by ALLISON AYSON
Taking pictures is easy. You simply have to click on the metal buttons of your cameras and you already come up with the photos you like. Although taking photos is a very simple task, capturing the nicest ones is another story. You may encounter several usual problems while taking your puppies photos. Here are some examples and the corresponding solutions to it. Not having enough lit in your puppies photos may lead to underexpose films. This could also happen if you are standing very far from the subject or if your shutter speed is too fast.To prevent underexposed photos, you can move near the window for more light to come in. You can also bring a lamp for darker areas so your puppies can be illuminated by the light. You also have to move closer to the subject or adjust the shutter speed of your digital cameras. A lot of cameras today have exposure settings. You may change the lighting system of your cameras through this way.When a photo is taken with a flash, the ray of light directly goes into the eyes which cause a red mark to appear on the pupils. This normally happens in puppies because they have bigger eyes than humans. So to avoid this problem, you may turn off the camera’s flash if you really do not need it or you can capture the dog’s photos sideways so they can avoid looking at the lens of the camera.Standing far away from your subject or taking pictures in broad daylight are also other ways to eliminate this problem. Nevertheless if you took the pictures already and you want them to be cleared of the red eye mark, you may certainly do so by editing the photos in a computer editing software.

By Susan Weslee

Dog chewing is normal canine behavior. If you’ve ever seen a large dog gnawing on a bone, you can appreciate his natural instinct at work.

Dog chewing behavior varies within breeds and individual dogs. From the largest Great Dane to the smallest Chihuahua, one thing is certain…all dogs love to chew. Dogs chew for many reasons; teething discomfort, boredom, to learn about their surroundings, and even just for fun!

Puppies are especially prone to chewing, and will grab anything that they find appealing. If it’s left on the floor, it’s fair game. Shoes, socks, slippers, and children’s dolls can easily be carried off by a scurrying young puppy.

When dogs begin to chew inappropriate objects such as shoes, furniture, baseboards, walls and other items, the chewing becomes destructive, and the behavior needs to be corrected.

Destructive dog chewing usually occurs after your puppy has been housetrained. He’s now supervised less, and allowed to move around the house more…and often the opportunity to grab and gnaw on items are too tempting to resist.

The best way to discourage this type of behavior is to remove the tempting items. Dirty laundry should be stored in a hamper before laundering-not heaped in a pile or tossed on the floor. Shoes and slippers belong in the closet, not in your dog’s bed. Children’s toys should be kept away from the puppy’s favorite toys.

Provide your puppy with plenty of his own toys for chewing, both indoors and outside. Pet stores and grocery stores carry a large variety of chew toys and treats from which to choose. Rope bones, hard rubber bones, plastic bones, stuffed Kong toys, and other non-edible products provide safe alternatives and satisfy your dog’s chewing instincts.

With so many quality edible chew treats on the market, they offer a much safer alternative to meat and poultry bones, which have a tendency to splinter and cause injury to your dog.

Special stuffed toys, like the Kong, are ideal for teaching appropriate chewing behavior. This toy, made of hard rubber, has a hollow center, which can be filled with small treats, hard cheese, raw carrots, or apple pieces. Your dog needs to work to get at the food in the toy’s center. This activity keeps your puppy occupied, and out of mischief. It teaches appropriate dog chewing behavior, which is exactly what you are striving to do.

To develop proper dog chewing behavior, you’ll need to monitor and supervise your puppy during his first year or so. One way to teach appropriate dog chewing especially if you are unable to supervise or not at home, is to place him in his crate with his favorite chew toys.

To discourage furniture or wall chewing, apply pet training aid products containing “bitter apple” or “bitter orange”, directly to the surface. Most dogs will find this taste to be unpleasant and repelling, and will stop chewing with repeated applications.

Provide your dog with plenty of exercise. Mental and physical stimulation will reduce boredom and stress, and reduce the likelihood of chewing those inappropriate items. Above all, don’t scold or punish him for destructive chewing. While it’s tempting to yell “bad dog”, you’ll accomplish little in the way of redirecting his dog chewing to more appropriate behavior.

The keys to successfully training your dog to overcome destructive dog chewing include plenty of patience, persistence, and consistency. Praise and positive reinforcement also go a long way toward developing appropriate chewing behavior.

While you can’t eliminate his urge to chew, it’s up to you to provide acceptable alternatives and redirect his energy to chew on more appropriate objects.

Susan Weslee is an avid dog owner and writer. She is creator and webmaster of a successful dog training website that provides basic training tips and information to new dog owners.

If you found this article of interest, please visit the author’s website, http://www.beginners-dog-training.com for more tips and information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_Weslee

by MIKE ALLRED

How do I train a new puppy or dog to stop biting? That is the last thing on the minds of new pet owners after bringing a new pet home. After all, a new pet is an exciting fun-filled experience for both family and pet. Puppies are little four-legged bundles of energy. It is a job just to keep up with them.

Of course, when that lovable little puppy starts nipping, biting, and chewing we should understand why this behavior is happening. Puppies instinctively love to bite and chew on almost everything, including people, other pets, your best furniture, and the neighbor’s cat.

Though puppies don’t usually feel pain when biting each other, we humans, however, have thin skin. We feel those sharp needle-like teeth. So, it’s important for us, as new pet owners, to train our puppies not to bite. How to teach a puppy to stop biting begins when they’re still puppies.

Dogs learn best as young puppies.

It’s important that your dog learns proper behavior (especially not biting) during its first months of life. Because most puppies are taken away from their mothers too soon, it’s your duty as a new pet owner to act as the puppy’s new mother.

Your most important goal in how to train a puppy to stop biting, is to reduce its instinctive biting and chewing reflex. Normally puppies learn to stop biting from their mothers. So let’s learn from a mother wolf. Let’s observe her natural training techniques. They’re simple but very effective.

Have you ever seen a nature program on TV where the mother wolf disciplines a young pup with only a threatening growl, a baring of her teeth, and fierce stare. In the natural world this technique works. So why not use a form of this technique in your early training of your puppy.

No! No bite!

When a puppy bites, shout “No. No bite!” in a loud firm voice while looking the puppy sternly in the eye. Say “No” loud enough to shock your puppy, but don’t yell so loud as to scare him/her. Your goal is to have the puppy associate the loud “No,” and your stern gaze with his biting.

Most puppies will quickly associate the loud “No” and the stern gaze with the biting behavior. Imagine yourself as being a mother dog teaching a pup a lesson. Yes, you still love them, but they will definitely get the message. After the lesson, show the puppy you love him/her with a loving hug, a warm friendly smile, and a soothing voice.

Learning To Socialize

One of the most important ways to teach a dog or pup not to bite is through proper socialization training. In other words, a puppy must learn to socialize in a friendly way with other dogs and especially other people. Successful dogs know how to be good neighbors with other dogs and especially people. Dogs can quickly become afraid of other dogs and people if they cannot adjust and socialize in an acceptable manner.

And when dogs and puppies are afraid, they exhibit unacceptable behaviors, such as biting. Biting might be cute in puppies, but in adult older dogs biting can be dangerous and destructive for both dog and person.

Never Resort To Physical Abuse

Whether you have a new puppy or an older dog, your pet should learn to respect you and your family members. Never physically abuse a new puppy or older dog. Physical abuse can lead to a pet fearing you. Physical abuse causes a dog or puppy to lose trust in you, to fear you, and to avoid you.

After all, you are the most important person in the world to your pet. Their world and their existence revolves around you—their owner. Treat your dog or puppy the way you would like to be treated-with respect and love. Dogs are truly man’s best friends. They will love you unconditionally, faithfully, and loyally, whether you’re a pauper or a millionaire.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Mike Allred, the author, points out that knowing how to train a new puppy or dog to stop biting is only half the battle. Your goal should be an all-round well-trained obedient dog. Such a dog makes a loving pet, a loyal companion, and a devoted friend. To learn more about dog training, caring for new puppies, and dog health issues, visit www.ProDogTrainingMethods.com Your puppy will love you for checking this out. And to learn how to house train your new puppy here’s more information.

by URBAIN BECK

The little puppy you got your kids may be as cute as can be, but trying to house train it can be downright ugly. Pieces of newspaper that was supposed to be a ‘bathroom’ may be shredded up and strewn all over the house by the puppy. Urine and other messes are tracked throughout the house. By the time it is said and done, you might be wondering why you got a puppy in the first place. Puppies are like babies and need to be taught the difference between right and wrong. To adequately teach your puppy, be prepared … you are going to need a lot of patience. It might be a matter of days or a matter of months before you have your puppy house trained so that it goes to the bathroom outside.

A useful trick is to create a special sleeping space for your puppy to use at night and for its naps. This is usually an enclosed space, like a crate. It is unlikely that your puppy will go to the bathroom in its special enclosure. You need to be sure to put the puppy in this enclosed bed area every night and for naps so that it will recognize and “own” this special sleeping enclosure.

You will want to be consistent about taking your puppy outside for bathroom breaks, in a designated area of your yard. Take the puppy out on a fairly long leash so it can walk around, sniff things over and explore. When the puppy finally goes to the bathroom, give it a treat. You will also want to congratulate the puppy in what I call “happy dog voice” … you know, that stupid voice that you use only for your cute little dog. When your puppy is young and active, you might need to take it outside every other hour for bathroom breaks. As it grows older, it will not need to do its duty quite as often, so you will be able to wean the outside trips from your schedule.

Be wary of sneaky indoor bathroom breaks. Keep an eye on your puppy when it is not napping or sleeping. If your puppy starts running around sniffing the floor or running in circles, this might be an indication that it has to go to the bathroom. Take it outside to its designated bathroom spot.

On the outside bathroom breaks, be sure to use words like “go potty” or something similar that your puppy will begin to recognize. Over time, when you say something like “It’s time to go potty,” the puppy/dog will understand that it’s time to go outside for bathroom break.

Bathroom time is a serious time. Do not talk with your puppy, feed it, or play with it until it eliminates. Then, reward it with encouraging talk and a treat. Be careful about giving the puppy too many treats! To make the treats more effective, do not leave food around the house for your puppy to gobble up. You should, however, have plenty of fresh water around at all times.

Your puppy will probably need to go to the bathroom about 20 minutes after eating, so plan your schedule accordingly.

No matter how well you train your puppy, and even when it grows into a dog, you still might have some ugly messes, especially if you do not let the dog out on time because you are running late from work or have overslept on an overcast, rainy day. Your dog can only handle a full bladder for so long! There is an innovative way to prevent indoor accidents. Visit the Blurbosphere’s indoor dog bathroom accessory page for a review …

by HENDRY LEE

Puppies and dogs are great pets. They are good companions for human beings too. Dogs could bring out a smile in all of us. Unfortunately, not all environments are suitable to adopting just any breed of dog. This is especially true if you are living in the city where space is limited and family members have very tight schedule.

Some dogs require very much attention, exercise and ample of room to move around and play. Others are more tolerant to those factors. The latter usually makes a better dog pet for city dwellers.

Here are some, obviously not all, dog breeds that are suitable for urban living: 1. Shih Tzus. This diminutive size dog breed is portable and well-behaved. They are suitable for city living because they don’t take much space and will not ruin as much things as when you own a sports breed.

2. Pugs. This breed is very sociable, usually stubborn about certain things but they are also charming, clever, and fun. Pugs also get along with other dogs and pets quite well. They are great household companions for they don’t require demanding care.

3. Miniature poodles. They are clever pets, but should be socialized as soon as possible as a puppy. Miniature poodles need to be involved in family activities but should make lovely canine pets.

4. Lhasa Apsos. This breed is naturally happy, playful and intelligent. Because they are independent, they are often hard to train. Lhasas have excellent health. When it comes to grooming, they need special attention because of their coat.

5. Labradors. If you are living in the city but wish to have a sports dogs, then labradors could be the perfect choice. They learn fast and are very mild mannered. Make sure you can take them for a walk daily to keep this canine companion in good health.

Other things to consider when choosing dog breed for urban living is the fact that they shed a lot or not. This can cause alergy if one of your family members is sensitive to such thing.

A dog can bring a lot of happiness to life but you must make sure they are suitable not only to the environment you live in but also to your lifestyle.

Aaron Lee helps dog owners whose dog is trying to outsmart them. He shared his passion about dogs through his site Dog Breed Web. Subscribe to Weekly Dog Tips Newsletter to get tips and tricks.

by Jeremy C.W

Like newborn babies, your new born puppy requires the same loving attention and care. And just like newborn babies, your new born puppy will require more sleep than adult dogs and constant feeding.

A new born puppy is very weak. A good way to prevent health complications is provide your new born puppy with all nutrients that it can get by allowing it to drink it’s mother milk. Never stop them ever and constantly take a peak at them to see if they had their mothers milk within the first 12 hours. This is crucial for it’s nutritional value.

Like all mothers, the mother dog has a natural instinct to care for it’s baby. But in certain rare cases, the mother dog may neglect one of them. Then you have to take the responsibility to care for your new born puppy.

As newborn puppies don’t produce body heat in the first few weeks, it is a good idea that the mother keeps them warm to prevent them from catching pneumonia.

For the first week, prepare and place your new born puppies in a large dog basket or a box with some soft bed sheets. Also place a dim lamp beside them to keep them warm. A good temperature would be a constant about 97 degrees.

Check in with your vet or a puppy owner for recommended commercial nutrient formulas for new born puppies. It is extremely important to bottle feed them during their first 48 to 72 hours, every two – three hours.

Gently pat their backs after feeding them to allow burping. Make sure that the bottle nipple hole is not too big when bottle feeding them. Don’t take any chances and be very careful as they can choke and develop pneumonia due to excess liquid going to their lungs which lead to fatality.

Make sure you do these thing in the first crucial couple of weeks. After that, you can start by feeding him blended puppy cereals combined with a puppy formula. I wish you all the best in caring for your new born puppy. Consult with your vet or check in with your local pet store to get more additional tips, guides and new born puppy care information.
About the Author
Jeremy C.W writes information articles for websites including dognpuppies.com. For more interesting facts and information on taking care of a puppy and puppy care , Please visit: http://www.dognpuppies.com
]]> http://www.pleasureislandonline.com/2007/10/30/the-secrets-of-new-born-puppy-care/feed/ 0 http://www.pleasureislandonline.com/2007/10/29/dog-bath-brushing-and-clipping-oh-my/ http://www.pleasureislandonline.com/2007/10/29/dog-bath-brushing-and-clipping-oh-my/#comments Mon, 29 Oct 2007 19:47:04 +0000 Christine http://www.pleasureislandonline.com/2007/10/29/dog-bath-brushing-and-clipping-oh-my/

by Joann Henry

Did you know you could get your dog to adore its baths, brushing and clippings? Puppies need to get accustomed to their grooming; beginning early while still young is the best time for puppies. This will aid in preventing any grooming issues in the future as the dog ages.

Every dog requires grooming on a regular basis whether they have a long coat, such as Samoyed, German Long-haired Pointer and Lhasa Apso, or if they have short coats such as Basset Hounds, Boxers or Labrador Retrievers and even those in between.

Each Breed of Dog Has Specific Needs

All dogs need basic grooming care such as brushing and bathing or ear and teeth cleaning and their nails trimmed, however different types of coats will involve different steps of grooming. For instance, a breed with long hair is more complicated and time consuming. It is essential to begin grooming a puppy early as they become acquainted to the routine of grooming. When a puppy learns to enjoy the process of grooming at such an early age, it creates a peaceful and pleasant atmosphere for you and you dog.

Everyday Puppy Grooming

To create a positive experience for your puppy, you should familiarize the puppy with the process slowly, yet often. Introduce the puppy to each piece of grooming paraphernalia by showing it to the puppy and letting it sniff the object for a few moments, one at a time. Then offer the puppy a small treat.

For instance, while introducing a brush, you gently touch the puppy with the brush while offering the treat. When the puppy accepts the brush, you them gently brush one stroke and then offer a treat. After about the third brush stroke the puppy will relax while understanding that brushing feels good. If you break the procedure down into small steps, the puppy has the opportunity to accept the positive experience you have created within each step of the process.

Introduce the puppy to the grooming station where it can become acquainted with the area before you begin grooming. For instance, a couple of days before having a bath you will place the puppy in the bathtub while it is dry, then let the puppy play with a toy and offer it a treat. The next day, repeat this process, although you should add at this time some water and a sponge. Allow the puppy to get used to a small amount of water slowly before filling a tub for bathing.

You will follow the same technique when introducing any other grooming tools such as a toothbrush or nail clippers. Taking the time to introduce grooming to your puppy will ensure a pleasurable experience for you and your dog for the rest of their life.
About the Author
Joann Henry operates “Doggie Health Care” (www.DoggieHealthCare.com), which is a blog all about our beloved four legged family member’s health. She loves to give away free stuff! If you sign up to receive her newsletter, not only will you get some free tips to keep your dog healthier, but FOR A LIMITED TIME, she’ll give you a FREE ebook. For more information, please visit: www.DoggieHealthCare.com

by Andrew Strachan

The popular saying ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ is simply a myth. My ten year old Golden Retriever greets each day mentally alert and eager to ‘play’ in new found ways. That is more than proof that it’s possible to teach an old dog a new trick.

Dogs exhibit a strong hold on old habits. Therefore, the first step in teaching new tricks is going through the process of un-learning the old ones. This requires a great deal of patience and persistence on the trainer’s part.

The next step is taking a dog’s age into consideration. An older dog will tire more easily and lose interest in the task at hand. The will to run, jump and fetch will still be there, an older dog just won’t know quite how to follow through on that. Take these physical limitations into account.

Shorter time training sessions will net bigger results. Obstacle courses should be kept to a shorter distance. Throw a ball three or four times then move on. When an older dog is facing away from you, it is often not bad behavior but common hearing loss.

Schedule longer periods of recovery time with an older dog. There is no physical limitations knowledge present. The older dog will simply keep going long after it has become safe to do so. Overdoing physical activity can lead to stretched ligaments and open the way for injuries.

Refrain from the urge to reward an older dog with treats. It leads to ‘over-treating’ which causes weight gain in older dogs that is often hard to shed.

Consistency is still essential, even with older dogs. Scheduled play time that begins and ends about the same time each day. Specific ‘play’ areas will help an older dog adjust to training as well. They are adaptable to familiar environments.

My Goldens have been trained to play fetch in the backyard but never the forest. The tennis ball fetch behavior can be expanded to include the forest when it comes to retrieving fallen deer antlers.

One of the most natural dog behaviors can be re-directed to a more positive area. The behavior of digging can not be extinguished entirely.

If a forest is not present in the backyard, a perfect digging area can be created. Simply make a ten-by-twelve foot penned in area and let the dog dig to its hearts content. This will allow the dog its primal urge to dig but control where it takes place. The area gets ‘marked’ by scent and ground composition. This is something that even older dogs can learn and appreciate.

Teaching new tricks should build on an older dog existing strengths. It is ineffective to teach or enforce new ones. One can be excellent in fetch while another wants to hang on to a ball as long as possible. Instead of forcing a behavior can lead to frustration on the part of the dog and the trainer. With a dog that is unwilling to let go of the ball, another training trick can be pulling a wagon by the string. ‘Fetch and release’ can also teach a new trick of getting the food container. This comes in handy with a trainer getting older as well!
About the Author
Article by Andrew Strachan. Find out more about teaching an old dog a new trick and dog behavior training advice at http://www.types-of-dogs.com/training/

by Tina Blackwell
A cocker spaniel can be an absolute joy of a pet. The breed is very trusting, and always wants to please everybody. This means that, despite popular belief, a cocker is very much a home and people loving pet, rather than an outside working dog.

Being the owner of a cocker spaniel is as fun, as it is rewarding. Be aware that the average age of the breed is between twelve to fifteen years. Personality wise they are very bright, very intelligent and happy dogs overall. They can be extremely lively, and when they see people they can get enormously excited. They adore the presence of humans.

They are intelligent dogs, happy to learn and easy to train. However, you must train them properly. Giving them a harsh training style will yield few results. They are very sensitive and need to be treated with so called kids gloves when it comes to training. However, if you positively enforce good habits, you will reap the rewards of a well trained dog.

They not only have an abundance of energy, they have an abundance of personality and an abundance of love. They are especially recommended for older people and families with grown up children.

Health wise, the cocker is generally healthy, but there are a few, especially inherited problems, which you should be aware of. They can be prone to ear infections, eye infections, epilepsy, hip dysplasia, kidney problems amongst others. However, these health problems are brought up here only to make you aware of them.

In general, you can be content in the knowledge that a cocker spaniel is a healthy, happy dog, which will be your faithful partner for a long time to come.
About the Author
Tina Blackwell is an author, publisher and most importantly, a dog lover. She runs the popular Happy Dog Report ezine. You can sign up for the free, information packed weekly Happy Dog Report newsletter at http://www.happydogreport.info

by Lynn Huber

If you’re considering a new pet,you might want to consider the bulldog. Bulldogs do well with small living spaces and tend to stay put when they are indoors. They’re especially good for apartment dwellers because they usually do not need a yard. However, Bulldogs still need some exercise, as they need to use up the energy that they store while they are indoors. Most bulldogs will stay healthy with Just a few minutes of jogging or walking. They won’t want to do much more than that because they’re fairly lazy. For this reason, it is important to regulate food intake. The Bulldog has to maintain a fairly strict diet and it is important not to overfeed it. This ensures that the Bulldog will keep its stocky stature and continue to be healthy. Overfeeding may lead to obesity because of its lack of desire to exercise, which is highly common to this breed.

Maintenance and grooming for the bulldog is also fairly easy. Because its fur is very short and smooth, all it needs is daily brushing with a bristle brush. Its short hair allows air to reach its skin and this is why it usually does not need regular bathing. It is recommended, however, that Bulldogs are wiped with a damp cloth regularly as it can accumulate odor-emitting dirt between the folds of its skin. Bad breath is also not a very common problem. While some dogs have mouths that need to be brushed very often, Bulldogs do not have a tendency to have bad breath. It is nothing that intermittent brushing and dog chews cannot fix. This, however, usually differs depending on the type of food that the dog takes.

When it comes to keeping the Bulldog comfortable, it is important that it is kept in the right temperature. It does not adapt quickly to changes in temperature. While it finds difficulty in keeping warm in cold weather, it also finds it hard to adjust to the heat when it gets too warm. Cases of heat stroke are common with this breed and it is not the type of dog that one can leave in the car or out in the yard under the heat of the sun. Times of warm weather are usually when the Bulldog is laziest. It usually lies on the floor with minimal movement. Because of this, it sometimes gets heat rashes on its belly. For this reason, it is recommended that it is given a cold surface to lie on. When it gets pretty warm, it is important to remember that this breed needs to be powdered in order to cope with the temperature. Powdering needs to be done especially within its skin folds and tail.

Although Bulldogs have some health issues, it is nothing that will be detrimental to being a good house pet. One of the more common health issues of this breed pertains to its respiratory system. This breed has some breathing problems because of the size of its windpipes so it is important to give it good ventilation.
About the Author
Lynn Huber has owned and trained bulldogs for a number of years. For more information on the care and training of bulldogs, visit her website: http://www.bulldogownersguide.com/mini-site/index.html
]]> http://www.pleasureislandonline.com/2007/10/26/how-to-care-for-your-bulldog/feed/ 0