Pup Talk

Effective dog training is essential for both a pet’s safety and the quality of life for both dog and master.

After struggling with training a dog, you may feel tempted to give up. Giving up on training an outdoor dog, for instance, can be a real temptation. You may believe you’ll still manage to have reasonably enjoyable interactions without going through the hassles and challenges of real training. Perhaps you believe the dog will learn on his or her own, over time, how to behave. Training is difficult and can seem like such an effort that surrender may feel sensible.

by x_gixxie_x

It is not. Effective dog training is not a mere option. When one considers its immeasurable benefits, it becomes nothing short of mandatory. Allowing a dog to live untrained can pose significant risks. The costs associated with these risks are so severe that rational decision making requires one to opt for training, regardless of the costs in time and effort it may require.

Initially, training can be the difference between life and death for a dog. An untrained dog, for instance, cannot be recalled effectively if he should wander away. He may encounter any number of dangers in his wanderings-many of which could result in serious injury or death. In critical pressure situations, a well-trained dog can be controlled and protected. The untrained dog is left only with his instincts and lessons learned through the proverbial school of hard knocks. In a world populated by an infinite number of potential dangers, this is often not enough.

Training, then, is less of an option for a responsible pet owner than it is an obligation. Any pet owner should consider training the animal a basic responsibility that cannot be overlooked. The dog’s very life, after all, could hang in the balance. It is unthinkable that any responsible pet owner would look past that consideration and still decide that training was simply not worth the effort it requires.

Second, a dog’s quality of life is improved significantly by training. He will understand how to please his human companions, giving him a sense of purpose and enabling him to access the social interactions dogs naturally possess. He will be able to go through life as a friend and companion, instead of being treated as a mere nuisance or ignored. By learning to behave to his owner’s satisfaction, the dog is able to increase his own satisfaction. Leaving a dog untrained makes it difficult for him to understand how to get the positive human attention and reactions he craves and may curse him with a life filled with unpleasant exchanges with people as he unknowingly misbehaves.

Third, the dog owner’s quality of life is improved dramatically by dog training. This occurs on multiple levels. Initially, the owner and dog are able to develop a close relationship, which brings with it numerous rewards. The owner is also able to avoid the frustrating experience of having to care for a pet that doesn’t know how to care back or who is unfriendly and prone to errant behavior. Additionally, the owner is able to avoid the liabilities created by an untrained dog. The owner can avoid the destruction, inconvenience and even dangers posed by an untrained pet. Instead of being a constant source of irritation and guilt, the well-trained dog becomes a source of pleasure and pride.

It is easy, under some circumstances, to believe that extensive and effective dog training is not worth the significant effort it may require. However, this perspective, if acted upon, will actually create a situation necessitating more effort than training would have ever required. By committing to effectively training a dog, the owner makes an investment of time and effort that will pay out in a variety of ways.

Settling for anything less is highly inappropriate and cannot be adequately discouraged.

Good training will protect a dog from danger and will enable him to live a pleasant and fulfilling life. It will also make the owner’s life more pleasant and can result in a greatly rewarding relationship with the pet. Effective dog training is truly essential.

by Garlyn

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. For more on dog training go to http://www.dogtrainingplusmore.com

Although pet dogs are often seen as of members of the family, they can also sometimes be seen as obnoxious members of the family or even downright dangerous.

In order to mitigate the annoying, obnoxious, and sometimes dangerous behavioral characteristics that dogs can display, their owners frequently turn to training programs.

by R80o (Mark Strozier)

Because there are around 65 million pet dogs in the United States, there is a vast amount of behavioral training options out there. There are manuals, books, schools, seminars, training experts, and classes.

Finding the right program for you and your dog is often a matter of economics coupled with the problems your dog may need corrected. Some training programs specialize in getting rid of a certain problem characteristic of a dog such as aggressiveness while other programs may be more geared towards teaching tricks. Furthermore, some programs may be geared towards puppy instruction while others are geared towards teaching dogs of all ages what behavior is acceptable as well as unacceptable for them to do. And some obedience programs may be geared towards teaching smaller dogs how to act while other courses are geared towards teaching larger dogs to put on their best behavior.

Many people find that enrolling your pet in an obedience course can be very helpful in getting rid of the aggressive behavior some dogs engage in. Training is used to help dogs that bite, nip, jump on people, and get into fights with other dogs.

Some people buy the books that teaches them to do it themselves. Or they may sign up for dog behavior classes because their pets demonstrate destructive behavior like digging holes in the yard or chewing up everything they can. Other owners seek out other courses to learn how to keep their dogs from running after cats, children, cars or even the mailman.

Many people use some form of obedience training to help with dogs that just cannot seem to stop barking. And many other people use other techniques to help canine companions that need to be housebroken.

Besides ending problematic behavior in canines, training is often used to teach dogs commands such as “sit,” “fetch,” “stay,” “come,” and “roll over.” People also enroll their pets in specialized courses to teach their older pets new tricks and teach the younger ones new tricks.

by shashchatter

Some trainers can also offer advice on how to deal with common canine health problems such as worms, fleas and bad breath. And behavioral training is sometimes used to help dogs that may have problems like leash fear, travel anxiety, or depression.

For more information regarding Dog Obedience training, please visit us at http://dog–obedience.blogspot.com/

Angelfish have been popular for a long time, and new strains are still being developed. Wild-caught fish are also widely available. Angelfish are cichlids, which mean they can be aggressive, territorial, and predatory. They also have some demanding requirements for space, water conditions, and diet.

Angelfish require space to establish and hold a territory. You can keep one Angelfish in a relatively small aquarium, but they will do a lot better in a group of five or more in bigger tank. You should provide 10 gallons of water for one adult Angelfish.
If you consider keeping Angelfish, locally bred fish are a good choice. They are usually already acclimated to your tap water, and probably are available at your local fish store.

by carf

There is a growing number of “basement breeders” all over the country, who bring their fish to the store for sale. This will save you a lot of time and money if you are just starting with Angelfish.
Wild-caught fish are harder to get acclimated to different water conditions. It has to happen very slowly, and at first the conditions should be close to their natural water conditions; slightly acidic, and relatively soft. Water temperature must be maintained between 78 and 84 degrees Fahrenheit for all Angelfish regardless of their origin. They don’t like to get “chilled”; they will suffer and get sick in too cool water.

There are no special requirements for filters, as long as the water stays clean. The only thing to think about is that the water is not flowing too fast. Angelfish are not happy where salmon would be. Thirty percent of the water should be changed at least every two weeks. Also vacuum the bottom to keep it clean and aerated, since Angelfish will not mix the substrate. One option is to keep some bottom dwellers with Angels.

Angelfish generally accept all kinds of food. They are omnivorous, which means they eat meat and plant food. You can offer pellets, flakes, frozen blood worms and brine shrimp, and so on. Avoid too fatty meat to protect the liver from getting cirrhosis. It is a good habit to feed Angelfish two or three times a day a with small amount instead of single large meal. This will prevent digestive problems.

Angelfish can be good community fish. They do need to have appropriate tank mates for everything to work out. Some small fish may end up on the menu, like Neon Tetras, and slower fish may have difficulty to get enough food. Avoid very small fish and choose tank mates with similar temperament, and water condition requirements. Some Angel fish strains have very long fins and tails, which some other species keep nipping.

If you are interested in breeding Angelfish, you will need a second tank to separate the breeding pair from the rest of the community, or to rear the fry. It would be best to get at least 3 to 5 Angels to be sure you get one female and one male. Sometimes you may find a pair of adults for sale, which have already spawned. Angels will form a pair after courtship display, and will aggressively guard the chosen spawning spot. This is usually some kind of vertical surface, a big leaf or tubing for example. Spawning takes about an hour. Both parents keep fanning the eggs for three days until they hatch. The fry will stay attached to the surface for about five days and then start swimming on their own. By this time the fry has used most of its yolk, and needs to be fed for the first time. You can offer newly hatched brine shrimp. It’s wiggling will stimulate the fry to eat better than flake food will, which can be offered crushed.

Parents will take care of the fry, but if any wander away; they will get on the menu of the other fish. This can be prevented by moving the fry to a separate tank. If the fry is well fed and the tank is kept clean, the fry will grow very fast. Then you can start asking from your local fish stores if they would be interested in having your little Angels for sale. Happy fish keeping.