Are You The Packleader How To Communicate Effectively With Your Dog For A Harmonious Relationship

Writen by Justine Kay

As dogs are pack animals, it is important to understand that they are always aware of their position in the pack. This pack will encompass you, your family, other pets and of course all the dogs in the household. The Alpha dog or pack leader is seen by your dog as the leader and protector of the whole pack, and it is therefore crucial that you take on this role. Your dog will be healthier and happier if it feels secure in it's pack, knowing that his leader is doing their job and keeping everyone safe.

The first step to doing this is to know which signals your dog will understand. You will need to consistently communicate "alpha signals" to your dog in a compassionate and respectful way. This does not entail being aggressive, overbearing or bullying your dog! It is simply a matter of learning the language that a dog understands and using the correct signals. Mixed signals and inconsistency will confuse your dog, making him think that the pack leader is not effective. Your dog will be stressed and feel that it is encumbered upon him to try to take over as alpha to stabilise the pack. If he does this, it is not because he is being "bad", but that you have given him the wrong signals.

So what are these signals and how do you communicate them effectively? Firstly, the pack leader always eats before the other pack members, so you MUST eat your dinner completely and clear the table before giving your dog his bowl of food. He should see you eating and understand clearly that he can only eat once you have completely finished. Then make him sit before placing his bowl down for him and allowing him to eat. If you have been in the habit of feeding your dog before your dinner, or even during, this may take a while for your dog to become accustomed to. Be aware that any fuss he makes while you're eating is part of his learning process. You are giving him new signals, new information about the pack and you must let him understand this. He may need time to assimilate this new information, so be firm but patient.

Secondly, you should always lead your dog, especially through doorways and narrow passages. NEVER let your dog push past you or in front of you. The pack leader in a dog pack would never allow a subordinate dog to push past or "lead" the pack, and therefore neither should you. Use a leash if need be, but always ensure you enter doors, rooms, gates etc. in front of your dog. Neither should you let your dog run up stairs in front of you. This allows him to run to the top and look down on you, displaying classic dominant behaviour. The key to this is NOT to punish the wrong behaviour – it is too late to do that – but to not allow him to exhibit alpha behaviour in the first place. Use a leash, close doors, give a short, sharp shout, whatever your dog responds to, but remember to be firm, kind and respectful. You are talking to your dog, not trying to bully him into submission. The key for all these techniques is repetition, consistency and patience.

Read more of Justine Kay's dog training articles at her comprehensive site Dog Training Tips

Adopt A Pet

Writen by Kevin Lynch

In order to add love and affection to their lives, many people look into where they can adopt a pet. A number of neglected and deserted animals end up in shelters that house them until someone is looking to adopt a pet or the shelter can no longer care for them. Adopting a pet of any kind from a shelter or animal rescue service is a great way to get a pet with medical treatment as well as the spaying or neutering of the animal. When you adopt a pet from a shelter or rescue that provides these kinds of services, you often save money on the care that the pet received while in the shelter or rescue's care than you would have if you had taken the animal to the vet on your own.

When you adopt a pet from an animal shelter or rescue, you aren't limited to just cats and dogs. Not everyone looking to adopt a pet has the room or desire to commit to caring for and raising a cat or a dog. A number of smaller pets that require minimal care and are just as rewarding as other animals for the right person are often available for adoption at animal shelters or rescues. If a person is interested in adding an animal to his or her family, they might want to adopt a pet that is often considered to be a traditional pet.

Along with domestic dogs and cats, many animal shelters have guinea pigs, bunny rabbits, gerbils, rats, hamsters and a number of other rodents that can offer a pet owner the kind of love and caring that they are looking for when they adopt a pet. Other options for someone who would like to adopt a pet can include a variety of birds and even ferrets.

When looking to adopt a pet, a benefit from adopting from a shelter would be that the animals have been socialized and a personality is often observed by the staff in order to help in the proper placement of each pet. Some shelters even microchip ID their animals so that if someone were to adopt a pet and the pet should end up back in a shelter, the animal can be identified.

About The Author: Kevin Lynch is the owner of Dog Training and Pet Blog website, which has tons of resources with a variety of information, news and more.

What Is A Salt Water Fish Tank

Writen by Peter Mangano

A salt water fish tank is an aquarium that mimics an ocean environment to support salt water fish verses freshwater fish.

Salt water fish tanks are considered more difficult to keep than freshwater tanks because salt water fish have less tolerance for fluctuations that can occur quickly within the closed environment of an aquarium.

Aquariums, when setup properly, operate as self-supporting ecosystems. In an ecosystem, artificially created or natural, every element relies on every other element for its stability. The art of fishkeeping becomes a balancing act of monitoring and maintaining specific parameters in order to keep the entire system stable. This is especially critical in a salt water fish tank because the ocean is an surprisingly stable environment. Life forms that evolved in the ocean do not have the physical ability to adjust quickly to radically changing conditions. Any changes that occur in the ocean occur slowly. For example, a quick drop or rise in the temperature of a salt water tank can cause salt water fish to take ill, even if the fluctuation is relatively small.

Aside from temperature there are many other factors to consider in a salt water fish tank. When the ecosystem is functioning properly, they should all take care of themselves, but they must be monitored. A typical reading for some of these parameters might be:

pH: 8.2
Nitrates: < 20ppm for salt water fish and < 5ppm for invertebrates
Salinity/specific gravity measured at 77F (25C) with a corrected
hydrometer: 1.022
Temperature: 77F (25C)
Alkalinity: 3.0
Calcium for reef keepers and invertebrates: 400-450ppm Ca++

Though keeping a salt water fish tank may sound daunting, it is a rewarding experience to recreate the ocean environment in your home. If new to fishkeeping, starting out with a freshwater tank might be a good idea. Freshwater fish come from smaller bodies of water and therefore can tolerate mistakes slightly better than their salt water relatives. Once you have the experience of basic fishkeeping under your belt, moving to a salt water fish tank is a natural next step. Note that freshwater and salt water fish cannot be kept together. Freshwater fish will die in salt water, and salt water fish will die in freshwater.

If considering a salt water fish tank bear in mind that the bigger the tank, the easier it is to keep the ecosystem stable. If a heater should fail, for example, it will take longer for the temperature to begin to drop in a larger tank and it will drop slower, relatively speaking, than in a smaller tank. This principle is true of every water parameter. The larger the tank, the more forgiving.

Another good reason to consider tanks of greater capacity is that salt water tanks support 50% fewer fish than their freshwater counterparts. A 30 gallon (114 liter) salt water tank is fully stocked with just a few small fish.

For those who take the plunge into one of the most popular hobbies in the world, you'll find many resources to help you along the way. With a desire to invest the necessary interest and time, you are bound to reap an experience rich with reward that gives much more than it takes. Nothing is more primordial to humankind than the ocean, and keeping a bit of it near is a magical gift that is well worth the investment.

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Doggie Self Control What It Is Why Its Important And How To Teach It

Writen by Laurie Luck

One of the most important skills you can teach your dog is self control. All too often I hear from people whose lives revolve around their dogs, in a way that's not good for the people or the dogs.

If you've got a puppy, now is the time to start teaching self control. Well-meaning but misinformed dog owners think they are doing right by their puppy by attending to every whim and want of their puppy. They love their puppy so much that they forget to teach one of the most important doggie skills there is – self control.

WHAT IS SELF CONTROL?
You've probably seen it – dogs that bark incessantly until they get what they want. Or dogs who are so excited to greet visitors that they forget there's someone on the other end of his leash and pulls the person down the street (or through the mud puddles). You may think it's lovely that your puppy loves visitors so much that he runs and jumps on them to say Hello, but the reality of the situation is that you have a rude puppy.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Neglecting to teach our dogs this skill does them an enormous disservice. By not teaching our dogs this crucial skill, we actually limit their freedom in public. Dogs that cannot control themselves are bothersome to people and dogs alike. A dog that drags his owner down the road because "he's just so friendly" or barks for attention isn't cute, and the behavior shouldn't be glossed over with excuses or explanations. Dogs deserve more credit – they are smart enough to learn self-control if the humans in their life take the time to teach them.

Don't know if your dog has self-control issues? Describe your dog's questionable behavior as if he were a person. Now that it's phrased in "people terms" does it seem unreasonable? If it sounds shocking, then your dog could probably sharpen his self-control skills.

For example, do you have to play with your dog when he brings you a toy (or suffer the consequences such as barking, pawing, whining)? Would you think it a bit strange if a parent got up from the dinner table because Johnny wanted to go play baseball at that moment?

Does your dog go bonkers at the sight of other dogs because he's so friendly and wants to play? And he drags you across the yard to get to the other dogs? Now rephrase that -- Your ten-year-old sees her friend with her family and dashes across the street without looking (you in tow) because she just has to say Hello?

It's never too late to teach your dog self control. Even older dogs can learn this skill. The longer the dog has practiced the behavior, however, the longer it will take to teach self-control. But self control is so important that it's worth taking the time to teach it!

HOW TO TEACH SELF CONTROL
The first skill to teach your dog is to look at you; to pay attention to you. Next, teach your dog to sit as a way of requesting anything he wants. Before you do anything for your dog (petting, feeding, playing, going on a walk, etc.) request that they sit first. Not until they sit do they get to go outside, or get attention, or get dinner, or whatever it is that they want. Sitting is an easy task for most dogs, and it's not asking too much for them to "say please" in this manner for something that they like.

A common mistake people make is letting their puppy do something "because it's so cute." Yes, it's really cute when your little 8-week old puppy squirms and wiggles and jumps on your friends. But in a few short months, that puppy will be well on his way to being a full grown dog and what's cute for a puppy can be disastrous when it's a full grown dog.

Cute only lasts for a few months...the habits they develop as puppies can last a lifetime and the behaviors are no longer cute when your dog is an adult.

QUICK SOLUTIONS
If your dog barks at you to get your attention, simply turn away. Walk into another room if you have to. If your dog follows you and barks at you, go into another room and close the door. Don't talk to him, look at him, or give him any attention until he stops barking.

If your dog brings a toy and thrusts it into your lap to get you to play, ignore him and his attempts to solicit play. Go into another room if you need to. If he follows you with the toy, simply take the toy away and put it out of his reach. If he goes to find another one, take that one away, as well.

If your dog pulls to get to another person or dog, keep your hands close to your body (so the leash is consistently the same length) and stand as still as a tree. No conversation, no yanking on the leash, just be quiet and still. When you get some slack in the leash or when your dog turns to look at you, THEN say "good boy" and continue to move forward. If your dog doesn't turn around at all, YOU turn around walk away (still holding onto the dog's leash) from the person or dog that your dog finds so interesting.

Once you have taught your dog self-control, you'll look back and wonder how you ever got along without it! It's that powerful – it will change the interaction that you have with your dog in a positive way. Your dog will be afforded more freedom to go out in public, which is more fun for the both of you!

Laurie Luck
Smart Dog University, LLC
Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT)
Association of Pet Dog Trainers, Member 3335
Box 1111
Mount Airy, MD 21771
http://smartdoguniversity.com

Dealing With Your Pets Allergies

Writen by Ryan Joseph

It is Winter time again, a time of the year when pets and humans are very vulnerable to each other. As this is obviously the chilliest time of the year, animals are much more likely to be cooped up inside the house with us. All of the windows and doors are closed to the world and the heat is blasting around the clock.

These are precisely the conditions which make our winter homes playgrounds for some kinds of allergens. Our dogs and cats are considerably vulnerable to the dust in the carpet, the mold inside the walls of your old house and other pets. But warm moist times of the year are high allergy times as well. Allergies are simply the most common conditions affecting cats and according to the Kansas State University, 15% of dogs suffer from common allergies like pollen and house dust. An allergic reaction is the work of an overactive immune system. It is when an animal responds abnormally to a seemingly everyday substance like grass or general food ingredients.

Of the different kinds of allergies, contact allergies are the least common in cats and dogs. An Example of a contact allergen is a flea collar. Grass and various kinds of bedding such as wool are also examples. An Inhalant Allergy is the most common allergy for cats and is also prevalent in dogs. This particular kind of allergy is caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to environmental substances. A Flea Allergy is the single most common dog allergy but is also common cats. The normal dog or cat suffers only somewhat minor irritation in lieu of a flea bite with minimal itching.

A food allergy is also somehat common in pets. Cats often become allergic to their most common protein such as tuna. Dogs can be allergic to proteins like chicken and beef. When it comes to allergies, like most things it's a matter of controlling, not curing. Once an animal's body becomes hypersensitive to certain things, it is then eternally vulnerable to those things.

Regarding treatment of allergies, the most common treatments are topical products like shampoos or antihistamines. There are also certain supplements that you can give to your pets to help support

the insides of their bodies, which to an extent determine the condition of the outside. Studies have shown that if we shampoo our pets' coats on a regularl basis, it is much less likely that foreign substances will enter through the skin. Regular bathing discourages allergens -- irritants such as dander and dead hair. When our pets itch and injure their skin, it leaves their internal landscapes much more vulnerable to skin problems For additional Information visit

Dog Supplements from Life's Abundance for help with your dog

Ryan Joseph is a writer/researcher of pet issues. For more info. visit http://www.premium-cat-food.com/

Health Care For Older Dogs

Writen by Valerie Goettsch

Dogs are wonderful, loyal companions and an integral part of our families. Time flies, though, and in a few short years we start seeing changes in our faithful friends. There may be white hair around their muzzle, they may be less active and energetic, and they may be a little slow getting up. As a dog ages, his metabolism also slows, just like ours, and his health care and nutritional needs may change. Here is a look at how we can make life a little easier for our aging pets.

Exercise
Exercise is important even for older dogs. They need to keep their muscle tone and weight in control as they age, just like we do. Mature dogs may not have the stamina they once had and do better with frequent, brief walks or short swims. If your dog still likes being active, don't forget to play his favorite games, like fetch or tug-o-war. Further, older dogs tend to urinate more often so they may need more frequent walks.

Get an Elevated Feeder
Elevated water and food dishes can be helpful. The height makes it more comfortable for dogs (not just older dogs, by the way) to eat and drink because it prevents strain on the neck and the feeding position is easier on their digestion.

A Comfortable Bed to Cushion Joints
Dogs often develop arthritis to some degree or another as they age. We can help them stay comfortable by providing them with a dog bed with firm orthopedic foam to support and cushion their bones and joints and help insulate them from the floor. There are many styles available, from traditional style dog beds to nests with orthopedic foam bases, to bolster beds and mats.

Give Him a Boost
A ramp to get up or down safely from high areas such as a car, or a step to give him a boost to his favorite chair or your bed (if you allow him on it) may make it easier on your dog's aging joints. They're especially handy for larger dogs that are too big or heavy to lift easily. They come in a variety of styles and prices.

Review Your Dog's Nutritional Needs
As you dog gets older, his nutritional needs may change. Generally, senior dogs need to eat a balanced diet that is lower in calories, protein, and fat than the food they ate as youngsters. Mature dogs may experience constipation, so a diet high in fiber is recommended. If your dog is still active and healthy, you may be able to continue feeding him his regular food, but a lesser amount. You can add oat bran or wheat for extra fiber. There are also commercial senior dog foods available.

Also consider nutritional supplements. I have been giving my dog a supplement of glucosamine and chondroitin since she was a puppy to help keep her joints healthy. Hopefully this will help reduce the possibility/effects of arthritis as she gets older. Also, if you feel your dog is not getting his nutritional needs met through diet, there are number of good canine nutritional supplements available.

Pay Attention to Changes in Behavior
You may see signs in your dog like loss of appetite, weakness, irritability, changes in his gait, incontinence, or slowness in getting up. Typically, these are signs that your pet is getting older and will need extra care and attention. Talk to your vet about what you can do to help your pet as he ages, and have your vet perform a yearly geriatric exam so he can try to take care of any new health issues before they progress.

Love and Attention
Most of all, give your mature dog extra love and care. Our dogs give us years of affection, loyalty, and attention; don't they deserve the very best care we can give them?

Valerie Goettsch is webmaster of My Favorite Dog featuring articles and information on dog health care, puppy training, and more.

Training Your Hyperactive Cat

Writen by Neil Groom

You walk in your home after being gone for a short time, or all day from work and your cat has taken over the house. The drapes are hanging not where they should be, a cup was tipped over with the last few drops of coffee that has left a stain in the carpet.

The morning paper, which you were unable to finish reading, is torn in shreds. Now is the time to put a stop to all of that and train your cat. When you get home at night after work or gone for a short time, you can come home to a nice quiet, clean home and a healthily content cat.

Do not start by scolding your cat for all the mischief they gotten into while you where gone. A cat cannot remember that far back. Do not reward your cat for the wrong behaviors. Also, do not go running after the cat, this leads them to think you are playing with them and that is what they are looking for. Catching them in the act of doing these things is a good time to let your cat know that is not acceptable to do that.

Rewarding your cat when they have the good behavior is the best time. Sometimes if you have a real big problem with your cats' attitude, there are other options. You can purchase a kennel to put your cat in there for short periods. On the other hand, even get them a kitty psychiatrist to start addressing their bad behaviors.

Starts when getting home spend some time with your cat relaxing. Cats can also help us to relax; it is known that a cat could help lower our blood pressure. Massaging your cat is another way of showing them you do care about them and helps them to relax, by knowing you will take good care of them.

A cat that is bored or lonely will have a tendency to do things when you are gone. Make a safe and happy environment when you are gone for your cat. Their special toys, strings items they play with. A ball, a scratching tree to climb on, an empty box of some type so they have a place to hide and play with. Your cat can do many things while you are gone and not destroy your home. Make them a perch somewhere near a window to have a place to look out, watch for you and to sunbathe.

When teaching the cat the right behaviors you will need to help them with this. Cats will not exercise themselves. Take time out each day and play with you cat. Teaching your cat how to play with the toys and item that you give them. Rewarding your cat for good behaviors, with a healthy treat or special toy or just a simple massage will also be rewarding for a cat.

A healthy cat can learn good behaviors; this is why it is important for regular visits to the veterinarian. Cats require shots, and healthy food for them. A cat that is lazy and fat is not a healthy cat. Cats will not behave well for you and will be almost impossible to train. It is important to feed healthy foods and snacks to your cat. This will help continue to build healthy bone and muscles for playtime and continue to let the brain develop so that training comes easier as you go.

There are natural supplements that are not a drug that which can be given to the cat to help with its fears and aggressions control. Older cats are harder to train for new behaviors then kittens are. When they are young, they are not sure what is right and wrong. Kittens are born with some instincts that are not good behaviors. Kittens have a tendency to be more playful and will get into more things. This is why it is very important to start your cat at very young age to teach them good behaviors, and keep them from having bad ones.

Remember when your cat is running in circles, or having a bad day. Don't do as the cat does. Relax yourself and your cat.

I would love to share my secrets with you and my new special articles on cat training do just that! Everything you need to know to train your cat is included in these special reports: See our section on Cat Breeds. All reports are available from my new cat training articles site