Sunday afternoon and your having friends over for dinner. The house is perfect, the table is beautiful and the food smells and looks delicious. Unfortunately, your golden retriever thinks so too, and is sitting up and begging for morsels off everyone’s plate, and if not rewarded, is attempting to take the food on his own. You may be king of your castle, but with your dog begging, it is not making you look too good at the moment. How could this have happened?

Sadly, this is not really the dog’s fault, and it started some time ago. Some horribly misguided individual who was trying to be a good pet owner did this while the pup was still very young, and trained your dog for this very behavior. Want to know who taught your dog this behavior? Do you know who it was? It was probably you, and or, members of your family.

Now take a moment to realize that you weren’t consciously training your pet for this unwanted behavior, and you did it with the best of intentions. Who could resist that sad little face looking up at you, for a morsel of food.

No one is blaming you, but the behavior is here now, and must be dealt with. Knowing how to fix the problem is easiest when you know how it started. Your dog learned this behavior from all those times when, however well meaning you were, the little scraps of food were tossed down to a cute little pup, who stared up with sad brown eyes, and left you overpowered with guilt, as you looked at his dish of dog kibble, and your plate filled with steak and potatoes.

Those moments when your kind-hearted generosity over stepped its boundaries, and created the begging monster that we find pushing your guests chair over today, for a bite of beef tip. All of this could have been prevented, by a simple act of will power then, but now you have a problem to deal with.

So how do we stop this obnoxious beggar? The first step is doing what you should have done when your little beggar was still a pup, and quit rewarding the behavior, by not giving in, and not paying attention to it, perhaps even confining your dog to its kennel, or a separate room during meal or snack times.

This suggestion is especially useful if you have young children in the household who tend to reward the animal with the foods that they do not favor. Make sure everyone in the household knows, not to share their meals with your dog, and follows this rule no matter what the circumstance.

When your dog isn’t rewarded in the manner he is accustomed to, the real battle will begin. He will decide that he isn’t receiving enough attention and begin to whine and howl loudly in complaint of the treatment.

Do not give in or the battle is lost, and will be harder in the next round. The process will take consistent work for several weeks, and one weak moment of slipping the dog a treat just to be nice, can ruin all the prior training, so standing your ground and enforcing the rule, of not giving meal time treats to your dog, is a must.

Some useful ideas for stopping the begging are appropriate to mention here. One great one is to feed the dog at the same time the rest of the family eats, preferably in a separate room. This way your dog has its own meal, and will not feel the need to take food from others in the household. If this is not an option, perhaps give your pet a toy to play with, keeping them occupied throughout mealtime.

No matter how you choose to handle the situation, consistent and rigid training is the only effective way to correct it. Every member and guest of your household must enforce the rules, or all your work will be for nothing. However, if you follow these rules, the dog begging will stop, and you will be blessed with a healthier pet, a happier household, and pride in your well-mannered canine friend.

Correct Your Dogs Bad Behavior Without Ever Touching Him

See How Easy Dog Training Can Be With The Right Information

I want to post this quick story about my dog Molly in the chance that it may help other dogs and their owners. Molly has always had a weight problem. Except for the time during her allergy problem a few years ago, that I explained in another post, she has steadily gained weight.

I would always mention it to the two veterinarians I was taking her to on every visit, and they would tell me to feed her less, walk her more, or change her food. When I would tell them I have done all of that, they would say that golden retrievers are prone to gain weight.

Her other problem was her ears being infected constantly. No matter how much I cleaned them they got infected. They told me that this is common in golden retrievers because of the ears hanging. It does not allow air to get in, and that causes infection.

I would also always mention that her coat seemed thin for a golden retriever. Both veterinarian offices told me it was not uncommon for dogs to lose their coats, and it might be a skin condition.

Recently Molly was due for a few vaccinations, and I decided it was time for a new veterinarian. When we went for our first visit, the doctor commented on how heavy Molly was. He weighed her and she was 130 pounds. He said she should be about 75.

I told him she gets two cups of dry food a day, no table scraps, a biscuit or two, and I walk her everyday. I also told him I don’t know what else to do, she just keeps gaining weight.

He looked her over and said it may not be her fault. He noticed her ears were infected, and she was losing a lot of her coat.

He told me that the weight gain, infected ears, and hair loss, are all signs of hypothyroidism. He said a simple blood test could confirm it, and if that was the cause, an inexpensive pill a day would give me a new dog. Those were his exact words.

Well he knew what he was talking about, because that was the problem. I give Molly one 0.8mg tablet of L-thyroxine a day. It has been eight weeks now and she has lost over twelve pounds, without changing anything else.

She also has unlimited energy. When I used to walk her around the block, I often didn’t think she was going to make it. Now she drags me. Her hair is also all growing back. It’s almost hard to believe this one little pill could solve everything.

When the veterinarian told me that one little pill could give me a new dog, if she had hypothyroidism, I didn’t put a lot of faith in his statement, but it really is like a magic wand was waved over my dog. If your dog has any of the symptoms mentioned here, have them checked. You may be as surprised as I still am.

If this article finds it’s way into one home with a sick dog, and helps, it will be worth it. It is also not my intent to make veterinarians look bad, because most of them do a very good job, but if something doesn’t seem right, get another opinion.

Read More About Hypothyroidism

Heal your dog naturally

I want to tell you a story about a problem my dog Molly developed, and my search for a dog diarrhea treatment. I am posting this on my website in case there are other dogs that may be having the same problems, and their owners aren’t sure what to do.

Molly is a seven year old golden retriever. About a year ago she started to have problems with vomiting and diarrhea on and off. I took her to the veterinarian several times, and they said they could not find anything, and she looked fine.

After about six months the vomiting and diarrhea became an everyday thing. I took her to the same vet for over a month, and was given everything from pills to special prescription dog foods. Nothing worked.

I went to a different veterinarian and was pretty much give the same treatment. Prescription dog foods, and pills. None of it made things any better. Their diagnosis was she had a sensitive digestive track, and there wasn’t much that could be done. They even took x-rays to see if they was an internal problem.

It had been about six weeks now, and at this point Molly was so sick I thought we were going to lose her. She was so weak she could barely walk up or down stairs.

Desperate for an answer I turned to the internet. It took me about ten minutes to learn that when dogs are vomiting and have diarrhea for long periods, like Molly did it could be related to an allergy.

I found out that dogs often get allergies to corn, wheat, or soy. Wheat is the most common. The article suggested to try an organic dog food which has none of these ingredients. It also suggested to try Paul Newman’s organic dog food, because he donates all of the profits to the ASPCA.

I went to my local grocery store and they had it. Within three days the vomiting stopped, by seven days the diarrhea was gone. It took Molly about a month to get back to her old self but it’s good to have her back.

I am not here to knock veterinarian’s because I know they provide a great service, but neither of the vet’s I took Molly to, that have been in business for years, ever suggested that she may have an allergy, or offered a food without wheat, corn, or soy, which seems to me now, like a simple dog diarrhea treatment to try. There is no doubt in my mind, that if I did not have the internet, I probably would not still have Molly.

I guess you can’t always believe what the professionals tell you. If something doesn’t seem right, trust your instincts.

Make Healthy Meals And Treats Your Dog Will Love

Build your dog the house of their dreams

The Golden Retriever is truly one of the most beautiful dogs on the planet.

They have a beautiful coat, an amazing face, a strong, sleek, and muscular body, a fantastic personality, a tail that never stops waging, and they are a joy to watch at work, when flushing a pheasant, swimming in the water, or chasing a Frisbee.

The Golden Retriever was originally bred as a hunting dog in Scotland, around 1908, but is now very popular as a house pet, a therapy dog in convalescent homes and children’s hospitals, and is used by law enforcement for drug detection.

Although they do not make very good guard dogs, they will bark loudly if a stranger approaches.

If you have children the Golden Retriever can be the perfect pet. Because of their natural nurturing instincts, and very gentle nature they make the perfect companion.

In 1974 President Gerald Ford made the First Family dog a Golden Retriever named Liberty.

If you are considering getting a Golden Retriever puppy, you need to find a reputable breeder that specializes in breeding Golden Retrievers.

There are plenty of pet shops and back yard breeders that are selling Goldens, that may have serious breed problems ranging from aggression, to hip and eye problems, and a host of other problems that may not be noticeable at the puppy stage.

A reputable breeder will check the blood lines of the parents carefully to make sure they do not have a history of these problems, before breeding. This will be your best chance at having a trouble free pet.

Training your Golden Retriever is not as hard as you may think. These are very intelligent dogs, and eager to learn. They want to please you, and hate to be scowled.

The first thing to remember is that puppies will be puppies, so don’t expect too much too soon. You can start to bathroom train right away, but if there is anything around you care about within the puppies grasp like shoes, or your favorite slippers, I would put them away, because your puppy’s going to chew them if he gets them.

Give your puppy something of his own to chew. They are teething, and want to naturally chew things because their gums hurt. Make it clear early on that he or she is to chew what you gave them, and nothing else.

If you expect your Golden to respond to your commands, then you want to avoid confusing him. It’s easy to forget that they do not understand the English language.

They respond to certain sounds, or words, based on your body language, and tone of voice. The trick to making the training as simple as possible is to use a few basic words and stick with them.

If you want your Golden to get out of the trash, and you say “no” one time, and “stop” the next time, and then “hey” the next time, they never really get what you are telling them.

The six words that I have found over the years that work best are “NO” “SIT” “DOWN” “COME” “HEEL” and “STAY”. I find they work best if said without the dogs name. These are discipline words, and are better left by themselves.

It’s important that you show your Golden Retriever that you are the boss. You must establish that you are the leader to be successful with his training.

If you give one of your commands, and he does not comply, reinforce the command with a little different tone of voice until he complies.

If that still doesn’t work, don’t just walk away. That will send a bad message. Stick with it until you get the desired results. It will happen.

Never yell at your pet or hit them, or raise your hand in a gesture to do so. You also never want to use anything like a rolled up newspaper, or a belt, or any object of this type to discipline them.

This will only scare and confuse them, and loose their trust, which will make it much harder to achieve the results you are looking for.

If you use the word “No” Firmly, to stop him from what he is doing, or gently show him you want him to “Sit” or lay “Down”, or use the word “Come” when you want him to come to you, or say “Out” when it is time for her to go outside – I think you will be very surprised at how fast he or she learns.

Whatever words work for you are fine, as long as you keep them simple, and stay with the same words all the time I think you will get surprising results.

And don’t forget the most important word of all, GOOD. Using that word combined with boy or girl, or the dog’s name such as “Good Sammy”, can work wonders.

They learn to like that real fast. Saying Good Boy, or Good Girl, or What a Good Girl, with the right tone in your voice, combined with a pat on the head, a biscuit, or a rubbing of their belly, will practically send a Golden Retriever into orbit.

They are beautiful animals. Just be patient, and you will have a great friend for many years.

Learn dog and puppy training at home

Build your dog the house of their dreams

What’s a dogs tail for anyway. It’s main purpose is for balance and to help change direction quickly when running. Yes they actually use it for balance when walking, especially in narrow places like a narrow hallway.

Why does your dog wag their tail. Well dog psychologists have spent countless hours studying puppies and larger dogs, trying to figure this out.

They have come up with a lot of theories, but nothing they can say for sure.

I also don’t have the technical answer, but I think any dog owner knows that a dog wags its tail when it is happy.

That can be because its master has come home, or a visitor has arrived, or dinner is served.

I know what my extensive research has shown. It doesn’t take much to get a Golden Retrievers tail wagging.

Keep your Golden happy, healthy, and obedient

I was reading the other day that Golden Retriever puppies were the most popular choice for new dog owners last year, and still are this year. That may seem like a good thing, but it’s not.

This creates a lot of irresponsible breeding to meet the demand. People are attracted to the Golden Retriever for the obvious reasons of their great looks, and an always cheerful disposition.

They are also used quite often in movies and television, which ads to their popularity.

Many new dog owners will decide after getting their new puppy, that caring for a golden retriever is more than they expected, and will give the dog up. As sad as this is, it happens every year to thousands of golden retrievers.

Hopefully these dogs will end up at a local animal shelter where they can find a good home, or a rescue shelter, where they will get the care they need, and proper placement in a loving home.

A rescue shelter has advantages over a regular shelter because they will check a dog for any health problems, behavioral problems, and will usually work with you after you receive your pet, if you are having any problems.

If your planning on getting a Golden Retriever, or any breed of dog, and do not want to go through the puppy stage, or the expense of buying a puppy ( usually eight hundred dollars and up for Golden Retriever Puppies) try contacting a local shelter or rescue center. You may find just the friend you were looking for.

Golden retrievers do require some commitment, but the love and companionship they return to you and your family makes it all worth it. One thing that is very important to a golden retriever is exercise.

If you are thinking of getting a golden retriever or you already have one, exercise is a must.

Golden retrievers do best when they have their own fenced in yard to run free. When that is not possible, then walking them on a leash, or taking them to another area where they can safely run free is the next best thing.

Exercise is something that they need every day. It is probably the hardest thing for a golden retriever owner to stay committed to, that doesn’t have a yard to let their dog run in. It can sometimes be hard to find the time for one or two walks a day on a busy schedule.

Golden retrievers gain weight easily when not exercised enough. They can also be prone to health problems from this extra weight and from lack of exercise.

It has also been proven that they tend to get into trouble around the house if they are not exercised enough, and in some cases they will actually start to chew on themselves, causing open wounds, just from boredom.

Before you decide to purchase or adopt a golden retriever, be sure you are prepared for the time and financial commitment they will need. If you are, you have made a great choice.

Learn dog and puppy training at home

Build your dog the house of their dreams

Proper puppy training of your golden retriever can be more important than you may realize.

In the litigious society in which we find ourselves living today, legal actions seem to be common place.

You can be sued for millions if a cup of coffee, which common sense would tell you is very hot, does not contain a warning label to that effect prior to someone dumping it onto their lap and getting burns.

Parents are brought into court because their child kissed another child at school and someone called this sexual harassment. A would-be thief sued and won a case where he broke his arm by tipping over a soda vending machine in an attempt to steal from it.

All of these suits and more happen on what seems like a daily basis, and you just brought your own little lawsuit factory to live with you, in the form of an adorable little puppy.

It is true that this innocent looking little ball of fur can turn into a nasty, snarling, lawsuit building monster within moments. When you look at it this way, puppy training takes on a whole new urgency.

All it takes is one act of territorial aggression or even self-defense and your pet has just cost you thousands of dollars, and possibly, the animal itself. So how will dog training abet this poor outcome?

By teaching your pet, not to jump, nip, bite, threaten or behave as an aggressor, you save yourself possible legal actions and a lot of sleepless nights.

After all, who really wants to own the dog that just mauled the neighbors’ two-year-old child for pulling its tail or killed the prize-winning cat of the lady next door? So how do we stop the bad behavior?

Well, for starters, every dog should learn the “NO” command. This simple one word command is precise and definite in its meaning.

It tells the animal to stop whatever it is doing and instead give you full and complete attention. This command should be trained consistently and often.

If the animal is trying to chase a cat, loudly and clearly say “NO” and restrain the animal. If the dog is jumping up, again utter “NO” and perhaps a light tap to the nose as reinforcement of the command. This simple dog training command will stop most behaviors once it is learned.

A similar command is “Leave It” and is taught in much the same way. For pet training in this command, let the dog approach the forbidden object of its attention and then pull the leash taut and pronounce, “Leave it”.

After a few moments, the dog will give up and return to you after which it should be rewarded generously. By doing this, the dog learns that no matter what temptation is presented; your reward for leaving it will be much greater.

A third lawsuit preventing command is “Down” and is one that many dog owners have a lot of trouble with. A dog’s natural instinct is to jump up and greet someone.

While this is cute in the puppy stage a one hundred pound adult dog can knock you to the ground, and for a stranger, can be quite a frightening experience.

Your dog can be taught to stay down by starting puppy training early when they are pups to curb the jumping behavior, by ignoring or telling them”No” or “DOWN” when they jump and rewarding them when they sit calmly.

To break the habit in older dogs, you may have to resort to more strenuous enforcements such as a squirt of water when they jump up or even an electrical collar as a last resort.

Also, during the puppy training stage, they should be familiarized with people who will enter the yard on a daily basis such as the mail carrier or package delivery personnel.

They should learn that these individuals are not threats by taking the time to introduce them to your pet and perhaps even asking them to offer the pet some kind of treat.

The animal should, at all times, be taught that nipping or biting is unwanted behavior and will result in a punishment of some form, for example, a sprits of cold water followed by the “NO” command or a light but convincing tap on the nose. In worst-case scenarios, a muzzle may be in order.

With these simple puppy training suggestions, you are certain to have a safer environment for your pet and those around you as well as peace of mind that you are in control of your furry friend.

Dog training will take a little time and patience, but it is always worth the effort in the long run to have a well behaved dog. Good Luck.

Keep your Golden happy, healthy, and obedient

Taking your golden retriever to the veterinarian’s office can be an adventure all on its own. There are so many sights, sounds, smells and other sensations that your canine can easily become quite excited or agitated to the point that control is difficult.

Multiply this by the ever rotating average of 10 or more pets in a busy waiting room and mass pandemonium could be the result.

Without proper training and control, a veterinarian’s waiting room might quickly become a bedlam of scales, feather and fur as the animals all compete for space and attention.

So what can you do to make the trip less stressful for your golden retriever, yourself, your vet and the staff? There are five basic points that will make any visit, less of an odyssey.

First, be certain to leash or halter train your dog if you do not plan on using a pet carrier for transport. A pet carrier is ideal for small animals as this provides them a measure of security, as they have their own personal space. It also gives them protection from larger pets, or aggressive animals that might be in the waiting room.

Otherwise a shorter leash or halter is best in the waiting room, as it provides more control for the dog owner and prevents tangling with other animals or furniture. Leashes also provide a handhold for cases where aggressive behaviors among animals might otherwise get out of control.

Secondly, consider muzzle training for your pet . Many veterinarian hospitals now request you to muzzle your pet. This is for the safety of other patients as well as the staff.

A muzzle will simply fit around your golden retrievers mouth area and prevent biting, but to a dog that is unfamiliar with the device this can be a very frightening experience. Giving your pet the opportunity to learn about this device in a non-threatening environment can make the office visit much less traumatic.

A third tip is to not forget the rewards. Unless your veterinarian has requested your dog have no food for specific purposes, such as testing, or if they do not allow food in the waiting room, feel free to bring along a treat for your pet.

This will help them to feel more at ease with the new surroundings and help to keep their focus on you rather than on getting a closer look at the iguana on a leash in the corner.

It also gives you the chance to continue the training lessons while waiting for your pet to be called back to the exam rooms. Plus, your dog will think you are really cool.

Fourth, keep track of your golden retrievers medical records. Is your pet allergic to anything? Is she up to date on her vaccination shots? How old is he? Has your pet had any surgeries, major illnesses or parasites?

These things are all important to know and could be potentially life threatening if you didn’t keep them current. Regular visits to the vet, and being current on shots is always a good idea, to keep your pet in great health.

It is also a good idea to write a list of questions you would like to ask the veterinarian before you get there, because it always seems we remember the questions we wanted to ask on the way back home.

Visiting the vet regularly will help your golden retriever to become more relaxed with the office settings and they will respond better.

For our fifth tip, let’s party. Socializing your pet to other people and animals prior to vet visits is a great idea provided they are current on their vaccinations. This allows them to learn acceptable behaviors around other animals and what the boundaries of interaction are.

Hosting a puppy party is a great way to do this. Invite several other dog owners over to visit and serve a modest picnic or potluck type meal. Encourage the dogs to play and interact together and with the other owners.

This will help them to learn what you will and will not accept and helps you to determine potential problem areas. Golden Retrievers are generally very well behaved, but they can change in a stressful situation, so it is a good idea to test the waters before going to a busy veterinarian’s office.

Following these simple tips can make vet visits less traumatic on all involved and much easier to cope with. You will thank yourself later. Your pet will thank you and so will the staff at the vet’s office.

Secrets from a veterinarian to keep your dog healthy

Amazing Puppy and Dog Obedience training secrets

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