. It is very likely that you’ll find some accidents happening if you don’t keep him in the crate unless he is supervised. You don’t want any accidents at all to happen, because once they do, the puppy will be able to smell that spot even after you have cleaned it up, and may want to revisit it again.  If you find the occasional pile or puddle, do not yell or hit your puppy-he won’t understand why you are doing so. If you happen to see your puppy about to squat, try to stop him with a firm “No” command, and take him outside to the regular spot.  Stay consistent and positive with the house training. Like anything else, the closer you adhere to the crate training system’s methods, the quicker and better the progress you will see.

After using the crate training method the first time, I could tell it kicked butt on the  old fashioned newspaper technique. I was happy to see that within a couple weeks, more or less, my puppy already had the idea and was pretty much house trained already.  The puppy whined some the first few nights, but because I didn’t feed it or give him much water before bedtime, I knew he was just bored-only let them out for potty breaks at night or they are training you to let them out when they whine. If you always make the crate seem like a den, rather than a place to put your puppy when you are mad at him, he will have a good attitude about going in there, and you shouldn’t have the whining problem some puppies have when in the crate.

So, if you are about to get or just got  a new puppy you will be smart to use this crate training method for house training your new pet. I read the Ultimate Guide to House Training from Kingdom of Pets, and I recommend it highly to you. This book is a very complete course on house training and caring for your young puppy-check out my review to see if you might want to get it .The Ultimate House Training Guide Review

I think German shepherds are great dogs but I’ve had to learn to control biting problems with a couple of mine. Although all were great pets, two of my largest males had biting problems. The first of my boys loved people, but just hated other dogs. I had adopted the one that wanted to fight other dogs as an adult, so his dog hating was already established when I got him. I got him over that problem by having him meet and eventually become pals with a nice looking female dog-once he became friends with her, he began relaxing around other dogs, too (belated socializing in action). After awhile he actually began to tolerate and then enjoy the company of other dogs . I loved finally seeing my formerly aggressive big German shepherd play with other dogs without being a real pain in the butt. However, my other big German Shepherd liked other dogs, but really had a problem with people- that was a much more serious issue. To my household, the puppy seemed like a terrific young dog, confident and fun, but to others his confidence and aggression  demeanor were another matter. When my little German shepherd was only 8 weeks old I witnessed his first overt aggression. I was doing some gardening in the front yard, and a UPS truck pulled up. The driver hopped out with a package and started up the walk to the house. Before he could reach the door, my little German shepherd pup had his hackles up, and with his teeth bared and barking furiously, he backed the UPS driver back into his truck. I remember being amused and thinking what a great watchdog this puppy would grow up to be.At the time, I didn’t realize what a problem it would later become to control his aggression and eventual urge to sink his teeth into someone.At 6 months my puppy attacked my mailman, and ended up atop of the poor guy, who was flat on his back.A humorous side note to this is that the poor mailman inadvertently missed my dog and instead sprayed his own face with pepper spray in the confusion-he didn’t find it so funny and I didn’t get any mail for awhile after that. If think your puppy may be aggressive like my crazy little guy, you’ll want to hear my advice about that. The following advice holds true for any puppy in general, but especially for a dog showing signs of aggression, who will later grow up to be a big dog like mine. Dog aggression and biting and is something that should be must be corrected as early as possible, because it’s much easier to fix it before it has already been happening awhile.Once I came across this great advice and put it to use, none of my other puppies have ever grown up to be overly aggressive and prone to biting.

I was checking the puppy area of the dog training book I use for advice, and read that it is an excellent idea to begin socializing and obedience training your puppy at a very young age.

Besides getting started early with obedience training for your new puppy, you are also giving him a chance to socialize with other people and their puppies. The great thing aout the socializing is your puppy will not only learn good dog etiquette with this interaction, but he will also learn to enjoy the company of other dogs. This is a very important factor in not having to deal with aggression problems later on. It is easy to see why it is that a dog that is kept confined and away from interaction with other dogs or people is much more likely to become aggressive. If a puppy is acting out of line, the other puppies in the class will straighten him out.  You will be socializing your dog, but also you’ll be getting an early start on training your puppy how to behave. Little puppies of only six weeks old can already learn a lot of the basic obedience tricks. If you want an example of young puppies already doing tricks, check it out on uTube.

If you follow this one important tip and bring you puppy to a group training class you will be glad you did. Look up information on group puppy training courses in your area and use one that uses positive reinforcement training only. I tried out the group puppy training class with my next puppy, and it made a huge difference. Besides being a great way to get an early start with training and socializing, my puppy and I both loved going to the classes.

Read more about how to train your puppy.Secrets to Dog Training Review

You’re a loving cat owner. You take good care of your cat but you are always busy at work. You spend till late night hours working and even get to work on some loose ends in the weekend, or worse you’re sent to a far-flung place on a business trip. You always have the nagging fear about who is going to feed the cat while I am away? It helps a lot that there are automatic cat feeders. You are now able to leave your place anytime and still be sure that your cat is fed.

Automatic dog feeder will dispense off pet foods for your cat at your desired intervals for a couple of days. These automatic feeders have been designed to fit the needs of your pet cats from one to four meals in a day. There are those that would reach up to eight meals. It can also contain several compartments reaching up to 8. It can even accommodate 96 ounces of pet food. Some models run on electricity while others on batteries. With automatic cat feeders, you can schedule your cat’s meals with same time or different intervals, depending on how often your pet cat eats. This great device also comes with a feeder dish which can be used for wet canned foods. Ice packs can be put underneath it to preserve the food from spoiling.

Food however is only one of the items that can be placed in an automatic cat feeder. The feeder can also dispense your pet’s medicine. You can regulate the time he needs to take his medicine on its digital control panel and your cat can take his medicine in the appropriate time. In fact all things that you put in can be displayed in the LCD screen and you can easily manipulate the intervals and dates.

This would be useful to a cat owner who is always out. Whenever you have to go for the next trip you can rest assured that your pet is fed. The best thing about this automatic cat feeder is that you can bring it during you travels with your cat. You are sure that your pet is well fed in the trip’s duration without worrying about the supplies. You can then spend more time enjoying the scenery.

You can be happily feeding your cat with an automatic cat feeder. You are no longer afraid to leave home without anybody to feed your cat.

From the very earliest of times man has had a fascination with birds and has been putting bird houses up to attract and feed different species of birds. With the help of say a hummingbird house it is possible to attract this exciting species of bird and engage in some serious bird watching experience. The Hummingbird is without a shadow of doubt one of the most captivating as well as intriguing of all bird species and so erecting a hummingbird house makes perfect sense.

South American Style Of Hummingbird House

The Hummingbird is native to South America and is also the tiniest sized of all bird species and it has the unique ability to fly in the backward direction. These attributes make this bird species much sought after and so if you are truly interested in viewing the Hummingbird it will pay to erect a hummingbird house in your garden or backyard.

Of course, an ordinary bird house will not suffice because the hummingbird house is unique and is also especially suited for this particular bird species. However, erecting a hummingbird house is not very time consuming or difficult and in fact such bird houses are small in size and so it is possible to create it out of a small sized box or even use tin cans for the purpose. The only thing you need to keep in mind is that the box should be large enough for a normal sized human had to fit into it.

It is essential that the hummingbird house be only as large as is required to accommodate the Hummingbird because otherwise other birds would gatecrash and drive the Hummingbirds away. Typically, the small size of the hummingbird house makes it difficult to view them from a distance and often these houses need to be placed on trees or on the tree trunk. It is up to you to choose a suitable location because there is no hard and fast rule as to where you should place the hummingbird house. The only real concern is that these houses should not be within reach of your house pet or stray cats.

The plain truth is that a hummingbird house is best suited for being located close to flowering plants from which the Hummingbird can get its nectar and the colors of different flowers too will help attract more of this bird species.

Hummingbird house plans are very helpful for building Hummingbird house because they ensure that the house suits the Hummingbird and is made from the right materials and from the plans you will also get to know which tools you need in order to create the ideal house. What’s more, you will also learn about the exact specifications for a home for the Hummingbird.

Are you a proud owner of a clean and clear koi pond? If you are then you know just what it takes to upkeep and maintain a pond to ensure that it continues to be a charm. For those who are new to koi ponds or even water/garden ponds, it takes quite a bit of effort and time to be able to enjoy having a pond. Still, equipments such as pond vacuum cleaners can help give you crystal clear and clean water.

Pond vacuum cleaners are very similar to your household vacuum cleaners. It is used to rid your pond off excessive food, dirt and other contaminating agents. As a result, you can have the sensational pond you dream of all the time.

You have a variety of pond vacuum cleaners to choose from made by different companies. Among some of the many known cleaners are electric vacuums, garden hose driven manual vacuums, small pond vacuums, medium pond vacuums, large pond vacuums and many more. In addition to this, the option to replace the specific parts is an added advantage for you.

As mentioned above, you have a wide choice when it comes to pond vacuum cleaners. The competition is great and thus, you as a consumer will always have an upper hand where choice and price is concerned. The technology for pond vacuum cleaners is also constantly revolving where new features and functions are added from time to time. Thus, I will always recommend and advise others to conduct their own personal research when it comes to pond accessories/equipments such as these. When in doubt, you can either talk to the local aquarium/pet store salesperson or even get opinions from pond forums over the Internet.

Pond vacuum cleaners are available everywhere; from Wal-Mart to your local store to the Internet. Again, it is wise to compare the features, price and functions of the different manufacturers.

If you follow the above advice, you will have no trouble getting the pond vacuum cleaner that best suits your pond. With it, the task of maintaining your pond will be as easy as ABC!

For more tips on quality pond equipment and other pond ideas visit ezpondideas.com

More and more people are keeping chickens and no wonder why. As the benefits of having delicious, chemical free, organic free range eggs readily available for your kitchen sure enough appeals to most people. Of course first you will need a cheap chicken coop before you buy any chickens.

As soon as you start looking for a chicken coop for sale, you will quickly find out that they come in a large number of designs and sizes. But your choice in your search for a chicken coop for sale is going to be governed by the amount of space you will have to keep your chickens and how many chickens you are going to keep.

Beneath are a few helpful tips to aid you with your search for a chicken coop.

1 What Size Chicken Coop Should You Buy.

The first thing that you have to do is decide what type of chicken coop is going best for your needs and what size you will need small, medium or large.I would recommend you buy a cheap chicken coop that is too big, rather than one that is to small. Because if your chickens feel overcrowded, that is when they are going to stop laying your supply of eggs.

2 Coop Ventilation

We do not like a stuffy homes and chickens feel just the same about there coop. So your chicken coop has be well ventilated! If it is not fumes such as ammonia and carbon dioxide can build up to a toxic level. This will affect the health of your chickens or even cause them to become ill, which will effect there laying of eggs.

3 Your Chicken Coop Wants To Be Secure.

A secure chicken coop is required, as predators such as foxes will be able to get to your chickens if its not secure. So as you can now see, strong wire mesh fitted to doors and windows is needed to keep your chickens safe. Any chicken coop you buy that is well made will have this.

4 Chicken Coop Access

Cleaning your coop will be far easier if you make sure it has easy access to it, such a hinged or sliding roof. Also remember any waste is ideal fertilizer.

5 Are Chicken Coops Costly?

If you shop online chicken coops are not expensive. Not merely will this save you time, but also it will save you money also and you will have the added bonus of having your coop delivered directly to your house.

Try to use the above points when you are searching for a chicken coop for sale and i feel for sure you will get one at a price that will fit your budget.

For more FREE tips and advice on Chicken coops visit Chicken Coops For Sale

Just a few days ago something happened on my block that made me want to write this article. A beautiful chocolate Lab named Clyde, my neighbor’s dog, got hit by a car he was chasing. Clyde had been a really cool dog and all the dog lovers in the whole neighborhood were saddened by Clyde’s death. If his master had taken a little time to train Clyde, this would never have happened.

You can use the following tips to train your dog to stay within his boundaries. Once you have successfully boundary trained your dog, you can be more relaxed when you have him out in the yard.Among some other reasons why a loose dog is a hazard are aggressive dogs or encounters with people who are scared of your dog. Use these 4 tips to successfully boundary train your dog. It is much easier to train a puppy or older dog boundary training before any problem exists, so it is a good idea to do this training right away. Of course, boundary training  your dog is even more important if you don’t have a fence around your yard to keep him fro running off.

I had a dog that used to love to chase after other dogs-just for the fun of the chase ,fortunately-but it  drove me nuts that she wouldn’t come back when I called. Obviously, I also had to do some better training with the call on command. Whenever my Lab took I off I ended up stopping what I was doing and having to bring her home. It was clear she need some more training. I researched the boundary training section of my favorite online dog training book and got started with the boundary training.click here to find the best tips online for dog training.Secrets to Dog Training Review

She was a fast learner and after awhile she could resist the urge to chase other dogs. It took some persistent training, but now that she is boundary trained I can relax when we are out in the front yard together.  She is not perfect, but her boundary training almost always keeps her from going into the street or out of the yard.

Use the following tips and soon your dog will also be boundary trained. For more on boundary training click here. Boundary Train Your Dog

1.   Get the boundary training started by placing a piece of string or rope or some kind of visible boundary marker around the area you want him to stay in. Put him on his leash and walk with him around the inside of the new perimeter markers. Walk with the marker, so that the dog has no chance to cross the marker. If your dog attempts crossing over the line, command him firmly “no” and gently tug his leash to stop him from crossing. It reinforces the training of course to give him lots of praise and a treat when he refrains form crossing the line and stays within the boundaries. If he does try to cross the line, remember not to punish him for trying to go past the boundary-just concentrate on rewarding him for not doing so. Be sure to repeat the training several times a day until your dog gets the idea. Dogs are smart, and before long he should learn his boundary.

2. For the next step, get a lead  20 feet or so long, so your pet feels less control from you. If he tries to cross the boundary be ready to tug onthe longer leash and say no to stop him from crossing. Repeat this exercise several times daily and be sure to reward him with praise and treats for not crossing the line.

3. Once he has learned the earlier steps here’s a good check to see how well he has learned his boundary training. It is time to put something tempting on the other side of that boundary line. A good test is to have a family member or friend that the dog likes, or perhaps another dog, wait on the other side of the boundary line. As you take your walk and approach the temptation, be ready to say no and tug on the leash (use the regular leash for this) if necessary to prevent him from crossing the line. Don’t worry if he still crosses the line, it only means you have to keep at it a while longer-be diligent. If that’s the case, you will need to go back a step and keep practicing that one  some more. If your dog does pass the previous test, try throwing a ball or his favorite toy across the line. If this strong temptation is resisted, your pet is doing wonderful, and is ready for the last test.

4.   He is now ready for his off-leash test. Take off his leash, and walk with him at the heel position, staying inside the boundary-be sure to keep praising and rewarding him for staying with you. Repeat the training exercises for perhaps 15 minutes several times every day. To really reinforce the idea, it is a pretty good idea to boundary train your dog every time you come out to the area you want him to stay inside. Your dog may take advantage of his freedom from the leash to cross the line-this just means you need to work more on the previous steps.~

If you are reading this, I know you are a dog lover. If you think about it, boundary training your dog is well worth the effort . You don’t want to take the chance of your pet getting lost, hurt or killed, or causing some sort of trouble in the neighborhood.

To learn more about how to boundary train your dog, and more tips about solving any of the other challenges to successfully training you dog using positive reinforcement techniques please visit Behavedoggy.com.Secrets to Dog Training Review

A popular dog breed for a family pet is a Beagle as they are intelligent, keen to please their owners and have a very sweet nature. Beagles are medium sized and this is a consideration when choosing a family pet. Beagles are hounds and were originally bred for hunting due to their well developed sense of smell. It can be a challenge to train a hound as well as a very rewarding experience. Beagles can be willfull and to make training time productive you will need to be creative so your dog does not become bored. If you have a young family then a Beagle is a good choice for you. Robust and sweet in nature, Beagles have a large capacity to tolerate noise and busy activity around the home. Like most dogs, Beagles are happiest when with their family and dislike spending large amounts of time on their own. You could consider buying two for companionship.

See some training options below. Choose the option that best suits your lifestyle and routine. Get extra tips about Beagle Obedience Training at DogHelpdesk.com.

Training your Beagle yourself

Training techniques and materials are readily available for interested dog owners who prefer to train their dog without attenting a class. It’s a good idea to chose wisely-materials developed by experienced dog trainers. The decision to train your dog yourself has the advantage of flexibility around your other responsibilities. This approach to training your Beagle has disadvantages such as less exposure to other dogs, scents and people. These factors are important in the development of a well adjusted dog. For more tips on dog-training and handling (very handy if you are considering training your Beagle yourself), take a look at Dove Cresswell’s ‘Online Puppy and Dog Training‘: packed with valuable information, straight from the mouth of an experienced dog-trainer.

Puppy pre-school classes are a good idea

As Beagles are driven by their keen sense of smell, it is a good idea to spend  some time training in a place where there are many distractions. You will need to be armed with strong smelling rewards to keep your Beagle focussed on your commands. You don’t want to spend the whole training class with your dogs nose in the ground! Beagles are intelligent and headstrong and will not cooperate if what you are doing is less interesting than what they have found to do. You will have to be firm and consistent with your commands. Beagles enjoying training and will be very responsive to your instructions and commands especially if you make each session fun. Training a Beagle is very gratifying.

Often, you tend to become busy and simply cannot afford to have the sufficient time to spend with your pet Or you’re in vacation and may not tag your pet along with you. This in effect will become detrimental to your dog’s over-all well being as he may not be given the proper care and assistance he needs. Dogs these days are not like their predecessors anymore (the wild breeds). Unlike them, they need to be constantly taken care of. Given that this factor is lacking, the dog may become too unhealthy and susceptible to the variety of diseases. But don’t worry, if you’re too busy and simply don’t have time to spend with your pet, a doggie boarding kennel is your best alternative. Of course, you would like to give him nothing but the best and you don’t like to be nervous while you’re out there on vacation or at work and you’re thinking about your dog.

There are many people right now who are actually considering this as the best alternative for dogs who are being left out when everybody is out. But you have to be aware that not all dog boarding kennels has the best dog boarding facilities that will make their stay comfortable. There was even this one dog owner who filed a case against one dog boarding house because his dog was maltreated even unintentionally and it’s because they don’t have the ample and comfortable facility and provisions to make the stay of the dog comfortable. You have to bear in mind that you should try to investigate things first. If you can’t find the right dog boarding facility, then, it’s best to leave him with your neighbor or with your relative as long as he is familiar with them but never leave him alone in your house or leave him in a dog boarding kennel that feels like a dungeon. If you really want to know the best kennel, go and search for it in a dog boarding kennel online directory.

Dogs in the Phoenix, Arizona East Valley suburbs don’t have to be left cooped up in the house, kennel or cage all day while their owners are away. Dogs are treated much like kids would be treated in a child day care at the new Rico’s Doggie Day Care, says proprietor and owner Christine Mitsoff.

“We allow dogs to run around our fenced-in back yard, and play with the other dogs,” said Mitsoff, who runs the service out of her home in the Cooper Commons neighborhood in Chandler. “All dogs are free to roam and play. We want them to have fun, not be put in small crates.”

Physical exercise for your dog is one of the many benefits of this kind of dog day care.

“Many many dogs spend a lot of time home alone, with the very busy lives most people live these days, sleeping and eating themselves into lethargy and obesity,” Mitsoff said. “Just like fit humans, fit dogs feel better, sleep better, and have more energy, as well as encounter fewer health and behavioral problems. Happier people and pets are the result, along with fewer medical expenses.”

Your pooch’s mental health will be helped by being around other canines in dog day care.

“Positive dog behavior is supported by being able to socialize with other breeds,” Mitsoff said.

Play time at Rico’s is three hours in the morning and four hours in the afternoon. The dogs are free to take a nap at any time they get tired, of course. Or, they are free to jump in the in-ground pool to cool off if overly heated. Nap time is designated as between noon and 1 p.m., and lunch is served one hour before then between 11 a.m. and noon.

Other dog day care services available at Rico’s are washes by David Vega, training dog walks with Tyler Vega and obedience training from the entire staff. For a nominal fee, Rico’s will pick your pup up if needed.

“Each dog leaves Rico’s Doggie Day Care with a daily report card, free kisses and tired from a full day of fun,” Mitsoff said.

In the East Valley, Rico’s is only a few minutes’ drive from most points in Chandler, Gilbert and Mesa. For more information and pricing, visit the Rico’s Doggie Day Care Web site at http://www.dog-daycare.net.