Holiday travel with a small animal

Getting away from it all (aka a vacation) is great. So much so, we often want to travel with all our family, including our pets. Here are five tips to ensure your pet’s safe and comfortable during its trip (hopefully somewhere tropical!).

1. If you’re driving, make sure you buckle the pet carrier securely into the backseat…

Mediterranean Wheat Treat

Dog food recipe ingredients:

1 package dry yeast

1 C. bulgar wheat/cracked wheat

1 C. wheat flour

1 C. rice flour

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 C. dry milk

1/2 C. grated parmesean

2 T. parsley

2 C. Chicken or beef broth/stock

2 T. Olive oil

1 t. oregano

1/2 C. warm water

Glaze:

1 Egg

1 T. Milk

Dog food recipe instructions: Preheat the oven to 325. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve…

Becoming your puppy’s leader

For the past 25 or so years there has been a lot of talk in the dog world about being your dog’s leader. Some feel this aptly describes the role we should take with our dogs and others feel it is a word too closely associated with a sort of military approach to the canine/human relationship and implies a…

You Hide A Treat and Your Dog Seeks It

Now let us play hide and seek with the naughty dogs when they’re enjoying their food. But before that you need to have a look at the Seek-A-Treat and learn about the rules. The new feeding device has 5 hidden compartments to store biscuit pieces and other goodies, and they’ll be opened to expose a tasty treat when…

Bringing home a new pup? Take a test drive.

Once you have your general list started on paper, plan to visit local dog training schools to make a more specific assessment of types of dogs that you might consider most suitable for your family. This is a great place to meet loads of puppies and adult dogs, and to learn a bit more about training and socialization  prior…

Basic Obedience for Shih Tzu Puppies

As your puppy matures, asking to be let out when necessary will become second nature, and it is rare to encounter a Shih Tzu who is unclean in the house. A stud dog, however, can be different, for he may well want to mark his territory—and your table and chair legs may be just the places he chooses! Males…

Housebreaking 101

Your dog must be housebroken, and this job should begin as soon as you bring him home. Diligence during the first two or three weeks will surely pay off. Housebreaking a PRT should be a relatively easy task since the breed is so smart. Of course, crates are a major help in housebreaking, and most breeders wouldn’t dream…

When Your New Puppy Needs to Go

There are particular times when a puppy will have to relieve himself. Being aware of these times will help avoid accidents and improve the chances for expedient house-training.

Always take your pup out at the following times:

1. After sleeping/napping. Pups automatically control their bladders while sleeping. Upon waking, they need the opportunity to relieve themselves. The…

Housetraining a Puppy From Day One

Housetraining a puppy doesn’t have to be a headache.

The more vigilant the family is about reducing the puppy’s opportunity to have accidents and rewarding successes, the quicker and easier the puppy is trained, says Julie Jackson, canine behavior coordinator for the Dane County Humane Society in Wisconsin.

Begin training the first day you take your…

How to Housetrain

Housetraining is perhaps the most important aspect of managing your dogs behavior and often the most difficult. Too often, not housetrained is the reason a dog is relinquished to an animal shelter or otherwise loses his home. While many dogs seem to be magically housetrained from the get-go, others have a harder time with the concept. Whether…

Help for Home Wreckers

If your dog is a home wrecker, don’t despair. Help is available. A little digging on your part, not your dog’s, will turn up any number of useful techniques, products and information sources to help with the problem.

Toys and Play Look for toys that stimulate your pet’s interest. Make sure each toy has lots of “give,” so your pet can…