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Friday, 22 February 2008

The Laugh and Learn Puppy

The Laugh and Learn Puppy
Product Description
The Laugh and Learn Puppy is a cuddlyplay pal for your baby that combines two modes of play -- learning mode and music games -- with 10 delightful songs.

In Learning Mode, six hot spots on the puppy teach your child A-Z, body parts and colors through fun phrases and songs. Then, switch to Game Mode for fun phrases and songs, including the Alphabet Song, a color song, a counting song and a song that teaches body parts. In Game Mode, kids can also enjoy six additional songs that encourage interaction: Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone, Pat-a-Cake, This Little Piggy, This Old Man and Bingo. A light-up collar twinkles to the music and puppy's response. Provides hours of interactive enjoyment. Requires 3 "AA" batteries (included).
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Petmate 25" Burrow Bed, Colors may vary


Petmate 25" Burrow Bed, Colors may vary
Product Description
Wrap your pet in comfort, warmth, and style. The Burrow Bed appeals to the nesting instinct of small dogs, cats and ferrets. Provides insulation from cold, hard floors.
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Thursday, 21 February 2008

If you love your pet then get it a cheap dog insurance

If you love your pet then get it a cheap dog insurance by ROBERT SCOTT
Our pets give us a lot more than what we provide for them in terms of love, affection, loyalty and complete devotion. In return even if we provide them food, love, grooming and medical care, it can never repay a pet's love for its owner. Coming home to a loving pet after a tiring day at work can be one of the best stress busters available and is often recommended by psychiatrists in order to get over minor depressions and grief. It is no wonder that dogs are successfully used as therapy providers for patients across the globe. Now, seeing all that our pets do for us, it is natural for us to want to provide the very best for any pet of ours. One of the most convenient ways to ensure that you can always provide the best care for your pet, irrespective of your financial condition, is through a cheap dog insurance.

Many reliable and reputed companies provide cheap dog insurance that is of immense benefit to both the pet and the owner. The insurance plans are varied and it is up to you to decide the best scheme possible that suits your needs and that of your pets. While selecting a cheap dog insurance the few pointers and facts that you need to keep in mind is the breed, age, gender and physical health of the pet. The insurance provides a wide coverage for not only the predictable situations like expensive treatment for any disease or illness and accident coverage but also for many unplanned and unexpected events. When selecting a cheap dog insurance you could also opt for a plan that provides coverage for instances when your dog has caused damage to a neighbor's property or hurt the neighbor and even for situations when your pet has gone missing and you need to advertise for its recovery. Even if a holiday needs to be canceled due to the ill health of a pet, you can still get back the loss you suffer through the dog insurance, if your pt is covered under that kind of plan. So, depending on the circumstances that you can predict or even the unexpected instances, you can get a suitable pet insurance coverage if you are really concerned enough for your pet. The insurance companies usually ask the pet owner to fill up a form and then on interaction with the owner determine the needs and the plan is selected accordingly.

The financial benefits of cheap dog insurance are plenty for the owner. In case you have a planned budget to be spent on your pet, an unexpected emergency like a medical expenditure can also burn a hole in your pocket. Also, if your financial situation does not permit it, your beloved pet may even go without the required treatment and it can be a heart breaking experience for the owner. The dog insurance will help you avoid all such situations and the premium to be paid on the insurance is also a reasonable amount. So opt for insurance and give your pet a happy and healthy life.


Robert Scott is a veterinary doctor and through ages having been dealing in pet insurance. If you want to know more about Pet Insurance, Cat insurance, Pet insurance Online,Veterinary pet insurance, Cheap dog insurance.you can visit www.insuranceforpets.net


Sunday, 17 February 2008

Japanese Akita Inu: Big and Powerful

by Ken Charles
Bred in Japan, many years ago.

The Japanese Akita is not a suitable dog as a normal family pet. It was originally bred in the Akita Prefecture in Japan, as a hunting dog, for deer, wild boar and even bears. For this purpose, it required to be a large, strong dog with confident, dominant tendecies and an independent nature. The Akita is also known as Akita Inu, which is Japanese for dog.

The average height for the Akita is between 24 to 28 inches and will weigh from eighty to one hundred and ten pounds. He has strong, heavy bones and a muscular body. This is a lot of dog!

The Akita has a double coat, which is harsh and waterproof, with a thick, dense undercoat. It sheds profusely, all year round and requires brushing and grooming every day. The coat can be white, brindle or tan and any mix of these. The dense coat of this breed means that he is happy in the snow but he will suffer in a hot climate.

This is not a dog for inexperienced owners, or for people who are elderly or weak. Akitas are intelligent and athletic and when socialized are faithful and affectionate but will always strive for the dominant position in the family group. He may show aggression towards family members and may not suit a family with small children. With this breed, it is vital that you are the Alpha Dog and that he knows his place in your "pack"!

The Akita may show aggression towards other dogs and small animals and should not be allowed to roam off-leash in public areas where there are many people and other dogs.

Training Akitas

The Akita can be difficult to train because they are intelligent and stubborn and can quickly become bored. it should never be a question of "asking" an Akita to do something. It must always be a strong command from a dominant owner. When you say "NO", mean it and make it stick. You may have problems with house training, as Akitas suffer from urinary infections in infancy.

There is plenty of information available online, much of it Free, on the subject of Dog Aggression. Any dog which shows undue aggression, to people or animals, is in urgent need of proper expert training.

If you take an Akita into your family, you must be prepared to spend time and effort on training, socializing, excercise and grooming. This large dog also costs a lot to feed.

Akitas in the Family

There are conflicting opinions about the suitability of Akitas with young children. Historically, the breed had a strong reputation for being protective of young children and were often left in sole charge. Other opinions point out the dominant nature of the breed and the fact that these dogs will compete for their place in the pack. Certainly, a young child will be no match physically for an adult Akita.

Proper supervision of the behavior of the dog and the children is essential in this situation. Having said this, a well socialized Akita will be more comfortable with this.

Akitas make extremely good guard dogs. They have a strong territorial instinct and will be very protective of family and property. As a watch dog, they are quietly effective. They do not bark unnecessarily but will certainly raise the alarm at the approach of any strange visitors or sounds.

The average lifespan of the Akita is about 12 years. Like many other breeds of dog, cancer is the most common cause of death. Recent surveys in both the United Kingdom and the USA/Canada revealed this to be the case, with other causes including cardiac and bloat/torsion.


About the Author

There is a load of Free information and useful links on Japanese Akitas at http://allabout-dogs.co.uk/akita which also covers all aspects of dog ownership, including Dog Training, Dog Breeds, Dog Food and Dog Health. For the best advice on training the Akita, visit http://allabout-dogs.co.uk/Dog_Trainers

Thursday, 14 February 2008

Home Dog Obedience Training Using the Positive Reinforcement Method

by Andrew Bicknell
Most dog trainers believe that the best way to train any dog is using a method called positive reinforcement training. For those who are doing home dog obedience training this process simply entails using positive reinforcement for good behavior and ignoring bad behavior.

A dog's natural instinct is to please her owner. Positive reinforcement uses this instinct and allows your dog to learn what it is you want her to do. This type of training has more meaning to your dog because she is able to learn what you want her to do using her own mental capacity.

Here are some quick tips you can use to implement this training method at home:

1. Pick good rewards. You need to keep your dog's interest level up in what you are doing. A pat on the head or saying "good girl" will lose a dogs interest pretty quickly. Use tempting rewards such as food treats and physical affection to reinforce your dog's good behavior. Dog trainers call these primary incentives and dogs are very responsive to these.

2. Timing is important. Good behavior and obedience needs to be rewarded the moment it happens. This way your dog begins to understand what behavior is being rewarded. This is where clicker training can be used. Using a small metal device that emits a click when pushed you click the clicker the moment your dog follows a command successfully. To reinforce the meaning of the clicker a treat should also be offered.

3. Use the same commands consistently. If you want your dog to sit don't use "sit" one time, "sit down" the next, or "down" later on. This is confusing for a dog because they learn through repetition. Pick a command and stick with it for each behavior you desire.

If you are training your dog at home you will need to learn to reward your dog in a meaningful fashion. If you know what your dog likes as far as physical attention and treats you will know what works as far as rewards go. Some dogs prefer edible treats while others enjoy playing with a favorite toy.

If you are using food treats for your home dog training reinforcement you need to be aware that many dog trainers have found that dogs actually respond better if they receive treats in a more sporadic fashion. Apparently it keeps their attention better because they remain interested in what you are teaching them if rewards are given intermittently.

Positive reinforcement training is a great home dog obedience training process to use because it is relatively easy. Ignoring bad behavior is the cornerstone of this method because a dog being ignored is an unhappy dog. This can do more to motivate your dog to do what you ask more then just about anything else.


About the Author

There is an excellent resource for training your dog using the Positive Reinforcement Method called SitStayFetch. To learn more about this training method please Click Here for a Review of SitStayFetch.

Sunday, 10 February 2008

Is There Such A Thing As 'Purely Positive' Dog Training?

Is There Such A Thing As 'Purely Positive' Dog Training?
By Tyler Brown

There is a large movement among dog trainers today that claim to be 'purely positive' trainers. Is this really true, however, or just a marketing tool to help people feel warm and fuzzy?

It is my contention that there is no such thing as 'purely positive' training. If you look at any force in the world there is always an opposite. Down always has an up. Left always has a right. The only reason you know what sad feels like is because you know what happy is. The only way you have been able to experience victory results from defeats you have had. There is always an opposite.

So how about applying this to 'purely positive' dog training methods? If something is positive that means that there has to be a negative to balance it. If training was truly 'purely positive' that would mean that you reward your dog with a treat for every single behavior he performs.

If you reward your dog for sitting on command with a treat that also means that you aren't rewarding your dog when he doesn't sit. Is withholding a treat 'purely positive'? Your dog builds a negative association with disobedience because there is no treat. How can he build a negative association if you are using 'purely positive' methods?

The problem with 'purely positive' trainers is not only the semantics. The methods are so unsound and do not get the desired dog training results. Think about it, if you tell your dog to do a command and his only consequence for disobedience is the lack of a treat, how well behaved will your dog be? If your dog is running toward the street to chase a cat do you think he would rather return to your side to get the treat or continue chasing the cat?

Imagine what would happen if we applied this same principle to humans. What if the only consequence for drunk driving was the withholding of $5 from your paycheck? What if the punishment for stealing was that you didn't get a pat on the back from your boss? The world would be chaos.

'Purely positive' dog trainers and dog training methods are not only misleading but a horrible way to train a dog.

Ty Brown is a leading dog training authority with numerous radio and television appearances to his credit. Visit www.dogbehavioronline.com to view free articles and for more puppy resources and check out his dog training business

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