The natural way:

- Vacuum your home frequently and seal vacuum bags before disposing.

- Wash the bedding of your puppy weekly in warm soapy water.  This is where fleas usually breed.

- Bathing your pet weekly with a mild puppy shampoo prevents flea invasion.

- Use cedar shampoo for your puppy, and put cedar oil in their sleeping mats.  Cedar will repel fleas and other insects.

- Fleas are attracted to dry skin, so to avoid it, give your puppy Linatone oil mixed with its food. Excessive shampooing should be avoided.

- A mixture of brewer's yeast and garlic, available in powder or tablet form can be given in small doses to your pet.  This creates a certain odor in pets, and fleas are surely to avoid them.

- Fresh or dried pennyroyal leaves is a natural flea repellent.  Use this in carpets to avoid the abundance of fleas in the home.  Do not use it if you have small children around, as this could be toxic.

- A mixture of 60 ml of lavender oil with 2.8 liters of rock salt can also be placed in areas where puppys usually come in contact with and this solution could also be used to wash your puppy.

- Planting marigolds in the yard is helpful too, it repels certain types of bugs as well as fleas.

- Boiled lemon or orange peel in water can be used as a dip for puppys and can be used too to soak in puppy bedding for a few hours, then washed with warm soapy water.

- Lukewarm water with little shampoo and detergent is a good way to prevent fleas.  A puppyís body may be dipped into the solution for fifteen minutes and then rinsed.  This only works if flea infestation is light.

- The natural way of treating fleas is effective only if the level of flea infestation is average to very few.  This method usually is recommended for prevention only.

Click here for the rest of the ways to fight fleas on your puppy…

A puppy is more than just a pet. It's a friend one can always count on when things go wrong and no one seems to care. Having a puppy for a pet is not just about feeding it and giving it a good home. It also takes maintenance to keep that puppy strong and fit. 

Spending time with man's best friend further deepens the relationship one has with a pet. It tells the puppy that the owner loves being with it and by either playing or working together; it strengthens the communication, understanding and respect between man and animal.

Here are more fun activities with your puppy when puppy training…

Some puppy lovers spend a great deal of time choosing the right puppy breed before they decide to purchase a puppy. For them, the puppy's breed is one contributing factor to its value.  That is why most families who decide to get a puppy, they know that choosing the right breed is crucial.

Today, there are 70 million puppys in the United States but the American Kennel Club only recognizes 143 breeds of puppys. Still, with these numbers, choosing the right kind of puppy breed for the family can be very tedious.

However, most pet shop owners contend that the reasons why the preference of the people in choosing their puppies may vary from one person to another is because each person has its own pre-conceived idea what he wants in a puppy. It all depends on the physical attributes.

There are those who fancy the size, the shape of the face, the looks, or even the temper. But whatever preference an individual has regarding his choice for puppys, there are important factors that you must remember in choosing a particular puppy breed.

Here's a list of the things that must be considered first:

1. The size of the house

Many people tend to forget this factor. The area of the house should be the primary factor to consider before buying the best puppy breed available.

For example, if a future puppy owner is living in an apartment, thereís no sense is buying a large puppy.  Obviously, itís better to opt for those cute little canines that donít need too much space to raise them.

2. The children

If a future puppy owner has children, it's best to consider the children rather than his own preference. Delicate puppys like Chihuahua are not advisable because they are too frail to let the children take care of them. Big puppys like Saint Bernard could also pose some risk on the children.  The bottom line is to choose a breed of puppy depending on the age of the children and how many there are in the house.

3. The nature of the job

For people who would love to have a puppy but don't have time to devote to grooming, consider a puppy that doesnít need a great deal of grooming like Terriers. Most Terriers have short hair and they donít need a lot of fuss on their hair.

Boiled down, the best puppy breed is the one that fits the kind of life the future owner has. Compatibility is the key in this kind of situation.

Puppy breeders can be found anywhere. However, buying the best-looking puppy in the pet store does not necessarily guarantee that you bought a pet with a top breed.

What are the different types of breeders? Which of them provide the best puppy breeds?

1) Look for reputable breeders.  Well known breeders know specific details about their specialized breed. They examine genetic diseases that are known to have physical and emotional impact on that breed, perform veterinary maintenance and sustain breeding records.

A breeder of good reputation will provide you with both the good and bad points about the breed you prefer. They offer useful advice and assistance to new puppy owners.

Click here to see more tips on choosing best puppy

If your puppy doesn't get enough exercise he'll get bored, and is more likely to tip over trash cans and chew on things he shouldn’t, just to get some attention and excitement in his life. Dogs love to play and run. Take your puppy out for a walk every day, or play catch in the backyard. Buy some fun toys and spend a few minutes each day exercising yourself and your best friend. 

You’ll both feel better, and your puppy will love having more time with you. Dogs tend to get bored easily, and love to play. They want nothing more than for you to play with them—twenty-four hours a day, if you’ll do it. When you do play with them, it’s fun to watch how excited they get.

Now go include lots of exercise in your puppy training.

He won't be nearly as expensive as your new car and probably won't last as long as your home, but your new puppy is bound to be more a part of your everyday life than any other single acquisition you can imagine.

The handsome, healthy, well-mannered dog that you have adored on television, at the local dog show, or at your neighbor's house, did not get that way by accident. Rather, his care and upbringing were deliberate and well-planned in order to produce a rewarding companion and a focal point of pride within the family.

Know What You Are Getting Yourself Into

The owner who is truly compatible to his pet has surely spent some time thinking about what type of dog would be most suitable for his home, time limits, energy requirements, and purpose. Many breeds and mixed breeds can be too large, too energetic, or just plain too difficult to groom for the average owner.

To get the most pleasure from owning an animal, you should consider very carefully what you want most in a dog and how much time and effort you are willing to devote to his everyday care and upkeep.

If you are ready to take on any challenge, then great, simply choose any breed or any combination of breeds that you desire. However, if your time or willingness to cater to a dog is limited, give it some serious thought as to how much you can offer your new puppy when the fun period of puppyhood is over.

A full-grown Collie, English Sheepdog, Afghan Hound, or Poodle can be quite a chore to groom a yearly and the non-trained Irish Setter adolescents will surely wear out the otherwise placid dog owner to complete and utter exhaustion. Likewise, Your average Italian Greyhound is not suitable to protect a large country property nor can a mixed breed dog be shown in conformation or obedience competitions. So start off on the right foot by making the correct decision about what type of puppy to choose.

Take The Age Of The Pup Into Consideration

Age is an important factor in selecting a puppy. If the choice is up to you, try to bring your puppy home when he is exactly 8 weeks old. Studies have proven that this is the most ideal time for a pup to leave his dam and littermates in order to start a new relationship with a new human family.

Before a puppy is eight weeks old, he has not yet completed proper socialization with his canine peers and after that point, may develop too close an attachment to his littermates and dam, which can inhibit the strong bond that he could otherwise form with humans.

However, if the dog you are considering is not precisely 8 weeks old, and he has definitely stolen your heart, then of course do not pass up the opportunity to bring him home. Do keep in mind, however, that potential problems may come up with temperament or behavior and will require patience, extra love, and special handling later in time.

The early environment of the newborn puppy, particularly in the critical weeks when he's looking away from his mother and his siblings to the humans around him, can provide a healthy period of socialization. On the other hand, this critical period can also be the spark which starts illness, an accident, or psychic trauma that can affect the puppy's temperament in a very negative way. In addition, you, his new owner, can be a bad influence on what might have started out as a pleasant puppy.

Most Puppy Buyers Are Not Educated Enough To Properly Choose A The Right Puppy

The average puppy buyer is looking for a companion for the family, particularly for the children. Unfortunately, most puppy buyers do not know what to look for when it comes to attitude. And the attitude of a puppy is the number one overriding consideration when choosing your puppy.

I will say it again- This is the number one thing to look out for when choosing your puppy- The attitude.

Ready? First, a nervous puppy makes an unsatisfactory companion for children under almost any circumstances, and one that is moody is potentially dangerous.

Some people prefer dogs of mixed breeding and assume that they will always have more stable attitude. WRONG! This is not true. There was a tragic attack a few years back where a mixed Chow-Spitz killed a young child. The dog had been passed on to the family after having a history of killing small animals and giving other indications of poor temperament. This alone should make you think twice about taking on a puppy which has not worked out in someone else's family.

I'll cover more tomorrow.

Check out the #1 resource for puppy training… once you've chosen your puppy.