Pet Advice

Learning The Basic Commands Of Dog Training
Wanting a calm and obedient dog is important for a dog owner for a number of reasons. Well-trained and obedient dogs are often happier and less aggressive with other dogs and people. The law is another reason for a well-trained dog; many cities have ordinances requiring properly behaved dogs. This is true for certain breeds that are reputed to have aggression and other behavior issues, such as Pit Bulls and Rottweilers. Training your dog well will make him a much better family companion, especially if you have children. Studies show that basic dog training can help to lower the number of dog bites and other bad behaviors. If you are thinking about training your dog or enlisting the help of a professional, there are certain basic commands that you and the dog should learn well in order for the dog to be considered trained. These basic commands are: ? Heel ? it is important a dog learn to walk next to his owner on a loose leash, without pulling or being pulled ? Respond to ?No? ? This can save you and your dog a lot of trouble. ? Sit ? This command is very basic and one of the most important. ? Stay ? A well-trained dog should learn to stay where you tell him. ? Down ? More than just a cute trick, down is a key element of a basic dog training program. There is more to dog training than teaching obedience. Training your dog can help to create and strengthen your bond. Because dogs are pack animals by nature, they look to a leader for guidance. The key to successful dog training is to make sure you are the leader. Establishing yourself as pack leader to your dog is very important. Each dog pack only has one leader, and in your case, it must be you, the human. Without this, there will be many behavior issues to deal with. A well-trained dog will respond to all of your commands, and will not be anxious, confused, or belligerent. Any good dog training program focuses on teaching the dog what is expected of him, and will utilize positive reinforcement to reward desired behaviors. Obedience training is not only great for you, but it helps your dog as well. It fulfills his need for physical activity, security, and trust between you and him. Dog training provides your dog with an important task, and a goal to reach. Giving the dog a job can be crucial to his well-being. Dogs were originally bred by humans complete important tasks with them and for them. Most dogs today are merely pets, and have no important job to do. This can lead to boredom and bad behavior. Basic obedience training, along with constant reinforcement of the commands can provide the dog with a task. This is particularly crucial for high-energy breeds such as German Shepherds and Border Collies. Conducting training sessions with breeds such as these is ideal for letting these high-energy dogs expend their energy and have fun with you at the same time. Making your training sessions fun is a great way to prevent boredom for both you and the dog. Playing with your dog while training him strengthen the bond of love and trust between you ? the pack leader ? and your dog. To learn more about the basic commands for <a href="http://www.great-dog-training.info">dog training</a> and other dog training techniques visit <a href="http://www.greatdogtraining.info">http://www.greatdogtraining.info</a>
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Dog Behavior Training - Dog Aggression Toward Its Owners
A dog that growls at and/or bites its owner does so for some reason, even if the behavior appears to be “unreasonable” to the owner. If your dog displays aggressive behavior towards you, for the safety and welfare of you, your family and your dog, it’s important to find out why as quickly as possible. Call your vet right away and schedule an appointment for a complete medical examination. Talk with your vet about testing your dogs hormonal balance, neurophysiologic functions and allergies. The test results may reveal the underlying cause. This has been especially helpful in dogs that have mood swings. When growling or biting has erupted as a consequence of scolding or punishment for behavior such as chewing, jumping, general unruliness, or overprotection of food, these problems must be dealt with swiftly and firmly to correct the aggression it is initiating. As the dogs owner, you must understand that your dog growls or bites at you as a result of defensive feelings. Even the dog that growls when ordered off the couch is reacting defensively, as it feels its dominance status has been threatened. If scolding and punishment provoke aggression, your dog is reacting to a perceived threat to its physical safety. In either of these situations, your own threatening behavior may be producing negative results. If the results of a medical examination show no signs of a medical condition that would be causing this behavior, you will have to examine your own behavior closely to determine what you are doing to make your dog feel threatened. If you can’t hire the services of a professional, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Secrets Of A Professional Dog Trainer by Adam Katz for indepth instructions on dog behavior training. http://customdesigngraphics.com/dogbehaviortraining.htmlHeather Colman loves to spend quality time with her dog Gibson. She has worked closely with various professional dog trainers in the past 2 years to work through many of the behavior problems generated by Gibson's previous owner. Visit Heather's blog for more tips on dog behavior training. http://dog-behavior-training.blogspot.com/ This article is Copyright 2006, Heather Colman. Permission is granted to reprint this article as long as no changes are made, all links stay live and this entire resource box is included.
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Do I need aquarium lighting for my pet fish?
To some people aquarium lighting for a pet fish seems a bit like adding a neon sign to a lemonade stand. It seems like overkill and wasted money. Yet is there a real reason to use aquarium lighting? Is it important to keep my fish healthy and under ethically fair conditions?The fact is that there are a lot of reasons that almost every serious fish-owner thinks about tank lighting. Of course there is the aesthetic element. It makes the fish look good.You simply cannot see the beauty of many fish in the dark. Their color is only revealed when light bounces off their reflective scales. If you’re going to pay good money for a nice fish and a healthy large aquarium then you want to make sure that you can see it!Aquarium lighting is what takes “just a fish” and turns it into a conversation starter or a tasteful decoration.Yet, there is a more important aspect to aquarium lighting. Most fish require it for health reasons. The lighting that a fish is under can affect many of the bodily systems including the reproductive organs. Also, the regularity and strength of light can affect a fish’s stress levels.Fish need around 12 hours of lighting per day to ensure that the tank conditions are as similar to natural conditions as possible. The lighting needs to be consistent as inconsistent lighting can cause stress in fish and lead to health problems. Timers can be bought to ensure that this is easily maintained.Remember that fish cannot close their eyes and so the twelve hours a day of lighting should be during day time when they are awake. At night the lighting should go off in order for them to sleep.Also, you need to make sure that lighting is as similar to natural light as possible; fluorescent lighting needs to be used. Flames and household light bulbs are no good; you need fluorescent lights which are to be replaced every eight months.A general rule is that your aquarium needs 2.5 watts per each gallon of volume. However, if you are planning on keeping live coral or rocks in your aquarium then the lighting requirements are far higher and you may need up to 8 watts per gallon.Also, many corals and marine plants require “full spectrum” fluorescent light. This is fairly hard to explain but research the plant that you are planning on buying and ensure that you have the right lighting. You don’t have to know how it works to work it.However, if you don’t have coral or plant life then you might want to consider a “color-enhancing light”. These can be used in freshwater or saltwater tanks and have a yellow or pink hue so as to make a real feature of your fish’s colors.The pitfalls of a badly lit aquarium are too much unwanted algae growth and indirectly will affect the CO2 and nutrient levels in your tank and so it is definitely an aspect of your aquarium to take seriously.I hope that this article has helped you to consider this issue fully. If you are looking for a place to purchase aquarium lighting then I highly recommend:http://www.desertcoralaquatics.com Feel free to distribute and host this article wherever you please and free of charge as long as none of its content is changed. For more infromation about search engine optimization please visit: <a href=http://www.desertcoralaquatics.com>http://www.desertcoralaquatics.com</a>
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