What’s paper training?
Paper training is a specific form of house training for your dog: you’re teaching her where in the house is appropriate for her to eliminate (pee or poop). When you paper train your dog, you teach her to only eliminate on newspapers (chosen for their absorbency, ready availability, and cheap cost) which you gather up and throw away after each use.
What options other than paper training do I have for my dog’s house training?
There are two ways of effectively, efficiently, and rapidly house training your dog. Paper training is one; the other is something called crate training.
Crate training is based on a dog’s basic dislike of soiling where she sleeps, and involves restricting the dog’s movement (by putting her in a crate, or small indoor kennel) whenever she cannot be actively supervised.
What is the difference between crate training and house training?
Paper training and crate training isn’t the same thing. Crate training is where you train your dog to only go outside; paper training is where you train your dog to only go on newspapers.
You cannot train your dog to do both at the same time – the two are mutually exclusive. She’ll get confused, and you’ll only prolong the training process.
You can choose to use paper training as an intermediary step for eventually only eliminating outside (although not everyone recommends this: it’s easier on the dog, and more effective all round, to choose one method and stick with it.)
Why should I choose paper training instead of crate training?
You can visit the “The Ultimate House Training Guide” site by clicking this link: The Ultimate House Training Guide for more details
Crate training and paper training are both effective ways to house train your dog.
In general, it’s accepted (by most dog trainers and vets) that crate training is the fastest method of house training your dog; but it requires a considerable investment of time and effort, which is not an option for everyone.
Paper training is the best option for you if:
- It’s not easy for you to take your dog outside for any other reason (for example, elderly or unwell people)
- You’re planning on training your dog to go outside the house eventually, but not just yet (for example, it’s the dead of winter with four-foot snow drifts outside)
Crate training is the best option for you if:
- You have a medium to big dog
Paper training isn’t suitable for all dogs: it really only works for small males and small-to-medium females, since a dog larger than these just produces too much waste for the newspaper (and you!) to handle.
How to paper train your dog?
You can visit the “The Ultimate House Training Guide” site by clicking this link: The Ultimate House Training Guide for more details
Monday, December 22, 2008
Common house training problems
House training is one of the areas of dog ownership that’s most subject to misunderstanding, confusion, and just plain dread!
Today’s newsletter is going to deal with two of the most common problems surrounding the issue of house training:
- Submissive/excited urination
- Scent marking
Common house training problem #1: Submissive / excited urination
What is it?
A ‘submissive urinate’ is a dog that urinates on the floor and himself (and sometimes on you and any guests you may have!) in situations of extreme excitement or stress - like when you return home at the end of the day, or when he’s being told off.
Why does it happen?
Puppies are the usual candidates for submissive/excited urination, but it’s not uncommon to see adult dogs with the problem as well: usually, these are highly sensitive and timid dogs, and/or ones from a shelter/with a history of abuse (often these last two go hand-in-hands.)
When does it happen?
Situations when an excited/fearful dog is likely to urinate:
- Greeting time after a prolonged absence
- Play time
- The arrival of guests
- Stressful situations at home, eg arguments
- During a correction (you’re telling him off)
- Sudden loud noises (thunder, fireworks)
What can I do about it?
You can visit the “The Ultimate House Training Guide” site by clicking this link: The Ultimate House Training Guide for more details
Fortunately, it’s not difficult to “cure” your dog of his submissive/excited urination.
First of all, you should take him to the vet to make sure there’s no medical reason for the issue (like diabetes or a bladder infection.)
Next, it’s time to take control of the problem:
- Limit his intake of water to help him control his bladder more effectively. Don’t restrict his water intake over a prolonged period of time, but if you know there’s a situation coming which would normally result in urination – for example, you have guests coming over, or are planning on a play session soon – take his water bowl away for a period of time (maybe half an hour to an hour) before the event.
- When greeting your dog, keep it calm and mellow. The more excited he is, the harder it is for him to control his bladder, so don’t encourage him to get worked up: ignore him for the first few moments, or give him a neutral “hello”, a quick pat, and then go about making yourself at home.
You can visit the “The Ultimate House Training Guide” site by clicking this link: The Ultimate House Training Guide for more details
Today’s newsletter is going to deal with two of the most common problems surrounding the issue of house training:
- Submissive/excited urination
- Scent marking
Common house training problem #1: Submissive / excited urination
What is it?
A ‘submissive urinate’ is a dog that urinates on the floor and himself (and sometimes on you and any guests you may have!) in situations of extreme excitement or stress - like when you return home at the end of the day, or when he’s being told off.
Why does it happen?
Puppies are the usual candidates for submissive/excited urination, but it’s not uncommon to see adult dogs with the problem as well: usually, these are highly sensitive and timid dogs, and/or ones from a shelter/with a history of abuse (often these last two go hand-in-hands.)
When does it happen?
Situations when an excited/fearful dog is likely to urinate:
- Greeting time after a prolonged absence
- Play time
- The arrival of guests
- Stressful situations at home, eg arguments
- During a correction (you’re telling him off)
- Sudden loud noises (thunder, fireworks)
What can I do about it?
You can visit the “The Ultimate House Training Guide” site by clicking this link: The Ultimate House Training Guide for more details
Fortunately, it’s not difficult to “cure” your dog of his submissive/excited urination.
First of all, you should take him to the vet to make sure there’s no medical reason for the issue (like diabetes or a bladder infection.)
Next, it’s time to take control of the problem:
- Limit his intake of water to help him control his bladder more effectively. Don’t restrict his water intake over a prolonged period of time, but if you know there’s a situation coming which would normally result in urination – for example, you have guests coming over, or are planning on a play session soon – take his water bowl away for a period of time (maybe half an hour to an hour) before the event.
- When greeting your dog, keep it calm and mellow. The more excited he is, the harder it is for him to control his bladder, so don’t encourage him to get worked up: ignore him for the first few moments, or give him a neutral “hello”, a quick pat, and then go about making yourself at home.
You can visit the “The Ultimate House Training Guide” site by clicking this link: The Ultimate House Training Guide for more details
Thursday, December 18, 2008
The complete cat health care guide
The Complete Cat Health Care Guide really is a complete compendium on cat care - and not just on the health of your cat, either. This useful owner’s manual covers all aspects of cat ownership in real detail, from the more frivolous aspects (ten reasons why cats make fantastic pets, how to play with your cat, etc) to the absolutely essential (healthcare, nutrition, first aid, and so on).
Why Does Anyone Need a Book on Cats?
Cats take care of themselves, right? You can buy a cat and not really need to research how to look after it, how to care for it, and what healthcare problems and potential behavioral issues you’ll need to look out for, right?
The answer (as all cat-lovers will already know) is, of course, definitely not!
Cat ownership implies a certain level of basic, non-negotiable responsibility. If you really want the best relationship that it’s possible to have with your cat, it’s worthwhile taking the time to find out what makes her tick. This means finding out how to keep her happy and healthy, how to supply her with adequate care and nutrition, how to help her adapt to your house (the house training secrets are a definite bonus!), how to prevent and deal with any behavioral problems that might eventuate, and in general how to achieve and maintain the kind of rewarding and mutually affectionate relationship with your cat that we’d all like to have.
You can take a look at the book by clicking on the link: “Complete Cat Care”
Why Does Anyone Need a Book on Cats?
Cats take care of themselves, right? You can buy a cat and not really need to research how to look after it, how to care for it, and what healthcare problems and potential behavioral issues you’ll need to look out for, right?
The answer (as all cat-lovers will already know) is, of course, definitely not!
Cat ownership implies a certain level of basic, non-negotiable responsibility. If you really want the best relationship that it’s possible to have with your cat, it’s worthwhile taking the time to find out what makes her tick. This means finding out how to keep her happy and healthy, how to supply her with adequate care and nutrition, how to help her adapt to your house (the house training secrets are a definite bonus!), how to prevent and deal with any behavioral problems that might eventuate, and in general how to achieve and maintain the kind of rewarding and mutually affectionate relationship with your cat that we’d all like to have.
You can take a look at the book by clicking on the link: “Complete Cat Care”
How to stock your tank
It’s all very well to hear people talking about the beauties of an aquarium, how to maintain adequate pH, keeping nitrate and phosphate levels adequately balanced, and so on … there seems to be plenty of technical detail available!
But what about the actual fish? How do you choose which ones you want? How do you know whether they’ll be too big for the tank when they grow up, or whether they’ll be compatible with your other fish? How do you find out how to stock your tank?
Here is a quick rundown of the things you’ll need to bear in mind when choosing fish for your tank, as well as a brief look at a couple of the more common types of tropical fish. Hopefully it’ll give you a good idea of where to get started!
Freshwater vs. Saltwater
Obviously, the water type is different, but what does that actually mean in terms of the kind of aquarium you’ll end up with?
Specifically, freshwater tanks are generally recommended for beginner aquarists – especially if children are going to be involved in looking after the fish.
This is because freshwater fish are much easier to look after, and are generally more resilient to less-than-perfect water quality and fluctuations in temperature (and, really, all the sorts of mistakes that beginners are prone to make!). In general, freshwater tanks are both cheaper and easier to maintain than saltwater ones.
Saltwater aquariums often have more colorful fish, but maintaining the chemistry of a saltwater tank is a pretty finicky business, and is best undertaken by someone well-versed in the lore of fish-keeping.
You can take a look at the book by clicking on the link: Katy's Tropical Fish
But what about the actual fish? How do you choose which ones you want? How do you know whether they’ll be too big for the tank when they grow up, or whether they’ll be compatible with your other fish? How do you find out how to stock your tank?
Here is a quick rundown of the things you’ll need to bear in mind when choosing fish for your tank, as well as a brief look at a couple of the more common types of tropical fish. Hopefully it’ll give you a good idea of where to get started!
Freshwater vs. Saltwater
Obviously, the water type is different, but what does that actually mean in terms of the kind of aquarium you’ll end up with?
Specifically, freshwater tanks are generally recommended for beginner aquarists – especially if children are going to be involved in looking after the fish.
This is because freshwater fish are much easier to look after, and are generally more resilient to less-than-perfect water quality and fluctuations in temperature (and, really, all the sorts of mistakes that beginners are prone to make!). In general, freshwater tanks are both cheaper and easier to maintain than saltwater ones.
Saltwater aquariums often have more colorful fish, but maintaining the chemistry of a saltwater tank is a pretty finicky business, and is best undertaken by someone well-versed in the lore of fish-keeping.
You can take a look at the book by clicking on the link: Katy's Tropical Fish
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