Dog Training Basics

Posts Tagged ‘dog breeds’

The cruel sports of bull baiting and bear baiting are favorite entertainment of the British people centuries ago. Bull baiting and bear baiting are favorite sports of both the royalty and the commoners. Ferocious dogs are chosen and further developed to have excellent fighting abilities as they will be pitted against bears and bulls. The progenitor of the Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier which is the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is one of these agile and ferocious dog breeds utilized in this cruel and bloody sport. The Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier has descended from a fighting dog breed thus it is expected that it would also have a ferocious temperament. Would this make the Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier an unsuitable choice for a pet?

An Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier is not a large breed but the dog has an impressive well muscled and strong boned body. For its size, the dog is noted to have immense strength. Potential dog owners would think twice about getting this dog breed for a pet because of the intimidating appearance as well as its dog fighting ancestry. To mold this dog into a outstanding pet, it is necessary for a would-be owner to understand how the dog was developed.

Due to the popularity of bull and bear baiting, breeders have crossed bulldogs with terriers to create fighting dogs. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier was developed, a dog that was highly acclaimed for its ability to bring down a bull in seconds. Bull and bear baiting was banned but blood sport enthusiasts have developed another cruel sport – dog fighting. Dog fighting enthusiasts developed the Staffordshire Bull Terrier into taller but leaner dogs. The resulting breed was given the name Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

Starting out as a fighting dogs, the Irish Staff has later on evolved into family companions. An Irish Staff though has an inherent ferociousness thus it would not be a good choice for a first time dog owner. This dog is fearless, reckless, hard to housebreak, chews a great deal and has the propensity to jump from great heights.

However, the dog would be an ideal house pet that is tolerant and affectionate of the children if the owner knows how to control the pet. An obedience trained and well socialized Staffie makes an outstanding family companion as the dog has a lively and friendly personality. This dog has to be provided with enough opportunities to exercise to prevent the development of destructive behavior.

The tail is an important body part that is used by the dog to communicate with humans and with other animals, a kind of blanket that keeps dogs that sleep outdoors warm when the weather is cold. A dog’s tail whether feathered or smooth coated will add to the outstanding appearance of the dog. An owner of a stumpy tailed dog cant’ help but wonder how the pet can manage?

Centuries ago, it was a custom in Great Britain to dock the tails of dogs. Docking the tail of dogs is a way by which farmers and drovers would be exempted from paying taxes. In 1796, the custom was abandoned but dog owners have continued to dock the tails of their dogs. Docking is done to conform with the breed standard. Some dogs have naturally short tails. One of the dog breeds born with naturally short tail is the Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog.

Careful breeding has result to a short tailed dog given the name Australian Stumpy Tailed Cattle Dog. There are other herding dogs in Australia but this short tailed breed is believed to be the oldest. This cattle dog is believed to have resulted from the mating of a Dingo with a bobtailed dog. Long tailed dogs were not used in the breeding program and only short tailed ones were included to maintain the wanted short tailed characteristic of the resulting dogs.

An Australian Stumpy Tailed Cattle Dog is an outstanding herder. The dog is tireless, very alert and wary of strangers. Apart from being hardworking, these dogs also possess shrewdness and intelligence that are most important assets in herding. These abilities are very important especially when the dog has to control mobs of cattle. An Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog was originally utilized to herd. These dogs would be seen keeping the cattle in line even under the heat of the sun.

These dogs would rather be out in the pasture with the cattle but some specimens have adapted to being home companions. Being independent dog, they would not demand affectionate attention from the master. Appreciative words from the human family would be enough to make these dogs happy. Owners of these dogs have to make sure that the pet is provided with activities to while away time to prevent the development of destructive habits. Enough space to run and lots of activities will make this energetic dog happy. The owner of this breed has to have the ability to handle the dog otherwise it will be a hard to manage pet that has the tendency to herd the family.

Now that you have brought your new dog home it is time to start the housebreaking. One that can only lead to confusion for the dog later on is giving your new dog a little time to get to know the family and the house before laying down the law. Truthfully, you cannot expect a dog who has been allowed to have full run of the house to suddenly accept new rules and adapt quickly to housebreaking.

It Is Never Too Late

If you have already allowed your dog to run free without rules you can still correct the situation. It is never too late to start dog training your puppy, unlike the common belief out there. Whether your puppy is young or old you can still include housebreaking into his/her daily routine. Whether your problem is dog chewing, dog biting or dog growling, you need to focus on the unwanted behavior that is your highest concern. After housebreaking them on the first behavior, then you can move on to the next.

In order to make sure that your pet never becomes one of those aggressive dogs you always hear about on the news, you have to start housebreaking as soon as possible. If the largest problem that you have at this time is potty training, then make that your first item to work on.

Tips for Housebreaking Your Dog

* Restrict food and water to the appropriate meal times
* In the event that you are utilizing pee pads, choose a single spot and make sure to place the pads only there
* You should praise your pet when it displays good behavior
* Don’t hit the dog if he misses the pee pad
* After fifteen or twenty minutes of giving the puppy something to eat or drink, it needs to be taken to the pee pad

A lot of people leave water and food out for their dog all day long. Puppies should not be expected to hold their bladder the way that older dogs can. Even if they really wanted to, younger puppies just are not able to hold their bladder until they become a bit older. This will cause more accidents in the house that are not the fault of the puppy. So leaving food and water out all of the time is counterproductive to your goals in housebreaking.

If the puppy goes to the bathroom in some other place in the house, the pee pad should be put there. At this stage, housebreaking is just acclimating the puppy to the pad with respect to going to the bathroom. Once your pet is used to this, you may progress the housebreaking by moving the ‘pee pad’ a small distance every day until it is eventually located where you want it.

Even though housebreaking can take a long time, it is very important. You certainly do not want your puppy or dog going to the bathroom everywhere. You also want to make the housebreaking process as easy as possible for your dog so it does not become discouraged. House puppy training is very important.  If you need help doing this, you should seek it. Just know that housebreaking takes time, no matter who is in charge of doing it.

Poodle Puppy

Poodle puppies are cute, cuddly, and curly and definitely a pet anyone would want to take home. Poodles make great pets, and have the most fun with them you will need to know as much about poodle puppies so that they are comfortable when you take them home, so read on to see what you should know in order to be a responsible poodle owner.

Whatever poodle breed you decide to buy, you have to be aware that some poodle breeds tend to be somewhat reclusive or anti-social, and can be very unfriendly around strangers, unless of course they are trained. You will have to train your puppies and socialize the poodle puppy by keeping them in an environment that has people around often, this way they won;t be overwhelmed when you take them out or if you have other people around.

One of the things you need to do is to ensure that your poodle puppies are taken to vet often for their checkups, this is because poodles generally have vision problems quite often, Their eyes need to look alert and should be shiny. If you start noticing film around the eyes, or even if your poodle puppy’s are often running, it is a possibility of the onset of a cataract. being able to treat this condition in it’s early stages is an important factor, and you should take them immediately to your vet should you notice that your poodles vision seem cloudy. Poodle puppies tend to also be prone to ear infections, so you have to ensure that your puppy’s ears are check out by your vet also. Having a hearing test for your poodle puppy should also be done and don’t forget that the proper medication is given to them as directed by your vet.

Poodle’s tend to have sensitive skin and you may notice this often, so you have to make sure that some grooming products would not be used for grooming your poodle. It is common to see poodle owners dye their dog’s hair in different colors, or shampoo the fur with expensive shampoos. Be aware however, that the chemicals in some these products could be harmful to your poodle puppies, and this could cause skin irritations and rashes. Further your poodle might develop allergies with such products, so should notice that your poodle is sluggish, or is perhaps often sneezing, then you should leave the grooming to professionals or have them do it in your home.

Poodles are generally fun-loving dogs that have a pretty reserved temperament, so if you’re looking for an agreeable pet that your family will love, you may want to consider a miniature poodle. Here is some general information about these dogs that will help you to make the right decision, as well as some things you can expect once you bring your pet home.

Concerns

There are a few concerns that you may have about owning a miniature poodle and one of them is grooming. The poodle’s hair tends to be curly and thick, so it will be necessary for you to make sure that your poodle puppy is groomed regularly or as often as possible. For puppies the standard grooming cut is normally short hair all over the body, and this may need to be done every month so that your miniature poodle looks great. The colors of the miniature poodles vary from brown, white, black and cafe-au-lait, and these are on many occasions displayed in the pet stores. In addition to this you can also have your poodle’s coat temporarily dyed for special occasions or events. These can come in a variety of colors like apricot, red, blue, gray or silver which are the normally accepted colors for poodle coats. Such coloring or dyeing normally do not damage the miniature poodles hair.

Learning about your dog’s temperament is also ideal before you buy your miniature poodle. You may have to socialize your dog as a puppy, since poodles tend to be very reserved when dealing with strangers. Miniature poodles tend to bark a lot as well, which means that will do a good job of alerting you if something goes wrong in the home. In most cases, your dog will like to play with children, but some poodle varieties can be a little high-strung, so try to see the parents or even grandparents of the puppies you are considering before taking them home. Your miniature poodle will also be great at learning tricks in most cases, which means you can entertain family and friends.

The life span of a miniature poodle is relatively long compared to other dogs, so it will be essential for you to look out for any genetic issues that could possibly arise. Cataracts are common problems that occur in all varieties of poodles, and blindness could be caused by retinal atrophy, so you need to regularly take your miniature poodle to the vet to be checked up for vision and nervous system problems. Often it may also be necessary for your pet to be checked for you ear infections and runny eyes. Finally, the poodle’s skin tend to be very sensitive, for example skin rashes and allergies may occur with the use of certain shampoo or dyes, and in addition the use of clippers may also cause skin conditions to occur.

For more great information on how to care for your miniature poodle, visit www.poodle-lovers.com.