Author: Mark S.

Providing your dog the freedom of running outside in a backyard is part of being a responsible dog owner.  It gives your dog space to run around without restriction.  However, when allowing your dog to run around the backyard, it is important to find a way to keep unwanted visitors out.  You should provide your dog with fencing to keep other animals and strangers from approaching and causing potential harm to your pet.  Here are some various attributes of fencing to consider when looking for the right one for your home.

Wood Fencing

Wood fencing is a good option for sound barriers for the backyard.  It muffles backyard sounds, including a dog’s barking.  It also keeps any passerby noise to a minimum.  It is a deterrent to keeping criminals at bay, but it does come with a few negative aspects.  One is that the wood fencing is expensive.  Sometimes people do not have it in their budget to go with wood fencing.  It just depends on your dog’s needs, pricing, and what are your priorities are in terms of fencing.

Chain Links

Chain links are a great option for someone that wants the look of an open yard, yet still maintain control of who or what comes in and out of the area.  Chain links are also cost-effective.  On the other hand, if your dog is a digger, climber or jumper, then this type of fencing may cause issues.  For many chain link fences only stand about four feet high, and do not go down into the ground far enough to prevent digging.

To find out more about what type of fencing is right for your breed of dog, talk to a Florida dog obedience instructor today.  A k9 obedience expert will be able to go over this information and guide you in the right direction.

Make Your Garden Dog Safe

You and your dog love to relax outdoors.  It is good for both of you to receive fresh air, sit outside, and enjoy your beautiful garden.  But you need to be careful.  There are components of a garden that may be harmful to your dog.  Here are some tips on what your dog needs to steer clear when hanging out in the garden area.

Pay Attention to Different Types of Mulch

Many people use mulch in their gardens, but if you have a dog be careful regarding which mulch you use.  Shredded pine, hemlock bark or cedar mulch are the least toxic varieties available.  These would be more suitable to use while owning a dog.  One of the most lethal mulches is the cocoa mulch.

Cocoa mulch is a chocolate product used in landscaping.  And since chocolate is poisonous to dogs, then dogs need to avoid cocoa mulch as well.  If digested, cocoa mulch may cause digestive issues, muscle tremors, and seizures.

Compost is Great for the Environment, Not So Great with Pets

I do not discourage composting.  It is a good thing for the garden soil and environment overall.  But you need to pay attention of what you are putting in the compost bin.  A certain array of vegetables, fruit, moldy foods and coffee are toxic to dogs.  They will cause serious medical injuries.  Check with a Florida dog training expert first about what is safe and what isn’t before starting the compost process.

For more information about how to maintain a safe garden for your dog, talk to a Florida dog obedience instructor today.

Adding a new puppy to the home is an exciting time for the entire family.  You have the puppy crate ready, the puppy bed, puppy food, leash, toys, but are you ready to teach your puppy the essentials to healthy living through necessary commands?  It can be a bit tricky if you are a first time dog owner.  But it is not difficult.  All you need is love, positive reinforcement, and guidance from a professional.

To get you started in the right direction, here are a few standard lessons that will enhance your puppy’s development into a healthy dog, and improve the bond shared between the two of you.  There are more lessons then what is covered, but at the least, this will give you a starting checkpoint.  To find out specifics, talk to a Florida puppy training instructor or a puppy kindergarten instructor today.

Teach Your Puppy Basic Training

Every puppy should learn to sit, down, stay and wait.  It will keep your puppy healthy and away from danger when need-be.  For instance, if you and your puppy are on a walk and traffic crosses your paths without warning, then tell your pup to stay via the stay command.  It will keep your pup from running out into the traffic causing fatal injuries.  It keeps your pup out of harm’s way.

Teach Your Pup Not to Nip or Mouth

Puppies tend to nip and mouth when starting.  You need to teach your puppy that it is not desirable behavior through applying positive reinforcement.  You do not want your puppy to grow into a dog that bites even during playtime, and that is occurs without this lesson taught from the beginning.

These are only two basics of puppy training.  There is much more to learn.  Talk to a Florida dog obedience instructor today.

How to Find the Right Dog Breeder

When trying to find a dog to add to your loving home, the best option is to try rescue and animals shelters first.  But if you are set on finding a specific type of puppy, then a breeder is the way to go.  However, you need to be careful.  You need to find a loving, experienced and reputable breeder.  A Florida dog obedience instructor could probably help you.  In the meantime, check out these tips on how to find an honest, caring breeder.

Good Breeders Do Not Encourage Holiday Sales

It is commonsense to understand that puppies are in high demand during Christmas, but you need to be leery of breeders that sell during the high season.  For an understanding breeder comprehends the holidays are not the best time for a dog owner and the puppy to bond.  There is much chaos going on with decorations, family, houseguests, holiday desserts left out and more.  A puppy should be brought home to a calmer environment.  It helps the puppy make the transition of being away from the litter and allows you to pay attention to your puppy properly.

Loving Breeders Communicate

Watch out for breeders that sell a puppy after one exchange of communication.  Credible breeders wish to ensure the puppy is suitable for your home and lifestyle and will ask lots of questions.  In addition, the breeder will be happy to answer lots of questions too.  Find a breeder equipped with an abundance of information and advice making the transition a smooth one for you and the puppy.

To find out more about choosing the right breeder, talk to a Florida puppy training expert today.

Breaking Dog Training Myths

When searching for dog training advice, there is ample information found on the web and communicated between dog owners.  But sometimes it can be tricky to decipher which dog training advice is true, and which are not.  One of the best ways to be certain is to ask a Florida dog obedience training instructor.  He/she will guide you through the most effective dog training advice.  In the meantime, we put together some of the most common dog training myths that are repeatedly told which need to be debunked.

If It Works for My Dog, then it must Work for Yours

This is not always true.  Each dog has different personalities, and characteristics.  Sometimes the breed provides specific traits.  So take the training methods on a case-by-case basis.  You cannot believe what works with one, works for all.   There are some basic commands taught similar across the board, but there are other times where the exact training utilized for one dog will not work for others.

You Cannot Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

This is false.  You can teach an old dog or a young puppy dog training techniques.  It just takes further patience to ensure the training sticks.  And do not blow off undesired behavior and dismiss it to age.  If you implement positive reinforcement, then any dog is teachable.

To find out more about proper dog training, talk to one of our k9 obedience instructors today!

It is important to maintain a well-balanced household, which includes having your kids interact with the dog in the house.  There are games that are safe, develop socialization skills, and desirable behavior in your pet.  Your kid will be provided with the knowledge to initiate the play.  Here are the best and worst games for the child and pet to engage in together.

Avoid Aggressive Games

Any game that embarks in aggressive behavior, avoid.  This includes tug-of-war, chasing, wrestling and other rough-housing games.  These games could cause something negative to unfold that a child may not know how to handle.  Thus, avoid these types of play between a child and dog.

Encourage Thinking Games

Playing “fetch” is a thinking and physical game.  It allows your dog to expend energy, think, and focus.  This is a great game for a child and dog to play.  First, teach a child how to play.  Hand the child a dog toy.  Tell the child to toss the toy and say, “Fetch!”  This keys the dog in to understanding that the word is associated with the movement.  Then, have the child kneel down, and when the dog returns, have the child state, “Drop it!”  Once the dog does so, the child rewards with plenty of praise and pet treats.  Have the child repeat.  It is a fun game for both to interact and safely bond over.

To find out more about what games are safe for a child and dog to do together, talk to a Florida dog obedience trainer or a k9 obedience instructor today.

When you are a responsible dog owner, you ensure your dog receives proper exercise, nutritious food, regular grooming, and exceptional medical care.  But finding an experienced, knowledgeable, and successful veterinarian in your area can be challenging.  Here are help you find the right veterinarian meeting your dog’s needs.

Initial Meeting with the Selected Vet

The first thing you may want to do when narrowing down your veterinarian selection is make an appointment.  This way you can review the facilities, staff, and make sure the space is clean, modern, and well-organized.  Find out how many veterinarians are on staff.  Find out about how many patients currently go this location, and what is the proper chain of command if the main vet is on vacation.  Also, find a veterinarian that you has excellent communication skills.  For when you bring your pet in, it may be under higth stress circumstances.  Therefore, you need to find a vet that is able to defuse the situation, listen to your dilemma, and fix the problem.  If a vet is lacking in the communications department, then the vet will not be able to execute these tasks successfully.

What to Ask the Veterinarian

Once you have narrowed down your veterinarian choices, there are a few questions you need to ask ensuring you found the right veterinarian for your loving dog.  The first is find out what type of accreditation does the practice possess?  Furthermore, what is the standard practice for pain management?  Some veterinarians believe in giving pain medications, while others give up on the dog too easily.  Furthermore, what type of training, education, and licensing does the technician and staff have?  These are all important questions to ask the veterinarian.
When looking for the best veterinarian in your area, talk to a Florida dog obedience trainer or a k9 obedience instructor to find out who he/she recommends ensuring you locate the best trainer possible.

There are many advantages to owning a pet, including living a fulfilled life.  You receive unconditional love from this affectionate, loyal and committed canine.  You learn to respect other living animals solely from taking care of your own.  And your pet is there to get you out of bed, go for walks, play and socialize.  But you need to make sure you are doing the same for your pet.  Your dog deserves it!  The best thing you can do for your dog is to follow these dog care tips to ensure you providing your dog with the most loving environment.

First thing is make sure you have proper identification on your dog’s tags.  You need to have relevant contact information to ensure if something happens, your dog can be returned.

The other aspect of this is you need to follow local laws for keeping your dog on a leash.  This will keep your dog safe from other animals, wildlife, and moving vehicles.  Do not take this lightly.  You want to keep your dog from being harmed, and this is the best way.

Do your part and cut down on medical issues by having your dog spayed or neutered.  You will be helping the overpopulated dog population by preventing other dogs from being left abandon in the area.  Many local clinics offer this service for free or at a very low cost.  Just ask around and you shall find one in your area.

There are many other aspects to building a strong, loving, healthy dog.  To find out, more talk to a Florida dog training or a k9 obedience instructor today.

When you implement Florida dog training, it is easy to see how the lessons work.  For after time, your dog follows commands making the results visible.  Nevertheless, have you ever wondered why positive reinforcement works?  Here we take a closer look at this specific method of dog training.

Pay-Offs Do Work

By going to work every day, you earn wages.  It does not matter how little or large there is still some sort of financial acknowledgement for the labor you have completed.  Now, if you take this model and use it towards dog training it is the same.

For instance, you teach your dog to sit.  Whenever your dog sits, your pet receives a treat.  However, if your dog does not sit on command, then your pet is ignored.  Therefore, the pet starts to realize sitting on command means treat.  Thus, I am going to sit on command.  The pay-off is the treat, and the pay-off for you as a dog owner is a desirably behaved dog.  It is a win-win situation.

Positive reinforcement is an effective and fun way to teach your dog wanted behavior.  And what you are doing is laying the foundation for your dog’s development.

For more information about how to teach your dog commands through using a rewards system, talk to a k9 obedience instructor today.  He/she will be able to review with you the dos and don’ts ensuring you are executing the method correctly.

There are many reasons why dog training is important, but I would like to share with you a personal story about why dog training is essential to keeping your dog safe, happy, and healthy.

I rescued an abandon dog that I repeatedly saw at the local park.  Finally, one day I decided to bring it food and over time, the dog would come to me during my daily exercise walks at the park.  The dog seemed receptive to tagging along, so I decided to bring the dog home to have as her pet.  The dog went home with ease, but I quickly realized how destructive a dog could be without any dog training experience.

My new dog was not familiar with following rules, respecting home belongings, and steering away from specific objects.  My loving companion would tear up the furniture, clothes, whatever he could get his paws on.

Socialization is Key to Healthy Dog Living!

And my pet was very loyal and loving towards me, but it became apparent that he was not socialized.  This is where the immediate danger occurs.  He was not friendly from the beginning towards other dogs or people.  He did not know how to behave on walks through the neighborhood.  Thus, whenever faced with another animal, my pet would act in an aggressive manner.  This would cause other dogs to switch to combat mode.  It was going to be a huge problem if I did not nip this in the bud immediately.

Luckily, no dog was seriously injured from the aggressive interactions.  And now my pet is charming, loving and displays positive behavior due to enrolling in Florida dog training or k9 obedience classes.  I believe training courses saved my dog’s life for otherwise; he would be in a dogfight resulting in fatal consequences.

If you would like your pet to live a safe, healthy, and happy life then enroll is a dog training course today!