I found a new product last summer to help with those brown patches on the lawn and bushes, it is called “dog rocks” and is a rock mined in Australia. You put the rocks in the dogs drinking bowl and this naturally occurring rock does the rest. It takes about six weeks to kick in so get some now to get the process working for you!
Visit the site for more information or go to my links page for link.
What is okay for puppies to eat?
March 11, 2010
For first time dog owners the world can seem a dangerous place for their precious puppies! But I have to tell you puppies have remarkable constitutions, this is a born scavenger and nature equipped them with a stomach that can withstand most natural materials and decomposed matter!
If you allow your human squeamishness to interrupt your puppy eating rubbish every time, and this will be frequent while the puppy is young, you will be giving out this message: I want what you have, it is something I am interested in and I am competing with you to have “it” first! Young dogs learn from older dogs in the pack what is valuable in this world, if the other dogs are interested then it must be good! You or the humans in the puppy’s life play this part in a human home.
If you don’t want your puppy to keep showing interest in stuff then you must not either! If you are too disgusted use some tasty food to distract your puppy from the thing, do not let your puppy see you remove “it” or you will be back to encouraging again. By using something tasty to distract you will be actively demonstrating that there is something better to eat as well as demonstrating your lack of interest which over time will teach your puppy not to go for inappropriate things to eat.
Stones are one of the commonest problem that I come across especially in new dog owners, though some more experienced owners do make the same mistake. The reality is that puppies will pass small stones easily, and they are bound to consume a few in discovering that stones are not food, by distracting the puppy over and over with a tasty tit bit you will soon persuade them to leave stones alone! If not this problem can soon escalate to eating larger and larger stones that could block the bowel and endanger your pets life or incur large vet bills.
The other downside of not addressing this issue is that the puppy can become possessive over something as simple as tissue if you constantly remove them from her.
here is a list of stuff that puppies can and should be allowed to explore that are harmless and will if ignored soon be forgotten:
- Tissue, including kitchen roll, toilet paper
- Paper in any form
- Cardboard
- Wood pieces (do not throw or play with sticks)
- Tea towels (leave old ones lying around until they get bored or old bits of cloth)
- Ash, bits of coal
- animal excrement!
Dogs will take food that is left out, if I leave my kitchen with food on the side I don’t expect it to be there when I return! It is the nature of the dog to scavenge, and fighting this natural behaviour will just give you a headache and spoil your relationship with your dog.
If your dog is already possessive about any or all of these items please contact me, this is curable!
What to look for if you think your puppy has eaten something dangerous
- Lethargy
- Sickness
- Diarrhea
- Loss of appetite
call your Vet immediately!
Preventing or curing food possession in your dog!
March 4, 2010
Let the training begin! Here is the first step of preventing or curing food possession in any dog, any age!
Follow the steps on the clip and repeat every day for 2 weeks, if your dog is already food possessive you may need to continue for a month, it will work, if you have any questions or comments please post them?
Dry food is ideal for this process, wet food can be used, but if you have a food possessive dog please consider changing to a good quality dry food. Contact me if you want more guidance.
Please show tell all the dog owners you know about this simple method of preventing food possession, it will save lives and injury to people!
More information coming on upcoming posts, watch this space!
Dogs and Australia!
March 1, 2010
I am home from lovely sunny Sydney, I miss the sun already, though it is so good to see my dog and be in my own home again! Not to mention catching up with friends, family and clients!
Red, a very good friend in Sydney!
I must say a big thank you to Peter Jefferson and Kay Smith and the members and instructors of Sydney All Breeds Dog Training Club, who welcomed me so kindly on my last Sunday in Sydney! They allowed me to watch their classes which was great to see, how having gone half way round the world, they are training their dogs with similar methods to us and doing a great job. The instructors all give their time for free, and give a really professional service, making everyone feel welcome. The dogs demonstrated what a great job they are doing, they were relaxed and performed so well, as did the handlers!
I especially liked the structure, something that I have often felt missing in many similar english dog clubs, giving clear guidelines about suitable equipment, colour coding the different levels to help split the handlers into groups and keeping to about 6 or 7 in a group, a great number to ensure attention for everyone and success. They do have the advantage of always being able to train outside, a luxury that we often miss out on with our climate!
When the teaching was finished I was treated to a chat with the instructors and chocolates! How lovely it was to feel so welcome and at home so far from the UK! I gained a great insight into dog ownership in Australia.
My other top dog experience was that my son Matthew’s good friend Ryan loaned me his little Chihuahua, Red. I so appreciated having a dog with me, it made me feel much more at home! Red was delightful companion and satisfied a great desire I have had to live with a hand bag size dog! At 9 years of age, Ryan has done a great job of training Red, from retrieve to stays and coming to call Red is so good! He had taught him to hide in a shopping bag so that I could take him anywhere without anyone knowing I had a dog, he completely understood that he must keep his head down and keep still so that no one knew he was there, most useful when using the bus and taxi’s as they aren’t keen on dogs using public transport in Sydney!
Red and I shared some great walks, we both got fitter on our favourite walk from Bronte beach to Bondi along the clifftops, with views like that walking becomes so much easier, especially with the sunshining!
Ryan wanted me to teach Red how to roll over, one trick he didn’t know. What I learnt in teaching this to Red is just how bright he is, I have taught quite a few dogs to roll over, a great exercise for increasing a dog’s physical confidence, and Red learnt so quickly, in just a few sessions he was nearly doing this on command, he just needed the slightest physical signal to get him rolling! And he so loved learning, this is the first experience I have had of trianing a Chihuahua and I have to say if they are all like Red they are nearly Collie like in their desire to learn and practice!
My thanks to Ryan and Naomi for lending Red to me, he has a permanent place in my heart!
oh did I say how warm the water was?
We all had a great morning training our dogs!
December 1, 2009
Pepe having a drink!
The recall training session this saturday was great fun, the thing that struck me most was how good the handlers were at concentrating on their own dogs! Not easy when they were all off lead, but the dogs responded to the handlers concentration and stayed focused!
We had 2 Jack Russell Pups and 2 GSD pups, all of which were great fun, the owners have done a great job of playing hide and seek with their puppies before the training session, which proved the value of this exercise once again, as the puppies were much more interested in their handlers than the other dogs and handlers!
Pepe and Janice were in attendance and Janice very kindly forwarded me this photo of Pepe which I am glad to share with you. Pepe is a huge handsome GSD, Janice has put in some great work with him and it looks to be paying off! I know Sue Horn has been a great support Janice, so well done to both of you! I look forward to working with you again soon!
A short film on a foundation training exerciseto
November 27, 2009
Watch this if you would like to improve your relationship with your dog! Learn to speak dog!
Avril Munson's Blog 