Dogs & Cats Can Get Along is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog Get all of your Puppy Training Information Here!

Before you rush out and spend a lot of money on a fancy invisible dog fence you may want to consider just lining your back yard with aluminum cans! Check out this great video!  Enter your name and e-mail below to get free dog training tips delivered to your inbox!

New Dog Fence! is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog Get all of your Puppy Training Information Here!

Funny video of baby having a great time on the floor with family’s jack russel.  This is a great example of a dog where it’s obvious that someone has worked on toddler proofing him.  Even though this dog has his favorite toy and the baby is in close proximity to that he does not become aggressive towards the child.

Baby Bites Dog is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog Get all of your Puppy Training Information Here!

Fetched By: Anon

Great looking golden retriever from FailDogs.com  If you get a good picture of your dog send it to them!

Golden Retriever In The Snow is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog Get all of your Puppy Training Information Here!

Great picture of a pug from FailDogs.com!  It’s possible to use dog training to teach your dog to wear sunglasses or other articles of clothing.  Most of the time if you attempt to put something like this on your dog they are going to attempt to get it off their face.  Through positive reinforcement though you can get them to leave them on!

Pug In Sunglasses is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog Get all of your Puppy Training Information Here!

The main thing to realize is that the real action isn’t in the head. The Big-Brain is fundamentally but one terminal in the body/mind as an emotional battery. There is something going on to be sure up there, but the main function of neurological activity in the Big-Brain is to put the individual into conflict. Conflict makes energy and the intensity of the energy accesses physical memory. A state of conflict accesses physical memory.

When a squirrel-chasing dog sees a squirrel, the first thing that happens is that it will perceive being knocked off balance, just as if its physical center-of-gravity has been suddenly displaced, just as if something has literally pushed it off center. This response was established via Pavlovian conditioning during its infant imprinting phase. As an infant pup every time its mother or litter mates moved it was knocked off balance and therefore for the rest of its life any change in its perceptual field equals a state of imbalance because it triggers this physical memory of change. The degree of displacement equals the force of attraction. The intensity of this force activates a specific layer of physical memory. A loss of equilibrium is energizing because it provokes neurological activity as neurons fire off, just like a battery being ionized by an electrical input of a charger.

So the dog is emotionally “charged” by this sudden ionizing event upon the sight of a squirrel and typically, because the mandate of balance is engaged but the little-brain-in-the-gut doesn’t yet have anything tangible to digest, Squirrel Dog’s body tenses up like a rope twisted tight.

If we could ask Squirrel Dog where exactly its sense of consciousness is centered in its body/mind, where is the absolute center of its “self,” Squirrel Dog would point to its head, as this is the epicenter of the intense pressure of energy, the physical memory of having fallen face forward because it was knocked over by something moving fast, or it was moving too fast and tumbled before it had mastered locomotion. The point in the dog’s body it references as the center of its consciousness is the basis of its mind and will determine the nature of its perception and range of likely responses. This center point determines the nature of the physical memory to be summoned up into awareness, and then what menu (electric=balance, magnetic=hunger, or electromagnetic=heart as wave) will be activated in order to deal with this memory. If we had to reduce what’s going on in Squirrel Dogs’ mind to a human concept in order to articulate what is going on inside its head at this point, Squirrel Dog would say “I am squirrel” because as far as it can know all of its attention is fixated on a squirrel and so this is the entire scope of its consciousness in this moment. A dog has no concept of its “self” relative to other points of view. It’s view of its “self” depends on what it wants and how it feels.

It is possible that a dog might reference its little-brain hunger circuitry as its center point and in this case it could be said to be “ionized” to the negative polarity (preyful) and in this mode it has energy to absorb. It will then perceive the situation as if what is going on inside its body is pulling an object of attraction toward it, even if the dog is actually moving toward something standing still. This is a virtual state of magnetism. But in the hypothetical example above with the typical squirrel-chasing-dog it is referencing its Big-Brain balance circuitry and so it is ionizing toward the positive (predator) polarity and has energy to give. It will thus perceive as if it is pushing energy out and this pushing impulse will be the basis of whatever it learns next. The balance circuitry is the electrical menu.

Sometimes in the beginning of a squirrel-chasing dog’s career, we notice its hackles raise and it might growl and then bark at the sight of a squirrel. This is a bio-mechanical response to relieve this electrical-like tension referenced above, a pushing out of energy, especially if it is unable for some reason to pursue the squirrel as when held back on lead or when afraid of first squirrel it ever saw. It is not trying to communicate to the squirrel; rather it is off/loading energy so as to restore its body to a sense of stability. In this sense it is in fact communicating energy and this can be adaptive because barking and getting excited tends to make prey run and then the dog can flip polarity to the hunger circuitry.

But for Squirrel Dog working from the balance circuitry, it is therefore pushing energy out by pushing itself away from the spot that is so destabilizing and running to squirrel as ground, terra firma. In contrast, notice how a cat stalks its prey. It is referencing its little-brain and going-by-pull. It is feeling that its focus on the prey from its little-brain hunger circuitry is pulling the mouse toward it, in other words it has imported the essence of the mouse into its hunger circuitry and is beginning to feel what the mouse is feeling and self-regulating because it is magnetized to the prey. It stalks very quietly and then waits until the mouse quite literally walks into its waiting jaws. However, when the gap between them closes to its critical distance, this feeling will collapse given that the prey is so near (and much bigger) and the only mechanism it has that can handle such energy is the striking instinct. This is also why when we excite our kitties too much, they are prone to claw, clench and bite us, but before doing so usually run away to push off from that spot. Since dogs have a much higher emotional capacity than cats, it is possible for them to flip polarities from positive to negative, even when near the prey and this capacity would be necessary to allow the feeling to elaborate into higher expressions, such as herding the prey rather than killing it, or listening to the owner rather than chasing the squirrel. Flipping polarities causes the dog to reference its heart. (We can also see that wolves in the hunt would differentiate along the hunger/balance ratio and so each would respond to large prey differently and in a coordinated, complementary way, some would be pushing, some would be pulling.)

The typical squirrel-chasing dog straining at the lead upon seeing a squirrel is completely in its head and is electric. Its emotional capacity is overwhelmed because it cannot reference its body and so it will respond to form of squirrel via instincts and habits. It cannot take input from its handler precisely because it is referencing its inner-ear balance circuitry and trying to push energy out. No matter what the handler does to the dog, even if the handler’s corrections make the dog submit, or if a food reward distracts the dog from the squirrel (which isn’t likely), if the handler doesn’t constitute the full “ground” for this energy, the need to get to the squirrel for grounding is merely being reinforced. The dog is going by the form of the squirrel and is unable to discern the subtle energetic essences of the squirrel let alone that this person shouting and jerking is its beloved human. Because the Big Brain is running the show, the dog isn’t feeling. The brain can’t feel a thing which is why gray matter can be operated on directly without anesthesia. Furthermore, the only thing tangible the little-brain is getting to digest is the tactile input from being jerked around, straining into the lead and digging into the ground, and so the dog learns that this is what hunting a squirrel feels like.

The interplay between intensity of the Big-Brain and the capacity of the little-brain to ground this intensity reveals an auto-tuning/feedback dynamic by which all interactions with the environment proceed, and thereby render the dog’s mind as a function of energy. Animals have a bipolar constitution because of a two brain makeup so as to implement the principle of emotional conductivity so that all learning factors out a networked-intelligence. The following is the logic loop that drives the network: The greater the degree of displacement: the stronger the force of attraction. The stronger the force of attraction: the greater the fear of falling. The greater the fear of falling: the stronger the urge for grounding. The greater the resistance to grounding: the stronger the Drive to make contact. The more resistance to the Drive to make contact, the more sexual/sensual energy is engendered by physical memory. The more sexual energy: the easier to flip polarity in order to connect with object of resistance.

Read more articles like this here on the natural dog training blog!

The Mind of Squirrel Dog is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog Get all of your Puppy Training Information Here!

Tasty Dog Treats

Whether your goal is to save money or to give your dog the best possible options, making your own dog greats from scratch is a great idea.  Homemade dog treats can be significantly healthier than store bought treats and they’re most certainly tastier than those nearly petrified biscuits you buy at the store.  Not to mention you’ll save a bunch of money since you use so many treats when training your puppy.  Here’s how to make tasty dog treats from scratch.

Standard Dog Biscuits

This recipe is for a standard dog biscuit. It’s fairly easy to make and the benefit of this type of treat is that you can store them in a jar on the counter for a few weeks.  The downside is that it’s carbohydrate heavy and one or two treats a day will be enough for most breeds.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 cup powdered milk

2/3 cup quick oats

1/3 cup cornmeal

2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules (you can find these in small jars in your grocery section.  They’re for flavor)

½ cup shortening

1 egg

2/4 cup hot tap water

Directions:

Step #1 Mix all dry ingredients into a large bowl, everything except the shortening, egg and water.

Step #2  Cut in 1/2 cup shortening.

Step #3  Mix in l large, lightly beaten egg  and 3/4 cup hot tap water.

Step #4  Knead the dough for 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface.

Step #5  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Step #6  Roll out dough to ½ inch thickness. If you have dog bone shaped cookie cutters, use them to cut treats. Otherwise a small circle shape (depending on the size of your dog) works quite well.

Step #7  Place treats on a microwave-safe plate and microwave at 50% power for five minutes.

Step #8  Turn biscuits over and microwave at 50% power for an additional two minutes.

Step #9  Place biscuits on wire racks to cool and harden – one to two hours.  Store in an airtight container.

Liver Treats

This recipe is quick and easy and it gives your dog the protein they may be craving.  Dogs need the amino acids, which can only be found in meat sources.  And these treats store just fine in your refrigerator or freezer.

Ingredients

1 lb chicken livers

1 cup flour

1 cup corn meal

1 tablespoon of garlic powder

1 egg

Directions:

Step #1  Place chicken livers and any meat juices with the chicken livers in a blender and blend until smooth.

Step #2  Add egg and blend for another minute or two.

Step #3  Pour mixture into a large bowl and add dry ingredients. Combine.

Step #4  Coat a jelly roll pan or large baking dish with cooking spray. Pour mixture into pan. Bake 15 minutes in 400-degree hot oven.

Step #5  Cut into small squares while still warm and allow to cool completely before giving to your dog.

Keep treats in your freezer to prevent spoilage.

Chicken and Honey Biscuits

This recipe is a bit involved however it makes a tasty dog treat and is a nice change from the standard types of biscuits.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast

1/4 cup lukewarm water

1 egg

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup honey

3 cups whole-wheat flour

1 cup cracked wheat

Directions:

Step #1 Preheat oven to 325

Step #2  In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water.

Step #3  Add egg, broth, honey, and garlic and combine.

Step #4  Blend in dry ingredients, flour and cracked wheat.

Step #5  Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 3 minutes or until smooth

Step #6  Shape the dough into a ball and roll to 1/4-inch thick.

Step #7  Using bone-shaped cookie cutters or circle cookie cutters, cut out biscuits.

Step #8  Place on ungreased baking sheets.

Step #9  Bake for 45 minutes.

Let cool overnight and store in an airtight container.

These three recipes make an abundance of delicious treats for your dog and you can make wonderful holiday gifts by packing them in beautiful, decorated, containers and giving them to friends and family with dogs. Get cooking today, your dog will love you for it.

How To Make Tasty Dog Treats From Scratch is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog Get all of your Puppy Training Information Here!

Here Dr. Ian Dunbar explains what the term dog friendly training means. Using a little humor he is able to really convey what a dog is probably thinking. Dr. Dunbar has greatly advanced positive reinforcement through his 30 years of training and has been a role model for those getting away from dominance theory principles.

It is my hope that people who are in the research phase of figuring out which types of puppy training techniques will be most effective for their dogs, will take this videos message to heart.

Because if more of us dog owners took Dr. Dunbar’s approach to training our dogs, and in learning how to train our dogs with the approach he’s talking about… we’d all have happier, much better behaved dogs.

Thank You Dr. Ian Dunbar for a wonderful speech!

Technorati Tags: Dr. Ian Dunbar, Dog Friendly Training

Dr. Ian Dunbar on the meaning of Dog Friendly Training is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog Get all of your Puppy Training Information Here!

Think this dog missed her Daddy? is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog Get all of your Puppy Training Information Here!

The reason I don’t think it’s a big deal is because our bodies create better natural imunity to diseases when we actually get the disease, instead of just getting the vaccine for the disease.

That’s why a lot of older people aren’t getting sick with the flu right now, because the swine flu swept through our nation several decades ago and while a lot of people got sick, all those people are now more imune then a vaccine could ever make them.

And I think it’s the same with dogs…  which is why I don’t give my dog the “kennel cough” vaccine before he goes to doggy day care when I board him.  Because getting sick is sometimes the best thing for our pets.
Will vaccine keep your pet from getting six as a dog?

By Mark Young

The North Platte Telegraph

You can get vaccinated against influenza, and now Fluffy and Spot can, too – but vets disagree on whether pets should get flu shots.

The three known cases of H1N1 jumping species once again to an Iowa cat and two Nebraska ferrets garnered national attention, but no other known cases have surfaced. Authorities, however, are not in a state of panic over what cannot be controlled due to the lack of vaccinations specifically designed for H1N1 in pets.

The ferrets perished while the cat is said to have fully recovered. The jump does concern authorities, but there is a bigger concern regarding a relatively new virus causing canine influenza that has local veterinarians split on how to proceed, since there is a vaccination for that virus. H3N8 is the virus that sprang up in Florida in 2004 when horsemeat from horses that were infected with the horse flu were fed to some greyhounds.

Dr. Craig Kelly, from Westfield Small Animal Clinic, is among those veterinarians who are not recommending the flu vaccine based on his own research.

“We are simply not seeing this virus at all in the Midwest,” said Kelly. “There have been isolated breakouts in three states and nothing here, so we are not recommending something that is unnecessary at this time. The other reason we are not recommending the vaccine is because the company that manufactures it has told me that it won’t prevent your dog from getting the virus.”

However, Dr. Ron Green from Heartland Animal Center couldn’t disagree more, saying that the Lincoln Diagnostic Center is conducting current testing in Nebraska for canine influenza and is reporting that McCook is a hotbed of the disease.

“We think it’s here already,” said Green. “We haven’t been able to prove that, but we do have some tests pending, which should be back in a few days.”

Kelly said that the vaccine fails to prevent H3N8, a cousin to the horse flu virus, which mutated to adapt to a canine host, He said the vaccine only serves to reduce symptoms, at best.

“I think a lot of people are being caught up in this wave of flu viruses and I don’t want that kind of influence to dictate the decisions people make for their pets,” he said. “It’s an unnecessary financial step, at this point, and there are allergic reactions associated with the vaccine to be concerned about. The risk just isn’t worth the reward.”

Green said he has already begun vaccinations and that, thus far, there hasn’t been any signs of allergic reactions, but admits that the vaccine isn’t perfect.

“It was only developed in May, so it hasn’t had years and years of testing,” said Green. “But it’s all we have and I think it helps. My research shows that the vaccine can significantly reduce the severity of the symptoms while shortening the duration of the illness. It’s not any different from the influenza vaccine that we take in that it will help some people and it won’t help others, but at the very least it is putting important antibodies into the system for protection.”

Green said that canine influenza is much more widespread than a few isolated incidents.

“It’s already hit Colorado, Wyoming and Kansas, so if it’s not already here, then it probably will be at some point,” he said. “It’s like any other type of flu. When it hits, it hits hard.”

Kelly acknowledged the use of caution when it comes to unpredictable viruses, but said common sense is free while the vaccines, which are two doses plus an annual booster, are not.

“If you or your children are sick with any kind of flu virus, don’t blow in your pet’s face, wear a mask and try to minimize contact and the same goes if your pet is sick,” he said. “Just use common sense when it comes to that because at anytime when dealing with a virus, things can change.”

Westfield has three veterinarians in the office and all three share the same consensus in not recommending the flu shots.

“[The virus] is highly contagious, but the mortality rate is very low,” he said. “And the cases that have been reported are extremely isolated. I’ve asked some of the other veterinarians around the area and the ones I’ve talked to agree, but my advice is to ask your veterinarian their opinion and do what feels comfortable for you and your pet.”

Green agreed, saying that about 80 percent of all dogs in our area are susceptible to the virus, but of that 80 percent there is a 5 percent mortality rate.

Nebraska State Veterinarian Dr. Dennis Hughes said the state is taking no official stance on whether or not you should vaccinate your dog from H3N8.

“We aren’t taking a position on this,” said Hughes. “It’s not a deadly virus. Concerns about this virus are probably geographically specific. As far as the effectiveness of the vaccine, we really don’t have a position on that either. Practitioners get the same information we receive.”

Either for or against preventative vaccinations, each veterinarian recommends that you discuss the issue thoroughly with your own veterinarian and if your pet, regardless of species, shows typical signs of illness such as difficulty breathing, runny nose, cough and fever, seek treatment through your veterinarian immediately.

Click on this story at nptelegraph.com to post your comments, or e-mail mark. young@nptelegraph.com.

Will Vaccines keep your pet from getting the flu? is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog Get all of your Puppy Training Information Here!