Over the past few years, there has been a lot of information in the news about dog flu or as it is otherwise known, canine flu. More recently, a new bird flu or avian flu has emerged that has been spreading to humans too. With all this going on, it?s enough to make you want to lock the doors, keep your dog safely hidden away and wait for it all to pass!

The good news is, you and your dog don?t have to go into hiding to avoid catching anything. A few simple precautions will keep you safe and allow you and your dog to enjoy the outdoors to the full.

Let?s start out by outlining some hard facts about dog flu or canine flu. The highly contagious virus which is responsible for canine flu was originally spotted in around 2004 in the greyhound racing population. Many dogs died as a result and many more taken ill. That said, the virus is shown to be deadly in only 10% of the most susceptible dogs. I.e. Young puppies or older dogs whose immune systems are weakened.

More recently, canine flu has entered the domestic dog population. Although this may be the case, there are steps you can take to protect your dog.

Firstly, be aware that the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) has recommendations for good infection control practices. Wherever you take your dog be it a groomer, pet store, boarding kennel, animal shelter or dog show, always ensure that they meet the AVMA standards. Any place that your dog is likely to be closely contained with other dogs in greater numbers than usual, always check those guidelines are being met.

You need to enquire as to how they cope with suspected dog flu cases. How do they isolate dogs that develop symptoms? Do they have a vet on call? When/how do they notify owners that their dog is showing symptoms. Asking all these questions will help you assess whether your dog will be o.k. there.

Additionally, if you think that you may have come into contact with a dog carrying the canine flu virus, wash your hands and clothes and anything you may have touched. Do this before coming into contact with other animals.

At the time of writing this article, there is no available vaccination for the canine flu. If you feel your dog may have canine flu or been exposed to canine flu, do not take them anywhere where other dogs will be congregating. Seek veterinary advice immediately.

If your dog does have dog flu the good news is that most dogs will recover in anything from 10 to 30 days. Most dogs will suffer with a persistent cough and a runny nose.

More severe cases will involve a fever and possibly pneumonia. The use of an intravenous may be needed with a course of antibiotics. Most dogs will recover from canine flu if cared for properly by a veterinarian.

Luckily, there is no evidence at the moment to suggest that people are at risk from catching dog flu. If you are worried about this then you can breathe easy.

Originally, the canine flu stemmed from the equine influenza virus which has been around for over 40 years. In this time, there has been no evidence to suggest anybody has caught the flu virus from a horse that had contracted it.

If you have concerns about dog flu, don?t fear taking your dog for walks or meeting other dogs. Your dog needs to exercise and socialize as much as ever. The best course of action would be to take the above precautions mentioned in this article. Find out as much additional information as you can and just be aware. That way your dog gets to enjoy life, and stay safe at the same time.

Article By Andrew Strachan. Find lots more information about dog flu and different types of dogs at http://www.types-of-dogs.com Lots of help and advice too.

A dog can be a wonderful addition to your family, as long as everyone is prepared to put in the time and effort required. So many people think a puppy would make a wonderful present for their children, only to forget about them once the novelty has worn off.

Before you make the leap and introduce a new pet to your family make sure you know what to expect and that you?re prepared for all the consequences of bringing a new family member into your home.

Some of the things you should consider before you take the step of picking your puppy or dog.

Who is going to be responsible? It?s all well and good to tell your children that the new puppy is theirs to care for, but remember, the first time they have to choose between picking up after it and hangin? out with their friends you know there?s going to be a problem. So if there is no one prepared to step in and look after the animal on a regular basis perhaps re-thinking the gift would be a good idea.

Do you have room for it? Depending on what type of home you live in and what type of backyard you have, will be a major factor in both deciding on what type of dog you should get, along with whether or not you?re prepared to exercise the dog, if you don?t have the room to let it run free in the backyard. If you can?t supply the room for a dog to run or are not willing to exercise them on a regular basis then perhaps a dog is not right for you.

Are you a neat freak? No matter how well prepared you are, or how well you train your dog is, there will be accidents. These can range from the normal potty training problems to digging up your prize garden, chewing your new shoes, or shedding their hair on your lounge. If you?re not ready to put up with any of the above at some stage of the dog?s life then perhaps a dog is not right for you.

Can you afford it? Caring for a dog means more than just paying for its meals. While dinner time scraps are a common food source, they need more than that, particularly when they are young and still growing, a well balanced diet is essential. Food is not the only cost though. There are also the worm tablets, vet bills, registration fees and other costs associated with caring for your pet. If you are struggling to pay your bills now you shouldn?t add to those costs, as unfortunately all too often it?s the animal that misses out on what it needs.

These are just a few things to bear in mind when you?re thinking about getting a new dog. If, after reading the above points, and now knowing some of what is expected when you introduce a new dog into the family, you decide you still do want a dog, then yes, you do deserve one. Provided of course you can fulfil one other key requirement.

Being prepared to offer lots of love, caring and patience.

V Brown is a long time dog owner/lover and has recently introduced a new puppy into the family so has decided to start sharing her experiences as the training etc begins. If you’d like to know more please visit Life With A Dog

Canine Diabetes: A Serious Dog Disease That is Completely Manageable

Canine diabetes is a serious disease that causes there to be too much glucose in the blood. If your pet has any of the signs, a dog health exam will help you find out with certainty. Canine diabetes symptoms usually include the following:

- drinking excessive amounts of water
– frequent urination
– weight gain (or weight loss in some cases)
– increased lethargy during the day

A simple blood test can tell the vet if the glucose counts look suspicious. You should have a full physical exam done on your dog annually, even if he seems perfectly healthy. Be sure to ask your vet to include a full blood work-up, to rule out diabetes (as well as many other diseases). It?s well worth the added cost!

If your pet has been diagnosed with canine diabetes, don?t panic. While it is a ?special needs? issue that will influence many daily decisions, it is a manageable disease in dogs. You just have to learn some simple steps and stick to a schedule.

The first goal after a canine diabetes diagnosis is to get the glucose levels down to a normal (or only slightly elevated) level. This will not require thorough dog health exams like the original blood test. The vet can draw some blood and test the levels fairly quickly, with minimal cost to you.

Canine diabetes means someone must administer insulin injections (in most cases). They are easy to do and will quickly become routine. One person in the family should be responsible for the shots, but everyone should know how to give them (age teen and up) in case of a dog health emergency. I highly recommend posting a printout of how to give the injection to your pet in every room in your house, just in case.

In our house, where we have a diabetic dog, we made a canine diabetes ?Dog Health Cheat Sheet? for potential problems, like these:

- too much insulin is accidentally injected
– the needle breaks off while in the dog
– there?s a seizure (not common, but can happen occasionally)

The cheat sheet includes the vet?s emergency number and some basic actions to take in each scenario. We made several copies to be posted all over the house, but especially by the phone, the fridge (where the insulin is kept), and the bed (where our dog hangs out a lot).

The other goal with canine diabetes is to maintain the glucose level (with your vet?s help). It is crucial to take your pet periodically to the vet for a whole day (8-hour period at least) so they can check blood sugar levels throughout the day. Just as in humans, blood sugar levels fluctuate in your pet throughout the day. Having your vet monitor and take several blood readings during a longer stretch of time helps ensure that your diabetes treatments are actually working as intended.

It?s a little more work to care for diabetic dogs, no doubt about it. But our pets are family members and we love them dearly. Right? They give us their devotion, protection, and love, so the least we can do in return is give them proper health care, especially if they have problems like canine diabetes. Going the extra mile for them will help them live happier lives with less pain and more enjoyment. Can there be a nobler goal?

John Schwartz is a freelance writer, webmaster, and dog lover. He has written many published articles on subjects that include shopping for dog supplies, improving pet health, and good dog training practices. Please visit my dog supplies website at http://www.puppies-dogs-supplies.com for more dog and puppy tips.

All training starts with taking advantage of your dog?s natural inclinations to reinforce the behavior you want. The only place your dog will not, by nature, mess, is its sleeping place. Crate training works with your dog?s instinct – he never has the opportunity to be ?bad.?

Crate training is fairly intense for you. The rule is: if you are not actively paying attention to your dog, your dog is in the crate. Period. Even if you?re in the same room. If you?re not watching your puppy, it?s in the crate. If you think ?caging? your dog is cruel, get over it. It?s worse for your dog not to know the rules of the house.

Crate training is not an excuse to ignore your dog for hours at a time. A puppy cannot go more than a couple of hours during the day without a ?bathroom break.? If your dog learns to mess in its crate the behavior is very difficult to correct. It?s one of the biggest challenges when adopting strays or rescues from shelters. It can be done, but requires patience and dedication.

Dogs should be taken out at regular intervals; after meals, after naps and after play sessions. And ?business? walks are not playtime. Put the collar and leash on, take the dog to a specific spot you want it to use for its toilet area, give your dog a command ?go potty.? If it does, reward it with praise and cookies, say ?good go potty.? Forget about public embarrassment. If you?re easily embarrassed, don?t get a dog. Of course you can use any words you want – a friend of ours used ?hit it? with her dogs. She just had to be careful not to use the phrase under other circumstances.

Your puppy should also sleep in the crate, ideally in your bedroom. Dogs are social animals, they need to know their ?pack? or family, is close by. If the dog wakes you in the night, take it out on leash. Give it 10 minutes to ?do its business,? go back in, pop him in his crate, say goodnight and go back to bed. Don?t let the dog out by itself, even in a fenced yard. Again, this isn?t playtime.

As your dog learns what?s expected of him, the next phase is to keep the dog on leash, out of the cage. Tie the leash around a belt loop so that you can go about your daily routine with both hands free. Keep one eye on the dog. When you see his ?gotta go? signals, drop what you?re doing and go. Some people are successful in hanging a bell on the doorknob. They ring the bell whenever they take the dog out. The dog learns, over time, to ring the bell when it has to go. Others teach their dogs to ?speak? as a signal to go out.

Our dogs are always crated when we leave the house. At this point, they see us reaching for their crate toys (which we stuff with a little peanut butter or kibble) and run for their crates. We don?t necessarily even lock the crates, but they are available to the dogs at all times. It?s their ?room,? a safe place they can always go to.

Just a note of caution and safety: never leave a collar or harness on your dog in the crate. It can get caught and cause problems.

Hope Saidel is the co-owner of GollyGear, a bricks-and-mortar and online small dog shop featuring fun, affordable and practical products for small dogs. She has trained and competed in Obedience with small dogs for over a decade and is on the Board of Directors of the North Shore Dog Training Club. Check out her blog: GollyLog.

Did you know that pets outnumber people in the United States? Recent statistics have shown that 62% of homes have a pet, and that 46% of homes have more than one pet. That adds up to 380 million pets in a nation with a human population of 290 million people.

The first three categories are cats (78 million), dogs (65 million), and birds (18 million). Also popular are fish and small animals but their number is far behind the numbers of cats and dogs.

More and more people are buying pets because they realise the great advantages of having a pet, a pet is a great companion, a loyal friend and a part of the family. Since a pet has such an important role to play in your life it is important thinking hard to pick the right pet for you.

Carefully considering what pet you will get before getting it will pay off in the long run, that way you wont pick a pet you are incompatible with, you will get on well with your pet and you wont have problems with it in future. A poorly chosen pet may eventually have to leave, and the blame for the imcompatibility will be with you.

If you are choosing a pet the real choice you are probably making is whether to get a dog or a cat, perhaps you are considering a pet that requires less effort such as a fish or bird also. If you decide to opt for a dog you must then choose what breed of dog toget, with over 150 breeds you are spoiled for choice!

A dog will probably prove to be a better companion than a cat – it will be more of a friend, however a dog will also need more care than a cat. Dogs like to be around people whereas cats are more autonomous, they will generally spend their day off by themselves. Cats are more attracted to their home then to their owners generally.

You will need to carefully consider how much space you have, cats and dogd reuire quite a bit of space, so if you live in a small apartment then even a small breed of dog or a cat will feel restricted. If you have very little space perhaps you should go for a bird or fish, or may be a hamster?

Bear in mind that a dog cannot be left alone for very long, they need feeding, walking and attention. This may be a problem if you are away often and there is no one else around to mind the dog. Perhaps a kennel or neighbour would be available to care for the dog while you are away. Cats, though independent, do not like being left alone either although they can cope better than a dog.

Dogs need a lot of attention, they must be walked at least once or twice a day, on top of that they are full of energy and need space in which to live and play. Obviously the larger the breed of dog the more space it needs, large dogs such as shepherd dogs and Saint Bernards need a lot of space. Also consider how much your dog will eat – big dogs eat big meals!

Big dogs have the advantage that if trained properly, they can protect their owner and home, while small dogs (like poodles) are more like a joyful toy at home. Small dogs are also suitable for children or for elderly people, who do not have the energy to walk a dog for miles and miles.

No matter what pet you decide on, ensure you have thought your desision through properly, a badly chosen pet will be unhappy if it doesn’t suit you, so pick carefully.

Alyssa Hallam is the webmaster and operator of AH Pet Her site has a great collection of information on all different kinds of pets, including a free newsletter, pet resources and articles. For great pet information, go to: http://www.ahpet.com

If I was asked to pick the cutest puppy breed on earth one of the first ones that I would have to choose would be golden retriever puppies. First of all the retrievers are possibly the most useful of all breeds of dog and the golden retriever puppies just seem to have all that the rest of the retrievers have and much more. When you look at a golden retriever puppy there is such a feeling of happiness and warmth that does not come with all breeds of dog. If you were to get a single or pair of golden retriever puppies you could expect some wonderful things as they grow up. A golden retriever puppy will grow to be a medium sized dog which will weigh between sixty and seventy pounds, not a small dog but surely not a monster. The golden retriever puppies have become one of the most popular types of dog for families because of their very good natured personality. The golden retriever is a smart and very easy going dog so it is no wonder that they are at the top of the list for both a family dog and a service animal.

Golden retriever puppies will start off with a large appetite that will not go away. They are good eaters but they need a lot of exercise as a puppy and full grown dog so they will work off the food they eat. These dogs also have quite a beautiful coat. This can be the only negative thing about golden retriever dogs and puppies because their flowing and shiny coat does demand a steady attention to grooming.

The good natured personality of the Golden Retriever has made it a popular choice for both family pet and service animal. Golden Retrievers have a large appetite and so frequent exercise is necessary to avoid the dog becoming overweight.

If you are looking for a sweet, mild tempered and very smart dog or puppy I would recommend that you give golden retriever puppies their due time and see if they will fit into your family as well as they fit into millions of others.

For more information about golden retriever puppies or to speak to fellow golden retriever lovers on our dog forum, come on by http://www.spectacularpets.com.

Are you ready for a new puppy? When deciding on a new puppy, there are more factors than how much is that doggie in the window. Puppies require commitment, patience, time and money. Each Christmas, doggie sales and adoptions soar! Even though your intentions are good, never surprise someone with a new puppy or dog unless you are positive they want one. Your gift not only brings cute unconditional love, but a commitment including training time and a good amount of money! Fido for Christmas sounds great, but after the holiday, far too many unwanted pets are returned or dumped. So, it’s always a good idea to go over Santa’s head and allow your loved one in on the ownership decision.

There are many other factors to getting a new puppy. How will your new dog affect your existing pets? It’s important to know if your pets have been socialized with other dogs. When choosing a puppy consider your job and other commitments. Dogs are pack animals and need attention as much as food and water. The easiest way to upset your dog and cause permanent damage is to habitually ignore it. The most important time in a puppy’s life is between 3 and 12 weeks. During this time a new puppy learns about you, the house rules and their surroundings. A new puppy that is neglected can become aggressive, so make sure you’re ready to fit them into your life. Make sure you factor in how much time you need to train your new puppy. This is crucial to your future relationship with the dog. Remember, owners that have an unruly pet have no one else to blame but themselves, and most behavior problems are caused by neglect. New Moms and Dads should also consider the cost of a new puppy. As mentioned before, the cost of owning a dog is nothing to ignore. Pet supplies, puppy toys, training, and veterinary care can cost hundreds of dollars each year.

The decision to get a new puppy needs to be well thought out, weighing both the pros and cons. If you choose to accept this mission you will be rewarded more than words could say. Finding the perfect companion is fun and exciting for the whole family. Your furry family member will surely bring you joy, unconditional love and companionship for many years to come.

Grant Carroll proud father of three dogs and co-owner of http://www.littlepamperedpets.com with Dog Clothes and Small Dog Sweaters. Also visit Little Pampered Babies where you can find Baby Clothes and Baby T-Shirts

Do you ever find yourself repeating yourself to your dog or puppy? This article explains how to train a puppy or dog to listen to you first time, every time.

Many dog or puppy owners find themselves blaming their dog for not listening. When you have invested time and effort into training, it can seem like a bit of a disappointment when your dog suddenly decides to stop listening to you, or that something else in his world is more exciting or interesting than you are.

The truth is, dogs just do what works for them. It is up to you, as a puppy or dog owner to teach your pet to listen to you by making ‘listening to you’ work for them. Many dog owners inadvertantly teach their dog to ignore them!

So how do we teach a dog to listen to us?

Dog owners frequently repeat commands over and over. If your dog didn’t respond the first time, repetition isn’t going to help. Repeating commands teaches a dog that either the command is meaningless or that it’s ok to respond in their own sweet time!

We should never ask for a behavior that we aren’t at least 80% sure we will get after asking the first time. If there are too many distractions, we’re in a new situation, or the behavior just isn’t very well learned; then we probably won’t get the behavior we want.

Train quietly. It’s a hang-over from the old military-style dog training that we bellow commands at our dogs. Dogs actually have a powerful sense of hearing, and can hear our tiniest whispers. That’s not to say that a command shouldn’t be clear and audible, but if you only ever bellow commands during training, don’t expect your dog to learn to pay attention to you unless you are bellowing. A dog who has learned to listen carefully will tend to pay more attention.

A bit of meaningless chitter-chatter is ok every so often, but dogs don’t speak our language and we don’t want our cues to become lost amongst the noise. When training, try not to talk too much. Effective communication comes through quality and clarity, not quantity.

If you find yourself in a situation where your dog won’t respond to a cue, and you’re sure he knows it in other situations then ask yourself what is different about this situation? It could be that there are too many distractions for your dog to focus. It could be that the situation is vastly different from any that you have trained in.

Go back to basics when this happens. Remove distractions if you can, and re-introduce them slowly. Start at the beginning in a new situation, even if it means using a food lure briefly to ‘get the behavior’. If there’s too much going on, move away from the action a bit.

Remember to always set your dog up for success. If your dog can’t succeed, you can’t reinforce. If you can’t reinforce, nothing useful has been learned.

While we’re on the topic of reinforcement – make sure your rewards are meaningful. By definition, reinforcement is only reinforcement if it increases or maintains behavior. A full-up dog being offered lousy treats, or a dog-tired dog being offered a chance to chase a ball is probably not going to be too interested in training.

Quit while you are ahead. Don’t try to train for too long. If you train too long you start getting sub-standard behavior. Reinforcing sub-standard behavior will only give you more sub-standard behavior in the future.

Don’t feel like you have to reinforce every behavior you ask for and get. Once the behavior is well learned, stop reinforcing the worst offerings. e.g If your dog is trained to come when called, don’t reinforce if he takes too long to respond. Set him up for success, and reinforce the faster responses only.

Train often. Dogs need to learn to learn, and by training often and training consistently, your dog will learn how to play the training game with you. It should be a game, too. If training isn’t like playing a game with your dog, it stops being fun for both of you.

Be worth listening to. Be someone your dog trusts and respects. Be predictable, confident, calm, and decisive. When you make a decision, stick with it. If you decide that your dog can’t sit on the couch, lead him onto his mat every time he sits on the couch. Don’t give in just because he’s giving you those eyes. It’s another matter altogether if you decide to invite your dog onto the couch as a reward for giving you some other behaviour you asked for, though.

Aidan Bindoff is Editor of Positive Petzine, a free resource for people training their own dogs. Join now, and for a limited time you can download all available back issues (a $29.95 value) for free!

Every dog is trained to his owner?s level of comfort. If it doesn?t bother you that Fido likes to watch television sitting next to you on the couch, you?re not going to make an issue of keeping him off the furniture. If it makes you crazy when Spot barks at the vacuum cleaner, you?ll be more willing to put in the effort to teach her not to.

One absolute for us is that dogs must be housebroken. It?s not the most pleasant topic of conversation, but it?s essential to us. We even teach them to urinate and defecate on command. It takes work, patience and absolute consistency, but any healthy dog can be taught to keep her house clean and be a welcome guest wherever she travels.

Puppies under six months old should not be expected to be ?good? all day while you?re at work, the kids are at school and no one?s there. If someone can?t get home at mid-day to take the puppy out, exercise it and give it some lunch, it may not be the right time for a dog.

Years ago, before crate training became the norm in housebreaking, most dogs were ?paper-trained? as puppies. I don?t really advise it unless you intend to make it the last stop in dog training. It?s hard to transition a dog from the paper to outside.

Small dog owners may like the option of a permanent, indoor toilet area for their dogs, a ?litter box? for dogs. It solves the issues of walking the dog in inclement weather, keeping the dog warm in winter and works well for many apartment dwellers without immediate access to the outdoors. Since small dogs seem to need to eliminate more often, continuous access to a litter box may be ideal for some small dog owners.

Wherever you decide you want your dog to ?do its business,? take it there at regular intervals, give it whatever command you choose to use for the behavior and be patient. I even recommend carrying the dog to the toilet area first thing in the morning, or any time you know it really has to go.

When your dog produces the behavior you want – don?t forget the praise. Let your dog know you?re happy with her. And when your dog does ?mess up,? remember it?s your fault. It?s always your fault. You weren?t paying attention, you didn?t see the signs, you didn?t get the dog outside in time.

If you catch FiFi in the act, make a loud noise to distract it (I tend to scream ?No,? or drop a heavy book on the floor) and hustle the dog outside. If the dog finishes its business outside, praise him to the skies; ?What a wonderful, clever puppy you are!? Ideally, someone else will have cleaned up while you?re outside. If not, don?t let the pup watch you do it.

There is no punishment for messing in the house. If you don?t catch the dog in the act, it?s your fault. Just clean up and forget about it. If you take a page from prehistory and ?rub his nose in it,? your dog will learn that it?s bad for him if you find messes. So he?ll hide them. Dogs don?t have a ?cause and effect? memory.

A friend of mine has heard my housebreaking lecture many times and after four years his Dachshund Charlie still urinates in his dining room. Why? My friend won?t commit to paying attention to his dog, and won?t put in the effort needed. He thinks Charlie ?knows? he?s bad, because Charlie runs the other way when Sam goes into the dining room. Charlie knows he gets in trouble when Sam goes into the dining room. Charlie has no idea that dried puddle is the source of Sam?s anger, and certainly has no memory of producing it. Don?t be like Sam. It?s easier to teach the behavior you want than fix mistakes later.

Hope Saidel is the co-owner of GollyGear, a bricks-and-mortar and online small dog shop featuring fun, affordable and practical products for small dogs. She has trained and competed in Obedience with small dogs for over a decade and is on the Board of Directors of the North Shore Dog Training Club. Check out her blog: GollyLog.

Bringing a new puppy into your home can be an exciting experience, but also will inevitably provide many challenges for the new dog owner. Puppies are as law abiding as they are old. Puppies tend to compensate for their anything goes behavior with oodles of cuteness that results in the owners pandering to the pups, and thus not training them properly. Many will think they have the will power to withstand the cuddly cute manipulations that puppies are famous for, however few will succeed. The key to training puppies is to lay out several ground rules for you, and abide by them daily. This is why professionals often refer to puppy training, as in all truth being people training instead.

Designate off limits zones in your home before, or during the beginning of dog ownership. Puppies tend to operate on a free style basis that allows them to go, sleep, and urinate wherever they please. Remember that dogs typically mark their territory through urination. So the more you make your house feel like the puppies new home, the more the pup’s going to want to a whiz in it. So the first step to avoid such a problem is creating off limit zones. Typically the easiest way to make this happen is close the doors to any and all rooms that are unavailable for the puppy to be in. Once you have created off limit zones for the dog it will limit your pee patrol to a few rooms, and once you get the dog trained to go outside you’ll be in really good shape.

Choose and portion food wisely for your new canine friend. Dogs like to eat as much as they can, as often as they can for no particular reason. Be sure to make eating a daily routine in which you serve the dog the food, thus the dog understands who is in control of the food. Food can be your biggest weapon in training a dog.

Fence in your yard if it’s not fenced yet, this will be the easiest way to train your dog. With a securely fenced in yard dogs will have a controlled environment to play, go to the bathroom, and sit when they are not wanted inside. Without a fenced in yard dogs will be forced to abide by your walking rules, which can vary in time and duration, and often don’t occur enough. Trust me, it’s much easier to let a dog outside in the fenced in yard than to walk them 5 times a day.

Take pride in your duty as a dog trainer. Don’t be afraid to really get involved in training your dog, and becoming an interested participant in your dog’s growth. As with most anything in life, the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it. This is key with training dogs, the dog will be very responsive to your efforts if you take pride in training it. As long as the dog sees you working as hard as it is on abiding by rules, and working towards a routine the easier it will be to train the puppy in the long run.

Be sure to purchase a book on the breed of the puppy you have purchased. Breed books are typically right on target when discussing dog habits, issues, and personalities specific to the puppies particular breed. Owning a dog book will give you insight on how best to train your new puppy.

Clark Covington is a professional author who provides information on dogs and dog training for Dogs ‘N’ U. Also stop by our dog forum.