Archive for August, 2010

Having a pet ferret is almost like having any other pet, except they demand a little more attention. In a way, they are just like a young child because they will annoy you until you pay them attention and give them what they want.

Just like any other pet, ferrets will require a lot of attention. A ferret loves to have attention and they enjoy someone playing with them as soon as they wake up and as soon as they can get out of their cage. Owning a pet is a lot of work and is almost as hard as having a child, except you can leave a pet in a cage while you go out.

You are not suppose to let a ferret eat anything that is rubber because they can not digest the rubber and it could possibly kill them.

There are a lot of states which do not allow you to buy ferrets without it being spayed or neutered beforehand. This is to prevent you from breeding and reselling a ferret. This is actually a good thing because it prevents the over population of this exotic animal.

A lot of people do not realize just how much a ferret smells. Most of the time they have their scent glands removed and they still stink because there is a scent gland that is on the base of their brain and removing this gland would kill the ferret.

If you are not going to be home more than you are gone, you will want to make sure you do not get a pet. A ferret is not excluded from the list of animals that need attention. As a matter of fact, ferrets will demand your attention until you give it to them, so make sure you are someone who has a little patience.

Remember, it is not fair to leave any ferret, sometimes improperly spelled farret, in a cage all day long, if you are too busy to pay attention to a pet and give it the proper care that is needed, you should not get it no matter how cute or adorable it is. A lot of people make this mistake and the poor animals only live out their life at the end of a leash or sitting in their cage alone, don’t make this mistake.

Working as a dog trainer in San Diego, the most common question that I am asked is usually “How do I get my dog to stop ______?” Many of the biggest challenges owners face with their “Best Friend” revolve around annoying behaviors that their dogs develop. Jumping up, leash pulling, barking, nipping and not coming when called are the some of the most common problems owners face. Feel free to substitute your dog’s own annoying behavior in the list above…We’ll soon be on the way to solving these challenging issues.

My most frequent response to a general question regarding the aforementioned behaviors is another question: “What is it that you want your dog to do instead?” Before we try to stop a challenging behavior in a certain scenario, we must first ask ourselves what it is the ideal behavior that our dog can perform. All too often we see a person’s first reaction to an unwanted behavior is to react by attempting to curb, halt, or punish the dog for “misbehaving”. STOP RIGHT THERE! Before we start “whispering” (or yelling) corrections with a “cht-cht”, “aaahhtt”, or “no”, we need to analyze what’s going on. Your dog is simply acting out a role in a well rehearsed behavioral model and one that we can take control of without the need to punish.

An example of a common “problem” we treat, starts as an owner and dog are approached by a guest (or stranger) many times accompanied by another dog. The owner typically prepares the dog for the upcoming interaction by tightening up on a leash. Signaling to the dog that it is now time to begin the typical drill. (Feel free to insert “halter”, “harness”, “leader”, “choker”, “chain” or other correction device in place of the word leash above.) At this point the dog now understands that the owner is appropriately prepared for the antics and may begin running, jumping, barking, pulling, growling… For most owners facing this situation, the pulling increases, yelling might ensue and the dog and owner eventually get what they have been trained to expect from the situation. At this point, we have failed to “correct” the problem and are disappointed that it has all happened again. Maybe next time the owner will yell “NO” a little louder! Or, why not take control appropriately and add a little redirection, not a correction.

Redirection involves taking the dog’s attention from a distracting stimulus and getting the dog to focus on the owner, who may then ask the dog to perform the appropriate behavior. In the example above, and in many other scenarios, getting the dog’s attention, and having it “sit” works well. Now instead of the antics, we have a dog sitting. Reinforce this behavior with tons of praise and attention, you are doing great! The dog may still feel challenged, wanting to get up, regressing to the same-old-same-old. DO NOT CORRECT, KEEP REDIRECTING! Ask the dog to sit again, and again reinforce the great behavior. Don’t get upset, don’t yell, and don’t punish…Keep asking for the most desirable behavior. Of course this may seem too easy, that’s because it takes patience and practice. The amount of attention an owner can capture from the dog is usually limited by the level of distraction, so start your practice in a neutral environment and build up more distraction. Once you have it mastered, you will never have to say no again…And your dog will love you for it!

Lose the Leash
San Diego Dog Training

We basically want to find companions who would give us most of the benefits we think we need. Well, if you are looking for a dog that is somewhat a one-in-package pal, you might find Jack Russell Terriers interesting enough.

This dog has a history that is somehow loomed to give rise to the specie.

It was said that the breeder of this dog, a young Theologian student of Oxford University named John Russell once met a milkman with a white terrier that had spots on his eyes and ears. This dog became his interest which later proved to be his foundation for breeding a new dog breed that many have learned to love as pets. The dog he first saw was named “Trump” from which another 60 types of terriers were later bred from.

With a terrier’s basic nature to go on and over the ground (terrier by the way came from the Latin term “terra” which means earth), Jack Russell terriers also have the disposition to hunt and scour for hunting. Thus, they should be given enough grooming so as to set off the dirt they gather from digging soil to either bury a treasure or to recover a hidden treasure kept long ago.

An excellent ratter, Jack Russell Terriers proves to be good “housekeepers” since they keep most rats away from home. Any unlucky rat that happens to be inside the quarters of this terrier is sure to meet its instant doom. Thus, owners find themselves with both a dog and cat in one pal.

One basic character of this dog is its disposition towards strangers. They can easily figure out who must be kept away from their homes and who can be accepted inside the house. This very attitude also makes them good watchdogs. They were designed specifically to be aggressive on prey. And while they can be very vocal, many of them only bark when they find good reason to.

They do not appear vicious though. But once they smell a threat, they can show off aggressiveness that could serve as warning towards the strangers. However, once the stranger is let into the house by the owner, a Jack Russell can tolerate his or her presence.

This terrier is also a family dog and desires human companionship and their love for children is significantly interesting. However, once they are abused or had been shown improper treatments, may it be intentional or accidental, they can react through aggressive behaviors. Their aggressiveness is further manifested with their lack of fear towards larger dogs which can unfortunately lead to injuries, some can even be fatal.

They are also marked for their intelligence and good spirit. These characteristics can be highly observable through their curiosity in things. Thus, they require supplementation on formal training unless you can tolerate difficult behaviors. The good thing though, with Jack Russell is that it can acknowledge training and do well in most of them. In fact, they are known to champion various ring shows and other similar competitions.

Hollywood has recognized the disposition of these dogs too. Coupled with feisty and good physical characteristics, this pal has already made names in the screens. If Wishbone, Milo (from The Mask) and Eddie (from Frasier) ring a bell on you, then there is no doubt that you can recognize this dog.

Jack Russell fair well with grooming. A dog of relatively small size, this breed will not tax you with grooming needs.