Dogs are man s best friend

Dogs are believed to be descendants of wild wolves. They were the first wild animal to be tamed. Ancient man probably brought home cub wolves to raise as pets. The pet wolves were also useful in driving away bears and other wild animals. One of the oldest known breed of dogs is the Salukis, which were bred by Egyptians thousands of years ago as hunting dogs. Greyhounds and Dalmatians are also among the oldest breeds documented. Over the centuries, people have found many ways for dogs to be useful. Dogs helped to pull loads, herd cattle and sheep, and guard their master and the master’s property. The Ancient Greeks developed tiny lap dogs, which were meant to be held in a lady’s lap to help keep her stomach warm. Bulldogs with huge jaws and short noses were developed so they could hang onto the throat of a bull and still be able to breathe. In more recent years, dogs have been trained as seeing eye dogs for the blind. Dogs have also been recruited to work with law enforcement to detect drugs and explosives. Today many dogs, such as the Poodle or Chihuahua, no longer resemble the wolf. Other dogs, such as the Siberian Husky and the German Shepherd still show a strong resemblance to the wolf. There are many different breeds in existence today, from the short haired Beagle and Boston Terrier to the long haired Cockers and Scotties. The Beagle may be better suited to live in the city, while Setters or Collies may be more comfortable in the country. The tallest dogs are Great Danes and the Irish Wolfhound. They would probably be more comfortable in a place where they had a lot of room to run and play. In the United States, one out of three families owns one or more dogs. Most dogs live anywhere from eight to fifteen years. When dogs are one year old, they are as physically mature as a 15 year old human. Dogs can see some color but not as vividly as humans, thus they are considered color blind. Yet, dogs can see much better in dim light than us. Dogs have us beat in the category of smell, also. Their sense of smell is up to one million times greater than humans! Regardless of which kind of dog you choose - big, little, smooth haired, shaggy, fast, slow, playful or dignified, dogs make wonderful companions. Enjoy their companionship and remember they need plenty of love, attention, and petting to be happy!

Train your pit bull terrier whistle dog training

Pit Bulls are an intelligent breed that can be taught nearly anything, as long as they have a good trainer. Having a good trainer doesn’t necessarily mean a trainer that you hired. Many Pit Bull owners are finding that their pets not only are eager to learn, but they also gain much when they opt to train their Pit Bull themselves. Owners who opt to be their dog’s trainer will find that they enjoy spending the extra time with their beloved pet. Many methods of training exist, and just which type you wish to pursue is totally up to you. Depending on what you wish to accomplish as well as how much time you can devote to the task is just a couple of things you’ll need to factor in when picking a type of training for your pet. Over the years, one of the training methods which has began to rise in popularity is whistle training. This type of training uses a whistle to give the dog commands rather than using the spoken word. Each task is allotted a certain amount of blows, or pips, on the whistle. If you’d like to attempt whistle training for your Pit Bull, then the first thing to do is to pick out a good quality whistle with which to give out the commands. Using your own mouth to do the whistling isn’t a good idea. Your pitch would vary, and if you needed to give your Pit Bull a command from a distance, he may not hear you. For these reasons, it’s best to go with a good quality metal whistle. One whistle command you can teach your dog is to come when called. A good way to do this is to use his feeding time as the starting ground. At mealtime, as you put his food down give two short bursts on the whistle. Continue to do this at every mealtime for about three weeks. Always remember to use the exact number of bursts on the whistle. Once you have made it for about three weeks with the mealtime whistling, try blowing the same command when your Pit Bull is not expecting a meal. Be sure to have a nice treat for him at the ready, for when he does come you’ll want to reward him with a nice snack and a reassuring rub. This type of training is useful if take your dog to the park or anywhere in the outdoors. By whistle training your Pit Bull, you’ll know that wherever he is, he can hear you and come at your beck and call.

How to choose a good obedience school for your dog

Every person desires for a dog that is well trained, but at times your pet may be a little problematic or you simply may not have the time or be acquainted with how to train him correctly. Fortunately you can get assistance and it is as easy as signing up your dog in a dog obedience school. Maybe you have come across people with disobedient dogs, or possibly even have prepared to accept to yourself to believe that your dog will by no means do as he is told. Perhaps you have got accustomed to returning home from work and finding chewed up shoes and litter all over the house. Possibly you have even started to take your dog for a walk at night because that is when no neighbors are outside. For the reason that you just cannot manage him when people and other dogs are all over. You do not have to give up yourself to start believing that your dog will by no means be controlled and in reality you are accountable to yourself and your pet to do all the things that you can in order to get him trained appropriately. Possessing a well bred dog can put away difficulties for both yourself and your pet. A disobedient dog may perhaps bite off a neighbor or child creating legal troubles for you. If your dog howls a lot and tries to get loose most of the time you might get yourself in a problem with the police as well. And most significantly, if your dog will not come up to you when called, you have very few ways to keep him away from creating any trouble. A trainer with a dog obedience school will give you an idea about you can establish contact with your pet to make him to pay attention to you. He will be trained how to act with people around and also with other dogs and the fundamental instructions such as "sit", "down", "heel" and "stay". Your dog will most likely even take pleasure in this, as he will be able to pass time with you, which is all that he in fact wants in the first place. Selection of a dog obedience school is sort of like deciding on a school for your kids - you would like to be in no doubt to send him to the proper one. Of course, given that you will in all probability be attending as well, you would like one that works for the both of you so you have to do a bit of investigation before you decide on the school. One thing to think about when making inquires about dog obedience schools is a recommendation from others who have been at the school. Maybe you have a co-worker, a neighbor, or a friend you can inquire from. If not, feel free to request the school for recommendations and call up somebody who has experienced the course. You ought to have a list of essential queries you can inquire about the school and the effect of the dogs training. If you get encouraging replies then you might have found your school, or else, it is time to shift on to the subsequent alternative. One more thing you have to do when cutting down your selection of obedience schools is to drop in at the "campus". Just like selecting a college, you would like to be convinced that the school puts forward a fine atmosphere. Be sure that the school appears well structured and the instructors are well informed. In addition, you will almost certainly wish for a pleasant surrounding where your dog and you feel at ease. Chatting up with the instructors at the school is also a good plan. Find out about the techniques that each trainer uses and you may even bring in them to your dog to be certain they will get along. Your training will be much more effective if both you and your dog are at ease with the trainer.

All you wanted to know about birdcages

Home is where the heart is, isn’t it? Ever thought about those who have no home and make us feel good daily as we enjoy their music and admire their beauty. Shouldn’t they also have a beautiful place of their own? Yes, we are talking about the birds whose melodies we wake to every morning and who warm our hearts. These pretty creatures have their nests perched on trees and shrubs. However, when the humans have started keeping birds as pets, the pretty birds do not have the luxury of having their own nests. This is how the concept of birdcages came into being. Since birdcages are the only option that we humans have for them, why not make it beautiful? Types of Birdcages There are many kinds of birdcages available t day for the birds. Since birds can be classified into three sizes, small, medium and large, cages are also provided in the same way (i. e., small, medium, and large). It is true that no one else but you knows the best your bird requires, so you’re always advised to get your birdcage designed as an acrylic bird cage which is ideal for any bird that you may own. The birdcages come in variety of designs and materials, including the manzanita, ribbon wood, grape wood and acrylic perches. Aside from that, you can buy bird toys for your bird/s to play with. You can also make sure they have a wide variety of food to eat. Decorating Your Bird’s Home Select the birdcage that’s easy to clean. For this you can place a tray into the cage, which you can remove easily when you need to wash it off. You can also make sure your birds get their well-deserved rest by purchasing a cover to place over their cage at night. You can buy lots of toys and hanging materials to enhance the looks and charm of their home. For example, you can give put a ladder in their cage that they can walk up and down on. This is just one of many ways to keep them from getting bored and enjoying their home. Your birds are special for you, so they deserve a special home.

Review of the purina second nature dog litter box system

I had previously raised two lhasa apso dogs who spent most of their lives living in high-rise condominiums. Instead of having to take them down an elevator to go outdoors to eliminate all the time, I trained them to use newspapers in a spare bathroom. Since they were both initially paper trained as puppies anyway, I chose to continue this method for them. Indoor newspapers worked quite well for the rest of their lives as my dogs were able to go to the bathroom whenever they needed to. The only problem is that the papers tended to get rather messy and smelly. If plastic liners were not placed underneath the papers, newsprint ink would be imprinted on the ceramic tiles of my spare bathroom floors. On some occasions, urine puddles would flow off the papers as well as the liner resulting in situations which required immediate cleaning since urine became trapped between the plastic liner and the floor. Despite these complications, I was relatively satisfied with the paper method for my little dogs. After both of my dogs had passed away after long lives, I took a break as a dog owner for several years. When it was time to become dog owner again, I had made up my mind to train my new pair of lhasa apso puppies to use papers indoors as well. This time, it turned out that Purina had come out with a new litter box system called Second Nature designed for specifically for dogs. It was basically modeled after similar setups for cats but the dog litter consists of large pellets made up of recycled newsprint. Purina also introduced a litter box that has one side cut away lower to facilitate easy entry for dogs. I’m not totally convinced on the advantage of this particular feature since my lhasa apsos have no problems stepping into the box from the side. But for Purina to introduce such a system to the market, I must not have been the only dog owner who considered indoor elimination a better alternative to outdoors for smaller breeds. The product is now very popular especially among small dog owners living in apartments and high-rise condominiums without easy access to outdoors. Purina recommends a slow transition from papers to their Second Nature system by placing newspapers over their dog litter at first. The company also suggests crate training at the same time but instead of taking the dogs outside, they are taken to the litter box. Newspapers are also placed all around the floor area of the litter box itself. My puppies needed some time to get use to the box so while they were being introduced to it, they were eliminating on both the newspapers on the floors as well as inside the litter box. Once they got use to the idea of going inside the box more often to eliminate, paper coverage on the surrounding floor area was gradually made smaller. When they started to use the litter box all the time, the newspapers on the floors were gone for good. The next step was for them to get use to the actual pellets of the litter. Since there were still newspapers covering the dog litter, the puppies were still technically using papers but at least they were getting accustomed to stepping on the pellets underneath. Papers inside the box were gradually reduced a bit at a time exposing more dog litter. Over a few weeks, the puppies gradually saw more dog litter than newspaper inside the box. Eventually, all newspapers were totally eliminated as my lhasa apsos finally got used to the box filled with litter only. In my mind, the litter box system is less messy since all dog urine and feces stay inside the box. Actually the Second Nature pellets absorb urine much better than normal newspapers. The odd time, one of the puppies may get a bit lazy and have just the front paws inside the box while the hind legs are still outside resulting in urination on the floors. In these cases, the puppies have to be nudged a bit so that they are completely inside the box. This is part of their training. The only complication I observed with the pellets is that both puppies like to chew and eat them at times. Purina claims that ingestion of the pellets itself is not harmful to the dogs since they are just compressed papers. This will result in more feces production until the dogs can stop this habit. The dog litter is non-clumping so it will not get stuck inside the canine digestive system unlike normal clumping cat litter. It is considered unsafe to use clumping cat litter as a substitute for the Purina dog litter. Purina Second Nature was launched only in the United States so as a Canadian resident, I had to go down to the U. S. to purchase the system. I started out with Purina’s cat and small animal litter called Yesterday’s News which is basically the same as Second Nature except the pellets are much smaller. But at least the Yesterday’s News pellets are non-clumping and therefore safe to use for dogs. Purina changed their Second Nature pellets to be around the same size as Yesterday’s News and many users including myself, found that my dogs ended up tracking the pellets all over the place. After speaking to a Purina spokesperson, I was informed that the Second Nature pellets will be made back in the original larger size soon. This will reduce the tracking significantly again. Purina will also introduce Second Nature in the original larger pellet size to the Canadian market. Naturally, this is good news for me and other owners of small dogs who would like to use an alternative to going outdoors for elimination, especially during cold bitter Canadian winters. I would definitely recommend the Purina Second Nature dog litter system to other small breed dog owners, especially when it returns to its original larger pellet size.

Major concerns with a border terrier

If you want to have a small but sturdy pet dog, then the Border terrier might be for you. This pet is no delicate lapdog. The Border terrier pet dog is full of fun for the whole family. Before getting a Border terrier pet dog, however, you might want to consider some of the major concerns regarding the breed. This will help you weigh the pros against the cons and will let you reach a decision that would be best for you. Here are some concerns regarding Border terrier pet dogs: 1) Temperament - when people talk about terriers, they all comment on the same behavior using different words. Some people say that their dogs are feisty. Some say that their dogs are stubborn. Some people would prefer to use the word impulsive. The point is, they all describe the same behavior. A terrier is inherently dynamic in its behavior. It is part of what makes a terrier, a terrier. The temperament of the Border terrier pet dog may be quite surprising, if not outright shocking for most people because of its size. For such a small dog, a Border terrier pet dog sure packs a lot of energy. 2) Aggression - Border terrier pet dogs are not really as aggressive as other breeds. However, its instincts as a terrier would still urge it to run after anything smaller than it. This means that if you own a cat or even a pet rabbit, you cannot have a Border terrier pet dog. This also means that you cannot trust a Border terrier pet dog out of its leash. If it even sees something running, it will take off, leaving you yelling uselessly. This, of course, can cause accidents to happen. In order to make sure that your Border terrier pet dog does not get hit by a car, you need to keep that pet on a leash outside. 3) Escape - it is recommended by many experts that Border terrier pet dogs should be kept in a fenced-in yard to let it have some roaming space while making sure that it is safe. However, you should know that Border terrier pet dogs are clever escape artists. Even if a Border terrier pet dog is within a closed in fence, you should try to keep an eye on it. 4) The noise - Border terrier pet dogs will bark at practically anything that catches their attention. Because of this, you need to properly train them to bark only when needed. You should also be quick to stop them if they are barking inappropriately. For this reason, you should not really get a Border terrier pet dog if you live with very close neighbors and if you work during the day. An unsupervised Border terrier pet dog is sure to keep barking all day long. This, of course, may draw complaints from your neighbors. 5) Independent thinking - what people love about Border terrier pet dogs is the fact that they can learn very quickly. This is because of their inherent curiosity and toughness. However, the same qualities that make them prize-winners can also make them very stubborn when they want to. You have to be consistent with your commands and show the Border terrier pet dog that you mean what you say. In doing so, you will be training the Border terrier pet dog properly.