There has been a long time debate called Nature Vs. Nurture. This is true for both man and animal. We are going to focus on the nature side of the argument.

Within the first 4 months of a puppy’s life there is more learning than at any other time in you pup’s life.

Your puppy’s behavior, habits, and temperament will be forming during this time. Once formed, these traits will carry through how your puppy relates to family, friends, strangers and other animals.

There is a term called puppy socialization, which encompasses what you are about to learn. There are two types of puppy socialization. The first is active, which refers to dog training classes, introducing your pet to new people, and visiting the vet’s office. There is also passive, which is the time your puppy spends playing at home or walking around the backyard.

Before I show you how to socialize your puppy, I’d like to concentrate a little on why you want to socialize your pup.

1. You have a very period of time to help shape your dog into the type of pet that you and society are striving for.
2. Teaching your puppy the proper behavior right from the start will save time and money later down the line. Uncontrolled problems such as barking, biting, jumping, and other troublesome acts are not enjoyable characteristics for you or the people around your pet.
3. A well socialized dog will easily accept change, new people, obstacles and will interact appropriately with other animals.
4. Your puppy will become familiar with everyday noises and activities like lawn mowers, delivery men, vacuum cleaners, and dishwasher.

What will happen if you skip socialization?

You might think that this is a little dramatic, but you might actually lose friends over it. How? People don’t like to be around dogs who aren’t “people friendly.”

I had a friend in college that had a horribly behaved dog. She jumped and peed on everyone and everything. She also used to bite at our heels. I found myself avoiding my friend’s house.

An unsocialized dog may also not have their barking under control. This means that even if they are an intended outside dog, you won’t be able to keep them in the yard for long because of neighbor complaints.

Dogs who have not been socialized properly often times need to be muzzled at the vet’s office and in other surroundings. They tend to be more aggressive and hyper.

When does Socialization Begin?

The moment that your puppy is born, socialization begins. The mommy of your little pup will be the first to discipline your puppy and keep him in line. Also your puppy will learn from their brothers and sisters.

On the human side, the dog breeder plays a large role. He or she should handle them and allow the puppy to get use to human contact. A good breeder will also begin to focus on good puppy behavior.

This very early socialization period is out of your control, however, selecting a good breeder will help ensure that those early weeks were well taken care of for you.

How Do I Socialize My Puppy?

Once your puppy arrives home at 8 weeks old you will take control of socializing your puppy.

These are important tips to keep in mind:

• Begin house training, paper training, and crate training your puppy on the first day home
• Reinforce positive behavior
• Stroke your puppy gently and talk calmly
• Begin obedience training (sit, stay, come…)
• Make your puppy feel like part of the family
• Introduce places to your puppy that they will visit often
• Introduce familiar faces such as family members and close friends
• Take your puppy to the vet
• Start to introduce common household noises like the vacuum cleaner and doorbell
• Give your pup a bath, trim his nails, and brush his coat
• Allow your puppy to explore, but not get into mischievous
• Train your puppy to eat meals from bowls
• Go on walks around the block, so your puppy can get use to being on a leash
• Allow people to calmly come up to your puppy and pet him on walks

Socialization is all about teaching your puppy what to except in everyday life as a member of your family. The sooner you can introduce right from wrong, and proper behaviors, the better behaved dog you will have.

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It still amazes me how many people never take their dogs to at least one obedience class. Why wouldn’t you want a dog that was well trained and a good listener? I think that too many people think that they can handle all of the obedience training on their own, and don’t want to take the time or money to attend a structured class. Many times these owners end up yelling a great deal at their puppies to get them to do what they want, or stop doing a destructive behavior.

Let me tell you a little about what you should get out of your obedience training with your dog.

1. Help to establish the pet/master relationship
2. Raises the safety level for your dog and those around him
3. Teaches your dog right from wrong
4. Shows your dog the rules, how to follow them, and the rewards that they will receive for doing a good job
5. Lays the foundation for leash training, barking control, biting management, and the other training techniques that we have discussed.
6. Obedience training can be a fun experience for you and your dog to share. Just as you might take a young child to a play gym, this is a time where you can share a doggie class with your new pup.
7. Your dog will begin to gain confidence as he learns more commands and good behavior.

Here are the most common commands that your dog will learn in training:

• Sit
• Down
• Come
• Stay
• Heel
• Fetch
• Stand
• Leave it

Now that you know some of the benefits of dog obedience, I’d like to spend a little time on the risks of not training your dog. I feel that the main risk comes from a safety standpoint. No matter how cute your dog may seem, you must remember that it is still an animal. You must teach your dog from an early age 1) who is master and 2) proper behavior.

Did you know that the number one reason for dogs ending up in animal shelters are that their owners found them too much to handle? Untrained dogs are extremely difficult to manage.

Try to picture your “untrained” dog as an unruly teenager; now picture leaving for a night out. Chances are your mind starts to wander wondering what mischief they might begetting into at home. You may begin cutting your time out short to get back to the dog to see what they destroyed this time.

An untrained dog also causes unhappy neighbors. If your dog has a barking problem, you will not be the favorite family on the block. If your dog bites or jumps too much, your children might not have many friends come over for play dates because their parents fear for their own children’s safety.

Your house may also become an arena for yelling. This is not a pleasant environment for you of for your dog to live in. “NO SPOT,” “STOP SPOT,” ” NO NO NO.”

Tips to Make Training Successful

• Reward your dog when he follows a command
• Correct your dog when he does not do what he was been taught
• Make sure to repeat the commands several times so your dog learns them
• Ensure that you and the other dog caregivers use the same command words and actions
• Continue to show your dog right from wrong
• Never punish your dog, just continue to correct
• Keep your training sessions short, as dogs don’t have a long attention span
• Master one command before moving to the next one. Then continue to reinforce the mastered commands as your dog learns more commands.
• Make sure that the person who spends the most time with your dog is present at the training sessions
• Learn what motivates your dog to be on his best behavior. This might be a belly rub, a favorite toy, or a special treat

This is all stuff that you should now know, and should have been doing for at least a couple of months now that you’ve been involved in our online training, but if you haven’t been doing it actively, it might be time to seek some outside help before things get out of hand.

Check your local pet stores for obedience classes or recommendations. Also, ask friends and neighbors who have been through the classes themselves with their own dogs. You are going to want to look for a class that uses human training methods. You might be surprised that some classes actually promote violence as a way to train your dog. Look for a trainer who promotes rewarding your dog, as opposed to intimidation and hitting.

You will also want to make sure that it is an accredited school with good credentials. Finding an experienced trainer will also give you and your dog a leg up. Try to meet the trainer before you sign up for the class. You want to find someone who has a natural affection towards dogs, and not just someone punching their time card. Many dog school will allow you to come and observe an actual class before making your decision. Don’t be afraid to ask questions (at an appropriate time after the demo or observation class).

It may take visiting or calling a few locations, but you will find one that suits the needs of you and your dog if you know what you are looking for going in.

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Dog trainers have never been in agreement on what order to teach command to dogs. Most agree with Sit as the first command, and Down as the second, but after that it is a free-for-all.

I like to train my dogs in this order:

1. Sit
2. Down
3. Come
4. Stay
5. Heel
6. Fetch
7. Stand
8. Leave it

I chose to teach come before stay, because a dog naturally wants to come to his owner before he would chose to stay away. Also, come is commonly used as a release word from stay.

If you are training at home on your own, you can work in the order that works best for your dog. Just make sure to teach them the stay command. While they might be excellent in the sit and down position, they may get anxious to get up, and will need a command to let them know to stay put.

You will find the stay command very useful if your dog likes to go out the front door every time you open it. If you area able to say “sit” before you open the door and “stay” once the door is open, you will be able to control your dog’s unwanted wild behavior.

As with all of our training sessions, you should keep the first session to a few short minutes. If at all possible try training your dog when there are little distractions going on at home.

Step-by-step Instructions For The “Stay” Command

1. Command your dog to sit or go into the down position. Also, if you have already taught them the stand position, you can use that too.
2. If your dog remains in that position for a few seconds, give your dog a treat and praise. This is telling your dog that they can release from their position.
3. Try again, and this time, lengthen the amount of time that your dog is in his position by holding off on the treat and the praise. After about 5 seconds, give the treat. If your dog will not hold the position for 5 seconds, say “unh-unh” or “aah-aah” and do not give them the treat.
4. Once your dog is holding for 5 seconds on their own, it is time to add in the verbal command of “stay.” Use your command word to get them into position. As soon as they sit (for example) say “stay” and hold out your hand as if to stay stop.
5. After about 5 seconds of holding the position, give the treat.
6. Continue this process by lengthening the stay time 2 seconds at a time.
7. After your dog seems to be comfortable with the stay command, you will want to eliminate the treat.
8. As with all of our commands, you are going to want to try testing your command, in other locations and with many distractions around. Try taking your dog (on a leash) to the local soccer field, or another area with a lot of people on a weekend.
9. One of the hardest steps for a dog to get, is this one. Follow all of the above steps as outlined. However, this time, when you tell your dog to stay, walk away from them. Your dog will naturally want to follow you, but they should remain in their position because you have not released them yet. This is another reason that I like to teach “Come” before “Stay”. I like to use “Come” as a release word for stay when I have stepped away from my dog. If he remains in the position, walk back over to him or use your release word and praise your pet.

While it is important to build your dog’s duration up with the “stay” command, you shouldn’t leave them there for longer than 2-3 minutes is they are in the sit or stand position. If you know you are going to be asking them to “stay” for a long period, then use the “down/stay” combo.

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First time dog owners, are often shocked to hear about coprophagia. They are even more shocked when they find their own dog actually eating dog poop. Let’s face it – it sounds gross, it looks gross, and it is gross.

If your dog does start eating poop, you need to first determine if it is a behavioral issue and a medical one. A quick trip to the vet will help you to know if this is medical in nature. Also, if your pet is eating poop you will want to make sure that all of his vaccinations and worming treatments are up to date. Various diseases and parasites can be passed through dog feces.

Coprophagia Causes:

• vitamin deficiency
• a change in your dog’s diet
• boredom
• seperation anxiety
• stress
• your dog just likes it
• dogs sometimes try to hide their poop by eating it
• trying to clean up the area
• learned this behavior by watching other dogs
• side effect of medication
• mineral deficiency
• hunger
• mistakes feces for food

Now that you are familiar with some of the causes, here is how to prevent this unwanted doggie behavior.

• ensure that your dog has been checked over by the vet
• makes sure that vaccinations and worming treatments are up-to-date
• feed your pup a nutritious diet
• make sure your dog has a healthy supply of water each day
• teach your dog the command “Leave It”
• clean up your dogs poop with a plastic baggie
• feed your pup twice a day
• keep your dogs living space clear of feces
• do not allow your dog access to the kitty liter box
• try to distract your dog
• use a muzzle when you take your dog out to go to the bathroom

Thinking outside the box to prevent coprophagia:

Add 2-4 TBS of canned pumpkin to your dogs while. While many people think that Pumpkin tastes very good, it has been tested to taste horrible when expelled in feces.

Try adding a TBS of pineapple juice, meat tenderizer, MSG, or a little spinach to your dogs food. This should have the same effect as the pumpkin.

If you are looking for a more direct approach because your dog’s stomach won’t tolerate the additional food items, you can poor lemon juice or hot sauce on the stools following elimination.

Also, check your local pet store for products designed for this problem. Solid gold S.E.P., Deter, Deterrent, Potty mouth, are just a few products which have proven to help some dogs stop eating poop. These products are also sold online at retailers such as Amazon.

As long as you stay on top of your pup about breaking this habit, you will see results. Most dogs outgrow this pretty quickly, but it may seem like an eternity to us dog owners!

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Dogs are sneaky and curious and the “look don’t touch” mentality does not naturally apply to them. Whether your dog is stealing food off of your plate, from the trash, or snatching your shoes from your closet, dogs can be thieves. Thieving can be both dangerous and expensive.

As many people know, chocolate is not good for dogs. Well, one day our beagle stole one of those giant Hershey Kisses off of the counter, and none of us saw her. After wondering where she was after 20 minutes had passed by without seeing her, we found her in one of our back bedrooms still working on the chocolate. We spent the entire night with her in the backyard throwing up and having diarrhea. We came very close to making an emergency trip to the vet that night.

We have established that dogs enjoy self-rewarding behavior, and thieving is included in this category. First, by stealing, your dog is obtaining the items that caught their interest. Second, they are getting attention from you when you realize that they took the item.

Dogs steal for many of the same reasons that they misbehave in other ways:

• lack of obedience training
• separation anxiety
• craving attention
• ack of dog’s own toys and chew items
• boredom
• lack or exercise
• lack of entertainment

Prevention is the key to dog thieving, no matter what the cause may be:

• Keep food pushed back out of reach on the counters.
• Buy a child lock for your trashcan.
• Keep other doors in the house closed.
• Watch your dog and correct the behavior instantly each time he tries to steal
• Clear off benches and stairs

An important piece of information to remember is feeding your dog in the dog bowl only. If you are preparing your dog’s meal and you keep tossing him pieces from the counter, he will be tempted to try and put his paws up on the counter to get the food himself.

Try having another family member play fetch with your dog while preparing his meal, or give him a favorite chew toy. If he sits and chews his toy, or plays a good game of fetch and doesn’t beg while you are fixing the meal, reward him and let him know that he did a good job.

Here are some other useful tips on stopping your dog from snatching what doesn’t belong to him:

1. Place a friendly trap for your dog. Find an item that your dog frequently likes to steal. Tie a string around the item and at the other end tie some empty cans with small rocks in them. When your dog attempts to grab his target item, the cans and rocks will come crashing to the floor and scare your dog. Because you have caught your dog in the act of stealing, make sure to discipline him by saying “ah ah” or “no no” and take away the item before your dog can dash off with it or eat it (if it is a food item).
2. If food snatching is your dogs forte than place a piece of meat on the counter covered in Thum (a product sold at your local drugstore to help people stop thumb sucking and nail biting). It is safe and non-toxic but has a very biter taste to it. The taste is also long lasting, so your dog will really learn a lesson each time he gets that in his mouth. Your local pet store also sells a similar product made specifically for use with dogs.
3. A technique that my mom used was the good old rolled up newspaper. No, this was not for beating the dog, but it was used for scaring. Every time our beagle would try to steal something off of the counter, my mom would take up the rolled up newspaper and hit her hand or the counter with it. Surprisingly so, it made a very loud noise and really startled our beagle, Mandy.
4. If sounds are not enough to scare your dog then try a water gun. No, not the super soaker type, as we don’t want to turn your home into a water park, but a small handheld pistol. The instant your dog goes to nab an item that they aren’t supposed to have, squirt him with the water pistol and say “NO.” you want your dog to realize that you are constantly watching him and will not accept that type of behavior.

Remember that prevention is the key. If you were on a diet, would you leave doughnuts and cake on your counter all the time? No, because it is a temptation and requires more willpower when those items are in your sight. It is the same for your dog. It will take a lot of prevention and a little discipline to nip this habit in the bud.

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Puppies are natural chewers. They chew on everything that they can get their little puppy mouth’s around; shoes, furniture, children’s toys, phones, wires, leaves, you name it – they’ll chew it.

If you don’t stop your puppy from chewing this is not a habit that they will grow out of. Then you will have a full-grown dog on your hands, ready to munch down on a moments notice.

I distinctly remember my childhood dog, Mandy, eating my mom’s best pearl earrings. Trust me, you don’t want this to happen. Not only because of the loss of the earrings, but from a safety standpoint, you are going to be required to check your dog’s poop to make sure that they pass the earrings. (Seriously!)

You should be beginning to realize why we do not want your puppy to chew, but let’s take a step back and explore some of the reasons why they want to chew. If we understand the root of the problem, it is easier to come up with a plan for the solution.

Some puppies chew because they are genuinely teething. Like babies, dogs want some relief for their gums and chewing on an object helps to get them that relief. If your pup is not teething, they may just be bored or lucking for attention from you.

Another main reason, which we have talked about quite a lot is separation anxiety. If your dog is suffering from this condition, you will probably see a lot of negative behavior.

So, how can you stop your dog from chewing? The first step is to puppy proof your home. Remove as many objects as you can that your puppy has shown an interest in chewing. You can also give your dog chew toys that they are actually able to chew on as much as they want. Some dogs enjoy chewing on rawhide bones.

If you know your dog has a chewing problem, do not give them the run of the house while you are gone. You should secure him in his crate or another safe area of the home. Make sure to leave his chew toys with him.

Furniture is a hard item to get a dog to stop chewing because you can’t remove it from the room. If it is a hard surface item, such as a chair leg that your dog has taken a fancy to, try coating it with bad tasting solution. Make sure that it is non-toxic. I recommend using the formulation sold in store to help people stop biting their nails.

Every time that you catch your dog chewing, say “NO!” Don’t laugh when you are saying it or even remotely let your dog think that you are playing with him. Be firm and direct with your response. After you say “NO” give your dog his chew toy. If he takes it, praise your dog for making the right decision. You can also use your obedience command “Leave It.” in these situations.

It is unclear on how long a dog remembers, so if you come home from the movies and your favorite pair of shoes has been chewed to bits, you cannot punish your dog for this. I know it seems like you should be able to, but you didn’t catch them in the act, and they may be very confused about why you are yelling at them. Yes, even if you are waving your pump in the air.

Replacement is going to be huge with chewing. Each time you see them chew on something that they are not suppose to have, say “NO” or “Leave It”, and replace the item with a chew toy.

Chewing will not be stopped overnight, but if you are persistent, you will see a positive shift in this puppy behavior. Most owners just let it go on too long and say, “Oh, he’s just being a puppy.” Remember, dog training starts from day one. We never want to encourage bad behavior. The habits are just hard to break the further down the line we get.

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With leash laws all over the world becoming more and more strict, it is important to teach your puppy to walk on a leash. I know that you may be thinking to yourself, “how hard can putting a leash on and walking be?” Yes, you are right, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist, just a little puppy knowledge.

You aren’t so much teaching your puppy how to walk, but instead, how to behave properly while on a leash. I’m sure that you’ve seen those owners being dragged down the street by their dog. Now how looks like the boss in that relationship?

Not only will proper leash behavior enforce the puppy/master relationship, but it will also help to keep your puppy safer and more manageable. Walking your dog can be such an enjoyable daily activity and you want to start it off right from the beginning.

If you follow the simple steps that I’ve outlined below, you should have your puppy leashed trained within a week or less. Remember that you are not the only one who needs to follow these steps. Anyone who plans on walking your puppy should follow these simple steps too.

Step 1 - Begin your leash training at the same time as your other puppy training commences (DAY 1). Go to your local pet store and purchase a comfortable, light weight collar that a leash can easily attach to. This will let your puppy get use to something being around their little neck.

Let your puppy get use to their new collar for a day or two before you introduce the leash.

Step 2 - When your puppy seems comfortable and happy with his new collar it is time to introduce the leash. Show the puppy the leash, and quickly attach it to his collar. Let him have a little time to drag the leash around by himself before you take control of the leash.

Step 3 – Once your puppy is use to his collar and new leash, it is time for you to take control of the leash. Simply pick up the other end of the leash and gently lead your puppy around your home. You should concentrate on your puppy being next to you, and not dragging them behind you, or having your pup drag you.

Step 4 - Keep it loose! What do I mean by this? A tight leash shows that someone is pulling the other. You are either pulling your puppy, or they are in front of you and pulling you along. Either way, this is not the best way to use a leash. You want he leash to remain lose, which shows that you are walking together.

Whenever the leash is loose, reward your pup with treats or praise.

When the leash begins to tighten, stop walking immediately. You don’t want to pull or yank at the leash. Simply call your puppy back over to you and praise him when he comes over. If you have taken a dog obedience class, you may want to use the command “heel.”

By stopping when your puppy pulls the leash, you are teaching him that he isn’t going to get to continue the walk if he pulls.

Step 5 - The leash is too lose – what’s happening? You will find a very limp leash when your puppy decides to take a break all on his or her own and either sits or lays down in the road or grass. The same rule applies here as in step #4. Simply call them over to your side, and reward them when they come.

To me, leash training was always the easiest of all of the dog training steps. It is all about patience, consistency, and persistence.

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Most people have seen a dog beg at one time or another. They sit very cute on their bottom with their front legs tucked into their chest. Usually a dog is begging for food or a treat.

While this is a very fun trick to treat your dog, it isn’t for all dog breeds. Depending on the structure of your dog’s body, some breeds have trouble being in the beg position. Also, older dogs really have trouble keeping their balance with the beg position. Okay, now that we know who this trick might not be fit for, let’s get started!

Start your dog trick training sessions in 5 minute or less intervals. No matter what training method you are using, dogs have short attention spans and get distracted easily. We want you to be able to hold your dog’s attention while learning this new skill.

Step-By-Step Instructions:

1. Use your dog obedience training and command your dog to “sit” in front of you.
2. Hold your dog’s favorite treat just above his head.
3. As soon as your dog begins to move up toward the treat reward your dog. If your dog is clicker trained then this would be your opportunity to click and treat. If your dog does not use a clicker, then go ahead and use the treat here as a reward.
4. The next step is going to require your dog to move up a little higher to reach the treat. Make sure not to hold the treat up too high, because your dog will likely leave the sitting position and extend his back legs in order to reach the treat. You want your dog to simply move slightly on his haunches to reach the treat.
   Also, if your dog is having a hard with balance in the beg position you could try your training sessions against a wall or in a corner.
5. Continue to follow the steps outlined above, but this time extend the time that your dog remains in the beg position for 2 seconds. His front paws should naturally be in the beg position as he come up. Make sure to watch his form. Then click and treat.
6. It is time to add in your verbal cue word “beg.” Just before you show your dog the treat to begin the beg trick, say “beg.” If you would like to use another word that is fine too, just make sure that you are consistent with your command word.
7. We are now ready to eliminate the treat. This is a little tricky with this series of training, because most of the time when you are asking your dog to beg in the future, it will be for some type of doggie treat. However, we want your dog to be able to perform the trick on the cue alone, and not only because there is a visible treat. Begin by placing the treat in a closed fist, so your dog can’t see the treat. Eventually, you can remove the treat all together.
8. After we eliminate the treat, we want to get your dog use to performing the beg trick solely with the trigger word of “beg.” Remove all hands, treat, and clickers.

The beg trick is a great trick to perform with your dog, but I do want to warn you. Sometimes once a dog learns this trick, they do it all the time, especially at the dinner table. My grandparents beagle, Sammy, use to sit and howl and beg at the corner of the dinner table every night. He was not fed table food ever, but he never really wanted to accept that, so night after night he would sit and beg. If you do run into a problem like this, do not reinforce your dog to beg. Move onto another trick, and do not use your cue word anymore.

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Sure you may not want a circus dog, but teaching your pup a few new tricks can be really fun for you and rewarding for your dog. Helping and coaching your dog to performing these tricks can be a great playtime bonding activity. Once your dog has learned his first trick, he will be beaming with confidence and want to learn more. Don’t be surprised if your dog turns into a little show off in the process!

There are a lot of dog tricks that you can work on with your pup, but the basics are:

• Shake
• Bow
• Playing Dead
• Spin
• Beg

You will find it easier to teach your dog tricks if they know their basic obedience commands:

• Sit
• Down
• Come
• Stay
• Heel
• Fetch
• Stand
• Leave It

Teaching your dog tricks can be a great alternative to playing fetch. Sometimes you want to do something different a mix it up a little bit. You can also use tricks to substitute bad behavior and habits that your dog might have learned. For example, if your dog is a front door runner, you can tell him to shake when someone comes through the front door. Your dog will be so excited to get to shake with the person at the door he won’t want to bolt.

If you come across a child, or even an adult, that is fearful of your dog, you can try and have your dog perform a cute trick such as taking a bow. Your dog will seem less threatening and more interesting after the trick.

When you begin teaching your dog new tricks you will want to keep your training sessions short and fun. Tricks are a form of doggie entertainment, and you do not want to make it seem like work. Once your dog has mastered one trick, you can move onto the next. Don’t move too quickly through as dogs rely on repetition to learn.

You do not need any special tools in order to teach your dog a trick. Just load yourself up with a few of your dog’s favorite treat and you are ready to begin.

If you do want to try some of the training tools on the market, I suggest you look at target sticks. They are widely available online or at your local pet store. Target sticks help to guide your dog into the position that you want them to be in. I like to use the target sticks, so I can avoid pulling my dogs around by their collars to get them where I want them to be. I find it a more controlled atmosphere for learning and teaching.

You can also try a clicker. Clicker training teaches your dog to repeat behaviors that lead to rewards. The clicker has an easy-to-press button that makes a distinct sound when pressed. To reward your dog for doing a good job, click the button and give your pet a treat, so he will learn to associate that action with a reward.

There are a few important items to keep in mind before you start your trick training:

• Make sure to teach your dog the action of the trick first, before you attach the command word to the trick. This is the same for obedience training.
• If your dog seems very uncomfortable with a trick, and you have been working on it for a few days, consider skipping this trick for now and moving on. You do not want to flip flop back and forth but occasionally a dog just has trouble with one set of movements. One of our old beagles, Sammy, use to have a lot of trouble with balancing when he was trying to beg.
• Do not try and train your dog on a trick that might interfere with a specific health problem. If your dog has back problems, then a trick such as rolling over might be too difficult. Test your dog and recognize his limits.
• Ensure that your training sessions are done without outside distractions and do not run for too long.
• Praise and reward your pup for performing what you asked of him. Do not punish him for not doing the trick correctly. Just keep working on it.

Dog trick training can be a fun and rewarding experience for you and for your dog. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you enjoy this bonding experience with man’s best friend.

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Owners have a variety of option on the market to choose from when looking for a dog food. Your dog’s nutrition impacts every aspect of their lives. Growth, behavior, health, and mood are all affected by what goes into your dog’s body.

If you are a new dog owner, you may be overwhelmed when you walk into a pet store and go into the food isle. You will be inundated with choices:

• Premium
• Natural
• Healthy
• Organic
• Lite
• Raw

With so much to decide on it seems like almost an impossible decision. Many dog owners find it so overwhelming they will just go to their vet and see what they recommend for them to use. This is not a bad idea. I always recommend having a veterinarians’ input on the health and care of your dog. The information that I’m going to provide to you is for your own personal knowledge, if you would like to do your research and make this decision on your own.

The key components that we want to get out of the food we feed our dogs is health. This encompasses how long your dog will live and the quality of their life.

There are three main types of dog food categories that you have to choose from.

1. Commercial Dog Food
2. Homemade Dog Food
3. Raw Dog Food

Commercial dog food is going to be the food that you find on the shelves at your local grocery store, pet store or veterinarian. This includes wet and dry foods. Commercial dog food is by far the most popular and easiest choice to make. If you Google the term “dog food” you will find over 60,000,000 matches and most are all links to places to buy commercial dog food products. While commercial dog food is the most readily available, it may not be the best choice for your dog.

Homemade dog food is anything you make yourself. The problem with homemade dog food is that there are food items available on the market, which are not good for dogs. Unless you are well educated on what your dog should and should not eat, this option is not for you. If you have read up on the safe foods for dogs and want to experiment with this option, there are many recipes out their on the net for homemade dog food. You will get over 30,000 matches if you Google “homemade dog food recipes.”

Here is a sample recipe:

Lucky and Rippy’s Favorite Dog Food

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 35 Minutes

Ready In: 50 Minutes

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds minced chicken meat
• 2 1/2 cups frozen vegetable blend (no garlic or onions), minced
• 4 cups rice
• 6 1/2 cups water

Directions:

1. Place chicken, vegetables, and rice into a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Stir in water until the mixture is smooth. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 25 minutes. Cool completely before serving; store covered in the refrigerator.

If you are interest in going the Raw Dog Food way there are many websites that tailor to this food option. Nature’s Variety is a popular choice. Most of the meals on a raw diet are sent to you are frozen organic meals composed of meat, organs, and raw ground bone, with wholesome fruits and vegetables. Common ingredients found in the meals are: Chicken, Turkey, Apples, Carrots, Squash, Flaxseed, eggs, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, Dried Kelp, Apple Cider Vinegar, Parsley, Honey, Salmon Oil, Olive Oil, Blueberries, Rosemary, Sage, Clove.

The BARF diet is another popular choice amongst raw food diets. BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) is all about feeding pets a diet based on human grade whole foods.

Dogs can be expensive to care for, and food is one of the main costs that go along with a dog. Some dog owners feel that they wouldn’t feed their dog what they wouldn’t feed themselves and chose the homemade or raw food choices. Other dog owners feel that millions of dogs every year eat commercial food and survive just fine.

If you can afford a little more of an investment for your dog, I would recommend you try the homemade or the raw food choices first. I think you will like the results that you see with your dogs health. If you can only afford the commercial option, make sure to check with your vet for the best choice for your dog.

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