There are several reasons why your dog barks. You must distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate barking to properly teach your dog to stop only when he shouldn’t bark. If your house is being robbed and you’ve scared the bark out of your dog he’s not going to be very good at alerting you to trouble.

Dogs bark for all kinds of reasons: aggression, defending their territory, to sound the alarm, to get their needs met, to get attention, and boredom. It is this boredom barking (barking for no good reason) that we want to stop, right? Before you do anything else, find out why your dog is barking. If he needs something (food, water, shelter, to be let outside) make sure he has it and doesn’t have to ask. Basic essentials should never be withheld from your dog!

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There are 2 effective methods for getting any form of liquid medication down your dog’s throat: Make a pouch or pry the mouth open.

1. Making a pouch: Using one hand, pull out the corner of the dog’s lower lip to make a little pouch. Keep his head slightly tilted back and pour the liquid into the mouth using your other hand.

In some instances, the medication does not go in right away. This occurs when the dog’s teeth are clenched too tightly. When this happens, gently pry his mouth open using your fingers. If the dog tries to move away, position his rear end in a corner so he will not be able to back away from you. You can also get another person to help you hold the dog during the process.

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If you are considering bringing a puppy home and have never done it before, there are some important things you need to know. A puppy is a new member in your household and therefore needs your care and attention just like another human member in your home.

The pup has just left its family and is going to be lonely. So, whenever it is awake it will seek company and a caring touch. If you are not able to provide these crucial elements and of course food and water, maybe you need to reschedule the ‘bringing home’ event.

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If any of the following 5 statements ring true, you should re-examine your reasons for wanting a dog and your ability to properly care for one.

1. You’re Always Really Busy with Work and Don’t Have Much Downtime

In order for your new dog or puppy to bond with you and properly acclimate to its new surroundings, you’ll need to set a lot of time aside just for him. You can’t just pick out a puppy, bring it home, play with it for a while and then forget it. You need to spend quality time with your new family member. This means lots of playtime (especially for puppies), two or more walks outside every day and obedience training. If you don’t spend time with your pet, you’re just asking for trouble. Often, neglected pets will act out by engaging in destructive behavior. Furthermore, if your pet is alone too much, he will not be properly socialized. This may result in his being unduly fearful of strangers and other animals which, in turn, may cause him to become aggressively defensive towards them. If you are too busy to spend quality time with a pet, then wait until your life is a little less hectic before you adopt one.

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May 7th, 2007

There are three methods that can be applied to properly dry the coat, depending on the breed of dog you are working with. These are: The fluff-dry method, the cage drying method, and the towel-dry method.

The first method and perhaps the most difficult to achieve is the fluff-dry method. A high-speed floor dryer is used for this procedure. This method of drying is a very important and crucial step in the proper grooming of certain breeds such as the Poodle, Afghan, Old English Sheepdog, and Maltese.

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