Question #1 – What Size is Your Dog? – First of all, you are going to need to ask yourself about the size of your dog. Do you have a veryMassivedog, a medium dog, or perhaps a small or toy dog? The size of your dog is definitely going to influence the type of food that you buy. When you go looking for food, look for dog food that is specific to the size of your dog. Small dogs won’t be able to get their mouths around the food made forBigdogs, andHuge dogs are going to need something more substantial than food designed for smaller dogs.

Question #2 – Does Your Dog Have Allergies? – You should also ask yourself whether your dog has any allergies when you are choosing dog food as well. If there are certain ingredients that your dog is allergic to, you’ll have to be cautious when making your choice. Make sure that there are no ingredients contained in the dog food that may cause an allergic reaction with your pooch.

Question #3 – What’s Your Dogs Age? – The age of your dog is another important consideration when you are picking out food for your dog. Is your dog an older dog, a young adult dog, or a small puppy? There are different foods available depending on the age of your dog. You can find puppy food for young puppies, adult dog food for adult dogs, and there’s senior dog food available for the dogs that are getting older. A dogs needs are different as they age, so you’ll need to get the right dog foods for their age.

Question #4 – Are there Any Health Concerns to Consider? – Any health concerns that your dog may have can influence the type of dog food you buy for your dog as well. Does your dog need some dog supplements in the food to help with health problems like eye problems, hip dysplasia, or even other joint problems? Also, some ingredients may not be easily digested by dogs that have health issues, so keep this in mind as well.

Question #5 – How Active is the Dog – You should also ask yourself about the activity level of your dog too. Is your dog very active or is your dog more on the sedentary side? There are dog foods available that are specifically for dogs that are very active. However, you won’t want to give this kind of dog food to a dog that isn’t as active.

Question #6 – Is There Real Meat in the Food? – Another question to ask is whether or not there’s any real meat in the food that you choose. The meat should be in the first couple ingredients, and good meat includes fish, lamb, chicken, and duck. If there’s no meat, there should at least be “meal” listed in the first couple ingredients.

Question #7 – Is the Food Made by a Quality Company? – The quality of the company that makes the food is definitely important as well. You want to be sure that the food comes from a company that you can trust and that will provide your dog with the nutritious food that is needed. Take the time to check into the company and their history before youselect food from that company.

So, before you chooseany kind of food for your dog, be sure to ask all of these questions. If you are sure to ask each of these questions before you choosethe dog food, you’ll be sure to get the type of food that your dog enjoys. Also, you’ll get food that’s quality and healthy for your dog as well.

The second question you need to ask yourself is how huge of a dog do I want? Do I have aBigyard that can accomidate aBigger dog or do I have aTiny yard that can only have a smaller dog? Some yards such as mine can accomidate medium sized dogs such as ours which are two yellow labs. Now if you’ve places for them to run, are able to take them for walks and a fenced in area for them to be in when it’s nice outside then a slightly Largerdog doesn’t need much room.

Third question you need to ask yourself is if you have kids that is, which breed do I want or which breed can I get that’s going to work ideal with kids of any age? There are some breeds that some people look at and state no that won’t work based on their reputation. For instance I have known people that have pit bulls. They say they are the sweetest dogs in the world. It is all in how they are raised. But some dogs such as this need to come from a breeder because of their history you do not know what the dogs been through and such so you might want a puppy.

When choosing the particular breed of dog for your family you needto take into account a few things. Some dogs dosuperior if you get them as puppies so they can get established in your family based on their history of being a fisty dog and what not they may have been raised not so good and you probably will not want them with your children. Cost is always an issue when it comes to picking out a dog. The Largerthe dog the more they generally will eat but that’s not always the case. Saint Bernards do eat a lot but their lack of energy will cause them to actually eat less. Also ask yourself and your family do we want lots of dog hair or a little?

There are some breeds such as huskies and labs that have a tendency to shed more then others. If youselect a smaller dog like the dauschaund or a mini gray hound they do not have a tendency to shed near as much. Breeds like labs and huskies are great if you don’t mind having a Littlehair around the summer time to brush off. You will however need to take them to be groomed if you don’t know how to do it yourself.

One other thingto take into account is do you want a dog from a breeder such as a puppy or would you like to help out the local animal shelter? In my personal opinion getting a dog from a shelter is the way to go because more often then not those dogs that don’t go to a loving home will be put down. There are too many dogs in this world that need really good loving homes that you don’t need to get one from a breeder unless you plan on having the dog for it’s whole life. If you get one from a breeder you may want to do a check to see how reputiable they are. If they’re a puppy mill or not. Puppy mills are just a breeding ground for the owners to make money and should in my opinion be shut down.

The final point i’d like to stress is the fact that you will be having this dog for it’s whole life. They have a tencendy to get attatched to their owners very easily and getting rid of them isn’t good for the dog nor you. Pets of any kind, shape, size or breed are for life. Dogs even more so are attatched easily so be careful when you get one. If you do not plan on having it your whole life then please don’t evenThink about getting one.

It is natural to anticipate dogs to use snapping as a form of communication with people. Dogs will usually not snap at adults to, whom they’re subordinate. And with adults who are snapped at, it is usually only their hands that are at risk. With children, however, snapping can be dangerous, because a child’s face is often level with the dog’s head.

Centuries of selective breeding have attenuated this natural canine trait until dogs of some breeds now seem to be nearly incapable of snapping, regardless of how much they’re pestered. Yet however hard we try to train young children not to abuse or pester a dog until it becomes irritable, we can’t count on a child to always following instructions. Families with a young child at risk who still find themselves wanting a dog are therefore advised tochoose a breed that ranks low on snapping behavior.

Regarding a dog’s tendency to snap at children, the experts say: “This question deals with a dog’s tolerance for being poked, pulled, and handled by children, not always as kindly as we might like. Picture the prospective dog owners who want to feel confident that their dog, once it is an adult, won’t snap at children. For such a person, can you rank these breeds from least to mostapt to snap at children?”

Snapping is a characteristic that diners in prevalence from males to females, at least to a minor extent. According to the experts, males are in general somewhat more predisposed to snap than females. A good family or children’s pet would necessarily have to rank low when it comes to snapping habits. However, other characteristics, such as high rankings on demand for affection, playfulness, and obedience training, and a low ranking on dominance, certainly enhance the profile of a good family dog. Snapping is one component of the overall reactivity, explained at the beginning of this article, and dogs that are low on snapping will tend to be low on other traits associated with reactivity.

Author: John Edwards For more information on dog care visit www.dogcaretraining.com, a website that specializes in providing tips, advice and resources on dog care and training.

Article Source: http://www.thecontentcorner.com

It is beneficial conditioning for him. I took mine to the Marin Humane Society. Actually the class is greatest for coaching the owner. I necessary some catching up inside latest training strategies for dogs. Nowadays you do not punish the doggie if he does one thing bad, but only reward him for doing something extremely good. That reward is a treat. That is what the class taught me. Socialization is what the course taught Goji, though he was well socialized at his breeder, Toraq. I learned to unlearn the exercise strategies I did with my black labrador retriever in an earlier incarnation. I was told to not negatively discipline my dog. It was difficult for me to teach my buddies not to discipline him when the mouthy puppy jumped on them and nipped their skin. I asked my family members and buddies to be assertive and to knee the doggie if he would jump up. It’s crucial that the k9 know who is in charge right from the start.

A month or so later he went into the Household Dog I course on the same also at the Humane Society. This taught him some commands and obedience, and that continued while using Loved ones Doggy II class. I don’t consider he truly learned too many commands there, but we did understand to have along superior together, which was great.

The Portuguese Water Doggie is in truth much more inclinedto enjoypraise additional than a handle, as an adult. My dog is really picky about treats now; when we go into a pet store along with the shopkeepers offer him a deal with, he often refuses it. Porties are very specific about their food, unlike other breeds. Here’s what he like nowadays:

• Dried liver for example liver biscuit
• Dried salmon sticks
• Charlie Bear treats
• Bil-jack biscuits
• Fois Grois and Caviar
• Red Barn rolled beef hide with chicken inside
• Dried Kangaroo meat
• Dried salmon tenders

Girls train these dogs much better than guys, in my opinion. The porties are more responsive to their high pitched voices than men’s. I also imagine Portie’s prefer the smell of ladies over males. But this doesn’t mean that they do not extremely respect male masters; they do. They need the master to get a complete life. In fact, they have to obtain a operating “captain on the ship” and also you discover that fairly fast when you’ve a single of these dogs residing with you.

A single point that the Portuguese Water Doggie doesn’t seem to get to find out is devotion to the master. We speedily realized that it’s as if he thinks he is living with a fisherman, and he’s on a boat using the fisherman and becomes really devoted to him. Goji despises boats, so the devotion is not definitely to a functioning fisherman, but to some master. This has been built into Goji since he came to our house at age 9 weeks. This unlearned trait seems getting only improving over the years. If you ever can’t handle this extreme devotion do not bring a PWD residence.

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• You should be consistent in your approach towards your dog
• Keep intonations, gestures and words for expressing dissatisfaction and praise consistent; then you’ll be help him understand commands by associating wtih the way it truly is said.
• If you issue conflicting commands your k9 will be confused compared to one who has learned the same command over and around. Just one example of getting consistent is to let him out the same door every time he has to do his business. In this way he associates that door with needing to go out and will let you know by going to that door instead of somewhere within the house.
• Remember of course that after every command that he successfully does, shower him with love and affection. Handle him once in a while when he does right because like a child it needs for being appreciated and given praise.
• There are several technques to k9 exercise from positive reinforcement, understanding when to reward and when to punish, the effective way of punishing, howTo halt excessive barking and chewing and aggression to name a few.
• K9 training is an on-going process but one that is certainly full of rewards. You will create a bond with your pet which is unbreakable. You will use a loyal companion for life and a friend forever.
• There are several dog coaching ebooks, cd`s, dvd`s, seminars, groups and tips on exercise your doggy that you can find online. Find one that you’re comfortable with and provides all the necessary tools to help you in doggie education.