Stuffed Animals

One thing that Shih Tzu dogs are famous for, and not in a good way, is the terror they are to train. Of course they are exceptionally cute and adorable to look at, but there’s got to be a catch, right? Training the dog is hard enough, so you need to make sure that if you get a puppy, you need to begin his training process as early as a few hours into his entering your home. You will see that these little puppies have a very (very) short attention span. So, you need to be patient and keep repeating yourself when you want to train a Shih Tzu puppy. They’re a little slow on the understanding meter, but will definitely get the hang of what you’re trying to make them do, if you’re patient and hold regular and repetitive training sessions of the same thing.

Be Persistent
When you see that your Shih Tzu is not able to match up to your great expectations of getting trained within a few hours (seriously, why would you think that in the first place??), you may lose hope, get frustrated and give up on the little one. That’s probably not the wisest thing to do, especially when it comes to training a Shih Tzu puppy. With this breed, because of its limited attention span, you need to be extra patient and extra persistent about getting him to do what you want. This goes for simple sit, stand, roll over tricks and also for housebreaking a Shih Tzu. As an owner of a Shih Tzu puppy, you need to be very adamant on getting him house trained as early as possible. You can do this by familiarizing him with the process doing the following things.
•When he does his business at home, you can first give him a firm verbal warning.
•Next step, you can repeatedly take him out to the place where he’s supposed to go whenever he defecates indoors and tell him clearly that this place is meant for pooping. Use whatever word you wish repeatedly to make him aware of the purpose of the place.
•Continue this for about 3 weeks and then reprimand him if he still goes within the home.
•Once he understands that he’s supposed to go out and thus can avoid the shouting, he’ll automatically do it.
•Once again, remember to be patient as this process could take anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks.
•Do not yell or beat the puppy even if he makes a mistake once in a while. and don’t forget to applaud him when he does it where he’s supposed to. Read the rest of this entry »

Bringing a pup home is like bringing a new family member home. Labradors cannot deal with separation and tend to become restless as they are introduced to a new environment. Bestowing all the love and affection on your Labrador pup is the key in strengthening the bond and developing a comfort level with the puppy. The initial days of the Labrador pup are very crucial in raising your dog. It’s always enjoyable to watch the pup acquainting itself to the environment. However, if its left unattended, the whole house will be in a mess which should be the cause for disciplining your pup. The process of Labrador training must be slow and patiently dealt.

House Breaking
Dogs have a sense of selecting an appropriate place to poop. In case of a pup, as it lets itself get acquainted with the new place, it might end up dirtying the house. That’s where the first lesson of house breaking should be introduced to the pup. When the pup shows signs to poop, place it outside the house or the place where it should shit. To save your house from getting dirty, take the lab for a walk after 5-10 minutes it eats its food, the moment it wakes up in the morning, before it goes to bed at night and after playing. Patting or talking to your pup will encourage him to obey your commands.

Many lab owners face the problem of night barking. Leaving Labradors alone results in anxious behavior. This behavior sometimes generate the feeling of fear and insecurity. Therefore they need to be attended all the time. To reduce the irksome barking of the Labrador pup, arrange a sleeping bed inside or just outside your room. This will give them a sense of comfort and ease their stress.

Organize Training Sessions
As the Labrador mature they tend to be energetic and hyperactive. Having some organized and consistent training sessions can instill some manners in Labradors. You can appoint a professional dog trainer to make your dog obey your instructions. Sometimes, you can even start with small commands like “no”, “sit” or “fetch” which can bring some discipline into your dog.

Training Collar
After your dog learns to obey your commands at home, it is time to take him for a walk then. It is always a great experience to take your dog for a walk. Labradors are curious and want to explore. Hence, they get excited when there is a change in the environment. During this time the pup might try to pull the master rather than walking with him. To save yourself from getting dragged by your dog, train it to walk with you. When the pup tries to pull away, slightly pull the leash so that the dog understands your command and begins to obey you.

Training without a Leash
Try to make your dog independent by training it without the leash. It will help you get over the fear of the dog running away. This training helps the dogs to understand and remember the route back to its house. Begin this training in the house and slowly move out of the house to train the dog without the leash. Use specific body gestures and voice commands while you train your lab puppy without the help of a leash. Read the rest of this entry »

To make this article as accurate as possible, let’s assume the following: you’re potty training a puppy of average intelligence that is four months old (we are assuming this because this is the average age and intelligence of most dogs when they are potty trained). We will also assume you’re using the proper potty training methods which include crate training, putting your dog on a feeding and bathroom schedule, and rewarding your dog when he goes to the bathroom outside.

With all of that being said, it will take your puppy about three to seven days (so about a week) before he will get used to the schedule you put him on. Once your dog is used to the schedule he will stop most of this pottying accidents inside the house because he will only have to go to the bathroom at certain times of the day, and your schedule will tell you what times of the day that is. Dogs will also not use the bathroom in an area they feel is their home, and no your entire house doesn’t seem like a home to your dog because it is way too big in a dogs mind. This is what the crate training is for. So when your dog is not outside using the bathroom he is either inside his crate or under your supervision. So with the crate and schedule you should start seeing results within a few days to a week.

Completing the puppy potty training process may take some additional time, especially because you have to decide if you will simply keep your dog on the schedule and just take him out when the schedule says to or if you’re going to teach your dog to bark or ring a bell when he needs to go outside. For this let’s assume you will teach your dog to ring a bell (because that doesn’t involve teaching your dog the “Speak” command).

If you’re going to teach your dog to ring a bell before he goes outside to use the bathroom, you will have already been using the bell throughout the entire potty training process, so by the end of the first week he should understand the sound of the bell indicates the door is about to open and he is about to go outside. The next part of this is important and tricky, because it will depend on how long before the dog rings the bell himself and you let him out. Because as soon as your dog makes the connection that a ringing bell means you will let him out, the faster the potty training process will be complete. Of course when your dog first figures out ringing the bell means you let him outside he will be constantly ringing the bell (if this is the case then for the love of all let your dog outside, you don’t ever want him to think that ringing the bell doesn’t actually let him out, if he is ringing it too frequently consider placing him in his crate). Read the rest of this entry »

Black labs are easy to train once you have the right system in place. Let’s see what that is all about then? Here are some Labrador training tips.

Start Early
The most important pointer when learning how to train a lab is to start the training early on. Do not wait for the dog to become older. The black Labrador is an inquisitive dog and without proper training is bound to take to things like chewing and gnawing of objects. Unless he is trained early on, he will not know the difference between what is acceptable and what is not. Secondly, as the lab grows, he will become rather strong and muscular. Also, the innate tendency of the lab is to be very friendly and jumpy. Easily prone to excitement, they tend to portray their enthusiasm by jumping on you, which as is very clear, can get difficult to deal with. So training them early on becomes imperative. Read more on Labrador retriever training tips.

Focus on Rewards
Labs don’t do well with physical punishments (and you should never, ever go there either) In fact, you don’t need to go there at all. As a rule, labs are intelligent creatures who are eager to please. So if you give them instructions about something and then follow it up with rewards as reinforcements, they are going to catch on. Really. Be firm but not violent and the dog will have caught on to the instructions much better. This will help him bond with the family in a stronger manner as well. This Labrador retriever training tip should always be given a lot of importance.

Don’t Confuse Him
Don’t confuse the lab with mixed instructions when undertaking Labrador training. While one member of the family may ask him to shoo away from the couch, the other might get him up there and relax with the lab’s head on his lab. What is the lab to think? Get the rules of the house right before you start teaching him the same. When the rules are clear and the dos and don’ts have been clearly laid out, it becomes easier for you to learn how to train a black lab to hunt or otherwise, and the dog in turn finds it easier to stick to the rules as well.

Basic Manners
As we’ve said earlier, the dog needs to be trained in basic manners or else the inquisitive, jumpy nature can get the better of him. It becomes important to train him with basic things like not jumping on strangers as a way of greeting them, or not to jump on you when you bring him his feeding dish. Simple things like these go a long way. You could look into the option of starting an obedience class for the dog. Read the rest of this entry »

Feeding Schedule for a Puppy
When you get home a new puppy, you should make sure you ask the previous owner or dog breeder about the brand and type of food they fed the puppy. Feed you little pup with the same food so that you not upset his sensitive digestive system. Gradually, switch to a new feeding schedule over a time span of 7 to 10 days. You should only feed the dog the food he had previously for the first week at your home. Then, feed him 75% of the ongoing type of puppy food mixed with 25% of the new type of food you choose from him. Carry on with this diet for the next 7 to 10 days and gradually change the proportion to 50-50. Continue with this schedule for a week or so and then feed the dog 75% of the new type of dog food mixed with 25% of the old type of dog food. Finally, after 10 days or so, switch over to the your brand of dog food completely. This will not only help the digestive system of the puppy adjust to the new food, but also help the puppy develop the taste taste for it. This will also help you spot any type of sensitivities or dog food allergies due to the new dog food. Your puppy may vomit or have diarrhea due to food sensitivity. This will help you switch over to a new dog food that is suitable of the puppy’s sensitive tummy. You can read about home cooked dog food and learn about making your own dog food in detail.

How Much to Feed a Puppy
Now coming back to our main question, how much to feed a puppy per day. Your puppy needs mother’s milk for the first few days of his new life. The mother’s milk contains antibodies and other nutrition that helps make the puppies immune system strong. Weaning puppies should take place gradually after they are about 4 weeks old. You should begin feeding your puppy with one part water with four parts of puppy food. This puppy food should be based on the weight of the puppy and recommendation from the veterinarian. You should add more water, if you find the puppy finds it hard to chew to food. Feed the puppy 4 times a day. This feeding schedule for a puppy needs to be followed for a 6 to 8 week old puppy. A puppy needs to eat more food than an adult dog.

Once the puppy is about 8 week old, you need to feed him a balanced dog food about 2 to 3 times a day. Make sure you include meat in his diet. Read for if the commercial dog food does contain meat. Once the puppy is about 3 to 6 months old, feed him 2 twice a day. Increase the amount of food, once you begin feeding him twice a day. After the puppy is about 6 months old to 1 year of age, you can continue to feed him puppy food. Once he is over 1 year old, you can switch over to adult food and feed him 2 small meals a day. Veterinarians today, recommend a small breed dog can be fed puppy food till the is about 1 year old and large breed dogs can be fed puppy food till they are 2 years old. For more advice in this context, speak to you puppy’s veterinarian for advice. You can read about natural dog food recipes for more details.

How Much to Feed a Puppy Based on Weight Read the rest of this entry »