It's that time of year when we hit the roads or fly the "friendly" skies for some fun and relaxation. But what do we do with our furry family members? More places are becoming pet friendly, but there's more to consider.

Is bringing your pet along what's best for your pet? Of course, if you're actually moving, you'll bring your pet no question. However, if it's for a long weekend or a week long vacation, is it best to bring your pet with you even though you want to? Be sure to take into consideration how your pet does with travel. Do they ride well in dog crates, dog carriers, or cat carriers as the case may be or are they anxious? Are they in good health? How old are they? Where will you be staying? Are you going into any extreme weather changes? Sometimes answering these questions will cause you to reconsider bringing your pet with you, for their sake.

If you do decide to bring your pet with you after asking the questions above, do your preparations so the trip is enjoyable for all. The worst thing is for your pets to become ill while they're away from their regular veterinarian and you haven't made the necessary preparations. Make sure you have all your pet's medical records and medications with you. It's always a good idea to have your pet checked out by their regular vet before leaving on any trip. Some airlines require this documentation to show that vaccinations are current.

If your pet requires special food, be sure to pack it. It's always nice to bring the pet beds they're familiar with along if possible as well as a toy or two. Don't forget to pack your pet's first aid kit, collar, leash, tags, all their regular items. Just consider what their daily needs are as well as the "just in case" items and throw them in a bag.

There's no reason your four legged family member can't join you, if they're up to it, and everyone have a wonderful time. It's up to us humans to take the time to prepare not only for our travel, but for our pet's, too.

Giving your dog the right kind of toys to play with can produce many benefits for both them and you

There is a common misconception that dogs’ toys are only designed to help relieve their boredom, but this is not their only use.

Dogs toys in general are excellent for relieving their boredom and particularly good where you may find yourself having to leave your dog on it's own at certain times, but, for your dogs sake, there are plenty of reasons why you should think about buying your dog some toys.

Several toys for dogs are designed to boost their intelligence. For example, the kind that they will only get rewarded for after they have successfully completed certain tasks.

These toys can be a very effective method of training your dog, as it’s seen as being fun for your dog as well as a means to teaching them.

There are some toys on the market that can help your dog to understand what they can and cannot chew and in buying these you can save yourself a lot of expense by not having to replace costly household items that may be damaged by your pet dog chewing them.

Toys that help your dog strengthen and keep their teeth clean and toys that help teach your dog with retrieval training, both have their purpose.

What you ideally need to decide, before buying the toys, is what you want the toys for. It is also a good idea to take into account the kind of personality your dog has to enable you to get the right sort of toys for their temperament and level of intelligence.

Some dogs’ toys are only designed to last a short time, after which they are to be replaced by new alternative ones, and these replacement ones can often be the chewing kind.

Some toys that are designed to be chewed are flavoured so you may need to check what ingredients they have used for the flavouring or you might end up buying a toy for your dog that they are allergic to.

These flavoured toys have occasionally some or many preservatives in them, so beware, and read the ingredients label carefully before buying them.

With the market for dogs’ toys being so vast these days there is bound to be plenty of choice for your dog to help keep their lives entertained and happy.

Buying the right kind of toys for your dog has got to be in your, and ultimately your dogs, best interest.

Owners would like to have an obedient, calm and faithful dog because an obedient and trained dog is a happier dog, most unlikely to get into tussles with people or with other dogs. A well socialised and trained dog is more reliable and interacts so much better with family companion, especially in households with young children.

They are also less likely to suffer from behavioural problems such as unprovoked biting and vicious attacks on humans. Many communities require that the dogs living in their neighbourhoods be well trained, and for a good reason - especially for many breeds thought to have aggression and behaviour problems – dog breeds like Pit bulls and Rottweilers for instance.

When considering training your own dog or having someone else to help you train it, there are certain basic commands that must be mastered by your dog. These basic commands include:

* Sit – it is vital to train your dog to sit on command. Speak to it in a very firm and authoritative tone, otherwise your dog may not realise that you are serious or associate what you say with danger and discipline. Say it like you mean it. Start training early, when your dog is still a puppy. Make sure that you use the same gestures, body language, the same command words (i.e. “sit”, “roll over”, “come here”, “fetch” etc) consistently in order to allow the dog to associate these words or motions with what he is supposed to do. Practise, practise and practise.

* Heel – it is important to teach your dog to learn how to walk beside you on a loose leash, neither pulling ahead nor lagging behind.

* Down – lying down on command is more than just a cute trick; it is a key component of any successful dog training program. This is also to make sure that your dog obeys your order as the leader of the pack.

* No – make sure that you train your dog to respond to the word “No”. This, of all the command words, is the one word that all dogs MUST learn. Training your dog to respond to this word will stop your dog right in its track from doing what it is about to do, sometimes this could mean in life and death situations.

* Stay – a well trained dog should be able to remain where it is when this command word is used, no matter how excited or threatened it feels.

Dog training does much more than just to create an obedient, willing companion. Training your dog properly could actually strengthen the bond between your dog and you and make it a much more fulfilling experience for both parties.

Dogs are by nature pack animals and they always look to their pack leader to tell them what to do. It is therefore crucial to establish yourself as the pack leader as early as possible to address dominance issues with your dog. The key to successful dog training is to set this right from the word go as failure to do so leads to all manners of behavioural problems.

A well-trained dog will respond properly to all the owner’s commands, and will not display anxiety, displeasure or confusion. A good dog training program will focus on allowing the dog to learn just what is expected of it, and will use positive reinforcement to reward desired behaviours. Routine and patience is the key to successfully training your dog to perform these commands correctly.

Ongoing obedience training is a great way to fulfil some of the dog’s own needs, including the need for exercise, the security that comes with knowing what is expected of it, a feeling of achievement, confidence building and bonding with its handler. Dog training also provides the dog a job to do and important goals to reach. Giving your dog a job to perform or challenges is more important than you may think. Dogs were originally bred by humans to do important work, such as herding sheep, guarding property and protecting people. Many dogs today have no important job to do which often lead to boredom and neurotic behaviours. This is especially important for high energy breeds like German Shepherds and Border Collies. Training sessions are a great way for these high energy dogs to use up their extra energy and simply to enjoy themselves. So incorporate lots of playtime into your dog’s training sessions and have fun!

By:Gerald McNicholl

Having a friendly, loyal dog in the household is a real joy. But as a dog owner and dog lover you must be aware of certain facts about your dog's good health. Your awareness of these facts will help you to ensure that your dog is always in top shape because when you are aware what are the signs of good health in a dog you can pretty easily note the
deviation from that and take precaution before the problem takes serious turn.

Here are the simple tips for every dog lover.

1. In general a dog's nose is always moist and cool. If you find it is hot and dry then it's sign of problem. Most common cause of this is dehydration. Give it sufficient amount
of water to drink. But don't give lot of water at one go. Preferably mix some electrolyte suitable for dog with the water.

Dehydration problem is common in hot summer months specially if the dog spends lot of time outdoor. But dryness of nose may be because of some reason other than simple dehydration, in that case you should consider consulting your vet.

2. Body temperature is a very good indicator of normal health. Body temperature of a healthy dog is around 101 degree Fahrenheit. It can be up to 102 degree Fahrenheit. But if temperature deviates from this range, you should consult your vet.

3. Another easy check is your dog's skin condition. Skin of a normal healthy dog is clean, free from dandruff and scurf, skin color pinkish white. Healthy skin also shows good mount of elasticity. When pinched or pulled skin should return to original place in no time.

4. Inside the ears should be light in color and free from infection. Deep redness or wax accumulation indicates help of veterinary doctor should be sought.

5. Much like human beings eyes of dogs also tells a lot if you can read. Eyes of a healthy dog is clear and alert. If instead of that you find there is an expression of pain and discomfort or eye membranes are deep red in color instead of healthy pink, it indicates trouble.

6. Teeth of a healthy dog is clean and free from tarter. Dirty, loose or infected tooth means trouble and should cause concern.

By any means this is not an exhaustive list of things one should be aware of about dog health. But these are easy to check (anybody can check these without being a vet) and would help to detect most common ailment at the outset.

Article Source Dog News Center and Article Directory

What are some fun and exciting things to do with your dog? This article has all the answers you are looking for to keep you and your dog active and leading a fun and healthy lifestyle together. 

Being a pet owner can be a great experience. They can lighten up your mood, they get you outdoors, finding new places, and they are excited to see you no matter what you look like. They can also help you to experience new things too.

There are many different activities designed with the dog owner in mind. So if you are looking to start a new hobby and you would like to include your loyal friend, here you will find some of the best dog-related activities available. Just remember to make sure that your dog is trained before you take part in outdoor activities!

Some of the Best Dog Activities

There are a number of different activities which you can take part in with your dog. Some of the most popular include:

• Agility
• Hide and Seek
• Fetch
• Obedience Shows
• Hiking
• Dog Camps

There really are a limitless number of things that both you and your pet can enjoy and the above are just a few of them. 

Agility is one of the most popular activities and most breeds can take part. It would best suit energetic breeds such as sheepdogs and terriers. However every dog can enjoy a little agility, you just have to find out what your dog likes the best and incorporate it into the agility routine. Usually agility consists of jumps, tunnels and climbing frames. It can be extremely fun and there should be a local agility group near you which you could be a part of. 

Hide and seek is another activity which you can take part in. Either you can hide and get your dog to find you, or you could hide objects for your dog to find. This type of activity really stimulates your dog's mind and that can also help with energetic breeds. Many dog problems are caused because the dog is bored. By stimulating its mind you will be helping to tire them out too!

Obedience and fun shows are another activity you could take part in with your dog. Some dogs love to be shown and they love the attention that they receive both before and after. Entering small, fun shows will give you an idea of whether this type of activity suits your pet. Obviously your dog should know the basic obedience commands if they are to do well in a show environment – even if they are only tiny shows!

Playing fetch with your dog is an obvious activity to take part in. Terriers and sheepdogs again will love this type of activity. Chasing a ball is a natural instinct for dogs and they love nothing more than a game of fetch. 

Less obvious activities which you can take part in with your dog include hiking and dog camps. The latter are not overly well known but they are designed for dog owners to meet each other and to let their dogs to socialize with other dogs. They can be great fun both for the dog and for you so it could be worth looking into a dog camp if you enjoy the great outdoors! Hiking is another outdoor activity which you can do with your dog. If you plan to go on a significant hike then you could always take a tent and camp out. Always remember to take plenty of water for your dog if you do choose to take them on a hike – especially on a hot day.

There are so many different activities that you can enjoy with your dog. It would be a great idea to find out what interests your dog the best. Are they energetic? Would they prefer a hike over agility? Agility is suitable for most dogs but not all dogs will enjoy it. Do not force your dog to do any activity as this will make it a nightmare instead of enjoyable for your pet!

Overall if you take the time to try out different activities you will get to see which ones are best suited to you and your dog. People who take part in activities with their pet find that it strengthens their bond with their dogs. If you and your pet have a good bond then your life will be a lot more enjoyable as a result. 
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBarn.com/