How to Stop Aggression Effectively For Your Mixed Breed Dog by J. J. Yong

You might be thinking that your mixed breed dog's actual breed is Beagle, but apparently, it does not behave like one and it is more aggressive than pure breed Beagle when he sees a unknown stranger - it could be any person including your friends, mailman, your friends or someone that approaching him on the street while he is tied up outside a store. You have tried several ways to tame your dog, but in the end, your efforts of controlling your dog seem to be in vain. It seems that the more you that you show concern of your dog, the more it would like become an aggressive canine.

Your mixed breed dog may already have had several unpleasant experiences including taking a bath, handing or grooming. Therefore, training your dog could be difficult because these experiences had caused damaged to your dog and makes your dog behave very wildly.

This perhaps starts to show signs of stress and thus you should stop immediately and let him relax. Try to make the whole thing into a game: give him lots of praise, pats, and treats as his rewards. Please take note that patience is virtue - hence, you must take things very slowly. Do not push your dog too far or else he will feel panic or nervous that could lead him to extreme aggression.

Generally, most of the dogs show aggression for a reason: they're warning you to step back, or else they will bite you! If your dog aggression misbehavior still persists, it is best to hand the job over to your veterinarian. They will know how to handle this particular misbehavior and they will give your suggestions or tips on how to handle your dog's mischief so that you will be able to get know your dog better than before.

Effective dog training are performed on dogs based on their distinctive dog breeds. Therefore, it is important to perform a DNA test on your mixed-breed dog for instant dog breed identification. For more information about dog DNA testing as a breed identification tool, visit http://dogdnabasics.com

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Dog Obedience Training - Some Practical Advice by Brad Morgan

Dogs come in all shapes and sizes, but one thing they all have in common is the love of digging. From burying bones to making cool dens for shelter, dogs in yards will inevitably turn to this favorite past time. While it is a natural instinct in dogs, digging can be detrimental to your yard and to your dog's discipline. How can you get your living breathing shovel to stop? As with children, dogs do things for a reason. Why is your dog digging? If you can figure this out, you are halfway to a solution. Does he just love to fling dirt?

Some dogs do enjoy the act of digging, but others use it to communicate with you. They may be crying out for attention or more exercise. They may need a shelter to stay warm or cool. They may be burying food. If you've recently put down fertilizer or dug in your garden, your dog may be responding to the scents. If you have determined that your dog needs more stimulation and is digging as a way of getting attention, you can attack the problem by offering him more opportunities for exercise and interaction.

If this doesn't help, you can give one of the following techniques a try:

1. Find the spots your dog usually digs and bury a balloon that has been inflated. If your dog digs, he'll pop the balloon. This unpleasant reaction to his digging can deter him from continuing.

2. When you refill the holes, add in some of your dog's own feces. The next time he digs there, he will be repelled by it. This may not be a fun way for you to teach your dog, but it is effective and humane.

3. Chicken wire is another thing you can bury in your yard to deter your dog from digging. He'll hate the feeling of his claws against the wire and will be prompted to stop.

4. If you catch your pet in the act of digging, spray him with a water bottle or hose. Dogs hate this (but it is not harmful). They'll get the message. Do not, however, spray him if you don't catch him actively engaging in digging. If you do, he won't understand why he's being punished.

You love your pet; you don't have to love his bad habits too. If digging is a problem, take immediate steps to correct your dog's behavior. He'll be happy, and your yard will thank you.

Clicker Training - A Great Training Technique

As people look for gentle ways to discipline and train their dogs, the use of clickers has become more prominent. Your dog will learn to repeat behavior that is desirable in a safe, humane way. Operant conditioning is the repetition of a behavior when a reward is given. This is the premise behind clicker training. How does it work? You will need a clicker. This is simply a handheld plastic box. A metal strip is attached. Depressing the strip causes a sharp click.

Ask your dog to perform a command, such as sit, stay, heel, etc. When he does, click right away and give your dog a treat. You are pairing the clicking sound with the treat. This teaches your dog to connect the behavior with the click. Since the click is associated with the treat, he'll be more apt to perform the good behavior. Eventually, you can phase out the treat, and he will respond to the click. After successful training, you won't need the clicker either.

You can often train dogs with clickers faster and more effectively than with other means. Clicking is immediate, so your dog quickly learns that his behavior is producing the treat. This encourages repetition of the desired behaviors. Dogs want to make you happy, and performing commands is a great way for them to do this. And get a treat in the process. The clicker is a great training tool for encouraging good behavior.

Visit Brad's puppy website and learn more about specific puppy training issues like puppy potty training. Brad also has a very informative dog site where you can learn much more about dog obedience training and get information on all the different types of dog training collars.

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Dog Food - 5 Extraordinary Types of Commercial Dog Food You Might Want to Consider by Kelly Marshall

A few short years ago, feeding your dog was so much easier as compared to today's nutritional advice. I remember when my father's dog ate whatever the whole family would eat, including apple cobbler! In addition to table scraps, he also enjoyed eating commercial dog food. My father's dog had a happy life and lived well into his mid-teens without contracting any serious illness or disease.

Picking a commercial dog food was also easier back in the good old days. There were a limited selection of brands to choose from and these pet foods all had basically the same ingredients, only varying in color and flavor.
Today, however, there are so many varieties to choose from. The following list below are some of the popular commercial foods available for your dog:

Vegetarian Food For Your Dog
Most people don't realize that vegetarian dog foods allow vegetarian dog owners to exercise their dietary beliefs with their dogs. Vegetarian foods include all of the necessary vitamins and nutrients that your dog needs, just as long as they are properly made. In addition, a vegetarian diet is also great for dogs that are allergic to meat.

Raw Dog Food
Many dog owners believe that a diet of raw food is the healthiest way to feed their pet because this is the way wolves and other wild dog species ate. This belief has no scientific facts to value its accuracy. However, a diet of raw food can expose both you and your pet to dangerous bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli.

Giving Your Dog Therapeutic Food
Therapeutic dog foods have been the growing trend in dog food products in recent years. It is only available through a veterinarian and is prescribed for cases of preventive treatment, as an after-surgery diet, or for health problems, for example, like food allergies.

Try Organic Dog Food for Your Dog
Several dog food products found in the market have pesticides and other bad chemicals. If you want to give your dog food that is free of these horrible chemicals, you're your dog organic food. Warning, the term "organic" can be very misleading, so make sure that you read the ingredients carefully before making your purchase.

Dog Food That Contains No Preservative or Natural Preservative
There are dog foods that contain preservatives in the form of artificial chemicals such as ethoxyquin, BHT, and BHA. These are added for two reasons in order to prevent the food from spoiling and keep the taste lasting much longer than traditional dog food. Some dog foods have natural preservatives such as vitamin C (often listed as ascorbic acid) and vitamin E (often listed as tocopherols).

The next time you buy a dog food, buy it with natural preservatives and make sure to thoroughly read the ingredients first to make sure that the preservatives are actually derived from nature instead of it being artificially synthesized.

Last but certainly not least, try buying dog foods that are free of any kind of preservatives. These products have be properly sealed in a cool, dry, bug-free place and used immediately to guarantee freshness.

Article by Kelly Marshall from Oh My Dog Supplies - to find ceramic dog bowls to match any decor, go to http://www.ohmydogsupplies.com/dog-supplies/dog-bowls/
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