I Love Animals

Large breed dogs pose special grooming dilemmas. The Great Pyrenees and other Bernard family members have cornered the market on that special combination of girth and hair. Without a regimented grooming routine the Pyrenees’ flowing white locks can easily morph, soon resembling an electrocuted Komondor on steroid.

One obstacle to keeping large breeds in the peek of beauty is the difficulty in locating nail clippers, brushes and dental supplies suited to their substantial size. Substitution will have to be made. Still, with a little ingenuity grooming is a snap.

Body Brushing Combing out the Great Pyrenees is a challenge. The high-stung nature of the breed makes them tend to wiggle around during grooming. In fact, these stealth dogs are apt to sprint off if not restrained, sometimes moving up to three centimeters in a single afternoon.

Your best bet for body brushing or raking is to work on your pet while he is asleep. Avoid active times such as 6:00 to 6:03 a.m. and the 30 minutes after sunset Pyrenees’ devote solely to barking. This breed is known to sleep with its eyes open. When stalking them with grooming tools be cautious. Once you are with in 65 feet of your dog, listen for a train. This verifies your dog is snoring.

Work efficiently once you begin grooming a Great Pyrenees. You may only have 13 hours before he wakes up. When grooming 140 lbs. of fur bonded together by drool and the occasional tree branch, you must not dally. A weed eater is an efficient option for quickly working your way through the shrubs to the actual hair prior to brushing.

Nail Clipping Clipping your Pyrenees’s claws should be a regular part of your grooming routine. Before beginning this procedure head for the hardware store. Pick up a large metal rasp and bolt cutters. Once claws have been neatly trimmed call in HAZMAT to remove the clippings from your home. Don’t forget the dewclaws.

Great Pyrenees’ have a multitude of extra toes just kinda “hangin’ out” on their lower legs. Hiding amongst them are a total of six massive curly toenails. Each is so large it makes a valosaraptor claw look like a minute droplet of Chihuahua snot. Don’t let the dewclaws go unattended more than a few weeks. Negligence will yield a clipping big enough to be used as a spiral staircase.

Dental Care Dog owners often overlook the importants of good oral hygiene. Fortunately, in the Bernard breeds, their mouths offer plenty of room to work in. Take advantage of this trait. You can create ample access to the mouth by simply pulling their massive floppy lips up from both sides of the face. Then, use three clothespins to secure them to one another across the bridge of the nose. You may also secure a single lip to the opposing ear in a similar fashion.

Once the teeth are exposed insert a shop vac tube under your dogs tongue. This technique is identical to that of the ‘spit sucker’ used in a dental offices. A fifteen-gallon vac should suffice. Once the shop vac is fired up the Great Pyrenees will start to awaken. You will have about two hours to completely remove large pieces of sod stored along the gum line before your dog hits full cognitive thought. At this point he’ll eat the vacuum prior to falling back asleep.

As a final touch, clean you canine’s feet. Shinny up between the pads with a flashlight, some pliers and a bottle of WD 40. Remove stones, dried bats, milk carton children and anything else not belonging up there. Once this task is done your grooming regiment is complete. Wake your dog by simple uttering the word “cookie.’ By the time you get to “coo” every Great Pyrenees in a six mile radius will be in your kitchen.

With a little work and a few trips to Home Depot, your Great Pyrenees, Saint Bernard or Newfoundland will glow with beauty. When you combine all this glamour with their high intelligence and magnetic personalities, your dog will be the envy of the neighborhood.

Dog behavior training is very important in preventing aggression and teaching dogs to interact properly with their handlers, other members of the family and other pets. You need to understand how to train your dog properly so that it will be the devoted, loyal and loving companion that you desire.

The original dogs were probably orphaned wolf pups that were adopted by human centuries ago. These wild dogs learnt to perform behaviors that their human handlers taught, such as guarding the cave or scaring predators. In exchange, human probably provided them with food, shelter and protection.

This relationship still exists and of course, dogs can still perform valuable jobs, including herding, guarding property, people and livestock, and others for their human handlers.

The hierarchy

It is important to know that dogs are pack animals. In the wild, packs are formed and there is a hierarchy in this “society”. The hierarchy or structure remains unchanged, unless there is death or injury to the alpha dog. The alpha dog is the leader and the pack does not challenge its leader.

Hence, to train your dog properly, you need to become the alpha dog. Only then will your dog respect you and will follow your commands without question. This respect forms the basis of all subsequent training.

In today’s lifestyle, there are many advantages from training your dog into a well-mannered and obedient dog. For starters, the puppy or dog will be fun to be with. In addition, a well-mannered dog puts everyone’s mind at ease, especially dogs with negative image such as the Doberman, Rottweiler and Pit Bull.

Puppy and dogs have inherent bad behaviors and it is also important for you to understand the factors behind these unwanted behaviors. For example, chewing and destroying furniture may be a sign of separation anxiety. Once you know the root of the problem, you are already taking the first step to eliminating dog behavior problems.

Understanding dog behavior

Some dogs exhibit unwanted behaviors because of stress and its inability to copy with that stress. A good dog training program will teach the dog to tolerate greater levels of stress without becoming a problem animal.

It is easy to confuse human behavior with dog behavior. Although some dog owners may see their dogs as almost human, it is important to understand that dogs and humans have very different motivations and reactions to similar situations.

However, humans and dogs do have a common trait… and that is the need to form close social bonds and groups. Bonding is an important element to both humans and dogs. As the adage goes, “No man’s an island”. The saying probably applies to dogs as well!

All breeds of dog need to be groomed and bathed on a regular basis, no matter what the length of their coat. Most will enjoy being clean, you can see how playful they become after their grooming sessions, even if the actual bathing experience is not always easy. Your dog will love the fuss you make of it when it is well groomed, and a clean dog is much more fun to train than a dirty one.

Some dogs have coats that repel dirt and pollution effectively whilst others seem to positively attract it. The state of your dog’s coat will also depend greatly on the environment you live in, the dog’s exposure to dirt and the type of food it eats. The only golden rule about bathing frequency is; when your dog smells like a dog, he needs bathing!

The bathtub is the most practical place to bathe your dog. You will need hot and cold water to get the shampoo out of their coat, as well as a dog shower attachment for a faucet and a rubber mat to prevent slipping. You should start bathing your dog when still a puppy and easy to maneuver in and out of the tub. As they get bigger the dog should be able to climb in and out of the tub unaided, but you should encourage them by giving them a treat once they are in the bath and another once the bathing is finished. Teaching your dog to stand on command will help you to get them in and out of the tub. Although there are exceptions, most dogs will enjoy the attention of being bathed in the tub and the warm water should make them relaxed and calm.

If you use full strength shampoo it will take a long time to rinse your dog and get all the soap out of their coat. Rinsing is easier and quicker if you use shampoo diluted with water. A mild herb shampoo that you would use for yourself is ideal. Giving your dog a final rinse in a solution of apple cider, vinegar and water will help to repel fleas and skin parasites. This will also avoid skin irritations by balancing the pH levels in the dog’s skin, and will leave them with a really shiny coat. Dry them thoroughly with a thick towel to absorb as much water as possible, or they will try to shake the water out of their coat when they get out of the bath.

If your dog is small, bathing him in the kitchen sink may cause less strain on your back. Alternatively you could use a washtub outside, which will prevent too much water on the floor in your house, but may not be practical in winter or if access to warm water is difficult.

A dog-boarding kennel is a safe and secure place for your pet to stay while you are on vacation or at times when you may not be able to have your pet with you. One of the best benefits of having your pet in a boarding kennel as opposed to leaving your pet with family and friends is that you know your pet will be kept safe, secure and well looked after by the kennel owners and staff. The best boarding kennels fill up quickly over the holidays and at favorite vacationing times. If you intend to go away at this time, make sure that you book your pet into the facility as early as possible.

Putting your dog into a boarding kennel will provide you with the peace of mind that you need in order to enjoy your vacation. A professional facility will provide around the clock care of your pet. The employees will be well trained and have experience in detecting the signs of distress or illness in your pet. There will usually be a vet either on premises or on call at the boarding kennel at all times.

Most of the time, a boarding kennel facility will be a member of the boarding kennel association. This means that the facility has been provided with proper training and direction and will adhere to strict guidelines in the quality care of your pet. A qualified and professional center will provide you with a tour of the facility and provide information about the care of your pet including the type of food it will be given and how often it will be exercised.

If you have special needs or your pet needs to be given medication, the staff at the boarding kennel will be able to provide this for your pet. You should make sure that the boarding kennel that you are thinking using is well ventilated, clean and comfortable for your pet. You ensure this easily by going to visit the boarding kennel and taking a tour of the facility. It will help ease your mind if you visit the boarding kennel and meet the people who will be taking care of your pet. This is a great time to ask any questions and express any concerns that you have about leaving your pet while on vacation.

Many boarding kennels will require that you bring proof of your pet’s immunization history and have your pet come to the center free of fleas and ticks. This is in the best interest of both you and your pet as you will know that the other pets in the facility are clean and free of parasites and disease.

Prices for boarding are quite reasonable and usually start as low as $12 per day. Luxury suites will be more expensive. There are many kennels that provide discounts for long term boarding. When leaving your pet at a boarding kennel it is a good idea to make your farewell quick and formal. This will reduce the amount of stress that your pet will suffer after you leave.

What does it mean to ’spay’ or ‘neuter’ your pet?

Whey you have your pet spayed or neutered, it means that you are having your animal undergo a minor surgical procedure to have their reproductive organs removed. Females are spayed and males are neutered. Depending on the health of your pet and its age, it may take a few hours or a few days at the vet for your pet to be ready to return home after the procedure. Most likely, he or she will be a little groggy for the first few hours afterward, and stitches may or may not need removal a few days later.

How is the spay or neuter process beneficial to your pets?

Your pet will enjoy a much higher quality of life once it has been spayed or neutered. Temperament issues as well as many health problems including future incidence of ovarian, breast, testicular, prostate, or uterine cancer are diminished or disappear completely. Interaction with other pets becomes much easier and in general, you will find that your pet is less anxious and high strung in most cases.

Why is a spayed or neutered pet beneficial to you?

Not only will pets get along better with other animals once spayed or neutered, they will also get along much better with you. Spayed and neutered animals are in general more good natured and affectionate. For example, cats are less likely to spray and dogs are less hostile toward other dogs who they may otherwise view as reproductive competition. In general, they are less likely to bite humans or other animals.

There is no heat cycle for spayed and neutered animals. This means no crying kitties two or three times a year or unwanted attention from male cats in the neighborhood.

Spaying and neutering also keeps your pet closer to home. They are less likely to take off the first time a door is left open and unattended or wander aimlessly around the neighborhood.

Why is spaying and neutering important to the animal community?

A great many tax dollars are spent every year in every city and county to curb unwanted cats and dogs. By cutting off the reproductive cycle of your pet, you are keeping unwanted animals out of the world, saving time and money and creating a better quality of life for the animals already here who need good homes. Animal shelters are already overflowing and stray animals that are not caught tend to wreak havoc: knocking over trash cans, attacking pets and humans, and scaring away wildlife.

Every day10,000 humans born – and every day 70,000 dogs and cats born, too. Of these, about 11 million will be euthanized in an animal shelter – that means that almost 65 percent of animals turned over to the pound will have their lives ended there.

Spaying and neutering: it’s not just for dogs and cats

Rabbits are third most often surrendered pet after cats and dogs. But even if you intend to keep your rabbit for life, spaying or neutering your pet will offer all the benefits that the process gives to cats and dogs: fewer instances of certain cancers and health conditions, better temperament, better pets.

Where to have your pet spayed or neutered

Your local vet – The procedure can be expensive, but they may offer a payment plan or discounted services.

Your local animal shelter – If they don’t offer the service themselves, they will know who does. Call SPAY USA – At (800) 248-SPAY, SPAY USA can help you find subsidized spay and neuter services in your area.

Visit Pets911.com – This website has a great many resources for taking care of your pet’s health.

The Norwich Terrier is an active breed that can live in an apartment as long as she can look forward to frequent walks. A properly fenced in yard would be ideal for exercise but she is a digger and will take off once loose, for adventures. They generally do well with other pets and love considerate children and their toys. As a reminder, never leave a child unsupervised with a puppy or dog.

*Approximate Adult Size. The approximate adult size (two years old or older) of the Norwich Terrier is about 10 inches to the withers (highest point of the shoulder) and 10 to 12 pounds.

*Special Health Considerations. Most dog breeds have certain inherited health problems associated with that specific breed and the Norwich Terrier is no exception. Although considered a hardy and long lived breed, be on the look out for genetic eye disease, back problems and dry skin if kept indoors.

This disease list is an informative guideline only. Other diseases may also be significant threats, please contact your veterinarian for a complete list.

She should visit the veterinarian several times in the first year for shots, boosters and check up. Then, as an adult, she should visit the veterinarian yearly for shots and check up. As she gets older, six years and on, she should visit the veterinarian twice a year for check ups and shots. Remember; avoid feeding your dog sweets.

*Grooming. The Norwich Terrier has a wiry, straight, hard, medium length, close to the body coat with an undercoat that sheds lightly. She should be brushed regularly. Brushing will help her maintain a clean and healthy coat, avoid mats and help you keep a closer eye on her health and strengthen your emotional bond with her.

Her teeth should be brushed at least twice a week with toothpaste and toothbrush designed for dogs. Brushing removes the accumulation of plaque and tartar which can cause cavities (rarely) and periodontal disease. Dog periodontal disease can lead to pain, loss of teeth, bad breath and other serious disease.

Her toenails may need to be examined for growth and clipped regularly. The toenails of the rear feet grow slower than the toenails of the front feet.

*Life Span. The Norwich Terrier can live between 12 and 14 years with proper nutrition, medical care and excellent living conditions.

*History. The Norwich Terrier comes from England where it was a ratter and farm dog. They were first registered by the American Kennel Association in 1936.

Some Registries:

*Norwich & Norfolk Terrier Club

*UKC United Kennel Club

*NKC National Kennel Club

*CKC Continental Kennel Club

*APRI Americas Pet Registry Inc.

*AKC American Kennel Club

*FCI Federation Cynologique Internationale

*NZKC New Zealand Kennel Club

*KCGB = Kennel Club of Great Britain

*ANKC = Australian National Kennel Club

*ACR = American Canine Registry

Litter Size: Around 3 Norwich Terrier puppies

Category: Terrier

Terms To Describe: Spirited, stocky, fearless, affectionate, personable, loyal,

*SPECIAL GOOD POINTS

Good watch dog.

This breed sheds lightly.

Love to play ball.

*SPECIAL BAD POINTS

Poor guard dog.

Can be difficult to housetrain.

Is a digger.

Will bark plenty if left outside too much.

*Other Names Known By: CantabTerrier, Jones Terrier, Trumpington Terrier

*Every dog is an individual so not everything in this information may be correct for your dog. This information is meant as a good faith guideline only.

So, you’re looking for a recipe for dog biscuits or other type of dog treat? Here are some simple recipes that are fast and fun and your dog will love them! Here is a recipe for pet brownies, which takes about 1 pound of calves liver, 1 cup of flour, one-half cup of cornmeal, and one tablespoon of garlic powder. Blend all of these ingredients well in the food processor and pour onto a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil that has been greased. Remember to press the mixture flat and bake for 20 minutes at 350°F. Don’t overcook them as they will get crumbly if you do. When they are brown they will be done, and obviously when pink, they will not be done.

How about homemade dog biscuits for a dog treat! You will need 1 pound of boiled liver, cooked steak or roast beef, or substituting tuna or salmon is a great way to avoid including any bones. You will need one or two eggs with the shells and a half-cup of leftover cooked vegetables. Take one and one- half cups of whole wheat flour (or white flour will do), 1 cup of cornmeal, one-half teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of Brewer’s yeast and three tablespoons of cooking oil.

Mix dry ingredients together and set aside. Place the eggs, meat and veggies in your food processor and blend well. When blended, stir in the dry ingredients to make a dough, then roll it to a quarter-inch thick. Cut into dog-shaped bones with a cookie cutter and bake at 325°F for 25 minutes. Most of all have fun making your dog treats. Your dog will love them. What a great Christmas treat or just a special treat for your pet anytime!

House training a shih tzu puppy is very important for the well being of both the shih tzu puppy and the owner. The number one reason that dogs are surrendered to animal shelters is problems with inappropriate elimination, so it is easy to see why proper house training is such an important consideration.

It is important to establish proper toilet habits when the shih tzu puppy is young, since these habits can last a lifetime, and be very hard to break once they are established. It is very important for the owner to house break the shih tzu puppy properly. In most cases, true house training cannot begin until the shih tzu puppy is six months old. Puppies younger than this generally lack the bowel and bladder control that is needed for true house training.

Shih Tzu puppies younger than six months should be confined to a small, shih tzu puppy proofed room when the owner cannot supervise them. The entire floor of the room should be covered with newspapers or similar absorbent materials, and the paper changed every time it is soiled. As the shih tzu puppy gets older, the amount of paper used can be reduced as the shih tzu puppy begins to establish a preferred toilet area. It is this preferred toilet area that will form the basis of later house training.

The Do’s of House Training Your Puppy:

Always provide the shih tzu puppy with constant, unrestricted access to the established toilet area.

When you are at home, take the shih tzu puppy to the toilet area every 45 minutes.

When you are not at home or cannot supervise the shih tzu puppy, you must be sure the shih tzu puppy cannot make a mistake. This means confining the shih tzu puppy to a small area that has been thoroughly puppy proofed. Puppy proofing a room is very similar to baby proofing a room, since puppies chew on everything.

Always provide a toilet area that does not resemble anything in your home. Training the shih tzu puppy to eliminate on concrete, blacktop, grass or dirt is a good idea. The shih tzu puppy should never be encouraged to eliminate on anything that resembles the hardwood flooring, tile or carpet he may encounter in a home.

Praise and reward your shih tzu puppy every time he eliminates in the established toilet area. The shih tzu puppy must learn to associate toileting in the established areas with good things, like treats, toys and praise from his owner.

Always keep a set schedule when feeding your shih tzu puppy, and provide constant access to fresh, clean drinking water. A consistent feeding schedule equals a consistent toilet schedule.

Using a crate can be a big help in helping a shih tzu puppy develop self control. The concept behind crate training is that the shih tzu puppy will not want to toilet in his bed area.

And finally, it is important to be patient when house training a shih tzu puppy. House training can take as long as several months, but it is much easier to house train right the first time than to retrain a problem dog.

The Don’ts of House Training Your Shih Tzu Puppy

Never reprimand or punish the shih tzu puppy for mistakes. Punishing the shih tzu puppy will only cause fear and confusion.

Do not leave food out for the shih tzu puppy all night long. Keep to a set feeding schedule in order to make the dog’s toilet schedule as consistent as possible.

Do not give the shih tzu puppy the run of the house until he has been thoroughly house trained.

House training is not always the easiest thing to do, and some dogs tend to be much easier to house train than others. It is important, however to be patient, consistent and loving as you train your shih tzu. A rushed, frightened or intimidated shih tzu will not be able to learn the important lessons of house training. Once you have gained your shih tzu puppy’s love and respect, however, you will find that house training your shih tzu puppy is easier than you ever expected.

The main thing is to be prepared! Have all your supplies ready before the big day arrives, preferably no less than one week prior to the due date. Formerly dogs whelped just wherever, in the barn, under the porch. Today’s breeder, however, has a real vested interest in their pregnant shih tzu, one of time, money, energy and emotional investment. Breeding shih tzu is a big, big job and full of labor. If you are passionate about breeding shih tzu, however, it all boils down to labors of love!

Care involves meeting nutritional and emotional support and detailed attention to the environment you provide during whelping and later. Not only is the whelping place of utmost importance to the physical and emotional well-being of your shih tzu, but also the “layette” you assemble to assist in the whelping and care of the puppies is of equal importance.

The whelping box is by far the largest and most obvious piece of equipment you must have. Cardboard boxes just won’t do. There are manufactured whelping boxes you can purchase. You “can” use plastic storage bins (these are very easily cleaned). I like using a wood box the size of a child’s toy box. I have mine special made to a specific size for each of my shih tzu. I have mine painted with a durable paint I can disenfect easily. I like to put some colorful decales of some sort for decoration on outside the box. I have mostly pastel colors like baby blue, baby yellow, baby pink. The wood boxes are warmer in my opinion. I use regular heating pads in the boxes under the babies for extra warmth. These boxes can also be used as sleeping boxes of which most of my shih tzu adore. They can be made very cozy with soft blankets and homemade quilts, which my shih tzu also adore. The box should only be big enough for the mother to fully stretch out in. Bigger is not better. Most of my boxes measure outside 21 inches wide and 31 inches long. Inside the box is 18 inches wide and 29 inches long. I have a trim on the bottom that is 22 inches wide and 32 inches long. Whatever whelping box you use should be sturdy and should not rock, should allow the mother to climb in and out easily. A solution of Clorox bleach and water is a good disinfectant to use on the whelping box daily.

The whelping box should be ready for occupancy about two weeks prior to the litter’s due date. Show the mother her box as her personal territory. Encourage her to sleep in it before delivery. Let her get use to getting in and out of the box. A shih tzu unacustomed to her whelping box may refuse to use it. She may try to carry her babies off somewhere else. Exterior doors to the whelping box area should remain closed for the mother and puppies privacy. The environment should be draft-free and kept a consistent temperature.

The area you make for whelping should be large enough for the box, her food and water and a place to occasionally rest away from her puppies.

Be prepared to give up a portion of your home for no less than three weeks. My moms and puppies have a permanent spot reserved especially for them until delivery of the puppies. Ideally, do not move the mother and puppies from the area where puppies are whelped. Once puppies are able to try and climb out of the box, they can be moved along with mother to another location if you desire.

Expect your life to be disrupted when you and your shih tzu mother are raising a litter. Most puppies arrive at odd hours, seldom during the day, most often in the middle of the night. You need to be present for each whelping, but especially for the whelping of a first time mom. Without you, mom may become confused or excited and scatter or neglect some of the puppies.

You will need a separate puppy box. Small vinyl shoe boxes work well for this. Have it lined with a heating pad and a soft, flannel baby blanket. After the mother has whelped her second puppy, remove the first and place in the puppy box. Sometimes this is hard to do. Shih Tzu mothers are very possessive of their babies. It is important to warm up newborn puppies as soon as possible and the mother’s whelping box will most likely be cold and full of whelping fluids. It is more important now to get the babies as warm as possible. You can place another baby receiving blanket over the puppy box to make an incubator-type atmosphere and hold in the heat. If puppies settle down and do not cry, the temperature is just right. There will be plenty of time for them to be with mom after all puppies are whelped. If time in between puppies seems to be long, you can place the puppies back with mom to nurse if they will. This helps stimulate the labor pains of the mother and to deliver the next puppies. If puppies refuse to nurse, place them back in the warming box. Change the whelping box blankets or towels after the 3rd puppy is whelped. Mom will need the smell of her newly whelped puppies to wake up her instincts to continue deliveries, cutting cords and tending to her offspring.

The heating pads should be square or slightly rectangular, be waterproof, have a protective cover and be free of any strings or ribbons. Heating pads ust have a variety of temperature settings and an automatic turn-off switch for safety. Have this puppy box warmed and ready to receive the newborns. As mentioned before if puppies are sleeping quietly, the temperature is just right. If the puppies move about crying, they are either too hot or too cold. If the puppies are bobbing their heads and crying, they are hungry. Attempt to place them on the mother to nurse. As soon as all puppies are whelped, place clean linens in the whelping box and all the puppies back with mom to nurse. Place the heating pad in the box with mom and puppies.

You may also need the following items: sterile hemostats or sterilized blunt-end scissors, heavy sterile silk sewing thread, dental floss or heavy sterile silk sutures, petroleum or lubricating jelly, several pairs of sterile surgical gloves, a rubber pediatric bulb syring, surgical antiseptic scrub for your hands. Ink pen and paper.

The well-equipped “doggie midwife” will also have on hand a tube feeder and syringe, and some puppy milk replacer.

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Coming when called is a vital skill that every dog must learn, both for its own safety and that of those around it. A disobedient dog that refuses to come when called could easily be hit by a car, get into a fight with another dog, or suffer a variety of other bad experiences. A well trained dog that comes when called can safely be taken out to play in the local park, at the beach, on the hiking trail, or anywhere else the owner and dog may wish to go.

Basic training to come when called is relatively easy and straightforward, and involves providing praise, treats and other perks when the dog does as his owner wants. After these basic come when called training exercises are mastered, there are a number of fun exercises that can be introduced to challenge the dog and pique its interest.

Making training into a fun game is one of the best ways to motivate dog and handler alike. It is easy for training sessions to become routine and boring, and it is important to keep them from degenerating into this state.

Before beginning any food based training exercise, it is important to make sure that the dog is properly motivated and ready to respond to treat based training. Testing the dog is simply a matter of taking a piece of his regular food and waving it in front of the dog’s nose. If the dog shows great enthusiasm for the food, it is ready to start the training. If not, it is best to wait until the dog is in a more receptive mood.

The treats that work best for treat based training games like hide and seek are cut up quarter inch or smaller pieces of chicken, cheese or liver. In other words, something your dog will love. It is best to use very small pieces to avoid overfeeding the dog during he training sessions.

One great game for you and another family member or friend to play with your dog is simply back and forth recall. This is a great exercise for teaching your dog to come whenever it is called by a member of the family. Dogs often learn to only respond to one person, and this can be a problem when other people are watching the dog. That is one reason why professional dog trainers always insist on working with the owner as well as the dog. A well trained dog must learn to respond to whoever is in charge, not just the owner or usual handler.

In the back and forth recall game, two or more people stand approximately ten yards apart, in a safe place like a fenced in yard. One person calls the dog and asks him to sit and say until another person asks the dog to come. When the dog responds to the command to come, it is rewarded with a treat. Most dogs respond wonderfully to this exercise and love playing this game. When playing the back and forth recall game, it is important that only the person who called the dog be allowed to give the dog a treat.

After the dog has mastered the back and forth recall game, the humans in the game can start to spread further out, thus turning the back and forth recall game into a fun game of hide and seek. The hide and seek game starts with two or more people in the center room of the house. Every time they call the dog to come, they spread out further away from where they started. As the game continues, one person will be at one end of the house, while another may be at the opposite end. What makes the hide and seek game so much fun for the dog is that he must seek out the person to get the treat, instead of simply running up to a person in plain sight. This type of seeking behavior appeals to many of the dog’s natural instincts. After all, dogs are naturally hunting animals, and seeking out food is second nature to them.