Before people start looking for a dog, they usually have a distinct idea about the type of canine they want.  Every type of dog needs the same care, there are distinctions between each of the different sizes that will affect you, your home and your family.
Sometimes, large canines get a bad rap.  Even though most of the time we think of large K-9s as destructive and high energy, this is not always the case.  In fact, a lot of the large breeds, especially the giant ones, are some of the laziest dogs.  Very large breeds such as the Newfoundlands, mastiffs, and Saint Bernards can be a handful while they’re young, like any dog, but once …

Prehistoric man appears to have partnered with canines over 20,000 years ago for hunting. How exactly this occurred, we will perhaps never know. However, what we do know is that cave paintings, murals, and other pieces of archeological evidence suggest that this partnership began at around the same time that human beings were organizing themselves.
Early hunter-gatherer groups used dogs in the hunt for fowl and small game. Dogs that were probably nothing more than domesticated wolves were adept at spotting and flushing out game. Often, this meant that the animal would then be chased and harassed to the point of exhaustion and collapse, whereupon the humans would close in and finish the job with spears, …

Dogs belong in packs and when they are domesticated, they still look at their families as their ‘packs.’ They need to be social and they need attention. The way dogs have been domesticated has created a bit of a problem. Allowing your dog to spend time with other dogs is not satisfactory. They need time with their human friends. Sure, we have lives that are extremely busy, so it can be difficult to give our dogs as much attention as we need. As we rush around like maniacs trying to get important things done, trying to spend time with our dogs can feel like a burden.
When you’re feeling like this, spending time with your dog …

Learning how to perform dog training with hand signals can be tricky. Mainly, hand signals are used in conjunction with words. It is much easier to train a dog with these after they are trained with words. The methods I am going to share with you pertain to vocally trained dogs, and also dogs with no training what-so-ever.
Teaching to Sit
Teaching a dog how to sit using dog training hand signals is a fairly simple technique. You should get a treat and hold it out in front of their nose. If the dog already knows how to sit by voice, then you won’t need to use food. Now, with your hand in front of their nose, …

Like all the domestic animals, dogs are susceptible to many diseases. So in order to keep them healthy, it is necessary to understand the various diseases they can suffer from. Here is your quick guide on common dog diseases:
Rabies: This disease is caused due to a virus which affects the central nervous system of the dog. It generally spreads through the saliva. Rabies has several stages. In the first stage, there appears some behavior changes in your dog. As it reaches the second stage, the dog becomes very aggressive and by the third stage the body parts of the dog stop coordinating with each other. Once encountered the disease, there remains no cure.
Distempter: This is …

Otitis externa is an inflammation of the outer ear and ear canal. Inflammation of the skin of the ear canal is the essence of this disorder. The inflammation can be secondary to dermatitis (eczema) only, with no microbial infection, or it can be caused by active bacterial or fungal infection. In either case, but more often with infection, the ear canal skin swells and may become painful and/or tender to touch. Acute otitis externa is predominantly a microbial infection, occurs rather suddenly, rapidly worsens, and becomes very painful and alarming. It is the predominant complaint and the only symptom directly related to the severity of acute external otitis. Unlike other forms of ear infections, the …

It has always amazed me how dogs are so closely related to their ancestors, the wolf, and still, to this day, display a natural instinct to live and participate within a family “pack”.
Teamwork and partnerships are the natural order in which canines think. A good analogy to explain this better is to observe the way a sports team all works together to accomplish the same goal of winning. Your dog is the same way and looks at you and the rest of his family as part of his “team”. He counts on everyone of you in the house to teach him how to behave, understand the rules, and above all, help him survive.
In order for …

Problems with inappropriate urination are some of the most commonly encountered by dog owners.  As a matter of fact, inappropriate urination and defecation is the most frequently cited reason that owners surrender their animals to shelters.
Before you can address problems with inappropriate urination, it is important to understand the basis of the problem.   There are several reasons why dogs lose control of their bladders, and it is important to know the root cause of the problem before it can be properly addressed.
Problem #1 – Excitement Urination
Dogs often urinate when they become overly excited, and dogs that are otherwise perfectly housebroken sometimes show their excitement by dribbling urine when greeting you excitedly.  It is normal for …

Puppies are like little children in that they think the world revolves around them! Since Fido can’t pull on your sleeve and whine (although he may do his very best canine impersonation of this) he may resort to barking instead. Puppies can quickly become spoiled when every bark made in a ploy for attention gets exactly that and the barking will only continue. Ignore attention barking from the beginning so that the puppy never receives the response they wish.
Teach your dog a “quiet” command. When he begins to bark at a passer-by, allow two or three barks, then say “quiet” and interrupt his barking by shaking a can filled with pennies or squirting water at …

The Labrador Retriver: Superdog And Devil Dog
One of the best selling books of 2005 was “Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog”, a true story written by John Grogan. The movie version is slated to be released in the fall of 2008. Although the late-lamented Marley has made Grogan’s fortune, he was a total terror to live with, despite the fact that he was a Labrador Retriever.
This is typical of the relationship between people and Labradors. People expect them to be mind readers or a furry person and they are neither. If the owners don’t commit to interacting with their dogs a lot, then even the best bred Labradors will turn …

There is virtually nothing as embarrassing as when your holiday guests arrive and your dog Fido is jumping all over them. You start tugging and ordering him to get down and stop, but as usual he doesn’t acknowledge a single word coming out of your mouth. You have tried everything and he refuses to listen to you. Is there any hope for a good puppy?
There is no need for an expensive trainer to teach your puppy. You can do this on your own, without an expensive trainer. With training your dog will no longer cause you any unnecessary embarrassment. For you to successfully train your dog to obey your every command, you will need to …

Many dog owners do not realize that the dog can have many of the same health issues as humans do. Almost everyone has heard a dog sneeze, but very few people will associate it with a health condition. Dogs can get colds, just like their masters.
Dogs just like humans can also become overweight and even obese. This happens because the dog is not fed the proper food, the correct portions and or does not receive adequate amounts of exercise. Very similar to the reasons a human can become overweight and obese.
Dogs and humans can also have the same diseases. Mostly stemming from eating unhealthy foods and the wrong amount of the right foods. Some of …