John Williams Dog Training asked:


You may have seen many articles on the best and healthiest diet for your dog, but what foods should your dog not eat and what will help your dog’s health in the short and long term.

There are many different cases to look at when defining bad foods for dogs but there are guidelines that can be followed to prevent dog pests, dog diarrhea, and many other illnesses that can affect your dog. Routing through trash is another bad idea for your dog and if you discover this is a problem then it should be strictly disciplined.

So what should you avoid to maintain your dog’s immune system and keep their digestive system intact? Here are some bad ideas and health effecting foods that may harm your dogs health if you’re not careful. Please note that some dog food quality standards may have changed since the writing of this article.

Processed foods

These canned processed foods are nothing but bad news for your dog, after all the processing they are left with not much nutrients for your dog, the quality of meat is poor and other chemicals used in this food make for a bad dog diet and although some rare cases may exist it is generally best avoided.

Chicken Bones

Chicken bones, although you may suspect that it is ok to feed you dog on these leftover bits of meat can be harmful to your dog and when your dog chews the bone it can break and cause a choking hazard and mouth damage.

Chocolate

Chocolate contains caffeine which is considered bad for your dog’s nervous system and heart. And also contains sugar and sweetness that is not good for your dog.

Other Bad Foods

Citrus oil extracts, grapes and raisins, rotten foods and mushrooms amongst others.

Be sure to check labels and research anything you are thinking of feeding your dog before hand.



GAYLE

John Williams Dog Training asked:


Is trying to control your dogs barking getting a bit of a pain when all you want to do is get a decent sleep, leave your dog for 5 minutes, or have some respected guests round without having to get the earplugs out?

Training your dog to stop barking doesn’t have to be stressful, no one likes the loud barking sound coming from your dog, especially at 3 in the morning so lets go through some tips to control dog barking.

1. Need Attention huh?

Don’t give your dog the attention he wants from barking at you. if I was getting everything I wanted just for barking id probably do it too. You’ve got to teach your dog that barking won’t get him anywhere. If he wants something wait till he has stopped barking first.

2. Time to bark yet?

If your dog barks when you leave the house, 8 times out of 10 it will be because you’re making to much fuss over them when you leave. Dogs can’t fully grasp the idea of saying goodbye and may find it upsetting when you give them cuddles and play then go out the door and leave for 8 hours while you’re in work. For a dog that’s a good enough reason to bark and howl the house down for you to come back and play. Try leaving the house without any fuss, Leave the house without drawing any attention to yourself and the barking will lessen and stop.

3. Bored with nothing to do!

Dogs enjoy barking, it’s something they like to do. The barking sound might not be completely to your taste but dogs enjoy it and it’s a completely natural thing for them, so if your dog has nothing to do in his spare time then barking passes the time like nothing else. Keep your dog busy with lots of exciting toys if he seems to bark a lot at night, something to chew and play with when you’re not around will help comfort the dog and keep him from barking and waking the neighbours. With nothing else to do your dog will bark through the night until you wake up.

4. Visitor time

When visitors come round it’s an exciting time for your dog, new faces, new smells and more attention than usual. This often causes dogs to bark, they want all the attention they can get in the form of cuddles and play time. You can solve this by using the ‘Stop’ command, teach him this and praise him when he listens to you and you should have no more problems with your over excited dog.

5. Be Consistent

Unfamiliarity can trigger your dogs barking off a lot of the time so keep constant with the times he barks most, for a lot of dog owners this is at night time. Decide where your dog or puppy sleeps. If one night your dog is out in the cold and the next he’s all snug and warm in bed with you or your kids you can guarantee he won’t want to be back out in the cold getting no attention from anyone again. Stick to consistency with your dog and you won’t go far wrong, otherwise you may be in for another sleepless night shouting at your dog.



AMOS

John Williams Dog Training asked:


The passing away of your dog is a sad time for all pet owners and a moment we all would like to avoid altogether although it is a natural process of losing a good friend or family member there are options that can make dealing with the situation better.

It is certainly can be a big shock to you when you find out your pet has passed away and the first reaction could be that of denial. Denial is a common occurrence when dealing with loss or finding out when someone your love has passed away. This is due to your body not wanting to deal with the blow of a pet’s death and it then tries to block it out like nothing has happened.

It is generally better to accept the situation of your dogs’ death if possible, this may be hard to come to terms with for many on such an emotional time, so a burial or small gathering of friends and family who knew the dog to say a final farewell may be a good idea, and it will help you accept the current situation.

Anger and blame may be a result of the shock and you may feel like this is a way to release the emotion you are feeling and pass it on to someone else. Veterinarians go through a tuff process to get to the standard of a professional vet, and for good reason, they care for the work they do. Blaming your vet should not be an option and they are always looking out for the best interest of your dog no matter what you might think when grieving your dogs’ death. Avoid this type of behaviour as it helps no one and it will only turn into guilt on your emotions start to calm down.

When the bad news finally hits home the grieving will start and your emotions will be too much to control, it’s good to let your emotional feelings out as this helps the situation greatly. Keeping yourself overly busy is not recommended like many people do, the emotions will need to come out sometime and it has to happen to stop the feeling of emptiness. Try finding groups of others in your community or internet that can relate to your problems and talk to family and friends about your feelings. The more support you get the quicker you will learn to look back on how happy you’re dog was and how much fun you had together.



BARRETT

Robert asked:


We recently built a nice fenced area in the back yard for our dog to go potty in. We have a 3 year old boy that likes to play in the back yard but the dog leaves big land mines everywhere and is killing the grass with his *** spots. So we built the dog run for the dog to do his business but he absolutely will not go potty when he’s in there. What do we need to do to get him to go?!?!?!

GIUSEPPE

Lighthearted asked:


I have a hard with beautiful grass due to how hard I have worked to improve it. But my neighbors let their dogs go to the bathroom on my yard. I have no problem picking up all the **** but dog urine kills my grass in numberous places. Of course I never see the dogs in my yard. What is a good way to stop the dogs from going on my grass beyond putting up a fence or signs. Is there any chemical I can put on the grass? I could hid mousetraps here or there. Any other ideas?

BRENTON

Robin asked:


My parents, both in their mid sixties, had to put their dog down a couple weeks ago. They are still grieving but are probably going to get another dog in the spring. Mom wants a dog that’s not too old but I can’t see them dealing with a hyperactive puppy. Their old dog was about 60 pounds but I think they will want a smaller dog this time. Does anyone have suggestions on which breeds are more laid back and easier to train and which ones they should stay away from? Thanks for your suggestions!

ERIN

khrissy asked:


I have 2 dogs, a jack russell and a rat terrier. We used to always make sure there was food in there bowels at all times. But then the jack russell started to gain a ton of weight. Now we follow the back of the dog food bag guideline. It is premium dog food. My dogs get normal activity, but now they act like they’re starving, is this normal? My dogs are healthy otherwise.

ALFONZO

Ingrid H asked:


Personally, I think dog parks are a horrible idea. Many dogs, mostly small and elderly dogs have been killed at dog parks. Dogs in dog parks get into fights over rank issues. I don’t know all the dogs at a dog park, so I don’t know if they are aggressive, infested with parasites, or sick. I protect my dog and will not expose her to strange dogs in an environment such as a dog park. So, why do so many people think dog parks are a good place to bring their dogs?

CORNELIUS

ryan_dunn102003 asked:


I have a Jack Russell Terrier, just over a year old. I live in an apartment complex where a lot of people own dogs.

When I am walking my dog and he spots another dog, he wildly tries to pull me in that direction. If the dog is close, my dog lets out loud shrill screams and continues to try to pull me. It is almost impossible to control and its embarassing.

Other than that he is very well behaved for a JRT and he is real smart. Just a little wild in certain situations, this being the worst.

So what can I do to control this behavior?
he’s not aggressive in a mean way. He just is curious I think and wants to play. But he plays rough with other dogs like wrestling around and nipping (no intent to hurt). If I let him check out the other dog, They sniff, then start wrestling and the leashes get tangled up.

EFRAIN

John Williams Dog Training asked:


Dogs can be very difficult animals to deal with from time to time, some breeds and types can be especially difficult to train and control. No mater how much time and effort you seem to be putting in, your efforts give no results.

Don’t worry too much about persistently training you dog, it might not be your fault your dog is disobedient, people in different circumstances may be failing to train their dog for very simple reasons, whether it be your tone of voice, not having enough time to give your dog due to other commitments like work or hobbies, or your children throwing all the basic dog training rules out the window. Here we will try to educate you on the difference a professional dog trainer could have on your dog’s obedience, and how much it will cost.

The options available for dog training

Group dog training sessions locally - four to eight weekly 1 hour sessions for around $40 - $130 (£20 - £70).

Private dog trainers visiting your home or work place to give personal training to your dog for around $25 - $110 (£13 - £55) per hour.

Dog boarding kennel where your dog lives with the trainer for around 2 – 4 weeks getting many hours of professional dog behaviour training a day for around $1000 – $2,500(£550 – £1,300).

What you get for your money

So what do you get for your money? Many dog trainers concentrate on different areas of your dog’s obedience and you will usually get a much better service for the more money you pay. Standard training classes and trainers will concentrate on addressing the chewing, barking, biting and digging aspects of your dog’s behavior. Hand signals may also be covered in dog obedience classes along with showing you, the owner how to handle trickier situations that can only be over come at home like housetraining.

General guidelines for hiring a dog trainer are to always research the dog trainer well, find out qualifications the dog trainer has in his area of expertise and seek advice and information for other dog owners who have had their dogs trained previously. Get to know your trainer well before handing your dog over to him/her and make sure you are comfortable in the methods he/she uses.



BRET