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Ten Tips for Effective Great Dane Training

Posted on February 14, 2011 by admin

Great Danes are a giant breed of dog. Due to their size and strength, it is very important to train them starting at a young age. 8 to 12 weeks old is appropriate to begin with the basics that any dog should know; come, sit, stay and no. Your Great Dane may need to know a few commands that your average sized or small dog might not need, like heel, down and gentle as well as socialization training and perhaps crate training. Your Great Dane training should contain these 10 tips.

1. Great Danes (as well as any dog with a deep chest) are prone to a medical condition called bloat or gastric torsion. This can become deadly and it is therefore very important NOT to teach your Great Dane to roll over.

2. Do NOT punish your Great Dane (or any dog for that matter). A simple stern “no” is all it should take if they do something wrong. Yelling, hitting or other negative actions can create what is termed as a “fear biter,” and the ones that usually get bitten are the owners or innocent bystanders.

3. The heel command is necessary for Great Dane training. Your Great Dane will need mild exercise at least once a day and the best way to do that is to go for a walk. To teach your new best friend to heel, begin with the sit command and when they are still and calm, begin to walk, give a gentle tug on the leash and say “heel.” If your Great Dane pulls or gets too rough, come to a dead stop and get them to sit again. Lather, rinse and repeat.

4. Counters and tables are the perfect height for most Great Danes. Commands like off, no and down are important to include in your Great Dane training.

5. Your Great Dane training should account for their sensitive nature. Great Danes can suffer from separation anxiety perhaps a bit greater than other more independent dogs. You can desensitize them by leaving the room and coming back when they are calm. Slowly increase the time that you are gone.

6. Crate training is another good form of Great Dane training that may be useful to keep them from getting into trouble or suffering from separation anxiety. Be sure to get a crate that allows them to stand and turn around in.

7. Don’t forget to praise your Great Dane when they get it right. Positive reinforcement works well with Great Danes.

8. Be patient and consistent when you work your way through Great Dane training. Great Danes are smart and learn things well. They want to please their owners and they will understand what you want them to do, eventually.

9. Give them the proper medical attention that they need. Unhealthy dogs are more prone to behavior problems and it’s not their fault. If your Great Dane is urinating in the house unexpectedly, you may want to take them to the vet.

10. Finally, the Great Dane is an awesome pet for the family or the individual. Your dog training should include socialization as they can be protective and territorial. They need to know how to behave around strangers and other dogs as this breed can be a little aggressive towards them. Your behavior and attitude toward them is the best way to instill good Great Dane training behaviors. By following these basic instructions your Great Danes true personality will begin to unfold and you will see a marked improvement in your companionship. As your puppy grows, so will your bond. When trained properly, these gentle giants can leave a lasting impression on anyone they encounter.

Ten Tips for Effective Great Dane Training courtesy Dog Articles.

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What Do I Do If My Dog Has Hip Dysplasia?

Posted on February 2, 2011 by admin

Hip dysplasia is a complicated disease that affects both cats and dogs. It is considered to be an inherited disease but it is polygenic — that means that it is not a case of simply breeding parents together who don’t have hip dysplasia and producing puppies that don’t have the disease. There are many factors that can affect whether or not a dog develops the disease, even if he has parents with or without hip dysplasia.

Hip dysplasia results when the cartilage around a dog’s hips shows signs of breaking down. This can happen for several reasons. There may be bony projections in the hip joints. There could be shallow hip sockets. There can be evidence of bone changes called “remodeling.” All of these indications are bad because they lead to the breakdown of cartilage in the hip area. Cartilage is necessary to cushion the hips when a dog walks or moves. Without proper cartilage the dog begins experiencing some degree of pain.

The breakdown of cartilage leads to various stages of arthritis in the dog’s hips. This arthritis can be diagnosed by a veterinarian as degenerative joint disease, arthrosis, osteoarthrosis. These are all painful conditions and can eventually lead to a dog being debilitated and unable to walk.

If your dog is having difficulty with his hips or is showing any signs of pain you should visit your vet to get a professional opinion. Your vet can make a preliminary diagnosis. You can also submit the x-ray to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals for evaluation. The x-ray will be viewed by three veterinarians who are extremely experienced in evaluating hip dysplasia. They can give you a precise rating for your dog’s hips. Ratings of Excellent, Good, Fair, Borderline, Mildly Dysplastic, Poor and Severe may be given. For cases where dysplasia is indicated the vets report back with a checklist of where the problems are. Having the opinion of these specialists can provide your vet with more information if your dog is dysplastic.

Many people have their dog’s hips x-rayed when the dog is two years old to find out the dog’s hip status, especially if they are considering breeding the dog at some point. As a general rule, dogs with ratings below Fair should not be used for breeding unless there are very important extenuating circumstances.

Hip ratings can depend a great deal on the x-rays submitted so it’s important to use a vet who has some experience with taking x-rays for OFA. Bad x-rays can make even a dog with wonderful hips look like he is dysplastic.

Other people choose to use Penn Hip to evaluate hips for dysplasia. Penn Hip stands for the University of Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program. This radiographic technique measure the level of joint laxity in a dog’s hips rather than the absolute position of the joints and bones, as with OFA. Both systems have their supporters but OFA seems to attract more people.

If your dog does have hip dysplasia a lot will depend on how much he is affected. This is a degenerative disease meaning that it will get worse with age. He will most likely become more arthritic as he ages. Fortunately, there are a lot of things that people can do to help offset the early stages of hip dysplasia. Many people give their dogs joint supplements, such as glucosamine and chondroitin and MSM. You can buy the same supplements for dogs that you buy for yourself in drugstores or places like Walmart. Ask your vet about the proper dosage for your dog’s weight.

There are many other supplements sold in pet stores for doggy arthritis, such as Dog Gone Pain. Some dog owners swear by them. You will have to try them for yourself and see if you think your dog improves when he takes them. Most dysplastic and arthritic dogs also do better when you keep them from gaining excess weight. Watch their diet so they aren’t too chubby. Carrying a lot of extra weight is bad for their hips.

As your dysplastic dog ages he may experience some degree of pain in his hips. Your vet may recommend using one of the NSAID medications for pain relief, such as Deramaxx. There are drawbacks to these medications and your vet should advise you about possible side effects. It’s also advisable to do a blood panel before starting to use an NSAID with a dog to make sure your dog is a good candidate for taking the drug.

There are plenty of dogs who may have some minor degree of hip dysplasia who never exhibit any symptoms. If your dog does have some hip dysplasia it’s not the end of the world. He may run and play for the rest of his life without experiencing pain. Even if he does develop some arthritis there are many ways to counter the problem. A diagnosis of hip dysplasia doesn’t have to mean the end of good times for you and your dog.

What Do I Do If My Dog Has Hip Dysplasia courtesy Dog Articles

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Can Dog Food Make My Dog Less Aggressive?

Posted on January 25, 2011 by admin

There is no direct link between dog food and aggression in dogs. It’s probably not possible to point to one particular dog food and say that you shouldn’t feed it because it will make your dog more aggressive. However, feeding a dog a generally poor diet can be a contributing factor in aggression.

There are studies which have suggested that feeding a dog poor quality foods can contribute to aggression. Preservatives and sugar in dog food may be linked to hyperactive behavior which may increase the possibility of aggression. Artificial coloring in some foods have been linked to aggression, hyperactivity, timidity, learning difficulties and other behavioral problems. Insufficient cholesterol in the diet may also be a contributing factor in some dogs since it is needed for proper brain function. Poor diet can also contribute to allergies which can, in turn, increase a likelihood of aggression if the dog is in any kind of physical distress.

At this point some of these links between diet and aggression have only been suggested. There may be little scientific data to back up the assertions. But a poor diet can worsen health and temperament problems in general.

None of this speculation changes the fact that all dogs need to be raised with firm and gentle kindness. Puppies should be well-socialized from an early age and introduced to lots of other friendly people and dogs. But dogs should also be fed a good, nutritious food.

Dogs in general should have a diet that begins with several named meat sources. Owners should try to avoid generic fats and proteins. They should avoid foods that use corn gluten meal. They should avoid meat by-products and digest. They should avoid BHA, BHT and Ethoxyquin (artificial preservatives). They should look for foods without artificial colors, sugars and sweeteners. Look for foods with fewer grains. Look for foods that meet AAFCO specifications.

If owners follow these suggestions then they will usually find good dog foods. If there is any truth to the idea that dog foods can contribute to behavior problems and to aggression, then these foods will be much less likely to have a negative effect.

One theory that should be debunked is the idea that feeding your dog meat leads to aggression or that feeding your dog a vegetarian diet will make him more peaceable. Your dog is a carnivore in the broadest sense. He is actually an omnivore in practice – something of a scavenger and able to eat lots of different kinds of food. But physically, he needs meat protein to survive and be healthy. Feeding your dog meat or diets that are based on meat protein do not make him aggressive. They merely meet his dietary needs.

On the other hand, feeding your dog a vegetarian diet can lead to poor nutrition. Your dog is not a vegetarian in any way, shape or form. One of the reasons that you so often hear corn and other grains blasted for their use in dog food is because they are vegetable-based and, therefore, harder for your dog to digest. The same is true for vegetarian-based diets for dogs.

They are harder for your dog to digest and they do not contain the meat protein that your dog needs to be healthy. In addition, they do not make your dog more peaceable or do anything to prevent behavior problems. In fact, by contributing to poor nutrition, vegetarian diets are likely to worsen behavior problems.

Can Dog Food Make My Dog Less Aggressive courtesy Dog Articles.

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