Do you have pets that go visiting with you? There are many people that have pets that they take every where they go. I sit and wonder if it is really fair to the pet or the people that you go visit. I have gone on trips with my pet and found that it was hard to find a motel that would accept him without a deposit on the room, just incase he had an accident. Then when you stop to eat, he had to stay in the car, you can’t take a pet in a restaurant unless it was a seeing eye dog. So here he is in the car, either in the heat or cold, depending the time of the year. The same goes with shopping, your pet has to stay in the car again, unless it is a seeing eye dog.

What about the people that you are visiting. Do they really want you to visit with your pet? Have you ask them if you could bring him or just assume it is okay.

There are a lot of people out there that consider their pet one of the family. I can understand that but others don’t. I have heard people complain about someone visiting with their dog. These people consider their dog a part of the family but don’t think about person they are visiting.

One person complained about relatives visiting with their dog. This person had a dog and cat that had the run of the house, but when relatives came with their dog, not only did the relatives dog have the run of their house but they had to lock their own dog in the laundry room and their cat in their bedroom while the relative’s dog was there. That was the only way the animals would get along, otherwise there was a lot of fights between the three of them. And if they decided to spend a few days, their pets would be locked up the whole time. Is this fair to them? No, you don’t want to upset the apple cart and upset your relatives.

I am against people coming to visit me with their pet. I love animals, but I won’t lock my pets away so someone else can bring their pet to take over my house. And if I didn’t have pets of my own, I wouldn’t want to have to put up with someone else’s pet. I believe that pets are pets and should be treated as that. If you can’t or don’t want to put your pet in a kennel or have someone come to your house to take care of it, then either don’t go visiting or take a animal carrier and keep your pet in it. Don’t expect everyone to accept your pet as you do.

More articles at www.articles-host.com

Emperor penguins are the largest species of penguins in the world. They are one of two species that live in the cold climate of Antarctica. An adult Emperor penguin has an average height of about 1.1 meters or 3 feet 9 inches and an average weight of 30 kilograms or 75 pounds or more. The penguin is characterized by its distinctive black and white plumage that makes it look like its wearing a tuxedo. Two golden teardrop-shaped stripes are found on the sides of its neck. Young emperor penguins have a distinct grey and black downy plumage.

The emperor penguin is extremely adapted to the aquatic life. It has a spindle-shaped hydrodynamic body that helps the penguin swim and dive to find food. Emperor penguins feed mostly on fish, squid, and small crustaceans called krill. The speed of emperor penguins while swimming contrasts to the wobbly and waddling gait it has on the ground. Sometimes they even toboggan or slide on their bellies in the ice.

Emperor penguins reach sexual maturity at five years of age. By then, they travel almost 90 kilometers inland to the breeding site. The female emperor penguin lays a one-pound egg but is unable to incubate because its nutritional reserves are depleted. Thus, the male penguin incubates the egg in its brood pouch, an abdominal fold found between the abdomen and the legs, while the female returns to the sea to feed. When the female returns, she finds her family and does her part in taking care of the young chick.

Emperor penguins are very social animals. They usually huddle together in compact groups, leaning against each other to help fight the cold. At present, the empire penguin population stands at almost 200,000 breeding pairs. The emperor penguin has also found its way into film, literature, comics, cartoons, and other popular culture; it is one of the most recognizable birds.

Penguins provides detailed information on Penguins, Emperor Penguins, Cartoon Penguins, Baby Penguins and more. Penguins is affiliated with Horse Tack for Sale.

More articles at Article Database

Dogs have long been regarded as mans best friend. As such, a dogs health should be treated with care to ensure that your dog will live a long and happy life.

Only in the recent decades did it become fashionable for dogs to live inside the house of its owners. Dog owners often look at their dog with such care and concern, similar to the way they look at the child. Similar to pampered kids, dogs that are well loved by their owners are provided with the best possible shelter, food, training, medical care, and special treats to ensure general health and well being.

There are some important points to consider regarding dog health. Affection refers to the strong bond between humans and dogs. Treatment and prevention of allergies among dogs is serious business for dog owners. It is important to note that human shampoos are not good for dogs. Natural and non-toxic flea repellants are available for your four-legged friend. Note also that all dogs need fun grooming. So go ahead and make it fun for you and your dog.

It is also important to pick a toy that is safe for your dog. Also, take note of the ingredients that can be poisonous to dogs such as grapes, raisins, and onions. You should also be able to distinguish the facts from the myths on spaying or neutering pros and cons. Know also the symptoms if your dog has worms.

The use of dog crates is also an important consideration. It is used for disciplining the dog and making him safe and trustworthy. Used inappropriately, it can cause your dog stress and will hamper his training progress. Used correctly, crates can be very good tools for disciplining and house training dogs. Improper use of crates will make your dog unhappy, instilling fear and torture in your canine friend.

Keep these tips in mind for you and your dogs peaceful coexistence.

Dog Health provides detailed information on Dog Health, Dog Health Problems, Dog Health Questions, Dog Health Care and more. Dog Health is affiliated with Small Dog Houses.

More articles at Article Database

There area many common sense rules to follow when caring for your cat. These rules are simple and will ensure your cat will be healthy and happy.

1. When your cat arrives at home:

Bringing your new cat home cat be frightening for it. Be prepared by having a food and water spot already set up. Also have a litter box setup in a quite spot away from the food. Your new cat should be transported in a cat carrier. When you bring the cat inside set the carrier down and open the door. Let the cat come out and explore on its own. Confining the cat to a quiet room for a day or two will make the experience less overwhelming.

2. Going Outside:

Before letting your cat outside for the first time be sure it is comfortable with you and its indoor surroundings. There are many dangers outside so let your cat have an escape route in case it needs it. My cat uses a cat door and it has save him a few times.

Judge the risk to letting your cat outdoors. If you live close to lots of traffic having an outdoor cat may not be a good idea.

3. Litter Boxes:

If you are using a cat box it should be cleaned daily. Clumping cat litter makes this easy. Simply scoop out the clumps and you’re done. Put the litter box in a place where the cat will not be disturbed.

4. Food and water:

Your cat should always have a supply of fresh food and water. I prefer to use a heavy ceramic bowl to prevent the cat from pushing it or tipping them over.

The water bowl should be changed daily and food should be added to maintain a good supply.

My cat is now on a high quality dry food. I found feeding him can food was a waste. He generally left some behind at each meal regardless of the portion. At 15 I weaned him onto dry food only.

5. Scratching Posts:

Any cat is going to have the urge to scratch. The question is where is it going to do it? Best to have a scratching post that is safe and secure. Play with your cat on the post so it gets used to being allowed to scratch there. Rubbing a bit of cat nip on the scratching post will encourage your cat to scratch.

6. Cat Toys:

There are so many different cat toys on the market these days it is hard to choose a toy your cat will like. After much trial and error I determined my cat likes the string attached to the toy much better then the toy. Whenever I want to play I get a string, or better yet, my gold necklace (his favorite).

7. Sleeping Places:

A cat always needs a quiet, out of the way place to sleep the day away. A bed near a heater or furnace vent is ideal. In the winter most of the vents in my house have a cat bed near them.

If you have small children make sure they can’t disturb your cat when it sleeps

8. Care for eyes and ears:

When cats get a build up of discharge around the eye simply clean it with a damp cloth. A small amount of discharge is normal for a healthy cat but if there are excessive amount then consult a vet.

Regularly check your cats ears for dirt or ear mites. Any dirt can be removed with a damp Q-tip. If you spot small brown clumps of discharge you should consult your vet. This is a sign of ear mites.

9. Care for the claws:

If you have an outside cat, claw care is less important. Climbing trees, and other outdoor stuff helps to keep claws well maintained.

An inside cat has far less need for its claws. There is really no environment where your cat needs to use its claws. You should trim your cats claws once or twice a year. Clip the very tip of each claw. Taking any more then just the tip can hurt your cat. It is recommended that you have a vet show you how to clip their claws properly.

10. Care of the mouth and teeth:

As cats age their teeth start to get calcium build up which can cause gum inflammation. Check your cats mouth every 6 or 8 weeks. Find and remove and calcium build up before deposits get too large.

Caring for a cat is quite simple, common sense really. I believe that good food, fresh water, lots of love and exercise is best for a cat. By following these 10 simple guidelines your cat can live a long and healthy life.

Copyright 2005 Dave Markel

Visit http://house-cat-supplies.com/cat-articles.html for more great articles related to cats.

More articles at Article Database

Yesterday we talked a little about the 6 Keys for a Life Long Partnership with your horse, today I would like to visit with you about the first key, *Understanding.*

Have you ever wondered why your horse acts like he does how he thinks and moves? If so, then you need to understand the prey-predator relationship, but before we start it’s important that you understand, if your going to effectively communicate with horses you need to *think like horses*. You need to look at and approach everything from the *horse’s point of view*.

If you understand that horses are prey animals and that *horses perceive people as predators* and realize that each thinks differently, you can begin to understand how your horse thinks, acts and moves, and why you react the way you do. Understand, Both the horse and human are simply considering all factors then adjusting to the situation.

If you understand that horses are Prey animals by nature, are programmed to be cowards and are herd fear-flight animals, in other words when they perceive danger they run and continue running until they feel they have escaped the danger, then you can begin to develop a deeper apreciation of why your horse acts, thinks and moves like he does.

To horses we *humans* look and smell like *predators*. If your going to communicate with your horse in an effective manner then it’s necessary to prove to your horse that you are not a predator. You need to understand what type of behavior you need to show if you are to get a certain behavior from your horse.

Once the horse accepts that you are not as bad as you seem and you are not a predator he becomes gentle, in other words he no longer perceives you to be dangerous.

In a herd of horses there is always a pecking order and once your horse decides that you are not a danger to him he will put you in a pecking order to fit into his world (remember all of this is about the horse his world and perceptions not yours) you will be placed higher or lower depending on respect and authority.

*Remember the horse is a prey animal and is supposed to act the way he does.** It’s your task to help him act less like a prey animal and more like a partner. To accomplish this you need your horse to be sensitive or aware of your cues and communication rather than danger.

You need to turn his flight from fear reaction into forward motion or impulsion. You have to work at getting him to want to be with you, to take the herd instinct and turn it into bonding with you.

The concepts you and I have discussed today are much easier said than done. Why, because horses and humans think differently and this is often a source of conflict.

Let’s wrap up what we have discussed today. You will gain respect from our horse if you uphold your responsibilities which are: Not act like a predator, be where you need to be emotionally when communicating with our horse, to think like a horse and not a human and focus on where you are headed and what you want to do, if you do your horse will sense this, respect you and follow you as the leader.

This article is being brought to you by http://www.perfect-horse-gifts.com

If you like this article and would like to learn more or would like to send it to a friend, please feel free to do so. You can subscribe at the website above or at http://www.perfect-horse-gifts.com/roundup.html

In the next article we will discuss Mind Set; Your Attitude= How you communicate. Being assertive vs.aggressive and being evenhanded. Your mind-set (attitude) affects the mind-set (attitude) of your horse.

Copyright Mike Gorzalka All Rights Reserved Worldwide

*You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the content of this article is not changed in any way and the author bylines are included.

If you choose to publish this article I would appreciate a Quick e-mail letting me know where it will be published: Mike@perfect-horse-gifts.com

*DISCLAIMER*: The information contained in this article is of my personal opinions and beliefs and should not be taken as anything more.

About The Author:

Mike Gorzalka has spent the better part of his life around horses. His dad, Mike Sr., taught him the importance of understanding the horse and how to use a firm, but kinder and gentler approach to helping horses understand what it is we humans are trying to communicate.

More articles at Database for Articles

Do not wait too long to start grooming your Shih Tzu. It is hard to make brushing a positive experience if you wait until your Shih Tzu is matted and start by yanking out the mats and tangles. If this becomes necessary, carefully clip out mats, then begin working with your mat-free Shih Tzu to acclimate it to grooming.

When you use scissors to remove mats, snip a few hairs at a time. Be sure you have clearance between the mat and the skin. If your Shih Tzu puppy is too wiggly to do this safely, please seek the help of a professional groomer.

Do not bathe your Shih Tzu puppy too frequently. You will risk drying out its skin and coat. Bathe your Shih Tzu puppy no more than once weekly and every two weeks if possible.

Create a positive association with bath time using the following steps:

1.Let him hop into his bathtub to eat treats you toss on the tub floor (without water in the tub). You can also place him in the tub if he cannot jump into the tube and feed him treats. Provide a nonskid surface on the tub floor.

2.To accustom your Shih Tzu puppy to towels try touching him, then rubbing him with the corner of a towel and feed him a treat. Gradually work up to more vigorous toweling. No water at this time.

3.Introduce the blow-dryer by starting with a handheld pet or human dryer set on low and hold a few feet away from him, turned so it does not blow on him. Feed treats during the process. Gradually bring the dryer closer and start by moving the air across his toes, then his legs. Continue until he is accustomed to the warm air blowing all over his body.

4.While he is standing in the tube, soak a sponge in warm water and dribble it over him. Allow your Shih Tzu puppy to shake it off, and then offer a treat. Gradually work up to turning the faucet on and allow him to stand in the water. Gently begin hosing him with the warm water.

5.Take a small amount of dog shampoo (I strongly recommend using HealthyPetNet shampoos instead of human shampoos). Lather a small part of his body. Rinse. The next time you are at this step, increase the soaping and rinsing until you are bathing the entire dog.

If you will follow these steps slowly, you should be able to teach your Shih Tzu puppy to enjoy his bath time, which will make this very important routine much easier for the both of you.

Connie Limon is a Shih Tzu breeder. She publishes a FREE weekly newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Sign up at: http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com

More articles at Articles on database

Dogs have long been considered mans best friend. It is important to treat them well by giving them some treats once in a while to reward good behavior or as an aid in training.

Dog owners may give gourmet dog treats to their dogs to show their love and concern for their health. They give dog treats to satisfy their own desire to make their dogs happy and also to make them follow their training regimen. Dog treats are normally useful as training tools. A pocket full of dog treats can make any dog follow commands like sit, stay, kneel, and other such commands. Make sure, though, that the treats are appetizing. It should not be bland, dried out, or crumbly. Who would be enticed by such treats? They should be as tempting and as juicy as a piece of steak or a piece of delicious smelling cheese.

Dog treats are found in various groceries and supermarkets. You can make your own gourmet dog treats at home. Some stores also carry high priced treats that claim to have real choice beef and other cheap products that you can turn into a treat, depending on your talent and creativity.

Some dog treats serve a certain purpose, though. There are treats that are hard and chewy since they are meant to clean dog teeth while some aid in digestion and the internal health of the dog. Veterinarians have even formulated dog treats loaded with various types of medicines meant to prevent heartworm and also serve as antibiotics and pain killers.

Many loving dog owners even make their own homemade treats. These can range from juicy steak slices, bits of cooked hamburger, rice balls, cheese chunks, and special recipes that use meat, poultry, and even fish.

So go ahead and treat your dogs to a healthy and homemade gourmet treat that wont hurt your pocket but will warm their hearts.

Dog Treats provides detailed information on Dog Treats, Dog Treat Recipes, Homemade Dog Treats, Gourmet Dog Treats and more. Dog Treats is affiliated with Dog Chew Toys.

More articles at Article Database

The trick of sitting up is easily taught to small dogs, but should try not be included in a big dogs education, as it is difficult for them to preserve their balance.

The training of sitting up is one of the first tricks to teach and forms the groundwork for many other dog tricks. To train a dog to sit up, prepare some treats as a reward, and set your dog on his haunches in a corner, so that he cannot fall either backward or sideways and has very little or no space to lose balance.

Keep him from pitching forward by holding one hand under his chin and with the other hand hold the treat above his nose and keep repeating distinctly and deliberately say, sit up. Do not make him sit up too long at any one time, but repeat the lesson frequently and reward him often with plentiful of praise and treats.

During his first lesson he will require considerable assistance from your hand to prevent him from pitching forward, but as he gets control of the balancing muscles and understands what you want, he will depend less and less upon your hand to keep him in position and you can gradually render him less assistance until you will only have to keep one hand in position two or three inches from his neck or chin, so as to be ready to prevent him pitching forward; later on you can withdraw this hand entirely and simply hold the treat just above the level of his head.

By constant practice he will sit up well after you set him up; then he should be set up against the wall, so as to afford him a support for his back only, and after he has been well schooled at this and can keep his position easily, practice him against chair legs, cushions or other objects that afford him less and less assistance, until finally he learns to preserve his balance and sits up without anything to lean against.

During all these lessons the words sit up have been impressed upon his mind by frequent repetition, and now comes the final lesson to teach him to sit up as soon as he hears the words, and the chances are, if he has been diligently drilled, it will be necessary only to call him out in the room, show him a treat, hold it up a suitable distance from the floor, say sit up and he will do so, when he should be given the treat while still in position.

The only necessity to perfection is to practice him several times a day until he will sit up at the word and without being shown a reward; that can be given him after he has obeyed.

You have now a foundation for many other tricks. He can be taught to beg by moving your hand up and down just in front of his paws, which he will move in unison with yours. He can also be taught to salute by bringing one paw up to the side of his head, or to hold a wooden pipe in his mouth, or to wear a cap on his head or other articles of wearing apparel.

In teaching a dog to submit to being dressed up, do not attempt to get him to wear too many things at once; try him at first with a cap and after he becomes accustomed to that you can put on a coat and gradually accustom him to the other clothing articles.

Enjoy teaching your dog the sit up trick and most importantly have fun along the way!

Moses Chia is the webmaster of DogsObedienceTraining.com. He provides more helpful information on dog obedience training, dog training book reviews and dog illness symptoms interpretation that you can learn in the comfort of your home on his website. You are welcome to reprint this article if you keep the content and live link intact.

More articles at Database for Articles

On Trust & Paid For for are one of the oldest dog tricks that afford as much entertainment as anything a dog can do since the early 1900s. It is not the easiest trick to be taught but can be elaborated on and presented in several different forms to impress most people.

To teach this trick call your dog to you, allowing him to stand up or sit down, as he desires, and hold his head steady with on hand, while you balance a piece of treat on his nose.

Say to him, On trust, on trust, steadying and restraining his head from moving with one hand and holding up a threatening finger with the other and repeating the words, On trust, on trust.

After which, release his head, saying paid for, and give him a little chuck under the chin, that will cause him to toss the treat up and catch it. Of course, in his earlier attempts he will not be able to catch the treat, but he should be allowed to eat the treat after it land on the floor.

Continuous repetition of this training will produce efficiency. Over time you should stop restraining his head with your hand and allow him to balance the treat on his nose until you give him the words Paid for.

He can also be taught also to hold the treat between his teeth and not to swallow it until told to do so. This trick can be made more impressive by holding a conversation with your dog. For instance, you might say: Buddy, old man, here is a very yummy piece of treat, but it is on trust.

Slightly emphasize the word trust and then go on and say: I am glad you dislike to eat things on trust, but this I have just learned has been paid for, emphasizing the words paid for.

Your dog can also be taught to toss the treat on hearing a certain number. To teach this, balance it on his nose and hold his head while you count plainly and deliberately, one, two, three, and then chuck him under the chin. Until he has had a great deal of practice he will toss it up as promptly at one, two, four, as he will at one, two, three, but he must be drilled until he will not toss it until he hears three, and it will make it easier for him if you slightly emphasize the THREE word.

In time you can use many combinations of figures and he will wait until he hears the emphasized three. In working him do not make him wait too long before you say three, and allow him to eat the treat.

Trust and Paid For dog tricks are considerably difficult to master and requires plenty of patience from you. Remember, do not punish your dog if he cant master the trick, and rather blame yourself for being a lousy teacher. In any case, enjoy training and have lots of fun along the way.

Moses Chia is the webmaster of DogsObedienceTraining.com. He provides more helpful information on dog obedience training, dog training book reviews and dog illness symptoms interpretation that you can learn in the comfort of your home on his website. You are welcome to reprint this article if you keep the content and live link intact.

More articles at Big articles database

Everybody has heard of the basset hound or the beagle. This type of dogs has proved to have many qualities or has been advertised a lot. The influence plays also an important role:if one of my friends. to whom I compete has just bought a pitbull, I should definitely bring about a Tossain. How about the Polish Owczarek Nizinny? i know nothing about it so this shouldn’t be my choice. There are many breeds of dogs left on this planet which prove to have more qualities, yet, are unpopular. This article will present you some of these breeds.

The affenpinscher

This is the smallest dog in the breed which also presented us the schnauzers. The affenpinscher is thought to be the most suitable for a family pet as it is very intelligent, easy to train of a good demeanor. They have a dark fur and have always shown affection to human beings.

The anatolian Shepherd

This dog breed is of a medium size and has proved to be very courageous. This breed is very powerful and loyal and it is used in U.S.A especially for military and hunting purposes.

The basenji

The dogs from this breed are medium sized muscular dogs and are also named the Africa Barkless Dogs. What is funny is that they ever bark because they don’t want to do so as researches have shown they are not mute.They are extremely known in Africa for their hunting skills.They are not suitable as family pets but their aversion to humans can be diminished if they are handled properly from an early age.

The Bouvier des Flandres

This small and steady dog breed is somewhat similar to the terrier one . Their fur is generally in dark shades and they have proved to be very calm. At the beginning they were bred as herders in France but nowadays they are used for police and military purposes, as well as guidance for blind persons.

The central Asian Ovtcharka

The Central Asian Ovtcharka includes only large and muscular dogs. They appear to be very loyal and fearless dogs with strong protective instincts which makes them being used as watchdogs. As any other large dog they have their ears and tail cut from an early age.

The Polish Owczarek Nizinny

This dog is of a medium size muscular dog with a long fur which covers its eyes. It can be used as a family pet, being very loyal, yet they shouldn’t be left alone because they are notorious for the ‘disasters’ they cause in this situation.

All in all what we do know is that many dog breeds are not so famous but they prove to have some qualities which cannot be surpassed. They may be great hunters or family pets; the idea is that we should pay much attention to them as they are really fantastic.

For great information about dog breeders, dog breeds, dog books, dogs for sale, stud dogs, dog names, dog rescue, dogs wanted and missing dogs just visit us at http://www.Doggies.ca

More articles at www.articles-host.com