Many books on dog health and natural pet care will contain a recipe or two for homemade dog treats, these can be a good source if you happen to have these sort of books handy. However, the internet contains a large number of websites devoted to natural dog care and foods and many recipes can be found here too. A simple search engine query will turn up thousands of hits on the topic. These are a goldmine for those of you pondering whether to cook up a batch of treats for the family pet.

The process of actually making your own dog treats is very much like baking cookies. And just like that activity, making treats for the dog is something your children may be interested in helping with. If you think of this as a fun thing rather than an arduous ordeal, you’ll find yourself and the rest of your family actually looking forward to making more treats for the dog. Try using cookie cutters to make them into shapes. The dog may not notice, but it makes the whole process more fun.

Like cookies, the treats should be stored in airtight containers once they have cooled. Remember, your homemade dog treats can go stale or rancid just like any other food product (and as the recipes often contain meat, you’ll want to be extra careful – you don’t want your good intentions to end up with the dog having a case of food poisoning). Treats can, of course, be refrigerated or frozen as needed. Make sure they are fully thawed before giving them to your dog.

Besides being healthier than most store bought dog treats, the ones you make at home generally are made from things found in the average kitchen. No exotic ingredients are needed to make your own homemade dog treats, which makes them an even more attractive option to pet owners. Just follow recipes, or invent your own, making sure to steer clear of known problem ingredients for dogs such as grapes and raisins, onions, chocolate and all but the smallest quantities of garlic. If in doubt about an ingredient, consult with your veterinarian. The last thing you want to do is experiment with your pet’s health. Happy baking and have fun. Your dog will thank you (as soon as those treats are out of the oven!).

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If you have ever worked at any type of animal shelter or rescue organization you know that every year, post Christmas, you will be swamped with dozens of unwanted puppies that have not been put through a full dog obedience training course, and are therefore going to, maybe, have some antisocial behaviours that will make the poor creature hard to rehome.

The pup will not have been socialised or worked through an obedience training course that may have picked up a tendency for the pup to be a bitter, or a barker, or a digging dog.

They come into the shelter looking for a new home because it grew too big, or nobody wanted to feed it and look after it, or there was not enough time to give the dog the attention it needed, or it had become a problem biter, or it barked all day nonstop, or it was costing more to feed and keep than could be afforded – and so on and so on.

Many people think that the only thing they need to think about is how the kids will love having a little fluffy puppy. They do not stop and think about the fact that taking a puppy into their lives should be a lifelong commitment and with it comes the responsibility of ensuring its long term health and well being.

Unfortunately so many people have no idea why they want a puppy and before too long they have failed to put it through a proper dog obedience training course and it has become a problem in the house, and an embarrassment every time it goes with you for a walk.

I strongly believe there should be an owners licensing system where the prospective owner/purchaser needs to adequately show they have fully researched answers to the following questions:-

•Why exactly do you want to take on the responsibility of dog ownership?

•Are you going to have enough time to take the dog to a club or training facility that will provide a full obedience training course for the dog?

•Have you, or the person who is going to look after the dog, got sufficient time to give the dog adequate exercise and training at home as well as at their local club or training facility?

•Do you want a dog to do a dog sport with? Agility, fly ball, Frisbee, tracking, IPO etc

•Are you willing to match the dog with a particular sport? – it would be better to have a border collie to do agility with instead of a St Bernard.

•Do you want a dog to just love and cuddle?

•Have you done some research into a number of dogs that fit the category you want the dog to fit? If you want a terrier, do you want a Bull Terrier, a Staffordshire Terrier or a Fox Terrier.

•Are you able to afford the vet bills if something goes wrong?

•Are you aware that some dogs are, on average more expensive to keep than others?

•Do you have or are you going to have children – what dog is suitable around young children?

•What training clubs are in your area and do they train using positive reward systems.

•Do you want a thoroughbred pedigreed dog that you might be able to breed with?

•Are you aware of the requirements for being a breeder?

•Are you aware of the issues that arise when you have a litter of pups?

•Where is the nearest leash free exercise area?

This is not an exhaustive list and I am sure you would be able to add several more very pertinent questions without thinking too hard.

Let’s see if we can provide some insight into the answers to the above questions :-

1)This depends on so many factors. A tradie wants a dog in the back of his utility. A single child wants a companion. An agility competitor wants a new agility dog to train. You saw a silky terrier in the pet shop window and just fell in love with it.

Short answer – use your head, not your heart and carefully examine why you want a dog.

2)Who is going to train the puppy? Not only at the dog obedience club, but also house train, yard train, and exercise time. Ideally everyone in the house should be made aware of what training is being done and what systems are being used.

3)Dog sports are all great fun and I recommend that you get involved wherever you are able. Some dog clubs specialise in just doing dog obedience training, whilst others may provide basic obedience training leading to doing dog agility or IPO work. Then there are specialised groups that only do maybe Frisbee or fly ball.

4)If you want to do agility with your dog then you need to think about getting one of the working breeds. If you want a dog to pull a sled then you need a sled dog. If you are going duck hunting you need a retriever and pheasant hunters need pointers.

5)Dogs get sick, get bitten by ticks and have accidents. Vet bills can be really big. Last year, in one weekend I had 2 dogs go down with tick bites. The vet bill was a tidy $1,200. Are you prepared for that?

6)There was some research done in the UK recently that listed the costs of owning dogs. I could not believe the most costly dog was listed as a Chihuahua. But food for a giant Mastive breed will be huge compared to a Maltese poodle.

7)Talking of Maltese poodles, another research report had this breed as the most vicious of all dogs with the breed being attributed as having the most amount of recorded bites. Their bite may not be big, but do you want your precious baby to be another statistic.

8)Training your pup is an essential part of dog ownership. You have to enrol with a reputable club which holds group classes where your pup will be able to socialise and interact with other puppies. I recommend you find a club that does its dog obedience training using the click and treat method and bans choker type collars.

9)Once you have some control and the pup has had all its immunity inoculations, going to a leash free park will allow the dog to continue working on his socialising skills. Getting to a river or a dog friendly beach will allow you to give your pet some meaningful exercise. Have you got the time to do this?

If you are reading this, looking for information on what you need to know before buying a pup, then I congratulate you for taking this first step.

If you have gone this far then you are heading towards being a responsible owner and I am sure you will make the necessary arrangements to ensure you pup goes through a full obedience training course. Enjoy your puppy.

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Don’t you just hate excessive barking?  If your dog works himself into a barking frenzy every time the phone rings, or somebody walks by on the street, or a car goes by, you have a dog behavior problem.  How can you stop a barking dog?

Why Dogs Bark

Barking is a natural behavior for dogs.  They bark to communicate with their pack members.  But this natural behavior can get out of control very quickly and become nuisance barking before you know it.

A dog left by himself all day will bark because he wants you to come home.  And guess what, eventually you do.  This teaches him that loud barking will eventually bring you back.

The dog may bark at the mail carrier every day.  This annoying habit makes sense when you realize that the dog is defending his territory from an intruder.  Of course, the mail carrier doesn’t hang around, but in your dog’s mind, he’s chased him off.  So the barking problems are reinforced.

You may also be accidentally training your dog to bark.  Do you respond to your dog every time he barks?  He barks, and you let him out.  He barks at the door, and you let him in.  He barks, and you feed him.  He barks, and you pet him.  Before you know it, you’ve fallen into the trap of giving him attention every time he barks, instead of praising him when he doesn’t bark.

Excessive Barking Can Be Stopped

The first step is to be sure your dog is getting plenty of exercise and attention.  Most barking problems result when a dog is lonely, bored, and frustrated.  Dogs are social animals, and they need lots of interaction with people and other dogs.

Your dog may not realize that nuisance barking is just that–a nuisance.  Sometimes he’s encouraged to bark if there’s a stranger around.  Other times he’s told to stop.  It’s up to you to teach your dog that it’s OK to bark until you say “stop barking.”  Then he’s to stop immediately. 

How to do this?  By using a reward system.  When you dog barks, say “stop barking” after he barks a couple of times.  At the same time, dangle a favorite tasty treat in front of him.  He can’t bark and sniff the treat at the same time, so he’ll be quiet.  After he’s quiet for a few seconds, give him the treat.  Repeat this, extending the length of time he’s to be quiet.  In a single training session, you should be able to get him to be quiet for one to two minutes.

If he even makes a little bark after you tell him “stop barking,” scold him immediately.  Don’t wait, or he won’t know what you’re scolding him for.  If he continues to bark, even quietly, pull out the big guns.

At the top of your lungs, yell “STOP BARKING!”  More than likely, your dog will stare at you in shock.  If this only makes your dog more excited, keep a water gun handy and squirt him in the face.  You want to get his attention and get him to stop barking long enough that you can reward him for being quiet.

If excessive barking is an ingrained habit, a good dog training course that includes a consultation with an experienced dog trainer may be just what you need to end barking problems.  Take steps now to stop a barking dog.

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