But as soon as you get yourself at home, terrible things begin to happen. Suddenly you realize that your dog is not as charming as you have thought. You discover that your dog is impulsive and can be a total embarrassment for you. The dog that you expect to bring you companionship is often bored and just sits in a far corner. Nip this in the but with our dog training techniques.

You read all kinds of dog books and even enrolled your dog in puppy training classes focusing on obedience but to no avail. So you begin to wonder, ‘Is my dog just sluggish, stubborn or a bit slow?’

Have you considered your dog’s ancestry? Some types of dogs are much harder to train than others because they are not natural followers.

Assess yourself and your methods in training your dog. Are you following the correct training tactics? If you want to make your training sessions easier, more fun and more productive, make sure that you have are following a good training technique. Here are some common mistakes on dog training that you can dote on to make it easier for you to train your dog:

• Not providing enough positive reinforcement during training – Giving rewards prices is a very essential thing in dog training. It encourages your dog to continue obeying your commands in a good manner. But some dog owners don’t like this principle. They think that this will take away the authority they have on their dogs. They would feel that they are making bribes because of their belief that it’s the dog’s duty to follow orders.

• Putting excessive control – Some people are too bossy, pesky or have an obsession with perfection. If you have these characteristics and you have an equally stubborn dog, except your dog training sessions to be a hard time for the both of you.

• Being an extremist in training – You will bore your dog if you train you train him too frequently or repeat every exercise too many times. This applies when you own an independent dog that is not bred to follow commands. Examples of independent dogs are those that are non-sporting, hound and terrier breeds.

• Neglecting your dog’s emotions – A lot of pet owners fail to consider what their dogs are feeling while training. It is very imperative that you give attention to your dog’s feelings most especially during training sessions. If you notice that your dog is not very eager to do some exercises or if he yawns too much, let him rest. This might mean that your dog is too tired or too bored to go on.

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Imagine living in a world where your best friend can pick you up by the neck and put you anywhere he wants you. In your world, you cant always sleep on the bed, but are relegated to the floor, which everyone knows isnt as soft as the bed! You may even be asked to spend hours, even days, out in the cold, rain and snow. Neurosis begins to develop, and as the master of a neurotic dog it is your responsibility to effectively teach him, best of luck!

First you must remember that if a dog is neurotic, it will be difficult for Dog Training. All he has to do is look around him to realize that he is the only one that is required to learn anything. It is however plausible to train a neurotic dog, here is one example of this success. How to train a dog with problems…

Monty, a 6 month old Labrador is taken home to live with his new family, he loves to chew on books. He is showing many Dog Behavior Problems. Rather than scold Monty, his master comes to the conclusion that psychology would work better. He removes the books by putting them on a higher shelf, as Monty grows; the books get put higher and higher. This is where proper Dog Care involving the Best Dog Training programs comes in. At last, Monty stops chewing on books, the dog training has been a success.

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Here's another dog obedience story that was solved by using online dog training techniques. Chloe is a 2 year old chocolate lab, much loved by her family, and very easy for dog training, this is because of the amount of love she is given by her family. You see, Chloe, like any other dog, will do anything to please the people she loves. The first off lesson Chloe was given was her housebreaking, she was kept outside the first time she came home until she went to the bathroom. Puppy training always works best when they are young.

This took a lot of the best dog training efforts of several family members but it showed her where she was allowed to go. When she was finally taken into the house, she was watched closely and whenever she started sniffing around she was taken back outside also. For dog obedience training and housebreaking, at night she was put in a box next to her owners bed, where she was kept when there was no one available to watch her. She was taken outside just before they went to bed and as soon as they got up in the morning. You need to think like a good dog trainer. How to train a dog is hard work and you need to push forward.

When they left home, if they couldn't take her with them, she was again taken outside to go to the bathroom and as soon as they returned she was again taken outside. This is dog care at its finest. This took a few days, and there were accidents, but she learned, as did her family in regards to her dog care. That is what dog training is all about. Teaching her to sit was her second lesson, her owner would sit on the tile and play with her, teaching her to sit was a combination of holding her dog toy up above her head, at this point she would sit down to keep the toy in sight.

She would also tell her to sit while gently pushing on her hind quarters, when she was successful; she was praised and loved on, she learned this one very briskly too. Dog training is very rewarding for both you and your dog. Her third lesson was to lie down, her owner would tell her to sit, when she was in the sitting position, she would then tell her to lie down and gently pull her front legs out and push her front end down. Get the Best Dog Training!

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Clicker training doesn’t utilize punishment or negative reinforcement. Trainings sessions are very short. Trainers allot around five minutes for each practice session. This is because clicker trainers believe that many shorter sessions are more effective for learning compared to a single long session which will get the dogs to feel bored or tired. According to studies, dogs that undergo clicker training take less time to learn dependable behavior compared to standard training. This type of training also uses a clicker as a behavior indicator.

When a dog does a certain action, a clicker trainer clicks. The dog will then receive a reward after the click. As time goes on, the dog will learn that the click is associated with his reward. Rewards given can either be food like roast beef or hotdog. Trainers can also pet them, letting them play with a tennis ball, or other things that dogs enjoy doing. Remember to keep food rewards into bits when you are puppy training, otherwise he will become too consumed with eating and forget about the training. Be sure not to feed your dog before the clicker training, or he will be too full to think of food as a reward. Also, it essential that you click while your dog is performing a behavior and not after he finished doing it. It is not that important when to give the reward.

A click is a lot more authoritative than speaking because it is a distinctive sound that is a sign of an oncoming reward. It can be used as a signal to indicate good behavior at the precise moment that it happens. With this, the dog will be able to know what it was doing. Words are spoken in varying tones and ways but a sound of a click is the same all throughout. Dogs may have problems understanding words but they will easily know what a click means.

While training your dog to run to you immediately upon called, don’t wait for the moment that he is actually darting to your side before clicking and rewarding him. Even if he has gone only a few steps onto your way, make the click and give the reward. After your dog has shown his ability to do this, try making him walk nearer to you every time before finally clicking and rewarding him. Let your dog do every procedure independently. Don’t try to make him do anything by pushing or pulling him. Treat your dog’s improper behavior through the clicker training method. Click and give treats to your dog when it relieves himself on the proper area instead of scolding him when he pees on your carpet.

There will come a time that your dog will demonstrate a certain behavior on his own accord. At this time, try teaching him a cue – it can be in the form of a word or a hand signal. First, the trainer utters or gestures the cue and the dog will repeat the behavior. The click and reward will be granted if the behavior is done after or during the cue. Don’t give the dog a click if he performed the behavior without your giving any cue. If the dog does not do any behavior at all, consider changing the reward or teaching the behavior in a setting with less diversion. Remember not to abuse your dog physically or verbally if he is not acting accordingly. This can make your dog lose his confidence in you or the clicker training.

Once your dog does the behavior consistently after a cue, you can stop using the clicker or give rewards. Maintain the behavior by giving pats on the head instead of giving pricey rewards. Go back to the clicker when you want your dog to learn new things or relearn a past behavior.

Clicker training is the sole dog training technique that is both safe and effective for three-week-old puppies because it does not use negative reinforcement and punishment. As of this time, it is not practiced universally but more trainers are beginning to recognize it as a good method in dog training.

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Counter surfing, and other forms of stealing, especially stealing food – this is another case of your dog’s natural instincts kicking in.

Counter surfing, along with eating from the trash bin, the dinner table, or right out of your hand, are all behaviors that confuse a lot of dog owners. Even a very good dog will do it. I can tell you that the first time I saw it, I was baffled!

The thing is, dogs hunt in packs, and the strongest, fastest dog takes whatever he pleases. It’s literally a race, in a pack of dogs, to snatch a bite as soon as there’s an opening, with the alpha dog being responsible to make sure everyone gets at least something to eat.

Since your family isn’t a dog pack, you need to prevent counter surfing before it begins, or else deal with it after it begins. Aside from being a terrible behavior, it’s also dangerous. If your dog confuses something poisonous for food, or goes after food that’s still on the stove…

We can also count other forms of theft as counter surfing, so a bit of the advice in this article will relate to other things besides food.

Aside from the instinct, there are also household causes for counter surfing.

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What Inspires a Counter Surfing Dog?

Here is a list of known reasons why dogs steal food off the counter or from their owners:

• It’s habit-forming. Food is it’s own reward. It also tends to earn the dog quick attention.
• They just don’t know any better.
• A dog suffering from separation anxiety might steal your shoes because they smell like you.
• They want attention. They steal, you chase – what fun for them!
• They don’t have any toys they like, so they claim something of yours as a chew toy.
• The dog isn’t getting enough food, or the food isn’t nutritious enough.
• Lack of proper obedience training. Your dog might think he is the pack’s alpha.
• Pent-up energy from not enough play or exercise sometimes causes counter surfing.
• Young puppies definitely don’t know any better.

How do You Prevent Counter Surfing?

Counter surfing is an issue that’s difficult to provide “if Problem X, then do Action Y to achieve Result Z” types of solutions for. Read through the following tips, thinking about your dog’s “criminal methods” to decide on one or more that might work in your home.

This is a list of tips that work either for prevention before counter surfing begins, or as part of a training program if your dog has already picked up the thieving habit.

• Keep their target out of reach. Put garbage cans in a closet, don’t leave food unattended, etc.
• Closely supervise a dog that’s developing a counter surfing habit. Reward them for choosing the right behavior in the face of temptation, and use command phrases to halt theft in action.
• Never share your food with your dog, or if you do, only let them eat it from their own bowl.
• Make sure the dog gets lots of play and exercise. This combats several possible causes.
• Don’t give the dog attention in response to counter surfing or theft – not even punishment.
• Get in the habit of always rewarding the right behavior, even if it’s “normal” behavior. This is good advice to follow even with a dog who hasn’t developed a counter surfing habit yet.

How do You Stop the Counter Surfing Dog?

The tips above will still be useful if your dog has started counter surfing and other forms of theft. However, the tips below are specifically for dog owners whose dogs have started to steal things.

1. Begin or resume your dog’s obedience training schedule. It establishes your position as the alpha, makes you better friends with your dog, and answers a psychological need that all dogs have for leadership. A thieving dog needs to know one command in particular: “leave it!”
2. Set up a “bait and switch” trap. Unfortunately, this does involve wasting some food, but if you already have a problem, then it will help. The trap involves tying a metal can full of coins to a piece of meat and leaving it unattended. Dog grabs food, can gets yanked and makes a nasty sound, dog drops food in surprise. Make sure you take the food away before the dog turns his attention back to it, and add the “leave it!” command.
3. Instead of the above trap, find a disgusting-tasting but harmless liquid. (Get your vet’s approval on the specific liquid.) Douse the bait, and let the counter surfing dog learn, after a few repetitions, that your food tastes nasty.
4. If you can catch your dog in the act on a regular basis, quickly enough that you can react before they’ve eaten the stolen food, the “squirt gun to the face” method is fine here. (Normally we’d say “don’t aim for the face,” but for this problem, you need the dog to be stunned.) Add the “leave it!” or “no” command.
5. Whenever the tempting situation is about to arise – let’s say you’re about to cook, or about to open the trash can – give your dog something to do, such as “sit/stay” or “go to your spot.” This is a direct way to tell them there’s something you expect them to do other than counter surfing.

Conclusion on Dogs and Counter Surfing

Just remember, once again, what we call “counter surfing” or theft is an instinctive behavior, and would be perfectly normal and correct behavior if your dog was part of a dog pack. Correcting against counter surfing is just a case of setting the right boundaries and establishing the right thing to do when they’re tempted. Dogs want order and structure, and they’re perfectly willing to adapt to their alpha’s expectations, even if it means denying themselves of a delicious, unguarded slab of steak!

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When you take your dog out to the park, do his antics and physical talents make him stand out among the crowd?

If so, you might want to consider some dog agility training to hone those skills.

When a dog has the energy, drive and interest in physical activity to impress people and other dogs, it naturally follows that he'd enjoy honing those agility skills, and might even enjoy competing.

Whether it's just for fun, or for competition, dog agility training can be very fulfilling for certain dogs.

What Is Dog Agility Training?

Dog agility training is a competition sport that tests athletic talent and intelligence, or a hobby that uses similar physical fitness and course challenges for family fun and growth. In more detail…

Why Do Some Dogs Crave Agility Training?

A wild dog lives in a pack. That pack is like a tribe of nomads – they travel, they track prey, they groom and care for each other, they compete for the most desirable mates, they entertain each other. Naturally, in that lifestyle, it can pay to be a capable show-off.

Dog agility training taps into those instincts and brings out the dog's ability to become a superb physical performer. As a competition, there are many obedience factors, and the judging is very strict. As a hobby, it's just a chance for your dog to become more awesome.

So, whether it's just to make your dog happier, and strengthen the bond between you and your dog, or whether you want to enter your dog in formal competition, dog agility training can be fun and rewarding.

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What Are the Benefits of Dog Agility Training?

With very few exceptions, anything that makes use of your dog's instincts, will make him happy. This means providing a diet of natural foods, teaching a Golden Retriever to play fetch, and making sure that working dogs have something to do.

The mental and physical stimulation involved in dog agility training will make your dog stronger, faster, more confident, and much, much smarter. Your obedience training commands will “stick” better, and your dog will be more-able to learn as the agility training goes on.

And, since this part is important to anyone who owns a dog with tons of energy: all that energy will be burned-off, resulting in a content dog with a very low chance of developing behavior problems.

So, like all good things in a dog/owner relationship, dog agility training is good for your dog, and that makes your dog happier about the pack he's in, which is a huge plus for both of you.

Which Dogs are Best for Agility Training?

The way we've bred dogs over the centuries, has a lot to do with which dog breeds have retained the skills that make a good athlete. In short, it's the breeds who were bred for work, who make the best dog agility training students.

Keep in mind that the American Kennel Club will only accept pure-bred dogs for competition, but there are lots of other agility training clubs that are more inclusive.

Some of the best-performing dogs in agility sports are Collies, Corgis, Retrievers, Pinschers, Poodles, Papillons, Terriers, Schnauzers, Sheepdogs, Shepherds, Cattle Dogs … but this is only a short list. Medium sized work breeds are generally great at dog agility training, with a few exceptions:

• Puppies can't compete until they're at least nine months old.
• Don't put an older dog through agility training – after eight years old, it's time to relax.
• Dogs with short snouts, such as Bulldogs, have trouble breathing during agility sports.
• Dogs with shorter legs, such as Dachshunds, don't have the jumping ability.

Bigger dogs are not so good at competition sports, because they run out of stamina.

Now, all the above points are mostly related to dog agility training for the purposes of competition. If your dog loves to play and burn up tons of energy, and seems to be craving something rigorous to sharpen his body and mind – feel free to do a bit of dog agility training at your dog's own pace.

Before Dog Agility Training,
Master Obedience Training

Before you even think about starting your dog's agility training regimen, you need to make sure your dog is perfectly obedient. This is true for many reasons: Obedience is key on the competition course; confidence is key to learning dog agility tricks; and thorough obedience training establishes you as the alpha, which will raise your dog's confidence and power, helping him or her to skyrocket through the training.

If your dog can sit, stay, heel, walk at your side on a loose leash, and so-on without any trouble, then he's got the vocabulary skills and the obedience to begin dog agility training.

Dog Agility Training Ain't “Kid Stuff”

Your dog also needs to be physically mature before beginning serious agility training.

There are regulations for age, but that's not the point: Your dog needs to be physically grown up, nearing his adult height and weight, in order to “handle himself” right.

If your dog is still an adolescent and begins agility training, then there are risks of injury and bone deformity when doing high-impact sports such as jumping, dodging poles, etc.

So, choose which agility training steps you start out with, wisely. Avoid bone-jarring activities, and you can begin teaching your dog some basic agility tricks right after obedience training is mastered.

Dog Agility Training is Hard Work

Take things slowly. Start with high-energy play, such as fetching a Frisbee, tug-of-war with a rope, and long, hearty chases. Eventually you'll want to start using short tunnels or low jumps. Never start more than one agility trick at a time, and never start at the regulation height. Regulation jumps and courses are for trained professionals – early on in your dog's agility training, you're just getting your dog used to vigorous exercise, building his confidence, and so forth.

Note: When starting competition routines, don't start with regulation difficulty.
That's likely to frustrate and discourage your dog, and quite possibly injure him or her.

Every time you add equipment to your dog's agility training, you'll also be adding new commands. Some of these commands are things like left, right, up or down; fast, slow, away; things like that.

Use lots of love and encouragement, and never scold or show disappointment for failures. Most of all, watch your dog's reactions – if his head is low or his tail is down, he's not enjoying himself. If your dog isn't enjoying agility training, then why bother?

Once you're at the point of building on successes, and you're literally “raising the bar,” it's time to get in touch with your local dog agility training club. You can probably also find at least one person near you who's also training their dog for agility, and wants a buddy to train with.

Most of all, remember that the training needs to be fun for you and your dog. If you “keep your eyes on the prize,” then it's going to become work. Focus on the journey, and the family bond.

Good Equipment is Key to Dog Agility Training

This is true whether you're going to enter your dog into competitions or not: You need certain equipment. Cardboard boxes and duct tape are no substitute for a good tunnel; and do you really want to spend days or months building weave poles in your garage? Dog agility trainers, whether pros or hobbyists, need good equipment. Starting dog agility training without good equipment, would be like taking up running, in work boots or dress shoes.

And, if your dog is going to compete, then you absolutely want him to be familiar with the equipment. In that case, you also need to be sure the agility training equipment conforms to competition standards. Some equipment can be set up for both early agility training, and competition practice.

Here are the kinds of agility training equipment you'll want to consider:

• A-Frames: An A-shaped, hinged obstacle that your dog climbs up on one side, and down the other.
• Weave Poles: This is like a slalom you might see on a ski track or skating competition, but with smaller spaces between the poles. Your dog weaves back and forth between the poles.
• Dog Walks: This consists of three planks raised off the ground, and arranged in a zig-zag shape at 90 degree angles. Your dog hops up and walks to the center plank, then traverses that, then walks off the third plank.
• Tunnels: These come in rigid, or collapsible versions.
• Seesaws: Just like a seesaw you would ride as a child, but with one side weighted so that it returns to its original position when your dog walks off it.
• Tire Jumps: Another simple one. Your dog must jump through a tire that's suspended by a frame, without touching the tire itself.
• Bar Jumps: These come in single, double, and triple jump variations. The arrangement is that your dog leaps from platform to platform, with a horizontal bar between each platform. The bars will be at differing heights, like stairs.
• Pause Table: The pause table is a 3'x3' platform that your dog jumps up on, lays down on for a few seconds, and then jumps off of.
• Pause Box: This is a simple one – it's just a 3'x3' box drawn on the ground using tape, that your dog uses the same as a pause table, but on the ground.

Remember – for most of the above kinds of dog agility training equipment, you really need to get professionally-built goods. If the equipment breaks, splinters, or is built to the wrong specifications, your dog can hurt himself, and that will probably be the last time your dog wants anything to do with agility training. Most bigger cities have a company or two, who will rent out this equipment.

Once your dog is beginning to master his or her agility training on that equipment, you'll want to look into the different kinds of agility training courses and competitions – or you might just want to take your proud, confident dog back to the dog park to show off! In any case, you're going to have a lot of fun, and both of you will be in top shape by the time your dog agility training is well underway.

Good luck, and have fun!

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Below, I’ll teach you how to cut your dog’s nails and what tools and methods you can use to do it right.

Cutting Your Dog’s Nails: The Tools

When cutting your dog’s nails, your comfort and confidence in the tool matters. Choose a style from the ones below, and when you buy, make sure it’s the right size for your hand.

• Scissor-style: Easy to fit around the nail, even on smaller paws.
• Guillotine-style: Same cutting principle as scissors. Not as easy to use with tiny paws or impatient dogs who move their paws.
• Grinders: This is a professional’s tool that quickly sands the nail down. If it hits the quick it cauterizes the wound, but they can be dangerous – not good tools for beginners.
• Quickfinders: These will detect the quick for you and tell you where it’s safe to cut.
• Clotting products: Every dog owner should keep a small supply of Clotisol or some other clotting product, in case they accidentally cut the quick. The quick is a blood vessel and it will bleed a lot if cut, and these products quickly stop the bleeding.

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Cutting Your Dog’s Nails: Why It’s Important

The best situation, is when your dog’s nails don’t touch the ground when he walks. If allowed to grow while touching the ground, the tips of the nails will wear down and break, and can even grow into the pad of the paw.

Jagged, frayed nails can get snagged and accidentally be ripped out. Nails growing into the pads can cause injuries and infections. The more active your dog, and the more time he spends walking on hard stony surfaces, the faster his nails can become a problem.

Guide to Cutting Your Dog’s Nails

Get you puppy used to this at a young age if possible – the best time to start cutting your dog’s nails, regardless of age, is as soon as you bring him home. While he’s getting used to nail care, cut only one or two nails per sitting. It also helps if a friend of the dog will sit with you and keep him distracted and still.

Some other tips on cutting your dog’s nails:

• If you’re new at clipping your dog’s nails, then nip small slices and watch the exposed inner nail for a pink middle; that pink middle is the quick, a blood vessel. Don’t cut that!
• Have a treat ready for giving after each nail is cut.
• Hold the clippers in one hand, and hold the paw in the other.
• Sometimes cutting your dog’s nails is much easier when the dog is up on a table. Make sure it’s sturdy, and consider having an extra person stand in front of or beside the dog to keep him still.

Aside from treats, you can give praise after each cut. This will help a new dog, or a dog who’s not used to having his nails cut, get used to grooming.

If you cut the quick, here’s what you do. If you don’t already have Clotisol or some other product on hand for stopping the blood, find some flour or corn starch, put it in a bowl, submerge your dog’s paw in the flour or corn starch, and wait. About 15 minutes after the bleeding stops, gently wash off the corn starch/flour with lukewarm water.

Schedule for Cutting Your Dog’s Nails

At most, you should wait 2-3 weeks between cutting your dog’s nails. Once per week is best. If nails are getting frayed between trimmings, you can file them down a bit before trimming.

Other Tips for Cutting Your Dog’s Nails

• Each nail has a different length of quick. Learn each nail, and watch what you’re doing.
• Don’t forget to cut the dew claws. These claws can easily become ingrown. Some breeds have them on only the front or back feet, some breeds don’t have dew claws at all.
• You only need to cut enough that the nail isn’t touching the ground.
• Your dog will get used to having his nails cut more quickly, if you do it more often.
• Remember to praise or reward your dog for allowing you to cut each nail.

If you’re still unsure you can cut your dog’s nails safely, go to your vet and ask to be taught how, or have someone more experienced give you hands-on instruction. Since you can see the quick when you cut your dog’s nails carefully, you’ll be handling this grooming step like a pro in no time.

Return to dog training instructions, or continue reading about grooming your dog.

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Ideally, the best time to Find out when the best time is to train a dog.train a dog is when it is still a puppy. With this, as early as possible it will be able basic obedience as well as good behavior. If the dog is able to learn these at a very early stage, everything will become a habit. Habits cannot be drastically changed so it will be hard to teach these to a dog and get immediate results.

However, this does not mean that you begin training your puppy as early as one-week-old. Let a few weeks pass before starting with the training. You can teach him the basics of using the toilet, obedience and some tricks. Starting the training at a later stage could allow him to develop habits that will be quite hard to break. In these cases, you will need more time to eliminate the habit. It is a clever thing to start training your dog as early as possible.

But sometimes, these things are not the case. Take this situation for instance. You went to an abandoned house and found a charming dog, but old dog that no one wants. Right then and there, you decided to bring him home. But then you found out that he possesses a number of dog behavior problems. If you know how to teach him, you can make him forget the bad tricks and teach him new and better tricks.

Breaking the dog’s habit may take just a small time. Just like puppies, he would still be able to respond to a reward or a punishment positively. The only problem here is, he will be more resistant than the puppy. However if you are determined to get through an obedience training with the dog, this will not be a major concern. Work hard on your patience and you will be surprised to discover that it will reap some benefits. And remember that all of this dog training will become easier if you have affection for your dog.

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In this article I'll talk about the best weight for your dog, how to help end your dog's obesity, and how to maintain the right weight. I apologize in advance, because some parts of this article are a bit dismal and serious. Dog obesity is fatal, so let's take a deep breath and solve it.

How is Dog Obesity Linked to Dog Health Problems?

I could write a fifty-page list of why an overweight or obese dog is prone to a short, unhappy life, but let me just hit a handful of the serious, and lesser-known issues. Bone damage, joint and ligament damage, diabetes, heart disease, breathing problems, high blood pressure, low energy, liver dysfunction, reproductive problems, poor digestion, higher risk of complications during surgery, compromised immune systems, unhealthy skin and coat, and one of today's biggest dog-killers out there, canine cancer – all this and more could be yours! Canine obesity has got to stop.

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How “Wide Spread” is Canine Obesity?

Worldwide, the statistic for dog obesity is in the realm of 20 to 40 per cent. Just taking into account Britain and the United States, this is around 19 million overweight dogs. A recent study in Australia showed that even more than 40 per cent of dogs were either overweight or obese.

That's more than 40% of the dog population with increased risk of
a long, long list of preventable, fatal health problems!

“Back in the day,” dogs were both work animals, and pets. Now, they're usually just pets, and they're learning the lazy lifestyle we've taught them in the modern world. Too many of them eat sub-standard food, and don't get the exercise they need. The result: rampant dog obesity and health problems.

What's Causing Rampant Dog Obesity?

The main cause is overfeeding, followed by not enough exercise. Poor quality food is also high on the list of dog obesity causes. Dogs are eating too much junk food and not burning off the calories.

But there are other, more subtle causes of dog obesity:

• A dog that was healthy and kept a good weight in his younger years, can become obese during middle- or old-age. This is often due to the owners not adjusting the diet as the dog's metabolism and exercise habits slow down.
• Once a dog is spayed or neutered, his or her need for calories drops significantly, and so the dog's diet should change accordingly.
• Some dog breeds are naturally prone to obesity for various reasons. A Great Dane needs far, far less food than you'd expect for his size. Beagles and Shetland Sheepdogs, don't metabolize food very well, so poor quality food or overfeeding will lead to obesity.
• Breeds that are prone to being spoiled or picky about their food, might be fed extremely fatty foods when their owners “bribe” them into eating.
• Families with multiple dogs might have a food competition taking place without realizing it. That competition leads to dog obesity because the nervous, non-alpha dogs will wolf-down every scrap they can get, scared they won't have another chance to eat later.
• Some medications will affect a dog's appetite. If your dog goes on a new medication, ask about diet concerns. If the veterinarian says the medication will increase your dog's appetite, consider taking away the food bowl after each meal to prevent obesity.
• Sometimes a dog will digest food less effectively, or eat more, during illness.

How to Identify Dog Obesity

Although an objective person can spot dog obesity at a mere glance, we as owners are more self-conscious and might want to deny the problem. A recent study showed that there was a huge gap in perceptions of dog obesity between owners and veterinarians – 17 per cent of owners said their dogs were obese, versus 47 of veterinarians.

” style=”margin: 5px 15px; float: right;” />Food is a great comfort to everyone, and we dog owners will give our pets a tasty treat, bits and scraps from the table, or an extra helping just to show our love. But a better way to show that love is to protect our dogs' lives from fatal obesity.

Run your hands up and down your dog's sides. If you can easily feel his ribs but not see them, he's probably healthy. If you can pinch flab and fat, he's probably an obese or overweight dog. Firm muscle tone is good – soft rolls are not. The way he walk is another sign of dog obesity – overweight dogs will waddle, healthy dogs will strut. Difficulty breathing is yet another sign of dog obesity.

Of course, the best test of dog obesity is a straightforward, scientific one. Visit a website that lists the ideal weights for different breeds and genders based on their height and age, then put your big buddy on a scale and get the plain truth. Naturally, your veterinarian is also a good source for this info.

The breed of dog is a major factor in what's healthy and what's not. Dogs who were originally bred for shepherding will need a bit more fat than one bred for running. Dogs with very big bones are bigger-proportioned all-around.

One more thing you can do at home is to take the online B.A.R.C (Body Assessment Rating for Canines) and get a general idea of where your dog stands compared to both ideal weight, and obesity.

But the very best answer will come from your veterinarian. If your vet says your dog is obese, then that's the final word.

What You Can Do About Dog Obesity

Dog obesity is possibly the number one health problem that you can control yourself at home.

First, go to the vet for a general health checkup. Your dog's obesity could be a symptom of a completely different health problem. If that's the case, then changing their diet or inducing more exercise might be the wrong thing to do.

Once you've eliminated dog obesity as merely being a symptom, it's time to do exactly what you'd expect. Here's a list of tips to help you get your dog's weight under control:

• Whatever you do to reduce your dog's obesity, don't expect overnight results. It will take a few months or more to turn your dog's weight problem around.
• Don't let your dog free-feed. Remove the food after each meal and don't let your dog tell you when it's feeding time.
• Make sure you're choosing your dog's food for best health. If you've been bribing him to eat by giving the tastiest, fattiest foods, that's got to stop.
• Do the same for snacks. Your pet store can advise you on dog treats that help with weight loss.
• Gradually increase exercise. Keep in mind that an obese dog can become over-tired, so don't launch them into a military-grade exercise regiment.
• Like us, dogs will eat to cure boredom. Reduce this boredom by paying more attention to your obese dog, giving him toys, doing more obedience training… generally, keep him entertained.

Diet Advice for Dog Obesity:
Choosing the Right Food

The quality of your dog's food is a huge factor in dog obesity. Cheap food is full of fillers that make your dog feel full without providing any nutritional value. More expensive foods will satisfy his biological needs. When you switch your obese dog to a better-quality food, you'll need to gradually reduce the amount of food, because that healthier food has more calories.

If you subscribe to The Whole Dog Journal, you'll get a complete analysis each year of the best dog foods in every category. There's also a lot of information all over the web, ranging from the scientific to the speculative. I've written a guide to the dog food market in general, but cutting straight to the chase: if you want a great dog food for both healthy and obese dogs, try Wellness brand dog food.

You can spot doggie junk food by looking at the ingredients. Remember that the ingredients are listed according to proportion, so if corn and grain are near the top of the ingredients list, it's garbage. If the first few ingredients mention chicken, lamb, and so on, it's better-quality food. Protein should be the order of the day.

A warning about “low-calorie diet food” for dogs: The jury is still out about these kinds of meals. Read some articles on the web about this before you decide to feed it to your obese dog. In short, these foods have been known to reduce dog obesity, but occasionally lead directly to other, serious health problems.

I'm not saying that the entire low-calorie diet dog food industry is bad, or that all those products are bad for your dog. I'm just saying that there are some risks, and so that kind of food should not be considered a push-button solution to dog obesity.

Diet Advice for Dog Obesity:
Portions and Feeding Schedules

Here's the simple rule of thumb for your obese dog's “losing weight” diet, or, for that matter, any dog whether he's healthy or fat. Put the food down, let him eat for 5 or 10 minutes, then take the food away. Do this two or three times a day. This works because your dog will go to the bowl and eat until he's no longer hungry… but if the food stays there, he'll return and snack, and snack, and snack.

Keep in mind that a dog who's used to having food available all the time, is going to resist this change by begging for food. Distract him! Play with him, exercise him, train him – don't give in. Follow the simple advice above and your dog will automatically adjust so that he's taking in enough food to get the right amount of energy, but not so much that it maintains his obesity.

Here's what you should not do: Don't follow the feeding advice on the dog food package. The portions and schedules placed on dog food packaging are just “filler text” that's only there because it looks informative. It doesn't take into account breed, weight or size, exercise habits, or the possibility that your dog is obese or under-weight. Ignore the feeding advice on the dog food bag.

Diet Advice for Dog Obesity:
Weight Loss Exercise

Keep in mind that an overweight or obese dog will have less energy than a healthy one. For this reason, you should simply go for long walks at a relaxed pace. You will notice after a month of this, that his energy level begins to rise. Don't suddenly increase to a long jog just because your dog has a tiny bit more spring in his step! Take it slow.

Play time is the best way to gauge the effects of dog obesity melting away. As his physical condition improves, he'll become much more playful. Once he's become so happy about his new energy level that play time becomes much more active and he wants to play much more often, that's when you increase his “formal exercise” a bit more. In short: Let your formerly-obese dog's changing habits, be your guide.

Dog Obesity Health Tip:
Don't Force Rapid Weight Loss!

Rapid drops in body mass are a big risk. Don't do anything to try and end dog obesity faster than is natural and healthy. Normal weight loss results should be in the neighborhood of 1 to 2 per cent of total body mass per week – any more weight loss than that, is unhealthy.

Conclusions on Dog Obesity

Your vet is a great source of information. Ask him or her what snacks and meal supplements you can use to keep your dog comfortable and happy while you fight dog obesity. Your vet is less likely to pull a “sales pitch” than your pet store, and besides that, your vet knows more than a sales clerk will.

Don't give up on your obese dog's diet just because he cries at you for food. Think of how much more he'd cry while having a heart attack, and then stick to his best interests. Dog obesity is fatal, and your dog will be overjoyed when he starts to feel like a puppy again!

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At that point, since he has been biddable that it is alright to jump up, it is really difficult to teach him not to. I can’t tell you how many times I have been dressed to go somewhere and stopped at a friends house only to sit in a chair covered with dog hair. This is where dog obedience training comes in.

Bad situation of company coming over and the dog won’t get off the couch so they can sit down without a battle. Even small dogs can be a problem when they claim a particular piece of furniture as their own, ever try to remove a Chihuahua from a chair that he thinks is his? It can be a very frightening experience! This is a true sign that dog care has not been taken.

My Labrador retriever knew she wasnt supposed to be on the couch, and would wait until I was away from home or in bed at night, talk about sneaky! I prefer to use what I call the rattle to train dogs to stay off the furniture, a rattle is simply a can with 15 or 20 pennies in it, tape the top and it is a great noise maker. This works great in your dog training plight!

Dogs dont like to be startled, and the clatter works perfectly. If you are symbiotic enough to have a dog that jumps up on the furniture in front of you, use the rattle and a firm no, use the no sometimes with the rattle and sometimes without it.

Dog Training can be tricky!

If your dog waits until you arent around, just put a couple of them along the rattles at heel of the furniture, when they jump up they knock off the rattle and it startles them. As with any dog training, patience is one of the keys, it takes time, but is well worth the striving. You must always act like a professional dog trainer – even though you’re not!

I have always believed, and still do today, that it is never necessary to physically hurt your dog, as a root of fact, it is against the law to do so! I used to believe that it was alright to smack a dog on the behind with a loosely rolled newspaper, ( it really does make more noise than it hurts them ) until I did it one day and came home the next day to a shredded newspaper.

It is amazing how far a dog can spread one newspaper in a day! To dogs, they live in a world of giants, and the only way to make estimation contact is to jump up, this is not desirable with any dog and can be down right dangerous with a large dog. You should never understimate how crucial dog obedience is. I have heard many nightmare stories of dogs that jump on people, from the pregnant woman who was knocked down by a Rotweiler to the little girl who was knocked down by a Labrador.

These dogs should have been dog training early on not to jump on people, and were not, at this point it becomes the fault of the owner, not the dog. If you enjoy having your dog greet you in this way, you can teach him later to jump when commanded too, but for now, he must be taught that all jumping is forbidden.

Put 20 pennies into an empty can and tape the top shut, this can be used in several types of dog obedience training situations. The key to training your dog is to surprise him, using the rattle along with a firm no, will usually redirect his attention to something else, the noise of the can. As you can see, you don’t need to be the dog whisperer to know how to train a dog.

Keep one at each door of the house and as he gets ready to bounce, this is front-page, rap the can and tell him no in a firm voice. Using the rattle with no one time and the no alone sometimes will eventually teach your dog to respond to the no rather than the rattle and the no.

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