"Big Dog Training"     

A Thousand Facts About Your Dog. LOADING         

PART TWO    

    LEARN  MORE,  BE  MORE       

    Updated: 06/08/10 13:13 

HOW TO CONTROL FLEAS ON YOUR DOG

YOUR DOG'S HEAT CYCLE

HOW TO BREED SUCCESSFULLY

Early Dog

A recent project revealed that criminals or people with antisocial behavior problems generally had LOWER amounts of serotonin in their brain. It was also noticed that a lot of these subjects were from broken homes or had been institutionalized at some stage. 'Normal' children who had a loving and close relationship from their home life had higher amounts of serotonin and a lower propensity to be of a criminal mind.

So the more you love, hug and kiss your children the greater the probability that they will turn out OK. Ergo, in this case, the more you love and hug your dog in its first year will determine a lot about its life.

TRAINING

Training Your Dog. Throughout your dog's life he or she will learn easily, along with your body language, TWENTY different words.

The more patient handler could teach maybe up to FIFTY to two hundred words. Expressions such as: Paw; beg; lie-down; stay; sit; come-here; heel, nicely, wee and even telly, for when something interesting is on that may intrigue your dog. Canines should not be allowed to watch too much TV however, two to three hours a day is more than enough.

Whenever training it is sometimes a good idea to call the out the dog's name before the command so it is clear you have the attention of the animal, and that it has not got something else of it's mind.

Perhaps the most important word from the VERY start is:

This word should be impressed upon your animal from the very beginning and if it is done with love and not bullying, the dog will soon understand that this means FULL STOP; that it must just grind to a halt, stop what it was doing or was going to do. When talking to a large and powerful animal, particularly the male, whose instinct it is to dominate everything, including you, that it meets, you must speak to it with an assertiveness that is meant and sometimes aggressive. Depending on how well you have trained the little beast, obedience can depend on the volume of any command NOT the assertiveness. 

Always be assertive!

Assertive can be self-assured, confident, firm, forceful, and even aggressive.

Always repress aggression in your dog. NEVER promote it.

You must always maintain control but this will become easier when your dog fully recognizes with time that you are permitted to give it commands.

You may often see owners of German Shepherds; ROTTWEILERS; Dobermans; Mastiffs talk to their dogs in a way that would bring on a divorce if applied to the spouse. But they are just remaining in control. I myself have often thought, ‘poor dog’ but when I have had to deal it out myself, I have looked at it differently. All dogs look to lead or be led. Being sharp is the key; never let a second go past if you see your dog doing, or attempting something you would not reasonably want it to do. Once they know their order in life they are generally happier, it is almost a burden off their shoulders to know that they are not going to have all that responsibility being the Alpha Dog. 

The owner who gives an order to a   large   dog   as though they are talking to a 4-year old little girl is asking for trouble. Basically the domestic dog thinks he is human, but with dog instincts, and his instinctual conditioning makes him accept his situation in life, but he will always take the opportunity to dominate. How you bring them up from the very start will determine as to how much they will accept this position.

For example, if we presume that the oldest male and female family members, perhaps the husband and wife, are the 'head of the household', the dog will react to what they command hopefully without question but perhaps your children will be looked upon with slightly less rank.

Friends asked to look after the dog whilst you are away on holiday or vacation must be good and old friends, well able to be assertive, to keep your dog under control. Therefore, always be a little bit cautious with anyone.

By far the greater majority of the time, your dog will be, if not better, as well behaved as any member of the family will. But when the instinct and hormones take a grip, you, as master or mistress, have to be constantly aware. There will be one or two times when your dog will attempt with YOU, to assert his dominance. He might bare his teeth and give a low growl.

Have none of this. Never a second of it! 

Do not thrash your dog, as fear in any dog makes him more aggressive and he will be quick to defend himself, and you might not win the fight. Never enter into a fight you might not win.   

Be clever!!  Just speak loudly and assertively with      NO !!!!    Stand up to him at a short / safe distance and stare hard, say:  NO !!!!    with great assertiveness.  If you do not like something, say he makes a growl, stand back, and talk to him sarcastically. Dogs do not understand the sarcastic tone, it messes with their heads. Chastise him but only for a moment or so. Do not go on, he will get the message and will sulk and act submissively, as it was only a passing thought. Send him to his bed and make sure he goes.

Never thrash or beat your dog. If you cannot fully control your dog with your voice, and you resort to hitting him,  you must accept two things.  1]     You have not trained him correctly. 2]     He is more intelligent than you.

After 10-20 minutes of having him on jankers, or fatigues, call him to you, perhaps in a sarcastic tone. Again, he will not understand the sarcastic tone, but it will keep his attention and it will help your pride. Think dog-psychology! Incidentally this criteria applies to all dogs; small dogs have been recognized as being much more aggressive and uncontrollable, the only difference is that a bite from a big dog is much more painful and damaging. I would rather have a large dog than a small one any day, they are more intelligent and ironically they seem to be more willing to be dominated.

However, should you be presented with a large fully grown dog who challenges your authority too regularly, you must consider your options. [ Be aware, it will happen once or twice.]  Perhaps a visit to the vet to see if the dog is in pain maybe a good idea. It may have something in its foot, ear or eye and dogs have low pain thresholds and will not always understand that you are trying to help, unless you have that special relationship.

Ask the vet about castration, this can help your dog have better control but it is very rarely carried out, as it does not always work. In any event you do not want a dog who challenges you more than is comfortable. It is a big problem and you may have to consider that you may have to give the dog away to another owner or handler.

Thrashing the dog into submission will never work as the dog will always remember that you are not quite the nice guy he was led to believe, and that respect will be gone forever.

Never use more than an outstretched index finger to 'hit' your dog with. But be careful you do not get bitten. It boils down to start how you mean to go on; become good friends, but with you firmly as the boss.

This is why the conditioning of the dog is so important from the very start, from a puppy.   A 2-3 year old dog that is bought by you must be considered with some suspicion. Never buy a large dog older than three months unless you are an experienced owner and intend the dog to be a fully working dog, or you may use your strong assertive voice on it and it might bite you on the bum.

Nevertheless, as your puppy grows and it will do so very quickly, you will find what a great asset he or she is. It will ' force ' you to take those long walks that you always wanted to take. Your dog will tell you when someone is either at your door or skulking around the house; dogs have excellent hearing and are very perceptive as to who should be about and who is trespassing. When at the gate, my dogs will let an old lady pat them on the head but a young man dressed in a hoodie track suit might get growled at. 

Dogs, like the GS, the Doberman and the Rotty are the best guard dogs in the world, have no doubt in this; it is in their genes, hundreds of years of breeding, since the days of the Neanderthal, has made it instinctual for him / her to protect your ( his / her ) home and you. No woman need fear walking the streets at night with their large trusty canine with them, and although your dog maybe the most friendly of animals, people will still cross the road to avoid any possible misinformed confrontation.

TRAINING YOUR BIG DOG

Scold & Praise

Scold means:

To rebuke, to find fault noisily, with voice. 

Rebuke means:

To express sharp disapproval to a person, or dog for a fault or disapproval. 

Praise means:

To express warm approval or admiration of, a commendation.

To Pet means:

Approval to a domestic or tamed animal kept for pleasure or companionship. Express fondness or familiarity. Fondle. 

The Early Days

Throughout your dog’s life its behavior will depend on how you: ‘

‘Scold’.    &     Pet   and / or    Praise’ 

  

SCOLD & PRAISE

He will soon learn what he is supposed to do and not supposed to do by using the two above. Praise for as long as you like, not though, when the dog likes. A dog might often come up to you and 'beg' for attention, by all means pet and praise your dog but do it when you want not when the dog begs. 

Scold when it is only necessary, and never for too long. I have never been an ignorer. Some owners will ignore instead of scolding, never ignore a 'misdemeanor'.  If your dog ever does, at any age, anything that you reasonably believe to be wrong, scold the dog AT ONCE, making it known that you are the boss.

But make it swift. As soon as your dog looks as though it is going to do something, that you do not reasonably think is correct, stop it and talk to it.  Watch out for its body language, in case you get bitten. Put your dog in the right frame of mind from the very beginning, from when its a puppy, and you will have a better chance of an easy life. Do not put up with any thing negative, rectify the situation at once.

Overly praise any thing positive.

Some methods do involve IGNORING your dog, but this is only applied to older dogs and those that have fell into bad habits due to bad training by their owners.

Scold & Praise, is delivered on several levels.

A Scold can be, just a normal deep tone command from you, right up to a SERIOUS AND ASSERTIVE DEEP TONED COMMAND!!

This is especially important to young dogs; a puppy will be scared of most things and it needs to learn that a deep tone from you, means that it has done something wrong and should stop, and rethink.

Praise is again on several levels. It is generally given in a high tone, and the higher the tone the greater the praise.

Sometimes, the dog may do something wrong, and a deep tone will not do it. Generally if you want your dog to come to you, after playing, and he has not had enough, or he has done some misdemeanor,  deep tones will not work. If he hears a deep tone, he will wonder what he has done, he will ignore you completely, or will stop what he is doing, frozen to the spot. You will have to command in a high tone, and the dog, will always come.

Think " Big Lions!!" as said by one of the greatest animal trainers on the planet, Dave Salmoni. Whenever my dogs do not want to come to me, I just say "Big Lions!" in that high pitched Salmoni voice and they are drawn to me like a magnet, head down thinking what have I done now?

A dog, or a child does not know what its behavioural boundaries are; by checking its actions IMMEDIATELY and assertively, you will put it on the right pathway. Understand the behavioural boundaries and make sure that your dog knows them.

Moreover, let any person, who is not a member of your pack or indeed a stranger, know what the boundaries are. Do not let anyone bound up to your big dog and start petting him, as they may get bitten. The bigger dog looks like a guard-dog and should instinctively protects itself and its home.

If it does not understand some action by a stranger, it will bite first and suffer the consequences later. But this can be true for most dogs; a dog cannot speak a language that will convey what it wants, it is usually body language or a sneer, a growl or a bite that lets us know what he thinks.

But above all, give love and if the love that you are giving is not at least ten times more than the scolding, you must be aware that the undeveloped puppy-dog needs more attention.

Remember, from the very first day you get your puppy introduce it to EVERYTHING, next-door kids, the TV, Kitchen appliances, other animals etc, get it used to EVERYTHING.

When you have got your puppy home, we hope that you have prepared the event somewhat before hand. Decide where you are going to keep your dog, as it is a ' pet ', it MUST be kept in your home and treated like a member of the family but as a puppy you must confine it to a suitable area that you can keep controlled. A warm kitchen with a hard floor, covered in lots of newspaper, is ideal.

Do NOT let the puppy roam around the house, as he will find a little toilet for himself.  Always define what rooms your dog can use.

Get a child gate or something to pen the dog into one room.

This can be the kitchen or maybe a warm garage. Never use a cage, especially for a big dog. Once a big dog is fully grown, you will need a cage, of unreasonable size, too big for your home, if you are to continue this regimen. Anyway you want your dog, to have some freedom in your home to guard and watch it; what good is a watch-dog locked in a cage. Train your dog to go where you want him, and he will get used to his boundaries and be fine.

Never let your big dog into your bedroom or any of your children's bedroom.

NEVER! 

This is a dominance and pack position factor. A dog needs to be conditioned that it is a low member of the group, and letting it sleep with you will not help you do this. Also, dandruff, fleas and other parasites can easily be spread and incubated in the bedroom.

The bedroom, is a personal place, and if your dog gets too comfortable, especially if you let the dog sleep with you, it will be harder to control. If the dog is a small poodle, this might not matter but try to remove a 180 pound dog who thinks that you are trying to take over its bed. 

It must have its own bed.

 

Restrict and train your dog to go where you want it to and nowhere else.

If you have a garden that is easily accessible and is protected, this will make your life a lot easier. If you live in a flat or an apartment maybe up one or two floors, you must be a dedicated and patient owner to take on any dog of any size, especially a large one. 

A good routine is the key to success.

Get him a large and secure box or basket that is well padded and that he can get into easily. Cover the padding with something that is easily washed or replaced and cannot harm him. It must be very soft and warm.    Make it  heaven to lie on, and it will always be his favorite place.

A large strong cardboard box is fine for a puppy, with say just one side cut away.

A dog must have a place he can call home; a place where he feels safe and comfortable, his little corner. Somewhere to go, when you tell him that it is advisable that he gets into his bed.

Remember that a fully grown dog will need a bed that measures at least about 45" X 30" .  That is 110 cm X  75 cm. This takes up a lot of space. Do not therefore invest too much in a factory made bed / basket until they are fully of grown. A big dog may not be fully grown until he is 20 to 24 months old.

Never ever have anything lying around that could possibly harm him. He will want to chew ANYTHING & EVERYTHING, this is natural, so keep everything out of harm's way. Buy, from a Pet-Shop, a suitable little cuddly toy and ask the pet shop’s advice in  what to buy the puppy as far as chewing on something is concerned.

Never give, or leave around, anything that your dog could bite into pieces. A large dog has a very powerful jaw, so what you may feel is indestructible could only last a few minutes with a full size dog.

Remember not until your dog is around 8 - 12 months old will it fully stop trying to chew most things it will find, or learn what it can chew and should not. In fact it is as natural for a dog to chew as it is for us to breathe, the secret is to guide your dog as to what it can or cannot do. Never let it get away with chewing anything it should not. And when you take something away, or scold it for chewing, always offer something it can chew in return.

If you leave a favorite item about, and your dog chews it up; who's fault is that?

If you are having problems with a dog chewing something it should not, like the leg of a Victorian coffee table. You may have to spray or smear something onto it. Spread some Tabasco sauce or English Mustard around the offending area. 

With you 'shouting' at him he should get the idea. 

But more importantly you must offer him something that he can chew. If he has plenty of store bought stuff that he can chew legally, he will quickly get the message sooner.

A puppy chews as naturally as we breathe in and out. Keep the puppy away from things, and keep things away from the puppy. Always have throughout to dog's life something nice and hard to chew. A bullocks shin is good; speak to your pet store.

His first night away from his litter will be one where you will have to show patience. He will be lonely without his family and maybe confused and frightened. His bed must be warm, soft and free from drafts, with nothing about that will harm him; such as things that he can bite off, electric cords, low furniture, shoes.   Leave a dish of the food that the breeder has been feeding since weaning, and of course some fresh clean tepid water.  Make sure the bowls are the kind that cannot be overturned. 

To keep your puppy company on his first night, a loud ticking clock or some other harmless low noisemaker will help to make him feel not totally alone. Leave a radio on very low.

The first two or three nights will be sad for him and you, but ignore his whining, only go to him if it is extra loud. Never let him into your bed, as this will spoil him forever; remember he is a dog, not a baby.

During his first day obviously try to cuddle and pet him as much as is reasonable; try to use up all his energy. When you put him to bed, tell him to lie down in an assertive voice, he will only understand the tone and this may work. Only push down gently.

He might stay but whatever happens, things can only get better. He may roam around the secure kitchen or other suitable area but eventually he will fall asleep. Do not let the dog sleep in any other room at this stage. A child's safety gate at the kitchen door is perfect.

Most pundits will say that any training should not be done until a puppy is around seven months old, this is true for serious training like jumping fences, co-piloting a 747  etc, but from the very first moment you get your puppy, a different and perhaps more important training must begin. 

Love and Training.

Please note that, like most animals, dogs will be very suspicious of things it does not know about and does not understand. Notwithstanding its natural instincts it may fear any new thing or any new situation. The first few months of a dog’s life will reassure it that 99% of people and things are not generally something to be alarmed about. 

So introduction to EVERYTHING is the key. This will obviously decrease as he matures, to a point possibly where his courage will have no bounds. I am sure you have often seen the little Jack Russell chase after a huge dog without taking into any consideration about the size difference. This may not be courage but some kind of canine madness however. 

So early long term training starts with your introducing your dog to everything, and getting it used to all that it might meet in its life.

By introducing your animal to everything, he will know and understand. All dogs do not like surprises and a prime example of an extreme situation is the affects of Guy Fawkes Night OR The Fourth of July OR even Chinese New Year.

This is a classic time when you should keep your dog indoors for protection. However, there is no need to be totally afraid of this situation. At about 10-14 months, at a distance,  I always introduce my dogs to the horrendous bangs and paraphernalia of these times. At first he will always be very jumpy and scared, but continued reassurance that all is well will help him understand that perhaps all this commotion is not quite so bad. 

Whilst I would not take a dog to a Fireworks display I am confident that in any event or surprises similar to this will give me more than half a chance in controlling what is a very big and strong animal.

Above all else love your puppy, cuddle him, play with him and handle him often as possible, but look out if this is getting too much for him or he needs to sleep or have time to himself. Get ALL visitors to stroke and cuddle him, get your children to cuddle him and play with him as much as possible, throughout his puppy life. Get their friends to play, within reason, with your dog as much as possible. To touch him on every part of his body; human association is paramount. It must learn that humans are friends. If any of your friends have a dog or cat, introduce your dog to these and let them play. A strenuous day will make him sleep better at night. But be careful not to make him fret if things are getting too much, it must always be a joint relationship.

Remember a dog, no matter how much you love him, or he 'loves' you, he is not really your best friend, and not even your friend. You are just partners in some obscure relationship, some symbiosis, where you are the boss, or Alpha and he is a subservient  member of your  pack.

Never forget that, especially when dealing with large powerful dogs; but for the grace of you being the human and him being the dog, he would dominate you given less than half a chance and he would not consider you as a friend in any part of the equation. 

Symbiosis - Any close relationship between individuals of different species of organisms, including parasitism - see parasite, commensalism, and inquilinism. However, it often refers to an association in which both partners - symbionts, benefit from the association; this is also called mutualism. An example is the sea anemone (Adamsia paliata), which lives attached to the snail shell inhabited by the hermit crab (Eupagurus prideauxii). The anemone protects the crab, from which it receives food and transport.

In further consideration of this, make sure that any visitor to your home, whether human or not, are safe and well aware that any large dog can do considerable damage in the blink of an eye, when it does not understand certain things. Ironically a dog maybe better behaved outside of the home, as no territorial circumstances are involved, so there is sometimes more reason for greater caution in the dog's territory. I have a large garden with a big double gate, he thinks that it is his garden.

When my dog is let out he rushes out to have a wee and a forage. If the gate is closed and a dog, or a cat or even a person that looks a bit suspicious he will rush up to the gate and growl and jump up.

But this is all bravado and show. If he rushes outside and the gate is open and a dog is just outside the gate; he will ignore it. Sometimes if a dog is on a lead it will be much more aggressive than if you let it off. You must understand all the psychology need to train a dog.

If there is a cat, outside of the gate, my big dog will always rush up to the railings and bark and growl. But recently, I let the dog out and a cat was sat just outside of the open gate.  The cat just sat there in some defiance, and my dog simply ignored it. It is like the brave drunk in the bar, really he wants someone to hold him back as he really does not want to brawl.

If friends visit, of course introduce them but warn them to be vigilant. Never allow children to come into your home and start playing with your adult dog; it would probably be best to introduce the dog and children and then put the dog somewhere safe. There is a fine line here in what you want from your dog. Of course 99% of the time the children will be fine, especially if you are there to supervise but this ' worry ' can be a chore, subsequently, so you can relax, keep the dog out of the way.

The object of this site is to lay down a foundation, so that you as a responsible owner will know of all the pitfalls in keeping a dog, as well as all the joy that it can bring. You may love your dog dearly, but for no reason, it might bite the face of a friend's child. How would you feel? Be alert and treat the situation with respect until you are 100% sure of your dog's temperament and then still be careful.

Daily Routine.

It is very important that as the dog grows, on a daily basis, you must have a five to ten minute routine where you brush him and examine him closely. Feel his legs and examine his paws; press gently into his tummy and feel his back. Open his mouth gently and examine his mouth, gums and teeth, talk to him all the time so that he associates words with deeds.

Saying “Good Boy!!” all the time. Write on your calendar on every day a mark to remind you of this. Set your mobile phone alarm to go off at a certain time every day. Or get into the habit of doing this after he has had a run. It might encourage others to do it; in fact it might be a good idea to let a stranger do it to test how good he is, but be careful, pick someone who has had dogs themselves and someone the dog knows well, otherwise they may get bitten.

All this is not just so that you might notice something wrong it is so that he will get used to these things being done to him by a Veterinary Surgeon.

Most dogs may go through life and, if suitably supervised will never bite. But imagine having a 150 pound dog who at the age of three has some strange person trying to look into his mouth and it is for the very first time.

There is no way anyone will be able to look into a fully grown Pit-Bull Terrier's mouth if he does not want it to happen. And the cost of an anaesthetic to make the dog sleep is far too costly. So this human association as a friend is essential for a happy life. In a perfect world when you touch his mouth and say “open”, he will open his mouth. But do not be disappointed if he will not do this; you may have to gently pries it open and the trick is that he will let you without fear of something bad happening to him. As he grows he will get used to humans and all other living things, and just treat them with curiosity and not a danger.

However, after saying this, it is obvious that for some part you have bought the dog because of its watch-dog / guard dog talents. But never be frightened to nurture your dog into an old softy because his instincts are preloaded to tell him that he should guard. Hundreds of years of breeding makes him a good guard dog. Do not worry about strangers getting into your home without your permission; the grown up dog should know whose whom, and that it is his job no matter how gentle he is with everything else. Introduce everyone that you look on as a friend, so that he knows who are part of the extended pack. Only introduce one person at a time though. If you think a dozen kids can just rush up and start patting and petting without an introduction you will be wrong and someone may get bitten. 

Again purely through instinct, a dog's first defence is to bite, or at least growl very loud.

From as young as nine weeks a dog should bark at strangers or any noise he does not understand. He will jump to attention, ears pricked and want to investigate. Encourage this. If your dog ever barks at a new or strange noise do not chastise him, but praise him for doing his job. When he is grown up, he will know what ‘shut-up’ means and will stop if he feels it is justified but if he carries on you better go see what the problem is. Until he is about twelve to eighteen months old, although large dog are powerful animals, he will tend to be very wary of any noise, or strange person and even have fear of it.

But this is because they are still only babies at this age. Their courage increases with maturity as in all creatures. This is why you must introduce your dog to as many things as possible. Cars, motor-bikes, cats, other dogs, young people, strange noises and strange people. He must be at ease with everything. At two years old most dogs will challenge Godzilla such is their courage. It will determine on the breed how serious the challenge is. May I say here that most people are bitten by dogs like the little Scottish Terrier, not German Shepherd's or Mastiffs.

Your Puppy.

After a few days following the second injection, take him outside into the street, not before. Most dogs will have two injections and then a booster over a period of about a month. When it is safe to take him out, introduce him to outside cats and other dogs, he should get on fine with anything and everything without any question until about a year old. And this should continue, large dogs, if used to other dogs, will not bother too much, but maybe just want to play.

BUT if any other dog acts at all aggressively, your mature dog will be quick to defend himself. Your young dog will be surprised at an attack and may not know what to do, and may abscond.

If he has been showered with love all his life, this unwarranted aggression will be alien to him and he may even run from the aggressive Pekinese. As the dog's 'mother or father' make sure you have control of the situation here. A frightened dog may run onto a busy road, forgetting all your training.

If you have chosen a male dog however, maybe your biggest problem could be him attacking other males. NEVER EVER LET  him or her, off to roam the streets on their own, always have your dog on a lead or leach unless you know his temperament fully or you are in an area where he can run off with no harm to other dogs or himself. Dogs, when brought up correctly, are actually quite friendly animals but other dogs just need to show the least aggression or something they do not understand and he or she may have to fight back. In fact the longer you can keep a dog away from other unfriendly canines that you know are more territorial, the better. All dogs are territorial to differing degrees. 

Also, ALWAYS make sure that the designated handler has the strength, commonsense and the assertiveness to control your animal should it ever be attacked by another dog, which will  usually of course be a small terrier, trying his luck. Never let a ten year old take charge of your dog when you are not 100% sure that it can control it. I am 6' 3" and 220 pounds in weight and I have been pulled down the road a few yards because I have often been caught off guard.

HOUSE BREAKING. To HOUSEBREAK or Toilet Train your young puppy, remember that he will have his box, large enough for him to grow, and that will be “his” home and the kitchen or utility room floor will be covered in paper and act as his territory. Do not let him roam your house at this stage, make sure he is supervised if you do. He will not mess his bed, if he does when you take him to a vet within seven days of buying him, tell her about it. 

For the first day or two, watch your dog carefully. A puppy will WEE, just after he wakes or has had some activity, or maybe after a drink; look for the signs. Should he start having a sniff around, turning in circles, seeking and then spread his or her back legs; then eventually trying to squat a little, pick him up and place him in the corner where you want him to WEE. Speak to him saying:

  " … wee, wee wee wee."' 

Areas, where he has wetted, pick up the papers that are not in the corner you have designated as his toilet,  and  rinse the hard area with some white vinegar and a few drops of bacterial Fairy Liquid. He will soon get the message that you want him to wee in a particular corner. When he does wee in the correct spot: PRAISE !  PRAISE !   PRAISE !  [ High voice - 'Big Lions!' ]

In the designated corner you must pick up the very wet pieces of paper leaving ones underneath that are damp, thus leaving a scent of his wee, to remind him, where you want him to go. Of course if you have a garden that is easily reached, take him out after he has had a sleep and encourage him to go. Eventually he will realize what you are saying and go every time. He will soon wee on command. This will cut down on accidents no end, but do not forget to do it regularly; every hour or so until you get into a good routine.

Throughout the dogs life always use the command, 'wee'  to make your dog relieve him or herself when you want it to. He will ‘wee’ on command but a healthy dog or bitch will usually want no coaxing in this area; they will just want a place and opportunity.

As far as the other 'motion' is concerned, pick a word that he will learn to associate with this. PONY, [Cockney Rhyming Slang – Pony and Trap – Crap ] or even more succinctly, just PO, (Not for Teletubbie fans) and carry out the same procedure as above. Never scold too unduly, a puppy is around FIVE MONTHS before he can totally control his bodily functions.

However, should he start to wee right in front of you and right in the middle of your  lounge carpet, just shout            “ No”.     Pick him up and place him on his newspaper. Do not scold too much. He will pick it up eventually and this was just an accident; he was just having so much fun he forgot. One incident will never smell. Just soak it up with Kitchen Towel, spray it with something and forget it. It will be great though when you see a puppy stop in the middle of playing rush off for a wee in his corner and then return as if nothing had happened. But do not fret if your dog is not the automaton you want; meet him half way.

Your dog will wee / poo, in your home, quite a few times before you all get it right.

For a young adult animal, telling a dog ‘ N O !!! ’ when he is about to do something or go to wee somewhere that is not permitted, will soon teach him that he cannot go in certain places. Even as a puppy you will soon be able to make him go on command. Always make sure that indoors, there is always paper down, as this will confuse him otherwise.

When he does disappear into the kitchen, to have a wee, praise him! Praise him as though he has just swum the English Channel.

Good Boy!!!              

 

Get it clear now. If you buy a dog as a puppy, it WILL almost definitely wee or soil your lounge carpet once or twice or thrice. If you never want this to happen, never let the dog in this area OR watch the little beast like a hawk. Also realize that you will have to get used to clearing up dog's mess and or dog vomit. If you cannot do this, do NOT buy a dog.

Nappy-Bags, are great for picking up poo, put your hand inside the plastic bag and pick up the offending item, and then pull the bag off your hand, turning it inside-out.

AS A RESPONSIBLE OWNER ALWAYS CARRY SMALL PLASTIC BAGS WITH YOU PICK UP YOUR DOGS MESS.

After a few times it will become much easier. Personally I can clear up anything as long as I do not have to smell it. It is the same with changing a baby's nappy or diaper; this is OK until you get a rather pungent whiff. If the accident is rather lose and spread out, get yourself prepared. Plastic gloves, plenty of paper towels, plastic bags to get rid of the offending material and most important a mask over the nose to shield you from the deadly fumes.

 

Leaving Your Dog Alone.

Please remember that any dog is a pack animal and does not want to be alone. If you have a dog, why not buy another, a small one maybe so that they can keep each other company. Nevertheless, you should not leave your dog alone for hours  on end un-stimulated as this is cruel and he will not understand.

Most healthy dogs will for the greater part of their life, never ever soil your home, in fact males look it upon as a waste, using up valuable territory marking fluid. When any dog is grown though, you must always remember that it must be able to relieve itself within a reasonable time period. Perhaps, though unadvisable, a dog could be left for up to eight hours BUT this should only be after a very long walk and a well emptied bladder. Never, leave a grown dog alone in a confined space, allow it to be able to roam within your set boundaries, inside your house and / or gardens. Your dog's welfare must be paramount. Also take into consideration that a dog is a pack animal and therefore does not like being left alone in the first place.

Of course if you are a breeder or a trainer, you may well not agree with this amount of domestication. Whatever is carried out must be reasonable for you as well as the dog.

A good indicator of how far to go is to walk, as opposed to a good run, in one direction until the dog has no fluid left, just a dribble. Then swiftly walk back. Bitches are different and you will have to match what is good for you and the dog.  If you abuse your dog's good nature you are not a caring owner, you ought to consider whether you should own a dog. Moreover there are legal and moral issues.

Most rescued dogs are put onto the market because their owners have not got the time to look after their pet properly and have had too many ‘accidents’, or the dog is perhaps ill-bred and too aggressive. Going off to work early in the morning and not returning until late at night will turn most good owners to tears. Even more so when they find out that the dog was beaten as well for his trouble. The fact is that the faithful dog probably held on until they heard their owner coming home and only with the excitement could not hold it anymore. This is blatant cruelty and you must make sure that you are never accused of this.

A reflection of this, though not intended is sometimes shown in a movie. The main character gets home after a long day to be greeted by their dog who has been cooped up in their small apartment all day. 

My first thought is always:  " Take the dog out!! "  But the character sometimes says: 

" Don't bother me now dog, I've had a bad day! " 

And goes off to bed; by this time I am throwing things at the screen.

A dog should have a long walk first thing in the morning ASAP, and  a medium one during the day and another last thing at night, not only for much needed exercise but to be able to get some fresh air and go to the toilet. Quick ‘wees’ in between this are also necessary if you do not have a garden that the dog can use at will. A good guide is when you want to go your dog probably does too. Remember, you should drink more than one and a half litres of water each day to stay healthy; that is a lot of trips to the bathroom. it goes the same for your best friend, who has fresh-water to drink all the time.

As well as this, if you can get yourself a big car where the seats fold down in the back, the dogs can get out more. If I ever go out in the car my dogs mostly always come with me. In the back, looking out of the windows barking at whatever. This stimulates them, they get a quick wee before and after getting into the car and it is better for them than being coped up watching the TV. It is funny how they lean to compensate for the corners; I am sure they could get jobs as fairground ride attendants.

      

As far as daily walking is concerned, preferably with a Choke-Chain collar, you must realize that along with the responsibility that you must have to other people at all times, you have a great and important responsibility to your dog. People are wary of the domestic-wolf and this maybe a good thing. People do not usually buy the Rottweiler, Mastiff or the German Shepherd if they do not want some element of protection that comes with the package. Just do not be the owner of a dog that perpetuates the myth that this dog is any better or worse than any other. It is just like any animal, including humans, we all react to life in the way we have been conditioned to. We also react in a manner determined by our genes; our genetic makeup allows us parameters to work within. Neither Nurture or Nature are static. Each can be programmed for good or bad. 

Take, the biggest most ferocious Rottweiler in the world, walking on the Plains of Africa. Should he meet a single most average lion; there is every chance the lion has found lunch. But should the dog be accompanied by a man, when the dog will be normally protecting his master, there is a far greater chance that the lion will run off in fear, and the dog will be protected on this occasion, by the man.

' Big Lions !! '

Lions are naturally frightened of Man, it is only in a pack situation, especially when the light is low, that a lion will try its luck. But on saying that, it is most prudent that should you be in the wild and you see a lion; try to avoid it at all costs. All animals have instinctual, and conditioned rules that they follow. So do not take your dog for a walk out in the wilds of Africa, where there are predacious animals.

A walk, especially a brisk one, should be a thing of much enjoyment. It is a healthy pastime for all concerned, as long as you have full control and other dog owners have full control of their charges. Some dogs need a lot of exercise, and some need only a minimal amount. Some large dogs need more than others, but whilst most obviously need exercise, they are not marathon contenders. 

If you yourself like lots of walking and you walk 3-5 miles per day with your animal this will be fine. Your dog will grow up and be used to this distance. Do not walk your dog for only 1-2 miles per day and then one day when it is three years old, expect it to run a half marathon with you. It may well do it because it wants to please and accompany you, but it could damage the dogs joints, muscles and or internal organs. All animals need building up in stages.

Any dog is quite happy with a good walk of about 1-2 miles as long as it consists of plenty of time to forage, urinate or the other, and run a little. Some dogs are pure athletes and could out run and outstay a man on any day. Some, especially the bigger boned dogs cannot. Furthermore, with one, or even two main walks each day plus about 2-3 little walks or runs in the garden will keep your dog happy and fit. Remember, it must have a walk the very first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. And if you are going to work all day, the walk must be for at least 20-30 minutes.

PULLING

The biggest disadvantage in not having an enjoyable walk is the dog pulling you. Note that a dog walks at an average of about 3 - 5 miles per hour, we walk at about 2 - 3 miles per hour, so there is a difference.

Always have a collar and a choke chain. At first the dog will hate the collar but there is not much he can do about it and will always get used to it. When walking, place the choke chain on around the neck. The ' tail ' that you link the lead or leech to MUST hang down the dog's right hand side of his neck. So hold the tail of the chain in your left hand and place it over the dog's head. Again the dog may not like being chained up but it will get used to it and will soon associate the choke-chain and lead with walking.

Give your dog a few days to get used to the chain around its neck. If your dog pulls after this and it is natural to some extent, this must be stopped at an early age. The word " HEAL " is the magic word, that your dog must learn that means he must walk on your left hand side at the speed you want. As you shout 

"HEAL ! " 

You must YANK the lead back or to the side as hard as you can. After a while he will associate "Heal" with a yanked neck and hopefully stop pulling.

Always pull the dog into line, saying " Heal ", and when he is beside you say "Good Boy. "      If this does work over a reasonable period, you will have to YANK the dog back into position again, with a loud " Heal "  OR " HEAL !!! " Praise him when he is by your side. 

N.B. Dogs will ALWAYS pull for the first 100 meters or so anyway.

Eventually, he will learn that he must walk at your speed and by your side. This is not always easy though. I have sometimes trained a dog to heal but when it returned to its owner the training was lost because the owner could not be assertive enough. Do not be scared of raising your voice but never hit, beat or thrash your dog, it does not work.

                    

All dogs eat well for their size, but can be fussy, therefore never overfeed; TWO reasonable sized meals morning and evening are better than one large one that may bloat the dog. You will be surprised how little a big dog can still eat and live quite healthily; you would also be surprised how little the human can eat to survive. In the Western World we probably eat about 5 -10 times more food than we really need to actually survive. 

Any large dog can get fat, as any dog can, you do NOT want to let your dog get fat; ever! It is better to under feed, than over feed. However, give high protein, and high fat food with a good mixer that contains vitamins and calcium, as a puppy. Or of course keep it on its COMPLETE dog biscuits for as long as possible. You will be lucky if it stays on a complete biscuit for long, especially if you throw him the odd piece of cooked bacon or chicken. Some have tried mixing the complete biscuits with some warm meat stock and a little fat to make it a bit better. Whole meal or even white bread can be mixed with cooked meat and stock fats, but make sure it is well mixed. 

Remember a well BALANCED meal is always preferable. 

Never feed you animal RAW MEAT; obviously wild dogs are better equipped to eat raw foods as they have different digestive enzymes in their stomach. HOWEVER, a domestic dog can live up to aged 20, a large dog may even reach 15, but this is rare, but a wild dog may only live to around 6 or 7. Even wild dogs fall fowl of raw-meat related dilemmas, especially sharp bones that cut them up inside. Parasites in raw meat are numerous.

If you do feed RAW MEAT, you must be very careful as to its freshness and suitability. I always feed cooked fresh meat, adding mixer about 2 - 3 times each week and a hard crunchy complete biscuit for the rest of the week. the crunchy biscuit cleans the teeth.

 

We try to give good advise but please read our Terms.    If anything here does not help please email us or contact a VET. You can always ask us a specific question and we will try to answer it honestly.       CONTACT US If you want to consider RAW MEAT, please read the sites mentioned below:    Read them & tell me what you think? http://www.bluegrace.com/barf.html http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/shasta.htm#shasta-diet http://www.homestead.com/vonhapsburg/Billinghurstonarthritis.html http://www.shalako.com/diet.htm

   

A domestic dog can become poorly right away, with intestinal parasites from the raw meat, causing a slow death or severe illness. They can contract ailments from dangerous bacteria and parasites. Long term raw meat diet problems can cause severe pancreatic, kidney, heart and brain illnesses.  Most dogs that die from a raw meat / bones diet do not show signs of illness until a few days before it kills them. But it is up to you; read both side of the argument.

Large dogs are notorious for being quite fussy eaters. But all dogs can be finicky to some degree. So it is hard not to get into a rut where your dog will not eat no matter how hard you coax it, or how nice you personally think the dog food is. The dog will obviously eat when it starts to starve, but they can be very stubborn. 

When your dog first comes home to you as a puppy, find out from the breeder what puppy food they have been eating and keep them on this for as long as possible. But then again on saying that, your dog will smell your food and you will give it little treats, and it will therefore find out that it does not necessarily have to eat the rubbish that has kept it fit almost since birth, if there is this tasty stuff about. The commercial puppy food maybe the best for it to eat, but you compare it to a cooked pork chop or a piece of juicy chicken and; well what would you eat? Never eat your own meal when your dog is present. Never ever throw you dog treats, or bits of your meal  when you are eating.

So keep it on the dry puppy / junior food for as long as possible. Also I would recommend that you buy some puppy milk or lambs milk. This is a powder substitute milk fed to orphaned animals in zoos etc. Do not give your dog cow's milk as they are generally lactose-intolerant and it will make them sick or give them the runs. Give commercial puppy milk to them for as long as you want. Also, find a good very hard fibrous biscuit that they like and feed these as treats. 

Remember, as in any young animal, feed it high protein fatty foods until aged about 18 - 24 months. Even mature dogs need some animal fat. If you consider that in the wild when a pack is tackling a carcass the fat is the first thing that is eaten. The wild canine metabolism evolved to make best use of this. Animal fats contain good building blocks for a good start in life. But they still must have protein, vitamins, calcium, fiber etc, as well.

A good guide is always look and feel your dog to see if it is putting on too much weight. A dog should be lean rather than fat. He will eat and eat if you let him, so it is kinder to restrict food rather than to give endless treats just because you love him so much.

Most dogs have it in them instinctively to gulp all food down as soon as possible but a dog without other dogs to compete with in the home may soon to learn to take its time. The wild dogs that were natural fast eaters, became strong and lived to pass those genes onto their off-spring.  This gulping is part of ancestral feeding in a pack; a wild dog had to gulp or end up with nothing and then maybe starve and consequently not then be able to pass on its genes.  

That is why, sometimes if you give your dog a large piece of meat, it will slip off with it somewhere. This is because in the wild the dogs that survived were the ones that torn off some meat, and then ran off to eat it alone.

If you ever have minced beef or a good joint of roasting meat, fry off the minced beef and pour the fat into a container so that you can add a little of it to your dog's food, whilst it is warm, and mix it up. This will also stop you taking in too many animal fats as this is not good for human adults to take animal fats in excess. 

ALWAYS pour off rendered animal fats off a roasted joint and give it to your dog; not all at once, but just a bit to make the meal more  tastier.

Do not eat animal fats in excess yourself, as they are very bad for you. However, children up to the age of about 12 can eat some animal fats as this is a crucial part of their diet. Adult Humans should take plenty of RAPESEED OIL, as this oil, cent for cent, is the best substance on Earth for clearing "blocked" arteries in humans. Also, vitamin C, mackerel and cod-liver oil. Do NOT take SALT !!!  Do not give your dog salt. 

Sadly for humans the most healthy eating is low calorie nutritious food; generally the thinner you are the healthier you are, and the longer you will live. This can apply to the dog also. It is ironic that thin people who are now deemed to be the healthiest, are the people who would not have fared so well 10,000 years ago. The human evolved to eat large meals in times of plenty, and store fat so they could survive, also those that had slower metabolisms, that is, more efficient bodies, survived better. Those who burnt more food off quickly, probably died during a famine. Today, those with efficient metabolisms, get fat. Unfair no???

Odd treats are allowed, for your dog that is, especially if this involves an element of training BUT NEVER give your dog anything that may have sugar in it. Teeth can soon get covered in plaque and sugar will help rot your dog's teeth and in fact bad teeth could kill your dog or damage internal organs by becoming breeding grounds for unwanted bacteria. Plaque is 90% bacteria and these germs feed best on sugars.

Moreover, do not ever give your dog  CHOCOLATE!!!!    The active ingredient theobromine can be highly TOXIC to your dog.

  THEOBROMINE  

Get him his own tooth brush but should you not wish to clean your dog's teeth on a regular basis, do not feed only with 'soft' foods, such as tinned meat, tripe etc. Feed hard, dry and crunchy foods. 

Your dog will ALWAYS need something very hard to chew; it is in a dog's nature to chew so buy it something. Nylabone ® and Gumabone ® products are recommended. They are hard and ideal to chew and said to clean teeth. Never give your dog a real bone, unless it is, say a mid-shin of a bullock's leg. Bones actually cause much more trouble, in several ways, than they give pleasure to the dog. Make sure that during your early training that your dog allows you to look into its mouth. If a dog’s teeth look at all stained go about cleaning them, with brushing or through your favorite vet. Brushes can be bought that fit on the end of your finger. The state of a dog’s mouth is a good indication of the rest of him and how good you are as an owner.

A Veterinary  or dog breeder will just glance at a dog for a moment and can tell if the dog is fit and healthy. If the teeth are white and clean; if the claws are not too long; nose wet; if the coat is clean and shiny and if the dog is keen and alert. These are all good indications.

When feeding your dog, if you leave it in big chunks of food your dog, as has been said, may well take a lump and go off in a corner to eat it. You may not want him to do this so make the food small. Dogs do this in the wild, they rip off a bit from the carcass and then run off so their brethren will not snatch it off them. Old habits die hard. That is why so many dogs will get very exited just before a walk. In the wild the Alpha dog will whip his troops up into a frenzy before going off on a hunting spree. It gets them in the mood. This trait still remains as part of the dogs instinct.

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Treats & Training

Find a hard non-sweet biscuit or selection of biscuits that your dog likes. Hard raw-hide chews are good for teeth and contain lots of protein. Use the treats to train, but use praise more.

Treats can be given and can be combined with some training. Note here. You may see some dogs take a treat off their owner or some unsuspecting child and have half their hand go with it.

From the very start, day-one, as part of the overall training and conditioning of your dog and as it has been said it must understand the word   NO!  Teach your dog to take treats gently. From the very first day, whenever you give your puppy a tiny treat, if it snaps at the food, hold the dog with your other hand and say   NO!   If it continues, take just your index finger and stretch it out. GENTLY hit your dog on the nose, whilst saying  No!  In a short time he will learn that to snap is wrong. 

Later, when he is older, hold the treat quite near, like a good boy he should go for the food but in a gentle way, encourage this by saying  nicely  and stroking his face. Here you could now also command  wait!   And take it away from his grasp. After some practice he will know that he should again just not expect a treat but should wait for you. 

In fact when feeding your dog with his daily food, always put the food down on the floor and make sure the dogs waits for your command. Tell him, ‘NO!’ He will stop and then you must, after a reasonable time period, tell him to, ‘ … go on eat it!’

He must learn that you are his controller and the more ways you show this the better he will be. I have made dogs wait ten minutes before they were allowed to eat their food. This was as a test to show how disciplined they were; but usually it is less than half a minute.

This may sound cruel but a dog is always willing to learn new tricks and will want to please you. Control Practice must never stop with the large dog. Coax and pet and reassure him that you love him at every opportunity. This black and white approach is essential. There must be no grey areas. If you, or any member of the family say ‘No!’ It must be  ‘No!’  

   People want leadership in their lives - Dogs are just the same.  

He must know his place and he will be happier for it. Remember in a pack, not every dog is the boss, the Alpha-Dog has to earn his position by fighting, sometimes nearly to the death. So what you are doing is nothing unnatural or too cruel. 

One point is that if you do not live alone, share the responsibilities of walking, feeding and looking after the dog. If the dog becomes too attached to one person, within a family group, this could cause problems. 

Training  can then develop further, once you and your family have full control, by increasing your repertoire of tricks. Try placing the treat on the bridge of the nose and asking him to wait. Eventually he will wait and only take it when you command. This gives you more satisfaction than the dog but it gives him the attention that all dogs crave and of course the treat.

It also stimulates his mind to more serious training after he is a year old. With any training, the big dog is not thick but he does not understand fully spoken English, you have to show him so that he can associate the one or two words with the action. 

Say paw! But pick up his paw as you say it, he will soon learn. Be patient, sometimes you can take for ages trying to teach a trick with no results and then try it again a week later and he will get it straight away. He knew; he was just testing you.

General Tips for all dogs. 

Picking your puppy

Really there is a lot of rubbish talked about picking your dog. This is totally subjective. If you are a breeder of many years, you may pick a dog that a novice might not consider at all. I have had litters of twelve and they all looked alike to me. The main thing is whether it is male or female. Generally get an opportunity to look at the parents and this will be a guide. Whatever dog you chose for whatever reasons, it is up to you to train and shape that dog to be nothing but a great asset.

I am a great believer in NATURE, but NURTURE is just as important and just as influential, especially in training your dog.

NATURE, in this sense is what we are given by Mother Nature; what our physical makeup is; what genes we have taken from both our parents, which control our own personal traits and propensity, or leaning towards any given subject or matter. Basically, if you breed a racehorse with a racehorse, you should get a racehorse. How good that racehorse is may depend on how good his parents were. NURTURE, in this sense is nourishment. Or what happens to us, after birth; the conditioning that shapes and molds what Mother Nature has given us. Breed the two best racehorses in the world, and hope that you would produce the best possible racehorse. But then train that horse to be its very best, because if you do not, it might only be second-rate. I firmly believe, that many of us are very intelligent, talented people, but because of our position in life, our parents, our education, that is the conditioning that we receive from outside sources, we do not not reach our potential.

Anyway, what if there are only two dogs left in the litter anyway, it is only natural to think that all the best have gone. But this is not necessarily true, look at it as an opportunity to bargain the price down. The last two always go a little cheaper than the first two.

The dog featured in this site, Romulus II, ( Born 7th April 2000) was the penultimate dog, in fact the other was a bitch and I prefer dogs so there was no choice really. But he is the sweetest, most intelligent and intuitive dog I have had to date.

Brushing Dog's Coat

Brushing the coat is very important and must be done every day. Dogs fall into several camps when it comes to their fur. If you are not the totally dedicated fanatical type owner then do not buy a dog like the Lhaso Apso, as this coat grows and grows like our own. The Rottweiler's fur grows all the time but only to a certain length. Dogs like the Lhaso Apso, produces a fur that grows continually at various speeds and will end up three foot long if you let it.  Hair generally has THREE stages: Growing, Dormant, Falling out. The Rottweiler has this and compared to a long haired dog is far easier to groom.

Brush the dog's fur with a wide plastic-coated wire hair brush, one with the ends protected by plastic tips, and one that you would use on a four year old child. You will find that under hair, a soft woolly hair, will be gathered by the brush. When it is quite thick just peel the hair off the brush and look through it. Look for fleas and any other stuff that should not be there. It will contain bits of skin flake etc but you will know if its OK. 

Dog Bathing

As seen above, bath your dog when it is only needed. Spend some time getting prepared for the event. You can first bath when he is only three months old as long the house is warm and you have lots of towels, that you have bought especially for the dog, to dry him off. Even introduce the hair dryer. Always be calm and gentle and patient.

Place the dog into the bath. This may be a problem if your dog is about two years old and it is his inaugural bath. Perhaps it might be a good idea to put a large muzzle on him, the kind that he can still pant with. The dog will trust you and love you but to ask it to just be plonked in a bath of water can be quite daunting for it. There is you telling him everything is fine but then there is a millennium of instinct and evolution telling him that water can kill him. Be firm with lots of coaxing; some dogs actually like baths, it is only until they understand that it does not hurt will things go smoothly. But then this is the same for EVERYTHING. Always have a spray head that you can wet him with and then rinse him off with.

Always use 'No Tears' Baby Shampoo for around the head and ‘No Tears’ dog shampoo for the rest of him. Make sure that the shampoo is hypoallergenic and ask your pet-shop’s advice. Keep the plug hole clear of hair so that the dirty water can drain. There will be lots of hair that will come out, do not worry this is OK.

Wash at least twice, but three or four times will really get the dirt out and thin out the fur really well. Rinse, rinse and rinse again, especially the underneath. Be prepared for the dog to shake and drown everything in its path. Towel down until the fur is quite dry and finish, if the dog lets you, with a hairdryer. Dogs have a kind of dance that they do after a bath so do not be surprised if the dog goes a bit funny and starts to run around crazily. Have the camcorder ready and send us 10% if he gets on TV.

 Examining Your Dog       

You must examine your dog every day.   As it has been said this is part of the training process. The more handling you give a dog the more used to it, he will become. Just a few minutes each day will reap rich rewards.  

Dog's Teeth                                  

From a puppy look into your dogs mouth everyday. Saying “ Open, open, good boy!!” Put your fingers inside and examine inside, coaxing all the time. Pull the tongue up and look at the teeth carefully. He will not like this but will learn to put up with it. When you have finished praise the dog no end, and give a treat if you like. It is most important that your dog’s mouth is healthy and clean. The teeth must be as white as snow. A show dog will fail victory if there is any blemish within the mouth. Keep it clean by feeding hard crispy food like biscuits and hard rawhide chews. A dirty mouth will harbor germs that will damage the insides of your dog. On occasions you may have to take your dog, perhaps every two years or so to the vets, so that she can knock your dog out and give them a clean in the same way a hygienist would do to you. This is very expensive; if you are a mongrel owner, the cost of teeth cleaning could be more than three times the cost of the dog. So keep an eye on the dog as often as possible. Toothbrushes can be used.

Good Luck.                  

Mouth:  Teeth strong, complete dentition with scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Flews black and firm, falling gradually away towards corners of mouth, which do not protrude excessively.

 

Chewing

If your young dog, chews something it should not have, think firstly that this is YOUR fault! Do NOT hit your puppy for this; it is like you getting a beating for flossing your teeth. Any young animal naturally puts things in its mouth and a young dog will want to chew anything. It is only until it gets more mature and knows what's what that things will be safe. So keep ALL things that you cherish and or do not want damaged out of harms way. Always let your dog have several of its favorite things about so that it can chew.  If your young dog is found chewing something, although it is basically YOUR fault, take the item and offer it to the dogs nose.       Do not strike the dog but just say "NO !!". Sometimes for some reason some stuff  is hard to protect. The bottom of chairs or table legs are classic. You will probably find that the paint or varnish is missing. This is because the dog was lying down and has sniffed the piece of furniture and has quite calmly had a little chew to pass the time of day. The problem is that you may not always be around when this happens and it is no good at all scolding a pet for something they may have done but have forgotten when they did the crime. A good tactic is to take some very strong English Mustard, or very strong chili sauce and coat the target liberally. Tea Tree Oil, is a substance that dogs do not like either; of course you can buy sprays for this. This will stop the dog from chewing this and will learn that it is no good and will stop. It is this principle that protects striped caterpillars and the like in Nature. Once a bird learns that these taste absolutely terrible they will ignore others in the future.

 

Paws

Paws should be examined everyday as well. It will take less than a minute to skip through the four feet. Feel for any abnormalities and listen for the dog’s reaction. Is he in pain at all?    Look out for things like grass seed, or glass. As a puppy the dog's under part, the part that touches the ground, will be very soft. Walking on concrete, will soon harden this up and be a great protection for most occasions.

 

Tail Docking

We would say that we feel that any tail docking for a working dog is essential. Any working dog, or even non-working dogs might be considered better looking without a tail.  Also, for some strange reason, I have found that large dogs are better behaved with no tails. Also the tail of a big dog can be a powerful weapon and innocently do quite a bit of damage in the home. I have no support, I am afraid,  for the Anti-Docking Brigade. There are many dogs large and small,  I would never dock, but there are some who live a happier life without the tail. But then it is purely an individual choice. If done correctly the baby puppy feels no pain and knows no difference. It is like you cutting your first teeth, you just do not remember the pain.

Any tail docking should be carried out only by a qualified, certified or experienced dog handlers or breeders. In the UK, it is illegal for dogs to be docked unless by a Vet.

Vets who are members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons have been forbidden to dock tails under the threat of being struck off. Though certain lay-people can get a qualification to dock under certain circumstances.

Tail docking can only be done when the puppy is between 2 to 5 days old and it should be a cut with a very sharp implement, between the second and third knuckle. 

 

NEVER DOCK A TAIL OF A DOG OLDER THAN FIVE DAYS; UNLESS YOU ARE A VET AND IT IS TOTALLY NECESSARY.

 

  TERMS OF SITE 

 

Claws

Claws should be kept to a reasonable level. As the dog stands up straight the claws should always be off the ground. However, I have never cut a large dog's claws. I have done so for smaller dogs but if you walk your dog on the pavement or concrete sufficiently this will wear them down. If you live in a city and your dog's claws need clipping, you are NOT walking him enough. If you live in the country they may not wear so well and I need not be telling you all this as you should know.

 

Eyes         

Eyes should always be bright and wet. They may weep a little and your dog may get a little sleep line down its cheeks. This is quite common but still speak to your vet about it anyway. Clean his eyes gently with a soft tissue and or a suitable liquid,  given by the vet if it has got too bad. He will not like this but will get used to it. Soon all you will have to say is ' eyes ' and he will shuffle up to have his eyes done. But using the same old principle; get your dog used to the situation and he will know that it will not harm him.

Ears

The Ears do not need too much attention but get your dog used to them being examined in a similar way to the mouth but be quick, do not wait until they are too old. On occasions, depending where you live they may need cleaning. Look inside them and if they look dirty gently use a    Q-Tip ®    and clean them out a little. Do not dig inside too far but because of the design of the dog's ear it is difficult to probe too deeply. Keep going gently until the buds are clean. 

Smell your dogs ears. If they do not smell too bad, they will probably be OK. But if your dogs keeps shaking his head, it is usually some ear problem. A clean out might be enough,  but if they smell bad it might be an infection or an ear-mite problem. The vet is often your only solution. 

Vets

Vets are very important. A good veterinary surgeon can save or cost you a lot of money. of course always have a vet in mind should anything happen. have a telephone number as well as an emergency number at hand at all times. You know that if anything is going to happen it will be at night or over a weekend. 

On saying this, vets can be extraordinarily expensive and you must learn to keep on top of your dog's condition and note any changes. Find out if you have a good friend who might be able to give you advise.  

But should a tragedy happen such as a road accident, be prepared to get a bill that will be quite horrific. A good dog can cost $1000.00 a big vet bill can be $3000.00

Insurance

It might be a good idea to have your dog insured. It does not cost too much. 

About 30 pence OR 50 cents each day. A bill could come to £1000.00 OR $1500.00. So you work it out. Shop around and get the cheapest of the best.

 

Collars and Leads

Never buy an expensive collar until your dog is about 24 months old. There are cheap, but strong ones about for when your dog is growing. Anyway, use a choke-chain for walks at about 6-7 months to have better control. You may even use the choke-chain throughout the life of the dog, if this is necessary.

Remember a big dog's neck can be up to 28 inches or 72 cm in circumference. When you buy the one that will last him his whole life, get a good and thick quality one. The last thing you want to happen is for it to break. 

The same goes for the Lead or Leash, it needs to be very strong and at a reasonable length that suits you and the dog. I have always used a long strong thick nylon lead that is used for leading horses.

Driving in a Car

Firstly, never let your dog drive your car. However, when he is a passenger have your dog in a place where he will be reasonably secure. He will want to stand for short journeys and will only lie down on long hauls. Also he will want to stick his head out of the window. Make sure the window is not fully open as he may jump out. Also, if you can fold your back seats down or have a strong cover for them he will be able to do this. But if you have an Estate-Car, Hatchback, Countryman or  a Station-Wagon you may want to secure or cage him at the back. This is OK, but make sure you have good ventilation.

If you dog has not been in a car before

When you first buy your puppy, get him used to being in the car by taking him on short journeys, gradually making them longer and longer. He should get used to it and enjoy being in the vehicle with you. If your dog is two years old, say and never been in a car, you must be prepared to be more patient with him. Dogs can easily become car-sick, especially on longer trips. As well as this, on a long journey a dog may drip saliva from his mouth, so be prepared for this. See your vet,  as an anti-sickness pill will also help him sleep. Build him up slowly and though he may never be quite used to it, as the puppy trained dog will be, it will not be too bad.

This article is by no means the whole answer. When your dog is about a year old take him or her to training classes. Mixing with other dogs will be good for it and you can show off how well your dog responds to you.

 

Written and produced by 

Roy G Symonds BA   ( Law - Writing & Publishing )

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