admin answers:

I can’t stand the taste of liver so am not gonna worry about it. I did hear a woman on a talk show several years ago say that her drunk husband drank up their grocery money and one night brought home with of his drunk friends from the bowling alley, and wanted her to cook them something to eat. She had a pound of hamburger in the ice box and that was all the meat they had to feed the familyuntil payday a week later, she also had a package of Gainsburgers for dogs (I remember the same time getting a free pack of those with a coupon, they were something new) and she mixed an egg and some chopped onion and seasoning salt and made them into patties and fried them up. They all thought they were great and a couple of them ate 2 a piece.

admin answers:

I really wish people would adopt and not buy puppies, as there are literally hundreds of thousands of unwanted dogs out there, and breeding more puppies causes the suffering of so many dogs (people wouldn’t breed if no one bought the puppies) .

However, since you’ve already done this, I hope in your research you learned that labs can destroy your house and furniture, so if your dog is going to be alone for periods, you have to be careful.

I would adopt the Dog Whisperer’s advice and take your dog for very long walks to tire him or her out before you leave the house. I would also provide lots of nontoxic chew toys. If you only go out for short periods, I would consider a crate and crate training. Please don’t crate your dog for 9 hours at a time, though.

I have seen labs eat furniture, kitchen cupboards, a brick wall, and a back porch. And when I say eat, I mean eat, I don’t mean just a little bit of chewing.

Labs also jump up on people. The easiest way to discourage this behaviour is to be prepared and gently stick your knee out whenever he or she tries to do this. There is no punishment involved, it just prevents the dog from achieving what he’s trying to do.

Third, since labs are high energy dogs, an agility program would be great, and would keep both of you happy while keeping the destructive behaviour to a minimum. Most dogs love and even need jobs, this would be a way to provide him with exercise for his brain and body.

Swimming would be a great way to exercise your dog, too.

If at all possible, don’t feed commercial dog food. I’m not crazy about raw, myself, but a cooked diet of organic meat and vegetables keeps a dog healthy and young.

Supplements like wheat grass, bovine colostrum and natural forms of vitamin C are great too. I just read about a breeder who will only guarantee his dogs’ joints if the dogs are fed raw fruits and vegetables that contain vitamin C and an additional vitamin C supplement made from whole foods (not corn, which most is derived from).

I buy a natural vitamin C powder at iherb.com that I sprinkle on my dogs’ food three times per day. It helped stop my little one’s hip problems. Vitamin C is a powerful anti-inflammatory and helps collagen regenerate.

Coupon code PEY561 will give you $5-$10 off your first order at iherb, they seem to have the lowest prices and free shipping, too.

Http://www.iherb.com/Nature-s-Way-Alive-Vitamin-C-Powder-120-g/15056

http://www.iherb.com/Organic-by-Nature-Pure-Planet-Amla-C-Plus-Vitamin-C-Powder-4-oz-114-g/16060

admin answers:

I’d go with Innova out of the two of them. When considering protein content, remember that protein can come from both meat and plant sources. You want protein from meat based sources. I personally prefer completely grain free as I’ve had better results on those foods. Other good foods are Timberwolf Organics, Taste of the Wild, Orijen, Wellness CORE, and Fromm’s.

For switching, exchange about 25% of her regular food with the new food. Do that for a few days and if her stools look good you can give her 50/50. A few more days of good stools and you can go to 75% new food. If everything goes well, give her 100% of the new food. If she seems to be having trouble, go back and do the transition much slower. Some dogs just need a slower change and others can go through it pretty quickly. You’ll find out what is right for your new girl pretty quickly.

Congrats on the new addition to your family!

admin answers:

No such thing!

admin answers:

I actually asked this at one point and got tons of great answers (i hope whoever answered mine answers this one as well):

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aj.48WhgoxuxtBVsM_T9B_jsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20100224141029AAObz1a

Comes down to the basics:
– How many personal dogs are titled/trained
– How many did you HELP train/title
– How many mentors, how many years under said mentor(s)
– Number of dogs worked with, variety of breeds
– Knowledge of NUMEROUS methods (not just one)

I do NOT look for degrees form any colleges or schools because i have yet to find a school/class that does a good job in training multiple methods on multiple breeds/dogs. They can be good STARTER courses but you learn best from a mentor or several in real life situations.

admin answers:

* Offer in-home services for the adoptive families of dogs you’ve been working with. If you’re more comfortable, you can start by offering this for free and move up to charging an hourly rate for in-home visits

* Get out and meet local trainers in your area. Tell them that you’re interested in transitioning to being a professional trainer. Many trainers offer apprenticeship programs. Even if a trainer doesn’t offer apprenticeship, forming a relationship with lots of trainers gives you a chance that they will refer business opportunities to you. I’m currently building a part-time training business and I’ve been pleasantly surprised how many referrals I’m getting from my own trainers and instructors.

* Take classes locally, or watch classes. As part of the above bullet, talk to lots of trainers and tell them you’re looking for opportunities to be assistant trainer in Basic or other classes.

* Join APDT (American Pet Dog Trainers). They have a great email list network of trainers and a monthly training journal called “APDT Chronicle of the Dog” as well as annual conferences and discounts on training seminars (http://www.apdt.com). They will also list you in their directory of trainers.

* Don’t miss any opportunity to watch and learn from other trainers. Even if a trainer does not use a training style you particularly care for, pay a lot of attention to what works and what doesn’t work and why

* Read, read, read. There are a wealth of fabulous books out there on training, behaviorism, dog psychology, physiology, and more. Become as familiar as possible with behavioral terms and concepts and with various training styles and trends. Learn how behavior can be affected by physical factors. Read case studies of the many, many different causes (and therefore solutions) for nuisance barking or destructiveness or house training issues or reactive behavior, etc. Subscribe to training magazines and journals. Use the library if you don’t have the money to stock your own bookshelves, but don’t spare the written word.

* If you don’t currently participate in any dog sports like agility or obedience or Rally obedience (or a host of others), that can be a great way to hone your training skills while getting out to meet like-minded people. I have found that practice sessions and trials are a fantastic way to network, far more so than classes, because you have quite a bit of time to relax and socialize while waiting for your turn.

* Have a little resume of dog experience handy that you can share with prospective clients or trainers. This gives you a chance ahead of time to think about your strengths and perhaps also to notice some weak areas where you might want to try to get more experience.

Good luck! Training can be tough but also very rewarding!