admin answers:

Most of the pet store will let you bring your dog in, so take him with you and have one of the stores associates help measure your dog.

admin answers:

What about a leash ???

admin answers:

A positive trainer who uses positive motivation and clickers – Yes.

A trainer who was a military/police dog trainer – Doesn’t matter.

A trainer who promises fast results using methods that include a choke chain or electric collars – Never.

A trainer who belongs to a reputable dog training association – Yes.

Mainly, a trainer who I trust and can work with.

admin answers:

I believe that Castor & Pollux Organix is made in the United States – they also have a grain free version, and the ingredients are mostly organic.

admin answers:

You’re absolutely right, Science Diet is a poor quality dog food.

Not all pet food is made equally. A lot of it is full of corn, by-products, dyes, unhealthy preservatives, filler grains and all sorts of nasty stuff. A lot of pet food companies are perfectly happy to the dump cheap leftovers and things that aren’t safe for human consumption (from human food processing plants) into their foods. Will it kill your dog? No, it has to be nutritionally complete and safe to even be marketed. Is it healthy? Not by a long shot.

Corn is a low quality ingredient you never want to see in your pet food. Corn and low quality grains are two of the biggest culprits when it comes to food allergies in our pets.

Thankfully, there are some excellent dog foods being made these days that include organic, human grade ingredients rather than trash not fit for human consumption.

Examples of low quality foods to avoid: Anything you can find in a grocery store will be low end, Purina, Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Royal Canin, Pedigree, Kibbles n’ Bits, Beneful, Ol’Roy.

Examples of high quality foods to look for: Innova, Wellness, Solid Gold, Canidae All Life Stages, Fromm Four Star, Merrick, GO Natural, Nature’s Variety Prairie, Nature’s Logic, Artemis Fresh Mix, Timberwolf Organics.

Although the high quality foods are more expensive, you’re getting what you’re paying for. Less filler material means more concentrated nutrients… This means you typically need to feed far less of the high quality food than you would of the low quality one. Which also means less poop!

Before following your vet’s food recommendation, keep in mind that vets get /very/ little nutritional training during their schooling. Besides that, what training they /do/ get is usually sponsored or taught by the crappy pet food companies! They also often get paid to sell some of their products at their clinics (Science Diet, Royal Canin etc.)

A great option is to go with an entirely grainless diet. Many of the high quality foods now put out grainless formulas. Some good grainless diets include: Innova EVO, Wellness CORE, Blue Wilderness, Nature’s Variety Instinct, Orijen, Horizon Legacy, Merrick Before Grain, Canidae Grain Free All Life Stages, Fromm Surf & Turf, Now! And Sold Gold Barking At The Moon, Taste of the Wild.

Some pretty decent foods can even be found in common pet stores. Petsmart carries Blue Buffalo products (such as the excellent grain free diet Blue Wilderness). Petco carries Wellness, Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Eagle Pack Holistic, Blue Buffalo, Castor & Pollux Organix, Pinnacle, and Halo. If you can’t find a food, most of the high quality food brands have websites with store locators on them.

Another option, if you can’t find anywhere around you that sells good foods, is to order your pet food online. Here’s an excellent place to do so: http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/

Remember that foods should be switched gradually (mixing new slowly in with the old over about a two week period), especially when switching to a higher quality one, so as not to upset tummies.

Another option for feeding dogs is to feed raw. This is something that should be thoroughly researched before being attempted:
http://www.barfworld.com/
http://www.rawfed.com/
http://www.rawlearning.com/
http://www.wysong.net/controversies/rawmeat.shtml

More on dog food:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main (Learn how to determine the quality of your dog’s food.)
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ (Dog food reviews. Four stars is a decent food, five stars is a great food, and six stars is an excellent food.)

admin answers:

Well you aren’t going to find much good at petco

You will find Solid Gold and Blue Buffalo

I prefer Natura Products: Innova, California Naturals, Evo.

You won’t find Natura Products at Petco.

But here is a link to the store finder and all you need to do is put in your zip code….

Http://www.naturapet.com/where-to-buy/

(Science diet is full of fillers, your dog will thank you for switching to a better food)

Here is the ingredients to my dogs food….California Naturals

And what it does

Lamb Meal
Lamb meal is the dry rendered (cooked down) product from lamb tissues, exclusive of any added blood, hair, hoof, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices.

Lamb meal is simply lamb meat with the moisture removed, making it suitable for use in dry food. Before you buy a product containing lamb meal, ask the manufacturer about the origin of the lamb meal they use. Natura uses only high-quality lamb meat, not the lamb by-products found in some other pet foods.

Brown Rice
The whole rice kernel containing the nutrient-rich bran with only the rice hull removed.

Rice bran is rich in numerous nutrients like B-vitamins, magnesium, and fatty acids.

Rice
Rice, unless listed as brown rice, is the de-hulled rice kernel, without the bran — known as white rice.

Rice, in its whole form, is a high quality source of carbohydrates, protein and fiber. This is in contrast to fractionated grain ingredients used by some manufacturers such as rice polishings, rice bran, or brewers rice which have been leeched of much of their nutrient value.

Natura uses whole rice, which is the most easily digested grain and the least likely to cause allergic reactions. It is an antidiarrheal and helps lower cholesterol. Natura also uses brown rice, which is the same plant with the bran intact.

Sunflower Oil
Sunflower oil is obtained by extracting oil from sunflower seeds.

Sunflower oil has a high concentration of linoleic acid (73%), which is important for good skin and coat health. Natura uses sunflower oil that has been cold-pressed and protected from exposure to heat and light. This very high quality, very palatable fat is used in California Natural and Innova formulations.

Natural Flavors
Natural flavors are minimally processed flavor ingredients that do not contain synthetic or artificial components.

In the Natura products that include “natural flavor” in the formula, the exact composition is proprietary. However, it is always made from the same animal species on which the formula is based. For example, the “natural flavor” used in the original EVO formula contains a reduction of chicken meat – much the same process as is employed to create a chicken stock in your home kitchen.

Potassium Chloride
A chemical compound, KCl, a colorless or white, cubic, crystalline compound that closely resembles common salt (sodium chloride). It is soluble in water, alcohol, and alkalies.

Potassium plays various roles in metabolism and body functions. It assists in the regulation of the acid-base balance and water balance in the blood and the body tissue. It assists in protein synthesis from amino acids and in carbohydrate metabolism.

Vitamins/Minerals
Vitamins are organic compounds that function as parts of enzyme systems essential for the transmission of energy and the regulation of metabolisms of the body. Minerals are inorganic substances essential for a host of vital processes within the body.

AAFCO regulates minimum standard quantities of vitamins and minerals in levels that pets need to survive. All pet food manufacturers supplement their products with vitamins and minerals. Beyond meeting these minimum requirements, all Natura products contain a complete vitamin and mineral supplement program that helps pets to thrive, not just survive. The minerals Natura uses are chelated, providing three to ten times greater assimilation than common minerals. Our Innova products also contain beneficial probiotic supplements, which are not required by the AAFCO minimums.

Included in our foods are some of the following: Ascorbic Acid, Beta Carotene, Biotin, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Iodate, Choline Chloride, Cobalt Carbonate, Cobalt Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Dicalcium Pantothenate, dl-Methionine, Folic Acid, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Niacin, Potassium Chloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin C Supplement (Sodium Ascorbate), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement (Alpha Tocopherol), Zinc Proteinate

Natura adds these important vitamins and minerals, in proper balance to its foods to ensure that your pet gets all the necessary nutrients for life and good health every day.

Taurine
Taurine is the 11th essential amino acid required by cats.

Insufficient levels of taurine can lead to blindness and cardiac problems in cats. Meat is naturally high in taurine, so Natura foods contain high levels of this important nutrient. Natural taurine is also added to our cat foods to ensure cats get enough of this essential amino acid.

Cats vs Dogs: While dogs can synthesize taurine in their systems, cats cannot and must have additional amounts added to their diet for proper health.

Recent university research has suggested, however, that like cats, some breeds of dogs may benefit from Taurine in the diet. While California Natural has always contained ample Taurine from natural sources such as lamb meal, we have decided to supplement Taurine to ensure that all puppies receive full nutritional benefit from our products.

Rosemary Extract

Here is your food…..Science Diet

Ingredients

Lamb Meal, Brewers Rice, Rice Flour, Ground Whole Grain Wheat, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Corn Gluten Meal, Cracked Pearled Barley, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Dried Beet Pulp, Soybean Oil, Chicken Liver Flavor, Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Iodized Salt, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.

Rice and Corn are fillers

admin answers:

Simple- don’t leave them outside unsupervised for extended periods of time (or even short periods of time to start with.) Dogs escape and cause trouble when they are bored, so don’t let them be so bored. Hanging out with you, getting tired by playing with you, getting mentally tired by doing some training- all will help decrease the dogs’ need to use up energy by escaping. Additional things you can do included giving their meals in a tricky treat ball or Kong or similar tool so they don’t inhale their food in 20 seconds and are then bored for the rest of the day, and giving them some toys to play with. But most dogs don’t play much when left to their own devices, and if they do, it generally isn’t what we were hoping for!

admin answers:

Yes, I have 4 siamese cats and a greyhound…

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Use a remote, throw a huge boulder at your tv, call your brother or sister saying its something important, then tell them to turn it down, call your mum or dad saying you want to tell them something, then get them to turn it town, wait till somebody enters the same room, then tell them to turn it down, train the dog/cat or whatever pet you have to turn it down, install a cat flap on your door, then train the neighbours pet to come into your house everytime you whistle, and turn the volume down, get one of those infra red watches,or even mobile phones, and use that to turn the volume down…..

See if you put your mind to it, there are many ways you can turn the volume down…your just too lazy to get up or even think!!!!!!!

🙂

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!