Collars For Dogs

<!– @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } –>

Finding the right collar for your dog can depend on the size of your dog, his personality, any medical problems, and what you do and don’t want him to do. Some collars can cause problems that will harm your dog in the long run. Others were made to keep those problems from happening. There are three main types of collars: prong, choke collars, and harness. Larger more outgoing dogs who like to jump up on people and chase things that they shouldn’t should use a prong or choke collar until they learn not to. Quieter, less outgoing dogs should use a harness.

Prong collars have the same purpose as a choke collar, to keep your dog from taking off running to chase an animal or something else. The prong collar has sets of dull spikes on the inside of the collar, so if your dog takes off running after something when he’s on a leash, he’ll learn, hopefully, to not do that again the next time around. This shouldn’t be used on older dogs because it has a higher risk of harming them and causing problems.

Choke chain collars are for the same purpose as a prong, but can cause problems to dogs quicker. The choke collar will tighten more and more the more your dog pulls away from you when your dog is on a leash. This also takes a bit longer to train your dog because it doesn’t cause as much discomfort as a prong collar, but it doesn’t make it safer over time.

Harnesses are less likely to cause a problem to your dog, and are better to use if he already has a health problem. Harnesses take a bit longer to get on and don’t stop your dog from pulling away from you as much when he wants to chase something. It is best to use this collar after your dog learns to pull away.

There is one more collar which is used to teach a dog called a shock collar. There is alot of controversy over these and probably should not be used without consulting a veterinarian.

Finding the right collar will depend on how your dog acts and any medical problems. So when you’re trying to find the right collar, just think of the four things: size of your dog, his personality, any medical problems, and what you do and don’t want him to do.

Potty Training Your Dog

<!– @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } –>

Training your dog to go to the bathroom in the right spot is one of the important things that a pet parent has to teach to his dog. Getting your dog to go outside instead of inside on the furniture or the floor can save you the time of cleaning and save money on supplies to clean it up. But in the beginning of training your dog where to go potty, you will need some supplies to get out stains just in case. It is best that you train your dog yourself so he is familiar with his surroundings and will have a better idea on where to go. But if you can’t teach him yourself, you could take him to a local boarding place that offers training courses that will teach your dog to go outside to use the bathroom or other tricks.

If you decide to teach your dog yourself then you should start off with taking him outside or to the spot where you want him you go to the bathroom. You can tell if your dog needs to go out if he starts to sniff around a lot. This tends to be a sign of needing to go to the bathroom. Once outside or at that spot, you will probably have to wait a second or so for him to find a spot. Once your dog is going to the bathroom in a good spot, you should reward him with a treat or praise him. This will speed up the the learning process. After a while, your dog should remember where to go, and it will be much easier to get him to go.

The best way to train your dog is to teach him yourself when it comes to potty training him, or when it comes to teaching him any type of trick. But yet if you can’t train him yourself, you could find a boarding place that may offer training which may take a bit longer for your dog to learn if your not training him, but will save you the time of having to wait and train him.

How to Keep Your Dog Healthy

<!– @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } –>

Keeping your dog healthy is one of the most important responsibilities a dog owner has. Exercise is a important part of your dog’s health, however, where you live and the type of job you have can effect the amount of exercise that your dog can get. If you work eight hours a day, work down town or far away from work, or if you have a apartment where residences are built close together and you can barely find some grassy area, let alone walk your dog, he probably won’t get a lot of exercise. But if you live in the country area or have a large yard or any yard, he will get a lot more exercise. One thing you could do to get your dog to get more exercise if he lives in the city, is to drop him off at a local doggie day care center that will take care of your dog during certain hours like a babysitter. Usually they will let your dog roam around freely and get some exercise for him. Even though it costs some money, it save you the time and trouble of trying to do this yourself.

The next important thing that effects your dog’s health is diet. Your dog shouldn’t be fed a lot of people food or this can lead to a poor diet and to poor health. If you feed him too much, this will also lead to health problems. For smaller dogs you should feed them about a half a cup of food to about one cup of food twice a day to keep them healthy. For medium sized dogs, this will be about one cup to one and a half cups twice a day, and for large dogs, about one and a half cups twice a day should work. This is a good estimate of what your dog should eat every day.

The two important things that affects your dog’s health is exercise and diet. (These are also the two main things that effects people’s health.) Even though it can seem like a pain to get your dog exercise that he needs, it can also help you stay in good health, too. And as for diet, if the amount I recommended  here results in your dog gaining too much weight, cut down by about a half cup, and if he loses too much, add about a half cup until it is perfect.