Every summer I take my family to a cabin in the Ozarks. We take a week out of our busy schedules to hike, fish and generally relax. I wouldn’t think of leaving any member of the family behind, and that includes Rusty, our faithful golden retriever. He’s still a puppy, which means his inquisitive spirit can get the best of him. Only a few weeks after we adopted him, he managed to wander almost a mile from the house before we tracked him down.
This summer I made sure to pack one of those portable dog kennels into the van. When we got to our camp in the mountains, we enjoyed the fresh air with our dog in tow. He spent the nights lying happily in his kennel, safe from predators and his own curious nature. The kennel was simple to set up, and it provided me with some invaluable peace of mind.
At first blush, crate training would appear to be a difficult endeavor. However, it turns out that dogs are naturally predisposed to lie down in a small, sheltered area. With a bit of effort and persistence, you can coach your dog into entering a crate and lying still for hours at a time. The most important aspect of this training involves making the crate suitably comfortable for a canine inhabitant.
Begin by placing a dog crate mat inside, and top it with a few old blankets or other soft materials that your dog already knows about. The more familiar you make a puppy’s den, the quicker he adapts to crate training. Make sure that the dog relieves himself prior to putting him in the crate for any extended period, and always double check that there’s a fresh supply of food and water within reach.
When you live in the city, you need to take precautions for your pet. That means making sure they are always on a leash when they leave the yard and that you have a fenced in yard to keep them safe in. Pet cats are especially crafty escape artists. The best way to keep your pet cat in one area is to use a pet gate.
Pet gates will allow you the peace of mind knowing that your pet is safe and sound. They are great for use around the house to keep your pet confined in a particular area. You can even use the pet gate in your yard and let your kitty out on sunny days, all the while knowing your pet is secure behind the pet gate.
Let’s face it, there are a lot of books about dogs out there, and it’s hard to know which ones work and which ones don’t. The truth is, just like people, dogs have different learning capabilities. But unlike people, it often depends on the dog’s breed. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t smart Afghan hounds or slow Australian shepherds, but often a dog’s breed can determine their overall intelligence. When choosing dog books, it’s also a good idea to keep the dog’s breed in mind. The first dog book to purchase should be one that talks about the traits of a specific dog breed. There’s at least one dog book out there that talks about the individual dog breed, and understanding a breed’s tendencies and traits can help with training.
Breed specific dog books provide the foundation for future training. There are also a lot more dog books that can be used to teach specific training techniques, but it’s important to have an appreciation and understanding of the breed before delving deeper into the dog training.
After spending months looking for an affordable place to live, I finally found an open apartment in the heart of Manhattan. The only downfall was that the building had a strict no dog policy. Since I was 15-years-old my dog Kolya has gone with me everywhere, and I wasn’t about to give him up now.
Instead of passing on the residence, I decided to stealthily keep Kolya with hidden in the apartment. He has always been a bit overprotective, and has a propensity to bark at even the slightest noises. Last week I bought him a no bark collar, which has almost completely eliminated the problem. Hopefully he will be trained in a little while and I can stop subjecting him to the device.
My border terrier lives to experience the outdoors and go on his daily walks. He’ll literally spend hours chasing squirrels and sniffing every piece of foliage in my backyard. Unfortunately for him, I live in Seattle and more often than not he is forced to be outside in a downpour.
Although he dislikes the rain, he loves the outdoors more and will still happily spend hours outside getting drenched. While I like him to have his fun, I found myself spending too much time cleaning up the mud that he tracked throughout the house. Last week I bought him a pair of waterproof dog boots, and not only does he seem more comfortable, but I also have less cleanup.
Last year while I was at the gas station I spotted a small kitten sitting by a garbage can. As I stopped to pet it, a man came out of the convenience store and said that it belonged to him. He informed me that he couldn’t take care of it, so he was going to have it putdown.
There was no way I could let the cute little kitten meet his fate that way, so I decided to take him home. I had owned dogs before, but never a cat. Later that day I went to the store and picked up some cat books; they had great information and allowed me to take good care of the cat, Smoky, who I still have today.
We all know that exercise has massive health benefits. From lowering blood pleasure and cholesterol to maintaining a healthy weight, exercise can greatly improve your quality of life. Just like humans, your pets need exercise to stay healthy too.
For people who live in urban areas or cold climates, it can often be difficult to take your animal outside for exercise. To keep your pet in shape, consider purchasing some tools to allow them to exercise inside, like dog exercise pens. Not only will it save you time, but it will also increase your pet’s life span and quality.
When my family moved from a busy downtown apartment to a rustic home in the woods, we were all overjoyed. My wife and I had acres of forest to enjoy during long hikes, and a nearby cross-country ski trail will be keeping my son busy when winter arrives. Nobody appreciates the change more than our dog Muttley, a golden retriever with boundless energy. He’s got a real penchant for running around the property with the reckless abandon typically reserved for a dog half his age.
Somehow in all the confusion of moving and decorating the new home, I overlooked flea protection for the dog. Sure enough, he came rollicking home one day and began scratching his flank vigorously. I gave him a flea bath immediately and didn’t let him in the house until I had treated him with Frontline flea and tick control products.
By their very nature, dogs are predisposed to reside in dens. They seek out semi-enclosed spaces to call their own – both because these spots are comfortable and easy to defend. There’s no need to fight dogs’ evolutionary urges; instead, you should foster them with crate training. It’s best to start this process when your dog is still a young, impressionable puppy. Dogs won’t relieve themselves where they sleep, so the benefits are self-evident.
Before introducing your pet to a soft dog crate, fill it with a few favorite items – maybe an old blanket and a few coveted dog toys. In time, your canine will learn to associate his new lair with security and comfort. Confine the dog to the crate each night at around the same time, and try your best to ignore any initial whimpering or vocal protest. As long as you practice self-discipline, your dog will have no problem adjusting to his new abode.