His mother told him that Gidget had a new home now and it wasn't right to be an indian giver. He accepted that ... Continue reading →]]>

I’m going to tell you how I acquired this Littledog of mine, and some of you probably won’t believe me, but it’s true. A friend of mine and herTiny three year old boy came to my house for a visit. He saw that I had a Beta fish, and he wanted it. I told him that I wanted a Littledog. He told me he would trade me his dog for the Beta, so I agreed. So did his mother.

I went over that night to pick up thisTiny dog, sight unseen, and she was all wet. Pam had just given her a bath. Needless to say, she smelled like a wet dog. I thought, “What have I gotten myself into.” But, no regrets. She was a good friend. A couple of weeks later, the Littleboy’s fish died. He wanted his dog back.

His Mothertold him that Gidget had a new home now and it was not right to be an indian giver. He accepted that. He however, spent the rest of Gidget’s years visiting her. He cried as hard as I did when she had to be put to sleep.

My precious 15 year old dog was two when I got her, already fixed, all her shots, but knew nothing about playing. She had been abused, and with all the love and protection I gave her, She never got over some of her fears. I’ve never in my life seen a dog so terrified of thunder storms. The older she got, the more afraid I was, that she would have a heart attack.

I’d sit and hold her for what seemed like hours sometimes, while she panted, shook uncontrollably,and her Littleheart would racecare about it was going to come right out of her chest. I often wondered if she had been left out in a bad storm, because she never got over it.

She always knew when one was coming about three hours ahead of time. I had people call and actually ask me how Gidget was acting. That way they knew what we were in for. When the storm hit, she was right there for me to hold her till the storm passed by.

She was a wonderful pet, as perfect as you could get. She was very possessive when someone would hug me, she was right there, barking her head off. It got to be a game with her. I’d pick her up and she’s get a hug to.

She slept at the foot of my bed. If I had a night where I couldn’t sleep, she’s follow me in the other room and stayed with me until I returned to bed. When I was sick, she never left my side unless she had to go outside, then she was right back.

She was so full of love, so loyal and undescribably wonderful. I loved her so much. I think how wonderful God was when He created an animal that was actually capable of being loved, responding to

With this type of licensing and control we ... Continue reading →]]>

The best thing an owner can do for their dog is to obedience training train the dog. Being a responsible dog owner is an simple task,even though it does take a commitment from the owner and an investment in time. It doesn’t matter if the dog is taken to a professional trainer or if the owner does the training. Most breeds are very easy to train and it just takes repetition on the owners part. The commands, sit, stay, down, and the most important command which is come, are the commands every dog should know. If you’ve one of the more difficult breeds to train then get a professional. An untrained dog is an unhappy dog, and an untrained dog usually has an unhappy owner. It takes about four to six weeks to properly obedience train a dog. The dog then needs constant refresher training until it is about three years old. After three years of dedicated training the dog can become automatic. It will become a dog you can trust in many tempting situations.

So if it’s squirrel chasing, other dogs, cars, or polar bears it just boils down to if the dog is obedience trained. We need to get a license to drive a automobile and even to go fishing, but society grants anyone to have a dog and any kind of dog they prefer. It would be a good thing if a license for dog owners was required to own a dog and astipulation of that license was to obedience train the dog in the basic commands. The dog could be bought as a puppy and given a temporary permit requiring the owner to bring the dog back at a certain date and demonstrate competency in the basic obedience commands.

With this type of licensing and control we could even get a control on neutering dogs. It should require a higher priced license to own a non neutered dog. Neutered dogs are lessapt to roam especially if they are proficient in the basic obedience commands. There is no reason to own a non neutered dog unless you’re in the breeding business. If you are in the breeding business then a higher licensing fee is just a cost of doing that business and it will help reduce the millions of puppies born that just end up in a shelter.

If a dog is chasing squirrels it is just pointing out the real problem of a non trained and therefore non disciplined dog. Again a licensing law designed to make owners more responsible for their pets and encourage these owners to train and neuter there dogs would all but eliminate the many problems that discourage owners and end up putting good dogs into shelters where they lose there lives. It is very unfair that a good dog should go to his death just because he ended up with irresponsible owners that failed to educate the dog to become a valuable and enjoyable part of the family.

The answer to squirrel chasing and any other problem vented by most dog owners can be solved by education of the animal making him an enjoyable part of the family and also a source of pride for the owner of a well trained dog.

When the dog is off the leash, he should be taught to stay close to you or at least in your sight. I trained my dog this way by playing hide and seek. If I disappeared behind a tree, he knows he must come and find me ... Continue reading →]]>

How to train your dog on and off the leash. First, get rid of any retractable wire leash, or anything which expands and contracts. This only instructs the dog to pull against you. The ideal leash is one that is longer than 10 feet made of nylon with no fancy handle. If you’re a disabled person, a plain, lightweight leash is ideal to handle with your hands and/or mouth if needed. The dog’s collar should not be a choke chain, studded with spikes or anything else which causes the dog discomfort. A puppy or very small dog should be using a harness for his own protection, since small dogs can simply slip out of their collars.

Eventually, you’ll want to train the dog off the leash. This can be done by calling the dog to come to you using a whistle, jinggling automobile keys or even a simple snapping of the fingers. This comes in really handy when you don’t want anyone else to know the dog’s name or command him without your knowledge. You can even train the dog to come to another pet name that only you and the dog know. I have known of Police K9 dogs who were trained to a foreign language to avoid interference by criminals.

You can teach the dog to come to a treat, or by giving a Littletug to the leash in your direction. You should never be pulling or tugging the dog around. The trick is to make him come willingly, either by love or fear of punishment, but in the end “come” is the most important command of all because it could very well save the dog’s life if a vicious animal or vehicle is approaching. You can instruct the dog to alert for these by saying to your assistant dog “dog coming” or “big automobile coming” so he connects the sounds and smells with the object approaching.

When the dog is off the leash, he should be taught to stay close to you or at least in your sight. I trained my dog this way by playing hide and seek. If I disappeared behind a tree, he knows he must come and find me so that we are in sight of each other. The dog should never be granted to rush, jump on, or go after other dogs, cats or people. You canbegin to train the dog this way by asking him to “sit” or “wait/stay” as these approach. It is simple to teach the dog to stay, since you’ve control of the lead or leash. Being consistent and working with the dog daily will instill these behaviors instinctually. If the dog pulls or tugs on the leash, simply remind the dog with a tiny tug back, “no pulling.”

Big dogs like to pull their weight around, but remind the dog you’re the boss and do not go any further in a walk or out the door until the dog sits, waits and knows you’re ready to go forward.

The dog is taught to sit by pulling up on the leash, with your hand on their rump, pushing down. Lie down command is done by pulling the leash down from the neck, with your hand on their back pushing down. Always give treats, love and affection for a task well done. In time, the assistant dog will perform well in order to get rewards for the job they do.

Working in a fenced or enclosed area with an untrained dog is best. This way, the dog can only run so far. I have found school yards on Sundays, and off-season tennis courts most helpful. The leash should be long enough to give the dog space, but short enough to have control over the animal.

It is simple to train the dog, if you have the right equipment and environment.