Thursday, July 26, 2007

What You Need To Know About Natural Recipe Dog Food

Article Title: What You Need To Know About Natural Recipe Dog
Food
Author: Gerri Stone

The various dog food recalls has caused most dog lovers to look
closer at what they have been feeding their much loved pets. The
vets normally recommend that you give your dog a recognized
brand of dog food, and all of their dietary needs will be met.
Most dog food labels say they are formulated by veterinarians,
and contain all the crucial nutrients for health and well being.
We all have discovered this is not true.

The publicity surrounding the pet food recall has let us in on
the dirty little secrets of the dog food industry. It is all
made in the same place, and the difference in price is due to
good marketing. The ingredients are bought in foreign countries,
and there is obviously no quality checks for the imported
ingredients.

The federal regulations about labelling dog food are a
different standard than it is for human food. Pet foods that are
labelled as premium, gourmet, or super premium are not required
to contain any higher quality ingredients, or have any higher
nutritional standards that any other complete product.

Many high-priced dog foods available use the term natural
recipe dog food. The catch here is that the word natural does
not have an official definition. You might think that giving
your dog a product labelled all natural recipe means that you
are feeding your pet less artificial colors, flavors and
preservatives, but this is not the truth. Rather, you are paying
for expensive marketing that misleads you, and could harm the
health of your dog.

So that leaves dog lovers with a big question- what do we feed
our dogs to keep them fit and well? Do we really have to start
cooking for the dog, especially when we don't have time to cook
for the family? The good news is there are great dog food
products available that will keep your pet healthy. And the
other good news is that dogs require the same basic nutrients as
humans- so if you decide to follow all natural dog food recipes,
you will be able to use the same ingredients you have in your
kitchen, without buying expensive or exotic ingredients.

About The Author: Find out the truth about the dog food cover
up, discover the the top 9 ultra healthy dog foods in North
America, and learn the steps to take today to add years to your
dogs life. Visit http://www.DogsFoodSecrets.com

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Simple Yet Effective Tips to Crate Train Your Dog Fast and Easily

Title: Simple Yet Effective Tips to Crate Train Your Dog Fast and Easily
Author: Moses Wright

Simple Yet Effective Tips to Crate Train Your Dog Fast and Easily
There is more to the crate than meets the eye. It provides
a safe haven for your puppy and frees up time for you to go
about your daily chores without worrying for the security
of your new pup. Those who are not aware of the usefulness
of a crate will see it as a form of torture for dogs,
however, if crate training is carried out properly, it can
be a fun and rewarding for both you and your puppy. It's
effectiveness cannot be denied, as shown by the number of
professional dog trainers who swear by it when potty
training.

Getting the Right Crate Size - An ideal dog training crate
should be large enough to allow your dog to stretch out
without hitting his head and allow him to be able to turn
around easily. The crate is too big if your dog can relieve
himself in one corner and move to play and sleep in
another. If your puppy is still young and not fully grown,
try to block off certain section of the crate with
cardboard or wooden boards.

Critical Crate Training Rules - You must introduce the
crate slowly to your dog when you begin crate training.
Crate him in short intervals, about 10 minutes, and
gradually increase the duration over time. Your dog needs
time to get used to being crated. Never crate him for more
than 30 minutes or longer the first time you put him into
the crate.

It is not advisable to crate a young puppy for long periods
of time. Your puppy should have the chance to exercise and
urinate before being crated. Dogs are clean creatures and
do not wish to dirty the space near their personal sleeping
areas. However, he might be forced to relieve himself if
you cruelly lock him in for longer than he can hold it in.

A good way to remember the maximum length of time a puppy
should be crate is to add 1 hour to his age in months. For
example, a 2 month old puppy should not be crated for more
than 3 hours without any bathroom breaks.

It's normal for dogs to kick up a fuss, bark and moan while
in the crate. If these things happen during crate training,
do not give him any attention! Yes! Do not even look in his
direction.

Dogs are intelligent animals. Don't let him know that he'll
get your attention when he kicks up a fuss. Simply ignore
him. Praise your dog or let him out only when he settles
down.

If it's a young puppy whom you've just introduce the crate
to, maybe you can offer him a treat in the crate to calm
him down. Whatever you do, don't let him out of the crate
at that very moment.

If you notice that your dog displays hyper active behavior
as compared to before, you might be crating him for too
long. If your dog starts to chew on himself, let him out
immediately and consult a trainer or behaviorist.

Here are some tips to help introduce the crate to your dog:

1. To make his experience pleasurable, play with him there
or spend time watching TV there or reading as he gets busy
with chewing a toy. If he is there all by himself, he
begins to associate the area with isolation and may resist
being there at all.

2. Begin crate training at dinnertime. Give him his food,
one piece at a time, by throwing bits of kibble in to the
crate and making him search for it. This is one way of
making it fun during his training.

3. If you pick up his toys, place them in the crate, so
that when he returns he can play with them. To surprise
him, you can even hide a biscuit in the crate – that's fun!

4. Don't crate him for longer than he can hold the urge to
eliminate or defecate. If you are gone for long periods
each day, you should consider a larger confinement area
such as an exercise pen or a small room.

5. The best place to place the crate would be where your
puppy can see the environment and family members, hear and
smell you, the owner.

6. Never use a crate to punish your dog, it will backfire.
If you introduce the crate to him in a fun way, your pup
will take to crate confinement quickly and without much
fuss. It is meant to be a comfortable and safe space, not
where he'll get punished.

7. Crate training is not a long term solution to keeping
your dog safe without supervision. Puppies should not be
left alone for extended periods in their crates. If the
puppy soils the crate, this can slow down your training by
weeks.

To conclude, crate training is a very valuable and useful
obedience training lesson. Its main purpose is to provide
security, safety, reduce potentially destructive behaviors,
add to the ease of traveling and protection for short term
confinement, whenever the owner needs it. It is one
important lesson all puppies should learn from day one.

About the Author:

Moses Wright loves to spent time with his 3 beautiful dogs
and he loves to help fellow dog owners stop their dog
problems whenever possible. You can get a free copy of his
book filled with invaluable knowledge on dog ownership here:
http://www.dogsobediencetraining.com/dogger_enews.htm

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Finding The Perfect Bed For Your Puppy

Article Title: Finding The Perfect Bed For Your Puppy
Author: Adam Peters

Wicker dog beds can look nice but they are usually better
suited to adult dogs. Young puppies may be better with a plastic
or a bean bag bed.

If you are thinking of purchasing a puppy then one of the first
things you will need is a nice, cozy bed for them. The puppy
will need somewhere that it can rest and feel safe whilst they
are getting used to their new surroundings and a wicker dog bed
can be the perfect gift for them.

Choosing the Right Bed for Your Puppy

When it comes to choosing a bed for your puppy you will
absolutely be spoilt by the choice available. There are plastic
beds, wicker beds and quilt beds all in a variety of different
styles. You can even purchase novelty beds too as well as luxury
beds but a firm favorite amongst many dog owners is the wicker
style bed.

Wicker basket type beds are particularly common because they
look nice in the home and they tend to blend in with the rest of
the décor. They also make a kind of squeaky sound as the dog
lies in it and that is supposedly comforting to the dog. So as
well as looking good, a wicker basket will soothe your puppy to
sleep too.

There are a few downsides to wicker baskets however and one of
those includes the fact that they can easily collect dust and
dirt and that means they do require regular cleaning. Another
problem includes the fact that puppies chew quite frequently due
to the fact that they go through a teething process. Due to the
fact that wicker is not very strong, this means that the puppy
could potentially ruin the basket and you would have to pay for
another one which again could get chewed up. Of course the more
serious side to this is that the wicker pieces could end up in
your puppy’s tummy and so generally wicker baskets are not
always as great as they seem.

If you are looking for a suitable alternative then generally a
plastic bed would be better. They do not look as good but they
are extremely durable. This means that they will withstand any
chewing that your dog wants to do and you will not have to
replace them as often either.

Another option is the bean bag variety and these are great for
dogs that prefer to live without a basket. They are comfortable
and they give the dog plenty of room to move around. The covers
on the beds are also usually washable and that can help you to
keep the home smelling nice and fresh.

Finally for short term purposes many people find that using a
crate often helps. That keeps the puppy in one place and reduces
the risk of any potential accidents within the home. They are
also great to keep the puppy in whilst you have to go out for a
short while. However you should always ensure that you purchase
a big enough crate otherwise it would be extremely cruel to keep
the puppy in the cage.

Overall dog beds come in many shapes and sizes and whilst
wicker baskets might look nice and they might be comforting to
the dog, they can often be dangerous too.

About The Author: Adam Peters loves writing for
http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com . For additional
information on decorating styles have a look at his web
http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com/magazine/wicker-rattan-furniture.html

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