Tips to Help Control Barking

Above photo courtesy of Cocoa Bella Havanese

No doubt about we all know dogs bark. It is their way of "talking,"  or a natural reaction much like in humans we talk as reactions to things in our environment. Dogs barking can be much more annoying than a person constantly talking. Yelling, rewarding bad habits and inconsistent disciplining is not the way to go for solving this problem.

You first want to try and figure out the source of your dog's barking if you want a permanent solution. Maybe the dog barks due to being bored. If so, provide your dog with interesting and/or fun things to do and you solve your problem. If separation anxiety is the reason your dog barks you will need to try a completely different approach. If you have several dogs, they may even dog with each other as a way of "arguing" or determining ranking order.

In this article, I will give you a few tips I have learned are recommendations trainers and dog behaviorists offer the most for dealing with  your dog's barking.

Providing enough exercise always seems to top the list. Try this one first. Giving your dog adequate amounts of physical and mental exercise before you leave them or every day for that matter could possibly help them to rest more when you are not home or rest more in general. A daily walk is great if you have time to walk your dog. If not, then think about hiring a dog walker.

Many dogs bark at people or other dogs in their territory. Socializing your dog well can help solve this problem. If a dog has many positive experiences with all ages and types of people such as people on bikes, the mailman, people in wheelchairs and children, the dog is less likely to protest and bark at them. If your dog is a mailman barker, ask the mailman to give your dog a cookie, for example, to try and ease the tension between them.

Interactive dog toys and puzzles help to stimulate the dog's mind and hopefully provide them with less desire to bark for an activity. Place treats inside a dog puzzle toy and the dog to work at getting the treats off to take his mind off barking at outside noises.

Another common suggestion I see and hear a lot from dog trainers for dogs who bark a lot when their owner is gone is to leave the dog with some familiar sounds such as a radio or television. Oddly enough my dogs seem to calm down to "Popeye Cartoons."

Close the blinds when you leave home to help remove the dog's opportunity to see things within their territory.

Teach a "be quiet" command of your choice or use a silent foghorn device, silent to you, but very loud to the dog's ears. If you use a foghorn, press the button at the moment the dog barks, then release it when the dog stops barking. Some dogs will learn this is their command to stop barking. And all dog trainers always advise to give treats for obedient behaviors to whatever you choose as your quiet commands.

If you have read many articles or seen many videos about training dogs, you probably have read or heard these tips before. Never hurts to be reminded of them again. I hope you find one of these tips to be helpful in training your dog or dogs NOT to bark excessively. They have the right to talk in dog language, just not to the extreme!

Dog Grooming Tips for the Summer

Above photo courtesy of Beautiful Bologonese

Summertime will be upon us before we know it. Time passes so quick. Be prepared for summer grooming as it usually means spending more time outdoors with your dog. The goal here is to make your dog feel cool and comfortable. A bonus with grooming your dog at home is it enhances the relationship you have with your dog. Dogs appreciate beauty salon treatments from their owners and will repay you with a closer bond to you. Grooming shows your dog you love him or her. Even if you have professional grooming intervals, grooming at home is an excellent way to tell your dog, "you are special to me," and "I love you."

Brushing your dog regularly provides many benefits that range from reduced shedding to a cleaner coat all the time. Brushing your dog daily is also an excellent way of keeping your dog cool in the summertime as it also helps you spot anything going wrong with your dog's skin such as infections, allergies or even fleas and ticks that are extra summertime problems for you and your dog. Brush regular to get out the mats that may develop in your dog's coat. Mats are extra bothersome in the summer months as they trap moisture from humidity and irritate your dog's skin. Brush regular to remove the dead hair. Brush regular to help circulation on the outer layer of skin.

Don't bath your dog too often. This is often a mistake people make in summer months thinking it helps the dog be more comfortable. If you brush every day, this will keep the coat clean. Every few weeks or once a month is usually enough depending on your dog breed. In between baths, you can use leave on sprays that condition and clean. You can also use a damp towel to wipe off dirt and help keep the dog clean in between baths.

Consider a summer haircut or shave down in summer months to help keep your dog cooler and more comfortable. Dogs don't sweat like people do. Their body heat needs some external help from you to get out. A summer time hair cut is especially necessary for dogs with longer or thicker hair.

Consider summer time pools especially for your pooch to splash around in, to jump into and cool off. 

Grooming safety is always a priority for grooming at home and professional grooming. 

Interesting Facts About American Eskimo Dog Breed

Above photo courtesy of American Eskimos in Tri State Area 

Judging from the name of this dog breed you might assume they originated from America. They are actually a German dog breed descending from the German Spitz who came to the United States with their German immigrant owners. The name "Eskimo" makes you think they might be sled dogs in Alaska, but this is not the case either. They were never bred to be genuine sled dogs, however, they excel at agility competitions. If you are looking for a good breed for agility competitions, look no further than the American Eskimos.

Beautiful German Spitz snow white dogs were originally used as herder dogs, livestock guards and hunting dogs. It was only when they were brought to the United States they became quite popular as family pets.

Another interesting fact about the American Eskimo dog is that in the late 19th century, they became popular with the traveling circuses. Since they are so easy to train they were capable of performing many kinds of entertaining agility stunts. Just imagine how stunning their bright white coats looked under the spotlight of a circus show. You can see why they then became popular as family pets. Many families gathered to see their acts and fell in love with this dog so much they wanted one at home for a family pet.

I bet you never imagined the American Eskimo Dog was the first at becoming an acrobat and walking a tightrope. That being said, you most likely could train this dog to do a variety of tricks to put on amazing performances, for example, at children's birthday parties and more. Just think how much kids would enjoy seeing these beautiful dogs perform tricks for them at their friend's or neighborhood child's birthday party.

The American Eskimo Dog is like the Poodle in that they come in three sizes: The standard usually weighs no more than about 35 pounds; the miniature size and a toy size.

Okay, so I lied! They don't only come in white. You can also find them in a biscuit color. They are either completely white or white with biscuit cream around the edges.

The American Eskimo Dog is a stunner both in the show ring and at home.

Things I Bet You Did Not Know About Yorkies

 

Above Photo Compliments of Rockstar Yorkies

If you are familiar with the Yorkie, you already know they are a big personality wrapped up in a tiny body and are one of the most favorite of toy dogs. But here are a few things you probably did not know about the famous Yorkie dog:

1. Yorkies are called the TOMBOY TOY. Why is that you might say? Ha, Ha. are you fooled by this toy breed's tiny stature? Well don't be. They are actually 5 to 7 pounds of pure tomboy mainly because of their spunky personality. Their traits of high head carriage and confident manner gives them the appearance of vigor and self importance. Because of these traits Yorkies do exceptionally well at dog sports such as agility. They also make excellent therapy dogs, travel companions and family dogs. 
2. The Yorkie's Coat has a similar feel to HUMAN HAIR. They don't have an undercoat, but they will tangle up if not brushed daily.
3. Yorkie's background include "blue collar work." As they parade around the show ring with their flowing coats and beautiful bows you might not ever know that underneath it all there is a tendency to love catching rats.
4. The Yorkie breed may have been inspiration for the dog star Toto from the Wizard of Oz, whoever, the dog in the movie is played by a Cairn Terrier. It is just that Yorkie was popular at the time and the illustrator of the first book owned a Yorkie.
5. There once was one Yorkie who was a war hero. A Yorkie name Smoky is credited with saving lives of soldiers by dragging a communications cable through an 8-inch-wide, 60-foot-long drainage culvert. She is also thought to be the world's first therapy dog who visited wounded soldiers in hospitals.
6. Yorkies are  not afraid to live in the big cities. They routinely make the top list for dog owners in New York City.

 

How Best to Groom a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

The Cavalier King Charles usually has a medium-long and luscious coat with a silky feel to the human hands and fingers. Their feathery ears lets you know this is a dog of royalty. If you want to keep this dog at an elegant and tangle-free best you will need to plan on quite a bit of time grooming. Your rewards will be a beautiful, happy dog you will proud to own and admire.

This breed is about 13 to 18 pounds and in the toy dog category so lifting here and there for grooming chores is usually quite easy.

The Cavalier is a natural having a single coat and usually very manageable coats of hair as well. A well known hallmark for this breed are sweet, large round eyes. Their noble disposition looks best with regular daily brushing and at least every 2 weeks bathing. Don't forget to trim the nails and brush the teeth.

Days before you bathe your Cavalier turn the pet dryer on and off a few times until you notice he feels comfortable with the noise. Slowly handle his face, mouth, ears and feet to get him use to being touched by you.

Pay attention to keeping knots from forming along the dog's ears, chest, back of legs, tail and underbelly. Ten minute per day brushing is a must. Lightly mist the coat with water or a favorite product to help detangle the hair. Life's Abundance makes some excellent all natural grooming products you might like to try. Brushing the coat daily will help pull out the dead hair. The coat should lie flat and feel soft. Using a boar bristle brush or pin brush is best for brushing. Cavaliers like all dogs do shed. Brushing daily will help confine the dead hairs to the brush instead of your surroundings. This breed drops hair all year long and is not a seasonal shedding dog.

Use  a dog shampoo that is mild with low-residue. Rinse with water that feels a bit cooler than you bathe in. End the bath with a high quality dog creme rinse conditioner, then blow dry using low temperature.

How to Make a Basic Dog Shampoo at Home

 

Here are 3 things you accomplish if you make your own dog shampoo:

1. You save money
2. You use all natural products
3. If you are a do it yourself kind of person making dog shampoo just gives you one more project to tinker around with

Try this basic homemade dog shampoo:

2 cups of warm water

1/4 cup of nontoxic dish soap

1/2 cup of white vinegar

Very simple. Just combine all above ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well to mix. Wet your dog's coat with warm water and spray with this mixture. Avoid the eyes of course. Work the shampoo into dog's coat and create a thick lather. Rinse it all out thoroughly. Keep rinsing until you are sure all homemade shampoo is out of your dog's coat. Then dry as you normally would do. You are done!

How to Brush Your Dog's Teeth

Don't overlook brushing your dog's teeth. Brushing away the plaque helps maintain fresh breath and helps prevent decayed teeth or gum disease. 

Follow these steps for easy canine teeth brushing.

1. Choose a time just with your dog with nobody else around.
2. Have your "dog" toothbrush ready.
3. Gently touch the toothbrush to the teeth starting with front, side and back teeth on top and bottom. Praise and reward your dog when he or she accepts this step.
4. Show your dog the toothpaste and let them lick it from your finger.
5. Add toothpaste to toothbrush.
6. Brush top teeth by holding the upper lip up. Brush front of teeth. Praise your dog for accepting.
7. Move from front teeth further back to the side and back teeth on top.
8. Brush bottom teeth by holding down bottom lip. Start with front teeth, then move to the side and back.
9. Brush bottom teeth, first the sides and then the back.
10. To make this experience positive, frequently praise the dog and give the dog a treat at each step he accepts the procedure even though it seems your dog's teeth will just get dirty again, it is important in the beginning to reward them so they will find the teeth brushing procedures pleasurable.. Later you can work on removing the treats and just use praise. If praise alone works, go with that alone.