Want To Start With Dog Shows? Show Small Dogs!

The lights, the ring, the glamour! Ever think you might like to become involved with showing dogs? If so, then starting with “toy” or small dogs can offer a great way to enter into this hobby with fewer demands on your time and space than a larger breed might involve.

The purpose of a dog show is to compare all entered dogs of a specific breed against a pre-established, written breed standard of perfection. The winners, or Best of Breed dogs, then compete against each other for Best in Group within one of the seven basic groups to which their breed has been assigned (the Herding Group, Hound Group, Non-Sporting Group, Sporting Group, Terrier Group, Toy Group or Working Group). The winner of each group then goes on to compete for the coveted Best In Show title and hopefully, earn more points toward a Championship.

As a new entrant to the world of dog shows, you’ll find there are advantages to showing small dogs over larger dogs.

Sitting Pretty

First, small show dogs generally take less time and effort to bathe and blow dry before a show. You may think this detail almost inconsequential, but after you attend a number of shows it becomes more important. Small show dogs are also easier to lift in and out of a tub, and require less water, soap and conditioner. With the exception of long-coated breeds, less dog equals less hair, which equals less drying time. As a result, it’s possible to thoroughly bathe and groom six toy-sized show dogs, like Chihuahuas, in the time it takes to groom one large Standard Poodle show dog!

Git Along, Little Doggies

Secondly, showing small or toy dogs means you can show more dogs because they take up far less space. Each small show dog requires a small traveling crate, but crates of that size are light to transport and simple to store. Small show dogs also require the use of grooming tables, but as long as they get along, two small show dogs can share one table.

Easy Does It

The third factor is, showing small dogs requires less physicality on the part of the person handling them. You’ll seldom see small show dog handlers huffing and puffing as they race around the ring. Instead, small show dogs work harder to cover ground and keep up with the handler, whereas large show dogs cover ground in great strides, requiring the handler to work to keep up. In addition, “setting up” a small dog for viewing is a simple physical task, whereas a larger dog can involve much more effort.

As you can see, showing small dogs enjoys a bit of an advantage over showing large dogs. As a result, you may find that showing small dogs makes a very rewarding start to a downright addictive hobby that you and your mini champ can enjoy together for years.

We all love a well behaved dog

All of us remember our first puppy when we were kids. Bringing them home as they are
crawling all over your lap. Licking your face with their cute little pink tongues. Of course
what we remember as kids with our first dog is a lot different from what our parents remember about that time. As a lot of us have found out since we grew up and brought a puppy home for our family.

We soon realize there is much work that goes along with the cute little guy. It’s not long
before he is chewing everything in site. You find yourself moving everything in your house as if you had a toddler around.  Then there is the house training, lots of fun there.
With some dogs it could take weeks before your dog has mastered going to the door.
Which is why some people give up and just spend their time cleaning up after him.
But thankfully here are some great products out there to aid in house training your dog.

The biggest thing I have found though, is you need to be consistent with your puppy. Just like a child, puppies can easily learn to have a routine. The first thing every morning you take him outside, just before bed you take him out. You need to keep the puppy around you, if you spend most of your day on the lower level of your house, then that’s where the puppy should be too. You need to keep an eye on him. If he has a drink, you give him about 10 minutes than take him out and see if he will go. An hour after he eats, do the same thing.  Not only will he eventually learn to do his business outside, but also it will happen quicker because you are being consistent.

The same with the chewing, you must catch him in the act and change his mind. Whether you do this by giving him a chew toy and luring him away from whatever it is he is chewing. Just tell him NO, and then give him something else to do.

The biggest problem today with people training their pets is that they don’t have time. You both work all day and are tired when you get home, the last thing you want to do is work on training your puppy. This is a terrible situation for the puppy though, because they are in a new environment. They were removed from their mother and siblings. Then people bring them home and leave them by themselves for 8 to 10 hours a day.

If there can be no one home for the first few months you have your pet then you should probably wait until the situation changes. This kind of set up will never work for you or the puppy.  Therefore if this is your household, don’t get a pet at this time.

To everyone with a dog or cat, just take care of them and love them and you will get much love back.

We may be pampering our pets to death.

The variety of online pet supplies is large and catalogs can be your source for all the things you need to keep Fido or Fluffy happy and healthy. We go as far as buying outlandish designer dog accessories, even more expensive than what we buy for ourselves, but we don’t pay enough attention to pet medication.

Whether your animal is involved in a pet therapy program, or just a loveable member of your family, the all important thing for you to remember about your pets is that their care is your responsibility.Naturally, you should always have your pet checked by a reputable veterinarian and follow his (or her) advice.   Find out from your vet what your pet needs and order your pet meds online.  It’s fast, easy and you’ll save money.

A simple reminder to cat owners: milk and other dairy products are not good for your favorite feline.  They can cause severe problems to the digestive system.

Also, remember not to let your pet get overheated. It is just as dangerous for your four legged friends as it is for you.  Heat stroke isn’t reserved for humans.

Look for unique online pet products for some wonderful ideas to keep you and your pet comfortable during the hot days of summer. You’ll be able to find the perfect pet carrier that will be comfortable for your dog or cat and easy for you to transport. Check out all the discount pet supplies that are available online.

Did you know that it’s the hope of a growing number of doctors, researchers and animal behaviorists that, in the very near future, pet-patient interaction will shed its “alternative therapy” tag?

Scientifically measuring the benefits of pet therapy was the genesis behind Michigan State University’s Human-Animal Bond Initiative conference of pet experts. The goal is that scientific research will validate animal-assisted therapies and help convince skeptics and critics of its value.

Studies would also help pet therapists confirm that putting a funny hat on a 75-pound collie and having it interact with someone undergoing cancer treatment is, as they expected, doing more for the patient than goading an easy laugh. The recent push for scientific studies is a marked departure for a treatment that has been historically supported by purely anecdotal evidence.

Weaning A Breastfed Baby

When to wean is a question facing all breastfeeding mums. How does a new mum know when to introduce solid food into her baby’s diet and what sort of food can a baby eat?

At present the World Health Organisation recommends that all babies be breastfed exclusively for six months. A long time, you may think, especially in the middle of a colic episode or growth spurt! However, there are real concerns for the welfare of babies that have led to this advice.

In the past many babies were fed solid foods at very young ages. It is now believed that their bodies were unable to cope with the demands this placed on them; a dramatic increase in the incidence of allergies and food intolerances meant guidelines were reviewed and altered.

The main danger that comes with introducing solid food too early is that babies may receive too much salt in their diets, leading to potential kidney problems in later life.

So, if you follow the advice of the World Health Organisation, you will see that it makes sense to put off giving food other than breastmilk for the first six months.

So how do you encourage a six month old baby to eat solids? The main thing to remember is that you should introduce solids gradually.

When your baby is ready for solid food he will begin to demand feeds more often, and may never seem satisfied for very long. He will start to take an interest in your meals and may even try to help himself! He will begin lip-smacking and chewing as he mimics you. A real sign that solids are imminent is the development of teeth.

Speak to a health-visitor if you think your baby is very hungry. If your baby is under six months you may find that he is just going through a prolonged growth spurt. If this is the case, his hunger will normally settle down after a few days when your milk supply has increased.

When your baby reaches the six month target, and you are sure that he is ready for solid food, try a teaspoonful of watery baby rice or baby porridge. Try to keep foods very bland and runny at the beginning.

Once he is used to solid foods, and is no younger than six months, you can quickly move onto adult cereals like Weetabix and Readybrek.

It is wise to only introduce one food at a time so that you can identify any intolerances or allergies. Sometimes these can take several days to take effect, so stick to one food for a few days before moving onto another.

Some babies are happy to have one solid feed a day at the beginning of weaning, whereas others require more frequent feeds. It is a good idea to offer the breast before and after each feed to maintain a good milk supply.

Cows milk and dairy products, eggs, fish particularly shellfish), nuts (especially peanuts), some fruits and foods containing gluten can all cause allergic reactions. So be careful with your choices…

From six months babies can digest protein so red meat, fish ,eggs, cheese, chicken and pulses can all be introduced.
Do not give peanuts to babies under one year old: if there is a history of allergies in your family avoid giving them for at least three years. As well a being an allergy hazard they can also be a choking hazard.

Honey should also be avoided for the first year as babies can contract botulism from it.

Eggs must be thoroughly cooked but can be introduced from six months.

Buy gluten-free baby food at the beginning of weaning, if possible, as gluten can cause coeliac disease. Usually a six month old baby can digest gluten without any problems but younger babies are more at risk.

Some babies react to citrus fruits such as oranges but alternative fruit juices can be given instead, such as apple juice.
Never add salt to food which your baby will eat. If he is ready to eat the same meals as the rest of the family do not add gravy until you have removed the baby’s portion, as gravy can contain a lot of salt.

It is best to introduce savoury foods prior to sweet foods as babies very quickly develop a sweet tooth! They tend to enjoy pureed carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, turnip and parsnip and any combination of these foods. Babies also love stewed apples and pears or mashed bananas and strawberries!

However, many babies dislike potatoes at the beginning of weaning. When the baby is a little more experienced with tastes and textures you can start adding some potato to his meals.

Let the baby decide when he has had enough of any particular meal. Never force-feed the baby. He only needs a little bit of solid food each day. For some babies a few spoonfuls will be enough; for others a main course and dessert are required!
If he refuses to eat one type of food avoid it for a while and try something else. Return to the disliked food after a few days and try again. Some babies can be very fussy, whereas others eat whatever is placed in front of them!

Take it slowly and it will not be such a big change for either you or your baby. Weaning should be a fun experience for you both. After a very short time your baby will look forward to his solid feeds and will even start to let you know that he wants more!

Weave Poles: Which method should I use for my dog?

Weave Poles can be the most challenging obstacle for you to teach and for your dog to learn.  Many agility obstacles resemble natural obstacles that dogs could find out on a hike out in the woods, jumps, frames, and tunnels.  Going over, under, or through things and places are natural for dogs,however, weaving the poles is not.

How do you teach an unnatural skill……..with lots of patience, the right motivators for your dog, and a plan.  There are many great methods to teach the weave poles.  If you’ve gone to agility camps with several top instructors, you know that most have their own method .  So, there is not one method that is the best or one method that produces the best weaving dog.

There are many methods of teaching weave poles.  Some of these include, the Push-Pull method, the Angled Weave Approach, Chute Training, Two-Pole Method, Gate method, and more……….

How do you decide on which method to choose?  Research each method and find out what you like about it and what you don’t.  What method are they teaching at your agility school?  Most handlers just starting agility will teach the method being presented at their facility.  If you attend a large agility school, sit in on some of the advanced classes and watch the skilled dogs weave.  Ask those individuals how they taught their dog to weave.  Most instructors have a preference of weave training, it may be the method they are teaching or it may not be.

Once you decide on a method, get the poles you want and then, outline a plan to train 5 minutes a day on weaves.  Five minutes a day will take your dog much further than once a week in class.  If you are into agility and want to progress, the weave poles are an absolute must to have at home.

Get your dog, grab his motivators, take a deep breath and go have fun for five minutes a day.

Wedding Photography

We’ve all been to weddings and watched them pose the bride and groom for the wedding photography. Maybe we’ve even been the bride and groom in those pictures. Wedding photography is such a finely honed commercial art these days. There are certain poses and scenes that you must have in your wedding photography and wedding photography isn’t just still pictures anymore. No, wedding photography now includes video production. Big weddings look like media events these days.

A team of photographers and filmmakers dogging the bride and groom. Snapping and filming the action. Wedding photography creates much of the action at weddings nowadays, maybe the wedding and the reception wouldn’t be much fun without the whole wedding photography circus going on. Wedding photography creates the air of excitement and importance surrounding the day’s festivities. So much of what goes on a t big weddings is strictly for and about the wedding photography. It all seems a little phony to me, but who knows, maybe years later, when the wedding photography is all you have left of what was one of the most important days of your life, maybe all those staged wedding photography shots seem more real.

Maybe they look like, “Yeah, that’s the way it was. We were really happy.” The bride’s dress was always perfectly arranged. Everyone’s eyes were always open. Everyone was always smiling all day long. Maybe something important would be lost without wedding photography. The bride and groom’s chance, no matter who they really are, to be the stars of a glamorous drama. The whole wedding photography production is designed to honor the bride and groom. All the attention that having the wedding photography done focuses on the bride and groom helps to make their special day even more special. Wedding photography is just a historical record of an event. No, wedding photography is part and parcel of the event.

In some cases, and at certain times during the day, it is the event. And these days, due to digital technology, it is a living part of the ongoing event all throughout the day and by the time the reception is in full swing, the wedding photography is already being displayed up on the big screen. Wedding photography is now about theater and staging and about filmmaking. And all of this wedding photography activity is crucial to the exciting and glamorous atmosphere of the wedding day itself. Without wedding photography, there would be so much less of an event and without wedding photography, there would be now record of it at all.

Valuable Equine Websites – Complete Guides for Horse Enthusiasts

More and more horse enthusiasts who are looking to take their passion to the next level are nowadays relying on online, state of the art equine websites to fulfill their needs. Thanks to the wide range of benefits they offer to those that are horse passionate, equine websites have become very popular on the World Wide Web, attracting increasingly larger numbers of visitors and gaining a lot of positive feedback from registered members. Solid equine websites address to an extended category of people, brought together by common interests, hobbies and passions.

First of all, many classified equine websites offer their members and visitors the opportunity to access an extended database of free or paid horse classifieds, well structured in a user-friendly manner. Horse classified ads the quick way to interact with people who are either interested in selling or adopting horses or horse-related items. Horse classifieds include a photograph, contacts and a description of the horse, accessories, equipment or services one is advertising for. For horse buyers and sellers altogether, equine websites that account for the horse classifieds feature are the fastest means to close a horse transaction on the Internet.

With the help of reliable equine websites, horse breeders, horse trainers or simply horse owners join forces and become members of an online community, having the opportunity to permanently interact in a fun, safe an interesting environment. Registered members have access to a lot of features such as Horse Blogs, Horse Chat Rooms, equestrian news and events, horse articles and many more!

Horse Blogs and Horse Chat Forums are the perfect means of exchanging information and confronting opinions with horse enthusiasts from every corner of the world, while horse articles are a valuable source of information for people who wish to extend their knowledge on horses. Horse enthusiasts not only have free access to valuable information, but they also have the opportunity to post their own horse articles, equestrian news or horse show events within the pages of the equine website of their choice. Through the means of a good equine website, beginners can quickly familiarize with all the issues and subtleties of horse breeding, training, selling or adopting, while experienced horse owners can share their knowledge with other people. Regardless of your level of experience with horses, you have a lot to benefit from becoming a member of a solid online equine website.

A valuable equine website should be a complete source of information for its registered members. In order to facilitate members’ access to equine information and to permanently keep them posted on the latest news and events, solid equine websites have recently introduced the powerful equine RSS feeds feature. An innovative service, equine RSS feeds enables horse enthusiasts to receive the latest equine information, equestrian news and horse articles right to their desktop. By activating their equine RSS feeds function, members can personalize and customize their personal websites and various other portals in no time!

If you want to become a member of an equine website, it is important to choose the one that best satisfies your needs and requirements. However, finding the best equine website is very easy, as good equine websites are easy to distinguish from the rest. Apart from traits such as prominence, good exposure and high popularity, the quality of such an online website is reflected directly by the diversity, efficiency and reliability of its offered services, the structure and the design of its pages, as well as the amount and the value of the information it offers to visitors. In addition, a good equine website should provide members with prompt feedback and meet their requirements with professionalism. Become a member of an equine website that meets these traits and you won’t be disappointed!

V-Chips Allow Parents To Control Children’s TV Programming At Home

While parents want to protect their children from offensive or inappropriate TV programming, many don’t know that the tools they need may already be right in their living room. Every TV 13-inches and larger built since 2000 contains a V-chip, which can block individual channels or programs depending on content. This technology lets parents, not broadcasters, determine what is appropriate for their children to see and hear on TV.

Most television shows now include a rating, as established by the broadcasting industry. The rating icon is displayed in the upper left hand corner at the start of the program and succeeding hours if the program is longer than one hour. This rating also is encoded into the programs, so the V-chip technology can read the encoded information and block shows according to parental presets. Using the remote control, parents can program the V-chip to block certain shows based on their ratings. Because programs are rated by episode, ratings may vary from week to week and be blocked accordingly.

To use the V-chip, follow the directions using the TV’s on-screen menu. Each brand and model may have somewhat different procedures, but none is difficult. There also are written instructions in the owner’s manual. The V-chip is activated by using a password or code. Any change requires the user to know the code, therefore children will not be able to change the settings.

Although cable and satellite set-top boxes have their own parental controls, each TV has its own so it’s possible to block programs or channels even if the TV signal is received over the air. The V-chip also can be used to block uncut and unedited movies that run on premium channels using the MPAA rating system.

Veggies For Your Pets?

Sylvia Riley

Vegetables in your dog’s diet, and minor amounts in your cat’s diet, can enhance their health and provide a rich and diverse supply of nutrients, enzymes, healthy fibre and antioxidants. In the wild, dogs and cats would have acquired plant foods through the semi-digested remnants in the stomachs of their prey; vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.

Canines possess a greater ability to break down plant matter and synthesize relevant nutrients therein. Because of this, although classified as carnivores, they are in fact omnivorous and are not solely reliant on animal meat for sustenance. Wolves can be observed eating fallen fruit and berries, and first consume the stomach and intestines of their prey where plant foods can be found.

Felines on the other hand are obligate carnivores and are unable to manufacture essential nutrients from plant matter. These include the amino acids taurine and arginine, and the fatty acid arachidonic acid. Unlike omnivores cats also cannot convert vitamin A from beta-carotene in plants and need animal-derived sources of vitamin A such as liver. Accept for smaller prey which cats eat whole, in the wild the stomach and intestines tend to be avoided, yet organs such as heart, liver and lungs are enjoyed.

Cats require a lot more protein in their diet than dogs and are in no way adapted to digesting carbohydrates. In the wild vegetable matter in their diet is minimal and in a semi-digested state in the guts of their prey. Cats can rely pretty much entirely on protein and fat for energy conversion, both being converted into glucose by the liver, and other essential nutrients can be gained through meat, soft tissue and bones.

Thankfully pet owners are beginning to move away from toxic, poor grade and species-inappropriate commercial pet food. Natural, holistic, homemade and raw diets are being favored, which can include healthy plant-based ingredients (not grains however, which are used as cheap fillers in commercial products and ill-suited the physiology of cats and dogs). The beauty with homemade meals is that you can ensure fresh quality ingredients and easily incorporate vegetables and fruit.

Where dogs can eat around 30% plant foods in their daily diet, cats only require around 5-10%. With both, ensure veggies are blended well as they do not easily digest cellulose. This also makes it easy to mix the vegetables with the rest of the homemade meal. As cats only require a very small proportion of veggies in their meal, you can blend veggies and freeze the mix in an ice-cube tray, defrosting one cube a day for their meals.

Include a range of vegetables and always aim to include something green. Green vegetables contain chlorophyll which is cleansing and detoxifying. Chlorophyll is a great liver ally, assisting in the removal of toxins and heavy metals from the body and also shows anti-carcinogenic potential. Human studies in China have found that chlorophyll may help delay the onset of symptoms of liver cancer caused by mycotoxic grains as are sometimes found in commercial pet foods.

You can use throw away vegetable parts such as outer leaves, ends and stems or left over cooked vegetables that you don’t consume. Raw is always preferable however as nutrient and enzyme content is maximum.

You can supplement your dog or cat’s diet with superfoods such as kelp or alfalfa (the latter more suited for dogs) and algae such as chlorella and spirulina. These are very alkalizing however and as dogs and cats in particular require an acidic diet, only very small amounts are advisable. Always research dosage amounts before giving any kind of supplements.

Vegetable Choices

You can experiment with most vegetables. Try any of the following: carrots, celery, chard, spinach, avocados, kale, squash, watercress, cabbage, turnips, broccoli, peas, green beans, cauliflower and asparagus.

Some below-ground vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes are included here. These are higher in sugar content however and as such should be used in smaller proportion to any above-ground vegetable choices. You can add some occasional fruit also such as blueberries, bananas, apples, papaya or pear.

As a note, raw onions are not friendly on your pet’s digestive system and can be dangerous to their health so should be avoided. Garlic is also a health risk for cats, though minor amounts occasionally in your dog’s diet may serve as a natural flea repellent, be sparing however as the sulphides in garlic can be detrimental to the blood cells of animals. I also avoid tomatoes, peppers, cucumber and potato.

Nuts and seeds can also be a valuable addition to your pet’s diet, containing healthy oils (walnuts and flaxseeds are particularly high in omega-3 oils), as well as vitamin E and minerals such as selenium (a powerful antioxidant particularly high in Brazil nuts).

You can grind your nuts and seeds before adding to your pet’s meal. Only small amounts are needed; for larger dogs aim for one nut or a few seeds a day, smaller dogs and cats every few days.

If you would like to change your pet’s diet to a healthy, holistic, species-appropriate diet or are embarking on a natural homemade or raw food diet research the area first as nutritional balance is essenital.

Verbally Correcting One Dog When You Have Two

A poster from our discussion forum asked:

“I have two dogs- – a Pit Bull and a Boston Terrier. I have read that you should not use the dog’s name and [the word]“No” together so that the dog does not associate negative feelings with his name. So how do I tell one dog “No,” without both feeling like they are both in trouble?

Situation: The Pit Bull is happily playing with her chew toy. The Boston Terrier is chewing on my sofa. How do I let the sofa chewer know that he is in the wrong (the Boston knows better. I have corrected him using the prong collar in the past and by just saying, “No,” will get him to stop) without making the Pit Bull think that she is in trouble.

Adam replies:

Eye contact.

You don’t need to worry about the other dog’s “feelings.” Just make eye contact with the dog you are going to correct.

If the dog is chewing on your couch you should NOT BE GIVING VERBAL CORRECTIONS. You should be giving leash corrections.

Chewing on the couch is a major infraction. We don’t give $2 tickets for chewing on the couch. We give $200 tickets. Otherwise, your correction will have no meaning. (Keep the tab and training collar on the dog.)

You shouldn’t be giving exclusively verbal corrections for this behavior. Period. Two, maybe three leash corrections for this behavior and your dog should never do it again. If he continues doing it, then you know that your corrections aren’t firm enough. Also, you may want to try taking one link out of the pinch collar. It should be a snug fit.

I don’t advise pet owners to ever use the dog’s name in conjunction with the word “No.”

That’s all for now, folks!
Adam