A number of our regular readers at Ask About Dogs have asked me whether we could provide some additional Puppy Training and How to House Train a Puppy information.

So I am pleased to be able to tell you that we have just launched Free Puppy Training which you can reach by clicking on Puppy Training and don’t forget our Puppy Supplies site.

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A Fat Puppy Does Not Equal A Healthy Puppy

As a responsible pet owner, you need to be aware of your dog’s growth progress, from puppyhood to adulthood, to make sure that he stays in the best shape for the rest of his life. One of the things that you should do is to keep a weekly record of his weight until he reaches his 1st birthday. This is important in order to determine whether or not you have to modify his diet.

A chubby puppy may look cute and cuddly, but he is at great risk of developing joint problems or a bone disease. On the other hand, a puppy who is not eating his required daily meal may be experiencing an illness by type of food he is eating. If you have a large-breed puppy, he should be at least 2 years old before you can see a dramatic growth in his size.

Determining The Size Of Your Puppy

Obese puppies lead to obese dogs. The best way to find out if your puppy is overweight or underweight is to feel his ribs. The correct way to do this is to position your puppy on the table. Place one hand on his right shoulder and the other on his left shoulder.

Next, feel his ribs by applying a gentle press using the palm of your hand. You should be able to feel his ribs with just a little bit of fat and muscle. If you are having difficulty locating his ribs, then your puppy may need to shed some pounds. On the other hand, if you have no trouble finding every single rib in his body, you may have to add a little bit more calorie to his diet.

Check With Your Veterinarian

If your puppy needs to lose some weight, the best way to handle the situation is to make an appointment with your vet. Your vet will give you specific instructions that you must implement on a day-to-day basis. Your puppy will probably be given a special diet designed specifically for weight loss, one that is going to satisfy his appetite and contain required nutrients that his body needs while helping him lose weight at the same time. Your vet may also recommend regular exercise to help those extra calories. These include walking, occasional running, and lots of playing.

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How To Get Your Puppy To Stop Stealing Clothes

Puppies are like little children in that they need constant discipline and a watchful eye to be sure that they can learn the rules of your house. Some puppies have major behavior problems, while others display the typical scenarios, such as stealing clothes and other small items around the house as if it were a game.

Puppies are notorious for stealing anything that they can get their mouths on and then run away with it. At first this little habit is cute and very comical. However, after a while it needs to be seriously addressed because as the puppy matures into an adult dog, he will think that he is allowed to eat anything in the house, including your expensive shoes and nice furniture.

There are several ways to handle a puppy that is stealing your cloths and other items from around the house. One way to get your puppy to drop something from his mouth immediately is to simply walk out of the room and shut the door behind you. For example, let’s say you are in your room and your dog grabs a sock from the corner closet and runs around the room avoiding you at all costs. This is just a game to him, nothing more. So what you need to do is quickly have him lose interest in the game by just leaving the room with the door closed. In less than 10 seconds your puppy will drop the sock and start crying for your presence.

Another way to distract your puppy from stealing clothes and other small items is to distract him by running to the door and shaking your keys so that he understands that you are going to take him outside (dogs quickly associate the jingle of keys to someone leaving the house).

Now take the dog into the yard or the sidewalk for just a few minutes. If you do this enough, eventually your puppy will be able to stop playing his little thief game anytime you shake your keys. It’s all about distraction and training your puppy’s mind to associate something else of importance whenever he attempts to break the rules.

Last but not least, as I always recommend for most common behavioral problems with dogs, get yourself a small water bottle that you can use to squirt your puppy. Of course you do not want to torture your dog by squirting them in the eye or anything like that, but a little spritz of water can go a long way when trying to get your dog to stop whatever behavioral problem he keeps getting into.

Whenever you see your puppy grabbing something and running around the house with it, give them a quick squirt and a firm “no” command. He will be so surprised and shocked that he will quickly drop anything from his mouth while learning that this is one rule he cannot break.

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How To Change Your Puppy’s Shy, Timid Behavior

Are you the proud owner of an extremely shy puppy? This fear-based behavioral characteristic is very common if you have a toy dog breed. However, it’s a known fact that every litter will have a least one shy puppy that will need to be treated a little differently than the rest of the pups.

When these shy puppies grow up they can become extremely needy and look towards their owners for reinforcement in almost every situation they come across. And unfortunately, while this need to �run to mommy or daddy� every time she gets scared, your dog may start to initiate aggression if she is not getting the soothing attention needed. This could be labeled as aggression induced by fear.

Ironically enough, if you constantly caress and soothe your puppy when she demonstrates extreme shyness and becomes frightened, you are only reinforcing the behavior. I realize that it’s hard to imagine ignoring your shy and scared puppy when she needs you, but if you would like to change her behavior and help the dog become a bold and social animal, you are going to have to quit letting her know that it is �okay� to be afraid.

Helping Your Shy Puppy Change

If your dog is showing signs of fear and timidness early on, then you will have to be patient when desiring to help her adjust. You must coax the dog along to realizing that you will not be her protector anymore. Behaviors that she is used to doing when getting scared will need to be stopped, such as barking while hiding behind your legs when startled, darting away whenever seeing a normal part of the outside, like a person walking or a bush swaying by the wind, etc.

Here are some tips that you can use to help your puppy become less shy:

1. Explain to your family and friends to ignore your puppy’s fear-induced barking or crying whenever they approach. Up to this point your dog has acted out of fear whenever someone approaches and when these people naturally stop the approach, your dog has learned that this behavior works in her favor. However, from now on your dog will start to understand that fear-induced barking will not work anymore so long as your friends and family respect your training wishes.

2. Whenever you are expecting guests to arrive at the house, be sure to keep your puppy secured by a lead. Take her with you as you approach the guests if you can allow the dog to be with you all times. The difference from now on is that when she starts crying, barking, or hiding behind your legs, you will now act in a confident matter and without petting or soothing her. This will help your dog become more brave while teaching her that her old behavior will not work anymore.

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Potty Train Your Puppy In 4 Easy Steps

If there is one thing that all dog owners can relate to it is the experience of taking a puppy that has no clue about the proper area to use the bathroom in and then training him to be a responsible pet to use the bathroom in the appropriate place and at the appropriate times.

Housebreaking a dog is also the most common area where many dog owners initiate the wrong kinds of training protocols. It is this situation where people could use just a few common sense tips to get their dogs quickly introduced to the proper way to use the bathroom.

The first thing you need to keep in mind is that all animals have a natural instinct to avoid soiling the very place in which they sleep and eat. Of course brand new puppies may not get it right away, but it doesn’t take long for them to realize that they do not want to urinate or create stools where they live and play.

Here are a few housebreaking tips that you can use today which will help get your puppy on his way to being properly trained when he has to use the bathroom:

1. When you wake up in the morning, avoid praising or greeting your puppy until he has used the bathroom. This will develop into a routine for him and once he realizes that he gets a lot of loving attention and praise after he uses the bathroom in the morning, this pattern will stick in his head and he will understand what to do in order to get what he wants, which is your praise!

2. When you start to bring your puppy outside or wherever it is you want him to use the bathroom at, stick to using just one command each time you lead him to the potty area. For example, I use the words “Go pee pee”.

3. Whatever route you take when you leave him from the house to his potty area, use this same path every single time you take him to use the bathroom. This will help create a pattern so that he understands that it is time to go to the bathroom when you are walking him through the same route.

4. And of course, it should go without saying that you need to use a lot of praise and loving caresses when your puppy properly uses the bathroom in the designated area. You must help him associate housebreaking with a positive experience and showering him with love and affection is the right way to do it.

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Does your puppy have the attention span of a two-year-old child? And does he seem a little too fatigued and tired throughout the day? If you have already taken your dog to the veterinarian for a full examination and he checks out okay, you may want to take it upon yourself to help increase his energy levels and attention span by going the “natural” route.

Of course animal medicines do have their place, but if your veterinarian does not see a major health problem then your best choice is to follow some of the guidelines below to get your puppy feeling better and acting more alert:

1. As long as your puppy is more than six weeks old, try reducing his feeding times to only twice per day. In an attempt to keep our puppies growing and healthy, some dog owners make the mistake of overfeeding the little pups, which can result in lethargic energy levels as well as very short attention spans. You can help your puppy by cutting back on his meals.

2. Check the food labels and be sure that the food you are feeding your puppy has a complete digestibility level of at least 85% to 90%.

3. Protein is a very important nutrient for good health and energy in dogs. Unfortunately, many dog foods sold in stores are made up of mostly carbohydrates. Dogs need meat and lots of protein to be at their best. This is especially true of young puppies. So be sure that each meal has a high level protein source when feeding your puppy.

4. As far as supplements are concerned, is always smart to first check with your veterinarian. But we have a recommendation that may help your dog and that is to supplement his food with brewers yeast. Brewers yeast is chock full of B vitamins and protein.

5. Last but not least, the latest trend in supplements for both people and animals are omega-3 fatty acids. But there is good reason for this popular trend and that is because these oils are extremely healthy and are known to raise concentration levels in dogs as well as create a healthy shine on their coat. You can find omega-3 fatty acids in fish oils and flaxseed oils.

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For any new dog owner, handling all of the loud barking of a new puppy can be quite an unnerving experience. Most new dog owners are not prepared for the intense amount of barking and yelping that young puppies start doing the minute they arrive in their new home. Although it is totally natural, some puppies do not give their owners the luxury of quieting down, especially at night.

One of the biggest phases that a puppy will go through is the fear of being alone. And I’m not talking about being alone in the sense of you leaving the house. Some puppies will go absolutely nuts even when you only leave the room for a split second. They just can’t bear to be alone because they are used to having their mommy or littermates around non-stop.

When faced with this situation, what you do? If you run to your puppy to sooth and caress him every time he cries, then you are only feeding the behavior and creating a spoiled dog. On the other hand, if you ignore him and let him bark his brains out, the rest of the family (especially your spouse) will become very annoyed with you for letting the barking go on.

It’s like being stuck between a rock and a hard place, however, we do have some tips to help you deal with your puppy barking situation:

1. The first step is to try to ignore your puppy’s barking if at all possible without yelling at him. Yelling will either scare him from wanting to come near you or will further add to his anxiety levels that and he will continue barking.

2. There is a product called a “teaching lead” which will enable your puppy to be around you at all times in the house. Use these types of tools so that your puppy can be around you while he is getting used to his independence.

3. When you leave the house, try to refrain from long and drawn out departures. Although it’s understandable to want to pet your puppy and talk sweet to her before leaving the house, it only creates more stress because she will start to associate your behavior with you leaving her side. The same advice goes when you arrive home. Avoid big and exciting welcomes after walking through the door.

4. Try using a simple training aid to get your puppy to quiet down immediately when she is barking. A water bottle that sends a quick burst of streaming spray is a perfect idea. Or you could use a small tin can filled with a few pennies in it. When you go to leave her side and she starts barking, simply throw that can in her area. It will create a startling noise while at the same time diverting her attention.

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Socializing your pet to accept new animals into the household is not always an easy task. We all read the biblical account of Noah and his Ark and wondered just how he got the animals to survive in the ark together for five minutes let alone 40 days and nights of rain. The dog usually has its own ideas of its territory and home and is generally not a generous creature when it come to sharing but would much rather chase the intruders away. We have to reprogram the dogs thinking to make it understand that chasing the cat or iguana or whatever other pet you may have, is not acceptable. So how about some instruction on just how it’s done?

For the First tip, Insure the Safety of Both Animals and Yourself. To start, make certain that the new animal will be safe. Place the new pet in a pet carrier or some other sturdy structure that prohibits the dog from actually physically contacting the animal but still allows for both animals to see, smell and hear each other. This provides a way for both animals to acclimate to each other in a safe, though possibly a bit stressful, situation. In later steps, gloves might be advisable to avoid scratches from a nervous pet.

Secondly, Rewards Work Wonders. After the animals have both calmed a bit give them each a small reward, such as a morsel of some favorite food. Be sure to give the dog lots of verbal praise and affection when it is not barking or trying to get to the new animal as this will show the dog that you are accepting of the new pet’s presence and you expect him to be also. Repeat this process several times over the course of a week or so, until both animals seem fairly accustomed to the presence of the other and their aggressions seem to have subsided. At this point, you are ready to move on to the next step and tip number three.

The third tip to socializing your animal is Get Help. This step will require an assistant to help with one of the animals. Have the assistant leash the dog and hold him firmly on a very short leash. After instructing the assistant to maintain control of the dog, open the pet carrier and bring the new pet out carefully. Your dog will likely move towards the animal so be sure the assistant has the dog held tightly and be careful not to let the new pet panic and escape your grasp. Gradually bring them closer together and let them calmly adapt to each others presence. Repeat this step several times over the next few days and by the end of the week, these two animals should be like old chums.

Another tip to remember in socializing your pets is that, while the animals most likely won’t make an instant attachment to each other, there are those special picture perfect moments that you will want to cherish a lifetime. So keep the camera handy and loaded with film. The candid shots of training at its best provide memories that will last forever. Few things are more fun than looking at a picture of your dog with an iguana riding around the room perched on his back and telling a little white lie that you taught the two of them to do that.

Our Fifth and final point is remember that just like humans, not everyone is going to get along. There will be days where the dog and the cat are going to feud or the iguana will get cantankerous and slap the dog with his tail for the fun of it. Some animals were just never meant to live in harmony but with a lot of patience and a little direction you can make your household fairly peaceable most of the time. When things go sour, just take it in stride and put the animals in their separate areas for a bit and, given a cooling period, they will be friends again in no time.

With these simple tips you can be certain that life around your home will be much more harmonious and you might just have a bit more respect for Noah and his Ark.

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It’s really exciting for you and your family when you bring a new puppy home isn’t it! However, in the excitement don’t forget to address the basic needs of your puppy. The way to make sure this does not happen is to have your puppy’s supplies already bought and on hand before the big day. So let’s take a look at some of the things your puppy will need from the start of his new life with you.

Obviously one of the absolute basic supplies that you will need is food. This should be obvious, but you would be surprised at how often this is overlooked. You will need to check with the breeder to find out what food your puppy is already eating. You will need a supply of this type of food. If you are planning to change to a different brand, you will need to gradually change it over the course of about seven to ten days. Just add a little of the new brand to the old brand, adding a little more each day, until your puppy is eating just the new brand.

Of course, to go along with the food, you will need food and water bowls. These need to be made from easy to clean material. They also need to be heavy enough that they will not be easily tipped over by an excited young puppy. Since some breeds chew more than others, you may also want to avoid plastic altogether, as these can splinter and cause problems. A set of stainless steal bowls will take care of this problem and they are easy to clean.

After food, one of the most important items you will purchase for your new puppy is his crate. These can be found in many different styles and sizes. If you are bringing home a large breed dog, you will either want to buy a crate that is adjustable or buy several crates in different sizes to accommodate your growing puppy. This crate will become your puppy’s special place. This is where he will sleep, stay, and get away from all the household hubbub. This can also be his “safe” place, especially if you have children. This will become your puppy’s own little “den”. When you purchase your puppy’s crate, you should be sure that it is the right size. Your puppy should be able to stand comfortably, turn around, and lie without being cramped. It should not be so large though that your puppy has enough room to relieve himself at one end while having room to sleep at the other, you do not want your puppy to get in the habit of relieving himself in his crate.

When your puppy is ready to be taken outside, you will need to have him in a collar and on a leash. Your puppy’s first collar and leash should be made of lightweight nylon or leather. If you start your puppy from the very beginning wearing a collar and leash, it will be less of a challenge when you start training. You will need to make sure the collar fits properly. The way to do this is to add two inches to the puppy’s neck size. As your puppy grows you will need to check the collar to make sure it is not to tight. To go along with your puppy’s new collar, you will also need to have an identification tag attached. This tag should have your name, address, and telephone number (make sure you include area code). If your puppy was to stray, it could make the difference in you getting him back or not.

Another item to have on hand to use right from the start is your dog grooming tools. Establishing your puppy’s grooming routine early in his life will eliminate a lot of challenges later on. Hopefully your puppy will start to look forward to this time as time spent one on one with you, so do everything you can to make it a special time. The brushes and combs and other grooming supplies will depend on the breed you choose. Check with the breeder to determine which grooming supplies you will need.

Another thing you will need to establish from the very start of your puppy being a part of your family is what he is allowed to play with. Having toys already on hand will help establish his boundaries for what to play with. If you find your puppy playing with something unacceptable, you can very easily distract him with the proper toy, if you already have the toy on hand. Some good toys to consider are any large rawhide piece (chips, logs, or bone shaped), large nylon chews, and hard rubber balls. You want to find something that is made for puppies and cannot be torn apart, swallowed or splinters easily. You will want to avoid any toys that will fit completely into your puppies mouth, this can pose a serious choking hazard. Also, do not use toys that are meant to encourage tugging, these can unintentionally reinforce aggressive behavior. One last note on toys, do not let your new puppy chew on any old shoes or clothing. Puppies do not know the difference between the old things you gave them and any thing they find laying around, to them it is all fair game. Not only the damage that could be done to your pocessions, but this could also cause some serious safety issues for your puppy. Little pieces could be torn off and swallowed, possibly causing obstructions in the digestive tract.

Thinking ahead and doing a little planning before your new family member comes home will make the transition a lot smoother. It is much easier to have what you need on hand before you even need it. Then there won’t be any mad dashes to the store because you were not prepared.

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