It can be very difficult and scary for you if your dog pulls towards other dogs and barks at them while you are out on a walk. The other dog may be walking towards you or may be behind a fence. You may think your dog is going to attack the other dog and you may pull back hard on his lead. Unfortunately, this will inevitably make the problem worse.

Instead of reprimanding your dog and yanking on his lead, you should aim to teach him to do a substitute behaviour (focusing on you) when triggered by the presence of another dog. As soon as he does the desired behaviour (focus on you) you should reward him heavily. He will eventually learn to associate the presence of another dog with the happy event of getting a treat and will turn to you for his treat instead of barking at the other dog.

To train this new behaviour, take a bum bag full of smelly, high value dog treats (i.e. his favourite food, such as sausage or cheese) with you on your walks. If your dog is more motivated by toys than food then take his favourite toy instead. Your walks should be the only time when he gets his favourite treat or toy, at least until his behaviour improves.

When you see another dog approaching, or you are approaching the yard of a dog which normally triggers your dog, you need to immediately distract your dog with the treats or toy while the other dog is passing by. You must start doing this before your dog notices the other dog. Try to keep his focus on you and not the other dog as much as possible. If your dog goes mental then stop treating and try to get him away from the situation as quickly as possible. Stand between you and the other dog so he doesn’t see him. Slowly, after a lot of practice, he should start looking to you for treats when he sees another dog instead of getting overly excited. It will take a while but it really does works…eventually. You just have to be patient and keep working at it consistently. Remember to start distracting and rewarding your dog before he gets sees the other dog and keep rewarding him as long as he is focused on you.

Guest Author: After a long career in IT, Terri now divides her time between bookkeeping for the family business and volunteer work with Dog Rescue Newcastle.

Petitude, in partnership with Dog Rescue Newcastle, will publish pet care guide and pet adoption articles until end of 2010. To learn more about Petitude’s new advocacy campaign and what you can do to help our less fortunate furry pals while doing your online shopping, please subscribe to our newsletter.

It’s long weekend once again and who doesn’t want to go on a picnic? Even dogs will enjoy a nice and cool time with the rest of the family during a picnic on your local park. But how do you make sure that your furry pal does not ruin this happy occasion? We all know that dogs can sometimes have the tendency to be unruly especially when they are excited or agitated. Here are some tips on how to keep your dog in his best behaviour when you take him to a picnic this long weekend:

• Start the day right by giving your dog a nice bath.
• Do not forget to bring him his own picnic treats — dog food! It is only fair that you prepare him a hearty meal for the picnic in the same way that you prepare delectable food for the rest of the family. This way your dog will have his eyes glued on his own yummy goodies and will be less inclined to eat people food that you prepared.

• Look for the best spot for your best buddy. Pick a shady spot far enough from the grill, picnic tables and main activities so that your dog may not get in the way. Put a dog blanket or old sheet so that he will know that this is where he should lay down and relax. Also, put a few chew toys and treats around the blanket and place a water bowl near it.
• Make sure that your dog is familiar with all the people in your picnic area. This is especially important if you have invited other relatives and friends to join your family picnic. It would help ease any tension if your dog is familiar with these “new” faces especially with “new” kids on certain occasions that they may be close to his area or dog zone.
• Make sure that you eat together with your four-legged buddy. Once the steaming ribs, corn and chilled potato salad is on the table, put some of the special dog picnic treats in your dog’s bowl so that he can eat with you. This would ensure that he will not feel compelled to sit around and bark while you eat your delicious picnic meal.
• Play with your dog. Part of the picnic fun is playing some outdoor activities. In this case, it would be nice if you include Fido in it. Play fetch, chase and other agility games that can make you and your dog enjoy and make the most of out of your picnic day. Include everyone if necessary so that you can have more fun and enjoyment.
• Make sure that your dog is dressed for the season and occasion. Don’t forget to dress your pet for the cold weather. Dog clothes and dog shoes will not only make him cute and fashionable, but protected from the elements as well.  Dog vitamins will also keep him protected from the inside.
• Make sure that your pet is always safe and secured. If you plan on taking him for a walk, a dog harness will be very helpful.  Pet crates, on the other hand, will make it easy for your pet to take a nap or if you want to keep him from the crowd, especially when there are too many people around.

Letting your dog enjoy every picnic activity of the family is not that difficult to do. Just make sure that you follow these helpful tips and you’re sure off to create the most amazing picnic day for you and your dog.

Easter is one of the happiest holiday occasions that you can spend with your beloved pet. But in order to have a stress-free holiday fun activity for your pet, you must also be able to prepare him with all the different activities that he may be part of. Here’s how you can help your pet prepare for Easter:

1. For millions of families around the world, the celebration of Easter includes Easter baskets filled with sweet treats like chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, sugary jelly beans and snack-size versions of nearly every candy product imaginable. You must keep in mind that these treats are not healthy for your four-legged pal. As a responsible pet owner, it’s your job to protect your pet from harm or danger. And though pet owners routinely give their companion animals human food, allowing your pet to munch on these treats is a terrible mistake. So how do you make sure that your pet does not eat these “deadly treats”?

If you have prepared a basket full of these treats at home, make sure that your pets will not be able to reach it. If you have kids at home, advise them not to give your furry pals these treats. Also explain to your kids the hassles if your favourite pal is able to eat some of these. This is so that they can be warned with the possible dangers that it could cause your pet if he ingests these kinds of human food.

2. If your pet is part of any Easter activity like an Egg-hunting activity, always make sure that you bring him fresh water to avoid him from being dehydrated and to help him recover any energy loss during his active moments. It would also be helpful if you bring him healthy food instead of giving him Easter treats.

3. Always make sure that he is properly dressed for Easter. You can purchase very colourful and fun Easter dog costumes and accessories for your beloved pooch.

4. Give him a nice bath before you allow him to do these fun Easter activities. This way he is clean, refreshed and not irritable. Have him properly groomed as well by cutting his nails.

5. Give him vitamins before he heads off to the Easter activities that he is going to. Making sure that he has his daily healthy supplement can increase his stamina against stress and any possible air-borne sickness.

Knowing how to prepare your precious furry pal for Easter can truly make both of you enjoy all the great activities of this holiday event.

In association with the religious significance of Easter, the Easter in Australia is enjoyed as a four-day holiday weekend starting on Good Friday and ending on Easter Monday. This extra-long weekend is an opportunity for Australians to take a mini-holiday, or get together with family, friends and even with beloved pets. There are actually lots of Easter activities that your beloved furry pals can really enjoy. The Sydney Royal Easter Show is Australia’s largest annual event and celebrates everything from bush heritage to the vitality of city life. It takes place annually at Sydney Olympic Park over a two-week period which includes the Easter long weekend. You can bring your beloved pooch to witness this event and allow him to enjoy the many festivities that Easter holiday has to offer.

Aside from Egg-hunting activity that is very common during Easter, you can also have your pet experience the many festivals held over the Easter holiday. Such festivals include the National Folk Festival in Canberra, the East Coast International Blues & Roots Festival at Byron Bay in northern New South Wales, Australian Gospel Music Festival in Toowoomba in Queensland and the Bendigo Easter Festival in Victoria. If your pet is really happy with lots of outdoor activities, these festivals will surely brighten up his days because lots of people and also companion animals will grace the event.

As a final note, in order to make your pet really enjoy these said activities, just make sure that you put in utmost consideration his health and security. If you are travelling with your pet, make sure that you have all his necessities such as food, fresh clean water, vitamins, stroller and fun dog costumes.

A good amount of exercise for dogs can really make a whole lot of difference for their health. Not only can you ensure that they will become healthy and strong but it can also help to further expand their life span. Contrary to the belief that dogs can only get the best exercise outdoors, there is actually a great deal of opportunity for you and your dog to enjoy indoor activities that can be beneficial for both of you.

You can still play fetch with your favorite pooch inside your home. A good place to do your play-fetch game is your stairs. Running up and down the stairs will provide a lot of good exercise for your dog. You can also use a balance ball to help your dog get some exercise as well. Teaching your dog to balance on an exercise ball is good for developing his core strength. Bring me games can also be fun for your dogs and at the same time beneficial for him. This game is a good exercise to practice your dog’s mental awareness.

Moreover, you can also start teaching your dog with beg and crawl exercise. This will develop his balance and abdominal muscles. Finally, the best way that you can better enhance the physical and mental senses of your dog is by teaching him with new tricks. Start with simple tricks, such as lie down, sit, and beg, then progress to more complicated tricks. Keep training sessions short– no longer than 15 minutes– but have them as often as necessary. Teaching your dog new tricks helps the two of you form a closer relationship as you observe your dog’s learning process while making sure that he/she gets a good dose of his daily exercise.

To successfully teach your dog some tricks, you must act as if you are the leader of the pact. Dogs are actually descendants of wolves which is why they have an instinct to belong to a pact. So in order for you to make sure that your dog will follow what you teach him/her to do, you must act like you rank above him. Always be firm and consistent with your dog, as this will show him that he cannot get away with everything, even if he/she is the cutest thing alive.

The concept of teaching your dog with tricks is actually fairly simple. You must first understand that dogs are dogs. They do not necessarily understand what you say, however, they can associate your actions and movements to something that should follow since you act as the leader or an authority for him/her. Always remember that dogs are all about hierarchies, and as far as they’re concerned, somebody’s got to uphold that top-dog position to make him/her feel that there is someone in charge.

Of course, it is always best to train a puppy than an older dog because puppies have the natural tendency to depend on others and treat them as authorities. But if you have adopted an older dog and would like to teach him some tricks, you may still do so by using treats and rewards whenever he accomplishes a task. Teaching your dog some tricks can also be a good way to practice obedience in your pet dog. However, the most important thing that you must take note when trying to teach your dog some tricks is to never hit or bash your dog no matter how frustrating your teaching sessions could get. Hitting your dog can only create fear in him, thus, making your dog lose his concentration on what you’re trying to teach him. Never lose patience when teaching your dog some tricks. The key is to never give up until your dog is able to learn what you’re teaching him.

As a responsible dog owner, it is highly advisable that you know how to keep your dog in shape. You must never forget that dogs need a good dose of daily exercise so that they could stay healthy and strong. Daily exercise for dogs is very essential for their physical and mental well-being. It can also add some years in their life expectancy if they’re always fit and strong. The best outdoor activity for your dog that will also be good for you is a daily walk in your neighbourhood. Daily walks can strengthen his stamina while giving him extra time to bond with you regularly. You may also try running with your dogs at some times because this is a good exercise for his legs and paws. You can also try playing fetch with your dog at a safe area in your local park.

Moreover, if your dog finds swimming an interesting and fun activity, you can let him swim provided that you can secure his safety in the water by giving him a dog life-vest. Also, you can give him floating waterproof dog toys to make his swimming activity more fun and enjoyable. Just be sure to watch over your dog during the entire time that he is doing his swimming activity so that you can better secure his safety.

Finally, if you’re worried that your dog would not be safe if you bring him to your local park or if you let him swim outdoors, you can still let him enjoy a good outdoor activity within the confines of your own yard. You can play tug of war with him and with the other members of your household or you can do some bring me activities.

It is a well-known fact that some pets should be vaccinated so that they stay harmless and undisruptive. They should also have a balanced and good diet and planned exercise activity so that they will be faithful and healthful companions whenever and wherever we bring them.

Vaccinations are deeply important in the existence of the pets most especially in our own dwelling. Health care is one of the top priorities that a responsible pet owner should take care of. It is essential that the pet’s health care is considered so that various pet rabies will be delimited.

There are some vaccinations which vary from the location either in a state, city or a country. You will be given some pet requirements before your pet can actually undergo a pet vaccination. Your local vet will ask you to fill out a form so that he will be familiar with the health history of your pet.

Before you can have a health care check to your pets, make sure that you have scheduled an appointment with the local veterinarian. It is advised that your phone book must be ready with those important phone numbers of the vet clinics. In this way, you will have a scheduled

By this time, you will be asked with the other vaccines administered to your pet. You have to be informative about these matters. The vet will also help you become knowledgeable with the different types of vaccines that are required for the locality that you live in.

If in some points, if you disagree with his deals, for an instance, if you do not agree with the number of injections, you need to discuss things properly with him. You should understand however that those injections are done as quickly as possible. They are also painless. Don’t worry. Your pet will surely endure the injection. They will also appreciate your effort of making them safe and protected.

After that, you should still take a careful observation about your dog’s condition. Record some unusual behavior that you have noted. In this way, you have something to tell about your vet.

Having a careful attention to our pets will not only be helpful to them. It will also contribute a great well being to us as well as to the whole community.

]]> http://blog.petitude.com.au/healthcare-reveals-your-pet-needs-vaccination/feed/ 0 http://blog.petitude.com.au/help-your-dog-prevent-fleas-during-spring/ http://blog.petitude.com.au/help-your-dog-prevent-fleas-during-spring/#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:59:07 +0000 admin http://blog.petitude.com.au/?p=182

It is spring time once again and a lot are excited to see the flowers blooming. For sure your pet dog is also excited because this season is a little bit warm and he will be more comfortable. But then, even though this season is said to be safer than winter, you must not forget that your dog still needs to have some protection.

You must know that during these warm weather months, fleas also start to attack your dog. These are considered as happy months for fleas and they will start ruining the supposed-to-be happy spring time of your dog. If you thought that your dog will be safe from fleas if he is inside your house then you are wrong because he can also get some stray fleas on potted plants.

These fleas go from one dog to another. If your dog happens to play with a dog which has fleas on his body then there is a big possibility that your dog will also have some fleas in his body. And these fleas will continue to increase and create colonies on your pet’s body if you will not take necessary actions.

Fleas will make your dog uncomfortable. They will be crawling over your dog’s body and they will stay on his furs. A single flea has the capacity to make your dog uncomfortable, how much more if they are many.

The worst thing is that the fleas will not only crawl on your dog’s body, your dog may also swallow them and if this happens your dog may have a worm problem, too. Your dog might also have some allergies because of the fleas’ saliva.

You must always have a first aid kit for your dog and you must have some research regarding what to do if your pet dog is experiencing this thing. If you have better understanding about this matter then you can probably do a lot of things to help your dog. Always have a flea comb for your dog and you must also have some products or cream to treat your dog. Never forget to ask your vet’s opinion.

When you have a pet dog, you are always enjoying the times that you two are having fun outside your house. Having some fun activities outdoors will keep your dog healthy because it is a form of exercise for your pet. Aside from this fact, when you and your dog are having activities often, you will have enough time for your bonding. So in order for you to get closer to your dog, you should spend some time with him when ever you have a free time.

However, the cold temperature during the winter season can minimize the chance for your dog to have outdoor activities. You dog will also feel cold when you stay outside the house. But winter should not hinder you to have some bonding activities outside. All you have to do is to check the condition of the weather outside. There are a lot of recommended dog bonding activities during winter season, but before doing some, you need to consider a lot of things to make sure that you will not put the health of the Fido at risk.

You need to be careful when taking your dog outside during winter because ice, salt and sun can cause paw abrasions. If your dog is suffering from joint problems, do not take him outside without any protection because the cold weather can cause the dog’s muscle and joint to be painful. When you and your dog is outside, make sure to always lead him because the presence of snow can hinder him in finding the familiar scent he used to smell. Also, always keep your pet dry so that you can avoid him from having hypothermia. Dog clothes like dog jacket, dog coat and dog shirt will also keep your furry pal warm and comfy.

You should take your canine outside for long term outdoor exercise. But for short term exercises, you can do it inside your house to avoid possible health problems for both of you especially when the temperature drops.  As said earlier, exercise keeps your dog healthy and smart. You can still have dog bonding activities during winter. You can have a game of fetch or probably buy him a new toy which he will surely enjoy. If you have a small space in your yard, let him do “puppy pushups” by letting him sit and lay down repeatedly.

If Fido can do tricks, letting him do it for several times a day can make his mind active. You can also take your dog with you for an errand. It would be better if you are always on his side especially when you are outside so that you can protect him from cold. Let him sleep more and gain some weight during winter. If you noticed that your canine gained some additional weight, you can reduce the amount of food you are giving him to make up for the lack of exercise.

At most times during winter, you stay with your dog inside your house. This is the perfect time for you to groom your pet. Giving him extra care will surely be appreciated by your pet and eventually your attention can make him happier even if it is winter.