Owning a family dog can be a wonderful experience, many dog owners swear by it. Dogs can be fun and give the family unconditional love. They mean well and they never answer us back when we are mad at them. But dogs are also a great responsibility for its owners, they require care and attention.

Choosing a family dog might be a challenging task, there are so many breeds out there that it’s difficult to even decide where to start. Selecting a dog for the family is even harder if there are kids in the house, or if the potential for having children in the future exists. Some breeds are considered family and kid friendly, others are not. When bringing a dog home one of the most important and critical things to do is to allow the dog socialize and get to know each family member, from the youngest one to the oldest one.

When looking for a family dog, you have to choose a breed of dog good with children. Some breeds are not very patient when it comes to the little one and they can pose a threat to them, therefore you should make your diligent research when choosing a dog for your family. Finding a dog that is good with kids is a most is you have little ones at home.

A very popular family dog is the Golden retriever. The Golden retriever is a large dog, but is also a gently one. He is of very good natured and submissive with the family members. These dogs tend to be calmer than the Labrador retriever and they also intelligent and playful. The Golden retriever because of their long coat will need regular grooming, which can be time consuming.

In addition to the Golden retriever I just mentioned above, there is another big dog that is a great family dog and very good with children, and this is the Labrador retriever. The Labrador retriever can be hyper as a puppy, but tends to calm down as he matures and grows older. They are active dogs, therefore good play pens for children. They require a lot of exercise, so if your kids do not like to play outside or if you are not an active type of person do not get a Labrador. Without proper exercise the Lab will get bored and will tend to become destructive.

Another dog that is very good with children is the Shih tzu. Shih tzus are small dogs, with big hearts. They are very friendly and love everyone in the family. They tend to be stubborn, but if well trained they can turn into great companions, not only for kids but also for adults and elderly. The Shih tzu is not a whiny dog, they tend to be very proud and very stoic. They love the attention but they have their time when they like to be by themselves. If you ask the Shih tzu for some time out he will give it to you. They are gentle and because of their small size, from 10 to 16 pounds, they are easy to manage. If you have very small kids the Shih tzu is not recommended because the puppies are very small and could get harm easily.

If you want to have a dog good with children, make sure you do your good share of research to make certain that you are going to bring home a pet that will be safe for you and your children. Not two dogs are alike, even if they are from the same breed. So, even if you decide to get a dog from one of the recommended breed you have to be careful that this particular dog does not have any behavioral problems.

Can dog training be done at the comfort of your own home? The answer is yes, there are several puppy training or dog training methods that you can definitively apply at home without the need of hiring a professional dog trainer. One of the benefits of training your pet at home is that you could potentially save money and time. A critical factor to remember when training your dog is that it isn’t a onetime thing as dog’s attitudes tend to change over time.

What is what makes dog training difficult? Why it’s that many dog owners give up in training their dogs? Well the answer is that even when training is a simple thing, the dog owner need to apply the dog training success tips consistently. Training a dog to do something today, and not trying again for another four or five days is a sure path to failure.

What is the first tip that you as your dog trainer need to be familiar with? To successfully train your dog there are three criteria’s that are critical: patience, consistency and persistence. Without these three your dog training efforts will most likely be unsuccessful.

Being the alpha or leader of the pack is something that you need to achieve fast when it comes to your relationship with your dog. Do not assume that because your dog sees that you provide him with care, food and love that this automatically turns you into the alpha. Not a chance. When dogs see that their owners provide them with all the things they need, they will ask for more and become more demanding. This is particularly true if you do not show your dog who the leader is.

No dog is perfect, the same way that no owner is perfect, but one thing is certain the more you show your dog the right things to do, the better both of you will be. A dog that misbehaves does not need to be scolded, hit or yell at, he needs to be shown the right way to do the things you want from him. If you see your dog making a mistake and you wait until a few minutes later to correct him, he will have no idea of why you are correcting him. Remember, dogs have very short attention span and short memory.

A critical aspect of dog training when applying these dog training tips is to reward your dog lavishly every time he shows a behavior that you expect. This positive reward can be in the form of treats, praises, even his favorite toy. When you get into the habit of rewarding your dog each time he dogs something good your will create a snowballing effect that will create more opportunity for you to reward your dog, and for him to get more of what he enjoys.

Have a great “dog training” day,

Dr. Alfonso

Dogs are man’s best friend for a reason. They deserve that title. Dogs are indeed man and woman best friend because of their loyalty and their dedication to their owners. Dogs can also be very helpful when it comes to release stress. It has been proved that dogs can help release stress and lower blood pressure. Some people who are fortunate enough to be able to take their dogs to work swear by this. Dogs can also be a lot of fun. There is nothing more enjoyable than playing with a young puppy, or playing hide and seek with your older dog. Unfortunately, not everything is color pink, dogs can also be destructive beings.

Many dog owners think that dogs misbehave because they go to work and the dogs have all the liberty to do everything they want at home. The truth of the matter is that dogs, misbehave because they are energetic beings, especially at a young age, and they need to burn all that energy that they carry with them. That is were exercise comes into place for your dog.

Due to the fact that dogs can or will misbehave when left alone at home, it is imperative that the owner realize that the dog needs activity. If the owner ignores these behavioral issues, they can eventually turn into more serious problems, which could include aggression and even anxiety. Aggression can be defined as dog to dog aggression or dog to human aggression.

Dogs that are aggressive do not necessary want to harm, sometimes they act aggressive because they are fearful. Other times dogs can show signs of aggression because they might have hormonal imbalances or other medical problems or are in pain. Dog behavior experts consider aggression as intent to harm. You can tell when a dog is acting aggressive just by looking at it. The dog barks excessively, howl and growl. He might even show you his teeth. In a dog that aggression is not controlled this behavior could lead the dog to harm somebody.

On the other side, another issue with dogs that can be very detrimental to the dog-owner relationship is anxiety. Anxiety in dogs can be a very difficult condition to treat. Many dogs these days suffer from separation anxiety. An owner knows when a dog suffer from separation anxiety when the dog, cause destruction to the house, including damage to the furniture, the rugs and even the walls.

Remember that dogs want care, love and affection and that their destructive manners should not be considered a way of the dog paying back the owner for being left alone at home for many hours. In addition, dogs who suffer from anxiety might have other reasons why they suffer from this condition, and do not always have to be associated with the owner leaving the dog alone. Other reasons for separation anxiety in dogs include abuse by prior owners, been scared of loud noises or even been removed from their mother to early as a puppy.

If dog aggression and anxiety do not get corrected early on, these two problems have the tendency to worsen and over time they will become a major headache for the dog owner.

A way to help a dog with separation anxiety is by training him. Dog training can, if applied early on, help dogs with these two problems and might be useful in preventing these two conditions from worsening down the road. Dog training might not be a magic solution but it might be beneficial. Remember that if training your dog does not help with these issues you might then consider going to the veterinarian and asking for some medications that could help controlling your dog.

Have a great "dog training" day,

Dr. Alfonso

The secret to training your puppy dog to listen to you and to obey is one favorite topic of dog lovers. Getting a new puppy is exciting especially if you got it for your kids. Just imagine how their whole face would light up once they open the box and see an adorable German Shepard.

It’s all exciting at first but you may soon regret your decision once your "adorable" puppy starts to chew on your shoes and sofa legs. To avoid this, you need to make sure that you have thoroughly considered the consequences of getting a puppy. The consequences include good puppy training. Although that wonderful bounce of puff could bring so much joy, it also requires a lot of training.

Understanding Your Puppy
Before you proceed to good puppy training, you must first understand your puppy. Dogs are different from each other. Like humans, they have different temperaments and personality. A puppy’s temperament would depend on his breed. You need to understand the breed of your puppy before you could start training your dog. For instance, if you got a bull dog or a German Shepard at home, then you have a guard dog. Guard dogs have born instincts to guard and protect their owners. If you have a Labrador, then you have a hunting dog. Hunting dogs are naturally energetic.

If you got yourself a collie, then you have a herding dog. These dogs are active and naturally curious. They love to move around and hate staying still. These dogs love farm life. They get anxious and scared when exposed to modern environment.

Training Your Puppy
Good puppy training takes some time. It does not take forever but it would take a couple of weeks or so before you’d see obedience from your puppy. You would need a lot of patience. You would have to devote a lot of after-office hours to training your puppy.

If you have kids, it would be a great idea to have them involved. Teach them the ropes, so to speak. So that they’d be following up on your puppy’s training when you’re not around. It is also important that you teach your kids responsibility. After all, they asked for the puppy for Christmas.

The good thing about training puppy is that it doesn’t take a whole lot of time as it seems. It will take some time, but once you have the techniques and the routine down, it will go a lot faster. Good puppy training would only take a few minutes daily over a length of two or three weeks. This is different from training a grown dog. Puppies love to learn and good puppy training can be a lot of fun.

The first thing that you have to teach your puppy is to listen to you and to obey your commands. You should learn how to teach him the simple commands like sit, stay, come, fetch and heel. These commands are fairly easy and puppies easily grasp their meaning. You can include other commands as your puppy grows older. You can then include rolling over, playing dead and pawing. By then, you’d be reaping the long term benefits of your good puppy training.

Raising and training a puppy or a dog is a huge responsibility and should not be taken lightly. Dogs are living things with specific needs not unlike a young human being. When it comes to dog training, you need to be prepared to spend a little money on necessary dog training devices designed to help you handle or teach your dog. Here are some of the most essential dog training and rearing devices:

1. Dog Collar and Leash – A dog collar and its leash is very important since it is your primary means of control especially if the dog is still untrained. The leash should be long enough to give the dog some control but short enough that its easy to give him a tug if you want to prevent him from doing something. The collar should be sturdy and would fit in the sense that it won’t choke or strangle the dog but he won’t be able to remove it by himself. As a general rule of thumb, you need to be able to fit two fingers between the collar and the dog, any less and it’s too tight, any more and it’s too loose. Don’t settle for plain rope, since it’s too rough for your pet, there are lots of companies such as Herm Sprenger, Dogtra and Petsafe who make collars and leashes that are safe for your dog.

2. A Blanket or Bed – It is easier to keep your dog well-behaved if you managed to teach him where he can sleep or rest. A small blanket propped up in the corner of your house or near the doghouse will do, and taking him there from time to time will teach him that this is the specific place where he is expected to sleep and rest.

3. Food bowl – A dog food bowl is very useful and effective when it comes to basic dog training, since animals respond fairly well to positive affirmation and food. As a plus, training him to a point where he expects the food in the bowl will make it less likely for him to eat other things like clothing, toys, dirt, and other pets. Bear in mind that this only works if you feed him regularly. A hungry dog will still eat whatever it deems edible, which is a lot more than you imagine.

4. Dog grooming products – Dogs are naturally cute, cuddly, and easy to train. Unfortunately, they are also very prone to parasites, germs, and other things that may prevent you from actually interacting with them. A good set of cleaning and grooming materials are therefore imperative. Luckily there is a wide range of available products for you to choose from. With companies such as Four Paws, Pet select, and PetVantage offering solutions leading the proverbial pack.

These dog rearing and training accessories should make it easier for you to take care of your pet and allow you to devote more of your time to having fun and playing with him instead of worrying about his well-being all the time.

Have a great “dog training” day,

Dr. Alfonso