Have you considered that your dog's life may be in danger just from him hanging out in your backyard? Regardless if the area is fenced in and seemingly safe from danger, you would be surprised at what may be hiding, ready to hurt or even kill your lovable canine companion.
Your backyard may be a dog's paradise, but the area can be fraught with danger, especially if you have a puppy that is young, adventurous, and going through that oral fixation phase where he must chew on anything he can find.
The worst age bracket for this problem is between 1 and 6 months, however, other types of dogs, such as Golden retrievers as a prime example, seem to carry this chewing habit with them for the rest of their lives.
Beware Of The Following Backyard Dangers
As a busy dog owner, you may not have the time or the resources to properly research many aspects of raising an adult dog or puppy, therefore, below is a list of the most common dangers may be that lurking in your backyard.
This list is compiled from reports as outlined by the American Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals (ASPCS).
* Fertilizers and compost piles.
* Ornamental ponds that contain blue-green algae.
* Toxins created by animals such as insects, toads, spiders, scorpions, and snakes.
* Poison from citronella candles which are used to guard against mosquitoes.
* Swimming pool supplies and treatment chemicals.
* Mulch that contains Cocoa, which are typically placed around shrubs and other plants.
* Fly traps which contain methomyl.
* Poisonous plants like grape vines, azalea, castor bean, sago palm, and kalanchoe.
* Snail and slug traps which contain metaldehyde.
Be as proactive as you can by puppy-proofing not only the yard area, but the inside of your home as well. Close garbage cans tightly. Lock up all pool supplies. Put away your lawn and garden materials.
Further protect your animals by following the instructions carefully given on pesticide products, fertilizers, bug sprays, and other hazardous materials. I would even go as far as investigating all-natural products that can be used to replace these poisonous dangers. Ask your veterinarian or your local landscaper for some recommendations.
And if you ever suspect that your dog or puppy has ingested a dangerous poison, chemical, or is bitten by a venomous predator, contact your veterinarian or call the APCC: (888) 426-4435.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Our Story
Our Story
Mydogneedshelp.com was started by me, Jerry Mace, and my close friend Jeff Wilt. As we were talking about a repeat client of mine who needed her very stubborn American Bulldog trained. Now I had been training her family’s dogs for over 20 years. They have always used our company to train all of their dogs and they love dogs as we do. As we talked, Jeff said with all the knowledge and titles (American and worldwide) that I have been blessed to win and hold, that we should start a company and we set out working on this website.
See, I was once a person, maybe like you, with a dog who needed help. In 1987, I went looking for a trainer and a new dog. I found one in the Robb Report magazine. After finding the right dog – a German imported Doberman – I started to go to training class. Now, I had trained dogs in a group setting before but this was one-on-one training and after a few short lessons, me and my new dog were on the way. I kept up the training and then one day, the trainer I was using offered to sell me his business. Now I had been working with this gentleman for a few years and I studied hard and was a very dedicated protégé.
In 1989 I bought his kennel and relocated it to the mountains outside of Harrisburg Pennsylvania where we still do the bulk of our dog training today. The kennel I bought had been importing and training dogs for a lot of very wealthy clients. We assumed the advertising contracts with Robb Report, DuPont Registry and Dog World. We also started bringing Germany’s best trainers to our kennel to train my partners and me how they do it in Germany. The business continued to grow as we now were showing and shipping dogs all over the world. We started with obedience training the German way and moved into personal protection, drug detection, explosive and search and rescue.
In 1995, we were approached by a great client who wanted one of the top German Shepards in the world. We called our friends in Germany and after doing a search, we brought VA Larry Vom Grapenhoff Sch III KKLla Lbzto the United States. Larry was a great dog and his children are still winning all over the world. We train champions as well as family pets and service dogs. Many of the pictures you see on our site are of Larry and his kids. Larry took North America by storm and won his first show and kept on winning until 1998 when he went to live with that loyal client in Guatemala.
We still continue with our friends in Germany to custom import, train and show the world’s best shepards. But we now are offering you our knowledge and experience and we look forward to not only helping you but helping your pet become a loving and obedient member of your home. Here at mydogneedshelp.com, we offer the following services:
Mydogneedshelp.com was started by me, Jerry Mace, and my close friend Jeff Wilt. As we were talking about a repeat client of mine who needed her very stubborn American Bulldog trained. Now I had been training her family’s dogs for over 20 years. They have always used our company to train all of their dogs and they love dogs as we do. As we talked, Jeff said with all the knowledge and titles (American and worldwide) that I have been blessed to win and hold, that we should start a company and we set out working on this website.
See, I was once a person, maybe like you, with a dog who needed help. In 1987, I went looking for a trainer and a new dog. I found one in the Robb Report magazine. After finding the right dog – a German imported Doberman – I started to go to training class. Now, I had trained dogs in a group setting before but this was one-on-one training and after a few short lessons, me and my new dog were on the way. I kept up the training and then one day, the trainer I was using offered to sell me his business. Now I had been working with this gentleman for a few years and I studied hard and was a very dedicated protégé.
In 1989 I bought his kennel and relocated it to the mountains outside of Harrisburg Pennsylvania where we still do the bulk of our dog training today. The kennel I bought had been importing and training dogs for a lot of very wealthy clients. We assumed the advertising contracts with Robb Report, DuPont Registry and Dog World. We also started bringing Germany’s best trainers to our kennel to train my partners and me how they do it in Germany. The business continued to grow as we now were showing and shipping dogs all over the world. We started with obedience training the German way and moved into personal protection, drug detection, explosive and search and rescue.
In 1995, we were approached by a great client who wanted one of the top German Shepards in the world. We called our friends in Germany and after doing a search, we brought VA Larry Vom Grapenhoff Sch III KKLla Lbzto the United States. Larry was a great dog and his children are still winning all over the world. We train champions as well as family pets and service dogs. Many of the pictures you see on our site are of Larry and his kids. Larry took North America by storm and won his first show and kept on winning until 1998 when he went to live with that loyal client in Guatemala.
We still continue with our friends in Germany to custom import, train and show the world’s best shepards. But we now are offering you our knowledge and experience and we look forward to not only helping you but helping your pet become a loving and obedient member of your home. Here at mydogneedshelp.com, we offer the following services:
- Training books and videos
- Obedience training
- Personal protection training
- Imported K-9’s – all breeds
- In home training or in facility training. YES! We WILL come to you.
- Over 20 years of knowledge and a heart for your pet and friend.
- We train and have trained many breeds of dogs and would like to help you and your dog
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Dog Behavior – Dogs Are Like Children, They Need Leadership & Guidance
Dogs having a natural instinct towards being "pack" animals. Just like their ancestors in which they came from, the wolf, dogs think in terms of partnerships and teamwork when it comes to certain activities. Similar to the way a sports team will work together in order to accomplish the combined goal of winning, your dog looks towards you and the rest of the family as his "team" and counts on you all to help him survive, learn the rules of the house, and condition his behavior.
And like a winning team, there are certain characteristics that must be adhered to and provided by all members of the family, including your dog. Such examples of winning characteristics are disciplined structure, operation among everyone in your dog, and most important, respect between your dog's "pack". Without these items, there would be chaos and very little way in which your dog can recognize who is in charge and leading his team.
Dogs and puppies need this understanding of leadership and who is to play that role in order to be happy and feel a sense of belonging. Regardless of who is considered the leader in your family, it doesn't matter to your dog, so long as there is one then your pet will be happy and feel a sense of security.
For those family households that have more than one member living inside the home, your dog will recognize a specific hierarchy that develops in time. For example, in my home I have my wife and my daughter that all coexist with the family pet. My dog recognizes his role as the bottom of the leadership chain, and he is quite happy with that. He understands that all of us play a more dominant role in the "pack" than he does. Because there is structure and he is trained to know who is in charge, even though there are multiple members of the family, his sense of security and well-being is guaranteed.
Most dog behavior problems stem from lack of rules and discipline in the house
At this point you have learned that all dogs need to have rules and boundaries firmly set in the household in order for them to be happy. It is the same way with children. Without mommy or daddy to set the rules and enforce those rules, kids typically end up with with an enormous amount of personal behavior problems.
If your dog does not recognize the family as a team and has no sense of who is in charge, his behavior problems can be a nightmare. It is your job to start creating a social order in your house immediately. You must learn to communicate with your dog by reading his body language and picking up on his sense of who's in charge.
And the job will be a lot easier if you can get all members of your family on the same playing field. They must all agree with how your dog should be treated. This will help tremendously so that your time is not wasted as you work hard to create a pack within the family, which will help your dog become a happy, well-trained family pet.
And like a winning team, there are certain characteristics that must be adhered to and provided by all members of the family, including your dog. Such examples of winning characteristics are disciplined structure, operation among everyone in your dog, and most important, respect between your dog's "pack". Without these items, there would be chaos and very little way in which your dog can recognize who is in charge and leading his team.
Dogs and puppies need this understanding of leadership and who is to play that role in order to be happy and feel a sense of belonging. Regardless of who is considered the leader in your family, it doesn't matter to your dog, so long as there is one then your pet will be happy and feel a sense of security.
For those family households that have more than one member living inside the home, your dog will recognize a specific hierarchy that develops in time. For example, in my home I have my wife and my daughter that all coexist with the family pet. My dog recognizes his role as the bottom of the leadership chain, and he is quite happy with that. He understands that all of us play a more dominant role in the "pack" than he does. Because there is structure and he is trained to know who is in charge, even though there are multiple members of the family, his sense of security and well-being is guaranteed.
Most dog behavior problems stem from lack of rules and discipline in the house
At this point you have learned that all dogs need to have rules and boundaries firmly set in the household in order for them to be happy. It is the same way with children. Without mommy or daddy to set the rules and enforce those rules, kids typically end up with with an enormous amount of personal behavior problems.
If your dog does not recognize the family as a team and has no sense of who is in charge, his behavior problems can be a nightmare. It is your job to start creating a social order in your house immediately. You must learn to communicate with your dog by reading his body language and picking up on his sense of who's in charge.
And the job will be a lot easier if you can get all members of your family on the same playing field. They must all agree with how your dog should be treated. This will help tremendously so that your time is not wasted as you work hard to create a pack within the family, which will help your dog become a happy, well-trained family pet.
Friday, July 3, 2009
The Best Dog Breeds for Families
There’s nothing quite like the family dog. It’s almost a slice of Americana. In ever cheesy fifties image of the Perfect American Family we see a nice little house with a white picket fence, Mom and Dad, two children (usually a boy and a girl), and a family pooch happily prancing around the yard. As clichéd as that image may be, the fact remains that people love dogs and some families just don’t feel right without a family dog.
When choosing a dog for a family, there are important traits to keep in mind. Some breeds of dog are wonderful for families while others simply don’t have the proper temperament to deal with family life. They may be too rough with small children, to needy of their own space to deal with the incessant coming and going of a large family, or simply too naturally aggressive to respond well to a family setting. Other breeds are just perfect fits for family life. Here are some of the best dog breeds for families.
Golden Retrievers
Originally bred as a bird dog (like most retrievers), the Golden retriever is an amazingly loyal and very protective breed. They are perfect for families that enjoy outdoor activities because they love to run, jump, and play.
Irish Setters
Irish Setters are known for their pleasant personalities and their eagerness to please humans. They were also originally bred as hunting dogs and can serve well in this capacity, but it is their aptitude for companionship that makes them a beloved family breed.
Collies
The Collie may be one of the breeds most easily associated with the qualities of a family dog due to the popularity of the Lassie television programs. Collies are characterized by a combination of intelligence and patience uncommon in other breeds.
Boxers
Boxers look large and scary and have a deep, resonating bark that makes intruders wary, but they are truly gentle, loving, and loyal dogs. Their size may make families with small children want to wait a few years before owning one, but they are a perfect family pet once the kids are a little older.
Newfoundland
Remember the dog “Hooch” from the Tom Hanks movie Turner and Hooch? This is Hooch, a big, friendly, loving pooch. They tend to slobber and drool rather excessively, but the Newfoundland is a loving and protective pet. Like the boxer, the dog’s size may be of some concern, but it will be hard to find a more loyal dog for a family than this breed.
When choosing a dog for a family, there are important traits to keep in mind. Some breeds of dog are wonderful for families while others simply don’t have the proper temperament to deal with family life. They may be too rough with small children, to needy of their own space to deal with the incessant coming and going of a large family, or simply too naturally aggressive to respond well to a family setting. Other breeds are just perfect fits for family life. Here are some of the best dog breeds for families.
Golden Retrievers
Originally bred as a bird dog (like most retrievers), the Golden retriever is an amazingly loyal and very protective breed. They are perfect for families that enjoy outdoor activities because they love to run, jump, and play.
Irish Setters
Irish Setters are known for their pleasant personalities and their eagerness to please humans. They were also originally bred as hunting dogs and can serve well in this capacity, but it is their aptitude for companionship that makes them a beloved family breed.
Collies
The Collie may be one of the breeds most easily associated with the qualities of a family dog due to the popularity of the Lassie television programs. Collies are characterized by a combination of intelligence and patience uncommon in other breeds.
Boxers
Boxers look large and scary and have a deep, resonating bark that makes intruders wary, but they are truly gentle, loving, and loyal dogs. Their size may make families with small children want to wait a few years before owning one, but they are a perfect family pet once the kids are a little older.
Newfoundland
Remember the dog “Hooch” from the Tom Hanks movie Turner and Hooch? This is Hooch, a big, friendly, loving pooch. They tend to slobber and drool rather excessively, but the Newfoundland is a loving and protective pet. Like the boxer, the dog’s size may be of some concern, but it will be hard to find a more loyal dog for a family than this breed.
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