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You have put a great deal of effort into making your yard beautiful.  Now you have brought home a dog, and you don’t want to add a fence that detracts from your landscaping, but you still want to know that your new pet won’t run into the street or run off.  The solution can be found with an electric dog fence.

These relatively new restraint systems have gained popularity as more and more people choose to avoid a standard fence for their pet.  Essentially invisible, they have the potential of restraining a dog to a given area without impacting the visual flow of a yard.  They can be installed over the weekend by a competent do-it-yourself-er, which makes them about as perfect a solution as you can ask for.

First you need to decide how much area you wish your dog to have.  You are not required to let them roam your whole yard.  You can also choose to make some areas impassible requiring your dog stay in the back yard, for example.  Mark off the area with some spray paint or flags and dig a small trough into which you will place the transmission wire.  There are specialized machines that can do this in one step if you wish to rent one.  Place the wire and connect it to the transmitter.  Plug in the transmitter.  Place the collar, equipped with the receiver upon your dog.

The final step involves training your dog.  With the flags in place take your dog towards the flags.  As they approach the buried wire they will receive a small shock; the closer the approach, the greater the shock.  As soon as they turn away praise them effusively.  Over a number of days and several training sessions your dog will learn to stay behind the flags.  Almost all dogs are successful in time.

Until recently dog owners had few choices in teaching their dogs disciplined behavior.  If classes failed or the dog was particularly difficult it was often the owner that had to learn how to adjust.  Today dog training collars make the process of training a dog much quicker and easier; however, there are some additional considerations that must be addressed.

Unlike choke chains of the past, you don’t have to depend upon your strength to control your dog.  While choke chains only work when attached to a leash, dog training collars work at all time, without the use of any force.  Training collars are a way to provide instantaneous feedback when your dog is misbehaving; there should be no doubt in their mind as to which action caused the reprimand.

For instance, the PetSafe training collars come in three basic varieties, although some mix technologies.  Spray collars will send a jet of citronella toward your dogs head if they are triggered.  A shock collar administers a small shock to your pet.  Sonic collars use a noise that increases in volume until the negative behavior stops.  All these collars are most commonly used to control barking, but can be used in other training endeavors.  Combination collars utilize both sound and citronella with the intent of stimulating even more senses.

Many experts consider the citronella collar the best of the bunch.  The spray grabs the dog’s attention at many levels, sight, sound and smell.  While citronella doesn’t harm dogs, it is intense enough to cause an immediate cessation of whatever behavior they are currently demonstrating.  The sheer shock to the system is enough to get them distracted.  Since citronella isn’t an unpleasant scent, most people tolerate the system as well.

Opponents of shock collars are concerned that a collar might provide too intense a shock, hurting the dog, and that the dog may still not understand the reason for the shock.  Most collars come with a self adjusting shock mechanism, upping the charge incrementally as the dog continues in their negative behavior until they stop.  It is the same principal used in invisible fences.  Only you can decide if this type of collar is appropriate for your pet, but it is not suitable for nervous, young or anxious animals.  If you choose a shock style of collar make sure you follow the directions carefully.  Your dog’s temperament and size will help you determine the most appropriate setting while training.

No matter what kind of training collar you use, the collar can not replace your involvement in training.  Dogs, not unlike people, train best when rewarded for successes, not when punished for failures.  Constant punishments can cause a dog to feel anxious, depressed and hesitant.  When you incorporate training collars in teaching an animal it is doubly important to stress what they are doing correctly.  Never leave your dog in their collar unattended, and certainly not for prolonged periods of time.  Eight hours a day should be the absolute maximum for any animal.  Incorporating a dog training collar may help you train your dog more quickly, but it should be managed with care.

Cancer is a devastating disease to humans and canines alike and presents in similar ways among both species. Some of the most common canine cancers include osteosarcoma or bone cancer, lymphoma, head and neck cancers, bladder cancer, mammary carcinoma, testicular cancer and malignant brain tumors. It is theorized that heredity plays a large role in determining cancer in canines; however, all dog breeds are susceptible to one form or another. Cancer types, treatment and diagnosis are similar in both people and dogs. Like human cancer care huge strides are being taken to help recognize cancer, assist in control and cure cancer in dogs and other animals. C ancer is common amongst people and dogs and shares many of the same treatment options including:

1. Surgery: The goal of surgery is to completely remove the cancerous tumor before it spreads to any other area of the dog’s body. Depending upon the tumor type, oncologists may combine a regimen of surgery with radiation and/or chemotherapy to target residual disease left by the removal of the tumor.

2. Radiotherapy: There are two types of radiation therapy. The first is teletherapy or external beam therapy, which is given by machine and is the most common radiation treatment used. The second type of radiation therapy is brachytherapy or interstitial therapy in which anodes are implanted into tissues and give off radiation gradually to kill the tumor. The problem with this type of treatment is that, whilst the implant is in place, the dog is a radiation hazard and has to be kept in a special area. Tumors appropriate for radiation therapy are mainly those where surgery is impractical, such as on the upper jaw, on bone, or other major structures. However, radiation therapy is also used in conjunction with surgery to kill off those cancer cells it is not possible to remove. Tumors vary in sensitivity to radiation and some do not respond well to radiation alone.

3. Chemotherapy: Cytotoxic drug therapy uses drugs such as Endoxana, Oncovin and Lytosar; it is used mainly for widespread cancers such as canine multicentric lymphoma. The drugs used damage dividing cells and to minimize toxicity a variety of drugs are used to spread the different side effects so as not to have more than minimal damage to normal tissues. The usual regime is to give eight weeks of intensive treatment and then one week of treatment and one week off. The expectation is that the dog will go into remission for from three months to twenty-four months. Animals on chemotherapy have to be monitored closely by taking blood samples at monthly intervals. Possible side effects are suppression of bone marrow making the dog more susceptible to infection, heart problems, and irritation of the bladder but dosing is individually geared to causing as little side effects as possible. With the latest range of cytotoxic drugs, the treated dog has to be hospitalized for the actual treatment because of the dangers of the drugs themselves.

Regardless of the treatment option appropriate for your dog you should always follow three basic guidelines when treating. First, manage their pain and do not let them hurt. The goal is to prevent pain in the first place rather than treat it after it starts. Make sure pain medication starts before the dog wakes up from surgery and continues throughout treatment to prevent pain from occurring as much as possible. Next, do not let them vomit. Unlike in people, chemotherapy should not cause vomiting in dogs. If your dog vomits while undergoing treatment see care immediately as a dehydrated animal can quickly get electrolyte imbalances. There are anti-nausea medications on the market that will alleviate this problem. Finally, get them to eat. If your dog will not eat his typical kibble try to warm it in the microwave, add dog food gravy, change to a canned food diet or make your own homemade dog food. Proper nutrition will enhance the effectiveness of any cancer treatment by keeping your dog as strong as possible.

Article was submitted by pet-super-store a site featuring dog training collars, wireless fence, and dog crate pads.

Clicker training is a method of dog training that is based on behavioral psychology. Using the clicker to shape dog behavior is an extension of the reward based training method known as positive reinforcement training. In positive reinforcement training a dog is given a treat or a reward when he completes a desired command. In clicker training a desirable behavior is marked by using a clicker which is a mechanical device that makes a short, distinct "click" sound. This tells your dog exactly when they're doing the right thing. This clear form of communication, combined with positive reinforcement, is an effective, safe, and humane way to train your dog to complete desired behaviors from basic obedience to service work and advanced tricks. Clicker training is also inexpensive. In fact, all you need to get started is a clicker, available between $1 and $8 per clicker at any number of pet stores and web sites, and a bag of yummy treats.

1. Clicker training involves the process of associating a neutral stimulus with an involuntary response until the introduced stimulus elicits the response. Given that information you will need to associate treats with a reward for performing a desired behavior and then gradually introduce the clicker as a treat or reward until your dog responds solely to the clicker. Try starting with something simple your dog will likely do on his own like come towards you or sit. As soon as the command is completed press on the clicker and release one time and administer a treat. Repeat this several times until your dog gets the hang of it before moving on to more difficult tricks.

2. Use the clicker to shape behavior. This simply means that you can click and treat behavior that closely resembles the desired end behavior. For example, if your dog lies on his side when you are trying to teach him to roll over; use the clicker and give him a treat. He is engaging in a behavior that is moving closer to the desired end behavior and clicks and treats will let him know that he is on the right track.

3. Timing is everything. If your dog sits and immediately begins to stand up before you have clicked then he will get the click as he stands up. This will make him think that he gets rewarded for standing up. As soon as your dog willingly does something that is or is moving towards what you want him to do, then click immediately in that exact moment. The timing of the treat given after the click is not as important, but it should be administered as closely as possible to the click in the beginning as your dog slowly gets used to the click as a reward.

4. Implement a reward schedule. After your dog has gotten the hand of the clicker and recognizes it as a reward you can begin to ease up on the treats given with it. You do not want to give up the treats immediately so try setting up a schedule. In the beginning try a treat with the click after every other command completed. If your dog seems fine with this try giving fewer treats at random, but always continue with the clicker. This is known as a reward schedule. Some reward schedules are intermittent while others are random and others still are on a fixed ration schedule. Either way you go the goal is to use the clicker as the only reward and wean your dog off treats. You can still treat your dog from time to time, but the clicker should eventually become a reward for your dog in itself.

Article submitted by pet-super-store a site with dog steps, dog door, and tri-tronics systems.

Thunder, lightning and rain are like a triple threat for nervous dogs. In fact, some dogs have such anxiety when it comes to storms that they actually run away from home. Because springtime is upon us (and it can be a season for nasty rainstorms) it might be a good idea to formulate a plan for keeping your dog calm during a storm. The seven steps below will work as a guide for this task.

Step 1: Remain at home. If possible, arrange your schedule so that you may ride out the storm with your dog. Your dog’s fear of the storm, coupled with his feeling of isolation during the storm might cause him to run away from home. A dog owner’s absence also carries the risk that the dog might damage something inside the house. If you’re unable to remain at home with the dog, arrange for a friend or neighbor to go sit with him and carry out steps two through seven on your behalf.

Step 2: Remain calm. Dogs are very intuitive animals and your dog will likely mirror your behavior. You need to remain calm during the storm. Be a good role model! If you run around the house in a panicked state, you will not be able to bring much comfort to your dog. 

Step 2: Stick close together. You’ll want to keep your dog near your side in order to be a comforting presence to him or her. This also happens to be the safest place for your dog, as you don’t want him near windows during a storm.

Step 3: Talk him through it. Throughout the storm talk to your dog in a calm and soothing voice. Use reassuring words to tell him that he is safe. Show him affection by petting him lovingly.

Step 4: Distract your dog with play. If your dog calms down enough to leave your side, don’t be afraid to play a little indoor fetch with him. This might prove to be a welcome distraction during a particularly long storm. If you still want to keep him close, engage him in a game of tug of war.

Step 5: Distract your dog with treats. Don’t hesitate to give him treats to occupy his mind during this time. If you have a rawhide that will keep him busy for a while, this might be the time to pull it out of the cupboard.  Another good treat is one that the dog might have to work at; fill a cone with peanut butter and the storm will be over before the peanut butter is licked clean!

Step 6: Create some noise in the house. In order to keep your dog’s mind off the thunder outside, you might want to turn the radio or television up a little louder than normal. Be prepared with a battery-powered radio in case you lose power during the storm.

While carrying out the above steps, make careful observations about how your dog responds to the steps you’ve taken. Remember that every dog is different and what works for one might not work for another. You might be pleasantly surprised to find that your dog is not affected by the storm, or you might find your 150-pound German shepherd planted firmly in your lap!

Article submitted by pet super store a site carrying wooden dog crates, shock collar and dog bed.