Hangin’ with the Animals

posted by Animal Lover2 on Oct 28

by Andrew Strachan

The popular saying ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ is simply a myth. My ten year old Golden Retriever greets each day mentally alert and eager to ‘play’ in new found ways. That is more than proof that it’s possible to teach an old dog a new trick.

Dogs exhibit a strong hold on old habits. Therefore, the first step in teaching new tricks is going through the process of un-learning the old ones. This requires a great deal of patience and persistence on the trainer’s part.

The next step is taking a dog’s age into consideration. An older dog will tire more easily and lose interest in the task at hand. The will to run, jump and fetch will still be there, an older dog just won’t know quite how to follow through on that. Take these physical limitations into account.

Shorter time training sessions will net bigger results. Obstacle courses should be kept to a shorter distance. Throw a ball three or four times then move on. When an older dog is facing away from you, it is often not bad behavior but common hearing loss.

Schedule longer periods of recovery time with an older dog. There is no physical limitations knowledge present. The older dog will simply keep going long after it has become safe to do so. Overdoing physical activity can lead to stretched ligaments and open the way for injuries.

Refrain from the urge to reward an older dog with treats. It leads to ‘over-treating’ which causes weight gain in older dogs that is often hard to shed.

Consistency is still essential, even with older dogs. Scheduled play time that begins and ends about the same time each day. Specific ‘play’ areas will help an older dog adjust to training as well. They are adaptable to familiar environments.

My Goldens have been trained to play fetch in the backyard but never the forest. The tennis ball fetch behavior can be expanded to include the forest when it comes to retrieving fallen deer antlers.

One of the most natural dog behaviors can be re-directed to a more positive area. The behavior of digging can not be extinguished entirely.

If a forest is not present in the backyard, a perfect digging area can be created. Simply make a ten-by-twelve foot penned in area and let the dog dig to its hearts content. This will allow the dog its primal urge to dig but control where it takes place. The area gets ‘marked’ by scent and ground composition. This is something that even older dogs can learn and appreciate.

Teaching new tricks should build on an older dog existing strengths. It is ineffective to teach or enforce new ones. One can be excellent in fetch while another wants to hang on to a ball as long as possible. Instead of forcing a behavior can lead to frustration on the part of the dog and the trainer. With a dog that is unwilling to let go of the ball, another training trick can be pulling a wagon by the string. ‘Fetch and release’ can also teach a new trick of getting the food container. This comes in handy with a trainer getting older as well!
About the Author
Article by Andrew Strachan. Find out more about teaching an old dog a new trick and dog behavior training advice at http://www.types-of-dogs.com/training/

posted by Animal Lover2 on Oct 27

by Tina Blackwell
A cocker spaniel can be an absolute joy of a pet. The breed is very trusting, and always wants to please everybody. This means that, despite popular belief, a cocker is very much a home and people loving pet, rather than an outside working dog.

Being the owner of a cocker spaniel is as fun, as it is rewarding. Be aware that the average age of the breed is between twelve to fifteen years. Personality wise they are very bright, very intelligent and happy dogs overall. They can be extremely lively, and when they see people they can get enormously excited. They adore the presence of humans.

They are intelligent dogs, happy to learn and easy to train. However, you must train them properly. Giving them a harsh training style will yield few results. They are very sensitive and need to be treated with so called kids gloves when it comes to training. However, if you positively enforce good habits, you will reap the rewards of a well trained dog.

They not only have an abundance of energy, they have an abundance of personality and an abundance of love. They are especially recommended for older people and families with grown up children.

Health wise, the cocker is generally healthy, but there are a few, especially inherited problems, which you should be aware of. They can be prone to ear infections, eye infections, epilepsy, hip dysplasia, kidney problems amongst others. However, these health problems are brought up here only to make you aware of them.

In general, you can be content in the knowledge that a cocker spaniel is a healthy, happy dog, which will be your faithful partner for a long time to come.
About the Author
Tina Blackwell is an author, publisher and most importantly, a dog lover. She runs the popular Happy Dog Report ezine. You can sign up for the free, information packed weekly Happy Dog Report newsletter at http://www.happydogreport.info

posted by Animal Lover2 on Oct 26

by Lynn Huber

If you’re considering a new pet,you might want to consider the bulldog. Bulldogs do well with small living spaces and tend to stay put when they are indoors. They’re especially good for apartment dwellers because they usually do not need a yard. However, Bulldogs still need some exercise, as they need to use up the energy that they store while they are indoors. Most bulldogs will stay healthy with Just a few minutes of jogging or walking. They won’t want to do much more than that because they’re fairly lazy. For this reason, it is important to regulate food intake. The Bulldog has to maintain a fairly strict diet and it is important not to overfeed it. This ensures that the Bulldog will keep its stocky stature and continue to be healthy. Overfeeding may lead to obesity because of its lack of desire to exercise, which is highly common to this breed.

Maintenance and grooming for the bulldog is also fairly easy. Because its fur is very short and smooth, all it needs is daily brushing with a bristle brush. Its short hair allows air to reach its skin and this is why it usually does not need regular bathing. It is recommended, however, that Bulldogs are wiped with a damp cloth regularly as it can accumulate odor-emitting dirt between the folds of its skin. Bad breath is also not a very common problem. While some dogs have mouths that need to be brushed very often, Bulldogs do not have a tendency to have bad breath. It is nothing that intermittent brushing and dog chews cannot fix. This, however, usually differs depending on the type of food that the dog takes.

When it comes to keeping the Bulldog comfortable, it is important that it is kept in the right temperature. It does not adapt quickly to changes in temperature. While it finds difficulty in keeping warm in cold weather, it also finds it hard to adjust to the heat when it gets too warm. Cases of heat stroke are common with this breed and it is not the type of dog that one can leave in the car or out in the yard under the heat of the sun. Times of warm weather are usually when the Bulldog is laziest. It usually lies on the floor with minimal movement. Because of this, it sometimes gets heat rashes on its belly. For this reason, it is recommended that it is given a cold surface to lie on. When it gets pretty warm, it is important to remember that this breed needs to be powdered in order to cope with the temperature. Powdering needs to be done especially within its skin folds and tail.

Although Bulldogs have some health issues, it is nothing that will be detrimental to being a good house pet. One of the more common health issues of this breed pertains to its respiratory system. This breed has some breathing problems because of the size of its windpipes so it is important to give it good ventilation.
About the Author
Lynn Huber has owned and trained bulldogs for a number of years. For more information on the care and training of bulldogs, visit her website: http://www.bulldogownersguide.com/mini-site/index.html