First and foremost make sure that the dog training books you choose promote humane or gentle training methods. Training must be based on positive reinforcement, consistent encouragement and repetition. Consistency is the key, not force.

Secondly, the book must cover in full detail the three primary stages of dog training: helping your puppy to have a good start in life, obedience training and lastly, modify problem behaviour. If the book does not include any of these areas then move on to the next selection.

Thirdly, the techniques that are outlined in the book must be tried, tested and proven to work. Keep in mind that an expensive book is of no use unless it can actually deliver the result that it promises.

Next, the authors of dog training books should be more than willing to back up their products by guaranteeing a full refund. If they are confident enough in the quality of their book, they will offer this guarantee.

And lastly, the author should be able to provide a long list of genuine testimonials of those who have willingly shared their names and feedback about how the book helped them train their own dogs.

If you find the book that you’re looking for and correctly apply its techniques, with consistency and repetition, you are sure to succeed in your efforts and end up with a well-trained dog.

Check out my web site www.dogkennelrules.com that is dedicated to everyhting about dogs. Content is updated daily.

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Chesapeake Bay Retrievers are renowned for their hardy temperaments. They are bred to jump into freezing water and retrieve downed game for their owners. But even these tough animals can have health issues. They are susceptible to the same ailments as any other dog, but additionally have some unique problems.

One of those unique problems is PRA. Progressive Retinal Atrophy affects the eyesight. The type of PRA common to Chessies is a variation called Progressive Rod-Cone Degeneration. The first symptom that most owners will notice is night blindness in their pet. This can appear as the animal having trouble navigating in a dimly lit room. It can also show up as an unwillingness or fear to go out at night. Sadly, PRA generally creates total blindness.

PRA is hereditary. Oddly, both parents have to have it for it to appear in their offspring. If only one parent has it, it won’t develop in the pup. Because of this, it’s easy for breeders to be unaware of it in the parents until the puppies are born. It also means that generations can be born and die before it’s discovered. It usually doesn’t begin to appear until the animal is between four and seven years old. There is no cure for it at this time.

Another disease found is hip dysplasia. Canine hip dysplasia is a form of osteoarthritis. This disease is also hereditary and is polygenic. This means that a combination of genes cause it, not one dominate gene like is seen in other diseases. Environmental factors can affect CHD but they aren’t felt to be the cause of it. The only prevention for it is to breed specifically for normal hips. Canine hip dysplasia can be seen in puppies as young as seven weeks old.

There are several symptoms that are readily noticeable. One of the most common is refusing to climb stairs or the inability to climb stairs. Another easy to spot symptom is difficulty getting up from a sitting or lying position. Early morning stiffness that disappears after the animal warms up is another indicator. Probably the most distressing symptom for the owner is if their pet makes a clicking sound when walking.

Chesapeake Bay Retrievers can also suffer from gastric torsion, or bloat. Bloat is fairly common in large breeds. This is a condition in which the stomach gets folded over onto itself. This causes gases and other byproducts of digestion to become trapped. There are several causes of it, most of which are avoidable. One common cause is exercise immediately after eating. Other causes are stress and anxiety, foods with too high a fat content, and rapid eating.

The symptoms of bloat are easy to spot. They include pacing, foamy saliva, gagging, and shallow breathing among others. If left untreated, gastric torsion can cause death. If your Chessie is exhibiting any of these symptoms, seek veterinary care for it right away. It frequently requires surgery as well as other medical care.

Lea Mullins shares different health concerns in Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. Find information about Dog care, Dog Training and more from TrainPetDog.com.

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Separation anxiety can cause your dog to urinate on your clothing. They may also chew your personal items such as shoes or brushes. This is because the animal is feeling a degree of distress from being separated from you and is adopting behaviour that it finds comforting.

Another reason a dog will urinate on clothing is to mark it’s territory. This is especially true if there are other dogs already present in the house hold, and they are having to share the attention with them. Rest assured that these behaviours are relatively common and quickly remedied by implementing a daily routine which avoids stress and the marking of territory.

Unfortunately for puppies, they are not equipped at the start with the education required to have them completely house broken. This is why it is essential for the owner to spend a solid one to two weeks training and supervising the pup until it learns to urinate in a designated area. The key to success with toilet training your pup is consistency and being able to monitor and watch the pup constantly for the first one or two weeks.

Older dogs should have veterinary attention sought if they suddenly start to urinate inside. Often this is an indicator that there is a medical problem and Veterinary attention should be sought immediately.

By de-sexing or neutering your pet at an early age, your chances of having them successfully house trained are greatly increased.

If you do have a pet that is wetting inside, you are more than likely familiar with the unsavoury smell that the urine will leave on your furnishings and clothing. Many off-the-shelf products are available to remove pet odours and and urine from carpets, and there are also some just as effective home remedies also that are less costly to make and use. I am listing below the ingredients for removing old urine stains and smells as well as getting rid of all new deposits.

You Will Need:
* Baking Soda
* White Vinegar
* Liquid Dish Washing Detergent
* 3% Hydrogen Peroxide (available from chemists/Drug Stores)
* Plastic Pump Spray Bottle
* Rubber Gloves
* Scrubbing Brush

If the urine is fresh, simply blot up as much as you can with paper towel. Continue blotting until the carpet is dry.

Make a mixture of 50% water and 50% vinegar. Spray the area liberally and work it into the carpet pile with a cloth or your hands, ensuring you wear gloves. The vinegar will begin to neutralise the acidity of the animals urine and will remove the smell. Start blotting the area once more, to remove as much of the wetness as possible.

After the spot has dried, baking powder should be sprinkled over the entire area of the stain. Measure half a cup of Hydrogen peroxide 3% and mix with a teaspoon of dish washing detergent. Be sure to be wearing your rubber gloves. Pour the mixture over the baking soda and work into the pile once more with your fingers, and use a scrubbing brush if possible to remove old stains.

Once the carpet has dried, be sure to vacuum thoroughly. This is often thought of as the most efficient and economical way to eliminate stains and odours from animal urine.

A Note From The Author:

For a No Nonsense, Free From Fluff approach to toilet training your dog, Sarah refers all her new puppy owners to the most economical guide available on the market. It is concise and accurate and extremely affordable. Currently, readers of Sarah’s articles are able to purchase this guide for an amazing $9. Please visit NoNonsense Potty Training

Article ©2010 Sarah Gladman, all rights reserved. Sarah runs an informational website at House Training Success She has been breeding dogs for over 14 years and has extensive experience in dealing with Dog Behavior Problems. If you have a dog that needs behavior attention now, be sure to check out her website where she has listed the Best-In-The-Business Dog Training Experts to remedy your Dog Problem.

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You have to understand that dogs use instincts instead of emotion. They do NOT feel the emotions that we do even though some dog owners will swear their dog has the same thinking ability as them. One good example of this is if your dog nudges your hand so that you will pet his head or scratch him, a human will come to the conclusion that his dog is being affectionate but in reality, his dog is displaying dominant behavior. Yes, I know, you refuse to believe that, right? Believe it!

Please don’t treat your dog as if he/she is a human being. This is a mistake. It can lead to more difficult problems when you don’t understand how Fido’s mind works. Here’s a good example: If your dog starts barking at another dog, an owner will sometimes pick that dog up so they stop barking. This will only reinforce Fido’s behavior because you’re giving him attention. It ends up elevating his position as an Alpha dog. Something you definitely don’t want.

2. Know How A Dog’s Pack Life Works

Dogs live in packs in the wild and they are highly organized. The dogs are ranked from highest, which is the Alpha dog, to the lowest. First access to all resources goes to the Alpha dog and he/she controls the release to all the lower pack members. You really need to understand this because you have to make your dog understand that YOU are the Alpha dog in your home, not him. Your dog needs to feel secure that you are the leader. That way he will let you make decisions, therefore your dog will not be aggressive. If you don’t make him understand that, he will take it upon himself to be the Alpha and then you’re in trouble.

3. Communicate In A Way They Can Understand

Remember, dogs do not actually understand English, Spanish or any other language. They simply learn to associate the sound of a word with an action, tone or object. This is why a dog will often respond to a word that rhymes with a command, because the overall sound is similar. For the same reason a dog will often NOT respond to a command that is said in a tone, accent or volume that is “unfamiliar” to him.

So when you choose commands for your dog, be sure to use short words that have a very distinctive sound to them. Never use the same word for different commands. A good example of this is the word “down”. If you use “down” to get him off the couch, don’t use “down” to make him lay down. Make sure your tone stays the same, too.

Communication with your dog starts with making him give you his full attention, so you need to call out his name before blurting out a command. He has to be able to pick out familiar sounds that YOU give him because all day long he hears UNFAMILIAR sounds. Make your voice the familiar sound for him. That’s why it’s so important to call his name first so he knows you are speaking to HIM only and your sounds are what he needs to listen to.

Don’t forget that dogs understand body language. If he sees anger from you don’t expect him to come to you with his tail wagging.

Please remember that dogs do not know right and wrong, they just know there is some reaction to their behavior. A good example of this is if your dog chews on any of your furniture, you put him outside for a time out. He then starts to understand that chewing on furniture means he gets ignored so he learns to quit showing that kind of behavior.

Just understand that not everything you and he do will be good communication because sometimes dog’s are just a mystery. But that’s one of the reasons we love them so much!

I sincerely hope this article was helpful to you. If you would like more information on any dog needs whether it’s natural/organic nutrition, dog training, tuff dog toys, dog gifts, allergy kits, flea control and more, please visit http://www.TailWaggingSolutions.blogspot.com While you are there you can enjoy reading “Just For Doggie Laughs” and “Putter’s Doggie Tips for the Week”. Here’s to loving your dog.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_Benson

The Fauves, a band from Australia tell us that, “Dogs Are The Best People” in their song by that title on their album Flashlight. Way back in 1965, Davy Jones of The Monkees recorded the song, “Gonna Buy Me a Dog,” where he claims that he’s gonna buy him a dog because he needed a friend now. Then there was Lobo with the hit “Me and You and a Dog Named Boo.”

It’s just ironic that the musician Cat Stevens would write a song called, “I Love My Dog.”  But the lyrics are true-to-life as they say:

“I love my dog as much as I love you

But you may fade, my dog will always come through.

All he asks from me is the food to give him strength

All he ever needs is love and that he knows he’ll get”

Who can forget Snoopy’s Christmas a/k/a Snoopy vs. The Red Baron? And how many middle-aged people can still sing the Scooby Doo Theme Song? What about “There was a farmer had a dog and Bingo was his name-o!” and “Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?”

If you’re into country music, you might know “You Gotta Quit Kickin’ My Dog Around.”

The Byrds had a hit with “Old Blue,” with the lyrics:

“My old Blue he was a good old hound

You’d hear him hollering miles around

When I get to Heaven first thing I’ll do

I’ll grab my horn and call for Blue”

Elvis had a tune called “Old Shep” that told us:

“When I was a lad

And Old Shep was a pup

Over hills and meadows we’d stray

Just a boy and his dog

We were both full of fun

We grew up together that way”

The lyrics to the Pet Shop Boys song, “I Want A Dog” say:

“I want a dog,

To walk in the park

When it gets dark, my dog will bark

At any passers-by

Oh, (oh oh) you can get lonely

I want a dog”

Blake Shelton sang “Ol’ Red” with the lyrics:

“Now Ol’ Red he’s the damnedest dog that I’ve ever seen

Got a nose that can smell a two day trail

He’s a four legged tracking machine

You can consider yourself mighty lucky

To get past the gators and the quicksand beds

But all these years that I’ve been here

Ain’t nobody got past Red”

Brother and sister team The Fiery Furnaces, tell us in their song, “My Dog was Lost But Now He’s Found,”:

“I kicked my dog

I was mean to him before

I guess that’s why he walked out my door

I really wish I could see him some more

I looked under the mats and I asked all the cats

I went to the vet have you heard anything yet

My dog was lost but now he’s found

My dog was lost but now he’s found”

And then again, some songs that we think are about dogs aren’t really about dogs at all, such as Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog,” Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog,”  George Clinton’s “Atomic Dog,” and the popular song a couple of years ago by The Baha Men, “Who Let The Dogs Out.” For instance, “Golden Retriever” by Super Furry Animals is really about a gold-digging woman, as is “Hair of the Dog” by Nazareth.

There will continue to be songs about dogs because we love them so much. There will be silly kid songs, funny country songs, and serious love songs – all about dogs.

This article was written by Brian Spilner a provided by pet-super-store.com a site featuring: dog training collars, pet stairs and dog kennels.

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