Facts and Tips

I have put together a few common sense tips, and if you can manage to answer them all positively you are ready for a dog.

• Is all the family happy about a dog joining you?
• Will you be able to take care of the dog many years from now?
• Is your home suitable for a dog, and do you have a big enough garden?
• Are you living in an estate, and if so will there be problems with neighbours should the dog be noisy or disruptive?
• Food, vaccinations and veterinary bills will be on going expenses; can you afford the upkeep of the dog?
• Is any member of the family asthmatic or prone to allergies?
• Who will mind the dog when you go on holidays, can you afford boarding kennels?
• Is the dog high maintenance…i.e.: Is regular grooming required to keep the coat in good shape?
• Are there plans to have a baby in the future and if so it might be better to wait until the child is a little older?
• Do you have the time to give regular walks to the dog (if not this can lead to disruptive behaviour from your dog out of frustration).
• I hope some of these questions can help you decide if you are ready for a dog.
• We will have training tips for you on this page and also some information on certain breeds outlining the positives and the negatives.                                                                                             

Extra Services

• If you need advice on a suitable dog for you and your family, you can email us some of your details and we would be happy to help you in your search for the right breed.

• If you need advice on the proper diet for your dog we can discuss their current diet and advise you on the different foods available that may be more suitable to their needs. Feeding your dog the correct amount of food is crucial – this would also be discussed.

• We also offer all of our clients new and old, a free nail clipping service for their dog.   So, if your dog ever needs its nails clipped without having to get a full groom, just give us a call!
• If your dog is overweight, we can advise you of an easy to follow weight loss programme.  We have had fantastic results with many of our Clients pets over the last year.  We use the NutriScience Reduct Aid Programme that we stock in our shop.  It helps reduce weight without the hunger.

TOILET TRAINING YOUR PUPPY

I have found over the years that to train a dog, the best thing to do is keep things simple for you and the dog. There are different methods used for toilet training your dog but the method I have found the easiest is using paper as I will outline below.

Puppies normally prefer to soil on paper than on the floor and more then likely they would have been born on paper and also have spent the first six weeks of their life on paper because it is a lot easier to replace when dirty.

When you have brought the puppy home and you are setting up where the puppy is going to have its bed keep the paper outside of the bed and have a blanket or bedding for dogs in the basket, this will stop the puppy from soiling its bed. First thing everyday when you get up, carry the puppy to where the paper is and that will encourage the pup to go to the toilet. If you walk the puppy to the paper it could have an accident along the way. At the end of each day change the paper and move the paper closer to the door, as each day passes and the pup gets used to soiling the paper. Slowly move the paper outside the back door, if the paper is soiled do not change it as to remind the puppy when it goes outside to continue to soil on the paper. If the paper is kept in the same location all the time the pup should in time always soil in the same spot so it will become much easier for the owner to keep the back garden clean, something which is very important if there are young children in the house.

TRAINING YOUR DOG ON A LEAD

• Put your dog on a lead before you leave the house and walk him to the door as if you are leaving the house if the dog pulls ahead of you, stop and tighten on the lead and bring him back to where he started. Let the lead slacken and tell the dog to heel on your left side. As you walk towards the door again try to keep the lead slack as not to get him into the habit of leaning on the lead. Keep repeating this until he stops pulling on the lead, when you get success, praise the dog and give him a treat.
• When you get the dog to the door, get the dog to sit while you open the door, when you tell the dog to sit you may need to exert a small amount of pressure on his lower back area to encourage him to the sitting position. If the dog attempts to move while you open the door quickly tell him to sit and keep repeating the action until the dog is steady.
• You should walk threw the door first and then encourage the dog to follow you. When you are on the outside, tell the dog to sit again while you close the door and do not close the door until you have the dog steady. When you have managed this, praise the dog again by speaking in an upbeat tone. (You do not have to give a treat every time you have success as it will take from the reward the dog expects)
• With the dog on your left side start to walk forward keeping the lead slack while commanding the dog to heel, if the dog pulls forward tighten the lead again and bring the dog back to your left side and as you stand still slacken the lead again. If the dog rushes forward again tighten on the lead bringing him back to your left side again and slacken on the lead again. When the dog remains steady, praise him again in an upbeat manner and give him a treat.
• While your dog is walking correctly, you should give him praise but don’t over do it because it may cause the dog to get excited and start to pull. While walking, you can give the dog a treat now and again, which will make the walking to heal a pleasant experience.
• If at any stage the dog starts to pull while you walk with him stop at once and tighten on the lead tell him to heel again and as in step one, slacken again on the lead and start to walk again. Try not to lose your cool with your dog, as it may make him afraid of you and so he will not want to walk beside you which will defeat the purpose.
• Finally while on your walk, do not let your dog smell every lamp post, park bench or tree for that matter because it will become a habit that will ruin your walk with the dog due to incessant stopping every twenty.

I hope some of these tips will be of benefit to you in training your dog on a lead. A problem that I see day in day out as I drive around my city looking at people been dragged around by over exuberant dogs that just don’t understand because they have not been shown a couple of few easy steps. Remember stay calm, be patient and when your dog behaves properly give him praise. Enjoy your walk.