Ah spring - the time of year when the bulbs you planted last year are supposed to come up. This is when you discover that plant you really liked has died - too much “natural” fertilizer. Well no one said gardening with a dog in the house or, rather, yard, was going to be easy.

Photo: mooseyscountrygarden.com

There are those who say you cannot have both a garden and a dog. The 2 are not incompatible, but you will have to reconsider your ideal of what is and where you can put a garden. Your ideal and that of your puppy or dog must mesh. It stands to reason the 2 of you do not hold the same concept of proper garden etiquette. You need to sit down and look at your garden. Put together a list containing the basic requirements for your new garde.
Be sure to factor in these crucial variables.

• The character, personality and breed of your dog. Is he or she a digger? Do they eat plants? Does the canine in your life like to graze?

• What is the purpose of the back yard or garden space? Is it a shared usage? Does your dog utilize the area as a bathroom and playground? Do you want to change its designated usage?

• How old is your dog? A younger dog is more likely to be curious and explore a new garden? Puppies will experiment in tasting various substances. An older dog may be more content in lying in a spot. Yet, a senior dog might not like his routing walk in the backyard altered by a garden.

• What is the training level of your dog? Does he or she grasp ideas and accept changes easily? Will they learn to leave the new garden alone? Will you need to create separate spheres to have what you and your dog both want?
 
Planning Stages

After you ask these questions, you need to sit down and make some decisions. You have to clearly decide what the purpose of the garden is? Is it to be a show piece? Do you plan to entertain in an informal garden atmosphere? Is it merely a small patch? Will it require high maintenance or is it self sustaining?

You next need to look at where your dog fits into this picture. If the dog and the garden are to coexist, you really must consider his needs and demands. When constructing a garden you cannot ignore all the users. This is your dog’s garden, too.

If you plan to separate garden and dog, you can plant a more elaborate and/or specialist garden. You can create a refuge from you that does not include an invasive species - your dog - and maybe your children. If you follow this path, you may have to create a barrier. Be prepared to construct a fence.

There are a few low maintenance and refined gardens that are compatible with a dog. Traditional formal and rare plant gardens are best left without plant companionship. You can, however, have a formal Japanese Zen Garden and enjoy it with your puppy. The plants you select are naturally hardy. It takes a lot to destroy grass and bamboo. You may want to omit the pond, but you can still have the sane. After the puppy races through, simply rake it back into its original calming shape.

Another possibility is a rock garden. They have nooks and crannies for ensuring plants remain safe. Be sure, however, there are places your dog can walk safely, free from harm to paws. Naturalized gardens also offer possibilities of sharing your interest with your dog. Whatever the case, be sure you plant vegetation that is dog-friendly. Remember, some plants are actually toxic to canines.

However you construct your garden, with or without adding suitable fencing, remember, its purpose. Moreover, do not forget its creation and even ongoing existence depends upon the input of your 4-footed friend.

It will teach you patience and leave you with a better understanding of what your puppy wants once he has learned. Although it doesn’t sound like the most appealing job in the world, housebreaking a new puppy will play an important part in bonding with the newest member of your family.

Photo: Lynn

In addition, he will learn acceptable behaviors and exactly what is expected of him to live happily and comfortably in his new home. It’s important to remember that, just like a small child, a puppy’s attention span is very short. When you teach a young child not to hit, he likely won’t learn the lesson the first time, but instead, gradually after you’ve shown him repeatedly that it’s not okay.

Similarly, you will have to be consistent with your dog when training him. Also, when housebreaking your puppy, keep in mind that he is not intentionally being a bad dog; he just has not yet learned what behaviors are acceptable! Start housebreaking your puppy with a simple feeding schedule.

Give him breakfast, lunch and dinner, just as you would yourself. By doing this you will be helping him become regular with his bowel movements. Once he has eaten, wait 20-30 minutes and then take him outside. Watch how long it takes before he is able to void. This will give you an idea of how long to wait the next time you take him out.

Try to never let him eat at free will, leaving food in his bowl all day, because it will cause him to have accidents and make housetraining all that much more difficult. Despite the old rules of training a puppy, you should never hit, rub his nose in his messes, or yell at your puppy. By doing this, you are telling him it is bad to relieve himself at all!

 
Photo: Anthony Albert

In addition, most dogs respond negatively to aggressive and mean behavior and it has the opposite effect, they regress in their training rather than advance. Instead, while housebreaking your puppy take him straight outside when he has an accident. In addition, don’t forget the praise! Every time he “goes” where he’s supposed to, praise him lavishly, and soon he will begin to understand exactly what brings praise, and what brings that disappointed face.

During the process, don’t forget that full control of the bladder and bowels won’t happen until 16 weeks of age, so don’t expect too much from your puppy in the beginning. Also helpful in housebreaking a new puppy is to buy a stain remover/ odor relief spray. Household cleaners and sprays cannot be smelled by dogs; only those made for animals will work. When an accident happens, clean the mess and spray immediately.

This will cover the odor left and your puppy will not try to mark his territory there again. Giving encouragement and lots of love will make all the time spent worth your while. Remember that housebreaking a puppy is a big responsibility that can lead to you and your puppy sharing a special bond.

Used in the beginning to train marine mammals, click and treat breaks down the process into two separate steps, information and motivation. While other trainers still emphasize on these two steps, they try to teach them all at once, which can confuse the animal and prolong results. It becoming the first major improvement in dog training since choke chains and spiked collars, click and treat has quickly revolutionized itself in becoming a big hit on the training circuit. Currently, there are over 10,000 trainers who are using this method regularly.

Photo: genuinedoggear

Most trainers will verballypraise a dog for good behavior, while at the same time motivating the dog to repeat his actions. This can be a good method, however it takes longer for the dog to understand which behaviors and actions caused the praise from the trainer. With the click and treat method, the processes are easily taught. In normal training, a person would say "good boy" when a welcomed action occurs and proceed with giving a treat.

The clicker becomes a substitute for verbal praise and can actually catch the "good boy" behavior quicker than saying it, letting the dog know exactly which behavior he is being rewarded for. First things first, in order to try click and treat, the trainer must invest in a clicker, which can be found at most pet supply stores.

The training itself is quick and rather easy for the dog and his trainer. Another way to look at click and treat training is viewing it as a secondary reinforcement, while food, water, physical affection and play (things the dog wants) become primary reinforcement. When you take a dog for a walk, the leash works as a secondary reinforcement.

Photo: charleebear

It is obvious to the dog that the leash is not taking him for a walk; the owner is, however, it triggers a reaction in the dog, telling him that the leash will let him know where he will go and where he will not. And if he reacts to the leash with good behavior, his reward will be a nice leisurely walk. Click and treat works the same way. When a dog hears the clicker, he will know that he performed a good behavior and as long as he keeps hearing a click, there are rewards coming to him.

So, the clicker works as a secondary reinforcement, teaching him boundaries and appropriate behavior. A good method to use when getting started with click and treat is to stand in front of the animal. Click the clicker and give a treat. Continue doing this for 20-30 minutes, or until the dog becomes startled by the sound of the click. This will familiarize him to the clicking sound, while teaching him that every time he hears it, he has done something good.
 

Whoever said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, must not have owned a dog. If dogs are anything, they are extremely intelligent and can learn many new things given the chance to show you. When training your dog, keep in mind that yelling, hitting, cursing or punishment is uncalled for, as dogs will retreat backwards the more they are yelled at. Besides, you wouldn’t treat a child like that and dogs are essentially just little children with tails and four legs!

Photo: artsandammo.com

The first thing to learn when training your dog to do anything new is to never change your verbal expression, tone or volume. If you say, "come here, boy" then do not change to "Fido, come here". By doing this, your dog will become confused and it will cause unneeded frustration for both of you.

A couple of tips to take into consideration when training your dog is to reward him with treats for good behavior, however be sure to also give a lot of praise and patting to ensure he does not rely totally on the treats when being good. You may also think about enrolling your dog in an obedience class. Even if training is going good at home, this will give him extra practice with interaction between other animals and people.

When training your dog don’t cram everything into one day and expect him to remember it. Dogs have short attention spans and will quickly become bored, so try to keep training time down to short sessions throughout the day. Here are a few of the easier and more popular commands to teach Fido.

• Come- Use a toy or treat to encourage him to come towards you. Say "Fido, come." As he makes his way towards you, praise him. Once he is in front of you, hold onto his collar for 30 seconds and then let go.
• Sit- Press gently down on his backside and say "sit." You can also hold a treat above his head. When a dog is forced to look upward, he will automatically sit on his hind legs. Just as he bends to a sitting position, say "Fido, sit." Remember to praise and reward.
• Down- Get your dog into a sitting position. Slowly guide his legs straight down in front of him until he is flat. As you are doing this, repeat "Fido, down." Keep him in this position for 30 seconds and then praise and treat.
• Stay- Have Fido sit. As you slowly take a couple steps backward, say "Fido, stay." Hold your hand out as you do this, palm facing him. If he moves from position, tell him "no" and return him to the starting point. If he stays, praise and treat. Don’t forget to find a ‘release command’ like "ok", or done." This will tell him it is okay to move.

By using persistence, consistency and patience when training your dog, you will almost effortlessly be able to teach new commands and tricks. The ‘trick’ for you is to always praise and treat. Start with these easy commands and before long you will have him doing somersaults!

A Guide to Pet Exercise Pens
By Johnathan Livingston

Pet exercise is very important. Your dog needs a space in which to romp. With exercise pens, your dog has the opportunity to romp around without having the chance to escape and run amuck in the neighbor’s flowerbed.

Exercise Pens-What Are They?
These pens, also known as dog pens, are fences that allow your dog a safe place for your dog to exercise and play. Portable exercise pens are available. These consist of portable fencing made of heavy gauge wire formed into eight hinged panels. The hinges make the exercise pen easy to put away or transport.

Dog pens come in sizes ranging from 24 to 48 inches in height, and are typically 16 feet in length. Exercise pens are also available with soft sides constructed of canvas and mesh. These weigh less and are more portable, but if your dog is rambunctious or tends to chew they are far mare easily destroyed than the metal dog pens.

Exercise pens can be used indoors or outdoors. Dogs are territorial, and so will be quite comfortable with the notion that the pen is their area. The hinges allow you to configure exercise pens into just about any size and shape you choose. You can also use it as a gate or barrier if you want to keep your dog in a particular part of a fenced-in yard, or keep the dog in the house or garage.

Exercise Pens and Training
One of the best ways to encourage and maintain your dog’s good behavior is to manage his or her environment. These pens are good tools for doing this. You can create a comfortable and familiar environment for your dog when you are not there to watch over and train him or her, or just cannot devote your full attention to your dog.

Travel and Portability
Dogs can be great fun to travel with, if you are well prepared. Taking a dog pen along with you on your trip will give your dog a secure place to relax no matter where you are, without having to tie your dog up all the time. Dogs prefer exercise pens to being tied up.

Dogs are easily unsettled by unfamiliar surroundings. This can cause the dog to behave inappropriately. For example, the dog may be tempted to urinate on furniture or decorative items, or chew on furniture and fixtures-particularly awkward if you’re staying at someone else’s house. Spacious pens with a familiar soft blanket and chewable toys can be a welcome place to rest for your dog. Knowing your dog is relaxing will ease your mind as well.

Housetraining Applications
Exercise pens can be tremendously useful in housebreaking your dog. It will allow you to use a box or piddle pad, or keep your dog in a limited space until you can take him or her outside. If the dog perceives the space as his own, he may be less inclined to soil it. You will, however, need to remember to take your dog outside frequently to do his business.

Other Uses for Exercise Pens
Pens are used at dog shows to keep the participants safe, happy and separate from each other until it is their turn to tour the ring. They are also used to keep your dog confined to a limited area of your house or yard after your dog has returned home from surgery. A dog that has been recently operated on should not be allowed to roam free, but rather must remain where you can closely observe him.

Other Considerations
While your dog’s pen is useful for keeping your dog at select times, they are not intended to be a place where the dog can stay indefinitely. In spite of the name you’ll want to take your dog out of the pen and let him get some real exercise.

You can acclimate your dog to the pen the same way you would to a crate: feed him in the pen, do not leave him alone in the pen until he’s used to it. Don’t leave his collar on when he’s in the pen, for his own safety.

Make sure you select the right Exercise Pens for your pet. You will find a large selection of Dog Products and articles at Dog House Market. Everything you will ever need for your pet.