Welcome Dog Owners!

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

2008-10-13T21:50:00.003-04:00

Part mystery, part family saga and part love story, The Story of Edgar Sawttelle is an unforgettable novel about the bond between a boy and his dogs.

Born mute, speaking in a sign language of his own invention, Edgar Sawtelle has led an idyllic childhood on his parents' remote farm, where, for generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a fictional breed of dogs whose thoughtful presence is exemplified by Almondine, Edgar's lifelong companion. During the summer of his 14th year, Edgar seems poised to excel in his family's work. He has a way with the dogs, and he has just been given his first litter of pups to raise. But that summer brings two unexpected visitors: a stray dog who refuses to come in from the wild, and Claude, Edgar's uncle, who cannot seem to tame his own ferocious nature. In this masterful novel, Wroblewski brilliantly examines the limits of language and the elemental forces of love, loss and revenge. At once a riveting adventure and a multilayered family saga, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is a bold, ambitious novel that will captivate readers from its mysterious opening to its breathtaking finale.

Find the Best Food for Your Dog - But Don't Forget the Water Too!

2007-05-03T00:56:00.000-04:00

There are hundreds of choices of dog food on the market today. Everything from wet, dry, high protein, high fat, low protein, and low fat foods fill the aisles of our pet stores. So how is one to choose the right one for their dog?
But before we talk about food, let's talk about something even more important - water.All the beneficial ingredients that go into the best dog foods will not help your dog if he is not drinking enough water. Water is the most important nutrient. Adult dog's bodies are 60% water and a puppy's body is 84% water. Dogs can lose all of their fat and half of their protein without adversely affecting their health, but a 10 % water loss can cause significant problems.
Dog owners should place as much attention on the importance of the quality of the water their dog drinks as they do on the ingredients that go into the best dog foods; not all water is the same.A criterion for clean drinking water for dogs is similar to the criteria for clean drinking water for people. Tap water generally provides the best nutrients and least contaminants; however, if the tap water contains high amounts of nitrates, magnesium and iron it can cause long term health risks.
For those who fear their tap water may be contaminated bottled water is a better choice. Stainless steel and stoneware dishes are safe choices for food and water bowls. Plastic bowls may scratch giving contaminates an ideal place to live. Water should be cool in the summer and room temperature in the winter.
The dogs bowl should always be clean; if you think it may need changing ask yourself if you would drink the water; if the answer is no-change the water.Dogs should have access to fresh water all the time. This is even more important than buying the best dog foods on the market. Dogs need three times more water than food every day. They need even more if it is extremely hot, the dog is lactating, or the dog is exercising more than normal.
Dogs that eat canned dog food do not drink as much water because of the high amount of water contained in the canned food.In addition to better health, proper hydration also contributes to the performance of a dog. Many owners of working dogs flavor their dog's food in order to make sure they are drinking the appropriate amounts. Studies have proven that proper hydration increases working ability by 80%. The next time you pour one of those best dog foods into your dogs bowl, remember if the dog doesn't have the right amount of clean water the food is useless.
Okay, now let's move on to dog food First you need to have one basic goal in mind: Feed your dog the brand that keeps your dog looking and acting the best. This is the most important thing to remember when choosing food for your dog. You may have to try several brands of dog food over a stretch of time before you can determine which is the best choice.Another important factor is likability. You need to choose a food that your dog likes to eat. You'll want it to be easily digestible, which is indicated by a small to moderate stool volume. Ideally, you should check a week after switching. After a few weeks of the new food, check the dog's coat and see if there is any improvement, such as it being shiny and healthy looking. In addition your dog's skin should be a healthy color, without sores or trouble spots. Your dog should have a healthy look overall.
Lastly, many consider the cost when making your pet's food choices. One simple rule to remember is SPEND MORE TO SAVE MORE! Why you ask? Well, the principle is simple: the better quality, more expensive foods usually cost you less per feeding than inexpensive foods because you feed your dog less of these highly digestible foods, costing you less in the long run.Whether you choose dry dog foods which are soybean, corn, or rice based, and are recommended for animals that are larger, or canned types that contain meat products and water for moisture for dogs smaller than 30 lbs., remember, dog foods contain fats and carbohydrates which are necessary for your pet's energy.About the Author:Mike Long runs a dog training website that focuses on educating people about the different ways of training your dog or puppy. If you would like to learn more, including additional articles, and training tips, tricks, and ideas, check out his site at http://dogtraininginfo.wordpress.com.

4 things frustrated Dog Owners should know!

2007-04-27T00:48:00.000-04:00

You’ve probably had a day or two when you felt like your dog just wasn’t paying any attention to you at all, right? You talked, you yelled, you shouted, maybe you jumped up and down and waved your arms, but she just wasn’t interested in anything you had to say to her in any tone of voice. You’re not alone.

Your dog isn’t human.

Unless you believe in pet psychics, there’s really no way for you to read your pooch’s mind and figure out exactly what she’s thinking. The good news is that, like many dog owners, the problems you’re having can probably be traced to one simple thing: you’re trying to communicate with your dog from a human standpoint, and your dog isn’t a human. Sure, you know that, but lots of humans try to relate with their dogs in the ways that they think are rational as humans. The problem is that dogs are driven in every act and every moment by very strong instincts. Deciphering those instincts and leveraging them to build a productive relationship is like finding the keys to the city.

Your dog doesn't speak English.

Take the word “no,” for example. Does your dog speak English? Not understand English. Does she speak it? What’s meaningful to her is your tone of voice, not the word itself. Now let’s think about that – we’re taking up excess time trying to teach our dog a word she’ll never speak and that probably doesn’t mean much to her anyway. Sure, it’s meaningful to us, but that’s only one side of the equation. What about something that’s meaningful to both human and dog?

You know what a growl means, and your dog knows what a growl means.

If you think that mutually meaningful language doesn’t exist, you’re not thinking creatively enough. What does it say to you when a dog growls at you? Anything from “get away from my food” to “back off, dude,” right? Yet in every case, a dog’s growl typically means that she is not happy with whatever you’ve done. And you’ve seen dogs react to other dogs’ growls, right? So you know what a growl means, and your dog knows what a growl means. Where’s the disconnect? Growl at your dog!

No, seriously. The next time your pooch starts stepping outside her bounds or doing something you don’t like, growl at her. A nice, strong, guttural growl that would put the alpha wolf in a pack to shame. While you’re growling, look directly into her eyes. You’re almost guaranteed that she’ll back off. It might be best to try it in your home environment to start with – I don’t want to be held responsible for you getting funny looks in the street!

Instincts save time and communicate effectively.

See that? You worked with her instinct and the information hardwired into her brain, and the result was instantaneous. Why spend tons of time trying to work against that instinct and end up frustrated, angry, and still miscommunication? This approach works in everything from basic discipline to full-on obedience training. You just need to figure out how to apply it in each of those situations.

About the Author:
Want to know more about How to start a Craft Business? Paul provides a wealth of resources at http://www.pkblogging.com/craft-and-home-business-ideas

How to Choose a Good Dog Training Book

2007-04-24T01:05:00.000-04:00

A responsible dog owner is truly concerned about his dog behavior and consequent training.That is a good moment to look for help on how to train your best friend.He and your neighbors will thank you for that.
There are some factors to consider when looking for a good Dog Training Book.
To start with, you need to identify what kind of personality your dog has. Is he the hyper kind? or laid back? Is he aggressive? Or docile?
Answering these questions will help you to choose the best training method.There are many of them available, including reward training, leash and collar training and clicker training.So, let's say your dog is a "tough" one to handle. He does not pay attention on what you say. In this case, you may consider leash and collar training.
What comes next might sound funny, but it is very important.
What is Your personality type?You should know that training a dog requires patience and consistence. You need to understand that dogs think and act different from us.They communicate differently from us.
Once you defined your dog's personality and yours, it's time to find a good training book or guide.You may want to make some research and look for good dog trainers literature. Look for the ones that earned some reputation on their profession.The successful ones.You'll find out that they have different styles, but they all work around the most important basics that have been used for years.
To summarize, don't forget the basic steps: know your dog, know yourself,choose the training method and research.Your dog and your neighbors will thank you for

Basic Dog Obedience Training

2007-04-23T17:33:00.000-04:00

by:Leo Enoch
I cannot stress more the significance of obedience training for your dog. Besides it is very big factor to the well being of your dog and your own pleasure in owning a dog.

Dog owners would absolutely enjoy more sharing a house, a car or even spending the time together walking your dog in the public, when your dog can be told to eliminate outside (house training), to come, to sit or to stay easily at your order.

Obedience Training also proved to be a very clear sign of responsible ownership, it is so widely known that if your dog can follow these basic obedience commands as well as walking on leash with ease and some other simple task, your dog can receive the American Kennel Club (AKC) Canine Good Citizen Certification.

This Certification is an evidence that your dog is sociable, well behaved and not dangerous to community. In some state this CGC Certification is a benchmark of your dog behavior and responsible dog ownership.

Dog owners more than others those who are new in general faces challenges in training their dog, it is because they do not understand that dogs think and act different from us. They failed to make much advancement in dog training because they failed to realize that dog communicate differently from us.

The major blunder made by new dog owners is having a lot of command and inconsistency in their training routines. Remember that consistency is very important, do not say 2 words for the same of action that you want your dog to obey.

Here below are some commonly used basic dog obedience commands that you should start with prior going to other more advance command, that will help you as dog owner to feel good bringing your dog for a walk in the park or in public areas.

Come: this command is used to recall your dog

Sit: this command tell your dog to be in sitting position.

Stay: the dog must keep still in any position whether it is sitting, down or in that location where the command is given until released by you

Down: this command tells the dog to go down with its front feet and rear legs are touching the ground.

Here are some information how you can really improve the effectiveness and the speed of your dog learning:

1. At all times you must use the same command words and in the same tone or speed of speaking

2. Have patience, your dog will fail you.

3. The dog has single track mind, teach one thing at a time, do not try to teach a lot of command in one single training session

4. When your dog did anything right or wrong, your rewards and punishment should come almost immediately. Do not punish or reward after a long delay from the act itself because your dog will not be able to connect the two.

5. Develop bonding with your dog by taking him out for an exercise or play with him. All training session should be based on this relationship.

6. Before training your dog, you should get trustworthy dog training manual and go through it thoroughly before starting your dog training session. It is much more difficult to ask your dog to unlearn wrong things than learning new things

7. Do not call your dog to come to you to punish, you will give them wrong understanding that the word come means punishment.

8. Do not allow other people to give any command to your dog especially when you are training him.

9. Do not train your dog when you are not in the mood or when you are not feeling well.

10. Do not get violence with your dog.

Obedience Training is a clear sign of responsible dog ownership. Every responsible dog owner should strive to train his/her dog to at least acquire these basic obedience skills.

For Free Information and Tips on Proven, Simple and Effective Dog Training, Leo Enoch highly recommended You visit:
http://DogTrainingSolution.com