EigenGraphs

If you have dogs, then you have a lot more work to do. If you have a little dog then you will have a much easier time training you dog to be ready for the baby. If you have a big dog like mine, who is clumsy, I had my work cut out for me. You need to try to trick the dog, that you already have a baby. Get a baby doll from the store and walk around with it. If you have some friends with babies, you can get a tape of their baby crying, and let the dog hear in occasionally. That way, he wont freak out when the baby starts to cry. Give the dog a good bath and get his nails clipped and have all of his shots. What ever you can do to make the dog safer for the baby is worth it. Get baby gates around where the baby is going to be to keep the dog out…if that is throated that you want to take. Before the baby is home form the hospital, you should take something that the baby has been using like a cloth or a toll home for the dog. Let him smell it and have it so that he gets used to the smell of the baby. This will let the dog know that baby belongs in his house. Don’t hide the baby format he dog. You keeping the baby away and hidden from the dog, will only make him feel more curious and strange about having the baby at home.

My best friend is incredible! She’s one of those rare types who hangs on every word you say. She’s content to be quiet when I need stillness, even though she’s one of those high-drive types. All I have to do is call and she’s there in an instant, no matter what she was doing before. She puts me ahead of all her other friends, never fails to make me feel special, and is a redhead just like me. But she’s not a person, even though she’s sure she is. She is a butterfly dog; a Papillon.

When I brought this eight-week-old bundle of joy home, I didn’t know what to call her. I’m not very good at naming anything, so I usually just observe for a couple of weeks and let the animal name itself by its personality. This puppy’s name became evident in nothing flat: Tazzie. She whirled around the house, jumping up on furniture five times her size, zooming and zipping and totally charming me. She was, indeed, a Tasmanian devil pup. I quickly realized the athleticism of this dog and knew I’d have to find her a “job” when she got a little older. High-drive dogs, that don’t have “jobs,” will certainly find other outlets for their energy and those outlets aren’t usually things you would enjoy!

You already have a burning love for your puppy, but what is your relationship like? Does it come when you call it? Does it sit or lay or stay? From your first class, at your dog training school, your relationship with your dog begins to change. I will warn you, however, that anything you want to teach your dog won’t come just with a once-a-week class, even if you have the best dog training school in the world. You have to practice with them, just a little bit, every day.

Tazzie was a very food-motivated dog, so the fact that she got food every time she did something right made training a blast for her, all by itself. And this happened every day! Bonus! She made fast friends at her new dog training school, so going to class was fun as well. She got to where she would whine, as soon as we pulled in the parking lot, until I finally got her out of that car.

So now you’re taking your dog to classes in a place they love, and you’re working with them every day. During that time, you’re paying complete attention to them, teaching them to pay complete attention to you, and they get their favorite food as icing on the cake. This does incredible things for the bond between you and your dog. They learn to focus on you, no matter what, and good things will come. They get praised and fed, or praised and allowed to tug on a toy, whichever motivates the dog more, so your relationship can’t help but blossom.

Ever since Tazzie and I started training together, she has claimed me as her own. When my other two dogs want to sit on my lap, she’ll push them out of the way to get the best spot because, I am her property, as far as she’s concerned. I do give the other dogs personal time as well, but I have to put her in a sit/stay or a down/stay so she’ll let them come get love.

She is, by far, the one I can trust the most, not only because of her training, but from the bond we gained through the training. She never takes her eyes off of me, since we began at our dog training school, and it serves us well in the agility ring!

If you want to forever alter and solidify the bond you share with your dog, find yourself a good dog training school, for whatever discipline you prefer, and go for it. With a little time, money, and patience, your relationship will become a forever relationship. If you do, your dog will turn out to be your best friend too!

Melissa Buhmeyer has been involved in dog agility training for two years and is co-founder of http://www.dogtraining-school.com/, a dog training school resource site for aspiring and professional dog trainers.

Can Your Dog Stomach This?

There’s an old adage that says “You are what you eat”. While more and more Americans are becoming aware of the need to reduce or altogether eliminate processed foods from their diets, we need to do the same for our pets. The ingredients that make up most commercial, processed pet foods are not fit for even non-human consumption.

To be fair, not all manufacturers use poor or potentially dangerous ingredients. In fact, there are a few that use human grade, healthy ingredients. But most pet food widely available on the shelf of the local discount store should be a source of concern for pet owners.

The sources of protein used vary vastly. Any slaughtered animal, cattle, swine, poultry, lamb - is a source of pet food protein. Well, that doesn’t sound so bad but the question is this: what parts of that slaughtered animal is in my pet’s kibble? Bones, blood, intestines, lungs, ligaments, beaks, feet, undeveloped eggs, and feathers are termed by-products by the industry and are a questionable source of nourishment for our animals.

Fat is added in the form of discarded restaurant grease and “animal fat” that is a by-product of the rendering process. These fats are highly saturated and lack the linoleic acid essential to healthy coat and skin.

Many of the grains used come from wheat rejected for human consumption. Brewer’s rice, a low quality rice product is void of the nutrients found in whole rice. Corn gluten is the dried residue left from the milling process. Glutens are added to slow down the transition of rancid animal fats. This holds waste in which causes kidneys and livers to work overtime and our pets pay the consequences with ill health.

Fillers are often used that consistent of wood pulp, corncobs and peanut hulls.

Our pet’s food is filled with additives and chemical preservatives such as BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin which are potential cancer-causing agents.

According to the Animal Protection Institute, “to make pet food nutritious, manufacturers fortify it with vitamins and minerals. Why? Because the ingredients they are using are not wholesome…and harsh manufacturing processes destroy many of the nutrients the food had to begin with”.

It is not unusual for commercially prepared pet foods to be contaminated with bacteria and endotoxins from using diseased animals rejected by slaughterhouses for human consumption.

The bottom line here is that ingredients in many of the commercially prepared, pre-processed pet foods vary widely in content and quality and are marginally nutritious at best. Pre-processed foods are a major source of allergies and chronic digestive problems in our pets.

What can you do? Consider replacing commercial foods with an all- natural dry food. Supplement with fresh foods. Many people are trying raw diets for their pets and more and more pet owners prepare their pet’s food fresh daily. There are many books on the subject and lots of information via the Internet.

If you are interested in learning more about natural pet foods, please visit www.naturalbarker.com and read about Barker and Friends Natural Pet Treats and Flint River Ranch All Natural Pet Foods for dogs and cats. We use only human-grade, natural ingredients to protect the health of our pets. You may request a free sample of Flint River Ranch by emailing Barker and Friends at creaturecomfortsnewsletter@cox.net.

If you would like to find some good books on the topic of pet nutrition, visit our website www.naturalbarker.com and click on the Amazon.com link on our Links page.

To receive Creature Comforts Pet Care Newsletter on a regular basis, email us at creaturecomfortsnewsletter@cox.net.

Sherry Massey is the owner of Barker and Friends Natural Dog Treats and a distributor for Flint River Ranch Natural Pet Foods. Natural nutrition for our pets is just as important as it is for us. We can give our furry friends a longer, healthier life simply by feeding them whole, all natural foods and eliminating chemical preservatives and additives from their diet. Its never too late to start.