Saturday, March 21, 2009

Yorkie Barking: 5 Ways to Stop Yorkies That Bark Alot

Author: Luke Blaise

Yorkies seem to bark a lot more than other dogs. Whether they do this for social reasons, protection, or to get attention, we don't know. What we do know is that we love these little dogs, but after a while the barking can become annoying and also can lead to problems with neighbors. Here are 5 tips to keep your Yorkie from barking

1. Set firm boundaries about when you will and won't give your dog attention. Dogs love schedules and when you make one and stick too it your dog will know what to expect attention and not to. It is important that you stick to this schedule if you have any hope that your stop barking plan will work.

2. More exercise is always a good idea. Many dogs bark because they have too much excessive energy. Talk your dog for a walk or play with them. If a dog has been resting all day and when they see or hear something interesting they have lots of nervous energy to get rid of. Take your dog for a walk in the mornings, afternoon or evenings. Also play with your dog more to get them tired out. If you know of a situation where your dog regularly barks, then try to tire them out with exercise first.

3. Make sure your Yorkie is aware that there are negative consequences when they do bark. This could be in the form of no treats, being ignored by you, or no toys. Do not use physical punishment. Hitting your dog will only lead to more problems.

4. Any good dog trainer will tell you that the best way to change a dog's behavior is with positive reinforcement. So when your dog does not bark when it normally did, you have to reward them for a job well done. This could be in the form of a treat or positive attention. Over time the old behavior of barking will gradually disappear and you will have a quieter Yorkie.

5. As a last resort you could try citronella collars. This is a dog collar that sprays a small amount of citronella when the dog barks. Dogs do not like this smell so it is a good deterrent. This collar works very well and is much more humane than shock collars. The main problem with these is that at the beginning you have to refill the citronella very often due to the large amount of barking. But over time you will not have to do this as often because the amount of barking will decrease and stop.

If you have trouble with your Yorkie barking too much, realize that you are not alone. Yorkies are the number two most popular dog breed in the United States According to the American Kennel Club, so you can only imagine how many other people are having the same problem.

Yorkies love to bark, but as you can see there are numerous ways to try and change their behavior. It is always easier to change their behavior when they are young, but even older Yorkies can have their behavior modified.

About the Author:
Learn more here about Yorkie Care. To learn more about breeding Yorkies visit: How To Breed Yorkies

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/yorkie-barking-5-ways-to-stop-yorkies-that-bark-alot-828035.html

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Give Special Attention to the Diet of Your Sick Pet Dog

Author: Kelly Marshall

When the body temperature of the dog rises above normal, the dog requires extra energy to cope with the illness. As you would know, the diet of the dog plays a very important role in the regulation of its health. The diet of the dog should be regulated accordingly.

If the diet of the dog is not improved, the extra energy requirement of the dog shall be met by the utilization of the reserves of the body. To prevent such a scenario, make changes to the diet of the dog immediately upon the discovery of the fact that the dog is ill.

The change in the diet can be calculated by estimating the additional calorie requirement of the sick dog. The general rule is that for every degree of temperature above normal, the dog should be given three calories per pound of body weight.

If the temperature is 1 unit above normal and the body weight of the dog is 25 pounds, the normal diet of the dog should be supplemented to provide for 75 calories of extra energy. The easiest way to enhance the calories supplied to the dog is to add corn oil to the diet.

A single tea- spoon of corn oil provides 45 calories of energy. Further, corn oil enhances the taste of the food and will also help the dog eat more despite its poor appetite due to the illness.

Fevers of prolonged duration result in a loss of body protein as well as energy consumption. The protein being lost can be replaced by adding three ounces of cottage cheese or one hard-boiled egg to every pound of canned food or every tour ounces of dry food.

A body of a sick dog not only requires extra energy to cope with the illness but also extra protein to restore the body protein lost due to the illness. The best way to replace protein is to add:

• 3 ounces of cottage cheese, or

• one hard boiled egg to

• every pound of canned food or

• every four ounces of dry food.

No changes need to be made to the diet on account of the illness except for the additions mentioned above. The supplements should begin as the illness begins and ends only when the fever subsides. Begin the protein supplement if the fever persists for more than 3 days.

If the fever is caused by an infection, the vet usually prescribes a course of antibiotics to cure the illness. The prescription of antibiotics for the dog will also lead to changes in the diet.

Humans are more vulnerable to bacteria as compared to other living beings including dogs. In fact, many beneficial bacteria living in the intestine of the dog produce essential vitamins like Vitamin B- complex. This vitamin is very important for the health of the dog

Antibiotic therapy, as the name suggests, destroys the bacterium causing the illness in the dog. However, the therapy will also result in the removal of many beneficial bacteria residing in the dog. This deficiency may lead to a fall in the production of vitamins.

Add water-soluble vitamins to the diet of the dog to enhance its vitamin intake. Further, add a gram of brewer's yeast per ten pounds of the weight of the dog. This will not only restore Vitamin B- complex in the body but also improve the appetite of the dog.

About the Author:
Authored by Kelly Marshall from Oh My Dog Supplies - the place to go for dog steps in all shapes and sizes

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/give-special-attention-to-the-diet-of-your-sick-pet-dog-803345.html

Dogs Cannot Understand Human Language, Or Can They?

Author: Kelly Marshall

It has been noticed that well trained dogs easily distinguish many different words. Some dog owners swear that their dog understands the meaning of every word they say. While this is not impossible, it certain seems highly improbably that dogs would understand the meaning of human words.

There is a difference between identifying a word with a particular action and understand the meaning of the word. Training involves teaching the dog to react in a particular manner when given a particular command.

Does the dog actually understand the meaning of the words 'sit-stay' or does he comply merely because he has been taught to react in a particular manner when these words are spoken?

A command given over the intercom will not have the same effect as a command given in person. The dog often relies on contextual cues like our body language to understand the command. A faceless and nameless voice giving instructions is not likely to be obeyed.

There is a huge difference in the way we use language as compared to animals. Humans use language not just to fulfill an objective but just because it attracts the attention of another human being.

A baby points to a ball and calls it a ball not just because it wants the ball. It may do so because this helps the baby get the attention of others.

On the other hand, animals, even the language trained chimpanzees, never progress beyond using language to achieve an object.

A chimpanzee which has been taught to create sentences using computer symbols or sign languages focuses on obtaining food, toys and attention using the language. It does not learn to use language as an end in itself. Language always remains the means to an end.

There is no evidence that they identify that the symbols stand for concepts. For them, the symbols are merely means to an end. On the other hand, humans identify the symbols and their underlying concepts and also understand that they are interrelated.

Dogs respond to their name not because they are aware that they have a name. They respond merely because they understand that we humans expect them to react when we utter what we call their 'name'/

However, dogs still have the capacity to surprise us all with their ability to distinguish different words. Russian speech scientists have concluded that dogs are capable of identifying the distinction between 'a' and 'i' even when attempts were made to confuse them.

The funny thing is that dogs do not identify variation of consonants. Use the command 'fly clown' instead of 'lie down' and your dog will obey. However, they are capable of distinguishing between vowels even when they do not utter vowels themselves.

A generic explanation could be the fact that mammalian ears have been in existence for more than tens of millions of years. On the other hand, human speech is a recent development. It is just 100,000 years old. Only humans have the physical and mental equipment to speak.