Tim Pim Blog

Robin asks:

I’m wondering if you could tell me why– when I’m walking Yogi through some grass– that he smells something and the next thing I know, he’s stuck his head on the ground and starts to roll his body over the area he was smelling. On two occasions, he coated himself in another dog’s poop. I’ve been asking vets and laypersons to explain this behavior but no one seem to know. Thank you so much for listening.

Very Sincerely,
-Robin

Dear Robin:

This is a hold-over instinct from before dogs were domesticated. They would roll around in a heavily scented object to mask their own scent, when hunting.

This behavior can be stopped by telling your dog, “No.”
Sounds easy, right?

Well, if that hasn’t worked, then you can bet that your, “No” command doesn’t have any meaning to your dog.

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. Establish yourself as the pack leader.

2. Leave a training collar and tab on your dog, so that you can start consistently associating a “negative” with your verbal “No” command.

3. If your correction is motivational, your dog will get the picture, fast. Dogs simply do not continue to do a behavior that does not feel good.

To read more of my dog training ramblings, read about my book (click below): http://tinyurl.com/4efaq
Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!

About the Author

Author, “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!” which you can read more about at:
http://tinyurl.com/4efaq

As you have probably already learned, Pit Bulls are highly energetic animals. They love to run and play, and get excited easily. One of the more annoying habits they develop at a young age is jumping. Jumping can be particularly annoying when they do it as a way of greeting, especially if it is young child or someone who is afraid of dogs. Teaching your Pit Bull to curb this behavior is not an easy task, but is your responsibility as a Pit Bull owner.

Many people have stopped their Pit Bulls from jumping on them by using treats. When they come inside, they throw some treats on the floor, and then greet their dog while his attention is fixed on the treats. The treats usually work as a good distraction to pull your Pit Bull’s attention away from jumping on you. If you don’t like using treats to train your Pit Bull, or if the method just doesn’t work well for you, then you have to try other ideas to train your Pit Bull not to jump.

One thing you can try is teaching your Pit Bull that it is nicer to sit than jump. Go outside, leaving your Pit Bull inside, then come back in and calmly greet him. If your Pit Bull starts to jump on you, turn your back to him, and ignore him. When your Pit Bull puts all four feet back on the floor, turn back around and pet him. If he starts to jump on you again, turn back around and ignore him. This will teach your Pit Bull that when he jumps, he doesn’t get any attention, but that if he sits nicely you will pet him. This technique may take quite a while for your Pit Bull to learn, especially if he is a very excitable dog. But, if you stick with it long enough, he should learn that jumping is not going to gain him anything other than losing your attention. Once you get your Pit Bull thru this step, try to teach him to sit still for a few moments before you acknowledge him. If he gets up, use the same routine of ignoring him, and then when he sits down, pet him again. This would also be a good time to try to teach him to shake hands when he greets people, rather than jumping on them.

You can also further entice your Pit Bull to not jump by tempting him and then rewarding and praising him for his good behavior. Hold treats up in the air so that your Pit Bull will have to jump to get them. If he jumps, ignore him, and when he is calm try again. When he is able to remain seated, praise him, give him the treats, and some extra attention. He will soon learn that by behaving the way you want him to, he will not only get extra attention, but some extra treats as well, which is double incentive for him to obey.

Another method that tends to work well in teaching your Pit Bull not to jump is to have a designated place for your Pit Bull, and teach him to go there when you need him to, for example, when someone is at the door. To start this training, you will need to pick the spot, and put maybe a bed or blanket and some of his favorite toys there. When the spot is ready, spend some time with him while he is there. Giving him special attention and treats will help him attribute the spot as a good place that he wants to spend time at. As your Pit Bull becomes accustomed to his place, start sending him there occasionally. At first, you will want to be close to the spot, and eventually move farther and farther away from it as your dog learns. Make it a point to give him special attention and treats each time he goes to his spot when you ask him to. Eventually, your Pit Bull will learn that by going to his spot when you ask him to, that you will reward him for it.

The biggest thing you can do to help your Pit Bull learn not to jump is to keep your own greetings calm. I know it is hard when you have been away from him all day not to come in and play and wrestle with him, but this will only get him more excited, and he will expect this same attention from everyone that enters the house. Until you can completely break the jumping habit, it may be best to ignore him for the first few minutes you come home, and then play with him once he settles down. It may take a little time, but your Pit Bull will soon learn how to tone down his excitement.

To learn all about American Pit Bull Terriers and how to train a Pit Bull puppy, visit http://www.pitbullsrevealed.com/ today.

Have you taken your dog to the vet recently? Did you balk at the
cost of a regular check up or the price tag of your dog’s
medicine? In a more extreme example, your dog may have eaten
something that didn’t agree with them and they are convulsing
and coughing up blood. This frightens you and you rush them to
the emergency vet hospital. The vet has trouble ascertaining the
cause of their distress and runs several tests and pumps a
plethora of medicines in your dog’s body.

Of course you love your dog and will do anything to save him.
However, after the fright of the situation wears off you realize
that your dog has racked up quite a vet bill. In fact, the bill
may be over $1,000. Wow! There is no question that you should
save your dog’s life by any means possible, but if this type of
situation happens more than once your bank account might dwindle
to nothing. Therefore, you need to purchase pet insurance for
your dog.

Pet insurance for your dog you ask? Yes, you can purchase pet
insurance for your canine companion. It is a great idea to
purchase pet insurance for many reasons. Was your dog born with
birth defects and other chronic problems? For example, some dogs
are born with misplaced knee caps, “trick knees”, and will need
costly surgery in the future. Another reason to buy pet
insurance for your pet is that if they are getting on in years.
Many times dogs will hit a certain age and it seems as if they
are struck with several health problems at once.

Pet insurance is also a good option if you have an overly active
or working dog. Does your dog tend to run around the country
side and come home with scrapes and bruises? Do they bring home
disease infested rodents for your viewing pleasure? Do they feel
compelled to eat trash that is filled with bacteria even when
they know they aren’t supposed to? Do you have more than one dog
and fear the spread of a dog illnesses or infections? Pet
insurance is something to consider in any of these cases.

How does pet insurance work? Pet insurance is very similar to
your own health insurance plan. There are several different pet
insurance plans to choose from that range in the amount of
services and cost. Many pet insurance plans offer coverage
regarding annual checkups, lab tests, vaccinations,
drugs/medications, spaying/neutering and emergency visits. Often
you will visit the vet, pay for the service and then submit your
claim to the pet insurance company.

The range of coverage varies as does the deductible and
reimbursement percentage. Some pet insurance plans will pay up
to 80% of your vet bill after you have reached the $100
deductible. Pet insurance is an especially thankful gift when
your dog has an emergency and racks up the medical costs.

In addition, pet insurance plans also allow you to choose the
veterinarian you would like your dog to see. You do not have to
worry about veterinarians “in your network” like you commonly do
with your own health insurance plan.

When choosing a pet insurance plan you have a host of pet
insurane companies available. Many of these companies have
websites that can provide you an instant pet insurance quote.
You type your contact information, the breed of your dog, and
your dog’s age. You can find the costs for pet insurance plans
that are basic to comprehensive and whether you want to pay the
pet insurance premium monthly or once a year.

It depends on the age and breed of your dog, but you can find
pet insurance premiums as low as $10-$15 per month. As your dog
gets older, the cost will increase slightly due to the fact that
older canines are prone to more illnesses and veterinarian
visits. This rise in cost can be offset greatly by the amount of
money you will save by purchasing a pet insurance plan.

Think pet insurance is too high or unnecessary? Consider the
fact that if you don’t purchase pet insurance, you will have to
pay the full amount for every vet service out of your pocket.
This can soon add up to over thousands of dollars during your
dog’s lifetime.

If your dog is susceptible to illness or you find yourself at
the vet’s office often then check out pet insurance plans. You
can peruse the Internet for instant quotes or contact your vet
for possible pet insurance options. Finding pet insurance is as
easy as signing up on the Internet. If you don’t feel
comfortable with the Internet, then seek out the guidance of
your vet. They may know well respected pet insurance companies
that offer affordable pet insurance plans. Your pooch and your
pocket book will thank you.

A common problem with new kitten owners is knowing when to start the weaning process,

First off, a kitten needs milk during the first four to five weeks of age so it’s usually not a good idea to start before week four.

It is important to be patient! Remember, your kitten is still a baby and has a very delicate stomach. Also, always use high quality cat food during this important stage of your kitten’s life.

Week four is the average time to start weaning but some kittens might take longer so looking for some signs will help you in knowing when to wean a kitten.

They will generally signal an interest in solid foods by biting the bottle nipple or showing an interest in licking milk or formula from a finger.

To start weaning, try feeding some formula or milk from a spoon or in a small bowl or flat dish.

The next step is to begin adding some high quality canned kitten food with the milk (or water) and making a soft paste out of it.

Don’t use a dry food yet unless it is thoroughly moistened as a kitten can’t chew dry food until they are 8 weeks old. It is a good idea though to make some dry food available as some kittens like to crunch on the smaller pieces.

Use a bowl that is easy to access and putting a little of the food on the kitten’s mouth might help stimulate their appetite as they will have a natural tendency to look it off. Avoid blocking the nose with food or formula so your kitten can breathe easily and not panic.

You should continue to bottle feed during this process to make sure the kitten is getting enough to eat and slowly reduce the feedings as the kitten eats more solid food.

Around the eight week mark you can start to make the transition to dry food if you wish by slowly introducing dry food with the canned and reducing the amount of canned food you use until you only use dry.

Weight gain can be slow and some diarrhea is common but if it is excessive it can be a serious life-threatening problem and you should take the kitten to your vet immediately.

Continual weight gain is the goal and a good rule of thumb is around four ounces a week.

For expert advice on cat urine cleaner solutions visit www.cat-urine-remover.com

Training your dog to “sit” is probably the first thing you will
train your puppy to do. You can start the training as soon as
the puppy has settled in his new home. You might think this
training isn’t that important. A dog knows how to sit. Well, I
think it is very important. Read on and you will found out why
and how to train your dog to sit.

1. This first one is easy. You just start by saying “sit” every
time the puppy sits itself. He learns to associate the word sit
with the action. This is a tip you can use in all training.

2. Take out his favorite treat and keep it in your hand. Just
remember to cut it in small pieces so the puppy can swallow it
fast.

3. Sit down on the floor so you get to the same level as the
dog. You are less threatening when you sit. More important is
that you are close to the dog so you can reward him faster. More
about this soon.

4. Slowly move the treat over your puppy’s head. The intention
is to get the puppy to smell the treat (he will) and follow it
with his nose. He has two options. Either back up still
standing, or sit down. It’s easier to sit down.

5. Immediately as he sits you say “sit” and give him the piece
of sausage. This is the key factor to all training. The reward
has to be in the same moment as the dog does the right thing.

6. Praise the dog. Show your joy with your voice as well as with
your body language.

7. Repeat these steps 3-5 times. Not more than that though, as
it has to be fun! On the other hand, you can repeat the steps
several times during the day.

8. Next, you should try steps 4-6 while standing up. Later, you
can try to see if the dog reacts only to the word “sit” without
your hand and the treat. If he sits down you obviously should
praise him, and if he doesn’t, don’t care. You should never show
your disappointment to your dog when you are training.

This is pretty easy for the puppy. In a day or two you will get
him to sit with your “sit” command. Now you can try to make him
sit down beside you. This is actually a preparation for the heel
training. There, you want him to sit as soon as you stop
walking.

The next level is to strengthen the “sit” command so you get the
dog to sit in every situation, no matter what’s going on around
him. This is an ongoing process and you should never stop
training. Use every new situation to further his training. Make
him sit with new people, new dogs and new surroundings.

It’s quite easy to train your dog to sit. If you consider not
training your dog, my advice is, think again. When you start
training with your new puppy you get much more than the sitting
part. The puppy loves to do things with you. He learns to listen
to his name. He gets used to training and doing things with you,
and on your initiative. This all together strengthens your
position as the leader, and the puppy feels secure. When the
puppy falls asleep in the evening his last thoughts should be:
“This is really a great pack!”